Weight gain & cardio?

jaciejaciexoxo

I’ve seen numerous places that you should do little to no cardio if trying to gain weight.

However I’ve been sedentary for nearly a year & have become somewhat weak and very lethargic. On top of a surgery 5 mo ago that just made it worse and caused me to lose what little appetite I had & 10 lbs...I said enough when my boobs got 2” smaller

I’m 5’8 & gained just 5lbs since the surgery but am stil not heavy enough...I want to gain a good 15-25 lbs of healthy weight.

What should my calories be to not over do it? And what are ways to “gently” but effectively improve terrible cardio/stamina along the way?


Also any good/ safe energy boosters would help a lot.

MikePTY

I don't think it's a good idea to abstain from cardio. Cardio is important for overall health. On days you do cardio, just eat back the calories you burn from it. So if you burn 300 from cardio, eat another 300 above what you would normally eat to make up for it.

cwolfman13

The reason people talk about reducing or forgoing cardio when trying to gain weight is because it means that you need to eat that much more to account for that activity. It isn't impossible by any stretch, but a lot of people who struggle to gain weight already have difficulty eating what they need to...adding cardio and increasing calorie requirements just makes it that much harder.

In regards to gently getting back into things, walking is a good start. It is also good if you're trying to put on some weight because it's not going to give you a substantial calorie burn to contend with.

middlehaitch

Try doing low intensity cardio.

Walking is a good starting point.

I would, if I were you, also look at doing some kind of conditioning to help build a bit of strength in your muscles. Yoga, Pilates, aquafit, are good starting points.

As you are coming back from surgery, and a low weight, ease into things, exercise on alternate days, and take it slow.

Your weight shouldn't be affected as long as you are eating back your exercise calories (MFP is designed for you to do that), and the movement may help increase your appetite.

If you need to/it may be a good idea to, run your exercise plan past your medical team before starting.

Cheers, h.

sardelsa

cwolfman13 wrote: »

The reason people talk about reducing or forgoing cardio when trying to gain weight is because it means that you need to eat that much more to account for that activity. It isn't impossible by any stretch, but a lot of people who struggle to gain weight already have difficulty eating what they need to...adding cardio and increasing calorie requirements just makes it that much harder.

In regards to gently getting back into things, walking is a good start. It is also good if you're trying to put on some weight because it's not going to give you a substantial calorie burn to contend with.

All of this. I am very active day to day (lots of walking, standing, going up and down stairs etc) so when I bulk I pretty much cut out all cardio done in the gym. I cannot keep up with my intake otherwise, which means I don't gain. So I make the decision to cut it out temporarily which works best for my goals.

sardelsa

MikePTY wrote: »

I don't think it's a good idea to abstain from cardio. Cardio is important for overall health. On days you do cardio, just eat back the calories you burn from it. So if you burn 300 from cardio, eat another 300 above what you would normally eat to make up for it.

That would put me at about 3800 cals on a bulk .. I wouldn't be able to keep up with that. Not saying you have to cut out all cardio, but for someone struggling to gain, minimizing it or going for less intense activities might be beneficial to them.