I am overweight, Will I get bigger with weight lifting?

[Destruckdoz]

Hey whats up,

I did a search and nothing came up with what I was looking for so I decided to ask.

I started weight lifting since I was 15 but I have always been overweight and lately been obese since getting out into the real world of stress and late night fast food dinners. I am getting myself into gear of losing weight, I am noticing great changes in my body and how I feel which I cannot describe.

During my last attempt at losing weight, I would hit the gym every night while running about 2-5 miles a day and I was losing weight quick, but I would be always tired from the run, which I did on my eliptical machine.

This time around I chose to do mostly weight lifting but one of the guys who works at the gym. He has nothing but the best interest in everybody there, even letting me in during my membership off days to let me work out. He came up to me and he was chatting with me, and he slowly advised me that, If I continued the path I was taking which was intense weight lifting, that I would become much bigger than I am now. If some were to guess, a lot tell me that I look like I weigh 340 pounds, but in reality, its 441. I don't know if they are saying it to be nice, but I do hear it from my parents who were always the harshest of critics. But is it true? will weightlifting as an obese man make me much bigger? It kind of killed my workout since it got to me that I should be doing cardio instead of weightlifting.

Thanks in advance,
Danny

[justanothagirl]

weightlifting wont make you bigger, unless you eat enough calories for that. so lift+eat smart for your goals = get lean. read the stickies in this forum and the nutrition forum.

[Basil08]

It kind of killed my workout since it got to me that I should be doing cardio instead of weightlifting.

you should be doing both, along side of the diet. You will never be able to off set your poor eating habits or lack of proper dieting with working out. There are great informative stickies as said, they are at the top of the page (thread box). Feel free to ask anything you may find confusing.


Best of Luck.

[MissThing]

Hey whats up,

I did a search and nothing came up with what I was looking for so I decided to ask.

I started weight lifting since I was 15 but I have always been overweight and lately been obese since getting out into the real world of stress and late night fast food dinners. I am getting myself into gear of losing weight, I am noticing great changes in my body and how I feel which I cannot describe.

During my last attempt at losing weight, I would hit the gym every night while running about 2-5 miles a day and I was losing weight quick, but I would be always tired from the run, which I did on my eliptical machine.

This time around I chose to do mostly weight lifting but one of the guys who works at the gym. He has nothing but the best interest in everybody there, even letting me in during my membership off days to let me work out. He came up to me and he was chatting with me, and he slowly advised me that, If I continued the path I was taking which was intense weight lifting, that I would become much bigger than I am now. If some were to guess, a lot tell me that I look like I weigh 340 pounds, but in reality, its 441. I don't know if they are saying it to be nice, but I do hear it from my parents who were always the harshest of critics. But is it true? will weightlifting as an obese man make me much bigger? It kind of killed my workout since it got to me that I should be doing cardio instead of weightlifting.

Thanks in advance,
Danny

With a good diet, weighlifting will make you SMALLER

The action of weigh-lifitng and cardio will get your heart rate going and use energy.

The lean tissue gained (everyone gains a few lbs in the beginning and even further on down the line) will use up more energy throughout the day.

You need to do some cardio, but not at the expense of weight lifting.

I started out by doing 1-2 days cardio and 2x lifting. I pushed that to 3x lifting and 2x cardio but I've had to stop cardio for a while because I walk 8 miles per day during winter.

[|ceman]

you should be doing both, along side of the diet. You will never be able to off set your poor eating habits or lack of proper dieting with working out. There are great informative stickies as said, they are at the top of the page (thread box). Feel free to ask anything you may find confusing.


Best of Luck.

This is correct. One of the mistakes people make is just lifting weights with no cardio or care about diet. Lifting weights will tend to increase your appetite; which without proper cardio or diet plan, will make you bigger.

As long as you do postworkout cardio on your lifting days and add a couple of cardio only days (on your off days) AND put together a proper diet plan, you will most certainly lose fat AND look smaller (in a good way).

Here is a good read on proper nutrition:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=1713071

[Bron_bron]

Hey whats up,

I did a search and nothing came up with what I was looking for so I decided to ask.

I started weight lifting since I was 15 but I have always been overweight and lately been obese since getting out into the real world of stress and late night fast food dinners. I am getting myself into gear of losing weight, I am noticing great changes in my body and how I feel which I cannot describe.

During my last attempt at losing weight, I would hit the gym every night while running about 2-5 miles a day and I was losing weight quick, but I would be always tired from the run, which I did on my eliptical machine.

This time around I chose to do mostly weight lifting but one of the guys who works at the gym. He has nothing but the best interest in everybody there, even letting me in during my membership off days to let me work out. He came up to me and he was chatting with me, and he slowly advised me that, If I continued the path I was taking which was intense weight lifting, that I would become much bigger than I am now. If some were to guess, a lot tell me that I look like I weigh 340 pounds, but in reality, its 441. I don't know if they are saying it to be nice, but I do hear it from my parents who were always the harshest of critics. But is it true? will weightlifting as an obese man make me much bigger? It kind of killed my workout since it got to me that I should be doing cardio instead of weightlifting.

Thanks in advance,
Danny

Nothing else matters if you're diet isn't in check. I don't just mean eating the right kinds of foods, but the right amount. Even before starting to put together a workout plan, focus on getting a dietary plan that you can follow long term, then throw the exercise in. Best of luck!

[eazyrid3r]

Its one of the primary reasons resistance training (ie weight lifting) should be incorporated in weight loss plans. More muscle = higher metabolism = faster and more efficient weight loss.

Its a beautiful thing

[fittchica]

Nothing else matters if you're diet isn't in check. I don't just mean eating the right kinds of foods, but the right amount. Even before starting to put together a workout plan, focus on getting a dietary plan that you can follow long term, then throw the exercise in. Best of luck!

x2 honey. Congratualtions by the way on beginning the change--it is a hard thing to do. My best friend is 422lbs and we have been slowly trying to change his eating habits too-slowly,lol! But I know what you are doing is NOT easy so good for you. Yes diet is the #1 factor-you must eat less than you burn, and then since you're not eating as much, you had better make sure that everything you DO eat is healthy and fuel for your body. Ignore the fool who told you not to lift weights Good Luck!

[drewkowsky]

Nah, your trainer is off. Weight lifting kicks up your metabolism and causes your weight lost to be more preferential to be fat instead of muscle. It WILL increase your appetite, though, so you have to remember and account for that with a good diet (protein!).

[aiming45]

Ditto what everyone else said. I had somethin' else for you and the trainer to chew on.

Although muscle weighs more than fat it is obviously much more dense. The result is that it physically occupies 1/3 the space that fat does on your body.

So imagine a 5lb piece of muscle compared side by side to a slab of fat the same weight would look like this:

fat
----------
----------
----------

muscle
----------

So as you lose fat and gain muscle, you should actually look leaner. Even on those days when the scale doesn't move. So don't ever get discouraged and keep on, keeping on!

[McGuiver]

Diet alone = slow fat loss

Weight + Diet = Fast fat loss

Cardio + Weight + diet = Fasterer fat loss

By adding cardio your just making it faster. But ofcourse their are so many more factors that come into play such as muscle loss yuda yuda yuda.

Good luck have fun bro!

** STANDS CORRECTED **

[¡STFU!ˇNˆLIFT!]

I dunno me personally after not weight training so long - though my muscles seem to have a pretty decent memory and I got back where I was at 5 years ago in just 2 months ... me personally don't wanna do ANY cardio except warm ups and when I feel like cool downs ..
I want to build the muscle - keep it tearing down / repairing while in a calorie deficit - then lose the fat more so after I'm down to 15-17% by adding in cardio slowly but surely ..

[|ceman]

Diet alone = slow fat loss (faster muscle loss). Total weight lost will likely be gained back within a few months and will be more fat than muscle.

Fixed.

Diet alone is the main reason why people end up yo-yo dieting. You need to increase physical activity in order to increase lean mass to fat mass ratio. Diet alone does not work. Even diet + cardio is not a long term solution, as there is no impetus to increase lean tissue mass.

[dutrachr]

x2 honey. Congratualtions by the way on beginning the change--it is a hard thing to do. My best friend is 422lbs and we have been slowly trying to change his eating habits too-slowly,lol! But I know what you are doing is NOT easy so good for you. Yes diet is the #1 factor-you must eat less than you burn, and then since you're not eating as much, you had better make sure that everything you DO eat is healthy and fuel for your body. Ignore the fool who told you not to lift weights Good Luck!

Its one of the primary reasons resistance training (ie weight lifting) should be incorporated in weight loss plans. More muscle = higher metabolism = faster and more efficient weight loss.

Its a beautiful thing

props to all of you...i wish i had something else to add....

I will say that the #1 thing to worry about in a diet is nutrition. granted--you want to eat less than you normally do, but most likely its more calories than you think. you dont wanna starve yourself the whole day trying to cut calories. eat smaller poritioned meals and eat more frequently during the course of the day.

But yes, listen to what everyone says here (and not ur trainer LOL).

[carlwolfslair]

i started too change my diet and train as a thai boxer about 6 years ago at the time i had been doing weight training cos i enjoy it alot anyway i was nearly 280lbs at the time now im about 220lbs more or less stronger leaner and alot fitter i focused on cardio and diet tho for 4 years just doing body wieght type exersizes untill the last few years went back to the wieghts and losing more fat gaining more muscle for me i fealt i needed to focus on the cardio the thai boxing training being mostly cardio but also bag work and strength work with body wieght you have to find what ever works for you i think i never went strict on my diet at first just cut more and more out that wasnt good and aimed at losing about 10-14 lbs of body fat per year not to much stress on doing that totally changed my body compassition too now im lifting wieghts to build power and strength but not size so much and doing cardio every day almost and training thai boxing twice a week

wish i had before and after shots but im far too shy for that sorry i fought a guy the size i was when i started a few months back and someone made a comment 'did you two get on the same skales' made me smile before i beat the guy up hehe. Anyway set yourself a goal you can reach for the next 3-6 months if u reach it faster aim higher next time and eventually your have that 6 pac and people will see all the muscles your about to build. Remember too you muscle controls your metabolism so your lose more fat fast by having more muscle i sweat like a pig in the gym people think im on gear (sometimes i am lol) but mostly its just because i have much more muscle than them and work harder.

[carlwolfslair]

can i just add noting how big you are a word of caution at 280lbs i didnt run for cardio as it was a stress on my joints i only did 1hr 30 twice a week at the thai boxing gym as i could pace myself and went for a walk once or twice a week if i was you i might try some low impact cardio maybe cycle for 10 -15 mins before or after your workout or hit a punch bag for the a few 2 min rounds take 1 mins rest inbetween then hit your wieghts. Also you could make the wieghts litter do more reps and burn up calories that way a few days a week just keep yourself strong and healthy while you can push hard with the weights dont stress your heart with cardio at your size just take your time its going to take years to lose that kinda wieght but your lose it fast enough. Good luck to you

[Beerslinger]

Yep, Diet is the main thing. I'm pretty close to being in the same boat as you, starting off from 310 lbs.

I've found the greatest thing about the healthier eating with lifting and cardio is that I'm able to eat all day, I've just changed the things that I eat. If you equate it out, a regular sized bag of chips is basically the same as eating 4 -5 pieces of fruit. It's a great thing.

Also, I've found that protein shakes are great as the protein fills you up and you can go longer without eating as it digests much slower than carbs, and requires more calories to be burned while doing so.

You're doing great, starting is the hardest part. Keep it up.

[gizardo123]

Hey, I'm new to this. 250lbs here. In the same boat as OP(even though this post is like 7 years old.)