Have you ever felt more “bulky” than lean and sculpted from exercise?Â
You want to lose weight and wonder why everyone seems to be telling you to lift weights?
This is definitely for you! Watch the full Flipping 50 episode right here.
Why weight training for weight loss?
Whenever you lose weight, you lose a percentage of fat AND muscle. It’s unavoidable.
Muscle is your most metabolically active tissue. It helps you burn calories and fat, even at rest. Double bonus.
Weight loss can be 15-50% muscle loss.
Weight regain after a “diet” is usually 100% fat.
If you  repeat that cycle, even with minimum losses of muscle without increasing lean tissue [by getting adequate protein and performing the right weight training, over time you’ll have a cumulative effect of more fat and less muscle than you started with.
That results in a slower metabolism.
With the right type of weight training you can hold onto muscle while you lose weight. You can also increase lean muscle if you’ve lost it. Nine-year olds can gain strength and muscle. It’s not too late with the right combination of nutrition and exercise timing.
There is a specific science related to weight training to boost your results as much as possible. Several weight training factors influence weight loss :
- Heavy weight few reps (post exercise energy expenditure is higher)
- Compound exercises (more and larger muscles will use more energy during and after)
- Power technique (increases energy expenditure during and after exercise)
- Specific combinations of “super set” training (boost energy expenditure by 33%)
Watch the episode to see the comparison between power and traditional lifting. It’s worth the few minutes to make your weight training more effective at burning energy during and all day after exercise.*
Warning: there are a couple things to keep in mind when you begin weight training.Â
- Your clothes will get lose before the scale moves.
- People will comment on your arms and want them.
- Your waist will get smaller and your stomach flatter.
You’ll have to deal with that.
Mark this page and save this infographic as a reminder for how to superset:
Food for Effective Weight Loss with Weight Training
No food… no muscles… no metabolism.
Those are the facts. So, yes you need to eat and plan what to eat. That is the downfall for many of us. We fail to plan and you know the rest, we plan to fail. My friend, Leanne Ely, has a simple solution. In fact, she’s literally savingdinner.com. Go visit her site to get recipes that fit you whether you’re Paleo, vegan, or more traditional. She’s got you covered.
The biggest culprit in losing muscle and gaining fat by default for midlife women is eating too little:
- overall
- protein
- carbohydrates
Muscles need fuel.
For a done-for-you way to support your midlife resistance to weight loss without losing muscle mass, I created the Food Flip. Open a few times a year, it reduces decision fatigue about what to eat, supports liver detox and gives your digestive system a break. You can learn more here.
Gender Fact:
*Women tend to burn higher percentage of fat during exercise compared to men who increase fat metabolism after.
Flip of the Day:
It’s about the quality of your exercise, not the quantity.
Was this helpful? Are you lifting now? Or do you need to get started? I’d love to hear from you (and appreciate your sharing this post!)