Weight Loss Question Cardio Crossfit 60 minutes 3 times a week enough?! POSTPARTUM

BrittanyBrines

I am 12 weekspostpartum and have been doing zumba 30 minutes 5 days a week. Last week I started doing a cross training class at the YMCA. It is cardio, interval training, weights, everything and is 75 minutes long. I do this 3 days a week and haven't been doing zumba since I started. Is doing that Cross Training class 3 times a week enough for my cardio or should I do zumba on my off days? I was 164 when I gave birth. I am now down to 139 12 weeks postpartum. Before I got pregnant I was 114 and I would REALLY like to get back down to 110 which I was before I got married. This is my third child. Anywho, is that enough cardio or should I start doing zumba again? Thanks for your help!

BrittanyBrines

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BrittanyBrines

Anyone? lol

SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage

Whoa there.....slow down LOL
Weight loss will come from eating at a deficit. Exercise not required. Have you calculated how many calories you should be eating? Are you breastfeeding? That may seem like a personal question, but it is valid.

BrittanyBrines

I have figured out caloric intake and before adding in exercise calories it is 1500 with breastfeeding (midwife approved). My question is if my cross fit class is enough cardio throughout the week or if I should be doing zumba as well. I realize that weight loss comes from caloric deficit. And no it isn't a personal question. I'm totally okay with it.

SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage

I don't think I'm understanding your question fully. Enough cardio for what? What are you hoping to accomplish with the cardio?

1. Are you trying to burn more calories so that you can eat more and still lose weight? Or trying to lose weight faster? If so, how are you measuring your calories burned through exercise?
2. Are you "eating back" your exercise calories?
3. Are you doing cardio simply for the health benefits and love of exercise? If so, any amount that you can fit in without injuring yourself is fine. If you want to do Zumba because you enjoy it, go for it.

I suspect you are trying to lose weight faster. If that's the case, then it will depend on how many calories you burn each time you exercise. When you plugged your stats into MFP, what did you say your desired weekly weight loss would be? Because MFP will have taken that into consideration when calculating your 1500 cals. The additional calories burned through exercise is a bonus.

Therefore, if you stick to your 1500 calories per day, you will (theoretically) lose your ? lbs/ week (whatever you plugged into MFP).

If, say, you did Zumba today and burned another 300 calories, that's a bonus to you and theoretically at least, you could eat another 300 calories that day (or that week, whatever) and still be on track. But there's a catch - unless you are wearing a heart rate monitor (HRM), it is very difficult to accurately measure your caloric burn, and most online estimators grossly over-estimate. Even HRMs are not 100% accurate. So if you burn 300 calories and then "eat back" those 300 calories, you may be inadvertently eating too much and stalling your progress. For this reason, most people only "eat back" 50% or so of their exercise calories, if at all.

Sorry for the novel, but hoping that answers your question.

TiffanyR71

I'd say, if you have the time and energy and your milk supply is good, and you enjoy Zumba, then go for it!