Bodyweight Workout / Aerobic Steps

dansemaillives

Hi all I'm 12 days in on the app and 9 weeks in on my weight loss journey! I'm 49 years old and started at 20 stones 9 lbs!

I haven't done any exercise in decades!

So I've got to the stage where each day I am doing the beginners 20 minutes bodyweight workout (from the app) and then a 25 minute aerobic step workout from YouTube.

My question is, on burns less calories than the other, so do 2 x step workouts a day to maximum burn or stick to the 2 different types to help specific muscles more?

Thanks

sijomial

Exercise isn't just for calorie burns and you are supposed to be eating back your exercise burns anyway to make them calorie neutral so that you stick to the calorie deficit you selected rather than use exercise to boost it.
Faster weight loss often isn't better weight/fat loss.

Cardio and strength training are both great things to do for your health, for your entire life and not just while losing weight, but their benefits are different but can also be very complimentary.
Some of both is IMHO best.

dansemaillives

I've got the bug and can't believe how much better I'm feeling, so definitely intend to carry it on long term. I'm not wanting quick weight loss, and my eating needs to be achievable long term.

I must admit I'm not eating my calories burnt as it would be too much! I've eaten well today, don't feel hungry at all, well hydrated etc but still only managed 1300 calories out of a recommended 1900! My exercise burn says I've only eaten about 600!!!! But I'll post in nutrition about that as I obviously should be eating more then?

Thanks for your help and advice and I'll stick to both cardio and strength.

AnnPT77

dansemaillives wrote: »

I've got the bug and can't believe how much better I'm feeling, so definitely intend to carry it on long term. I'm not wanting quick weight loss, and my eating needs to be achievable long term.

I must admit I'm not eating my calories burnt as it would be too much! I've eaten well today, don't feel hungry at all, well hydrated etc but still only managed 1300 calories out of a recommended 1900! My exercise burn says I've only eaten about 600!!!! But I'll post in nutrition about that as I obviously should be eating more then?

Thanks for your help and advice and I'll stick to both cardio and strength.

Yeah. I felt not at all hungry, generally energetic, and great eating 1200 (*plus* all exercise calories!) . . . until very suddenly I didn't. I got weak and fatigued, then it took multiple weeks to recover, even though I corrected calories quickly. I'm assuming the (thankfully minor) hair thinning a few weeks later was related, since that's usually a delayed effect. I'm grateful it wasn't worse. (In my case, it happened because MFP underestimates my calorie needs, not because I was eating below the goal it gave me).

Undereating is not a good plan, and not feeling hungry is *not* a sign that there's no problem. Are bad effects certain from eating substantially below goal? No. But the risk is higher.

On the flip side, what's the worst effect of too-slow weight loss? Frustration (unless so severely obese that your weight itself creates a health risk).

Hmm, health risk on one side, frustration on the other . . . ?

I'm a believer that our bodies adapt to do what we train them to do. In this instance, undereating trains the body to slow down what it considers less vital processes, and generally limp along on the minimum because it expects what it sees as continuing famine. Eating for a reasonable, moderate loss rate instead stands a chance of training the body to expect ample nutrients, and thrive. (I could explain this with a bunch of science geekery, but I'll keep it that short, for now.)

On top of that, losing any meaningful amount of weight is something that takes weeks to months, maybe even years in extreme cases, even if one manages to lose pretty fast. I think that argues for keeping the process easy and long-term sustainable, personally.

You know how you feel emotionally about loss rate, and you know what your risk tolerance is, so it's your call. But my advice would be to eat the recommended calories, for at least 4-6 weeks (whole menstrual cycle if pre-menopausal, to compare bodyweight at the same relative point in at least two different cycles), then adjust intake based on weight loss results, to reach a sensible rate.

Mean time, if you're having trouble eating enough calories, eat something calorie dense but less filling: Nuts, avocados, peanut butter, more dressing on the salad or oil in the cooking, full fat instead of non/lowfat versions of foods, etc. Heck, if nutrition's pretty dialed in, have a treat food. (It's not a sin, it's just food.)

Best wishes!