Can someone advise me on my workout regime?

elleelise

I would love some input on my routine.

Currently I am eating at a deficit until I get down to around a size 12/14 or somewhere between 160-190 pounds (I am currently a size 16; 231 pounds, 5'9" 26 year-old female) I'm down 11 pounds since June and happy with my progress and tracking thus far and along with tracking, I pretty much did something active almost everyday this month. I love working out and during the week I typically do two Pilates classes, yoga twice a week, cardio a couple times, play tennis a couple times, tracking steps, and strength train on machines 2-3 sessions.

However, I started reading Strong Curves and did the first beginner workout yesterday and a 20-minute HIIT session today to change things up. However, part of me wonders what is the point if I am in a weight loss phase. Should I put my efforts into calorie burning cardio more along with a couple session of weights a week, and focus on Strong Curves and more body defining weight lifting programs later?

Thanks for the advice on what activity compliments weight loss best!

AsISmile

In theory you should be eating back your exercise calories. It is okay not to eat them all back as long as you are eating net 1200 calories a day.
(1800 calories eaten - 600 exercise calories = net 1200 calories. So not: 1200 calories eaten - 300 exercise calories = net 900 calories.)

If you use cardio to get some extra calorie burn it is totally okay to keep using that for weightloss.
It is however important to keep in mind that in weightloss you lose both fat and muscle.
Lifting weights will help you minimize muscle los and hence most of your weightloss will be fat.
Since you are trying to lose weight from eating in a deficit you will not gain a lot of muscle other than noobie gains. To really gain muscle you need to eat in surplus.

So for the reasons mentioned I would totally continue lifting now. Just keep doing a nice combo of lifting and catdio. Both have great benefits.

ErizAF

My advise would be not to overload yourself doing so many things at the same. Stick to a program and be constant. It should be easier to track your routine and help you understand what works the best for yourself.
Weight loss will come mainly from your nutrition program and the cardio will aid to get better results.

kweisman1

It's always a good thing to switch it up. I love HIIT! But I would make sure that you at least eat 1200 calories. I was under yesterday (try as I may to eat enough) and MFP wouldn't even post my daily log! Crazy. You're doing a great job! congrats!

rmitchell239

Good job keeping active. I believe that you can both gain muscle and lose fat at the same time if you work hard enough. In fact you have already started this judging by the routine you have. Adding in weight training will tone your muscles (no you won't look like she hulk without steroids) and raises your Basic Metabolic Rate BMR. Raising your BMR means that you will burn more calories doing EVERYTHING even sleeping. This means that if you keep your calories the same you will lose more weight. Weight training typically makes you hungrier so keep that in mind. Also your weight loss may slow down but your sizes will keep coming down and you will be more trim. Hope this helps.

TraceyLynn089

I lost 80 pounds and started about exactly where you are at although I am 3 inches shorter and weighed 230! I waited until I got a lot of fat off before starting to do more workouts involving strength. However, I think that if I had incorporated strength more earlier, I would have been better off! So, my advice is to continue incorporating strength a few times a week but definitely make cardio your focus to burn off the fat. And don't overwork yourself! It sounds like you have A LOT going on and although it makes exercise more enjoyable when you mix it up and it is so important to work in those sweat sessions to lose weight, don't do so much exercise that you get run down (I am speaking from personal experience here). That will only make you feel like crap and discourage you from continuing. I am not sure how much of a deficit you are eating at but ensure that you are still eating enough to support what you are doing! (Again, personal experience... I got a little out of control a couple times with not eating enough throughout my journey and had to learn the hard way after feeling like total crap how important it is to FUEL your body. View food as FUEL!).