How much exercise for weight loss?

xAbiCatx
xAbiCatx Posts: 82 Member
edited November 2022 in Health and Weight Loss
So i'm currently 179lbs, ive been here twice before and never got below it. I'm eating 1200-1300 calories and i've lost 10lbs in 5 weeks doing this, but I know from past experience that when i hit 179lbs my weight loss stops and I need to exercise to create the calorie deficit, since it would be unhealthy to eat less than 1200.

Ive started a 9 week program that aims to get you to run 5k by the end of it, as i'm in my first week i've done 3 workouts which equate to a total of about 60 minutes brisk walking and 25 minutes of jogging - obviously the intensity of the weekly workout will increase as I progress through the program, but i was just wondering if this seemed like enough exercise? Do I need to be doing more in these first few weeks.

Is anyone else a similar weight/eating the same calories. How much exercise are you doing to see a weekly weight loss?

Replies

  • nay0m3
    nay0m3 Posts: 178 Member
    Hello @xAbiCatx :)

    Have you considered lifting weights at all? Are you doing your current workouts at a gym? They may have someone who can provide a free intro if you are interested.

    This helped me to not only lose weight but also build muscle and see some of the body composition changes I want to see.

    Also, 1200-1300 is so little! You likely need to eat more! I am not an expert on this but I know there are some people on here who may be able to shed a bit more light on this so hopefully they will chime in or you can search some of the older threads on here.

    You are right that exercise is a huge complement to any weight loss program AND it is critical to being our best selves as humans to keep our bodies healthy and to help with our minds as well.

    Cheering you on 100%! Naomi
  • xAbiCatx
    xAbiCatx Posts: 82 Member
    nay0meh wrote: »
    Hello @xAbiCatx :)

    Have you considered lifting weights at all? Are you doing your current workouts at a gym? They may have someone who can provide a free intro if you are interested.

    This helped me to not only lose weight but also build muscle and see some of the body composition changes I want to see.

    Also, 1200-1300 is so little! You likely need to eat more! I am not an expert on this but I know there are some people on here who may be able to shed a bit more light on this so hopefully they will chime in or you can search some of the older threads on here.

    You are right that exercise is a huge complement to any weight loss program AND it is critical to being our best selves as humans to keep our bodies healthy and to help with our minds as well.

    Cheering you on 100%! Naomi

    Thank you for your input, really appreciate it. I'm not brave enough for the gym yet, but I have a treadmill at home i'm using. I do have some dumbells at home too but honestly I hate lifting weights, but that might be something I could have a go at.

    1200-1300 has been ample for me during the last 5 weeks in terms of how full I feel etc, but yes maybe I need to increase it if i'm exercising, just struggling to find that balance
  • xAbiCatx
    xAbiCatx Posts: 82 Member
    edited November 2022
    yirara wrote: »
    So basically you lost 2lbs per week. That's the maximum rate of loss people should be aiming for, and only really obese people should do this. I don't think you're very obese, thus you should not expect such a high rate of loss. But hey, if you do only eat 1200 calories, then this means your maintenance calories are currently around 2200 calories. Plus everything you exercise. So hey, you can easily eat 1500 or more and still lose. It will be a lot more healthy and a lot more sustainable in the long run.

    Thanks for your reply. Ive had a look and my average weekly cals have actually been about 1300 whereas last week it was like 1200 yet i gained 1lb that week - So i ate less, but rather than losing 2lbs i gained. I'm just struggling to find that balance of cals in/cals out ratio now that ive got that inital 10lbs off.

    There were 2 meals last week where I had to guess the calories, so maybe I massively underestimated how many calories there were which is what resulted in the 1lb gain
  • CorvusCorax77
    CorvusCorax77 Posts: 2,536 Member
    I think that increasing exercise should be a tactic for the goal you want to achieve (a lower weight). I also think it's smart to start like you have- a few days, a lower intensity. In my experience, the more I workout, the more I want to work out. Eventually I get to a place where I crave working out... But in order to get to that place, I typically have to go slow and steady at first. And then find activities that don't feel like a work out, but are- things I enjoy- like hiking. If I push myself too hard at first, I can get overwhelmed or burned out.

    If you feel like doing more than your program calls for because you genuinely want to- like it's a beautiful day and walking around the lake would be lovely! Do it! If you feel jazzed and want to run an extra mile because you're feeling the music- do it! But if you're forcing yourself and it feels awful, stick to the program. The habits we keep more long term are the ones that make real changes in the end, and in order to make habits long term, we have to not give up because we pushed too hard.

    Those are my thoughts.

    also- look at someone who is at the goal you want, and look at what they do. For me, everyone who has the level of fitness and physique I want to have lifts weights multiple times a week and does some pretty cardio like HIIT. I may not be ready for 6 days a week of working out, but that is my goal.
  • crb426
    crb426 Posts: 661 Member
    First, there's most likely no reason your weight loss should stop at 179lbs unless you are eating more than you think you are. At 1200-1300, which is very low, your weight should continue to go much lower than 179. Are you weighing your food with a food scale and using the most accurate log entries?

    Second, a one pound gain here and there will happen because of a million reasons: working out, your hormones, increased salt intake, etc. The normal fluctuations of a few pounds in either direction should not alter your calorie intake unless you've analyzed several weeks worth of loss/gain.
  • Lori11223344
    Lori11223344 Posts: 14 Member
    10 lbs in 5 weeks is really a maximum healthy rate of loss. It is entirely possible that your body has now gone into a plateau phase following the loss. That can be really frustrating and can continue for days or even weeks. A one pound “gain” is not significant and may be as simple as scale margin of error from day to day. Try not to worry.
    Here is what I discovered for me, it may not be right for you. Increasing my exercise at that plateau point only made me more hungry, so I was driven to eat more. And when your metabolism is slowed by weight loss, eating even a little more will cause some gain. If I did add more exercise, it was of the slow strengthening kind like weights, not cardio.
    Be patient with yourself, keep doing what you are doing, don't give up on logging all your food, measuring your portions and weighing food if you have a food scale. Stay on your current plan. Eventually, your weight loss should start up again.
  • westrich20940
    westrich20940 Posts: 921 Member
    How did you calculate your daily calorie goal? For *most* women (but not all)....12-1300 is gonna be too low honestly.

    Weight gain on the scale can be due to a million reasons (not actual fat gain), and it can swing more significantly than you think.

    So - first...make sure to correctly estimate what your total daily energy expenditure is (how many calories, theoretically, could you eat in a day and maintain your current weight?). Then you can create a deficit that is manageable for you. I'm guessing you can eat more than 12-1300 and still be in a deficit.


    Working out in order to create a deficit isn't going to be a super effective strategy - simply bc burning calories through exercise isn't really going to create that much of a deficit overall. Working out is good for our health - but not an ideal (only) weight loss strategy. Weight loss is done in the kitchen, not the gym.
  • LiveOnceBeHappy
    LiveOnceBeHappy Posts: 448 Member
    I didn't start counting exercise in my diary until I hit maintenance. Granted, it was only hiking and steps that I was doing. I hit maintenance about 6 months ago, and now if I ride my bike I will "eat back" those calories. If it's just walking or hiking, whatever, I don't count those in my diary. I don't get that many calories from riding my bike, just like 200 (not even a Snicker's bar worth), but it gives me a bit of cushion for a glass of wine or a little extra chocolate! Again though, I didn't do that until I hit maintenance.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    crb426 wrote: »
    First, there's most likely no reason your weight loss should stop at 179lbs unless you are eating more than you think you are. At 1200-1300, which is very low, your weight should continue to go much lower than 179. Are you weighing your food with a food scale and using the most accurate log entries?

    Second, a one pound gain here and there will happen because of a million reasons: working out, your hormones, increased salt intake, etc. The normal fluctuations of a few pounds in either direction should not alter your calorie intake unless you've analyzed several weeks worth of loss/gain.

    ^^^This. At 179 lbs I don't see how your TDEE could possibly be 1200-1300 calories.

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