How much exercise per week is recommended for weight loss?

How many hours of exercise should a person be doing during the week for effective weightless?
I currently am doing an hour of (usually) boot camp style classes a day, 5-6 days a week, but am uncertain if I should be forcing my body to work harder or if I am setting my sights to low.
Any advice is highly appreciated

Replies

  • PinkCoconut
    PinkCoconut Posts: 655 Member
    Honestly? When I first started, I was only working out 3x per week for around 30 minutes. I ever so slowly worked up in duration and intensity for those 3 days. It took me a few years to work up to 4 days per week and now my average is 5 - 6. Working out 3x per week combined with healthy eating helped me to lose 80 lbs so although I'm not a doctor you just need to do what you can do. At the time 3x per week was the only way to go for me so that I wouldn't feel overwhelmed and give up. It took 5 YEARS for me to work up to working out consistently 5 - 6 days per week and even now my sweet spot is 5 days.

    If it's working for you and your lifestyle it's not so much about how many days you're working out but the quality of the workout you do DURING that time. Make sense?

    Feel free to friend me! :)
  • hearthemelody
    hearthemelody Posts: 1,025 Member
    What matters more is how many calories you are consuming.

    Have you read about BMR and TDEE yet?
  • vronmac
    vronmac Posts: 7 Member
    I am following the recommendations of MFP for my food intake, but was unsure if an hour of exercise 5-6 days a week is enough.
  • yogicarl
    yogicarl Posts: 1,260 Member
    What exercise are you doing for your time? Are you doing strength training as well as cardio?

    It may not be a case of how much but what kind of exercise you do that will bring the best results and whether you will maintain it for life.
  • broox80
    broox80 Posts: 1,195 Member
    I usually only exercise 30-40 minutes a day.I do various exercise including strength training and cardio. I want to build a lifestyle I can continue forever. I doubt I will exercise hours a day for the rest of my life. When I swim in the summer I will swim for hours. Usually beginning in Oct I put a few pounds back on because I am not swimming any more.
  • MyFoodGod
    MyFoodGod Posts: 184 Member
    I am following the recommendations of MFP for my food intake, but was unsure if an hour of exercise 5-6 days a week is enough.

    That's plenty. Unless you are training for the Olympics you are doing wonderful.
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,078 Member
    Yes, 5-6 days a week is plenty!

    Really no need to train anymore unless you're doing so for a specific race/event.
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    It's irrelevant. You need a caloric deficit for weight loss.

    If you want to be fit, that's another story.
  • RunMyOregonBunsOff
    RunMyOregonBunsOff Posts: 862 Member
    It's irrelevant. You need a caloric deficit for weight loss.

    If you want to be fit, that's another story.


    This! While exercise can help to increase your calorie deficit, it is for the most part the deficit that is causing weight loss. You could not workout at all and lose weight. Exercise is for health and fitness.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,021 Member
    How many hours of exercise should a person be doing during the week for effective weightless?
    I currently am doing an hour of (usually) boot camp style classes a day, 5-6 days a week, but am uncertain if I should be forcing my body to work harder or if I am setting my sights to low.
    Any advice is highly appreciated
    No exercise is required for weight loss. That has more to do with your calorie deficit. Now if you're talking fitness and health, it's going to depend on how fit you want to be.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Caloric deficit and accurate measurement for weight loss. Exercise 150 minutes of any exercise that moderately increases your heart rate for health improvement and reduction of disease factor likelihood for most common diseases. Then, the considerations would be addition of strength training (not necessary to be over and above the 150 min/week) 2x/wk for most people for strength and muscle mass maintenance, and 3x/wk 15min+ vigorous aerobic exercise for heart conditioning, and increasing fitness. Then the next level of exercise is highly varied...according to your goals...and of course see and clear with your doc first for any conditions/problems!