Does less than 30 minutes of cardio mean I'm still gaining weight?

PolkaDots7916

Hi all!

I'm new to the forum and new to exercising. My metabolism and the amount of movement from daily life when I was in high school/college seemed to work in my favor as I was always naturally thin. I'm 28 now, and my sedentary lifestyle (I teach reading, so I basically sit at a table with different small groups all day) are catching up. I'm trying to get in good shape for my wedding next summer, and also be healthy for when we decide to have a baby.

I started a simple exercise program a few weeks ago (I plan on adding as I improve), and am currently only able to tolerate 15 minutes of cardio at a time. My heart and lungs do just fine, but my leg muscles just burn and I feel like they're going to give out. This is better than the 7 minutes I started at a few weeks ago, though! Anyway, my mom used to be very into working out when she was in her 20s and 30s. I was talking about my cardio progress, and she told me that you need to do 30 minutes of cardio to maintain weight, so anything above that to lose. I said I can tolerate 15 minutes at a time, so I could do 3 intervals through the afternoon/evening. She insisted that it has to be consecutive, without even a 2 minute break. She said that if I'm doing less than 30 minutes at a time, I'm still gaining weight.

Is this true!? I've been really down today about it. I know my current routine isn't anything to brag about, but I feel like I'm doing the best that I can and am very proud of myself for sticking with it, and swear that my body is starting to feel tighter already. It just doesn't make sense that theoretically, someone could do 15 minutes of cardio every hour throughout the entire day and be gaining weight (given that their diet is decent, as mine is).

Thanks!

arditarose

You need to consume less calories than you burn, to lose weight. You could do NO cardio and lose weight. You could do an hour a day and still gain weight.

And good on you for starting to exercise. It is great for heart health.

queenliz99

It's about the intake and exercise is for health. And your mom, she's old school. Just continue with your cardio and add some resistance training and you will be good.

rankinsect

The amount of exercise you do is pretty much irrelevant from a weight loss perspective. You need a calorie deficit, which you can create by any combination of diet and/or exercise.

Exercise is mainly for health (cardio) and physique (resistance) benefits.

Liftng4Lis

You're only gaining, if you're in a surplus.

WheyStrong

Cardio is irrelevant, weight loss occurs when energy expenditure is greater than calories consumed.

Also, no pain no gain. If you want that dream body on your wedding day, there is nothing stopping you except yourself.

"It's the mind that creates the body"

-Arnold Schwarzenegger

Meganthedogmom

Your mom is full of crap.

Berber269

You know what you're feeling! You've doubled your time once and you can keep getting stronger. Don't let other people get to you, anything is better than nothing. Plus they say abs are made in the kitchen anyway right?

paperpudding

I would add that all the general fitness/ weight management recomendations ( by general, I mean health messages aimed at the general public, not elite spirits people ) say any exercise is better than no exercise and to aim for aprox half hour of cardio per day, at least 5 days per week - this can be in 3x10 minute walks round the block or 1 continuous session, doesn't matter.

paperpudding

Elite sports people, not spirits people - darn autocorrect.

rileysowner

Short answer, "No."

Losing weight comes from eating less calories, not from exercise. Set up your goals using the tool here on Myfitnesspal. Choose a reasonable weight loss, 1 pound per week would be what I recommend. Then start eating the calorie goal the site gives you, not under, not over, try to eat that goal. Measure your portions carefully, ideally all solids with a kitchen scale, and liquids with measures spoons and cups. Do this consistently and you will lose weight even with no exercise. The exercise is for health, not weight loss.

lynn_glenmont

Trying to say this as gently as possible, but why in the world would you accept anybody's statement that you are "still gaining weight if you are doing X," when the proof of whether you are gaining weight is available to you by tracking the numbers on your scale (or tracking the numbers on a tape measure, if your prefer)? If the scale said you had lost 5 pounds or your tape measure showed you had lost an inch in the last few weeks since you started, and your Mom (or your doctor, or anybody) said, "No, that's impossible because you aren't doing 30 minutes straight of cardio," or "No, that's impossible because you aren't drinking 8 glasses of water a day," or "No, that's impossible, because you are still eating carbs," would you honestly think that statements like that meant that your scale or your tape measure was wrong?

Empirical evidence trumps weight loss myths every time.

blankiefinder

A calorie surplus means you will gain. A deficit means you'll lose. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10257474/starting-out-restarting-basics-inside#latest

PaulaWallaDingDong

lynn_glenmont wrote: »

Trying to say this as gently as possible, but why in the world would you accept anybody's statement that you are "still gaining weight if you are doing X," when the proof of whether you are gaining weight is available to you by tracking the numbers on your scale (or tracking the numbers on a tape measure, if your prefer)? If the scale said you had lost 5 pounds or your tape measure showed you had lost an inch in the last few weeks since you started, and your Mom (or your doctor, or anybody) said, "No, that's impossible because you aren't doing 30 minutes straight of cardio," or "No, that's impossible because you aren't drinking 8 glasses of water a day," or "No, that's impossible, because you are still eating carbs," would you honestly think that statements like that meant that your scale or your tape measure was wrong?

Empirical evidence trumps weight loss myths every time.

Ha. Yes. I still keep getting told I should avoid carbs to lose weight. 65 lbs says I'm doing ok with carbs. My boyfriend's doctor told him the same thing while I was in the room after congratulating him on 35 lbs lost. It took all of my strength not to say "Doc...You're an a**hole."

callsitlikeiseeit

i know you love your mother, but she knows not of which she speaks.

you lose weight in the kitchen, not the gym. eat less, move more.

kshama2001

PolkaDots7916 wrote: »

Hi all!

I'm new to the forum and new to exercising. My metabolism and the amount of movement from daily life when I was in high school/college seemed to work in my favor as I was always naturally thin. I'm 28 now, and my sedentary lifestyle (I teach reading, so I basically sit at a table with different small groups all day) are catching up. I'm trying to get in good shape for my wedding next summer, and also be healthy for when we decide to have a baby.

I started a simple exercise program a few weeks ago (I plan on adding as I improve), and am currently only able to tolerate 15 minutes of cardio at a time. My heart and lungs do just fine, but my leg muscles just burn and I feel like they're going to give out. This is better than the 7 minutes I started at a few weeks ago, though! Anyway, my mom used to be very into working out when she was in her 20s and 30s. I was talking about my cardio progress, and she told me that you need to do 30 minutes of cardio to maintain weight, so anything above that to lose. I said I can tolerate 15 minutes at a time, so I could do 3 intervals through the afternoon/evening. She insisted that it has to be consecutive, without even a 2 minute break. She said that if I'm doing less than 30 minutes at a time, I'm still gaining weight.

Is this true!? I've been really down today about it. I know my current routine isn't anything to brag about, but I feel like I'm doing the best that I can and am very proud of myself for sticking with it, and swear that my body is starting to feel tighter already. It just doesn't make sense that theoretically, someone could do 15 minutes of cardio every hour throughout the entire day and be gaining weight (given that their diet is decent, as mine is).

Thanks!

My aerobics videos from the 80s or 90s said you had to do cardio for at least 30 minutes to start burning fat rather than whatever it was they thought got burnt first. This is probably the source of your Mom's confusion. (I'm not saying this is true, but the probable source of her thought.)

So yes, keep doing what you're doing

StaciMarie1974

There is a lot of incorrect info floating around. It happens on many topics, not just weight loss. You'll come across people from time to time that firmly believe that the path to weight loss must include X, Y and Z. And nothing you can do will change their mind.

In reality it comes down to calories in vs calories out, and finding methods of adjusting your eating (calories in) and activity (calories out) to be in a deficit. So the truth is: your mother probably means well, but is misinformed.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

kk_inprogress

OP, you got some great advice above about how weight loss works (it's all about eating less than you burn!) but I wanted to say that this isn't the first time I've heard this. There have been studies showing that 30 or more minutes ( I don't remember how many times a week) is beneficial for heart health and I think it got carried over by some ridiculous folk (Dr. Oz and the like) to mean you're burning fat and will only lose weight that way.

Either way, it's not true. Good for you for starting a new program. Working up to 30 mins a day will optimize your heart health, but going from doing nothing to doing 15 mins is so great.

hmontigney

It sounds like you are truly doing your best. Don't stop what you're doing! The only way to gain weight is if you are eating in a surplus, meaning you're eating more calories than you're burning. You will lose as long as you remain in a deficit.

Keep it up!

zoeysasha37

Op your mom is wrong. But don't blame her there's really tons of bad info floating around. People believe it and spread it so that's how misinformation gets around. You'll even find some on this site ( people think carbs make you gain weight and they also say keto diets cure all this disease. Neither is true )

To lose weight, all you need is a calorie deficit. Eat less then you Burn and you'll lose weight. Its that simple. But for this to really work , you will need to be as accurate as possible with your food log. Get yourself a food scale and weigh everything !! Yes everything!! No guesses. I use a measuring cup for liquids and a scale for solids. Then after that, learn how to log these foods properly . sadly, there's a lot of wrong entries in the database so you really must take your time and find the correct one. ( mfp is still the best databank I've ever saw though. They all have bad entries and bad info but mfp isn't as bad as the others )
So after you've mastered weighing and logging, then you will know how many calories your really consuming and you can adjust from there.

So for a recap, you don't even need to do any cardio for weight loss. Weight loss comes from a calorie deficit.
You can exercise for overall good health ( I definitely recommend it ) but you don't have to if you don't want.
With that being said though, I think your doing great ! You've doubled your time already !! Awesome !!! Keep up the good work !!!

nutmegoreo

PolkaDots7916 wrote: »

Hi all!

I know my current routine isn't anything to brag about,

Others have covered the importance of calorie intake for weight loss as opposed to exercise, so I want to specifically address this statement. It absolutely is something to brag about! You are making progress and physically improving yourself. That is something to brag about! :flowerforyou:

zoeysasha37

Op , you

nutmegoreo wrote: »

PolkaDots7916 wrote: »

Hi all!

I know my current routine isn't anything to brag about,

Others have covered the importance of calorie intake for weight loss as opposed to exercise, so I want to specifically address this statement. It absolutely is something to brag about! You are making progress and physically improving yourself. That is something to brag about! :flowerforyou:

I agree !! The op should be very proud of herself ! That's definitely something to be proud of !

jajo8991

kshama2001 wrote: »

PolkaDots7916 wrote: »

Hi all!

I'm new to the forum and new to exercising. My metabolism and the amount of movement from daily life when I was in high school/college seemed to work in my favor as I was always naturally thin. I'm 28 now, and my sedentary lifestyle (I teach reading, so I basically sit at a table with different small groups all day) are catching up. I'm trying to get in good shape for my wedding next summer, and also be healthy for when we decide to have a baby.

I started a simple exercise program a few weeks ago (I plan on adding as I improve), and am currently only able to tolerate 15 minutes of cardio at a time. My heart and lungs do just fine, but my leg muscles just burn and I feel like they're going to give out. This is better than the 7 minutes I started at a few weeks ago, though! Anyway, my mom used to be very into working out when she was in her 20s and 30s. I was talking about my cardio progress, and she told me that you need to do 30 minutes of cardio to maintain weight, so anything above that to lose. I said I can tolerate 15 minutes at a time, so I could do 3 intervals through the afternoon/evening. She insisted that it has to be consecutive, without even a 2 minute break. She said that if I'm doing less than 30 minutes at a time, I'm still gaining weight.

Is this true!? I've been really down today about it. I know my current routine isn't anything to brag about, but I feel like I'm doing the best that I can and am very proud of myself for sticking with it, and swear that my body is starting to feel tighter already. It just doesn't make sense that theoretically, someone could do 15 minutes of cardio every hour throughout the entire day and be gaining weight (given that their diet is decent, as mine is).

Thanks!

My aerobics videos from the 80s or 90s said you had to do cardio for at least 30 minutes to start burning fat rather than whatever it was they thought got burnt first. This is probably the source of your Mom's confusion. (I'm not saying this is true, but the probable source of her thought.)

So yes, keep doing what you're doing

rankinsect

kshama2001 wrote: »

PolkaDots7916 wrote: »

Hi all!

I'm new to the forum and new to exercising. My metabolism and the amount of movement from daily life when I was in high school/college seemed to work in my favor as I was always naturally thin. I'm 28 now, and my sedentary lifestyle (I teach reading, so I basically sit at a table with different small groups all day) are catching up. I'm trying to get in good shape for my wedding next summer, and also be healthy for when we decide to have a baby.

I started a simple exercise program a few weeks ago (I plan on adding as I improve), and am currently only able to tolerate 15 minutes of cardio at a time. My heart and lungs do just fine, but my leg muscles just burn and I feel like they're going to give out. This is better than the 7 minutes I started at a few weeks ago, though! Anyway, my mom used to be very into working out when she was in her 20s and 30s. I was talking about my cardio progress, and she told me that you need to do 30 minutes of cardio to maintain weight, so anything above that to lose. I said I can tolerate 15 minutes at a time, so I could do 3 intervals through the afternoon/evening. She insisted that it has to be consecutive, without even a 2 minute break. She said that if I'm doing less than 30 minutes at a time, I'm still gaining weight.

Is this true!? I've been really down today about it. I know my current routine isn't anything to brag about, but I feel like I'm doing the best that I can and am very proud of myself for sticking with it, and swear that my body is starting to feel tighter already. It just doesn't make sense that theoretically, someone could do 15 minutes of cardio every hour throughout the entire day and be gaining weight (given that their diet is decent, as mine is).

Thanks!

My aerobics videos from the 80s or 90s said you had to do cardio for at least 30 minutes to start burning fat rather than whatever it was they thought got burnt first. This is probably the source of your Mom's confusion. (I'm not saying this is true, but the probable source of her thought.)

So yes, keep doing what you're doing

Glycogen is burned first. And yes, in a way it's true, shorter exercise won't immediately and directly burn fat.

However, because it burns muscle glycogen reserves, some energy goes into replenishing these reserves, and that energy either comes from your diet, which means your body has to burn more fat somewhere else because of the larger deficit, or it could come directly from stored fat as your body uses its blood sugar to regenerate muscle glycogen, and makes new glucose from stored fat.

The net effect is that it still increases the rate of fat loss even if you don't directly use fat to fuel those particular muscles during that particular exercise. That myth plus the "fat burning zone" myth are based kernels of truth, but without understanding how the various bodily systems interact and the indirect effects that exercise has.

brb2008

You're doing great, don't worry. When I first began exercising 5 mins was my max. You add time as your body adjusts and grows stronger. Plus you just get used to being a little uncomfortable. You'll get there with time. But you don't HAVE to do any cardio to lose weight

allenpriest

Your mom doesn't know anything about what she is talking about.
Any movement is better than no movement.
Generally more movement is better.
But you can't out exercise a poor diet.

Measure what you consume. Eat at a calorie deficit. Go slow and make lifestyle changes that you can maintain the rest of your life.

LivingtheLeanDream

If you stick to these workouts and add extra mins on each day you will eventually find that 30 mins is no trouble at all....it takes time to build stamina. Keep going, you will reap the benefits in so many ways
To lose weight first and foremost its about diet and how much we eat. Sort that part and then the exercise is just a bonus.

kshama2001

rankinsect wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

PolkaDots7916 wrote: »

Hi all!

I'm new to the forum and new to exercising. My metabolism and the amount of movement from daily life when I was in high school/college seemed to work in my favor as I was always naturally thin. I'm 28 now, and my sedentary lifestyle (I teach reading, so I basically sit at a table with different small groups all day) are catching up. I'm trying to get in good shape for my wedding next summer, and also be healthy for when we decide to have a baby.

I started a simple exercise program a few weeks ago (I plan on adding as I improve), and am currently only able to tolerate 15 minutes of cardio at a time. My heart and lungs do just fine, but my leg muscles just burn and I feel like they're going to give out. This is better than the 7 minutes I started at a few weeks ago, though! Anyway, my mom used to be very into working out when she was in her 20s and 30s. I was talking about my cardio progress, and she told me that you need to do 30 minutes of cardio to maintain weight, so anything above that to lose. I said I can tolerate 15 minutes at a time, so I could do 3 intervals through the afternoon/evening. She insisted that it has to be consecutive, without even a 2 minute break. She said that if I'm doing less than 30 minutes at a time, I'm still gaining weight.

Is this true!? I've been really down today about it. I know my current routine isn't anything to brag about, but I feel like I'm doing the best that I can and am very proud of myself for sticking with it, and swear that my body is starting to feel tighter already. It just doesn't make sense that theoretically, someone could do 15 minutes of cardio every hour throughout the entire day and be gaining weight (given that their diet is decent, as mine is).

Thanks!

My aerobics videos from the 80s or 90s said you had to do cardio for at least 30 minutes to start burning fat rather than whatever it was they thought got burnt first. This is probably the source of your Mom's confusion. (I'm not saying this is true, but the probable source of her thought.)

So yes, keep doing what you're doing

Glycogen is burned first. And yes, in a way it's true, shorter exercise won't immediately and directly burn fat.

However, because it burns muscle glycogen reserves, some energy goes into replenishing these reserves, and that energy either comes from your diet, which means your body has to burn more fat somewhere else because of the larger deficit, or it could come directly from stored fat as your body uses its blood sugar to regenerate muscle glycogen, and makes new glucose from stored fat.

The net effect is that it still increases the rate of fat loss even if you don't directly use fat to fuel those particular muscles during that particular exercise. That myth plus the "fat burning zone" myth are based kernels of truth, but without understanding how the various bodily systems interact and the indirect effects that exercise has.

Thanks for expanding on that!