How much exercise?

scrapbooklady
scrapbooklady Posts: 77 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
How much exercise should I be getting? I do cardio for 30 - 45 minutes 5x a week and strength training 2x a week. I burn around 300 calories a day. My weight loss has not been very good but I just figured out I am not eating enough. Provided I change that and get the calories of food I need, how much exercise should I get? I see people here burning 1000 calories a day and working out for an hour or more. That just seems like a lot to me. I am 5'6" and weigh 157, looking to lose 15 - 20 lbs.

Replies

  • chloeraesmommy
    chloeraesmommy Posts: 37
    Im wondering the same thing
  • fabandfunat51
    fabandfunat51 Posts: 117 Member
    Hi Girly! I think a lot of it depends on your intensity when you work out, and how much you weigh. I am in the 250's so I will burn probably double what you burn for 45 minutes at a high intensity level. (I'll catch up to you and burn less eventually!)

    I don't think what you are doing is not enough nor is it excessive! You are pretty much working out 7 days a week. . .That might be too much for you - maybe take a break one day and yes eat more calories focusing on complex carbs Fruit (your fav!) and veggies and lean protein. My Dr today said not to go under 1500 calories, even when MFP tells me to because its too low (for me). She said at that time to just up the exercise, and the weight will continue to drop.

    I wish I had a magic formula. . . well then I'd be a GAZILLIONAIRE!!! LOL
  • lavieboheme1229
    lavieboheme1229 Posts: 448 Member
    I think a break day every week is a good idea too. You are certainly doing more than I am! Good luck darling :flowerforyou:
  • scrapbooklady
    scrapbooklady Posts: 77 Member
    Oops, I made it look like I am working out 7 days a week. Nope -- 2 days a week I double up and do strength training followed by cardio. I need the days off! One to rest and the other because inevitably something comes up,
  • Determinednoob
    Determinednoob Posts: 2,001 Member
    Well the amount of exercise depends on what else you are doing, what ALL of your SPECIFIC goals are etc. A better question you may want to be asking is how large of a calorie deficit should you be creating each day with whatever combonation of exercise and food intake restriction you like. Usually 10-20% or enough to lose 1-3lbs per week depending on how high or low your bf% is and how fast or slow you want to go and\or can handle.

    That said the best thing to do is lift on a proper 3 day per week full body routine. Cardio optional.
  • jsj024519
    jsj024519 Posts: 400 Member
    no comment
  • beachygirlk
    beachygirlk Posts: 28
    i'm in the same boat as you!!
  • poeco76
    poeco76 Posts: 139 Member
    I will speak only for myself as I am one of these "freaky people" that burns quite a few on a daily basis. I am trying to lose a significant amount of weight, AND I am training to do cycling long distance events, so on average, I burn anywhere from 1,000-3,000 calories a day doing the work for that. However, I will also say that I do not lose at a horribly rapid rate either. Unfortunately, the math doesn't really seem to work the way that the experts want to tell us it will. If it did, I would be dropping like 4-5 lbs a week (and I'm definitely not).

    I think that you should do enough exercise to benefit your body (which it sounds as though you are already doing). Losing 0.5-2 lbs a week is awesome, so don't get discouraged. If you can find a nice balance in life, ultimately, it should help you maintain over the long haul (for life). I will also say that eating too few calories can definitely be damaging, so I'm glad that you've found out and are in the process of eating more good calories.

    Keep at it... it will come off. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to happen over night for most of us. :O)
  • cllemuiex
    cllemuiex Posts: 3 Member
    I have been doing boot camp style work outs 3x per week for about 30 days. Not sure how many calories it burns, but just had to increase my calorie intake last week and am now losing some weight.
  • halejr23
    halejr23 Posts: 294
    300-400 calories a day is fine. Eat healthy (less processed foods) and continue your routine and you will be fine. Some of us burn more calories just because we are nuts in the head and continually looking for a new challenge! ;-)
  • journalistjen
    journalistjen Posts: 265 Member
    It is a lot to burn a 1000 calories in a day, but I've got a lot to lose. It takes a lot of energy (calories) to work out at the same intensity as a smaller person, but have a lot more mass (whether it is muscle or fat) to sling around.

    My body is very stubborn when it comes to losing weight; therefore, I exercise as much as I can and try to create a big calorie deficit. Because my workouts are intense, I don't skimp too much on food. I try to be smart about the calories while still getting good nutrients.

    You should learn what your body responds to and do that. Mix up your workouts and diet so your body doesn't become complacent. What works for me is doing cardio and strength training at least three times a week. You may also want to try HIIT (high intensity interval training). It's shorter workouts, but they are intense. There's a lot of good DVD's for HIIT.
  • themommie
    themommie Posts: 5,033 Member
    I am in the same boat and wondering the same thing
  • SenshiV
    SenshiV Posts: 131 Member
    Well when you set your goals you decide how much time you want to invest in your exercises. You are doing fine, but I would also recommend add another day when you can.

    Some other thing I will really recommend is not feel discouraged when you see people burning so many calories, as it might not be very accurate really. Some people count every single step they do each day, or use the megahypermagicburncalorieslikecrazywitheffortlessexercise elliptical, or some things alike. So really don't mind that.

    As long as you continue your exercise, eat enough (not less) and avoid most junk food (not all, we all deserve something every now and then it's no big deal), you should be doing fine. If not, maybe there could be other things to check.

    Good luck!
  • chloeraesmommy
    chloeraesmommy Posts: 37
    effortless on elliptical? i find it challenging....

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