Gym vs jabs

Exercise and diet (inc jabs) are two seperate issues with a bit of overlap.

While it's a heck of a lot quicker and easier to eat 300 calories than burn them exercise has many health benefits beyond weight management. Rapid weightloss usually includes muscle loss as well as fat loss and it's one of the key reasons behind yo-yo gains and losses because muscle mass increases your metabolism and allows you to eat more sustainably long term. Muscle mass keeps us moving in later life. Higher bone density from impact and weigh bearing exercise fends off osteoarthritis.

I have no strong opinion on weightloss jabs, they have their benefits compared to obesity and they're clearly helpful in mentally facilitating people to healthier habits, but they're not a 100% cure to good long term health on their own and exercise is needed for its own benefits.

Those that have lost loads on the jabs great for them, but will they have the muscle mass and bone density that comes with lifting weight? I don’t think so.

Why? A large number of posters on this thread have said they’re on the jabs and also strength train. Why do you assume they aren’t? Because they’re lazy cheaters?

That’s amazing! I am
on the jabs but also doing the gym to set on the good habits so when I stop the jabs it’s an ingrained habit re the gym.

re the jabs, as you only have a couple of stone to loose think of the money you are saving and can put aside to buy a new wardrobe. Those that have lost loads on the jabs great for them, but will they have the muscle mass and bone density that comes with lifting weight? I don’t think so. Keep doing what you’re doing as it’s clearly working!

Jabs

I can’t afford both and the jabs for me every time

What decided for me to reject the WLI was;
Possible hair loss,
Not changing habits, so no long term benefits,
Not wanting to stay on unnecessary medication all of my life.
Needing to put in the work anyway eg gym for bone/muscle health post menopause.
Some heath issues to do with WLI that are starting to become apparent, in some people.
This was discussed twice with a consultant (for another condition).
Being slightly overweight as we age, has protective features. You might not lose anymore on WLI and if you do, then your gallbladder is at risk (it is with any quick weight loss).
I'd stick to what you are doing. I agree with taking measurements or just picking a tight dress etc to keep trying on.

I think we're going to get loads of 'post and runs' on this subject now.

'Gym versus WLI' will become the new 'Breastfeeding versus Formula'.

They always have a wide-eyed undertone of 'I'm working so much harder than those fat people with their cheating jabs' 🙄

Much like 'I'm doing better for my baby with my breastfeeding, than those lazy mothers using formula'.

I wouldn't be telling OP her friends will regain the weight, because they may stay on the WLIs long term and that actually is more likely to keep the weight off then any other weight loss method.

Better instead OP just to focus on yourself. If you're getting healthier, however you do it there are benefits to that and they go beyond whether you happen to be slimmer than the women around you or not.

Thing is all your mates will be gaining all that weight back when they stop because they won’t have sufficiently changed their habits beyond what changes the jabs make easy.

Change doesn’t happen overnight. I stopped drinking and started exercising more (not with the intention of losing weight, just to be healthy). I lost about 7kgs without much effort over about the next year. It was great. But it’s a natural process, not a pharmaceutical one.

3 years later, I’ve maintained that weight loss without much effort and no jabs.

3lb is a good loss for the month. You’ll be changing shape, building muscle mass and toning up.
WLI isn’t a miracle cure and should be used in conjunction with exercise. Dropping weight quickly can lead to health issues. Going to the gym and taking a slower approach is the sensible route and can decrease complications and improve health.
and I say that as someone who has considered WLI but was put off by the potential side effects and seeing people I know personally struggle to maintain the loss when the jags stopped or reduced.

That’s me, I only loose under 1000 a day I’m 5’2 and need to move and restrict to loose, luckily I have a small appetite mostly. But it’s much lower than some people think.

Yeh but measurements?? Ignore weight if you are lifting

You won’t be gaining muscle after one month going to the gym. Building muscle takes longer than that, at least a year to see results. Reducing calories is the best way to lose weight.

Weight loss is 90% diet.
However, all your strength training will be great as you’ll be setting your body up for weight loss by developing your muscle

Try the human being diet, Petronella Raven(??). People I know who have done it have had incredible results. Very easy to look into.

It’s really not muscle gain,it’s virtually impossible to gain muscle when in a calorie deficit.

Gym all the way.

How do your pre-gym clothes feel? Agree with PP re gaining muscle. The muscle gain can disguise the weight loss but you could be trimmer overall. 3lbs is great in a month, especially with Xmas in the middle! It’s actually super, IMO. Best of luck, whichever option you go with. Xxx

I don’t think it has to be one or the other. Ideally both together. If I had to prioritise based on cost though, the gym wins every time for me. As others have said, think of the benefits beyond weight loss.

Have you been measuring your waist too? That's a better tool if you're weight lifting because you may be creating a lot of muscle but losing fat.

Also with the calorie deficit, it really does seem to depend on the person, I'm 5"4 and started at 14 stone on Jan 5th, I've been eating around 1400 calories a day and doing pretty much no exercise and I've lost around 9lb. I've had friends who had to restrict themselves to less than 1000 a day to see any noticeable difference

Lifting weights and scales don't go together OP. Did you take your starter photos?

If you haven't, take your photos, front, side and back. Use tape measures and take some more photos in about 6 weeks to compare.

Your shape will change, you'll gain muscle and lose fat but the scales might not show it that much. The numbers will go down though but don't use them as an accurate measurement of progress

It was non optional for me too, although I do a mix of weights and cardio, about 60/40, as heart health is also important.

I see a lot of people who don’t exercise on the journey, and then don’t like what they see at the end with loose skin and an untoned body, no definition, flat backsides etc and also then having to maintain on very low amount of cals.

muscle is active, it burns cals even at rest. Fat is inactive. So if you lose muscle your tdee or maintenance cals drop, it becomes utterly miserable to maintain with constant hunger and virtually impossible.

focusing on protecting muscle and losing fat has to be the number one priority and the only way to do this is to consume enough protein and weight train throughout, then when you hit goal immediately move to body recomp and rebuild any muscle you lost whilst dropping any remaining excess body fat and maintaining weight, as we all will lose some during weight loss, but protecting it as much as possible and minimising that is beyond critical.

Two different things.

You can lose weight without going to the gym at all, and you can fail to lose weight going to the gym every day. So it depends on your focus and goals.

Whatever you do at the gym, if weight loss is your focus, then food is 80% of the issue regardless. If your aim is mainly to become fitter and stronger, then gym is the place (although I do all my exercise in my home gym so don’t need a membership, but obviously had an initial outlay instead). But weight loss may or may not come as a result, it entirely depends on your diet.

I think both help to balance out each side of the equation, but if you aren't doing WLIs then you do have to be on it with monitoring your food intake if you want to lose weight in a meaningful way, regardless of gym activity.

If obese, both gym and jabs is best. For me, weight training was a non-negotiable condition of using the jabs. I have in the past lost a lot of weight on a shake-based vlcd only doing cardio with no strength training. It absolutely destroyed my metabolism and made maintaining a lower weight impossible because (I now realise) I had lost so much muscle mass.

It means I spend around £500 a month on the medication plus personal trainer, but I am losing weight sustainably and keeping my body healthy, strong and mobile.

If you aren't obese to begin with, stick with the gym and healthy nutrition.

unless you're doing loads of cardio, you won't lose lots of weight at the gym, but you will build muscle. weight loss is more about diet (hence the jabs working). lots of protein, limited carbs and intermittent fasting.

This.

Take measurements of your body alongside looking at the scales. You might find you are losing more inches than you realise.

I started running in August and cut out all the rubbish at the same time. Three meals, but I could eat as much as I needed at meal times. (Meals are mostly healthy stuff and I knew it was the crap that was causing the weight.) This time I said to myself I wasn’t going to weigh and not expect any miracles. I’ve now gone down a dress size - I had my too tight skirt which when fitted was replaced by too tight jeans and now is replaced by another pair of jeans which I measure my progress. I allowed myself back on the chocolate but back off it again as of today. It was getting back to crafting in the evening to distract together with a mug of herbal tea instead of chocolate!
I wasn’t heavy enough for the jabs but running keeps me sane. Everytime I’ve cleaned up my act before, I lost weight fast and then put it back on - this time it’s much more of a lifestyle change and not focus on the scales which has helped. So up to you with the jabs, but slow and steady can work too.