Cardio, is it enough?

[Gimpyrks]

Hey everyone

I have finally decided that it's time to get into better shape. I am 5'8" and weight about 155 (last time i checked)

I wouldn't say i am overweight but I do have some body fat that isn't desirable haha. This morning I did 20 minutes on the eliptical on the fat burn option. Is 20 minutes 3-4 times a week going to be enough to loose some weight?

[laninaperdida]

Do you know your measurements?

I ask because I'm just a little taller and weigh just a little less and I'm pretty slender.

(It's weird how girls can be similar in height/weight and be so much smaller, lol.)

Want to guide you in the right direction, but I need a better idea of your body type.

What size shirts and things like that?

 

Anyways, cardio isn't enough.

It's surprisingly easy to build up your CV.

After a month or so it's not a real challenge.

 

You have to focus on diet.

If fat is what you want to lose (I'm assuming on stomach and thighs?) you need to really change your diet.

And get used to not eating as much as you'd like.

The fat you have is already there, you know?

But you need to to survive and it's in a lot of what you eat.

If you want to lose it you have to be somewaht drastic in your diet.

[Gimpyrks]

I'm not overly slender but I'm not what I would consider 'fat' (jeeze i hate that word). I just notice how I have some love handles that I would like to reduce and my thighs have gotten a little bigger, but I have contributed part of that to my increase of walking. I'm a college student and say I walk at least a mile a day (not a lot I know).

 

I've never been the most healthy eater, to be honest I've always had such a high metabolism that I didn't need to worry, but I think it's starting to slow down haha.

 

My jeans are size 8 to 11 and I wear medium shirts, sometimes large depending on material and brand.

 

I also ride horses twice a week for about 1 hour each, on those days I wouldn't run cardio.

 

What would you suggest that I eat?

[laninaperdida]

I'm 25 so I'm not young, but I'm not old either.

What really worked for me was quantity.

I cut down.

A lot.

 

Everyone says breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but eating in the morning just means I ate 300 calories more than I needed to, lol.

Coffee is an awesome way to lose weight.

And fruits.

I know you're probably broke if you're a college student,but the good news is that's how I lost most of my weight, haha.

Devote your money to healthy food.

I love cutting up apples and dipping them in Greek yogart.

And broth - not soup.

And V8.

I'm not a healthy eater, but I don't eat unless I'm hungry.

Really hungry.

And I never eat a full meal at once.

I don't care if I look silly ordering my meal and askin for a take out box at the same time.

I eat like every 3 hours, but never full meals.

If I ordered salad, chicken, and rice for dinner I ate my salad only.

2 hours later my chicken.

 

Also, stay away from liquids.

They're packed with calories.

(Except V8 because I swear it's like a mini meal,lol.)

But pop and juice are just horrible.

 

Also, don't be afraid of weights at the gym!

[guynextdoor]

Eat 5-6 small healthy meals, incorporate strength training as part of your workout. you will lose those few pounds and be toner. GL

[Batya33]

Hey everyone

I have finally decided that it's time to get into better shape. I am 5'8" and weight about 155 (last time i checked)

I wouldn't say i am overweight but I do have some body fat that isn't desirable haha. This morning I did 20 minutes on the eliptical on the fat burn option. Is 20 minutes 3-4 times a week going to be enough to loose some weight?

 

To maintain my weight (and basically eat what I want with reasonable portion control) I do 30 minutes cardio 7 days a week and also walk quickly about an additional two miles a day plus do vigorous cleaning and running after an active toddler. I don't think 20 minutes 3-4 times a week will help you lose weight but it might prevent much additional weight gain. How about doing a free consultation with a personal trainer at your gym -most gyms do that I think.

[Gimpyrks]

To maintain my weight (and basically eat what I want with reasonable portion control) I do 30 minutes cardio 7 days a week and also walk quickly about an additional two miles a day plus do vigorous cleaning and running after an active toddler. I don't think 20 minutes 3-4 times a week will help you lose weight but it might prevent much additional weight gain. How about doing a free consultation with a personal trainer at your gym -most gyms do that I think.

 

I earn $150 every two weeks, so actually getting a trainer and going to the gym really isn't an option, and I don't have a ton of time. Being a college student I try to study.

[Thorshammer]

Cardio is the worst type of exercise because its the easiest to abuse and use wrong. When you do cardio wrong, or just use it solely to burn fat- then you risk burning muscle- hence why marathon runners dont really look that fit (sprinters do because of their short intense workouts as i will touch on later on). I would rather do 20 sets of pullups/push ups and squats with no to low rest for fat burn than cardio.

 

I would avoid skipping meals- this can actually shock your body into storing more fat/ Your body wants and needs fat, it will do anything it can to keep it, fat was our bodies way to protect us from famine in a time where we all didnt have jobs and couldnt go to the market accross the street (now we over-eat, hence why our modern world are becoming so obese). Dont put your body into a mode where its taking in less- it will react and store fat and eat muscle for many people.

 

If you want to stick to cardio due to just only having that as your option, its either A) long winded approach with less intensity to burning fat (jogging) B) short but intense approach to burning fat (short stop and go sprints- which is actually a lot better when it comes to the material i have read lately). The B approach is used by many athletes, not many spend hours doing cardio, they do approach B because its the nature of their sports, and not many of them look sick or are fat.

[Gimpyrks]

Could B done on an elliptical or a treadmill? It's winter here and I hate running in the cold. Is there some at home exercises I could do to help also?

[Mercurial Girl]

Weight beats cardio any day

[Thorshammer]

Could B done on an elliptical or a treadmill? It's winter here and I hate running in the cold. Is there some at home exercises I could do to help also?

 

If you have a high speed rating on it, then yeah. I would personally do max amount of sprints (until your body needs to stop for oxygen), then rest (until oxygen debt stops- this means when you are screaming for more oxygen) and start again. I dont like using actual numbers, since numbers give exercise an external factor, and thats not good when exercise is supposed to be internal. But i would say something along the lines of sprint 1.5 minutes, rest 1 minute, i would do this for as long as you can. You have to progress when possible, either increase the frequency (per day, or longer workouts, less rest, etc.)

 

You can get fancy and research beats per minute that puts you in a zone for fat-burning, but those are more external factors that i dont pay much mind to.

 

I would look up hiit on youtube. They have some good stuff on there. Things like a circuit of;

(doing all the below non-stop with no rest until the last exercise)

push ups

jumping squats

burpes

crunches

pull ups

rest 1 minute

 

I would do the above 4 to 5 sets, then do a sprint on the treadmill. You at least tone up and use your muscles this way, which might prevent muscle loss and does promote fat burn to having muscles on your body changes your metabolic system.

 

There is no magic system, and everything contradicts everything. Just do something that will make you sweat (release energy) and have oxygen debt (your body uses oyxgen to start the process of using energy (hopfully fat only) to fuel the workout).

[Alezia]

Yes, it is possible to increase the resistance and the speed you exercice at to increase the level of activity. Some of them also have an incline, and the higher the setting will get you more cardio-oriented workouts.

[JeckyllNHyde]

Hey,

I'm also trying to lose some "undesirable" body fat lol. I'm 5'3 and 140 lbs and would like to lose 20 lbs since I carry all my weight in my mid section and upper body. Not a good look.

 

How much time can you spare to work out?

 

Maybe you can also do the elliptical even on days that you horseback ride?

And maybe start with 15 minutes elliptical and do 5 minutes extra each week till you are able to do 30 minutes-45 minutes - if that's going to be all the cardio you're doing.

 

I won't lie, I find the elliptical pretty boring and prefer work out dvd's by BeachBody (like Turbofire or even Insanity if you dare). Everyone is different though!

If you do get bored maybe you can also do 20 minutes elliptical and 10 minutes rope jumping or things like that. Or checkout Youtube for more workouts (Look up: Bodyrocktv or blogilates which are a few women I know of who post free workout videos online. They can be intense but you just have to do your best and be consistent).

 

 

Diet is just as important (or more!) then the workouts. Eat 4-5 small portions a day. I'm no expert but here goes my meal plan starting this week:

 

Breakfast: oatmeal

Midmorning: banana + one fruit.

Lunch: grilled chicken + steamed veggies + sweet potato

Midday snack: carrots + nuts

Dinner: healthy bean burrito/wrap or salad (with 4-5 veggies and light dressing).

Evening snack: maybe 2 boiled eggs.

 

Make a meal plan suited to your tastes and convenience. No use copying a meal plan and not liking it or not being able to prepare all the meals on time.

[Batya33]

I earn $150 every two weeks, so actually getting a trainer and going to the gym really isn't an option, and I don't have a ton of time. Being a college student I try to study.

 

Oh I thought you meant you do the elliptical at a gym. I spend nothing on my workouts other than having to replace socks/sneakers from time to time. I do power walking -my strength training is limited to pushing a 35 pound toddler in a stroller.

[Alezia]

A good idea is also to figure out when you pack in a lot of weight. My boyfriend and I go grab tons of junk food at the grocery store twice a week. Ice cream, candies, cakes, croissants, chips, alcohol etc... We both tend to eat quite a bit of the food, and not really hold ourselves down to one portion. If you have any habits like this, then either try to get rid of them or work around them.

[Gimpyrks]

Oh I thought you meant you do the elliptical at a gym. I spend nothing on my workouts other than having to replace socks/sneakers from time to time. I do power walking -my strength training is limited to pushing a 35 pound toddler in a stroller.

 

They have a little gym at the apartment I am at, nothing too serious though just a few olipticals, 2 treadmills, and 1 weight machine.

[Gimpyrks]

A good idea is also to figure out when you pack in a lot of weight. My boyfriend and I go grab tons of junk food at the grocery store twice a week. Ice cream, candies, cakes, croissants, chips, alcohol etc... We both tend to eat quite a bit of the food, and not really hold ourselves down to one portion. If you have any habits like this, then either try to get rid of them or work around them.

 

Actually I am very good at not eating junk food. I don't drink, and don't eat candy and for the most part stay away from soda. I drink milk like mad haha. I'm thinking I might get my room mate into doing tennis with me on the weekends (she loves tennis)

[Gimpyrks]

Do you know where I could go to make a meal plan?

[JeckyllNHyde]

Do you know where I could go to make a meal plan?

 

I made mine on my own just based on articles I've read, etc..

 

What's important is to:

-figure out about how many calories you need to reach and don't surpass that. (Go here: link removed)

-eat as much protein as possible (chicken, fish, tuna, eggs).

-limit "unhealthy" carbs like white rice, white potatoes, white bread, pasta, sugars, etc. (So instead of having white rice with your food, either have brown rice, or like me a sweet potato instead. Or sometimes I do have white rice or paste if that's all there is, but really little.)

-More fruits and veggies! I have them as snacks. Or veggies with my meals.

-Getting fiber is important too because it keeps you full (btw, protein does that too if I'm not mistaken).

-eat small portions every 3-4 hours.

It's all more simple then it sounds. So I hope I haven't overwhelmed you.

 

Maybe you can post your meal plan and we can help you out to figure which are good choices and which could be better?

Or post your regular eating habits. And maybe we can give some ideas.

[JeckyllNHyde]

And of course.. Avoid soda's and juices. Replace all with water as much as you can.

 

Edit: oops I just read you don't drink it much anyways

[Gimpyrks]

Sorry about the numerous posts but I thougth I might layout what my weeks look like.

Monday: Wake up at 7, get to class for 830, have another class after that, riding lesson at 1, then work at 6:30 to 9:30 - try to get to bed before 10:30

Tuesday: Wake up at 7 for work at 8, ride for about an hour, class at 1145, class until 230

Wednesday: Wake up at 7, get to class for 830, class and lab so I don't get home until 530 (may get home later do to club I might go to)

Thursday: Wake up at 7 for work at 8, class at 1145, get home until 230

Friday: Wake up at 7, class at 830, class until 230

 

I try to get to bed between 9 and 1030 every night and try not to sleep in past nine on the weekends. I also have time to study, cook, clean, etc.

[Gimpyrks]

Hmm I thought I posted what I eat but I guess I didn't haha.

 

Breakfast: Cereal and milk

Snack: Oranges (well it won't be anymore because I'm sick of oranges so I have been packing a littly baggie of doritos to get me over until lunch)

Lunch: Well this varies sometimes, salad, lasangna, spaghetti, or sometimes subway but not often. Over break Mom and i cooked some spaghetti sauce and lasangna for me, because it would reduce the need for me to cook and I would feel bad not eating it. It's in the freezer now so it'll stay good for a long time.

Snack: Well I can't tell you what I eat during this time it varies so much

Dinner: Also varies, sometimes eggs, sometimes white shells from pasta roni, or anything from pasta roni, I cooked chicken last week.

 

Sorry I couldn't give you a more precise meal plan

[Gimpyrks]

Oh, I also never count calories. I know this sounds silly but I have always said I will never get to the point of counting calories. So I couldn't even tell you how much I eat on a daily basis.

[WhenWillILove]

I have a friend who lost a butt load of weight through cardio but it's been more than a year and she's struggling to lose those last 20 lbs of fat. And she keeps on doing cardio religiously.

 

For me, my body has changed with weight training. It really burns off fat and sculpts your body. Focus on cardio but focus on weight training a lot more.

[JeckyllNHyde]

I'm also thinking of incorporating weight training again and a set of dumbbell weights to keep at home. I used to be into it but haven't done it for 4 years. That's probably why my metabolism has slowed down (+ getting older).

For me, my body has changed with weight training. It really burns off fat and sculpts your body. Focus on cardio but focus on weight training a lot more.

 

 

Hmm..

 

Breakfast: If you could substitute the cereal for something healthier choices like eggs or oatmeal would be good.

Snack: Skip the doritos and take 2 other fruits you prefer.

Lunch: Bigger portion of salad and a small portion of lasagna sounds fine (again I'm no expert and this is just what I do).

Snack: So long as it's something good and not pizza, cheese, chips or other high calorie/fatty foods.

Dinner: if you're having lasagna for lunch, it's better not to have pasta like foods at night. Chicken is a good option. With a filling portion of steamed veggies if you like. You could also have eggs instead of chicken or tuna/fish.

 

Breakfast: Cereal and milk

Snack: Oranges (well it won't be anymore because I'm sick of oranges so I have been packing a littly baggie of doritos to get me over until lunch)

Lunch: Well this varies sometimes, salad, lasangna, spaghetti, or sometimes subway but not often. Over break Mom and i cooked some spaghetti sauce and lasangna for me, because it would reduce the need for me to cook and I would feel bad not eating it. It's in the freezer now so it'll stay good for a long time.

Snack: Well I can't tell you what I eat during this time it varies so much

Dinner: Also varies, sometimes eggs, sometimes white shells from pasta roni, or anything from pasta roni, I cooked chicken last week.