What's your secret? Is there a magic pill??

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melissaka7
melissaka7 Posts: 277 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I love cardio & it's been my major reason for my weight loss (plus healthy eating). I'm a runner (slow & stready). I've lost about 27lbs from this.

What are your favorite work outs, routines, videos, etc. that you feel have really worked for you. Let me know if they helped more with weight loss or muscle building.

Thanks!

Replies

  • myfitspiration7
    myfitspiration7 Posts: 25
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    Slow and steady wins the race!!! I have lost 33 pounds from insanity, and now I am on my third week of T-25, averaging about 3 pounds a week. Also eating clean, low carb 30% high protein 40% and 30% fat. and LOTS of water, I drink almost 100 ounces everday.


    feel free to add me as a friend!
  • justwanderful
    justwanderful Posts: 142 Member
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    Is there a magic pill?



    Yes. The blue one.
  • tquill
    tquill Posts: 300 Member
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    All strength training, and I've lost about 23 pounds in 3 months.
  • mariabee
    mariabee Posts: 212 Member
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    You're going to get so many different responses to this!

    There is no secret, but when I lost my weight several years ago was due to Cardio, Cardio, Cardio and Zone-style eating (40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fat). It allowed me to lose about 40 pounds. Now, here's the trouble with all that cardio... my trouble areas are not toned at all (tummy). Plus now I've been at a 2 year plateau. I've tried complete fitness revamps, adding heavy weight training, but I feel like the scale creeps up when I tone down my cardio, unfortunately my moods are easily affected by the number on the scale. Wish it wasn't, but that's just me. I am now actually +8 pounds because of a recent switch in training.

    I think the trick is to find balance between eating healthy 80% of the time, and a good combination of cardio and weight training. Everyone builds muscle at different rates, so you just have to play with different routines.

    Good luck.
  • melissaka7
    melissaka7 Posts: 277 Member
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    Just so everyone knows...my title was a joke. I know there isn't a secret to losing weight. That's just what everyone asks when they find out I've lost so much weight. And I also don't take diet pills. I was just trying to be funny.

    Just trying to get an idea of what works for other people.
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
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    Diet is my secret. I've been an exerciser all of my life, and I feel just as great when I'm 20 pounds heavier than I am now. I only get slim with calorie restriction. The trick for me is to eat just enough to have lots of energy for working out.
  • downinaggieland98
    downinaggieland98 Posts: 224 Member
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    I've tried complete fitness revamps, adding heavy weight training, but I feel like the scale creeps up when I tone down my cardio, unfortunately my moods are easily affected by the number on the scale. Wish it wasn't, but that's just me. I am now actually +8 pounds because of a recent switch in training.

    I switched to lifting heavy and less cardio and I'm the same size (maybe a little smaller) and about 14lbs up! I feel the same way, I don't like the number so much, but I like the results.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    Appropriate calorie and nutrient intake
    Progressively demanding resistance training
    Rest
    Consistency

    That's it.
  • Iron_Lotus
    Iron_Lotus Posts: 2,295 Member
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    Calorie deficit and heavy lifting
  • southerndream24
    southerndream24 Posts: 303 Member
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    Krissy Cagney's shred program, watching my macros, eating the right amount for my training load, giving up alcohol, and getting back in marathon training. 6 weeks in and INSANE changes.
  • abbylg1983
    abbylg1983 Posts: 177 Member
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    Push ups have by FAR done more to change my body than anything else. Now, granted, I am eating better (not necessarily less, but better nutrition wise) but I swear even though I haven't lost any weight for over a month, my midsection gets tighter every day and my backfat is slowly decreasing. I am on the 30 day push-up challenge and love it.
  • husseycd
    husseycd Posts: 814 Member
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    Cutting out grains helped me shed those last 10 stubborn pounds. If I skip the bread/pasta, I can eat more and be more satisfied. I also see way more muscle definition. I do watch calories, but I'm still eating 1800+/day.

    I'm an aerialist, so I'd also say lifting weight. Aerial is "heavy" for your abs and upper body, not so much for legs. I've since added in squats and am seeing improvement. I do very little cardio. I do like to mountain bike, and will occasionally run a mile around my block (more for bone density than anything else), but I've quit the Zumba type classes and getting on the elliptical. My physique is better.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    I love cycling and walking (and I used to love running, until my knees started to hate it), but now that I'm in my 40s, I've found that I can put on weight while getting 6-10 hours of moderate to intense cardio a week (6-9 RPE). My key to losing weight is counting calories and making sure that I eat fewer than I expend.

    That said, exercising a fair amount lets me eat more than I would if I were sedentary, while maintaining the same calorie deficit. That's a big plus in my book!
  • AAX2
    AAX2 Posts: 20 Member
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    Cardio + lifting + water + clean eating + sleep
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    Considering that I lost weight eating most of my exercise calories back as per MFP...and then switched to the TDEE method which includes estimated exercise calories in my activity level..and lost 40 Lbs...I'd say just keeping to my calorie goal with a weight loss deficit was my magic pill; exercise played no significant part in losing weight.

    That said, lifting helped me maintain my LBM and I look better now at maintenance than I otherwise would have. I also enjoy running, cycling, and swimming....as well as a host of other recreational activities that help me get my fitness on.

    I believe very much in training for sport and exercising for the sake of fitness...and using my diet to control my weight.
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,065 Member
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    HIIT on my treadmill (walk for 1 minute then run as fast as you can (high intensity) for 1 minute, repeat).

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