[Kiki]

What's the best exercise to do to lose weight? Is it cardio or strength training? I've found a lot of information on both and I'm not sure which to do. I started at the gym with a trainer last week and she recommends doing both at the same time. However, she doens't believe in diet pills. A half hour of cardio and lifting 2-3 times a week she says will speed up my metabolism and los weight. Is this correct? I know that I need to tone up as I lose weight, but I've heard that if you start building muscle too fast, you won't lose as much weight. I don't want to get discouraged if I don't see the scale moving at all or even going up. I'm 5'2" and 181. I used to sit on my butt all day and get no exercise whatsoever. I also started Weight Watchers last week to keep a handle on my eating habits too. I take Phen 37.5 mg and drink 80+ oz of water a day. Any ideas?

[Ian Robertson]

I would first of all recommend incorporating both strength training with cardio. So, do a total body circuit of a few movements with a weight heavy enough to cause fatigue within 25 reps and to work at a challenging pace for about 20-30 minutes. Also, take breaks only when you NEED to. This will work wonders. Also, your fear of gaining too much muscle is unsubstantiated. The bottom line is you can't burn fat without muscle, so the more muscle you have the higher metabolism you have. Fat tissue is not active and therefore doesn't "need" calories for energy like muscle tissue does. So, don't listen to the scale if it says you've gained a pound but are are stronger because muscle weighs 3x more than fat. PM me if you have more questions. Keep kickin' butt!

[kimberpc]

Keep kickin it Kiki.... we talked about this and we all know that I'm not a personal trainer and never claimed to be.. just lost 60something pounds this year... teehee Anyways... I love the cardio and strength/weight training together....I seem to see and feel way more of a difference in myself than with cardio alone

[Kiki]

Thank you both Ian and Kimber.

I am doing both cardio and strength training. Boy, what a big difference. I'm not seeing as much weight loss around .5 to 1 pounds a week but I am steadily losing an average of 3 inches total each week. That to me is fantastic. Measuring definitely helps me when I don't see much of a drop in the scale.

I'm starting to become addicted to working out. Like I told Kimber it's a great feeling to want to go to the gym instead of dragging myself there.

[Ian Robertson]

I knew you could do it, Kiki! The measuring tape approach is so much better than the scale too! Good work!

[drone832]

agree with Ian...tape measure over scale.

I am almost a CPT (Just have to pass my practical exam, already passed the written); AMP-UP your cardio occasionally with Intervals...that is start at a low pace of Level 2-3 for warm-up; next 1-2 mins at Level 5; back down to Level 2-3 for 3 mins; increase to Level 7 for 1 min; back down to 2-3 for 3 mins, and so on.

Cardio is key for fat loss, however, like anything else, once your body gets used to the challenge, it is no longer a challenge. Change it up with different machines also: treadmill, stairmaster, elliptical. Try a step class if there is one in your area.

(If your trainer doesn't believe in diet pills, don't tell her you are using them!) However, from my personal experience, if you use them prior to working out, it'll be harder to do the workout without them. Try working out first, then use your pill for the remainder of the day to keep the appetite at bay. If one pill is too much, chop that thingie in half.

It works...so work it. Good luck.

[gYmGuRl]

(If your trainer doesn't believe in diet pills, don't tell her you are using them


No you need to tell them so they can monitor your heart rate...if they don't like it tough crap