Ive been hearing from family that I should just stick to cardio because I still have 50 more lbs to go and I'm going to just build big muscles under the fat and then look hideous. Should I wait till I reach my goal to strength train and just stick to cardio. Been working out a month and am enjoying my routine.

you should do some light to start weight training along with your cardio. Muscle weighs more then fat, but it also helps to burn fat. Lean strong muscles will help with your balance and overall health, and you will not look hidious trust me. Wommen biologically will not "bulk up" like a guy would cuz we are not hormonally designed to bulk up. some weight training is good for you as it will help to "Fill out" any sagging skin to a degree.

lift weights it's good for you. dumbells at walmart are not that expesnive and if you go on to amazon.com and look for some of the older FIRM workout dvd/s tapes (orig on vhs). they are a great mix of cardio and weights and the system reallly does work.

Do not stop lifting!!! You are building lean muscle and that is going to burn more calories while you are resting. I have been heavy lifting since January and love it. Woman can not 'bulk up' unless you are taking steroids or testosterone. It physically can not be done.

The muscle weighs more than fat is actually just a myth. A pound of fat is going to still weight the same as a pound of muscle. It is just that muscle is a lot more dense than fat. Fat is going to take up about 3 times the amount of space that the same pound of muscle does.

Strength training is important and will help get you to goal. One pound of muscle burns 50 calories a day while one pound of fat only burns 3. Replace some of the fat with muscle and you will burn more calories!

Strength training is key! Don't give it up. I've just restarted my own since being banded and I am surprised how much I missed it. I'm positive it will help me get to goal. Best of luck to you!!

I have done strength training since day 1 and it helped me lose all my weight, when i weighed my heaviest its all i could do and it burned the calories away nicely, my plastic surgeon said that because i have toned my muscles, she had a much easier job with the removal of my excess skin and i love my toned arms and tummy. Toning up your muscles isnt going to 'bulk' them up.

Just because family members say something like they did it isnt necessarily true, next time they say something ask them to back up what they are saying.. i think u will find, like some of us did, getting the last 50 lbs off a little harder unless u keep up some strength work.

Thank you so much for all the encouragement. I love my strength training and it's good to hear I can continue doing this! I got scared there for awhile with family opinions.

The consensus is DON'T STOP weight training. All the benefits have been stated already. I prefer weights to cardio because it feels like a sense of accomplishment and gives me a confidence boost.

If you are afraid of "bulking up" then use light weights and do longer repetitions. Example: 5 pound dumbell curls 5 sets of 6. If you don't want to get weights, then use your own body weight. (If you have a lack of balance I suggest using a pool; less impact on joints and easier recovery if you fall.) Doing simple things like pushups, knee ups, standing crunches, plank positions, yoga, and pilates will all help you gain strength by making you manipulate your own body weight. If you don't believe me, do 1 hour of yoga... you're muscles will be tired.

Kudos on liking cardio, but you do need to change your routine every 4-6 weeks to keep from hitting a plateau. If you want to tone up quick, do circuit training. I was dropping inches like crazy last summer when I was doing 30 minute circuit training sets.

Keep up the good work!

Just remember not to allow yourself to fall into the light and more reps falicy. Just think about it this way, what good are 5 lb weights doing when you lift that just by lifting a bag of sugar. You should challenge yourself always. If you have a child that you still lift daily or you grocery shop (think of the weight of those bags), why limit yourself to 5 lb weights when for your daily life you need to strengthen those muscles just to do daily things.