Lose weight with cardio

Hi, Im just starting my weightloss and fitness journey. I want to lose body fat. Is it a good strategy to start by doing zumba for an hour ,3 days a week. Keeping my diet clean?
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Replies

  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    Also, don't underestimate weightlifting.

    I agree that weight lifting/strength training is useful, not matter how much I hate it, but it's not going to help the OP lose weight if they aren't eating in a deficit.
  • hroderick
    hroderick Posts: 756 Member
    edited September 2018
    The heavier you are, the more calories you burn walking. Here is a great calorie calculator that factors in weifht and incline. http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/walking-calorie-burn-calculator.shtml

    I walk every day, and burn 700 cal, eat back 200, and lose an extra pound per week beyond my MFP target.
  • lee0806mfp1
    lee0806mfp1 Posts: 1 Member
    Diet is first and foremost. It will take some experimentation but if you can work with your body in terms of food and how it effects you, the whole process will be much easier. Also, realise that it can be a learning curve and that you're not going to know how steep (or shallow) it is until you start figuring out your diet.

    As for exercise, make sure it's something you're going to enjoy, otherwise you're going to lose interest pretty quickly. I will say, if weights are your thing and you have a lot of weight, please pony up for a personal trainer, even if it's just for a month. Correct form is everything and you can do more harm than good (speaking from expereince, having diastasis recti).

  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    Here's how to lose weight with cardio:

    Step 1: Be very fit
    Step 2: Maintain your fitness with a high training volume.

    For example, if you're a cyclist, have an FTP over 200 watts, such that 140w which is 500 calories per hour, is an easy ride. Ride 12 hours per week. Or, if you're a runner, be fit enough to run 12 hours per week at a good pace.

    Unfortunately, due to the universe having a sense of humor, this isn't really available to the people who could benefit from it the most. So it winds up mostly being about how much you eat.

    Even if you ride or run 12 hours a week, you can't outrun your fork.

    That kinda depends what you put on your fork, wouldn't you say...?

    Yes, but if you max out exercise and eating, eating will "win".
  • jillstreett
    jillstreett Posts: 69 Member
    F_Jan wrote: »
    Hi, Im just starting my weightloss and fitness journey. I want to lose body fat. Is it a good strategy to start by doing zumba for an hour ,3 days a week. Keeping my diet clean?

    I am a testament to Zumba. I calculated my TDEE and ate at a deficit, roughly 500 calories less a day than TDEE and I did Zumba 3x a week. I eat nutritious foods but don't have anything on a "NO" list so I make treats work in. My Zumba teacher happens to be intense! But the combo of these things led me to almost a 50 pound loss over 48 weeks. I peppered in strength training but I wasn't consistent with it. Like @lee0806mfp1 said, you HAVE to like your workouts for the most part. If I did the calorie deficit along with 3x a week on the treadmill, I would have lost all motivation and interest in less than a month.
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    edited September 2018
    What do you mean by "max out?"

    As much as you can fit into your normal life - working, sleeping and doing things besides just exercise in your free time. The problem with maxing out eating is you can do it while working, while doing things in your free time and even intermingled with exercise. Some people precede a 45 minute not really all that intense gym routine by eating a 400+ calorie mega protein bar then log an hour (because they were at the gym an hour) of circuit training or cardio with whatever machine they were on most and they they come away from that with what they thin is a deficit.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
    Well, if you're eating as much as you can possibly fit into your day, you don't have any time for exercise, work, relationships, etc.

    Bet let's limit this to real life.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    Here's how to lose weight with cardio:

    Step 1: Be very fit
    Step 2: Maintain your fitness with a high training volume.

    For example, if you're a cyclist, have an FTP over 200 watts, such that 140w which is 500 calories per hour, is an easy ride. Ride 12 hours per week. Or, if you're a runner, be fit enough to run 12 hours per week at a good pace.

    Unfortunately, due to the universe having a sense of humor, this isn't really available to the people who could benefit from it the most. So it winds up mostly being about how much you eat.

    Even if you ride or run 12 hours a week, you can't outrun your fork.

    That kinda depends what you put on your fork, wouldn't you say...?

    Yes, but if you max out exercise and eating, eating will "win".

    Might win would be more accurate, there are very few absolutes.

    When you get into double digit hours of exercise it can actually become hard to eat enough. Last week of my recent training block I had circa 18hrs worth of exercise calories to eat and fewer meal times in which to eat my allowance plus suppressed appetite as well.
    Wasn't aiming to lose weight but I did.
    Unfortunately, due to the universe having a sense of humor, this isn't really available to the people who could benefit from it the most. So it winds up mostly being about how much you eat.

    Very true.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    F_Jan wrote: »
    Hi, Im just starting my weightloss and fitness journey. I want to lose body fat. Is it a good strategy to start by doing zumba for an hour ,3 days a week. Keeping my diet clean?

    Calories in vs. calories out. You can eat clean (whatever your definition is) or "dirty," weight loss still comes from a calorie deficit.

    Do zumba if you enjoy it. Find ways to move more (calories out). Then manage your calorie intake too. Managing intake is often an easier (more consistent) way to build a calorie deficit. It may take an hour of zumba to burn off 1 candy bar.

    Strength training can help you keep the lean muscle loss to a minimum. Look for a way to incorporate that too.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
    F_Jan wrote: »
    Hi, Im just starting my weightloss and fitness journey. I want to lose body fat. Is it a good strategy to start by doing zumba for an hour ,3 days a week. Keeping my diet clean?

    If you like zumba, go for it. But it will not be enough for weight loss if you do not monitor your calories. You can easily eat all the zumba calories back without even noticing.