Exercise for Loss

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lynnskaggs
lynnskaggs Posts: 11 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
instead of hi-jacking someone's post, I'll start my own. Who can recommend the best exercise for weight loss? I need examples, talk to me like I'm gym dumb...
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  • lynnskaggs
    lynnskaggs Posts: 11 Member
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    thanks in advance
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
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    When I was losing 58 pounds I walked. Almost every day, outside weather permitting. There were some great hills near my house. As I got fitter I walked faster. Did couch to 5k but had to stop when I hurt my foot and went back to walking. Lots of people love the elliptical because it's low impact. I personally hate it and would rather walk on a treadmill.

    Most people will recommend that you incorporate strength training as well to combat loss of lean body mass. A lot depends on you current fitness level.
  • __TMac__
    __TMac__ Posts: 1,665 Member
    edited February 2017
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    As long as you're operating on a calorie deficit, you should lose. Exercises that help most with that are cardio ones that you can do consistently and over a longer period of time. So depending on your current fitness level, the specific exercise and appropriate intensity will change.
  • ladyreva78
    ladyreva78 Posts: 4,080 Member
    edited February 2017
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    The best exercise to lose weight is the one you will do consistently, i.e. the one you enjoy doing.

    I go to the gym 2x a week because I enjoy making them muscles work. I also walk nearly every lunch break just because the forest is so pretty this time of year (it's stormy outside today... forest is still pretty :wink: ). I started a C25K program because I enjoy running (and realized that my skill does not match my enthusiasm, ergo the program). I'm planning on buying a bike. Don't know yet if I'll enjoy it, but I know I did as a kid, so there's hope.

    I used to go figure skating until I *kittened* up my knees. I used to go fencing until my *kittened* knees stopped that too. Walking and physiotherapy made it so that I can start thinking about those again.

    I'd go roller bladeing if there were any practicable paths around here.

    But I'll repeat myself... the best exercise to lose weight is the one you will do consistently, i.e. the one you enjoy doing.
  • Rawr619
    Rawr619 Posts: 82 Member
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    There isn't necessarily a "best" exercise to do to lose weight. Just moving more burns calories. So I would recommend finding a type of exercise you enjoy (be it walking, jogging, bike riding, weight lifting, zumba, rock climbing, whatever else..) that you enjoy and you will be more likely to stick with it.

    I tried to be a runner for years. I got up to running 5 miles at a time and hated every second of it. I finally said I wasn't going to focus on it anymore. I started rock climbing, and I'm obsessed with it. I really look forward to doing it. I would try to find something you enjoy doing. I had to drag myself out of bed to run in the morning, but I am so excited to rock climbing I can't wait to get there.

    Maybe try several different things and see what excites you? If you can find something you enjoy you will be much more likely to stick with it.
  • Fallfrenzy
    Fallfrenzy Posts: 118 Member
    edited February 2017
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    Ditto on what others have indicated. Generally any aerobic activity will burn more calories during that exercise session. It can be eliptical, exercise bike or even treadmill. If you like it outdoors, you can always walk and/or work towards running a 5K, if you are likely to stick with it if you have a goal. There are plenty of couch to 5K workouts that you can find on-line.

    If you so desire, strength training is good to tone muscles. It doesn't make you look like a body builder or anything if you keep the weights low and reps higher. Muscle burns more calories when you are at rest, versus during the actual workout. There are great youtube videos out there as well from fitness blender and others. You can search for upper body, lower body or whole body strength training and should be able to find something that suits you. Also, muscle weighs more than fat if you do this.

    What I tend to do is either run/walk, exercise bike, or elliptical for aerobic activity 3-4X a week for 2-30 minutes at a time. If you are not used to it, start off with less time and difficulty and build up. If you are breathing heavy, this is the time to take the difficulty level and/or time down. For strength training, I do lots of exercises including bicep curls, tricep dips, shoulder presses, push-ups, and many more for upper body. For lower body I do squats, leg presses, hamstring curls and hip raises, etc. Start off with low repetitions with lower weights. It may be worth talking to one of the staff at your gym, if you are not sure of where to start.

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,564 Member
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    A calorie deficit is how you lose weight. Do some combination of cardio and strength/resistance training that you enjoy and can progress on, but ultimately if you aren't making sure you're eating less than you burn (overall, not just through exercise) you might not see results.
  • ogtmama
    ogtmama Posts: 1,403 Member
    edited February 2017
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    I think whatever you enjoy and will put full energy into often. I've had great success with walking (I found a beautiful hilly long trail in the middle of my city with a playground at the end and leads me to stay moving with my toddler for a few hours a day) and now in the winter I've really been enjoying spin (I preferred bodypump but my knees won't allow it as often as i'd like)...yoga is good for days when I don't have the energy for a big workout but still need to move to earn a little leeway in the diet.


    Eta: @ladyreva78...I can't believe I didn't read your post before I wrote mine!
  • lynnskaggs
    lynnskaggs Posts: 11 Member
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    I am currently taking a strength training class once a week and plan to continue that, I do the elliptical 3-4 times a week and spend some Sundays swimming with the kids, my friends and I have done a couple 5ks and plan to do our next in March so now I'll switch from elliptical to the track. I also try to incorporate some specific muscle group days...I'm a pretty big person overall, so I'm not looking to gain much muscle but need to tone and expose what I have.
    thanks for all the tips....I just had read on another post someone saying they would recommend a certain type of exercise and wanted more information on it.
  • successgal1
    successgal1 Posts: 996 Member
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    Exercise does not, on its own, cause weight loss. Being in a calorie deficit causes weight loss. Cardio type exercise in general, gives you a nice calorie burn that can help you maintain a calorie deficit while possibly allowing you to eat more.

    Strength training doesn't burn as many calories, but will help with shaping your body underneath the fat.

    Where many, including myself, struggle, is that when exercising my body retains lots of water, therefore I show little, if any, weight loss on the scale, and this is EXTREMELY frustrating.

    Now is an excellent time to take all of your measurements. I took mine on 12/17 and checked a few times between then and today. Beside the general observance of looser clothing, I have lost almost 2 inches around waist and lower stomach/pelvis. I have only "lost" 3 lbs on the scale. I'm noting much more muscle definition in my arms and legs, and of course those muscles are larger then they were before.

    The lowest weight I've noticed is 160, last week, I was 162.4 this morning with sore legs from lunges last night, I was 165.8 on 12/17. If I went strictly by the scale I'd be very upset over a perceived only 3ish pounds lost in almost 2 months.

    I look forward to the day when the scale notices the fat loss again. If I took 2 full rest days to recover that might do it, but on those days I have to stick to 1200 calories and that can be annoying.

    Anyway, any cardio is good for calorie deficit, walking at a good pace is cardio. I combine step aerobics with general aerobics (a dance type routine). Once my legs adapted to the workout, I started seeing loss on the scale, the 1.25lb loss or so I week I strive for. Any cardio is good, if you want to workout at home just turn on youtube, there's a gazillion workouts on there. No need for a gym. To me a gym is for when you've outgrown your home dumbbell set. LOL.

    When I just picked up the strength training again last night, the scale jumps up because of water. But I know from past experience that I can drop another size in about 2.5 weeks with this workout, though the scale probably won't show much.

    So, not a short answer, but I hope it helps you figure out how you want to exercise!
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    you don't have to exercise to lose weight.

    You need to eat less than your burn to do that and some people do that without ever exercising.

    So if you want to lose weight eat in a deficit...if you want to have more calories to eat? exercise...if you want to be fit exercise...

    If you want to exercise choose one you love or the least objectionable one you can find.
  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,641 Member
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    JoeCWV wrote: »
    The best exercise for weight loss is exercising your discipline and maintaining a calorie deficit. Cardio burns a lot of calories, which will get you in better condition and allow you to eat more. Weight training builds/retains muscle which will cause you to lose a higher percentage of fat.

    I'm going with this. Well put.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,131 Member
    edited February 2017
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    I had to admit at some point that I could not exercise enough to allow me to eat the way I wanted. It is too easy to over-eat my calories so for me weight loss happens in the kitchen. Learning to cook and tracking all my foods and figuring out how to be happy on less was the most important thing.

    Exercise is great! It's fun and it helps my body remain healthy and helps with anxiety and sleep, but it isn't for "losing weight fast." That's all about the food for me. So, fork put-downs and table push-aways are the best.

  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
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    I lost 80% of my weight walking and using MFP to keep a deficit. I'd walk as fast as I could as far as I could on a daily basis (well 6 days a week). I'd eat back half of those calories estimated either by steps or by app with a HRM. Exercise itself doesn't lose you weight, it's the calories you burn doing it. Stay in a deficit, exercise will allow you to simply eat more and still lose weight.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,564 Member
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    lynnskaggs wrote: »
    I am currently taking a strength training class once a week and plan to continue that, I do the elliptical 3-4 times a week and spend some Sundays swimming with the kids, my friends and I have done a couple 5ks and plan to do our next in March so now I'll switch from elliptical to the track. I also try to incorporate some specific muscle group days...I'm a pretty big person overall, so I'm not looking to gain much muscle but need to tone and expose what I have.
    thanks for all the tips....I just had read on another post someone saying they would recommend a certain type of exercise and wanted more information on it.

    The good news is you won't gain much muscle when losing weight, if any. Lifting will help you retain as much as possible and keep you from looking "skinny fat" when you reach your goal. But if you aren't experienced in lifting, a progressive full-body program will be your best bet. https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,719 Member
    edited February 2017
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    lynnskaggs wrote: »
    instead of hi-jacking someone's post, I'll start my own. Who can recommend the best exercise for weight loss? I need examples, talk to me like I'm gym dumb...
    Exercise isn't for weight loss. It's for fitness and health. One could exercise their heart out on a daily basis, but if they still eat more than they burn, they won't lose weight, they'll gain weight.
    That said, any exercise you like is FINE.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • Jules_farmgirl
    Jules_farmgirl Posts: 225 Member
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    When I got back on the wagon to lose the weight I regained, I started with walking on my treadmill. 15-20mins, slowly. I wasn't doing it to lose weight, because I knew my calorie deficit was doing that for me already. I was doing it to get my butt off the couch and get active again. I wasn't proud of what I had let myself become again. Now it's been 2.5months for me and I am up to over 60mins of working out 6x per week.

    Pick something you enjoy and start slow. If in a few weeks you don't like that anymore? Choose something new. I get bored so I like to switch up what I do, but I never miss a day.

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