[dlivingston]

Very great advice. A little nitpick - lifting small dumbbells is probably useless. The main benefits from weightlifting come through Progressive Overload, where those small weights must necessarily\* turn into big weights. If (s)he must stick to small weights, there is a very small window of benefit to weight lifting.

\* - note that in Progressive Overload you can also increase total number of reps (the true metic is increased volume over time, where volume = reps \* sets \* weight), but again, there is a small window of benefit. 100 reps of 10 lb curls isn't much better than 80 reps of 10 lb curls.

[magic_beans]

This is not true at all. You CAN achieve hypertrophy and strength with small weights and resistance bands. Just ask a glute girl.

[itchyouch]

There's a guy who does that. But he does things like 1000 situps, pushups, etc. Massive volume.

With weights, one can put forth a decent workout in an hour.

[darpa_escapee]

> lifting small dumbbells is probably useless.

Depends on what your goals are.

If your goal is improved health, any type of exercise that gets your heart rate going is better than doing nothing at all.

If your goal is building habits and routine, getting to a gym and exercising is better than not exercising.

If your goal is increased strength or muscle mass, then you're right.

[beatgammit]

There are a lot of benefits to lifting small amounts, just look at the huge number of physical trainers who add small weights to aerobic exercise routines, or runners who add ankle weights, etc. There is a ton of material out there for why it's beneficial that I won't bother getting into it all. Using small weights will add measurable difficulty to your workout, which is great if you start to plateau.

That being said, it's not the most effective way to achieve certain desirable results, like optional strength or muscle mass gain. However, OP wants to lose weight in a healthy way and has a health condition that should be taken into account, and adding small weights to an aerobic exercise program is a fantastic way to increase calorie burn and build a little strength at the same time.