[Christy0283]

I have been going to the gym 3-4 times a week. I have only been doing cardio and I haven't been doing weights yet. Is this a bad thing? I was scared to do weights because I know muscle weighs more than fat and I definitely didn't want to gain any weight.

[BreeChick]

and muscle's a bad thing how?

weight training develops muscle yes, post wls it is VERY hard to put on ANY big muscle as you have to EAT to build that kind of 'heavy' muscle. Plus when you do resistance and strength training you building stronger tendons and get more dense bones.

this is my thinking...I'm all about looking healthy and being STRONG, I'm not about weighing 116 lbs...those kind of numbers are not something I don't worry about anymore.

[Trulykath]

I think you need to find a healthy "mix"....I don't do a lot of mass building...lots of reps with light weights to TONE UP!!! Add on the cardio and you've got a lethal combination!!!

[A new me]

Christy its funny you should ask this. I just started adding weights last week. I am 9 months post op and I kept putting it off. But like the others said, its good to tone up and I think it would help with the flabby skin and tone it up. I had been doing cardio every single day at the gym and like i said, just last week added weights in 3 times a week. Just light weights to try and strengthen and tone the muscles. I put it off too long and wish I had started sooner. Does your gym have a trainer or person that works there that could show you how to add some light weights?

[DocSanae]

Originally Posted by Christy0283

I was scared to do weights because I know muscle weighs more than fat and I definitely didn't want to gain any weight.

Tut, tut, tut
Muscle weight is GOOD weight. Because, at the same weight, muscle is dense mass, so is smaller in volume than fat. In other words when there are two people of the same gender at the same height and same weight, the person who has more muscle will look slimmer than the person who has more fat. This is the *why* of you lose inches when your scale isn't moving. Your weight may not be moving, but you are losing *volume* because you are losing fat, while your body is building muscle because you are able to move more easily due to your lighter weight.

Sooo, yes, add weights to your exercise. Building muscles will actually help you build a body that will not gain weight as easily as before, because it's the muscles that burn the calories--the larger your furnace is, the more your burn, and the less weight you gain with the same amount of food.

[qt82699]

i do weights at the gym, i think muscle helps to burn fat also and it helps with the saggy skin, i have been doing alot of weights for my underarms and it seems to be helping

[billie36]

I hate the saggy skin around my stomach, what exercise is good for that, and my arms, and top of my legs, the only exercise I am doing is walking but dont seem to be firming me up any, and I hate looking in the mirror.