45 minutes on elliptical with no incline. Fat loss

BHeineman93
BHeineman93 Posts: 11
in Fitness and Exercise
I am trying to lose fat around my waist and my belly. Im also trying to lose weight in my thighs. I bought an elliptical but I leanred it has no incline. I know that after a half an hour your body enters fat burning mode. So should i do 45 minutes a day for five days a week or 60 minutes a day?. I have a bad back and I want to be able to not be stiff and have a crippling pain the next day. I've been doing this the past two weeks for 60 minutes, yet every morning I wake up with a stiff back and some days it is so bad I can't move out of bed so I don't do the elliptical. Any advice?. How long should I do on the elliptica for 5 days to lose weight?

Replies

  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
    If you want to lose weight, you need a calorie deficit.
  • BHeineman93
    BHeineman93 Posts: 11
    I am also watching my calories. I went from not watching my calories to only eating about 1300 per day according to what the site tells me I should be taking in.
  • williamshl10
    williamshl10 Posts: 60 Member
    Make sure you are eating 1300 NET calories. So if you burn 200 calories doing the eliptical, you need to eat 1500 calories that day or you will go into starvation mode.
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
    Make sure you are eating 1300 NET calories. So if you burn 200 calories doing the eliptical, you need to eat 1500 calories that day or you will go into starvation mode.

    Nope.
    We know nothing about the OP to say that 1300 is even an appropriate number. In addition, we have no idea how they are calculating the calorie burn.
  • BHeineman93
    BHeineman93 Posts: 11
    Thats what I was wondering about as well. When I burn 700 calories from doing the eliptical, I was told your not supposed to eat back those 700 calories unless your trying to maintain weight. That is another thing that confuses me
  • mschicagocubs
    mschicagocubs Posts: 774 Member
    You don't need exercise to lose weight.

    With that said ... I also do the elliptical for health and so I have extra calories for the weekends.

    You said it doesn't have incline, does it have a resistance level? I usually have mine set to around 10-15 depending on the day.

    3 days a week I lift weights so my elliptical is only about 10 minutes of high intensity interval training. 3 minute cool down.

    2 days a week I am strictly elliptical. I either do 40 minutes at a low speed or I do 5 minute warm up, 15 minute HIIT, 5 minute semi-fast pace, then 5 minute cool down.
  • mschicagocubs
    mschicagocubs Posts: 774 Member
    Thats what I was wondering about as well. When I burn 700 calories from doing the eliptical, I was told your not supposed to eat back those 700 calories unless your trying to maintain weight. That is another thing that confuses me

    If you burn 700 on the elliptical, eat back half. If you burn 100, eat back half. You always want to at least net 1200. Sure somedays if you aren't hungry or you work out late, you can net less ... I don't recommend that, but life happens.
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
    OP:

    Read this link and all of the links in it:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants?page=1#posts-16625920
  • scubasuenc
    scubasuenc Posts: 626 Member
    Thats what I was wondering about as well. When I burn 700 calories from doing the eliptical, I was told your not supposed to eat back those 700 calories unless your trying to maintain weight. That is another thing that confuses me

    It all depends on the method you are using whether or not you eat back your exercise calories. If you are doing the default MFP method, you are doing the NEAT method. That means the base calorie goal that MFP gives you, say 1500 calories per day has no exercise included, but does include your calorie deficit to meet your weight loss goal for the week (say 1lb/week). Using that method you should eat at least some part of your exercise calories back. If you burned 500 calories per day on the elliptical and did not eat any of them back, that would be an extra 3500 calories of deficit, giving you a 2lb loss for the week instead of 1lb. What percentage of your exercise calories you eat back depends on how you are calculating them. Many people decide to eat about 50% of their exercise calories back.

    The TDEE method uses your total daily energy expenditure and includes exercise. You do not eat your exercise calories back using this method as your exercise calories are already figured into your daily goal. For example, if your TDEE is 2500, then you would eat 2000 calories per day to lose 1lb per week. You would eat that every day whether you exercise or not.
  • 17ChargerGirl17
    17ChargerGirl17 Posts: 441
    Incline? You don't need an incline with the elipical, change the resistance level.
    If you want to lose weight, cardio is a good start but like others have said you have to watch your calorie intake as well.
    You will lose weight, I did. I did the eliptical for 45 minutes a day about 5 times a week and very seldom ate back my calories.
    I was never hungry and healthy.
  • mschicagocubs
    mschicagocubs Posts: 774 Member
    I did the eliptical for 45 minutes a day about 5 times a week and very seldom ate back my calories.
    I was never hungry and healthy.

    Without knowing how much OP consumes on a daily basis, I wouldnt recommend to NOT eat back calories.

    You want to make sure you are properly fueling your body.
  • LeanButNotMean44
    LeanButNotMean44 Posts: 852 Member
    OP, you may also want to check your calorie burn. 700 cals in 45 minutes on the elliptical sounds a bit high for most people, although if you have a lot of weight to lose it might be close.
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
    You can always put a telephone book under the front of it
  • Amalthea8284
    Amalthea8284 Posts: 49 Member
    Are you stretching properly after you are finished on the elliptical? If you are not, that could be the reason you are feeling stiff and sore the next day.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Make sure you are eating 1300 NET calories. So if you burn 200 calories doing the eliptical, you need to eat 1500 calories that day or you will go into starvation mode.

    you don't know how much she weighs- what her daily life is like outside of the ellipitcal- or how tall she is.
    1300 is a completely arbitrary number.

    And also- there is no such thing as starvation mode.
  • motofairy
    motofairy Posts: 33 Member
    I think this article is helpful and disproves the idea of the "fat burning zone" pretty handily:
    http://www.builtlean.com/2013/04/01/fat-burning-zone-myth/

    In terms of time, studies have shown that the first 30-40 minutes have the most impact. Anything over that and you're really not seeing much more of a benefit in terms of output. Sure, you can keep going - but the biggest impact is in that first 30-40 minutes.
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    There's all kinds of research about the best times of day and the best things to eat and the best this and that. They all might be gold for all I know.

    What I do know is that if *I* start paying a lot of attention to them, it'll start inhibiting me from actually getting off my butt and doing something.

    Doing anything > Doing nothing

    What I also know is that getting up and doing something for 10 minutes every hour or two throughout the day will have a huge impact on your physical health. 30 minutes of "accumulated" activity is very nearly the same as doing it all at the same time.

    https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/phy_act.htm

    http://www.active.com/triathlon/articles/the-myth-of-the-fat-burning-zone
  • mjudd1990
    mjudd1990 Posts: 219 Member
    Regarding your stiff back you may want to start stretching your hamstrings, especially after you get done on the elliptical. Strengthening your core with planks or even sucking your belly button toward your spine when you are sitting at work. If you have a pre existing condition like a fusion or a herniated disc obviously talk to your doc but if you just have a tight lower back that you pull often then doing the above should help out a lot.

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