Is there no hope for "Cardio Hater"?
prisky780
Posts: 30 Member
So, I started going to gym 3 days a week. It's been 3-4 months now. I don't go on to cardio machine. I have a trainer who works me out with weight.
Question is am I never going to lose any body fat if I don't do cardio? What are my other option? I tried the calorie counting and I gave up half way. I eat mostly homemade good. red meats and vegetables. I don't eat processed food. I don't go out and buy lunch. I bring food from home.
I don't know how much more I can cut down on bad food? Yet my increased about 2 inches around my waist in that 3-4 months.
I'm so frustrated, it almost makes me want to give up and become fat and loathe myself for rest of my life.
Please help! What is the easiest workouts I can try? I knew I had to start somewhere so I joined the gym but seems to worthless now.
Question is am I never going to lose any body fat if I don't do cardio? What are my other option? I tried the calorie counting and I gave up half way. I eat mostly homemade good. red meats and vegetables. I don't eat processed food. I don't go out and buy lunch. I bring food from home.
I don't know how much more I can cut down on bad food? Yet my increased about 2 inches around my waist in that 3-4 months.
I'm so frustrated, it almost makes me want to give up and become fat and loathe myself for rest of my life.
Please help! What is the easiest workouts I can try? I knew I had to start somewhere so I joined the gym but seems to worthless now.
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Replies
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Honestly, it doesn't matter how much you work out or what type of workout you do if you don't know how many calories are going in. A person increases about 2 inches on their waste due to a caloric surplus....and that surplus can come from ANY type of food.0
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All you need to lose fat is a calorie deficit. For cardio, walking is probably the easiest thing. Start with 30 minutes, either around the neighborhood or on the treadmill, and start counting calories again. Just because you've cut out processed foods doesn't mean you aren't eating enough to gain weight.0
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You won't lose weight if you're not eating at a deficit. Period. Cardio has nothing to do with it. Even if you're eating what you consider 'healthy', if you're eating too much, you won't lose.
You need to invest in a scale, find your BMR or TDEE and eat according to those calories to create a deficit. Log what you eat, good or bad.
That will help you lose weight.
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Honestly, it doesn't matter how much you work out or what type of workout you do if you don't know how many calories are going in. A person increases about 2 inches on their waste due to a caloric surplus....and that surplus can come from ANY type of food.
+1 to this. Since you don't like calorie counting, just try cutting your meals in half. Drink lots of water, and don't eat until you're full, eat only until you are NOT HUNGRY anymore. This is a big difference. This is the first step only, once you start losing weight, you will eventually need to, but for now, you can start by just cutting down on the amount you eat.
If half portions aren't working, then maybe even 1/4 portions (since you don't measure, this gauge is relative). Research portion sizes and really try and stick to one servings of anything (except veggies). You need to restrict what you are eating though and sounds like the work you need to put in is getting to you. Try calorie counting on a system like Weight watchers. It is an oversimplified method of calorie counting, but if counting is what you cannot do, then weight will not come off easily. Sorry to say, the key is getting over your issue with counting calories (for now).
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It's a cliche, and I hate it, but it's true--you can't outrun a bad diet. In this context, a bad diet refers to too many calories, not "bad food" as you say.
If you're not counting calories and don't know how much you're eating, it could take a hell of a lot of exercise to create a calorie deficit, cardio or not.0 -
You don't have to do cardio. You can stick with weights only. But you must eat at a deficit. That is all that matters. Exercise is irrelevant to weight loss. It is not, if course, irrelevant to health. But it is irrelevant to weight loss.0
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The people above are right, the exercise and "clean eating" don't matter ( I mean they matter, but I think you get what I'm saying). A 500 calorie surplus of calories of clean food or junk food is the same amount of calories.0
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Yup. All said well in the above. Calorie deficit = Fat loss. Eat clean and work hard. Results will come. That being said I enjoy a good warm jog and run after my weight training sessions.0
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Calorie deficit = fat/weight/inches lost
What you eat is more of a health benefit.
A calorie deficit can be achieved by:
-Diet alone: No change in activity level, just eating less than your Sedentary maintenance Calorie Burn
-Exercise alone: This is more difficult in my opinion. Eating what you would to maintain and exercising to create the deficit needed for fat/weight/inch loss
- Diet + Exercise: This allows you to eat more than diet alone. For this, just plug your stats into MFP, pick 1lb per week loss and eat back 50% or so of your exercise calories to maintain your 1lb per week deficit. Or Figure out your TDEE and subtract 20% or so to lose weight/fat/inches.
Exercise has health benefits. There are a lot of options when it comes to cardio:
-Dancing
-Running
-Walking
-High Intensity Intervals
-Swimming
-ect
If your looking for workout variety:
- youtube (plenty of free workouts)
- fitness blender0 -
So, I started going to gym 3 days a week. It's been 3-4 months now. I don't go on to cardio machine. I have a trainer who works me out with weight.
Question is am I never going to lose any body fat if I don't do cardio? What are my other option? I tried the calorie counting and I gave up half way. I eat mostly homemade good. red meats and vegetables. I don't eat processed food. I don't go out and buy lunch. I bring food from home.
I don't know how much more I can cut down on bad food? Yet my increased about 2 inches around my waist in that 3-4 months.
I'm so frustrated, it almost makes me want to give up and become fat and loathe myself for rest of my life.
Please help! What is the easiest workouts I can try? I knew I had to start somewhere so I joined the gym but seems to worthless now.
You don't want it enough. If you wanted it enough you would put in the work and effort to do it. In order to lose weight you MUST eat at a deficit. If you don't change your diet you will not lose. When you decide you really want it and are willing to count calories and pay attention to what you are putting in your body, that is when the fat will come off.
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Everyone here is giving you good advice. Calorie deficit.0
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I agree with what everyone is saying, you need to eat less to lose weight. I HATED cardio when I started working out, but now I love it. I went from barely being able to run 1 mile without walking about 4 times during the run, to now running 3-4 miles every other day, and last week I ran 6! I don't know when it happened, but I started to like cardio and running...never thought I'd be that person.0
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Calorie counting is far easier than guessing how much you can eat to lose weight. Don't think of it as restricting, think of it as knowing how much is in your daily budget. You can make smarter choices and still have room for treats. Red meat has a lot of calories and so does anything with starch (rice, bread). If you eat a lot of meat, you pretty much have to count calories to stay within a loss zone. There's lots of help here for how to count properly. It does get easier over time.
Weight training is great, but doesn't really help with fat loss (though it will help reshape your body in ways you'll like). Cardio is the fastest way to burn calories. I don't enjoy it either, but more movement give you more calories in your budget, so it's easier to stay on track (sort of like how you CAN stay out of debt if you don't make much money, but one solution to being in debt is to earn more).
You don't have to run hard or anything. I get on the treadmill or elliptical, set it to a fast walking pace, and watch movies on my ipad for an hour. It's not the most efficient way to burn calories, but it's better than nothing and gives me a slightly higher caloric budget - enough for a glass of wine at night.0 -
Everything everyone already said. Also, cutting out the red meat will help you be calorie deficient. You could try eating chicken which is much less calorie dense and it has lots of protein!0
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I'm speechless seeing so many replies in such a short time. I really want to thank all of you. I guess it's the food I need to watch. I don't think I'm eating enough. So conserving more food than I need is not my problem. Half the time I'm starving because I'm running around at work or stuck at meeting where I can't even snack.
I have 2 meals a day, lunch and dinner. I try to eat one of those yogurt with low calories as a snack and that's pretty much my breakfast and snack before lunch. I really don't know how much food I can take out of my diet.
Also, I hate fruits because they are sweet. I'm more into really spicy food or sour or anything savory. If I were to make a meal plan what would you recommend?0 -
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Any health issues? You say that you are eating less than you probably should--but if you are already at a deficit, you should already be losing weight. Check your logging--are you careful? Are you weighing everything? If not then it might be time to make a physical appointment with your doctor just to make sure there are no underlying conditions.
And walking is the easiest cardio out there--you don't even need to belong to a gym to do it, but you can always do it on the treadmill in inclement weather. I successfully lost weight in my 20's by eating at a deficit and walking an hour a day 4-5x per week.0 -
I'm speechless seeing so many replies in such a short time. I really want to thank all of you. I guess it's the food I need to watch. I don't think I'm eating enough. So conserving more food than I need is not my problem. Half the time I'm starving because I'm running around at work or stuck at meeting where I can't even snack.
I have 2 meals a day, lunch and dinner. I try to eat one of those yogurt with low calories as a snack and that's pretty much my breakfast and snack before lunch. I really don't know how much food I can take out of my diet.
Also, I hate fruits because they are sweet. I'm more into really spicy food or sour or anything savory. If I were to make a meal plan what would you recommend?
If you weren't eating enough you would still be losing weight. You HAVE to start keeping track of your calories. Start with logging every bite and every sip (other than plain water) you take in your food diary. A food scale, while not a necessity, will help you to understand what a proper portion is.0 -
Honestly, it doesn't matter how much you work out or what type of workout you do if you don't know how many calories are going in. A person increases about 2 inches on their waste due to a caloric surplus....and that surplus can come from ANY type of food.
+1 Honestly rule number 1 about this site and losing weight is the creation of a calorie deficit. You really are being rather damatic, whereas if youd read the stickies and understood how weight loss works then you wouldnt get yourself into such a tizz.
80% of losing weight is portion control and creating a calorie deficit. This is something you have decided to skip because you cant be bothered whereas the vast majority of people who lose weight calorie count.
Lean protein, fruit and veg is all well and good but if you are eating too much of it and more than your body needs then you put on weight. Get your deficit/ diet sorted out and you will lose weight.
You have the luxury of a trainer, he will focus on weights because you cna do cardio on your own. Pick your machine of choice or do 10mins on each, do what you can manage and gardually increase effort or duration. You will burn calories directly. keep pushing yourself each week. To lose 1lb from the gym youd need to burn 3500 calories, which is a lot, so more likely look at burning 250-500. Walk a bit as well.
You are the author of your own predicament and some good calorie counting plus reading the forums could have helped you avoid the negative feelings youve had. Imo people should do a balance of cardio and weights as they have different benefits.
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I'm speechless seeing so many replies in such a short time. I really want to thank all of you. I guess it's the food I need to watch. I don't think I'm eating enough. So conserving more food than I need is not my problem. Half the time I'm starving because I'm running around at work or stuck at meeting where I can't even snack.
I have 2 meals a day, lunch and dinner. I try to eat one of those yogurt with low calories as a snack and that's pretty much my breakfast and snack before lunch. I really don't know how much food I can take out of my diet.
Also, I hate fruits because they are sweet. I'm more into really spicy food or sour or anything savory. If I were to make a meal plan what would you recommend?
You should really log your food to see how many calories you're eating. Right now, you're just guessing.
If you were undereating, you would still be losing weight, definitely not gaining.0 -
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I'm speechless seeing so many replies in such a short time. I really want to thank all of you. I guess it's the food I need to watch. I don't think I'm eating enough. So conserving more food than I need is not my problem. Half the time I'm starving because I'm running around at work or stuck at meeting where I can't even snack.
I have 2 meals a day, lunch and dinner. I try to eat one of those yogurt with low calories as a snack and that's pretty much my breakfast and snack before lunch. I really don't know how much food I can take out of my diet.
Also, I hate fruits because they are sweet. I'm more into really spicy food or sour or anything savory. If I were to make a meal plan what would you recommend?
No.
Go buy a food scale. You are not eating too little, if you were eating too little you would be losing weight. Calorie deficit = lose weight. Log your food accurately. Don't guess. Figure out your TDEE and eat below that by about 20%. Calculate your BMR and make sure you do not eat below that. BMR is what your body needs to function. If you really want this, you will research these things and be honest with yourself.
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The first thing is to start logging, honestly. If you don't know how many calories are in what you're currently eating, how can you know where to reduce?0
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Losing fat has zilch to do with whether or not you do cardio. Cardiovascular work is good for the heart and cardiovascular system...weight training is good for your muscles and muscular skeletal structure.
Eating an appropriate amount of food as per your desired weight control goals and as per your stats and activity is what is going to determine if you achieve said goals...not the exercise you're doing.0 -
Quick question to everyone how do you count calories for homemade food? I would be still guessing when I use the Myfitnesspal calorie count.
As I said, most of my food is homemade. I'm Indian so we use a lot of spices in our food even if it's just a simple vegetable fry. specially when I drink coffee. I can find the calorie count for a cup of coffee. However, the size of cup varies. How do you know which size to count as? ( I drink a lot of coffee due do my work but not necessarily finish the entire cup of coffee so that's even more confusing)
This is why I don't calorie count. I end up guessing anyway. How do you do it?0 -
This thread at the top of this forum will explain it: community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101. For meals, there's a recipe builder to use. Click on the link to the old one on the right (as the new builder is extremely faulty), add in your ingredients, set the number of servings, and add it to your diary.0
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Good work with the weight training. This is something that will really help you get to the shape you want to be. Logging all your food will really help you get an idea of how much you can eat and still lose weight. Writing down everything will double the effect of everything else you do for weight loss. Even if you don't keep it up past a few months, what you learn while food journaling will make the weight loss journey easier.
There are online calculators that can help you to figure out the old Weight Watchers points system for free. It is overly simplistic, but you only need to count up to 30, not 1200, to follow it. If you mostly eat the same things, you can enter your meals into a spreadsheet and copy and paste most of your intake from one day to the other. Using MFP will give you better feedback on things like mineral intake and macros.
That being said, the three times I've lost weight in my life without tracking my food were when I was jogging or doing Karate three times a week. Both of these burn 1000 calories/hour at my current weight, which increases my total daily energy expenditure per day by 1/2. But even when I'm doing cardio, tracking my food intake doubles the amount of weight loss.
Cardio is easiest if you find something you enjoy. You can create a playlist of dance music on youtube and rock out in your living room. Joining a club or taking a class will help you start out safely, as well as giving you social support and accountability. Or you can look up drills in your area of interest online, and create a home training program for yourself.
Always warm up and cool down. Try not to go full out when you do cardio. You will want to go for at least 10 minutes, so think about going at 70% effort, not 100%. You should be able to talk, but not sing. You can figure out your target heart rate for fat burning from online resources. Make sure you are going above 60% of your maximum heart rate.
If you want to jog or run, try a walk to run program. If the couch to 5k program is too intense for you, start out with fewer intervals (i.e. 6 min walk to 1 min jog 3x 1st week sessions, 6 min walk to 2 min jog 3x 2nd week sessions) and longer walk portions. I found intervals make jogging more interesting and less painful. Be patient with yourself and take your time to achieve your goals safely.
While exercising will give your energy expenditure a boost, your body will adapt within a few months, and your results will slow down unless you get a handle on your calories in/out. I hope you find a way to manage journaling your food intake. Good luck
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Use MFP Recipe creator to make your own recipes, weigh all the foods in your recipe and portion it out in a way that makes the most sense. That will be more accurate than choosing random homemade dishes on MFP.
People log coffee, but I tend not to, but I DO log the milk/almond milk/ or cream that I put in it. But I also leave 100+ calories on my diary just in case.
Use MFP to count your calories for you, especially if you eat many of the same foods, it will keep all of that pretty handy to re-add on a daily basis. Add the app to your phone. The more you log, the easier it will get everyday. It takes me less than a couple min to log all my food in for the day. You can also take the time to pre-log to help you keep on track for the next day.0 -
I lost 129lb. Last week I just qualified as a Fitness professional. Diet and exercise is something that is personal for everyone. First of all, are you male or female? What is your body type, i.e are you naturall thin etc. I am naturally quite heavy- so I'm not going to be thin.
- My advice start to make small changes.
- Drink 2 litres (roughly 3 1/2 pints) a day.
- Find an exercise you do enjoy. Although research does suggest resistance training is the best
- Calories are not calories, what I mean is a calorie deficit, is good but isn't the whole picture!
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