is 10 mins of exercise 2 or 3 times a day enough for weightloss??

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rachealjane24
rachealjane24 Posts: 10 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hi im a mum of 2 young kids and am finding im only able to get 10mins a couple of times a day of cardio. I havent exercised in 15 years. Do you think this will be ok to start with??
I've been doing it for a month now and am not loosing any kilos yet but feel great in terms of energy.
I have read that 40mins is the optimal amout for weight loss.
Thanks in advance :)

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  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
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    Hi im a mum of 2 young kids and am finding im only able to get 10mins a couple of times a day of cardio. I havent exercised in 15 years. Do you think this will be ok to start with??

    That's a good start in terms of getting in better shape, but it's much much more about what you eat and how much you eat, and much less about how much you exercise.

    I have read that 40mins is the optimal amout for weight loss.

    Not sure where you heard that, but it's basically complete BS. Just disregard that. Longer duration exercise will burn more calories. Weight loss comes down to calorie deficit.
  • entwife
    entwife Posts: 134 Member
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    Good for you!!! I think that's *great* to start with, do what you can and be proud of it. Its so hard to find time and energy for yourself when you have little kids. There is a group here for moms, maybe join in there and you'll find lots of parents in the same boat.
  • rachealjane24
    rachealjane24 Posts: 10 Member
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    awesome, thanks for that. I have been on strictly 1200 to 1230 calories for one month with no weightloss :( but i do only have 5 to 8 kilos to lose.
    and mapmywalk and myfitnesspal say i burn at least 100calories of exercise a day. Sounds like i may need to increase my cardio wherever i can.
  • robertw486
    robertw486 Posts: 2,390 Member
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    If you eat in a calorie deficit and just want to lose weight, you can do it without ANY extra exercise if you want. But adding exercise can increase the calorie deficit when you want it, and adds the bonus of getting more fit along with losing weight.

    But to be honest, 10 minutes isn't much time. You should also have some time to warm up a little, and that leaves you with very little time to burn calories.
  • rachealjane24
    rachealjane24 Posts: 10 Member
    edited October 2015
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    see i mostly do my 10 mins cardio later in the morning so i've already warmed up lots of muscles wrangling two little kids, hehe.
    So once i get my 10mins here and there i go full power for 10mins if you know what i mean :)
  • entwife
    entwife Posts: 134 Member
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    Have you worked out your BMR? 1200 is the absolute minimum you should be eating...
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
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    Any exercise - regardless of length - is good! :D

    You don't necessarily need exercise to lose weight. Exercise is fantastic for definition and all round health but for weight loss and weight loss alone, it's the calorie deficit that's important. So tighten up that logging and stay strong! :)
  • rachealjane24
    rachealjane24 Posts: 10 Member
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    Thank you! I didnt know what BMR was, but i have now googled it and it turns out mine is 1273. So is that how much i should eat or my total after excercise??
  • rachealjane24
    rachealjane24 Posts: 10 Member
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    some random bmr website says:

    "To lose weight, you need to reduce your caloric intake below your total daily calorie requirements indicated by your Basal Metabolic Rate + your activity level.

    Putting yourself in a 500-calorie deficit per day should result in the lost of one pound (0.5 Kg) per week."


    And then recommended i eat only 1028 calories a day!!! Surely that cant be right?
  • entwife
    entwife Posts: 134 Member
    edited October 2015
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    No that's not quite right. BMR is the absolute minimum you need to eat in order for your body to function for the day - breathing, moving, brain function etc, usually around 1200 for a standard woman. Eating this amount can cause your body to hang onto weight because it's conserving energy - famine mode.
    As i understand it, most women should eat about 1700-2000 calories a day to maintain weight. If you want to lose, cut those calories by 200-400 but eating 1200 is the bare minimum especially if you're running around after little kiddies.

    I'll see if i can find a good explanation for you. Dunno if I'll get slammed for ^^^, not sure what's pc around here lol
  • entwife
    entwife Posts: 134 Member
    edited October 2015
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    Here you go, you might need to copy and paste the links in your browser, i can't link from the app
    First calculate your BMR
    http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator
    Second calculate your daily calorie needs
    http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-benedict-equation/

    I'm sure there's somewhere on mfp that explains this too, and your account settings should work it out too, I'm just not familiar with it
    *edit : there you go, the links work! *
  • rachealjane24
    rachealjane24 Posts: 10 Member
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    Thank you so much! Makes so much more sense now :)
  • entwife
    entwife Posts: 134 Member
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    You're welcome. I hope I have understand it right, to lose weight you need to eat more than your BMR but less than your daily calorie needs. The greater the deficit, the more you 'should' lose (in a perfect world lol!) but the closer your eat to your BMR, the more likely your body is to conserve calories.
    *Maybe* you haven't been losing because you have been eating close to 1200.
  • ammo7
    ammo7 Posts: 188 Member
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    entwife wrote: »
    The greater the deficit, the more you 'should' lose (in a perfect world lol!) but the closer your eat to your BMR, the more likely your body is to conserve calories.
    *Maybe* you haven't been losing because you have been eating close to 1200.

    I just thought I should mention that this conservation idea (also called "starvation mode" by a lot of people) is a myth. If you eat "too little" then you will continue to lose weight, beyond what is healthy - if this is not how it worked, then it would be literally impossible to be underweight, or to starve to death.

    If you are interested, read through this article:
    http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/

    I'm not meaning to be rude, just trying to be clear. Good luck with your weight loss goals, OP, I think it's great that you're making healthy changes in your life.
  • entwife
    entwife Posts: 134 Member
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    Not rude at all, I'm happy to be educated, no worries about that :) I don't trust that source though, no offence intended. Who wrote it, why should I accept they are an expert, why do they only reference one study from 1945 via Wikipedia? I know starvation mode is hotly debated, I also know how much a family member with an eating disorder is suffering from a calorie deficit.

    All I know is I have experienced it myself, eating too little and not losing weight. I'm not putting myself forward as a scientific experiment or anything, but I personally lost weight for about 3 weeks and then it stalled. Then I increased my calories because I was h.u.n.g.r.y. all.day.long. And then promptly fell off the weightloss wagon for another 6 months, so there that story ends.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    edited October 2015
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    Starvation mode is not a myth. Perhaps not the best name for adaptive thermogenesis or metabolic efficiency

    The side effects associated with it though are usually for actually starving and therefore are a myth.
    But the way you said it actually is accurate. You didn't quote a myth.
    I guess the reference above was not read well by the one quoting it.
    Though without any stats no one could know where 1200 is in the scheme of the OP's deficit amount.
    It absolutely cannot be said that is average BMR for women though. It's recommended as failsafe bare minimum to get in all required nutrients for average sedentary woman eating average type meals.
    But no need to be as bad as average, and no need to do bare minimum.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1077746-starvation-mode-adaptive-thermogenesis-and-weight-loss

    http://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/truth-about-metabolic-damage

    The how it is accomplished.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i_cmltmQ6A

    More encouraging study that you can get out of it.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/heybales/view/reduced-metabolism-tdee-beyond-expected-from-weight-loss-616251


    To OP - you've gotten some good principles regarding exercise is NOT for weight loss - side effect is usually water weight gain actually.
    Eating less than you burn in total by reasonable amount (and 1200 may not be) can cause fat/weight loss.
    Make it unreasonable to include muscle mass - which you'll regret sooner and later.

    Yes several 10 min sessions can increase what you burn daily - so that when you eat less than that you are eating more than if you didn't do the exercise.
    And that may just help you adhere better to a calorie level. Rather eat 1500 or 1700 in a day?
    Most would rather eat more than less - why else would they be here needing to lose (except for those purposely bulking and cutting).
  • lseed87
    lseed87 Posts: 1,105 Member
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    Better than nothing

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