I am overwieght and have recently started going to the gym but I am worried that the fat will turn to muscle.?

Question

I do two body pump classes and on 3 other days do cycling and treadmill work is this the right way to do it or should I try to lose the wieght first.

Answer 1

Hey Emma,
I have done three bodypump a week and cycle classes on the other days over the last five months and I can assure you all of the classes you are doing will burn off the calories real well, if my training is any indication.

The secret to losing weight is to burn more calories than you eat. This is known as a calorie deficit. Between 500 and 1000 calorrie deficit per day is considered healthy weight loss. The exercise forces your body to burn more calories while you are at rest than you would if you hadn't done the exercise. That is because your body is repairing itself. By this I mean that when muscles fatigue they get tiny little microscopic tears which must be repaired. You actually burn more calories running your vital organs, repairing skin cells and keeping warm etc (about 1600 calories per day if you are physically active) than you do in the actual pump classes (600 calories). Do the sums and you need to keep your calorie intake below 2400 calories (if you exercise every day) to maintain your weight. A good target for weight loss, with your level of exercise is to consume approx 1600 calories per day... but be careful because it is considered unhealthy for a female to consume less than around 1200 calories per day.

Because you are female, you will never look like "The Terminator" unless you take steriods to enhance your growth. this is because you will not have enough natural testosterone to build muscle mass like a man can.

If you desire bigger muscles you need to really load up the muscles with weights... (just like they boys do in the free weight room). They do small repetitions of large weights to bulk up.

If you continue to do the pump classes... which are high repetition and low weight exercises, your lean muscle mass will tone up... but you wont get big muscles.

Answer 2

Here's the most simple way to explain it: Muscle weighs more than fat, so yes you will gain weight. But also consider the fact that muscle burns fat, so your legs can get smaller, depending which part you are working on and lose the fat and gain muscle. And yes going to the gym is a great idea. Try doing a lot of cardio to lose weight (ie running, jump rope, etc.) The more you work out the easier it will be to lose weight. Try taking your BMI (body mass index) and a Before picture prior to working out. Keep track and watch your progress as it helps to keep you motivated. Getting a friend to work out with you migh also help to keep you going. Best of luck!

Answer 3

Body fat does NOT turn into muscle and muscle does NOT turn into body fat. It does not wrok that way at all.

If you eat an excess of calories, then nearly any type of food (carbs, alcohol, fats or protein) can be stored as body fat. It is best to eat a little bit less calories than you burn. Watch out -- if you eat too little, your body will try to retain body fat and you will lose lean muscle instead -- not a good idea at all.

A good exercise program for you will have you doing both cardio exercise (cycling & treadmill are good) and some weight training to boost your metabolism (so that you burn even more calories when your body is at rest).

If you don't want big bulky muscles then don't do super heavy weights. Instead, you want to do a LOT of repetitions with medium (or somewhat light) weights so that you tone instead of bulk up.

Answer 4

Thats a GREAT way to lose weight! Your already doing a ton more than most people would do. As long as you make sure you have plenty of cardio--then your great!!! You just gotta get that heart rate up to burn the fat and then your putting muscle on in its place. So your doing great! no worries!

Answer 5

Muscles is muscles and fat is fat. Use less weights and dont overdue your exercises to loose weight fast, Ending up hurting yourself. Weight loss takes time and if you could loose 2-3 pounds a week, you doing great.

Answer 6

Don't worry! Consult one of the trainers. They're professionals, and they can show you how to work out so that you emphasize weight-loss instead of building muscle mass. There are simple ways to do this.

Then just ENJOY working out. Once you get past the mental resistance to change (which is natural for all of us---we like to stay comfortable with familiar habits, even when they're not good for us), exercise will become part of your life, and it'll feel so good you'll look forward to it. Really!

And congratulations on deciding to take better care of yourself. You deserve it!

Answer 7

find calorie/fitness calculator on the net, enter all your stats and it will tell you how many calories you need a day to maintain, take off 300-400cal off that number and thats how much you need to lose.
eat 5-6 small meals a day (eat every 2-3 hours)
5-8 servings of fruit and veggies a day
8 glasses of water
have complex carbs for breakfast - they give you energy
have lean meat (protein) for dinner - repairs muscle
cardio exercise 4-6 times a week for 30-50min, light weight training
dont consume foods that are made of white flour (white bread, cakes, past etc.), sugar loaded foods (cookies, icecream, candy etc) and nothing fried - no junk food.

Answer 8

Don't worry. It is proven that your basal metabolism (how many calories you burn when doing nothing) is higher when you have mucle. You will have to wait a month or so before you really see results. I think your routine is very good, though. Good luck!

Just remember: with fast-paced walking you burn more fat than with jogging or other high-cardio-speed activities (learned it in biology). It will take too long to explain, it's all very technical, but it's from experience. Jogging will improve your overall fitness, though, which is very good, too.

Answer 9

hi.. when you do sport, technically you lose weight because you burn the fats in your body. the fat and muscles are 2 different tissues, one will not turn to the other, but when you exercise your muscles will grow but not too much because they have limited ability to grow (actually muscular cells do not increase in number but they increase in size (hypertrophy))

Answer 10

There are different exercises for weight loss and improving muscles.
Cycling and treadmill will reduce.