Do I have to rotate my routine?

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ldy_lamia
ldy_lamia Posts: 3
in Fitness and Exercise
I am morbidly obese. I just started back to the gym in the mornings. All I do is the treadmill, 40 minutes I go 2.5 miles with average heart rate of 155. Have no idea if that is good or bad. I have gone from 311 Friday to 304 this morning(Wednesday). I like the treadmill because it makes me pour sweat. Is it possible that my body will get use to doing 2.5 miles every morning and then the weight will no longer come off. I use the food log because I use to not eat (sounds silly to be fat but not eat). I would eat once a day and it was actually hindering me. So now I just eat 100-200 less then my daily required calorie intake. I don't do weights because I feel like I'm wasting time, wiping down machines, jumping from this machine to next, resting between reps. Just feels like at my weight I just should be moving to get it off. Should I work out 2 days, rest a day, work out 2 days than rest a day? I fear the plateau, I get so discouraged than my mind says why get up early and push yourself if you aren't getting anywhere. Just looking for advise before I hit that breaking point. Thanks

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  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    Yes, eventually your body will get used to doing the same thing every day. Good news is, as you lose weight and get more fit, you will be able to do more! Increase the speed and/or incline on that treadmill as you progress (every couple weeks) and your body will continue to burn at a higher rate and get stronger/fitter. Also, doing intervals is great for calorie/fat burn. Go at your normal pace for a few minutes then kick up the speed or incline for a minute, then return to normal for a couple minutes, then speed up/incline for a minute, etc.

    I would also recommend you try other machines at the gym, even if you can only do them for 5-10 minutes - try the eliptical, bike, stairmachine, arc trainer, etc. Keep things interesting

    Strength training is not a waste of time. It's necessary to maintain muscle mass as you lose weight and the more muscle mass you have, the higher your resting calorie burn will be. Win-win! If your time is limited, do a 10-15 minute cardio warm-up then do all strength for the rest of your session. If you don't like using the machines due to needing to wipe them down, do body weight exercises and/or use free weights. Please just be careful to make sure you use proper form. If you're not sure what that is, look into hiring a personal trainer for a few sessions to learn the basics.

    As far as rest days go, if you're just doing cardio, and you're not super sore or feeling fatigued, they're not as necessary. Go by how you're honestly feeling. If you're tired then go ahead and take a rest day. If you're feeling good then work out.

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