Is my exercising method any good?
imlindaheart
Posts: 22 Member
I don't have a gym nearby and I don't have time to go out and exercise for 1 or 2 hours at a time + I have a 2-year old and no babysitter. I also work at home with my computer. So what I have done is I have taken 10 minutes here and there and done some dancing or simply running in space. Usually I do around 4-6 x 10 minutes. I also log this exercise and eat back about half the calories. Will it work the same or is doing 60 minutes continuous exercising better for weight loss?
Sorry for my English, not my first language.
Sorry for my English, not my first language.
4
Replies
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I think what you are doing sounds great! It's a great way to get activity in. How are you logging your exercise?3
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The short answer...yes...even short periods of moving will help with weight loss. Bear in mind though that as you lose weight and your body adapts to the exercises that you do that same amount of exercise will burn less calories. You will either need to increase intensity and/or duration to continue to burn the same amount of calories that you are presently burning.
How fit you will become with exercising this way is another story.3 -
How fit you will become with exercising this way is another story.
Right now, at 267 lbs (121kg), getting fit is not my priority for a while yet. I will be able to get some "real" exercise done in a year from now, hopefully I will be in a better weight then too, to really start working on getting fit.4 -
YES, getting up and walking around and getting the blood flowing is a good way to burn some extra calories. 5-10 minutes here and there definitely adds up.
What i wouldn't do is eat these calories back or try and count them.12 -
You're doing just fine, fitting more movement into your day. Very creative, sensible approach. Go, you!
Safely-executed lifts of said 2-year-old, for reps, are also excellent exercise, and - if done at the right time (/mood), with well-chosen sound effects, can make him/her squeal with delight.
"Flying" my 5-year-old great-great nephew through his great-grandma's house is one of my favorite pre-holiday-dinner mini-workouts! 
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yes that sounds like a nice plan , you just have to remember if your trying to lose weight its more about how much you eat than how much you exercise ..
good luck1 -
I was going to say the same things as rainbowbow. Try not to eat back all the calories. Especially on nice days, pack the 2 year old into a stroller & go for a walk. Also physically play with your child . . .a game of tag, swinging on a swing, playing with a ball. Get your body moving.3
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Movement is better than no movement. It's not a huge calorie burn but it will help increase your burn a bit. I wouldn't go crazy on eating the calories back.4
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imlindaheart wrote: »
How fit you will become with exercising this way is another story.
Right now, at 267 lbs (121kg), getting fit is not my priority for a while yet. I will be able to get some "real" exercise done in a year from now, hopefully I will be in a better weight then too, to really start working on getting fit.
I was about your weight when I started and very sedentary. I walked but also used resistance bands. They were inexpensive and allowed me to work at my own level. They would also work well with your schedule and could be broken down in to mini sessions.
This is similar to the set that I have...
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Mountain-Products-Resistance-Exercise/dp/7245456313/ref=sr_1_5?s=sports-and-fitness&ie=UTF8&qid=1485624323&sr=1-5&keywords=resistance+bands3 -
I think it's great! Good job working with what you have!0
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Adding movement is always a good thing in my opinion. Also, if you are looking for a free easy way to add more structured exercises there is an app called SWORKIT you can download. It gives you custom workouts 5-30 minutes right to your phone or tablet anytime.2
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That's a good start, but don't eat them back.2
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imlindaheart wrote: »I don't have a gym nearby and I don't have time to go out and exercise for 1 or 2 hours at a time + I have a 2-year old and no babysitter. I also work at home with my computer. So what I have done is I have taken 10 minutes here and there and done some dancing or simply running in space. Usually I do around 4-6 x 10 minutes. I also log this exercise and eat back about half the calories. Will it work the same or is doing 60 minutes continuous exercising better for weight loss?
Sorry for my English, not my first language.
If eating half the exercise calories is working for you -- that is, you're happy with the rate you're losing weight -- you can just ignore people who give you arbitrary advice not to count those exercise calories.6 -
The short answer...yes...even short periods of moving will help with weight loss. Bear in mind though that as you lose weight and your body adapts to the exercises that you do that same amount of exercise will burn less calories. You will either need to increase intensity and/or duration to continue to burn the same amount of calories that you are presently burning.
How fit you will become with exercising this way is another story.
Sorry to ask you but im really curious. So if I've been working out on the elliptical for a long time for the same amount of time , will I eventually start burning less calories? Im asking cause I found your answer very interesting.0 -
The short answer...yes...even short periods of moving will help with weight loss. Bear in mind though that as you lose weight and your body adapts to the exercises that you do that same amount of exercise will burn less calories. You will either need to increase intensity and/or duration to continue to burn the same amount of calories that you are presently burning.
How fit you will become with exercising this way is another story.
Sorry to ask you but im really curious. So if I've been working out on the elliptical for a long time for the same amount of time , will I eventually start burning less calories? Im asking cause I found your answer very interesting.
If you don't increase your exertion level, then,
yes, definitely, if you've lost weight, and
yes, probably, even if you haven't lost weight, because you'll likely have gotten fitter and more efficient at that movement, and your body will be able to perform the same amount of that type of work (i.e., moving your body in a certain way) for fewer calories.1 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »The short answer...yes...even short periods of moving will help with weight loss. Bear in mind though that as you lose weight and your body adapts to the exercises that you do that same amount of exercise will burn less calories. You will either need to increase intensity and/or duration to continue to burn the same amount of calories that you are presently burning.
How fit you will become with exercising this way is another story.
Sorry to ask you but im really curious. So if I've been working out on the elliptical for a long time for the same amount of time , will I eventually start burning less calories? Im asking cause I found your answer very interesting.
If you don't increase your exertion level, then,
yes, definitely, if you've lost weight, and
yes, probably, even if you haven't lost weight, because you'll likely have gotten fitter and more efficient at that movement, and your body will be able to perform the same amount of that type of work (i.e., moving your body in a certain way) for fewer calories.
So even to maintain my current weight , I must change my workout routine every couple of months?1 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »The short answer...yes...even short periods of moving will help with weight loss. Bear in mind though that as you lose weight and your body adapts to the exercises that you do that same amount of exercise will burn less calories. You will either need to increase intensity and/or duration to continue to burn the same amount of calories that you are presently burning.
How fit you will become with exercising this way is another story.
Sorry to ask you but im really curious. So if I've been working out on the elliptical for a long time for the same amount of time , will I eventually start burning less calories? Im asking cause I found your answer very interesting.
If you don't increase your exertion level, then,
yes, definitely, if you've lost weight, and
yes, probably, even if you haven't lost weight, because you'll likely have gotten fitter and more efficient at that movement, and your body will be able to perform the same amount of that type of work (i.e., moving your body in a certain way) for fewer calories.
So even to maintain my current weight , I must change my workout routine every couple of months?
Theory is one thing, practice may be another.
I have no basis for saying this will be true for others, but changes in calorie burn due to increased efficiency/fitness have been gradual & minor for me - not really worth worrying about if my weight trend seems in line with my goals. With improving fitness, though, I do tend to push a bit harder just because it feels good to do it.
Calorie burn with bodyweight changes have been more significant for me, and seem to be proportionate to what the calculators suggest.
Based on my experience, I wouldn't encourage anyone else to abandon a routine that's working in their life, that they enjoy, just to mix things up in hopes of a better burn.
YMMV, though.
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red99ryder wrote: »yes that sounds like a nice plan , you just have to remember if your trying to lose weight its more about how much you eat than how much you exercise ..
good luck
This. Calorie deficit is the key to weight loss. Mfp sets this up for you when you enter your stats. All you need to do after that is weigh food on a digital food scale and log diligently by being accurate with the nutrition. Checking mfp food database entries against the USDA entries and packaging works well. Eat the calories mfp gives you. Choose an appropriate calorie goal.
Being active is a fantastic thing, and you're off to a great start, and I agree with all that mentioned not eating back these calories back.0 -
The short answer...yes...even short periods of moving will help with weight loss. Bear in mind though that as you lose weight and your body adapts to the exercises that you do that same amount of exercise will burn less calories. You will either need to increase intensity and/or duration to continue to burn the same amount of calories that you are presently burning.
How fit you will become with exercising this way is another story.
Sorry to ask you but im really curious. So if I've been working out on the elliptical for a long time for the same amount of time , will I eventually start burning less calories? Im asking cause I found your answer very interesting.
The heavier that you are the more energy that you expend to do an exercise plus your body will become adept at what you are doing.
Just an example...a 250lb person will burn more calories walking a mile than a 200lb person and a lot more than 150lb person. That doesn't mean that the person has to give up walking and do something else. It just means that they will have to increase distance and/or increase the intensity. They can increase intensity either by adding speed or incline. This is if you want to continue to burn the same amount of calories.
When I first started walking (I was fairly sedentary) at 246lb I was burning close to 100 calories per mile. Now that I have lost weight and have become more active and fitter at most I am burning 60 calories per mile. To get the same benefit from my walking I have to keep increasing distance and intensity.1 -
Your strategy is pretty good! I agree with what advice has already been written.
I'm a busy student, and I incorporate movement myself by scheduling study breaks for quick, brisk walks. I also do yoga as soon as I wake up. Perhaps you can schedule another 5-10 minute schedule into your morning routine?
Also, your English isn't bad at all. ^^0 -
You don't need 2 hours of exercise to lose body fat.- Give this a try- Breakfast bowl of oatmeal raw uncooked, just add some apple juice and raisins in it (a person don't have to cook oatmeal). That's everyday breakfast. - and it's cheap. For Lunch - eat microwave popcorn or a bag of sunflower seeds and apple juice. Dinner- eat only greens , and meat chicken or fish , no bread, no starch, - if you have to go to restaurants order small salad and meat drink teas . Eat this same pattern , for two weeks everyday, you will lose weight, its like for example if a person has a cat you feed it the same cat food - everyday. Breakfast is uncooked oats mixture. Lunch is popcorn -or..... sunflower seeds, dinner meat and veggies.0
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stylzemail wrote: »You don't need 2 hours of exercise to lose body fat.- Give this a try- Breakfast bowl of oatmeal raw uncooked, just add some apple juice and raisins in it (a person don't have to cook oatmeal). That's everyday breakfast. - and it's cheap. For Lunch - eat microwave popcorn or a bag of sunflower seeds and apple juice. Dinner- eat only greens , and meat chicken or fish , no bread, no starch, - if you have to go to restaurants order small salad and meat drink teas . Eat this same pattern , for two weeks everyday, you will lose weight, its like for example if a person has a cat you feed it the same cat food - everyday. Breakfast is uncooked oats mixture. Lunch is popcorn -or..... sunflower seeds, dinner meat and veggies.
Is this what you eat?
Everyday for two weeks?
How much weight will you lose?
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stylzemail wrote: »You don't need 2 hours of exercise to lose body fat.- Give this a try- Breakfast bowl of oatmeal raw uncooked, just add some apple juice and raisins in it (a person don't have to cook oatmeal). That's everyday breakfast. - and it's cheap. For Lunch - eat microwave popcorn or a bag of sunflower seeds and apple juice. Dinner- eat only greens , and meat chicken or fish , no bread, no starch, - if you have to go to restaurants order small salad and meat drink teas . Eat this same pattern , for two weeks everyday, you will lose weight, its like for example if a person has a cat you feed it the same cat food - everyday. Breakfast is uncooked oats mixture. Lunch is popcorn -or..... sunflower seeds, dinner meat and veggies.
Entirely unnecessary and ridiculous. And especially with no measurements - you could be undereating or overeating based on your definitions of "bowl", "some", and "bag".
Exercise when you can, eat what satisfies you and keeps you in a calorie deficit.6 -
stylzemail wrote: »You don't need 2 hours of exercise to lose body fat.- Give this a try- Breakfast bowl of oatmeal raw uncooked, just add some apple juice and raisins in it (a person don't have to cook oatmeal). That's everyday breakfast. - and it's cheap. For Lunch - eat microwave popcorn or a bag of sunflower seeds and apple juice. Dinner- eat only greens , and meat chicken or fish , no bread, no starch, - if you have to go to restaurants order small salad and meat drink teas . Eat this same pattern , for two weeks everyday, you will lose weight, its like for example if a person has a cat you feed it the same cat food - everyday. Breakfast is uncooked oats mixture. Lunch is popcorn -or..... sunflower seeds, dinner meat and veggies.
That sounds awful. I could never just eat popcorn for lunch. And uncooked oatmeal? OP, just eat whatever you like that fits your calorie goal. I think your plan sounds good. And it is fine to eat back half of your exercise calories. And I wouldn't have known that English was not your first language.7 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »The short answer...yes...even short periods of moving will help with weight loss. Bear in mind though that as you lose weight and your body adapts to the exercises that you do that same amount of exercise will burn less calories. You will either need to increase intensity and/or duration to continue to burn the same amount of calories that you are presently burning.
How fit you will become with exercising this way is another story.
Sorry to ask you but im really curious. So if I've been working out on the elliptical for a long time for the same amount of time , will I eventually start burning less calories? Im asking cause I found your answer very interesting.
If you don't increase your exertion level, then,
yes, definitely, if you've lost weight, and
yes, probably, even if you haven't lost weight, because you'll likely have gotten fitter and more efficient at that movement, and your body will be able to perform the same amount of that type of work (i.e., moving your body in a certain way) for fewer calories.
So even to maintain my current weight , I must change my workout routine every couple of months?
Maybe, maybe not. In the first place, I'm not saying it's going to be a huge difference, and a lot of people will naturally increase their pace (one form of increasing your exertion) without thinking of it as changing their workout routine, so they're traveling farther (even if traveling in place on an elliptical machine) during the same amount of time -- that is, they're doing more work, which could more than make up for any decrease in the rate of calorie burning at a given pace due to increased fitness and efficiency.1 -
stylzemail wrote: »You don't need 2 hours of exercise to lose body fat.- Give this a try- Breakfast bowl of oatmeal raw uncooked, just add some apple juice and raisins in it (a person don't have to cook oatmeal). That's everyday breakfast. - and it's cheap. For Lunch - eat microwave popcorn or a bag of sunflower seeds and apple juice. Dinner- eat only greens , and meat chicken or fish , no bread, no starch, - if you have to go to restaurants order small salad and meat drink teas . Eat this same pattern , for two weeks everyday, you will lose weight, its like for example if a person has a cat you feed it the same cat food - everyday. Breakfast is uncooked oats mixture. Lunch is popcorn -or..... sunflower seeds, dinner meat and veggies.
I like raw (rolled) oats, especially in the warmer times of the year, although I prefer yogurt, kefir, or milk as my liquid to apple juice, but there's nothing magical about not cooking the oatmeal, especially if you cook your oatmeal in the traditional fashion, which involves cooking it until it absorbs all the cooking water (i.e., absolutely no possibility of losing any vitamins or mineral in cooking liquid that gets drained off).
I occasionally eat popcorn for lunch at work, when I'm really pressed for time, because it's easy to store in my desk, is quick to prepare, easy to eat at my desk, and is filling for the calories. But, again, absolutely nothing magical about it. And there's no reason to avoid meat or vegetables at lunch. And sunflower seeds are a snack, not a meal.
And what's with all the apple juice? Better to eat an apple and get the fiber, and feel fuller.
People are not cats. And if they were, they would probably get sick or die on this diet. Not enough animal protein. Cats are essentially carnivores.1 -
Thanks everyone for your replies. Previously my calorie limit was at 1320 with 2lbs per week weight loss and I did eat around half the calories I got from these short exercises. But as many of you suggested not to eat back any calories and since I haven't lost any weight for the last 5-6 days, I decided not to eat my exercise calories, especially since I don't know if they are correct or not. Also, I changed my settings to lose 1.5 lbs per week (0.75 kg) which gives me 1570 calories. I did it because I don't think I can last long on 1320 calories per day without any extra exercise calories.
I'll try this for a few weeks and see how goes. I think my food logging is quite accurate and if I end up losing more than 1.5 lbs per week, I may switch back to my previous plan because i really love the idea of being able to eat more if I exercise more.2 -
Also try leslie Sansone Walk at Home videos. Can you go on a walk outside with your daughter? It would be good for both of you.2
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Also try leslie Sansone Walk at Home videos. Can you go on a walk outside with your daughter? It would be good for both of you.
Thanks, I will check it out. And yes, I do go out every day with my son, but I can't walk much. He doesn't like strollers and only wants to walk on his own. And it's not really walking, more like me waiting and standing around and trying to keep him off the street while he investigates every stone, bench and counts cars As I'm barely moving, I don't count us going out as exercise.
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I think it's great that you are doing what you can in your situation. Maximize your 10 minutes with high intensity intervals (indoors). When you go out for walks with your son, let him explore. Trust me, before you know it he'll be 25 and you'll treasure those memories!! Or, put him on your shoulders for a horsey ride, if you are strong enough! That will get your heart rate going and he'll enjoy it too.2
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