Benefits of Resistance training on a VLCD

lou1978

Full Member
Hi read this study yesterday on exercising on vlcd as I know we have discussed this a lot before.

However interestingly it is advising doing just weight and resistance training over cardio in the first 12 weeks of a VLCD.

Apparently you lose a lot of weight doing cardio but the majority is muscle and fat. with resistance you lose the weight (not as quickly) though the majority of it is actual fat loss.

The weight loss will seem slower due to muscle being built and it weighing more than fat but you will be losing it safe in the knowledge that your resting metabolism will be faster due to having more muscle.:D

the link is - Effects of Resistance vs. Aerobic Training Combined With an 800 Calorie Liquid Diet on Lean Body Mass and Resting Metabolic Rate -- Bryner et al. 18 (2): 115 -- Journal of the American College of Nutrition

I kind of knew that weight training was good for you on this diet to reduce saggyness and tone up, but did not realise how detrimental cardio was.

I know last time when I did CD I did "body for life" style workouts and became really toned with no sagging.

Not sure what to do as we all know the benefits of cardio, considering doing "body for life" again and upping the weights and doing minimal cardio. :confused:

Just thought I would share this as it has been debated loads on this site.:rolleyes:
 
I'm a real advocate of resistance work while people are on V/LCDs. I think this is a study I've read before and have been meaning to reread it.

One thing I wish a study would address in more detail is how the heart rate intensity affects things, if at all. In other words, I think the participants in this survey were made to exercise at quite a high heart rate (ie like how you feel when you are running) and the first thing the body will go for then is the glycogen. As there's minimal of that, that's when the troubles start and also why people who exercise at a high heart rate while on a VLCD feel hungry afterwards. They said in the study that heart rate was measured but can't see the details of what the rates were.

Another flaw is that they don't mention what kind of exercise people were doing before the diet.

The first time I did SS+ I met a lady who constantly had less than expected losses. She was walking quite fast for about 2 hours a week. I asked her to cut the walking out for two weeks (or a short time and slower) and her losses increased. I really didn't think she'd expect it would help.

When I did 810 I exercised using a heart rate monitor and kept my heart rate low and though I kept the exercise to < 30 minutes and my weight losses weren't affected, no did I lose any more muscle than I did the first time around when I was on SS+.

Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat though. 1lb = 1 lb but muscle is more dense so if you had a bucket of muscle, it would weigh a lot more than a bucket of fat. Also, the amount of muscle you could build on a VLCD is pretty minimal as we aren't getting enough protein - it's more about protecting what we do have.

Also, just FYI they also state this: Resistance training combined with severe energy restriction (approximately 520 kcal/day) showed no greater retention of FFM than when severe energy restriction was used by itself ie it only worked for those on 800 cals not SS/SS+.

That said, this is only one study and I'm still an advocate of weight training :)


Thanks for highlighting this Lou!

And a big big disclaimer. All of the above is based on my own experiences and what I think I know about heart rate training and exercise. I am passionate about my exercise though :)
 
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Wouild toning tables have the same effect as weights? I have MS and I find any cardiovascular almost impossible. I need a stick to walk. But toning tables is resistance, right? I really want to do something XX
 
Hey

I dont mean to sound like a dunce but what do you mean by resistance training.
Can you explain the exercises cos i would quite like to do these?

i have a kettlebell but havent used it yet or do i need something else

Thanks
Louise
 
Yeah sorry about that, its the whole feathers-bricks thing. I also hate when people say there fat turns to muscle (did they not do science at school). Also the diet in the study may have had more protein in it which may be why they increased muscle mass slightly.

I am also really interested in this kind of thing, think it stems back to m geeky uni days.

ClaireMelanie, Pretty sure it is classed as resistance, but thanks for replying. All of my comments were also based on my own experiences and everyone will be different.

I am not doctor so you should probably consult your's if you are unsure but I don't think is is classed as cardio as your heart rate is not increasing enough.
 
Yeah weight training or working against your own body weight.

I would love to know how to use a kettle bell properly, my boyf has one but he is not really a gym expert and I am concerned with the way he swings it around.

You may be better googling it or getting a gym instructor / trainer to show you how, as it is important to have the right posture to prevent injury.
 
Wouild toning tables have the same effect as weights? I have MS and I find any cardiovascular almost impossible. I need a stick to walk. But toning tables is resistance, right? I really want to do something XX
Sorry Claire I don't like the tables so I don't know much about them but hopefully someone can tell you more about them. I'm sure they provide some kind of toning..

Hey

I dont mean to sound like a dunce but what do you mean by resistance training.
Can you explain the exercises cos i would quite like to do these?

i have a kettlebell but havent used it yet or do i need something else

Thanks
Louise
Yep, it's resistance like Claire said. Just did a quick search and this may not be bad as a start. Go carefully though:

Online Workout Center - Weight training, Cardio and Flexibility Workouts



Yeah sorry about that, its the whole feathers-bricks thing. I also hate when people say there fat turns to muscle (did they not do science at school). Also the diet in the study may have had more protein in it which may be why they increased muscle mass slightly.

I am also really interested in this kind of thing, think it stems back to m geeky uni days.

ClaireMelanie, Pretty sure it is classed as resistance, but thanks for replying. All of my comments were also based on my own experiences and everyone will be different.

I am not doctor so you should probably consult your's if you are unsure but I don't think is is classed as cardio as your heart rate is not increasing enough.
No, it was still 80grams of protein so no real difference to 810. That was one thing I checked.

Ladies - your heart rate could still climb high (though obviously not as high or sustained as running) when you do weights so take it easy at first. You still get some cardio work out when you are doing weights so it's two for the price of one :)
 
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