Calling all Gym bunnies!

[PirateFairy45]

Would anyone like to give me some tips on loosing weight at the gym please?

Currently 18st 13lb. Want to get to at least 14st before I start doing any toning, is that advisable? I can use the gym the most of 2x a week. 3x if my dad is well enough to look after DD for 2 hours.

Advice welcome. And I know most is your diet which I am changing X

[Thefitfatty]

For pure calorie burn running or some form of intense cardio is best.

However, for long term benefits weightlifting is best, the more muscle you have the higher your metabolism is. However, it takes longer to build muscle (well worth it once you have though).

If I were you I'd do a run followed by a full body weight lifting routine.

[lljkk]

oooh, I didn't know the muscle burns more fat than calories, thing. I'm intrigued.

This says that each pound of Sedentary muscle mass burns maybe 6 calories/day, but sedentary fat burns 2 cal/day.

This suggests that unfit would be ~ 24%, 'normal' female muscle mass would be about 27% and very high would be > 35%. So if OP were 14 stone, that's
14 stone -> 196 lbs
24% -> 47 lbs
27% -> 53 lbs
and 35% -> 69 lbs

With a sedentary lifestyle, the very high muscle mass person would burn [ 4*(69-47)] 88 calories/day more simply by existing. 88 is not really very much, is it!? It's exercising lots especially when you already lot of muscle, that actually burns more calories, not simply having more muscle.

[lljkk]

Ooh, LA times came up with similar!! A 20% increase in muscle mass for a man results in just an extra 80-100 calories to burn per day.

NB: Blokes can make more muscle than gals (I assume OP is female)

[Thefitfatty]

Given that the average 30 minute run will only burn around 200 calories, an extra 88-100 calories is nothing to scoff at.

Also, the more muscle you have the more you will continue to burn fat AFTER you finish exercise.

www.healthline.com/health/importance-strength-training-women#2

www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/metabolism/art-20046508?pg=2

[lljkk]

That's funny because I got corrected (on MN) the other day for saying that my 45 minute runs only burn about 300 kcal. Someone said that running was more like 500-600 cal/hr. (But I trust my monitor numbers more, actually).

I suspect the estimates of 30-50 cal per day/extra lb of muscle mass might be true as long as you do the activity that maintains the extra lbs of muscle.

A 5'4" tall woman at healthy weight, say 125 lbs, would have numbers like so
low muscle 24% -> 30 lbs muscle
medium 27% -> 34 lbs muscle
high 35% -> 44 lbs muscle, so 14 lbs over the low value, and that means 4 x 14 extra calories. 64 kcal/day. That's only if she's exceptionally fit and compared to if she was someone who could barely get out of bed. 40 kcal compared to if she had average muscle mass. What's got 40 kcal, A small tangerine?

I think the lesson is do physical activity, whatever you can enjoy, it all helps.:).

[glassgarden]

If I were you I'd do a run followed by a full body weight lifting routine

Its a contentious issue but I'm firmly in the weights first then cardio camp

[Thefitfatty]

glassgarden

I'm firmly in the do what works for you camp. For me it's a run followed by weights. Whatever works best for the OP.