I think I'm doing everything right, I just need advice

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workout_ninja
workout_ninja Posts: 524 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I'm back on track and I want to lose about 20lbs to get back down to a comfortable healthy weight. I'm eating well, I'm logging and I'm exercising. I losing inches but no weight. I've lost 3 inches from my body in the last 3 weeks but no weight loss. I know that means I'm doing well but I'm a bit concerned about my workouts. I've increased the intensity so I'm doing lots of hiit and weight lifting but no steady state cardio. My boss told me today that I have to do at least 2 steady state cardio workouts a week for at least 40 minutes at 75% effort. Now I'm confused. Is he right? Do I have to do it as I like hiit as its not boring and I'm getting cardio in there too. Help!

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  • legsnbacon
    legsnbacon Posts: 122 Member
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    I think you should stick with something longer than 3 weeks before you start changing it up because it's not working.

  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
    edited January 2017
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    Just keep doing what you are doing. Steady state cardio is not necessary for weight loss- only fewer calories in than out. I much prefer hiit and weight lifting and am losing weight doing just that- no need to waste hours of your week bored on the treadmill!

    If you are new to exercise that could be the reason you are losing inches but not yet weight- you could be retaining water perhaps from that or from other things like hormones, change in diet, etc. Give it more time to see weight loss but losing inches is a great start!

    If after a month or 2 you are still not seeing weight loss then I would guess your calories might be set too high or you could be overestimating calories burned and eating back too many exercise calories- but for now don't change anything and ignore your boss.

    One tip- you say you're doing "lots" of weight lifting and hiit... make sure you include rest days in your schedule too you shouldn't be training hard every single day of the week, your body needs 1 or 2 rest days a week to repair muscle and recover. If you want you could do stretching or foam rolling or yoga or walking (or even steady state cardio if you want) on these days, but take a break from weight lifting and high intensity exercise for a couple days out of the week.

    Also do make sure you're meeting your protein goal. I like to think of my protein intake not as a limit but as a minimum. That will help recovery and strength and even body fat loss. You can check your macronutrients in "nutrition" under "nutrients".
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    you're probably just retaining a bit of water from the high intensity workouts you've started... just keep at it and the scale will move.
  • jessicalferrara
    jessicalferrara Posts: 59 Member
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    I am with you! I lost inches and fitting into clothes I wasn't before I started Orangetheory Fitness, but the scale wasn't moving. However, now, two months into it, I have lost 11 pounds. I was confused as to why I wasn't losing weight either, as Orangetheory are HIIT workouts, but I just stuck with it, and now the weight seems to be coming off. I just don't have any reason as to why it has taken so long.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    edited January 2017
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    TavistockToad wrote: »
    you're probably just retaining a bit of water from the high intensity workouts you've started... just keep at it and the scale will move.

    What @TavistockToad said.

    HIIT and weightlifting causes lots of micro-tears in the muscles, which then retain water to help them repair and remain strong.

    After a long run (say, 21 km) my weight will go up a couple of kilograms due to Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (the name associated with this muscle repair water retention). My weight falls again a few days later.

    This is all perfectly natural, and should not deter anyone from their preferred type of exercise.
  • stylzemail
    stylzemail Posts: 33 Member
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    Your boss correct --- he talking about to speed up "fat loss to get toned up" body. There are different styles of cardio.
    Some speed walk, jump rope, jogging, kungfu, running, sprinting,, Marcy machine, aerobics step classes ECT. But you can loose body fat weight without exercise . Just occurres- slower.
  • stylzemail
    stylzemail Posts: 33 Member
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    Here's a example : of what Bruce Lee did.

    On empty stomach early morning jogging/sprinting Breakfast protein shake he used a blender at his home. , lunch skipped it , dinner vegetables with 8oz. Rice , and 8 ounces meat. (He did not eat a lot of meats). His drink at dinner - china teas. Did his weight training and kungfu on alternating days.... see his cardio level was high, doing different things for 6 days week. Weight training M.W.F see how low his body fat was. NOTE: the carbs low daily .
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    If you aren't losing weight, I would suspect you are measuring your inches wrong. If you've recently started exercising, the reason you haven't lost weight may be because your hanging onto more water than before. You should start to see weight loss soon if you are eating at a deficit. Cardio is good but it isn't required for weight loss. For that matter, you don't even have to exercise to lose weight.
  • KiraCharman
    KiraCharman Posts: 90 Member
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    It will come in time. If you need any help add me hun
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    What are your boss' qualifications such that you're worried about his opinion on this?
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
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    TavistockToad wrote: »
    you're probably just retaining a bit of water from the high intensity workouts you've started... just keep at it and the scale will move.

    This

    Also, you can do exactly zero minutes of cardio and lose weight. There are people who are physically unable to exercise due to disabilities, or people bedridden or in the hospital, etc, and can still lose weight. They just eat less calories than they burn. Even at rest, your body burns calories. Cardio is healthy for your heart and is nice for the high calorie burns, but not a requirement.
  • 120onceagainandforever
    120onceagainandforever Posts: 5 Member
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    When you start dieting and lifting weights at the same time, it is normal to stay in the same weight for a little while . That doesn't mean that you are not losing fat weight, but rather than you are losing it and on top of that, you are building muscle, since muscle weighs more than fat, you stay at around the same weight, until your muscle growth stabilizes. This is good!

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