do ellipitical machines help tone and lose weight?

ok guys .. i ALREADY am on a restricted calorie intake.. i have so far being on this site for about 2 months.... so i really want an ellipitical machine to help me lose more fat.....

i already have lovely legs though.. they are very skinny already and i am just worried that the ellipitical will ONLY help lose fat in my legs? is this true or is it asn all around body fat loss machine?.... ( while im on a restricted calorie intake) ???

First...
2 months isn't that long. When you get down towards the end, think about losing about .5lb per week, so only 2 lbs per month. At that rate, losing the last 10lbs would take about 5 months.

Second...
No, it doesn't work that way. You lose weight where ever your body wants to lose weight. It has nothing to do with how you exercise or what muscles/body parts you work. You can't control how/where you lose, only IF you lose.

pipped to the post by [notthatthis]
When I've used elliptical machines before they've had big levers for your hands to pull on, you can get a decent burn using your arms to augment your legs.
If i do a 'sprint' on the eliptic my arms are burning almost as much as my legs. So i guess there must be some merit wrt upper body workout.
Legs burned out? ease up on the legs and use more arm.

Obviously it's no replacement for a strength program, but just seems odd that nobody's mentions this.

The burn is lactic acid, your muscle in the said body part having run out of energy to power itself. The body prefers to generate most of its energy using aerobic methods, meaning with oxygen.

Sometimes we require energy production faster than our bodies can adequately deliver oxygen. In those cases, the working muscles generate energy anaerobically. This energy comes from glucose through a process called glycolysis, in which glucose is broken down or metabolized into a substance called pyruvate. When oxygen is limited, the body temporarily converts pyruvate into a substance called lactate, which allows glucose breakdown--and thus energy production--to continue.

The burn is simply a build up of lactate in the muscle because side effect of high lactate levels is an increase in the acidity of the muscle cells.

@ Matt is this conversion to lactate.. and the build up of it for that matter, detrimental to muscle building/strengthening? or beneficial? neutral?

pipped to the post by [notthatthis]
When I've used elliptical machines before they've had big levers for your hands to pull on, you can get a decent burn using your arms to augment your legs.
If i do a 'sprint' on the eliptic my arms are burning almost as much as my legs. So i guess there must be some merit wrt upper body workout.
Legs burned out? ease up on the legs and use more arm.

Obviously it's no replacement for a strength program, but just seems odd that nobody's mentions this.

The burn is lactic acid, your muscle in the said body part having run out of energy to power itself. The body prefers to generate most of its energy using aerobic methods, meaning with oxygen.

Sometimes we require energy production faster than our bodies can adequately deliver oxygen. In those cases, the working muscles generate energy anaerobically. This energy comes from glucose through a process called glycolysis, in which glucose is broken down or metabolized into a substance called pyruvate. When oxygen is limited, the body temporarily converts pyruvate into a substance called lactate, which allows glucose breakdown--and thus energy production--to continue.

The burn is simply a build up of lactate in the muscle because side effect of high lactate levels is an increase in the acidity of the muscle cells.

@ Matt is this conversion to lactate.. and the build up of it for that matter, detrimental to muscle building/strengthening? or beneficial? neutral?

It is the burn you feel when lifting weights or doing cardio to a degree that makes your muscle burn. It is normal.

If you've ever heard the phrase "feel the burn" this is ot what they refer.

All I know is when I use one I feel it in my arms and back. But I wouldn't use it for that purpose.

Treadmills through off my equilibrium so I find an elliptical to be a good substitute.

i have an elliptical and love my machine. but i also have a pricey gym model. dont waste the 250 on one! the cheap ones break quickly. my sister in law has already had to replace her cheap 300 model in a week. i have a large amount of weight to lose and i only use the elliptical. 25 pounds in less then a month. but if your only looking to lose 10, then im not sure if you would get the same results i have so far.

Disagree. I paid $275 for mine, have been using it for a year and a half and I love it. Have never had an issue with it and I lost 15 lbs using it.

Weight loss comes from calorie deficit.
Elliptical is an exercise machine. It provides you a cardio workout.
Cardio is good for your heart.
Toning up is a vague term that generally mean "reducing body fat"
To reduce body fat, you have to maintain lean body mass, or minimize how much is lost
Strength training and a good diet (good macros) is the best way to maintain lean body mass.

Clear as mud?

We have a winner :drinker:

hmmmm well i really wanted to try to see if i could lose the 10 pounds with the ellipitical machine.... that is just somethin i would enjoy doing rather than it feeling like a chore... but if it doesnt help me lose my belly idk what i should do

If it's a fun activity that gets your heart pumping and gets the sweat flowing, then totally do it!

Don't forget the resistance training, as folks in here have said. It'll help you keep your muscle mass as you drop fat, giving you that "tone" you want.

if you want to lose ten pounds and tone up I would recommend a weight lifting regimen...squats, deadlifts, weighted pulls/chins (or unweighted) over head press, etc...combined with calorie defecit this will help you lose body fat%, increase strength, and tone you up ...

This + sufficient protein intake = success.

lost 24 kg's in 28 weeks using elliptical................ :laugh: :happy: :flowerforyou: :glasses: :smokin: :smooched: :drinker: :bigsmile: :blushing:

mmmm - congratulations on the weight loss - great job, but it seems as if a bit more than the elliptical helped you do this???? I suspect eating a calorie deficit, plus some other training as per your own post.....including STRENGTH TRAINING???

Mon: 1836 KCals by Cardio Exercises (30 mins on Elliptical Trainer-16th level, 20 mins walk on Treadmill-16 deg high inclined @ 6.5Kmph, 32.5 mins on Stationary Cycle-20th high level resistance, 40 mins walk @ 3.5Kmph) + 30 mins of Circuit Weight Strength Training..............

Tues: 2308 KCals by Cardio Exercises (50 mins on Elliptical Trainer-16th level, 33 mins walk on Treadmill-16 deg high inclined @ 6.5Kmph, 38.5 mins on Stationary Cycle-20th high level resistance, 40 mins walk @ 3.5Kmph) + 15 mins of Circuit Weight Strength Training..............

Wed: 2265 KCals by Cardio Exercises (50 mins on Elliptical Trainer-16th level, 33 mins walk on Treadmill-16 deg high inclined @ 6.5Kmph, 38.5 mins on Stationary Cycle-20th high level resistance, 40 mins walk @ 3.5Kmph) + 15 mins of Circuit Weight Strength Training..............

Thurs: 1466 KCals by Cardio Exercises (30 mins on Elliptical Trainer-16th level, 20 mins walk on Treadmill-16 deg high inclined @ 6.5Kmph, 33.5 mins on Stationary Cycle-20th high level resistance, 40 mins walk @ 3.5Kmph) ..............

Fri: 1087 KCals by Cardio Exercises (20 mins on Elliptical Trainer-16th level, 20 mins walk on Treadmill-16 deg high inclined @ 6.5Kmph, 20 mins on Stationary Cycle-20th high level resistance, 40 mins walk @ 3.5Kmph) ..............

Sat: 2408 KCals by Cardio Exercises (45 mins on Elliptical Trainer-16th level, 20 mins walk on Treadmill-16 deg high inclined @ 6.5Kmph, 33.5 mins on Stationary Cycle-20th high level resistance, 40 mins walk @ 3.5Kmph) + 55 mins of Circuit Weight Strength Training..............

Sun: 1591 KCals by Cardio Exercises (20 mins on Elliptical Trainer-16th level, 20 mins walk on Treadmill-16 deg high inclined @ 6.5Kmph, 20 mins on Stationary Cycle-20th high level resistance, 40 mins walk @ 3.5Kmph) ..............

hmm ahhh i see.. alright so obviously the body only loses in the places it HAS fat... ok ok.....

my calorie intake is 1200 as of right now.. but thats because im a small girl.... and i dont have a job or anything.... so thats how mych MFP put me under... it says ill be losing about .5 pounds a week... BUT sometimes i do go over and sometimes i am way under if i just dont have an appetite....

soo as of right now im highly thinking of buying an ellipitical machine... but thats strange because i also heard they can add muscle aswell if you put it on a higher resistance level.....

No, you heard wrong, it is a cardio machine.

THANK YOU LADIES WHO HAVE USED THE MACHINE AND LOVE IT!!! i am going to buy one now!!! and yes probably start working out with jillian michaels 4 times a week.. YAY im excited!!!!! i hope i lose inches! i dont really mind about the weight i just want to lose inches.... ok im going to buy one FOR SURE....

Seriously, must you waste your money? I used to love the elliptical. It would give me a high calorie burn, and my legs would be sore the next day. I was convinced I was getting an awesome workout. But my body didn't change much... My legs looked a bit nicer I guess, but it certainly didn't help my belly fat. You know what did? Doing compound movements with heavy weights three times a week, combined with a calorie deficit. I look better than your inspiration photo right now. So instead of picking and choosing the advice you want to hear, listen to people explaining the science behind getting the look you're trying to get.

I LOVE my elliptical. I use it every day in the winter, because it's -30 here lol and I don't want to go to a gym. I believe any activity that gets you moving is good for you. Will you get big muscles from an elliptical? No. Will you tone, yes, if you have fat to lose, and you are watching your calorie in/calorie out. I use mine on a resistance of 8-10 and really feel my muscles working, I generally do about 45 min sometimes twice a day. I have lost 66 lbs. Don't buy a cheap one, unless you have a good reference for it. Mine was from Costco for about $800. I LOVE it. lol Good luck!

I have one and love it. I put it in front of the TV. And go. I burn 600 - 800 cals in 45 min. If I am to believe the machine, which I do not. I think I may burn 500 max.