Let's say I start a regular workout program... page

[gopintos]

.. and once all the fat melts away, will I be in good shape underneath? Am I building a strong body under all the fat?

I dont know how to ask my question really. When I started losing weight, I was under the belief of cardio cardio cardio, and so I was doing that. That with diet was getting good results. About the same time I went low carb and then found primal, I had just realized I was hungrier when I worked out more, and that just seemed to defeat the purpose. I felt like it would be easier to just watch what I eat. And then when I was going to go even lower carb, I had heard I probably wouldn't be able to work out low carb, and so I didnt. Then when spring hit, I was busy for hours and hours every day outside doing yard work. So I havent really done any structured exercise since mid-March.

Now that it is so stinking hot, my extra activity around the house/farm/yard is all but non-existent. We havent even been in the pond as much as last year. I do drag a garden hose all over creation for about 2 hours every day in the mornings. That and housework is about it. I have a good grasp on my hunger and nutrition I think. I am wondering if it is time to focus more on the exercise aspect?

I have lots of dvds. I have an elliptical and I don't mind to tabata on it. I have lots of walking options. I have some kind of rowing apparatus, I forget the name. And some other tall tower thing. And I have downloaded the fitness program but honestly I havent looked at it. I also think part of it, was that I was getting a handle on my eating, and if I throw exercise in the mix, I am going to have to relearn everything. What/when I can eat beforehand, what/when I need to eat after....It just seemed even more complicated. I also had told myself that since it was only 20% of the weight loss process, I didnt need to worry about it as much, and so I havent. But thinking I should revisit that decision.

Now I just read somewhere, (not here) someone said that you build muscle under the fat. That seems like it would make my butt even bigger, and I dont want that. But I imagine the fat melting away at some point, and what is left is looking pretty good. Maybe that is just wishful thinking.

I probably have another 60 - 75lbs or so to go. Much of it is in my mid section. My Big Fat (not Wheat) Belly. Should I just continue to focus on nutrition, or maybe do some tabata style sprinting on my elliptical for now? Or just do walking? I have slim in 6, momma wants her body back, pxsomething. That one would kill me I am certain. The slim in 6 isnt too bad, some ST of sorts I guess. I would love to have a butt like those on Brazil Butt Lift.

I havent really ventured off of the nutrition forum much, so I know I need to research here, so I am sorry if these are basic and silly questions. Now that the summer is winding down (kids back to school in a few weeks) I will be able to think more and do more of what I need to do for me. I am just wondering what that might be. I am trying to formulate a plan and a schedule.

Thanks for any and all help!

[missblue]

I lost about 35 pounds and did CrossFit with Paleo. My clothing size got smaller even though weight didn't change much at times because I was building muscle underneath. I'm about a size 7 in pants from a 12 even though I still weigh about 170, so I think you might be surprised at how well exercise works in terms of "reducing" size. Most women really have to work hard to bulk up at all, so I wouldn't worry about it and be sure to lift plenty of heavy things

[gopintos]

Thanks for taking the time to reply. WTG on your results!! I was doing some reading on other threads this morning, and one thing that jumps at me is to read the PB fitness and do it. I should really start there I guess. I guess I was just wondering how intensely I should jump in. I seem to get OCD about things, and then move on to something else, so I didnt want to burn out. That is why it was so easy to stop working out before when I heard I wouldnt have energy after going low carb. VLC. Honestly, I think I still did because I was gradually on the decline anyways, but point is it didnt take much persuasion because I really hate cardio. I use to love ST but that was back in the day. Now I enjoy the cardio of push mowing and doing things around my home, but not when it is so darn hot.

[Inksplat]

For any woman worried about "bulking up" just give this blogpost from over at Nerd Fitness a read. Its the story of Staci, who is an absolute Deadlifting beast. And who is not at all bulky or mannish.

Its also a great example of how you can get heavier and smaller at the same time.

Meet Staci: Your New Powerlifting Super Hero | Nerd Fitness

[gopintos]

Thanks for the info. I will go snoop around. I wasn't really worried about bulking up though. I know that isnt going to happen. I think I was worried about where my focus should be while I still have so much weight to lose yet. Should I just keep focusing on nutrition or go back to incorporating a regular schedule to make sure I am doing enough movement since at the moment, I am not really doing all that much. If all goes well, I am still probably a year from my goal weight. Hopefully less, but it could still take a year.

I have been reading the free download. I can see how that would fit in nicely.

[Inksplat]

I would definitely suggest doing at least the Primal Blueprint Fitness routine.

You've already got muscle--if you're overweight, then you need that muscle to move around. If you diet but don't strength train, then as you lose fat, you'll also lose that muscle. What that means is that it will actually take you longer to hit your goal body composition.

If you don't work out, you'd find yourself at 130 (just picking a number) and skinny fat, and still want to lose another 10 pounds. Whereas, if you are strength training, you might hit 135-140 and find that you look fantastic. Because how you look is all about the muscle underneath, once you get your weight down.

But you'll have to be willing to accept clothes getting loose even if the number on the scale isn't always dropping.

[Nigel]

.. and once all the fat melts away, will I be in good shape underneath? Am I building a strong body under all the fat?

Exercise doesn't really lose you weight because of the way we use calories. Cutting down on calories loses weight. When people exercise a lot, they get hungry and eat more.

I started back in March and made 1lb per week my goal. I count calories and make sure that I am at least 500 per day less than what my maintenance level would be. I saw a TV programme where a bloke did HIT cycle riding to bring insulin levels down. He did three 20 second flat out bursts with getting breath back between each. This was done twice or three times a week. I used my rowing machine to do the same ad my resting pulse went from about 60 down to just below 50 beats per minute now.

Four weeks or so ago, I started strength training as advocated in Body by Science. I have had to increase the weights or reps every session. This indicates to me that I am adding muscle.

My point is, I am losing weight and doing the strength training & HIT at the same time. By eating sort of primally, I am not hungry after a training session. Blimey! it only takes a few minutes. The total I do is perhaps 15 minutes a week. If I can do it, anyone can.

[gopintos]

I would definitely suggest doing at least the Primal Blueprint Fitness routine.

You've already got muscle--if you're overweight, then you need that muscle to move around. If you diet but don't strength train, then as you lose fat, you'll also lose that muscle. What that means is that it will actually take you longer to hit your goal body composition.

If you don't work out, you'd find yourself at 130 (just picking a number) and skinny fat, and still want to lose another 10 pounds. Whereas, if you are strength training, you might hit 135-140 and find that you look fantastic. Because how you look is all about the muscle underneath, once you get your weight down.

But you'll have to be willing to accept clothes getting loose even if the number on the scale isn't always dropping.

Thanks y'all. Before my last son and I gained weight because of this or that, I was ST for hours at the gym, so I always thought that I could carry a higher weight pretty well. That is why when ppl asked, how much do you want to lose, what is your goal weight... that is a hard one for me to answer. I didnt really have a set weight in mind for those reasons you mentioned. Also the last sentence, is sort of dead on why I cut back in March also. I was trying to lose weight, the number on a scale for a challenge, it was all about the number and I think I was thinking about that in the back of my mind also. I am glad to see that in black & white, how really silly that is. That is not my goal. My goal is fat loss. Loose clothes and Losing clothes (LGN) are my goals

By eating sort of primally, I am not hungry after a training session. Blimey! it only takes a few minutes. The total I do is perhaps 15 minutes a week. If I can do it, anyone can.

Oh gosh. I hadnt really thought of that. When I exercised more and got hungry more, I wasn't eating primal yet. I was starting to lower carbs and I was probably still around 175 - 200, just not much of that was sugar & I didnt do much wheat etc but basically I was still dieting SAD style. 6 mini-meals, every 2 or 3 hours - it was exhausting. Now I can go all day and not get hungry, even when I work outside in the yard for hours and hours, so maybe I am in a much better place as far as being able to deal with hunger & working out. I was worried about getting hungrier and eating more and dealing with all that again, and trying to reign it in again.

Thanks for new perspectives

[otzi]

You've already got muscle--if you're overweight, then you need that muscle to move around.

This is way wrong. It is a very common misconception, though. Please read this article written by an ER doctor on the subject.

INTERNAL STARVATION »

From the article:
"Through knowledge of the above mechanisms, I began to notice things about my obese ER patients that I had failed to notice in my 19 years of practice. I began to pay attention to CT scans of patients. The images of CT scans represent transverse slices through the body, much like the slices of a spiral-cut ham. On abdominal CT scans I could really notice the consequences of the metabolic processes described above. The most readily obvious finding is the bizarre appearance of a normal size person entrapped in a fatty prison. In many cases, the cumulative width of the pannus of fat on either side, exceeded the width of the normal person trapped inside. The fat was not just on the surface, though. There was fat in the intra-abdominal cavity, layered on the mesentery between the intestines, and it was marbled throughout the liver, and it was packed around the kidneys. This layering of intra-abdominal fat made CT interpretation easier, as it spread out the organs of interest, and inflammation in the surrounding fat was easy to visualize. Even more astounding than the abundance of fat, was the lack of muscle. The atrophy was truly profound. The rectus abdominus, the internal and external obliques, and transversus abdominus muscles, which are normally 1-2 cm thick were only millimeters in thickness. The lumbar extensor muscles, were so atrophied that open spaces were evident between the cord-like bundles and the muscle did not extend above the spinous processes, or beyond the transverse processes of the vertebra. What, in the well-developed state was as thick as the barrel of a baseball bat, was now smaller than a paper towel tube. For 18 years of practice, I had never really noticed what was in front of my face the whole time."

[Inksplat]

Are you honestly saying that people have no muscle when they're fat? Because that's just silly.

If I can lift my 300lb ass out of a chair, then clearly, my legs are able to support 300lbs. Yes, some muscles are going to be weaker, but a lot of muscles that are required in simply moving yourself around cannot possibly be.

Can I push myself up off my stomach? Can I stand up? Can I jump? Can I walk? Then I have muscle.

I'm not saying fat people are ripped underneath the fat, but they definitely have an amount of lean mass that if you can keep it, is advantageous.