7 wks of cardio and nothing? Why?
joowelz
Posts: 172 Member
I’ve resumed my workout routine since my gym reopened seven weeks ago. I run on the treadmill for 30 minutes at 5.5-6.0 m/ph speed. That’s very intense for me. I have NOT been tracking my daily caloric intake and assume i am getting 1800-2200 calories per day. My target for a deficit is 1700.
But no results whatsoever???! That seems harsh given how invasive the running routine is in my life. My feet, legs etc ache and i’m physically tired. Nothing? Not even one pound?
Does exercise even matter then????
But no results whatsoever???! That seems harsh given how invasive the running routine is in my life. My feet, legs etc ache and i’m physically tired. Nothing? Not even one pound?
Does exercise even matter then????
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Replies
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Take a look at this. It may help.
The science is in: exercise won’t help you lose much weight
Generally speaking, you cannot outrun your nutrition. Also, your assumption for both CI via diet and CO via exercise is obviously wrong, since you haven't budged at all 7 weeks now. Look into whether you are unknowingly overcompensating for the amount of calories you burn via exercise. That is a mistake I made for years.
A good way to see if this happens is to start tracking your CI.22 -
Why aren’t you tracking calories? If you want to lose weight the number 1 thing to do is eat LESS than you need to maintain. The easiest way to accomplish that is to know how much you are ACTUALLY eating.
Start weighing and logging NOW before you waste another 7 weeks with 0 results.16 -
Calorie deficit is the driving force in weight loss. You need to track your calories accurately (weighing/measuring everything you eat and drink). Exercise can help create a deficit, and is recommended for overall health, but not necessary for weight loss.11
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I can assume I'm a rocket scientist but that doesn't make it so. Track your food. With a food scale. You can't outrun your fork.17
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You don't know how much you're eating. Personally I cannot look at food and know how much it weighs. I can't tell if a banana is 100 grams or 125 grams. I can't tell if a piece of raw chicken is 6 ounces or 7 ounces. I can't determine how much of a family dish goes onto my plate vs what does not.
Food scale, accurate logging. If what you're doing is not working, this is where to turn.9 -
Lots and lots of people maintain their weight while running or even gain weight. It's incredibly easy to eat back the calories you burn while running.
What you're doing with running is improving your fitness. This doesn't mean you'll lose weight. You lose weight through a calorie deficit.15 -
Many reasons a start and continuing exercise cause extra water weight to be carried.
Besides the fact others mentioned about you have no idea if eating less to even cause fat loss.3 -
I am no expert but have lost 55lb this year and I can tell you with confidence that if you’re not tracking calories in accurately, you’re doomed. And why shouldn’t you? You need to teach yourself what stuff is calorically and it’s super freakin easy to underestimate what you’re eating and maybe even overestimate what you burn. Do things the right way then re-evaluate instead of questioning the benefits of exercise. Good luck and be intentional!!12
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If you CONSUME the same amount of calories you burn, you DON'T lose weight. You're ASSUMING you're in a calorie deficit. If you're not losing, then you're not.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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"7 weeks of cardio and nothing. Why?:
Because you aren't tracking your food and you are either eating more calories than you are burning (if you are gaining) or eating the same number of calories that you are burning (if you are maintaining). If you want to lose weight you need to eat less calories than you burn and the best way to do that is to eat less. Exercise is good for your health and it will allow you to eat a little more. But it won't allow you to eat more than you are burning and the best way to create a deficit is to eat less.7 -
I’ve resumed my workout routine since my gym reopened seven weeks ago. I run on the treadmill for 30 minutes at 5.5-6.0 m/ph speed. That’s very intense for me. I have NOT been tracking my daily caloric intake and assume i am getting 1800-2200 calories per day. My target for a deficit is 1700.
But no results whatsoever???! That seems harsh given how invasive the running routine is in my life. My feet, legs etc ache and i’m physically tired. Nothing? Not even one pound?
Does exercise even matter then????
Yes. It matters to fitness.
It can help with weight fat loss, but only if you are in a caloric deficit. If you had a choice between owning a food scale or a bathroom scale, pick the food scale. Once you get used to using one, it gets surprisingly easy to do. If you can make exercise a habit, you can make a food scale a habit.
Wishing you the best!
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Silentpadna wrote: »I’ve resumed my workout routine since my gym reopened seven weeks ago. I run on the treadmill for 30 minutes at 5.5-6.0 m/ph speed. That’s very intense for me. I have NOT been tracking my daily caloric intake and assume i am getting 1800-2200 calories per day. My target for a deficit is 1700.
But no results whatsoever???! That seems harsh given how invasive the running routine is in my life. My feet, legs etc ache and i’m physically tired. Nothing? Not even one pound?
Does exercise even matter then????
Yes. It matters to fitness.
It can help with weight fat loss, but only if you are in a caloric deficit. If you had a choice between owning a food scale or a bathroom scale, pick the food scale. Once you get used to using one, it gets surprisingly easy to do. If you can make exercise a habit, you can make a food scale a habit.
Wishing you the best!
Excellent point - several measurements and visual will tell you what is happening on body - no one else is seeing your bathroom scale and weight unless you invite them in to see you weigh naked or you announce to them.
But the kitchen scale can sure effect those measurements and visual on the body.
Can get a body weight several places to use in MFP, doesn't need updated that often to change eating calories.
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Agree with all on the measuring/tracking.
To answer your question - exercise absolutely matters. It is important for your overall health and should increase your calories out.
But you are likely overestimating those calories. I don’t know your starting stats but likely you’re burning about 275-300 cals with the running and losing some back to being more sedentary the rest of the day due to the soreness. Maybe consider doing less speed for longer time. That may help the soreness if you could spare the time.
I also want to point out that if you are sore in your legs etc likely you are holding some extra water in those areas due to the exercise.3 -
Thanks to everyone for replying. I guess i am in denial about creating a calorie deficit being the only way to lose fat. Somehow i wanted the cardio to pay me back dividends on its own. My appetite is voracious lately. I dont want to curb my eating, thats why i have avoided weighing/logging food.14
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Thanks to everyone for replying. I guess i am in denial about creating a calorie deficit being the only way to lose fat. Somehow i wanted the cardio to pay me back dividends on its own. My appetite is voracious lately. I dont want to curb my eating, thats why i have avoided weighing/logging food.
Many runners do find that their hunger does increase when they're running more. I found that once I began planning to eat to fuel my runs, it kept my hunger from getting out of control. This does mean that I can't really count on my runs to create a big deficit for me, I have to plan my diet overall to ensure that I get one.
When I am truly training hard (like what you're describing, when the training is a major part of my week and I'm consistently sore), it is HARD to maintain a calorie deficit. For this reason, if I want to cut a few pounds, I plan to do it before I start major training. I don't know if you're training for a specific event right now or not, but it's something to keep in mind.
If you're ONLY running to lose weight and you consider running to be an "invasive" part of your life, it might feel better to run less, at a level where you're enjoying it but it isn't making you resent it or feel sore and exhausted. If weight loss is the primary goal, many people do find it's easier to do by creating a moderate deficit just through eating and then letting fitness be something that is more fun and recreational.
I have no idea how much you're running or what events you might be planning for, so I may be off base with my advice. These are just some thoughts I had while reading your posts.
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Thanks to everyone for replying. I guess i am in denial about creating a calorie deficit being the only way to lose fat. Somehow i wanted the cardio to pay me back dividends on its own. My appetite is voracious lately. I dont want to curb my eating, thats why i have avoided weighing/logging food.
Cardio does pay back dividends, just not in the way you want it to. It is fantastic for cardiovascular health. And it can help people be in a deficit. I must do cardio daily or I will go over on my calories. I don’t like to deprive myself of a reasonably sized (1 serving) dessert, so I do some extra cardio to make sure I can fit my dessert in.
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Thanks to everyone for replying. I guess i am in denial about creating a calorie deficit being the only way to lose fat. Somehow i wanted the cardio to pay me back dividends on its own. My appetite is voracious lately. I dont want to curb my eating, thats why i have avoided weighing/logging food.
I find mild-to-moderate exercise to be an appetite SUPPRESSANT, but more vigorous exercise tends to INCREASE my appetite.
I get bored with indoor cardio so tend to do it outdoors, where activities like gardening and walking hold my interest for long stretches of time.6 -
kshama2001 wrote: »Thanks to everyone for replying. I guess i am in denial about creating a calorie deficit being the only way to lose fat. Somehow i wanted the cardio to pay me back dividends on its own. My appetite is voracious lately. I dont want to curb my eating, thats why i have avoided weighing/logging food.
I find mild-to-moderate exercise to be an appetite SUPPRESSANT, but more vigorous exercise tends to INCREASE my appetite.
I get bored with indoor cardio so tend to do it outdoors, where activities like gardening and walking hold my interest for long stretches of time.
I exercise both outdoors (walking/hiking with the dogs) and indoors where I can read while on my treadmill or arc trainer. I cannot read on the summit climber (too strenuous) or the rower.1 -
You're not in a caloric deficit.6
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You should also consider throwing some resistance training in. There is a possibility you ache from not enough recovery from too much cardio. Besides, lifting will drive bigger changes in how you look.5
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There is also a possibility that you gained muscle and lost fat, which might not make you lose weight. Muscle weighs more than fat.1
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GazelleLady wrote: »There is also a possibility that you gained muscle and lost fat, which might not make you lose weight. Muscle weighs more than fat.
With only doing cardio, quite unlikely7 -
Mithridites wrote: »I can assume I'm a rocket scientist but that doesn't make it so. Track your food. With a food scale. You can't outrun your fork.
^^ Truer words were never spoken!!2 -
GazelleLady wrote: »There is also a possibility that you gained muscle and lost fat, which might not make you lose weight. Muscle weighs more than fat.
With only doing cardio, quite unlikely
Why would it be unlikely? I am not disagreeing with you, but I am just curious.2 -
GazelleLady wrote: »GazelleLady wrote: »There is also a possibility that you gained muscle and lost fat, which might not make you lose weight. Muscle weighs more than fat.
With only doing cardio, quite unlikely
Why would it be unlikely? I am not disagreeing with you, but I am just curious.
Running, especially at a constant rate, doesn't built muscle; you will get some increased endurance from those muscle fibers though. To build muscle you need a progressive overload stimulus.9 -
Weigh your food in grams and use the usda entries in the database.2
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No.GazelleLady wrote: »There is also a possibility that you gained muscle and lost fat, which might not make you lose weight. Muscle weighs more than fat.
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Exercise is vital to your overall health. For me exercise is not enough to lose weight without an intentional calorie deficit. Over the last few years I have manged to gain 35 pounds while working out regularly at the gym. It happened slowly and I was in denial about it (even though I saw it on the scale.)
I have found that I cannot eat back calories that I lost by working out. This was true for me 10 years ago when I lost 65 pounds and it is even more true now. In order to lose weight I need to eat in the 1200-1350 calorie range. I look at exercise as something I do for my overall health and monitoring my food intake as what I do to lose weight.5 -
GazelleLady wrote: »There is also a possibility that you gained muscle and lost fat, which might not make you lose weight. Muscle weighs more than fat.
It's so hard to gain muscle unintentionally that we can realistically rule this out
A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat. Muscle is more DENSE than fat, and so takes up less room.
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