looking to drop 40lbs

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sdewalksrfr
sdewalksrfr Posts: 2
in Getting Started
Hey everyone. I could use some advice. I am looking to lose 40lbs, which I think it most from no exercise and eating like a fatass. Right now i'm 6'2 230 and think I can get down to 185 which is probably my optimal body.

A couple years ago, I used to go running and walking atleast 3 miles a couple times a week. I did that for 6 months and went from 230 to 190. Of course, I also did maybe 30 pushups a day and other small workouts like sit ups..etc.

I recently bought a Proform Hybrid trainer that has the elliptical and bike on it, so I was wondering.. instead of going running can I switch and just use this machine? How long should I be using it. I dont live in an area where I feel comfortable running outdoors, hence why I bought the machine.

On program 1 it goes for 18 min and said I lost 130 cal's i think. program 2 is longer but I havent done it yet.. I had to buy some grease for the machine today. Anyways, I have major issues with my body and it kills self confidence. Even though I might not look fat, I feel fat. I liked being at 190 and would like to be around there again. So how do I figure out how much exercise I need to do a day, and then when I reach my goal.. how much to maintain. Thanks

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  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
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    The weight can honestly be lost with no exercise, but exercise will help. You have a couple options.

    Option A is to enter your weight, height, age, desired rate of weight loss, and activity level into MFP and it will give you a calorie goal. When you exercise on your bike/elliptical enter that calorie burn into your diary for that day. Just make sure you eat at or slightly below your calorie goal every day and you will lose weight.

    Option B is to go the TDEE route. Basically you calculate your BMR/RMR (Basal Metabolic Rate/Resting Metabolic Rate) which is basically the calories you would burn in a 24 hour period if you didn't move an inch all day, or if you were in a coma for example. Once you have that number you then multiply it by an activity factor based on your personal level of activity and exercise. This new number will give you your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) which is the calories you burn every day and it includes your BMR plus calories burned from non exercise activity as well as exercise activity.
  • sdewalksrfr
    sdewalksrfr Posts: 2
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    I know that the weight can be lost if I watch what I eat but I'd rather incorporate exercise into my daily life because I think it will help with cardiovascular health as well. Is an stationary (recumbent bike) a good exercise? It seems good if I lost 130 in 18min. Granted my legs are like tanks from 14 years of skateboarding... but now at age 29 I can't find time to skate 6 hours a day.

    AJ_G how does one find their BMR/RMR? Is it on here? I found the daily food and activity log. That seems helpful.

    Also in addition to the bike, im going to try and find 1-2 days/week where I can walk/light jog 3-4 miles.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
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    There are websites that you can put in your information and they will spit out a number for you, but the values vary from site to site so I don't really trust them. Here's the equation for BMR if you'd like to do it yourself:

    MEN: BMR = [9.99 x weight (kg)] + [6.25 x height (cm)] - [4.92 x age (years)] + 5

    I did the equation myself using your weight, and age and got your BMR as 2076 calories.

    All you have to do is multiply 2076 by one of the activity multipliers from the list below to get your TDEE. I always suggest being conservative. If you find yourself in between two numbers, go with the lower number or choose a value in between. For example, if you think you're lightly active and do light exercise 1-3 days, you can choose 1.3 or 1.35 as you're multiplier.

    1.2 = Sedentary (Desk job, & Little Formal Exercise)
    1.3-1.4 = Lightly Active (Light daily activity & light exercise 1-3 days a week)
    1.5-1.6 = Moderately Active (Moderately daily Activity & Moderate exercise 3-5 days a week)
    1.7-1.8 = Very Active (Physically demanding lifestyle & Hard exercise 6-7 days a week)
    1.9-2.2 = Extremely Active (Athlete in ENDURANCE training or VERY HARD physical job)

    Once you have your TDEE you just need to subtract 20% from it to get a good calorie goal for weight loss. The easiest way to do this is to just multiply your TDEE by 0.8 and you're good to go.

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