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I have some concerns and I just want someone to maybe help me ease them. This is the first time I am weight training to lose weight, and I am just concerned that since I am not doing as much cardio and since muscle weights more than fat that it's going to be hard for me to tell if I am getting results. I heard from the trainers that if I do a good solid weight training for 30 min of almost non stop weight training that I will lose about 500 calories per session and that those calories will continue to burn over the next day or two, where as with cardio that wont happen, as soon as I stop it's done. Now I am definately sweating way more than when I just do cardio and I can really feel my body working, but how am I going to be able to tell if I am going in the direction of my goals if the scale is not going down persey...do i check inches? I am still doing cardio, don't get me wrong, I am doing it about 3-4 times a week, I am just focusing more on burning the calories through the weight training. Ok thank you for the advice.

Hey there.

Its great that you are combining the two together, a cardio and weight lifting combo is about as effective as it gets.

You do not need to worry about not noticing the effects. For one thing, do not expect to gain a lot of muscle. Weight training for weight loss is about muscle preservation not muscle gain. The body works in such a way that it can lose or gain weight, not both at the same time (even if we are talking about two different things).

The problem is that when losing weight it is very easy to lose lean muscle. This slows your metabolism leading to the yo-yo effect you have been experiencing. Weight training will minimise this effect. However, to actually gain weight from weight lifting, you need a calorie surplus.

So, you will not lose as much weight, but this weight should be almost entirely fat. Unless of course you push too hard, then you will drop muscle as well. In most cases 1 to 2 pounds a week is recommended.

Also, pay special attention to your protein intake when weight lifting. It might be a good idea to look into getting some whey supplements.

Good luck :)

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