has anyone lost a significant amount of weight using the elliptical trainer?

Mikolinz

i ask because i'm new here and just getting started. i'm a mom of one very active toddler and i dont have access to a gym. i do have an elliptical machine at home and i was wondering can you lose a significant amount of weight using this? and how long do you have to work out on it to see results? i'm 198lb and need to lose 60. thanks and anymore advice will be appreciated!

Sued0nim

Not on it's own

I've lost a significant amount of weight eating at a calorie defecit

and I've used the elliptical to increase my cardio fitness

stucross1987

My answer would be if your diet is good and you fit in some excercise on the machine frequently then yes it can work. I only use this at the gym to warm up but if you went on it with a reasonble high intensity then it would work, but you cant outtrain a bad diet.

for the first 6 months of my healthier lifestyle...I didnt go into the gym once...I solely focused on eating habits as I took the view if i'm slogging my behind off in the gym....I dont want to be wasting my time by consuming too many calories with everything I eat and drink.

DemoraFairy

All that matters is that you're eating a calorie deficit. If your elliptical helps you reach that deficit that's great, but you could also achieve a deficit with no exercise. Always good for fitness, though!

AskTracyAnnK28

DemoraFairy wrote: »

All that matters is that you're eating a calorie deficit. If your elliptical helps you reach that deficit that's great, but you could also achieve a deficit with no exercise. Always good for fitness, though!

+1

Remember that weight loss starts in the kitchen, so if you're eating at the right deficit (plus using the eliptical) you should reach yuor goal

SilverRose89

First and foremost, a calorie deficit will be what makes you lose weight. Using the elliptical can help you increase this deficit. Be aware the calorie burn shown on the machine might be very overstated, I know the one I use is.

4legsRbetterthan2

My first 20 lbs were lost using the elliptical as my primary form of exercise. Weight loss depends heavily on your diet, exercise just helps you create more room for a deficit and helps with fitness.

piyux

No even vigorous training will allow you to lose weight. Unless you are engaged on physical activity all day long and burn 6000 calories or more, then exercise alone will not cut it. My experience doing bodybuilding for 1 hour and cardio for another hour always left me starving for food and weak. I have learned that adding reasonable exercise is crucial for many reasons including improving your immune system but really the way to lose weight is to cut calories and most important, to eat healthy. Do you already turn around products you consume and read the labels? That kind of eating healthy.

Mikolinz

Oh yes i forgot to mention that i am on a reduced calorie plan on MFP. I meant that on the exercise side of things, is it sufficient for weight loss in conjunction with the diet?

nitepagan

Exercise will allow you to eat more while you are dieting. Exercise does a lot more for you than just losing weight, conditions your body, you will feel strong and vibrant, allows your body to become an efficient high tech machine. Even if you do not lose any weight, the exercise is important to your overall well being.

beccyleigh

95% diet 5 % exercise, you can lose weight without exercising but if you are still eating more than you expend, no matter who much you exercise you wont lose weight

AskTracyAnnK28

mayawalz wrote: »

Oh yes i forgot to mention that i am on a reduced calorie plan on MFP. I meant that on the exercise side of things, is it sufficient for weight loss in conjunction with the diet?

Well, I lost a total of 60 pounds since the first week of August. The first 50 with just with diet alone, the last 10 I added 30 minutes of pilates daily and I don't eat back my exercise calories.

zoomtech16

I use the elliptical to give me some more calories back. It really depends day to day how long I use it. Like if I'm starving that day I may use it for close to an hour some days only 20 minutes, but I always try to do a fitness blender video afterward to try to build some muscle under there. I've lost 20 pounds so far, but I like to "confuse" my body, so I will probably try to start swimming again when it gets warmer.

dimple_gal

This article had some great links to some elliptical sessions that mix it up a bit. I hate the elliptical because it gets dull, but these sound fun. http://www.self.com/flash/fitness-blog/2011/08/from-total-body-to-high-intens/

CObluegrass

I can have a really lazy workout on my elliptical, if I'm not feeling it. So some days I burn more than others...it's all up to me. but I can have a killer workout on it. I supplement with strength and balance training and yoga, all in my basement with a 6-year old running around.

nono706

I use an elliptical at home and I like how quiet it is- great for workouts during my kids naptimes. Typically I use it for a warm up, then do bodyweight exercises or weights, and a couple times a week I'll get back on after my weight set and do 15-20 minutes of HIIT. I really recommend intervals over slogging through a long steady-state cardio exercise. More interesting, more effective, and takes less time.

aisforamyaz

If you are moving your body and building muscle, then YES! Muscle burns more calories than fat. I was using the eliptial daily for about thirty minutes a day on a number three difficulty (all machines are different, though. It was equivalent to a moderate pace walk on a slight incline) and I noticed a huge impact on how fast the weight came off in conjunction with a reduced calorie diet vs. just the diet by itself. I also didn't add those burned to calories to my daily goal and allow myself to eat more. My goal is 1200 per day, regardless of how much exercise I do, and I stick with that for faster weight loss.

I don't use the eliptical right now because the weather is nice enough where I live to walk outside, but then the summer heat is too much of outdoor activity, I will be on it again! Keep up the great work! It took more than a day to put the weight on, it wil take more than a day to take it off...but it WILL come off! You are on the right track!

csylva

As long as you are staying within your daily calories your elliptical workouts are great for weight loss and in my opinion a great jumping off point!! I own a Bowflex Max Trainer elliptical/stair climber in one and I have been successful 7 pounds in 32 days (including a few cheat meals). I agree it's all about creating a deficit to lose weight and your elliptical will definitely help with that!! I wish you happiness, luck, and success girl!!

galadriel0407

I have lost over 80 pounds so far with pretty much only my elliptical for exercise. Of course, I am also following to the best of my ability, the calorie limitations that MyFitnessPal has suggested. I am also a single mom, and once the kid was in bed at 8pm, I could not leave to go to a gym. The affordable gyms don't have childcare, and the ones that did were cost prohibitive. I found that if I use my elliptical to get most of my 10,000 steps per day, it takes about an hour and twenty minutes. I average about 3-4 days a week. So far it has taken me since July 5th 2014 to lose this amount of weight. You already have an elliptical, but for anyone that wants one, I recommend Craigslist. People are always listing exercise equipment, especially when they are moving.

trina1049

mayawalz wrote: »

Oh yes i forgot to mention that i am on a reduced calorie plan on MFP. I meant that on the exercise side of things, is it sufficient for weight loss in conjunction with the diet?

Stick with your MFP diet plan to meet your nutritional goals and use the treadmill for cardio vascular health. Exercising/increased activity allows you to consume more calories.

Keep in mind that you need some way to estimate how many calories you're burning exercising so that you can eat back a portion of those exercise calories to fuel your body properly. This is how MFP is designed to help you work toward your goals.

The counters on treadmills and other machines are not very accurate estimations of burns. Heart rate monitors seem to be more accurate for steady state exercise but are also just guesstimates of calorie burns. I use a heart rate monitor at the gym and a pedometer for walking.

Many people on MFP, myself included, suggest eating back 1/2 to 2/3rds of your exercise calories allowing for calorie burn overestimations. Many people do not eat back their exercise calories but, in my opinion, this creates too large a deficit and can't be maintained over the long term without compromising one's health.

Also, some kind of resistance training, weight lifting, is helpful to maintain as much lean body mass/muscles as possible while you're losing fat. You don't have to lift very heavy to begin.

All of the above has worked for me as I've love 42.5lbs out of 50lbs. over the last year with MFP.

Good luck with meeting your weight loss goals.

Mikolinz

thanks everyone! so much great advice on here. i'm trying my best with the calories but i've gone overboard everyday so far , but since i'm only starting i guess its expected, i can adjust accordingly once i know what the culprits are (carbs!!).

20yearsyounger

The elliptical was my weapon of choice during my weight loss process. I had a reasonable calorie goal and used the elliptical to create significant deficits.

Becky_LaBelle

I used an elliptical to help me lose my 1st 50 pounds or so but it was mostly diet. I had an awful MCL sprain so I was limited to low impact exercises. I've discovered some HIIT rountines on the elliptical that help me burn more calories but the main way I've lost weight is a clean diet and giving myself a free meal every now again so I don't feel deprived. Once I felt better, then I started to lift weights and do more activities.

johnnylakis

rabbitjb wrote: »

Not on it's own

I've lost a significant amount of weight eating at a calorie defecit

and I've used the elliptical to increase my cardio fitness

LIKE

ninerbuff

Exercise is for fitness and health. While it helps to create a calorie deficit, your diet is more important for weight loss than whatever exercise you do.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

4legsRbetterthan2

mayawalz wrote: »

thanks everyone! so much great advice on here. i'm trying my best with the calories but i've gone overboard everyday so far , but since i'm only starting i guess its expected, i can adjust accordingly once i know what the culprits are (carbs!!).

I took me a while to figure out how to eat within my calorie goal. There were alotttt of habit that needed to change. Keep working at it, you are heading in the right direction!

bunnywestley81

20lb so far and I mostly do eliptical. Sometimes a bit of walking/treadmill/bike/weights but mostly treadmill.

In my mind anything that has you moving is going to help. Dance around the front room, walk to the shop rather than take the car if you can (not for like a weekly shop, that'd be daft for many)...and anything is better than nothing.Only felt like 10 minutes...least you did 10 minutes.

Do beware. I use Map My Walk and MFP and I can apparently burn 1000cals on a busy day at work...yeah, right! I don't actually eat back exercise calories per se...I aim for a weekly average of about 1350 ...the exercise cals are there for weekend can't be arsed to weigh everything, forgot the odd nibble, I'm eating out and have to guess...seems to work for me!

999tigger

Its ok, but burning calories using your cardio machine of choice is very dependent on current weight, duration,intensity and consistency. You have to do a lot of cardio to burn weight but if you keep consistent then it all adds up.

dawnsnarks

rabbitjb wrote: »

Not on it's own

I've lost a significant amount of weight eating at a calorie defecit

and I've used the elliptical to increase my cardio fitness

+1

Boogage

I have 5 young children and started trying to lose weight when my youngest was around 6 months old. I tried to eat right and danced and did exercise videos at home. I lost 60lbs so it can be done as long as you stay disciplined.

Zx14chick

I agree with everyone else. A suggestion for cutting back on calories - log your food before you eat. That will be eye-opening! Also, it is really helpful to get a food scale to accurately measure what you are eating (if you are not already using one). That will also be an eye opener. I find it much much easier to eat within my calorie goal if I plan ahead what I am going to eat. For instance, we are going out for dinner tonight and I know I will have at least one cocktail. I have entered two already plus I have decided what I will have while there. That typically (not 100% fool-proof, of course!) keeps me from making a split second decision when I get there and eating more than I intended.