Exercise gurus: Questions about Exercise and Weight Loss

[cin]

I've been doing cardio furiously (stationary bike) during the holidays and really watching what I eat. I mean I did cario 15 days during December, most of those days I rode for at least 30 minutes, usually closer to 45. And during that time, I lost a whopping 4 pounds, and it's not like I don't have a LOT to lose. I'm not trying to lose that 'last 10 lbs'. I'm hoping, in the end, to lost at least 100, closer to 150 lbs.

 

What's up with this? Has anybody else had this experience? Somebody told me I was exercising too much :001_huh:.

 

Oh, and I'm doing the bike because I need no impact.

[JudoMom]

You could be building up some muscle.

 

However, I've found that I need to exercise daily (as in 7 days a week) fro 30 minutes just to maintain. When I was losing in 2006, I exercised 45 minutes most days and severely cut calories.

[Aggie]

Exercise is great!

 

However, I would watch what I eat more carefully.

 

Write down every bite. One friend of mine takes a picture of what she's going to eat before she eats it. She mails that pic to her trainer. :)

 

IME, every body works differently, as far as what diets work best. My sis eats high grain/fiber, low protein. I eat high protein, low carb. Find what works for you.

 

If you are active, 30-60 min of a good workout should suffice. If you are sedentary the rest of the day, jumping back on the bike for 10minute intervals several times a day would help. Working out 5-6 days/week is recommended for most people. Every other day isn't enough.

 

Change your bike routine every 3 weeks.

 

Do you weight train? Muscle burns fat.

 

There is such a thing as working out too much, but I don't believe what you're doing fits that description.

 

Keep fighting the good fight! :)

Edited January 10, 2011 by Aggie

[Amy in TX]

You might want to check out some of these articles:

 

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857,00.html

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28524942/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/

 

http://nymag.com/news/sports/38001/

 

You may need to focus more on eating changes than on increasing exercise?

[LG Gone Wild]

I've been doing cardio furiously (stationary bike) during the holidays and really watching what I eat. I mean I did cario 15 days during December, most of those days I rode for at least 30 minutes, usually closer to 45. And during that time, I lost a whopping 4 pounds, and it's not like I don't have a LOT to lose. I'm not trying to lose that 'last 10 lbs'. I'm hoping, in the end, to lost at least 100, closer to 150 lbs.

 

What's up with this? Has anybody else had this experience? Somebody told me I was exercising too much :001_huh:.

 

Oh, and I'm doing the bike because I need no impact.

 

I would do it twice a day and then eventually add weight training. It's going to take a while. You need sweat heavy!!!. Bike work, while it may be the only exercise you can do now, isn't going to help you set the world on fire.

[Ali in OR]

When I was 30, exercise alone was enough to lose weight. And it didn't even have to be a lot of exercise, just as long as I did it 5 days a week. Then I had to watch what I eat. Then I had to exercise longer (30 min instead of 20).

 

I would suggest tracking your calories. I will maintain at around 1800-2000 calories. I need to be down around 1500-1600 calories to lose. Some people say that is a lot of calories, but it really isn't all that much food when you count out every calorie. Some people can diet and eat a lot less than that, but I was always looking to establish healthy habits that I could maintain indefinitely (eg lower sugar, more fiber, more veggies, limit sweets, etc). When I lost weight in 2007, it was about a pound a month on average (many months of nothing, some months with more than one pound). But no yo-yo-ing--when the pounds dropped they stayed off. The key is to just stick with it, day after day, month after month. That's why I focus on what healthy habits I can adopt long term. Now in my mid-40's, I definitely need to focus on diet more than exercise when I want to lose weight.

[specialmama]

Ditto resistance training (weights) and a food diary of some sort. I use Sparkpeople. Enter every single thing you eat and weigh portions if you aren't already. Second thing I'd suggest is a heart rate monitor, the chest strap ones are best. Do some research for your body type and age and push to the upper level of your MHR your entire workout except for the warm up and cool down. You're really pushing your body to adapt if you push the upper level. Once you start to plateau in your weight loss, you might consider shaking things up with intervals, meaning 2 min at 60% of your MHR, 2 min at 85%, repeat. Any interval ratio works beautifully because it messes with your what your system expects. Our bodies LOVE surprises, so vary your workout as much as you can.

[MomOfOneFunOne]

I think a combination of cardio, weight training, and a wholesome more calories out than in way of eating is the best plan. '

 

and if you could just live your cardio and weight training instead of going to the gym, that would really be best.

 

I run for cardio, weight train for, er, weight training, and eat right. I only wish that somehow my lifestyle would involve enough cardio and somehow there would be natural lifting of weight sufficient to count for weight lifting.

 

I haven't figured out a way to live like that, though.

[PiCO]

I've been doing cardio furiously (stationary bike) during the holidays and really watching what I eat. I mean I did cario 15 days during December, most of those days I rode for at least 30 minutes, usually closer to 45. And during that time, I lost a whopping 4 pounds, and it's not like I don't have a LOT to lose. I'm not trying to lose that 'last 10 lbs'. I'm hoping, in the end, to lost at least 100, closer to 150 lbs.

 

What's up with this? Has anybody else had this experience? Somebody told me I was exercising too much :001_huh:.

 

Oh, and I'm doing the bike because I need no impact.

 

I am 47. A couple years ago, I lost quite a bit of weight by exercise alone- but I was exercising at LEAST and hour 6 days per week. Most of it was pretty high intensity. Then I got busy at work, and I couldn't exercise that much any more, so now I have to watch what I eat. (I don't like watching what I eat, but it's time for me to grow up!)

 

If you do the math, it's a lot easier to save calories by watching what you eat vs. exercising more. And for some people (not me, fortunately) working out hard makes you hungrier.

 

Can you walk, or is that not low-impact enough? I've had best results with weight-bearing cardio and lifting weights.

 

There's a free website called fatsectret.com where you can input all your food and exercise, and see if you should be losing. It is very helpful for me (I have to start again...)

[DianeW88]

In order to lose weight, you need to eat a LOT less than you might think and exercise a LOT more. 50-60 minutes of cardio at least 5 days per week plus strength training. You also need to be doing it at a pace where you are sweating and can talk, but can't sing. Good luck!

[brasilmom]

I just went back to running after years off. I am now doing about 45 minutes a day at a good pace (about 5.8 - 6 mph). I also do some strength training in non-consecutive days. Just started a pilates class last Monday. The goal is to loose about 16 - 20 lbs. I now am also in the process to journal my food intake to help me out. I am vegetarian, so my diet is not high in protein. I rely a lot in grains and carbs. I am thinking that I need to have about 1300 - 1500 calories a day. Is this too much/little? Any help I can get is great at this point. I sure hope to get rid of those lbs for good.

Thanks. Be well

Miriam

[cin]

Well, I've been sick the past week, haven't been to the gym at all and went to weight watchers tongiht and lost 3.5 lbs. wth? I'm so confused? When I start back to the working out, I'll probably gain the weight back...

[Peela]

I think you need to just exercise enough...more is not better. Dont bust your guts going gung ho and then burn out or damage your ligaments.

 

The key to weight loss is more eating less than exercise, in my experience adn understanding. If you are looking at straight burning of calories, you would have to exercise a phenomenal amount to burn off one muffin. Not realyl possible. What you need to do is just get more active to increase your metabolism overall, and you can do that without killing yourself.

 

I would veer more towards looking at your diet with a fine tooth comb and recording everything. Its surprising how little we really need to eat.

[LG Gone Wild]

I just went back to running after years off. I am now doing about 45 minutes a day at a good pace (about 5.8 - 6 mph). I also do some strength training in non-consecutive days. Just started a pilates class last Monday. The goal is to loose about 16 - 20 lbs. I now am also in the process to journal my food intake to help me out. I am vegetarian, so my diet is not high in protein. I rely a lot in grains and carbs. I am thinking that I need to have about 1300 - 1500 calories a day. Is this too much/little? Any help I can get is great at this point. I sure hope to get rid of those lbs for good.

Thanks. Be well

Miriam

 

I would probably eat more vegetables and healthy fats (avocados and nuts), reduce grains, and even though most women don't need a lot of protein, YOU could probably benefit from throwing in some more protein in your diet. Your calorie count sounds about right.

[ChandlerMom]

I've been doing cardio furiously (stationary bike) during the holidays and really watching what I eat. I mean I did cario 15 days during December, most of those days I rode for at least 30 minutes, usually closer to 45. And during that time, I lost a whopping 4 pounds, and it's not like I don't have a LOT to lose. I'm not trying to lose that 'last 10 lbs'. I'm hoping, in the end, to lost at least 100, closer to 150 lbs.

 

What's up with this? Has anybody else had this experience? Somebody told me I was exercising too much :001_huh:.

 

Oh, and I'm doing the bike because I need no impact.

 

I'm going to go against the CW here and say that 4 lbs in a month (1lb/wk) sounds like a good rate, esp if you want to keep it off. You don't want to starve yourself (shuts down your metabolism) nor blow out your joints, so be patient. I think shows like "Biggest Loser" give a distorted idea of what healthy weight loss is. Plus you are probably building muscle. The math for 30 min 15x a month on a bike would be around 300 cal x 15 = 4,500 <--- so there's 1.5 lbs. The rest came from lower intake.

 

Have you recently had your fasting blood sugar and thyroid function checked? Either being off can sabotage weight loss. I'd also suggest tracking waist circumference and waist/hip ratio over just weight. That will give you a better idea about how effective your weight loss is and are better predictors of health. Weight can vary by 5lbs or more through the day, hydration being the biggest part.

[Michelle O. in MO]

In order to lose weight, you need to eat a LOT less than you might think and exercise a LOT more. 50-60 minutes of cardio at least 5 days per week plus strength training. You also need to be doing it at a pace where you are sweating and can talk, but can't sing. Good luck!

 

:iagree: And drink a protein shake within 30-45 minutes of your workout. I have found the fastest way from me to lose weight is when I do cardio an hour a day at least 4 days a week and then combine that with strength training. The key to the cardio for me is to keep my heart rate fairly low. I sweat, but I'm comfortable. I decided that my goal is seeing how long I can go rather how hard I go. Once I did this, I started to lean up.

[HappyGrace]

You really can't go strictly by weight. You should also be keeping track of your body fat percentage and inches, since muscle weighs more. When I am strength training my weight stays the same but my clothes fit differently and I lose inches.

 

So I actually look more at my BF% and inches than I ever look at a scale to determine how effective my workouts are.

[AlmiraGulch]

You can actually figure out pretty much exactly how many calories you need to maintain your current weight, and the deficit you need to lose.

 

First, calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). There are many free online calculators. Just google it.

 

Next, to figure out what you have to take in just to maintain your weight, you multiply your BMR by a particular number, depending on your level of activity. For example, my BMR is about 1500 calories, and I am (sad to say) basically sedentary (little to no exercise on the scale). Based on that, if I multiply my BMR x 1.2 I get 1800. That's the number of calories at which I maintain my current weight. Anything less I start to lose. Anything more, I'll gain.

 

Here's the scale:

 

Harris Benedict Formula

To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:

 

If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2

If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375

If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55

If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725

If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

 

Further, it takes a 3,500 calorie deficit to lose one pound. So, if you want to lose 2 pounds per week, figure out how many calories below your Harris/Benedict weight, combined with the calories burned during exercise, it will take for you to end up with a 7,000 calorie per week deficit, and you should be able to lose the weight.

 

ETA: I'm not claiming to be an expert! If I were to do this for myself I'd be a lot skinnier. :-) I know what to do, I've just been too lazy to do it.