Q: Of course muscle mass helps you lose fat.I agree 100%.But when I was 218 pounds at my highest My body composition was probably close to 30%. I reduced it to 19% by walking,bicycling and playing floor hockey. But these activities have not improved my body comp. since I arrived at 19%. So thats why 4 weeks ago I decided to seriously weight train in hoping to arrive to at least 14%.I am not an emotional eater so eating whenever I'm hungry wont make me gain fat and I havent been eating more since I have been weight training. I gained 4.5 pounds of muscle in the first three months that I did cardio so I think that gaining more muscle might be a long process and Getting from 19% to 14% might take at least 6 months. You mentioned that people who are in good shape like me dont progress as fast as when they were in bad shape.

A: Congratulations on your weight loss and, more importantly, fat loss!!! I think you are making a very good choice by expanding into weight training to help you lose those last 5% of body fat. Your goal of 14% body fat is very attainable with a solid weight training program and especially if you follow a good diet.

I hope you check out my Nutrition and Weightlifting articles. They suggest a complete diet and exercise programs and even if you don't follow them exactly, you'll probably pick up some useful info. Again congrats, and good luck on your new goals! Remember to check back here with your progress and with any questions you might have.