Maintaining and Exercise

ka_42

Hello! For those who are maintaining their weight or looking to lose a couple more pounds... I'm wondering how often you work out? I really struggle with exercise. I just don't enjoy doing it. My typical work outs are walking my dog which I do almost daily (aside from the snow and cold we've had in my location which keeps me from walking as much as I'd like). I'm trying to push myself to do the Jillian Michael's 30 day shred at least 3 times a week. I would like to lose 5 more pounds and tone my mid-section. I realize exercise is the answer to making my body look the way I'd like but wonder how much exercise I should be striving for. Thanks for any advise!!!! :flowerforyou:

erickirb

I've been on maintenance for about a year and a half, didn't have much to lose in the first place. I exercise 4-5 days/week for 30 min each time; 2-3 days of weights and 2 days of cardio.

goal30Lori

I am in the EXACT same boat! I wonder if I should be eating maintenance calories and exercising more? I'l like to lose about 5 more pounds but I'm at a healthy BMI.

Looking forward to hearing some responses! Great question!

kpopa

Hi Kimberly,

I am in the same boat as you, except, would like to tone my thighs and butt more than my abs! I hate exercise and use my dogs as a way to get out and about. Right now I'm doing 30 min on a stationary bike every other day but would like to push it to every day. I also take the stairs at work (up four flights about 3-4 times a day). That's really all I do. It's only been a couple of weeks since starting that plan and so far I feel great!!!

Hope this helps!

hpsnickers1

This is a very, very long thread but he explains thing really, really well.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/113609-relatively-light-people-trying-to-get-leaner?hl=relatively+light

ka_42

I am in the EXACT same boat! I wonder if I should be eating maintenance calories and exercising more? I'l like to lose about 5 more pounds but I'm at a healthy BMI.

Looking forward to hearing some responses! Great question!

I've changed my settings from "lose 2 lbs. per week" giving me 1200 calories to "lose 1 lb. per week" giving me over 1300 calories. I've taken advantage of the extra hundred and I have taken time away from logging and overate. My weight has bounced around a few pounds but I feel sure that if I stuck at 1300 I would lose weight or at least stay the same. I'm sure I should be exercising more but I just don't want to! lol. It's been suggested to me that I find the kind of working out that I enjoy... such as biking or swimming, I would be more likely to keep it up long-term. Perhaps that should be my next goal instead of working out- doing something I dread- 3 times a week. Instead make it a goal to find exercise that I enjoy. HmmmmmM!

ka_42

Thanks to everyone who replied!! I'm bumping to see if I get any more advise.

I've heard that it takes more exercise to maintain weight loss than it does to lose it in the first place.. is that true?

katapple

I'm not really in maintenance mode yet, but I have been at this weight for 10 months, apparently I suck at dieting ;-P Anyway, since I'm happy with my weight, what the scale doesn't matter that much to me.

I workout out all the time, I love it. I am constantly doing something different, and I think that's why I enjoy it so much. Running is always a constant for me, but I love doing exercise classes...Zumba, spinning, etc, I have a ton of many different types of exercise DVDs.

Maybe sign up for a 5k and work on getting up to running? Switch things up. I hated the 30 Day Shred, so boring! Maybe listen to your favorite Pandora station next time while doing it? Or just switch on your favorite dance music, and go crazy in your living room for a half hour...

I guess since I'm trying to lose weight, and failing, that maintaining has been super easy for me LOL

ka_42

I'm not really in maintenance mode yet, but I have been at this weight for 10 months, apparently I suck at dieting ;-P Anyway, since I'm happy with my weight, what the scale doesn't matter that much to me.

I workout out all the time, I love it. I am constantly doing something different, and I think that's why I enjoy it so much. Running is always a constant for me, but I love doing exercise classes...Zumba, spinning, etc, I have a ton of many different types of exercise DVDs.

Maybe sign up for a 5k and work on getting up to running? Switch things up. I hated the 30 Day Shred, so boring! Maybe listen to your favorite Pandora station next time while doing it? Or just switch on your favorite dance music, and go crazy in your living room for a half hour...

I guess since I'm trying to lose weight, and failing, that maintaining has been super easy for me LOL

I feel like running is just not gonna happen for me! Thats not showing much effort on my part but running lasts 4 blocks for me. I'm checking on trying out Zumba at my community center. As the weather gets better it will be easier for me to do more things I like such as hiking. It's good to see that people LOVE working out. It helps me to remember that I don't have to HATE it so much. Thanks for the advise and congrats on your loss! What a transformation!

katapple

Thank you

And I didn't think I could run either, but I did the Couch to 5k program with the help of Suz's free podcasts over on http://www.kissmyblackass.org/ and by week 5, I was in love with running. I seriously hated it for the first 5 weeks, but then all the sudden, I was looking forward to running. I was determined to run a 5k, then it was a 12k, and most recently a half marathon (with another planned in May). So what I'm saying is, never say never!!

You cannot go wrong with Zumba though, it doesn't even feel like exercise to me. Good luck!

TakeOne

Hey! I have been working on maintanance since the summer. And I TOTALLY agree about the exercise. I am the type who prefers to do things outdoors in warm weather and these cold temps. are really putting a dent into my exercise plans : ( Overall I would say that I exercise less than I did when I was trying to lose weight tho. My goal is to tone up a bit..but I feel like that will be more likely to happen as the weather gets warmer : ) Congrats and good luck with your future goals!

bkelley32148

What if you found something active you enjoyed doing like hiking, canoeing, dancing, etc? You can google different "meet ups" and many are free.

crystal_sapphire

i advise strength training 2-3 times a week. squats, lunges, push ups, etc

Crowhorse

My suggestion would be to find a sport you may like to play, and join a team (if you have that available to you).

If you are having fun doing it, it doesn't seem so much like exercise.

olivia2horse

I'm new to this so bare with me. I started Jan.1, 2011 I've lost 9 or 10 pounds so far and have found riding the recumbent bike has sped up my metabolism. My problem is I suffer from fibromyalgia so extreme exercise just ain't gonna happen. I do the bike at least 30 minutes everyday, sometimes 2-3 times a day. My question is can I keep my metabolism going with just this exercise? This is what I found that I CAN do and I like it.

ka_42

Thanks everyone! I'm going to get a guest pass for Zumba soon but the actual classes i can sign up for don't start until mid- March. So until then I'm going to try to keep going on walks and getting in some strength training with my Jillian 30-day shred (even though I kind of hate it). I'm feeling pretty fat today- Hopefully that will motivate me a bit.

ka_42

Thank you

And I didn't think I could run either, but I did the Couch to 5k program with the help of Suz's free podcasts over on http://www.kissmyblackass.org/ and by week 5, I was in love with running. I seriously hated it for the first 5 weeks, but then all the sudden, I was looking forward to running. I was determined to run a 5k, then it was a 12k, and most recently a half marathon (with another planned in May). So what I'm saying is, never say never!!

You cannot go wrong with Zumba though, it doesn't even feel like exercise to me. Good luck!

your story is pretty inspiring! I like the thought of loving to run. Maybe someday that will be me too!