Is 30 minutes of cardio enough?

momtobe06

Yep.. I am tracking everything I put in my mouth.. good or bad.. I take a break on weekends
actually I do ok with healthy eating & general portion control, snacking is a problem for me I have learned and I have cut back in the last 4 weeks.Today I went over by 52 calories... I do 1,200 calories plus my excercise calories... so around 1,500

Will_Thrust_For_Candy

Yep.. I am tracking everything I put in my mouth.. good or bad.. I take a break on weekends
actually I do ok with healthy eating & general portion control, snacking is a problem for me I have learned and I have cut back in the last 4 weeks.Today I went over by 52 calories... I do 1,200 calories plus my excercise calories... so around 1,500

By any chance have your figured out your BMR and your TDEE? Even though you're eating back your exercise calories you might still be consuming too little.....again, it's an awesome thing to have more food!

momtobe06

Yep.. I am tracking everything I put in my mouth.. good or bad.. I take a break on weekends
actually I do ok with healthy eating & general portion control, snacking is a problem for me I have learned and I have cut back in the last 4 weeks.Today I went over by 52 calories... I do 1,200 calories plus my excercise calories... so around 1,500

By any chance have your figured out your BMR and your TDEE? Even though you're eating back your exercise calories you might still be consuming too little.....again, it's an awesome thing to have more food!

what is BMR and TDEE?

jacksonpt

A few things...

1) you lose weight with a proper diet, not with exercise. If your diet stinks, exercise can cover it up (to some extent), but the key to losing weight is making sure your diet is where it's supposed to be.

2) have realistic expectations. You didn't put the weight on in a week, you're not going to lose it in a week. Expect this to take months or years depending on your ultimate goal.

3) don't get too hung up on the scale. It's a quick and easy way to measure, sure (which only feeds into the need for instant gratification), but it's a horribly inaccurate way to measure what's actually going on with your body. Try to take measurements instead.

jacksonpt

Yep.. I am tracking everything I put in my mouth.. good or bad.. I take a break on weekends
actually I do ok with healthy eating & general portion control, snacking is a problem for me I have learned and I have cut back in the last 4 weeks.Today I went over by 52 calories... I do 1,200 calories plus my excercise calories... so around 1,500

By any chance have your figured out your BMR and your TDEE? Even though you're eating back your exercise calories you might still be consuming too little.....again, it's an awesome thing to have more food!

what is BMR and TDEE?

by joejvcca71 in this thread:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/510406-tdee-is-everything

1. BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate): This is the amount of calories you need to consume to maintain your body if you were comatose (base level).

2. NEAT (Non-Exercise Associated Thermogenesis): The calorie of daily activity that is NOT exercise (eg: washing, walking, talking, shopping, working). ie: INCIDENTAL EXERCISE! It is something that everyone has a good amount of control over & it is the MOST important factor in your energy expenditure. It is what helps keep 'constitutionally lean' people LEAN (they fidget)!

3. EAT (Exercise Associated Thermogenesis): The calorie requirements associated with planned exercise. Unless someone is doing a whole heap of exercise (eg: two or more hrs training a day) it usually doesn't add a stack of calories to your requirements (30 minutes of 'elliptical training isn't going to do it')

4. TEF (Thermic effect of feeding): The calorie expenditure associated with eating. REGARDLESS of what myths you have been told - this is NOT dependent on MEAL FREQUENCY. It is a % of TOTAL CALORIES CONSUMED (and 15% of 3 x 600 cal meals is the same as 15% of 6 x 300 cal meals). It varies according to MACRONUTRIENT content and FIBER content. For most mixed diets, it is something around 15%. Protein is higher (up to 25%), carbs are variable (between 5-25%), and fats are low (usually less than 5%). So -> More protein and more carbs and more fiber = HIGHER TEF. More FAT = LOWER TEF.

5. TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expedenture): Total calories burned. BMR + NEAT + EAT + TEF = TDEE

Will_Thrust_For_Candy

Yep.. I am tracking everything I put in my mouth.. good or bad.. I take a break on weekends
actually I do ok with healthy eating & general portion control, snacking is a problem for me I have learned and I have cut back in the last 4 weeks.Today I went over by 52 calories... I do 1,200 calories plus my excercise calories... so around 1,500

By any chance have your figured out your BMR and your TDEE? Even though you're eating back your exercise calories you might still be consuming too little.....again, it's an awesome thing to have more food!

what is BMR and TDEE?

The exact definitions have been listed above, but basically your BMR is the amount of calories your body needs to function, at a comatose state. Your TDEE takes into account your activity level and other incidentals (as listed above). Your TDEE is what you would eat for maintenance. You should never be eating below your BMR and you can usually take a deficit of about 15-20% off your TDEE to lose weight. Check out the group Eat More to Weigh Less....there are tons of stickys that explain everything really well!

Also, how are you measuring calories burned during your workouts? Do you have a HRM or are you going by the numbers on the elliptical or MFP? The amount your burning might be off as well.

rachheals

I'm having the same problems wondering if 30 minutes of cardio with some light weight training 6-7 days a week is enough to lose a pound a week? People say 35 or even 40 minutes of cardio is better, but I don't have enough time. How are you getting on now in the New Year - any progress?