Is cutting down on my workouts a bad idea?

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camillerainer
camillerainer Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been doing cardio 6x a week for 50 minutes. I've lost 16.5 pounds so far, and in Friday I didn't lose weight.
My meal plan every day is this
Half a Apple (before workout)
Oatmeal (after workout breakfest)
Lunch: meal replacement bar and apple and peanutbutter
Snack: cliff crunch bar or fruit
Dinner: salad

If I cut down to 5 workouts a week do you think I will lose weight at a lower rate?

Replies

  • foleyshirley
    foleyshirley Posts: 1,043 Member
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    How many calories is this?
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Cut down all cardio at this point. You're not eating enough to sit down all day, let alone working out.
  • chelc1105
    chelc1105 Posts: 36 Member
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    Yeah, you are not eating enough to be working out as hard as you have been. You have to eat!

    I have benefited from eating a small amount of my exercise calories back but not all.
  • mrsamanda86
    mrsamanda86 Posts: 869 Member
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    I would be evil and starving WITHOUT exercising on that diet. EAT GIRL!
  • oldswimdawg
    oldswimdawg Posts: 11 Member
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    Sounds like you are in a race to lose weight, not a good long term behavior modification. Think about how long it took you to gain the weight - that puts weight loss in to the proper perspective. Weight loss is a simple proposition: calories in, calories out. Exercise to build muscle which in the long term will burn more calories for you 24/7. Doing too much cardio will cause your body to accommodate and with your restricted intake you could be actually burning muscle tissue. Reset your weight loss plan to a more reasonable (longer term) plan and go by the excellent guides available with MFP.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
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    Eat more, a lot more. Cutting down your workouts will not hurt. You're nowhere near eating enough to sustain that kind of activity.

    Also.. did I get this right, you're worried that you didn't lose weight on one day? You won't lose every day, that's not how it works.

    ETA: Although getting more food in general is probably your biggest need right now, I'd also recommend increasing the amount of protein and fat you're eating. if that list is representative of what you're eating every day, you're probably deficient in various micronutrients too.
  • camillerainer
    camillerainer Posts: 4
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    I have a really low appetite. So even eating this small of an amount I am rarely hungry.
  • hwoeltjen
    hwoeltjen Posts: 199 Member
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    I follow a low calorie diet but I always hit my macros. I feel fine. I am definitely stronger.

    I think....and this is just my humble opinion....it is not about the amount of calories you consume per say. The dangers of a low calorie diet have more to do with the lack of nutrients.

    I eat really clean. I am also doing IF 20 hours per day. So my eating window is only 4 hours. It has been working great for me.

    I think...in the end...it's really all about what works for you. We learn new things about the human body and nutrition every day.

    The most important part is getting into a routine that you can maintain long-term.

    If you feel like you have to cut down your cardio...cut down your cardio. I can say that you need to make sure your body is getting the right nutrients. Relying on your hunger is not a good thing.

    Your brain telling you that you are hungry has nothing to do with your body's needs as far as nutrients. I realize you may not be hungry all of the time....doesn't matter. Your brain has no way of telling you straight out that you need more protein...until you get sick or injured. So eat the right amount of food for your activity level. In the end you don't want to end up with an injury that makes you cut out exercise all together.
  • MyPureSteez
    MyPureSteez Posts: 265 Member
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    If you ate more,
    You would have more energy,
    Thus you could workout longer & harder
    So you would build more muscle and burn more fat
    and lose more weight!

    Try to look at your food as "Fuel" and not just calories that you have to avoid and/or burn off.
  • jrhm
    jrhm Posts: 47 Member
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    You are still not eating enough calories, it isn't the amount of food, it is also the calorie intake vs calories out. Your body thinks you are starving and has gone into starvation mode:sad: . I know that some days it is hard for me to eat the 1200 calories on my plan, never mind eat back the exercise calories, but when I don't meet at least the 1200 I don't loose any weight, in fact, usually I will gain as my body is storing it. Maybe you should talk to a nutritionist to help you set up some nutritious meals with the quantity of food you are comfortable eating. Remember, this isn't a diet plan, it is a complete lifestyle change - so is the exercise, make sure it is something you can continue for the rest of your life, not just to loose weight.:drinker: :flowerforyou:
  • hwoeltjen
    hwoeltjen Posts: 199 Member
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    Let me put something else out there regarding "starvation mode". Your body will NOT go into "starvation mode" until your fat stores have been wiped out.

    This "starvation mode" thing everybody throws around is a myth. Your body will NOT go into starvation mode because you aren't getting enough calories. Your body will go to fat stores.

    Yes...there is a small window when your body starts to use lean muscle mass for energy. It does not do this for a very long period of time as your body knows muscle is needed for activity.

    It's not about starvation mode....your body needs certain levels of fats for hormones...protein for repairs...and carbs for energy. However, your body does not go all catabolic because you don't eat enough.
  • camillerainer
    camillerainer Posts: 4
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    Thanks for all the input. This was my weekly weigh in btw. I would ball park my calorie intake at around 1200+\- 100 depending on the day. I was eating that much and working out 5x a week and it seemed to be okay. I think I may cut down on cardio, and tweak probably just my lunch portion of my diet and keep the rest the same.
    Maybe I'll swap the meal replacement bar and fruit for another salad or some kind of protein and vegetables.
  • p4ulmiller
    p4ulmiller Posts: 588 Member
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    This "starvation mode" thing everybody throws around is a myth. Your body will NOT go into starvation mode because you aren't getting enough calories. Your body will go to fat stores.

    Listen to this guy. He speaks the truth!
  • ereck44
    ereck44 Posts: 1,170 Member
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    Not enough food and not enough variety of food! I don't see any vegetables other than a salad, and there are so many interesting and tasty fruits and vegetables out there. Why are you so strict with your diet? At age 20? What's the point?
  • alisonlynn1976
    alisonlynn1976 Posts: 929 Member
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    I agree about the "starvation mode" thing being a myth unless you are literally not eating for an extended period of time. However, I find that I can work out much, much harder when I eat enough to fuel a hard workout, resulting in greater weight loss than I could achieve if I ate a low-calorie diet and attempted to work out anyway (I tried and failed at the latter a bunch of times before I found success with what I'm doing now). So keep that in mind. It's not just time spent working out that counts, the intensity of the workout counts too.

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