How often do you go to the gym in a week for weight loss?

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I've heard mixed opinions from my friends on 'what to do' and 'what not to do'.

With mixing Cardio with weight training, would you say going 5 or 6 times a week is too much?

Or would you say 70% of weight loss is your diet therefore 2 to 3 times a week is enough..?

What works best for you?

Replies

  • maab_connor
    maab_connor Posts: 3,927 Member
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    your diet says how much weight you lose.

    cardio for endurance and healthy heart and lungs

    lifting heavy things to look good naked.

    and how often depends on your time and your goals.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    none...my gym time is for fitness not weight loss...

    I lift heavy 3x a week and HIIT 2x a week on my off days...or some form of cardio like walking or on my bike.

    My calorie deficet is for weight loss
  • Charliejl82
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    your diet says how much weight you lose.

    cardio for endurance and healthy heart and lungs

    lifting heavy things to look good naked.

    and how often depends on your time and your goals.

    Yup this. Lifting maintains lean tissue mass whilst in calorie deficit. Cardio isn't essential (lift weights faster= cardio!)

    Having said that more lifting time = more calories to eat
  • navyrigger46
    navyrigger46 Posts: 1,301 Member
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    Weight loss is determined by deficit, how you create one is up to you. Personally, I lift three days a week for about an hour, and I play basketball one day a week, my deficit is largely created in the kitchen. As far as cardio goes, I don't do it, other than my basketball game, but to hit the gym and get on a treadmill? Why?

    Rigger
  • sebruce92
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    none...my gym time is for fitness not weight loss...

    I lift heavy 3x a week and HIIT 2x a week on my off days...or some form of cardio like walking or on my bike.

    My calorie deficet is for weight loss

    Doesn't burning calories at the gym help with the calorie deficit, therefore weight loss?
  • greenmonstergirl
    greenmonstergirl Posts: 619 Member
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    I went 5 days a week when I was really losing and did alot of cardio and less weight lifting. Now that I have the majority of my weight off, I started lifting heavy. The scale says the same weight but I went down 3 sizes in jeans and look smaller. I still have 20 to lose and I guess I will get there eventually. It's going to be a slow go though from here on. Doesn't matter, it isn't a race, it's a life change. :) Good luck to whatever you decide to do and how you exercise.
  • sebruce92
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    I went 5 days a week when I was really losing and did alot of cardio and less weight lifting. Now that I have the majority of my weight off, I started lifting heavy. The scale says the same weight but I went down 3 sizes in jeans and look smaller. I still have 20 to lose and I guess I will get there eventually. It's going to be a slow go though from here on. Doesn't matter, it isn't a race, it's a life change. :) Good luck to whatever you decide to do and how you exercise.

    Wow that's incredible! well done!

    Yeah i see what your saying... i'm pretty close to my goal but plateued recently for a few weeks, wasn't sure if this was mainly down to diet or because i need to work harder / go more often to the gym.
  • jstout365
    jstout365 Posts: 1,686 Member
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    none...my gym time is for fitness not weight loss...

    I lift heavy 3x a week and HIIT 2x a week on my off days...or some form of cardio like walking or on my bike.

    My calorie deficet is for weight loss

    Doesn't burning calories at the gym help with the calorie deficit, therefore weight loss?

    I think the point people are trying to make is that you don't NEED to go to the gym to lose weight, you can accomplish what you want weight loss wise by eating at a deficit. Yes, exercise will drive up the deficit, but too much activity paired with an already decent dietary deficit can actually be detrimental to weight loss which is why people eat back their exercise calories (or at least a portion of them).

    Like many of the others, I do not use my workouts to create my deficit. I exercise to be faster, stronger, look better (body composition is from exercise, not just diet), and be healthier overall. I eat to fuel my workouts and nourish my body. If I eat at a deficit, it is a small one and I take the slower loss so that I can keep on performing in the gym.
  • Apple31415
    Apple31415 Posts: 98 Member
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    I do cardio 6X per week for 60 per day. I do 30 minutes of upper body strength training 3-4X per week in addition (pushups, rows and dumbbell work). I find that the exercising enhances good food choices and helps in appetite control. It may seem backwards, but when i skip a workout, I'm hungry as hell and tend to overeat my calories that day. I've been losing a steady 1.5-2 lbs. a week for the last 10 weeks with this routine. I generally stay under a 2100 calorie intake daily, but do find that "eating back" a small amount of the 1029 exercise calories i get credit for (fairly intense pace on elliptical for 60 minutes) is fine, so some days my total calorie intake is around 2500 but my defiicit still runs about 500-600 per day. I feel like i can up my strength training once i'm closer to my weight goal.
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
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    I love the gym and go not just to lose weight, but to build muscle and for stress relief. I go 6-7 days a week (I teach one evening and if my students have a lot of questions after class, I can get out too late to go). I love the challenge of pushing my HR higher during HIIT training and squeezing out a few more reps or adding a little weight when I lift, or getting a little deeper into that yoga pose.

    Yeah, I'm a total gym rat! :)
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    none...my gym time is for fitness not weight loss...

    I lift heavy 3x a week and HIIT 2x a week on my off days...or some form of cardio like walking or on my bike.

    My calorie deficet is for weight loss

    Doesn't burning calories at the gym help with the calorie deficit, therefore weight loss?

    I think the point people are trying to make is that you don't NEED to go to the gym to lose weight, you can accomplish what you want weight loss wise by eating at a deficit. Yes, exercise will drive up the deficit, but too much activity paired with an already decent dietary deficit can actually be detrimental to weight loss which is why people eat back their exercise calories (or at least a portion of them).

    Like many of the others, I do not use my workouts to create my deficit. I exercise to be faster, stronger, look better (body composition is from exercise, not just diet), and be healthier overall. I eat to fuel my workouts and nourish my body. If I eat at a deficit, it is a small one and I take the slower loss so that I can keep on performing in the gym.

    exactly this.
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
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    I've heard mixed opinions from my friends on 'what to do' and 'what not to do'.

    With mixing Cardio with weight training, would you say going 5 or 6 times a week is too much?

    Or would you say 70% of weight loss is your diet therefore 2 to 3 times a week is enough..?

    What works best for you?

    1 -Calorie deficit for weight loss
    2 - Exercise for fitness

    If going to the gym 5 to 6 times a week makes you happy, then do so. But it's not necessary for weight loss.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
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    What work best for me is a combination of calorie deficiency, water, and at least 4 days of cardio. The key is the deficiency because without it, gym 7 days a week will not cause weight loss. This is one of those different stokes for different folks things. You have to try out different routines until you find one that works for you.
  • felonebeats
    felonebeats Posts: 433
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    I go 5 days a week for 90 mins a time but more important than that is my diet is on point down to the last calorie.Diet is the most important factor of weightloss.Eat at a calorific deficit and you'll be good
  • sebruce92
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    Lots of great info! Makes sense as just eating a 400 calories less is MUCH easier that working off 400 calories at the gym!