being realistic

Paradox1985

Hi all.

I'm a 29 y/o male @ 260 lbs and go through my stages of exercising and losing weight. I watch calorie intake and exercise but I usually losing motivation because I have a hard time... seems no matter how hard I try and even if i exercise 5 days a week hardly any weight comes off.

But exercise wise I do about 20 minutes on the elliptical 3 days a week. is this way to little? I just saw an article suggesting an HOUR of cardio a day 5 days a week.... which I just can't fit that long of time in with my kid home with me and wife at school at nights. What do you feel is the sweet spot for cardio? Obviously 20 minutes a few days a week does nothing for me so looking at should I increase my time or stick with 20 minutes 5 days a week but try my best to not lose the motivation if I don't see weight drop off.

erickirb

you don't have to do any exercise to lose weight, so do whatever fits your lifestyle better, though if you are not training for an endurance type event I would suggest sticking with weights instead of cardio.

You can lose weight through diet alone, just cut your calories. For weight loss cardio just allows you to eat more while in a deficit.

Lottiotta

Most of weight loss is sorting your diet out - exercise is good for keeping your muscles in good condition so you don't lose it while you're eating at a deficit, if that makes sense.

So if you're not losing weight and you're counting all the calories reallllly carefully, I'd say reduce your calories by 100 per day for a month and see what happens.

stinkypoopy

What are you eating?

Sabine_Stroehm

I don't know how old your kiddo is but could you put him/her in a stroller and take a 30 minute walk each day?

SonicDeathMonkey80

I read a lot about cardio, but nothing about how you're eating. If you want to lose weight, you need to nail down the intake first.

LeslieTSUK

I would start by saying, calorie counting is good as a guide, but only a guide.

If you have any health conditions this can affect how quick you burn things up, and how quick you digest them

Also sleep patterns, work, stress, all these things can have both major beneficial as well as disastrous consequences to weight loss/gain.

But the one thing I learnt as a diabetic is it is a lifestyle change for life, if you start something you can't see yourself doing in 10 years time, then don't start it, as moment you stop so do results then it kick in nuts and back to square one again.

So it better to start small, build up your fitness levels, doesnt matter if you loose weight at first, as long as you feel healthy.

Then once you find a daily/weekly/monthly routine that is comfy for you to handle, then gradually lower calories a little, and have your treats now and then, but make them part of your routine not as a cheat day, and over time the weight will drop, and it will stay off.

No such thing as a good diet, its a good lifestyle that works in end.

Diets only good if you need to loose a vast amount super quick say for a major health problem or surgery, where basically ya got no option.

sophiesmith247

You can get 3 x faster results if you focus on your diet alone, this is because weight loss has more to do with what you eat than how hard you try to work it off. Exercise can also make you feel hungrier, which can make you eat or crave more. Build up your exercise gradually and focus on your diet. Go for it

DawnieB1977

I don't know how old your kiddo is but could you put him/her in a stroller and take a 30 minute walk each day?

Or if your kid is a bit older, take him/her out on their scooter for a bit? I'm sure I burn a lot of calories chasing my 3 and 5 year olds on their scooters.

I know people say that you can lose weight by diet alone, but personally I don't lose weight as effectively unless I exercise a lot. 20 mins of cardio isn't enough.

Obviously focusing on diet is important too, but for me I need to do both.

earlnabby

Regarding the workouts themselves, it depends on the goal. It is generally accepted that an interval of 15 minutes is the minimum for your body to use up its sugar reserves and start burning fat for weight loss. If heart health is your goal, you should do at least 30 minutes at 60-80% of your maximum heart rate most days of the week.

Paradox1985

So I'm guessing even though I'm guesstimating my portion sizes and all maybe I have to do more then thay and actually start measuring. I keep it pretty simple protein drink in the morning. PB & J do lunch with Greek yogurt and whatever my wife makes for dinner. .. Usually something with skinless chicken breast. Maybe even though I think I'm staying under my calorie intake its not that simple to just "guess" what the portion size is

jrline

You should try to bump it up to 30-45 minutes. Try 4-5 days a week.

yopeeps025

You cannot out exercise a poor diet. Nutrition should come first. Then exercise is second priority. I used to do 6 hours of elliptical a week. I did not eat enough and my muscle was taken for energy. Pic left of my profile I weight less but I am bigger than pic right by 15 pounds.

BrianSharpe

I read a lot about cardio, but nothing about how you're eating. If you want to lose weight, you need to nail down the intake first.

^^^^^ This

Weigh and measure everything, at least until you get a really good feel for portion size. Numerous studies have shown that we are masters at deluding ourselves and grossly underestimating portion sizes.

meltedkeys

First, when you say weight, are you looking at a scale or measuring yourself? Measuring inches is the best way to gage loss of fat. Secondly, you have a child which is wonderful, just playing with them (picking them up and running around, etc) is burning calories with cardio. When your child goes to bed, do a little cardio before YOU go to bed.

independant2406

You can get 3 x faster results if you focus on your diet alone, this is because weight loss has more to do with what you eat than how hard you try to work it off. Exercise can also make you feel hungrier, which can make you eat or crave more. Build up your exercise gradually and focus on your diet. Go for it

^^^ This.

Liftng4Lis

Weight loss starts in the kitchen. Caloric deficit = weight loss.

peter56765

The American Heart Association and Center for Disease Control recommends 150 minutes of moderate cardio exercise per week to maintain good heart health. It doesn't matter if you do it in several small 10 minute chunks or a few longer workouts. Heart disease kills more people in the US than all forms of cancer combined. It's been the #1 cause of death for decades. As such, heart health should be at the center of everyone's exercise and diet regiment, although you don't want to forget strength training and seeing that your body gets the nutrition it needs.

Having said that, I'll pile on to what the others have said here: The Battle of the Bulge is won in the kitchen, not on the treadmill. You cannot outrun a bad diet. The primary driver of weight loss is eating at a caloric deficit, which basically boils down to eating less, or making better choices about what to eat.

erickirb

So I'm guessing even though I'm guesstimating my portion sizes and all maybe I have to do more then thay and actually start measuring. I keep it pretty simple protein drink in the morning. PB & J do lunch with Greek yogurt and whatever my wife makes for dinner. .. Usually something with skinless chicken breast. Maybe even though I think I'm staying under my calorie intake its not that simple to just "guess" what the portion size is

Even measuring without weighing can lead to being off by as much as 10-50%, so just guessing may be 10-50+% off of what you are actually eating. without weighing solids or measuring liquids you will never know just how much you are actually eating.

20yearsyounger

Hi all.

I'm a 29 y/o male @ 260 lbs and go through my stages of exercising and losing weight. I watch calorie intake and exercise but I usually losing motivation because I have a hard time... seems no matter how hard I try and even if i exercise 5 days a week hardly any weight comes off.

But exercise wise I do about 20 minutes on the elliptical 3 days a week. is this way to little? I just saw an article suggesting an HOUR of cardio a day 5 days a week.... which I just can't fit that long of time in with my kid home with me and wife at school at nights. What do you feel is the sweet spot for cardio? Obviously 20 minutes a few days a week does nothing for me so looking at should I increase my time or stick with 20 minutes 5 days a week but try my best to not lose the motivation if I don't see weight drop off.

Although 20 minutes gets you healthy, your body is still warming up and the fat burners may not have fully kicked in. Bump it up to 30 minutes and see what happens. It may even be better for you whatever you can above 30 minutes 3 times a week than 20 minutes 5 times a week.

Paradox1985

Thanks for the replies. Even though I know you need a calorie deficit to lose weight for some reason I was very loose on my diet... I always thought there's no way I'm eating 1900 calories but I think its easier to do then I realized. I'm gonna focus on diet and get a scale.. it seemed silly to me to do this but this is probably what I need to under stand portion sizes... I've never measured a portion size so I'm most likely being unrealistic in what I think the portion sizes should be.

My biggest problem is late night cravings... I cut them out for 2 weeks and ate grapes or or or pop corn with that fake spray butter and I dropped 5 lbs in 2 weeks... going forward I'm gonna buy a scale and really work on what I'm eating. I have been soda free for 2 months and expected to drop a lot of weight from that and had to convince myself to not start again and just to stay away.. which I did.