Workouts per day . . . . is one not enough?

MissRose888
MissRose888 Posts: 98 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I all! I've been on MFP for couple of years now. I've kept the first 30lbs off for the most part, but have now begun trying to lose the last 50. I'm seeking some advice on the frequency of workouts, because I'm determined to shed the rest of this by January/February 2013. I'm female. . 5'3" and my current weight is about 187. My goal weight is 134. (Yes, I'm curvy. . get over it. That's ideal and realistic for me!)

Today (Sunday) is the first day of my second official week. I worked out 4 times last week on my elliptical at 30-minute sessions each day. Although my average pace was only about 4.3 or 4.4, I did a "Cardio" workout and yes, I was dripping sweat with my HR about 130-155 throughout the workout, excluding the 5-minute 'warm-up' phase. Result for week one: minus 6 lbs whcih probably included water weight.

So for this week, I've been reading things that say you should work out TWICE a day to sustain this weight loss progress over time. What is everyone's thoughts?

Replies

  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    Just workout 3-4x a week.
    This allows amply rest and recovery.

    Lift weights and do mild cardio.
  • obsidianwings
    obsidianwings Posts: 1,237 Member
    I don't think its necessary, unless you need to split up your workouts into smaller sessions due to time constraints as I sometimes do, one decent workout 3+ times a week is fine IMO.
  • stephanie1133
    stephanie1133 Posts: 211
    My thoughts are that no workouts are needed for weight loss, much less TWO a day.

    Like you said, 6 pounds in one week is probably a lot of water weight. There's no way to sustain that kind of loss. Over-exercising can be detrimental to weight loss (well, in my experience anyway).

    Sounds like you are doing great! The only thing I'd add would be lifting, but that's just my opinion!
  • MissRose888
    MissRose888 Posts: 98 Member
    Thanks everyone!!! Good advice is SO much easier to get on here than trying to find it on the web which is full of fad and crazy diet routines!!!
  • invisibubble
    invisibubble Posts: 662 Member
    Just workout 3-4x a week.
    This allows amply rest and recovery.

    Lift weights and do mild cardio.

    This.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    i've worked out twice a day before. early lifting session, and then a run, bike ride, or swim in the evening, sometimes for 3-4 days in a row. but i'll also, due to work, i'll go periods of 3-4 days where i don't work out at all. so it allows for plenty of rest.

    life happens. act accordingly.
  • DrMAvDPhD
    DrMAvDPhD Posts: 2,097 Member
    Fat loss has more to do with what your eating than working out 14 times a week. I work out on 3x a week and am doing just fine.
  • katevarner
    katevarner Posts: 884 Member
    So, by sustain this weight loss, do you mean 6 lbs. per week? You are not going to sustain that.

    If you want to add workouts, add weights. Either on the same days you do cardio or on alternating days. But two workouts a day is getting into Eating Disorder territory.

    Also agree with Stephanie that most weight loss is from eating. That said, don't cut another 500 calories to do that. It's going to take a while. Eat healthy, log everything, and workout but not enough to wear yourself out.
  • StephDuffney
    StephDuffney Posts: 51 Member
    I work out 5 days a week Monday-Friday. I do 30-60 min Cardio and 30-40 mins of weight training. I am at 1600 cals a day and do not eat back the one i burn off to often. I have lost 8 pounds in 2 weeks.
  • MemphisKitten
    MemphisKitten Posts: 878 Member
    No, it isn't necessary to work out twice a day, but you need to increase your intensity and also the length of time you are working out. Intensity is more important. You also need to switch up your workouts frequently to not only keep from getting bored, but to "trick" your body. Our bodies adapt quickly to a workout and it stalls progress. It generally takes two weeks of doing the same workout at the same intensity to become resistant. Also, make sure you are strength training as much as (or more) than you are doing cardio. Building the muscle will keep you from reaching a plateau and will burn the fat right off of you. Increasing your metabolism is the key to weight loss and maintenance success. Eat small meals (200-300 cals) every 3 hours, starting from within an hour of waking. Don't let your calories go TOO LOW!! Calculate your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) and don't eat UNDER that amount or you will slow your metabolism; calculate your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) and don't eat OVER that amount or you will store fat. I hope this helps! :wink:
  • RedHeadDevotchka
    RedHeadDevotchka Posts: 1,394 Member
    No, working out 2 times a day isn't necessary. I have done it and it's been few and far between. You will find alot of people on this site who dont work out 2 times a day and they still have success with weight loss. Don't burn yourself out! :flowerforyou:
  • Julicat6
    Julicat6 Posts: 231 Member
    Some days I do more than one Zumba class or I walk/jog and do a Zumba class, but then since I work 12 hour shifts, I will have days that my activity is limited to the steps I take at work, which apparently I was underestimating, my FitBit gave me 8,000 from midnight to 7 am the other day. I just do what I have time for and right now the weather in TN is great and I feel like going for walks, but love my Zumba class to much to miss it. I think once a day for 30 minutes/5 days a week is great when you are first starting, then increase the time when you can. The important thing is to do what fits into your life and that you can continue to do long term.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    No, it isn't necessary to work out twice a day, but you need to increase your intensity and also the length of time you are working out. Intensity is more important. You also need to switch up your workouts frequently to not only keep from getting bored, but to "trick" your body. Our bodies adapt quickly to a workout and it stalls progress. It generally takes two weeks of doing the same workout at the same intensity to become resistant. Also, make sure you are strength training as much as (or more) than you are doing cardio. Building the muscle will keep you from reaching a plateau and will burn the fat right off of you. Increasing your metabolism is the key to weight loss and maintenance success. Eat small meals (200-300 cals) every 3 hours, starting from within an hour of waking. Don't let your calories go TOO LOW!! Calculate your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) and don't eat UNDER that amount or you will slow your metabolism; calculate your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) and don't eat OVER that amount or you will store fat. I hope this helps! :wink:

    I know you mean well but really, very little of this is true. Itensity is good, changing workouts every 2 weeks is not. You don't need to "trick" your body. Just increaseingly challenge it. Yes our bodies will eventually adapt but 2 weeks is not really even enough time to get full benefit from a routine. 3 months maybe.

    Strength more than cardio is good. But, you don't "build muscle" in a calorie deficit. You don't increase your metabolism. Your metabolic rate is just your metabolic rate, primarily determined by genetics. There is no need to eat small meals every 3 hours. Nutritional timing within a 24 hour period is immaterial as long as you get adequate calories and a good macronutrient mix composed of nutrient dense foods for the most part.

    True about TDEE, not nessesarily true about BMR depending on how much you fat you have to reduce. Such a mix of fact and fiction......
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    No, it isn't necessary to work out twice a day, but you need to increase your intensity and also the length of time you are working out. Intensity is more important. You also need to switch up your workouts frequently to not only keep from getting bored, but to "trick" your body. Our bodies adapt quickly to a workout and it stalls progress. It generally takes two weeks of doing the same workout at the same intensity to become resistant. Also, make sure you are strength training as much as (or more) than you are doing cardio. Building the muscle will keep you from reaching a plateau and will burn the fat right off of you. Increasing your metabolism is the key to weight loss and maintenance success. Eat small meals (200-300 cals) every 3 hours, starting from within an hour of waking. Don't let your calories go TOO LOW!! Calculate your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) and don't eat UNDER that amount or you will slow your metabolism; calculate your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) and don't eat OVER that amount or you will store fat. I hope this helps! :wink:

    I know you mean well but really, very little of this is true. Itensity is good, changing workouts every 2 weeks is not. You don't need to "trick" your body. Just increaseingly challenge it. Yes our bodies will eventually adapt but 2 weeks is not really even enough time to get full benefit from a routine. 3 months maybe.

    Strength more than cardio is good. But, you don't "build muscle" in a calorie deficit. You don't increase your metabolism. Your metabolic rate is just your metabolic rate, primarily determined by genetics. There is no need to eat small meals every 3 hours. Nutritional timing within a 24 hour period is immaterial as long as you get adequate calories and a good macronutrient mix composed of nutrient dense foods for the most part.

    True about TDEE, not nessesarily true about BMR depending on how much you fat you have to reduce. Such a mix of fact and fiction......

    now, this is not entirely true either. your metabolism is constantly changing. it slows as you get older, and can get sped up after a work out, especially after a high intensity strength training session, or speed work/interval run.

    and as you build muscle, your metabolism will continue to rise. not sleeping enough will cause your metabolism to slow.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    No, it isn't necessary to work out twice a day, but you need to increase your intensity and also the length of time you are working out. Intensity is more important. You also need to switch up your workouts frequently to not only keep from getting bored, but to "trick" your body. Our bodies adapt quickly to a workout and it stalls progress. It generally takes two weeks of doing the same workout at the same intensity to become resistant. Also, make sure you are strength training as much as (or more) than you are doing cardio. Building the muscle will keep you from reaching a plateau and will burn the fat right off of you. Increasing your metabolism is the key to weight loss and maintenance success. Eat small meals (200-300 cals) every 3 hours, starting from within an hour of waking. Don't let your calories go TOO LOW!! Calculate your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) and don't eat UNDER that amount or you will slow your metabolism; calculate your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) and don't eat OVER that amount or you will store fat. I hope this helps! :wink:

    I know you mean well but really, very little of this is true. Itensity is good, changing workouts every 2 weeks is not. You don't need to "trick" your body. Just increaseingly challenge it. Yes our bodies will eventually adapt but 2 weeks is not really even enough time to get full benefit from a routine. 3 months maybe.

    Strength more than cardio is good. But, you don't "build muscle" in a calorie deficit. You don't increase your metabolism. Your metabolic rate is just your metabolic rate, primarily determined by genetics. There is no need to eat small meals every 3 hours. Nutritional timing within a 24 hour period is immaterial as long as you get adequate calories and a good macronutrient mix composed of nutrient dense foods for the most part.

    True about TDEE, not nessesarily true about BMR depending on how much you fat you have to reduce. Such a mix of fact and fiction......

    now, this is not entirely true either. your metabolism is constantly changing. it slows as you get older, and can get sped up after a work out, especially after a high intensity strength training session, or speed work/interval run.

    and as you build muscle, your metabolism will continue to rise. not sleeping enough will cause your metabolism to slow.

    I actually agree with what you are saying. But your metabolism will not change based on how often your eat. Exercise and gaining lean muscle mass are really the only ways to have any meaningful impact. And yes not getting enough sleep or eating at too low a level for an extended period will slow it down. Thanks for the clarification.
  • magj0y
    magj0y Posts: 1,911 Member
    I all! I've been on MFP for couple of years now. I've kept the first 30lbs off for the most part, but have now begun trying to lose the last 50. I'm seeking some advice on the frequency of workouts, because I'm determined to shed the rest of this by January/February 2013. I'm female. . 5'3" and my current weight is about 187. My goal weight is 134. (Yes, I'm curvy. . get over it. That's ideal and realistic for me!)

    Today (Sunday) is the first day of my second official week. I worked out 4 times last week on my elliptical at 30-minute sessions each day. Although my average pace was only about 4.3 or 4.4, I did a "Cardio" workout and yes, I was dripping sweat with my HR about 130-155 throughout the workout, excluding the 5-minute 'warm-up' phase. Result for week one: minus 6 lbs whcih probably included water weight.

    So for this week, I've been reading things that say you should work out TWICE a day to sustain this weight loss progress over time. What is everyone's thoughts?

    I would say lifting weights with intervals of cardio or weight bearing cardio to allow for muscle strengthening in more than just the lower body along with working on your core muscles.
    (IMO, you don't need to do *heavy* lifting. what is heavy to someone, might be ridiculous for me)
    Good luck reaching your goal! 12-14'sih weeks, so keep up the good work!

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