How long before I level off with cardio?

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Getty59
Getty59 Posts: 72 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have just started working out and wanted to shed a couple punds before I incorporate resistance training in. I am loving my work out time and am not noticing that I am not leveling off as in I am still losing weight. I was wondering how long before I do notice that and need to change up my workout?
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  • SuzieQzie123
    SuzieQzie123 Posts: 45 Member
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    Is there a reason you want to delay on resistance training? It builds muscle and makes your body more efficient at burning calories meaning you will lose more?
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
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    Getty59 wrote: »
    I have just started working out and wanted to shed a couple punds before I incorporate resistance training in. I am loving my work out time and am not noticing that I am not leveling off as in I am still losing weight. I was wondering how long before I do notice that and need to change up my workout?

    Leveling off as in terms of scale weight? That's going to be primarily dependent on your diet/food intake.

    If you're still losing weight, and you don't wish to lose, you need to eat more.

    Unless I'm misunderstanding the question...
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    You'll continue not to level out until you are no longer eating in a deficit.

    Why do you want to wait before starting to lift?
  • Getty59
    Getty59 Posts: 72 Member
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    I think more then anything mental and safety as far as I know. I started at 270lb I don't want to overdue it on my body while I weight so much. I definitely plan on doing it but want to make sure I cut down on weight before I add the stress of lifting on my body. I do read that it does help speed up burning calories but want to make sure I do this right and not hurt myself.
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
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    Getty59 wrote: »
    I think more then anything mental and safety as far as I know. I started at 270lb I don't want to overdue it on my body while I weight so much. I definitely plan on doing it but want to make sure I cut down on weight before I add the stress of lifting on my body. I do read that it does help speed up burning calories but want to make sure I do this right and not hurt myself.

    Weight lifting doesn't need to be stressful. But you should start yesterday to help maintain muscle mass and encourage primarily fat loss whilst losing weight.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited November 2015
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    SuzieQzie123 wrote: »
    Is there a reason you want to delay on resistance training? It builds muscle and makes your body more efficient at burning calories meaning you will lose more?

    It helps you RETAIN lean muscle while eating at a deficit. But yes, don't wait too long before starting strength training.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    Honestly, starting slow now is almost certainly the best course. The more muscle you can preserve now, the less you'll have to put back later.
  • Getty59
    Getty59 Posts: 72 Member
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    So as long as I continue to eat at a deficit I will continue to lose weight? The reason I ask is because I read that your body gets used to the workouts and u essentially stop losing weight. Can u also look at my diary and tell me if it looks ok. I do not ever feel hungry and I feel great I love this app and this community!
  • daniwilford
    daniwilford Posts: 1,030 Member
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    No need to wait to incorporate resistance training. I wished I had started it with my cardio. As it was, when I upped my cardio, I had an injury, that derailed my progress. That injury was a result of over using some muscles while I underutilized others. The cure, that could have been a prevention, was resistance training. After 6 weeks of recovery, I could resume my Cardio. I am progressively adding weight in my strength/weight workout, and speed and distance to my Cardio. I suppose at some point I will hit my maximum, but not yet, meanwhile I am 58 lbs lighter and still losing.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    Getty59 wrote: »
    So as long as I continue to eat at a deficit I will continue to lose weight? The reason I ask is because I read that your body gets used to the workouts and u essentially stop losing weight. Can u also look at my diary and tell me if it looks ok. I do not ever feel hungry and I feel great I love this app and this community!
    Yes.

    Weight loss stopping because you get used to workouts is false. Weight loss stops because you are no longer in a deficit.

  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
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    Getty59 wrote: »
    The reason I ask is because I read that your body gets used to the workouts and u essentially stop losing weight.

    That is not true
  • Getty59
    Getty59 Posts: 72 Member
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    That is awesome dani!
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Cardio, especially running, is very hard on the joints. I'd rank it much more hazardous than a weight routine. I'm just under 200 pounds now and there are some exercises that are still too hard for my joints, like lunges.

    If you are doing cardio and continuing to lose weight, celebrate! With a non-food reward of course.
  • Getty59
    Getty59 Posts: 72 Member
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    Thanks juggernaut that's why I brought it to u guys! That is good to know as I love my workouts and the progress I am making!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    Getty59 wrote: »
    So as long as I continue to eat at a deficit I will continue to lose weight? The reason I ask is because I read that your body gets used to the workouts and u essentially stop losing weight. Can u also look at my diary and tell me if it looks ok. I do not ever feel hungry and I feel great I love this app and this community!

    I primarily cycle and I lift...I haven't switched that up in over three years other than I work at varying degrees of intensity on my bike and I lift in cycles of various rep ranges and variations of the same movements.

    weight loss has little to do with the exercise you do (though regular exercise makes weight management easier)...your diet is going to have a far more profound impact on weight management. plateaus aren't a result of not switching your workout up...plateaus are usually a result of eating more than one thinks they are eating...as you shrink your margin for error becomes smaller. beyond that, weight loss just slows naturally as you go along...larger losses early are not uncommon, but things just eventually even out and a lot of people mistake this for a plateau or something when in reality, they just need to be more patient and realize that this is all a pretty slow process.

    If anything, as you increase your fitness level you should be able to go longer and further which will increase your body's energy requisites, giving you a greater TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) which can compensate for your shrinking margin of error.

    I cycle at least 60 miles per week but usually more like 80 or more...I lift 3x per week and I walk my dog regularly, do some hiking, enjoy some swimming in the warmer months, and I'm just generally pretty active outside of my office. I've lost weight, maintained weight, and gained weight doing all of that...the difference in weight management wasn't the exercise, it was how much I was eating.

    Diet for weight management; exercise for fitness, general health, and overall well being.
  • Getty59
    Getty59 Posts: 72 Member
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    Well put cw thanks for the advice!
  • leooftheyear
    leooftheyear Posts: 429 Member
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    If you haven't already, i highly recommend picking up the New Rules of Lifting book and reading it!
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    Mathematically speaking, if you eat at the same level (calories in) and do the same workouts (duration and intensity) its possible to reach a point where doing the workout becomes easier, so you burn a little less for the same workout than you did originally. At the same time as you're eating at a deficit over time and losing weight, your body uses less energy because its smaller. SO if you continue doing the same thing (calories in, workout) then you'd eventually reach a point where your calorie in was no longer creating a deficit. But exactly how long that would take, would depend on how much you're eating and your stats in terms of weight, height, gender, age.

    For example when I started I could burn 2300 per day (thru daily activity & exercise, so over a 24 hour period) and eat 1500-1600 to lose ~1.5 pounds per week. As I lost weight, my total daily burn went down eventually to where it was 1900-2000. So eating at 1500-1600, I was losing 1 pound or a little less per week. Now I maintain, around 1800 per day. If I always ate 1500-1600 I'd eventually get small enough where that was my total daily burn, though in all honesty I think then I would be underweight. (Assuming no significant changes in activity level.)
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    StaciMarie1974 wrote: »
    Mathematically speaking, if you eat at the same level (calories in) and do the same workouts (duration and intensity) its possible to reach a point where doing the workout becomes easier, so you burn a little less for the same workout than you did originally. At the same time as you're eating at a deficit over time and losing weight, your body uses less energy because its smaller. SO if you continue doing the same thing (calories in, workout) then you'd eventually reach a point where your calorie in was no longer creating a deficit. But exactly how long that would take, would depend on how much you're eating and your stats in terms of weight, height, gender, age.

    For example when I started I could burn 2300 per day (thru daily activity & exercise, so over a 24 hour period) and eat 1500-1600 to lose ~1.5 pounds per week. As I lost weight, my total daily burn went down eventually to where it was 1900-2000. So eating at 1500-1600, I was losing 1 pound or a little less per week. Now I maintain, around 1800 per day. If I always ate 1500-1600 I'd eventually get small enough where that was my total daily burn, though in all honesty I think then I would be underweight. (Assuming no significant changes in activity level.)
    But that's not leveling out due to being used to a workout, which was the premise underlying OP's question.

  • starwhisperer6
    starwhisperer6 Posts: 402 Member
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    you will keep losing weight doing only cardio and eating at a deficit it is just a matter of what you want to accomplish. Lots of people never get into weight training and only do cardio. I hate cardio and would much rather lift. But to each their own right? If you love cardio keep it up, if it gets too easy add intensity or some HITT

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