Wow Curvie, that IS a lot of weight. Not often you see/hear about a girl lifting like that. Not in the gyms I've been in anyway. I press 35 lbs in each hand, and that's about as high a I've seen the girls (a very few mind you) go. I would feel like I needed a spot to go heavier than that. I'm liable to wack myself in the face with the weight!
Tom, your really inspiring me with the weight lifting routine. I've kind of switched to cardio for the past several months when I used to focus just on lifting when trying to lose weight. Now I've plateaued and after reading your posts I'm thinking maybe that's why!??? How do you feel the lifting has effected your weight loss?
Blancita, I think weight training is an essential component of any fitness component. Here's why:
1) Flexibility and strength. Yes, a lot of people don't associate flexibility with weight training, but it's true. Do 25 ATG squats, and you'll see what I mean. It may not be a "yoga" flexibility, where you can pick your nose with your little toe, but it's a
functional flexibility, and in my opinion, that's much more important.
Strength is important, not just for day to day living, but for an overall sense of well-being. I've found that the stronger you are, the better you feel about your body. What's the opposite of strength? Weakness, helplessness. And who wants to feel helpless?
2) Weight training will boost your metabolism long after the session; in this respect, it's like high intensity cardio training. When I do squats, for example, my pulse shoots from 100 all the way to 140 and over, which is 85% of my max heart rate. The metabolism boost comes from the replenishment of all the oxygen that is used for fuel for this effort.
3) For women, strength training is an essential way to avoid bone loss and bone weakness. That's also true for men, but women have an even greater problem with this as they get 40 and beyond.
As for plateaus, there are many reasons for them. The first thing I would say is that you can't necessarily look at them as the enemy. They are an occasion to reexamine your routine. For example, if you've been doing the same sort of cardio every day, a plateau can indicate that your body has gotten completely used to doing that form of exercise, and consequently, you're not burning the calories you think you are.
Also, a lot of people forget to adjust their NARM (normal activity rate of metabolism) as they lose weight. For example, when I was at 270 lbs. last year, my NARM was 2,600 calories. Now, at 236 lbs., it is 2,287 calories, a decrease of 313 calories a day! That's an entire pound every 10 days, or 3 pounds a month. This is why a lot of people plateau -- they lose 30 pounds relatively quickly, and then they keep their calorie intake the same, while simultaneously getting more efficient with their exercise routine. As a result, they are at their
new maintenance level, and they don't even know it.
Even if you are doing everything right, and have a scientifically derived calorie deficit, plateaus can be stubborn, particularly as you get older. I had a plateau in January that lasted 31 days, and another in February that lasted 36 days. They both crumbled only after I built up an accumulated deficit of over 12,000 calories. So sometimes it just takes patience and the "momentum" that comes with an accumulated deficit.
I would definitely start with a change in your routine, though. Weight lifting may be just the ticket. But do the same sort of exercises I'm doing -- squats, deadlifts, military presses, one arm rows, pullups, and bench presses. Keep your reps low. Use heavy weight. I bet you'll make some good progress.
