How often should I work out

Shoot for 4 times a week and 400-500 calories if you can plan it in. Make sure to do both weights and cardio.
Are you just starting? how much time do you realistically have?

I work out every day because if I don't it becomes too easy to stop altogether. Most people say to take a day off. I do have some days that are much lighter.

I don't think number of calories per workout is that important. Lots of people will give you different formulas for your calories besides what MFP says. I just went with MFP. That puts me at 1200 calories of food a day, more according to how many I burn in exercise. I "eat back" my exercise calories. Some people don't . I have had good success by doing it.

Instead of concentrating on the number of calories burned, I look at duration and intensity. If I'm running, want to go further and faster each day. On the elliptical, I want to go as long as I have time for and a the highest intensity I can handle.

It will depend on what sort of shape you are in to begin with. If you are starting out maybe aim for 20-30 minutes a day of cardio. Add some strength training of some kind. It will help you lose faster and make your shape nicer.

Good luck!

p.s. I'm 45. Add me if you want!

Great advice!!

I work out every day because if I don't it becomes too easy to stop altogether. Most people say to take a day off. I do have some days that are much lighter.

I don't think number of calories per workout is that important. Lots of people will give you different formulas for your calories besides what MFP says. I just went with MFP. That puts me at 1200 calories of food a day, more according to how many I burn in exercise. I "eat back" my exercise calories. Some people don't . I have had good success by doing it.

Instead of concentrating on the number of calories burned, I look at duration and intensity. If I'm running, want to go further and faster each day. On the elliptical, I want to go as long as I have time for and a the highest intensity I can handle.

It will depend on what sort of shape you are in to begin with. If you are starting out maybe aim for 20-30 minutes a day of cardio. Add some strength training of some kind. It will help you lose faster and make your shape nicer.

Good luck!

p.s. I'm 45. Add me if you want!

I just started on this journey and its all or nothing for me so personally I workout 6 days a week. Cardio all 6 days but weight training 3 days. My workouts on average are 45 minutes, however I just ordered a HRM in hopes of maximizing my burn and being in the right fat burn zone.

This. But I like to change the workout everyday. Do the treadmill one day, next day elliptical, next bike, next stair climber and repeat. Helps to keep you from hitting a plateau.

It is more important that you do something you enjoy than how many calories you are burning. As long as you are moving and developing an active lifestyle. It will be even more important to maintaining a healthy weight than getting to a healthy weight that you are active. Lose weight in the kitchen, get fit in the gym.

One important note is that no matter what you do and how often, you do need to take a day off where you rest your body. You will know you are doing too much when you feel sluggish and tired during your normal workout.

It really comes down to what your goals are, how fast you want to get there, and what your body will allow. I am 44 and I work out every day and 3-4 times a week I do 2x a day for a total of about 15 hours a week. But keep in mind I have been doing this since I was very young and to me daily exercise is like eating, sleeping etc. Its just part of my day. So dont get discouraged when you see people who work out a lot, its just everyone is different.

A good baseline is 4x a week and 30+ mins each time and get in a good mix of cardio and weight training. If you want to progress faster than do more or less. But be careful not to try and take on too much too soon as you can get frustrated and or burned out. So definitely listen to your body and most importantly, enjoy your workouts! It shouldnt be a chore so find ways to make it fun and something you look forward to.