If ‘weight’ loss, fat loss, or ‘toning up’ is your goal – lifting weights (or using your own bodyweight), is the most effective way to go!
WHY?
Because the more lean muscle mass you have, the greater your fat burning potential. Your body needs to work hard to keep your muscles from ‘fading away’, so it uses energy (fat) to help with this!
Keep in mind that lifting weights will NOT make you bulky. The ‘bulky’ look typically happens when you build muscle, but don’t burn the fat… you MUST get your eating right to achieve both!
To start with, you may build muscle faster than you burn the fat – just give it time, stay CONSISTENT, and the fat will come off.
Also keep in mind, that to achieve a ‘bodybuilding’ look is extremely tough! It takes a specific diet & programme to achieve this, so don’t worry about gaining huge muscles!
WHAT IF THE NUMBER GOES UP ON THE SCALES?
Do NOT worry about the number on the scales!
When you start resistance training, you build muscle mass. If you are new to resistance training, your muscles ‘soak’ up more glycogen and water than normal to ‘keep up’ with this new muscle. The new muscle mass, along with the extra glycogen and water stores, can see our weight increase on the scales. Typically, this can happen within the first 4-6 weeks of starting, so if you see the number on the scale go up or stay the same, this could be one of the reasons why.
I highly recommend when you first start, to take measurements & photos – you may see that even though the number on the scale went up, that your measurements went down and your clothes fit better.
Take a look at the pic to the left. As you can see, 2.2kg of fat takes up a lot more room than 2.2kg of muscle. So, if you were to ‘replace’ 2.2kg of fat with 2.2kg of muscle, your measurements and photos would show you look smaller, but you would still weigh the same on the scales.
WHAT SHOULD I EAT?
Make sure you’re eating fresh wholefoods to fuel your body, and watch your portion sizes. We want our bodies to tap into its stored energy/fat – it won’t do this if it has extra energy from what we consume.
Try starting with 5 smaller meals per day (breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner). This will help speed up your metabolism, regulate your blood sugar levels, and keep you fuller for longer. This also helps to stop you from getting famished and overeating.
Meals should include protein (such as lean meat, fish, eggs, lentils, chickpeas etc), vegies, ‘good’ fats (avocado, olive oil, nuts etc.), and ‘good’ carbs (such as sweet potato, pumpkin, quinoa etc.).
OTHER BENEFITS OF USING WEIGHTS
Lifting weights not only helps with fat loss & shaping your body, but it increases your strength, increases bone density (important as we get older), and helps you feel great!
✨✨ If you are new to using weights, the best way to go is to get a fitness professional to take you through it. This will ensure you have the correct technique and don’t injure yourself.
If you would like some guidance and a ‘done-for-you’ programme to follow – try our our new 8 Week Fitt Mama Challenge! with bodyweight workouts & meal plans for busy Mums!