Confused on how to go about this? :(

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mehreen_xo
mehreen_xo Posts: 78 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys so I have lost weight in the past but I have recently put some of it back on :( I am hoping to lose around 30lbs, but idk whether to go for cardio only (as I did before) or incorporate weights too. I have read that incorporating weights means you build muscle which allows youn to continue burning calories afterwards. Is there any truth to this?? Also does it matter when I work out because last time I lost weight I worked out first thing in the morning but due to exams and stuff coming up, if I try and exercise in the morning now (i usually do an hour of running and walking hiit) I feel tired for the rest of the day and can’t study - how can I overcome this? I am really impatient so want to see results quickly that is my problem so is it best for me to do cardio alone or weights too? And is time of workout an issue? Thanks so much to anyone who can help me out!!!

Replies

  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
    edited March 2018
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    Calories are what matter for weight loss - getting your intake under control will help you achieve your goal...put your stats in to MFP and get a calorie goal for weight loss, remembering that this the amount to eat before exercise.

    Exercise for health - do what you enjoy. Cardio will help you burn more calories, doing weights will help you maintain the muscle you have (and in a few special conditions, you may increase your muscle mass in a deficit).

  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    Exercise whenever works best for you. You won't build much if any muscle in a calorie deficit, but weights can help you maintain the muscle you have while you lose weight.

    Losing weight quickly is why so many people yo-yo diet. They crash diet eating food they hate while forcing themselves to slog through a lot of exercise, then when they reach goal they go back to the way they used to live and gain most of it back.

    With 30 lbs to lose, you should set your goal to lose 1 lb per week. Eat the calories your given, incorporating as many of your fave foods as you can. Do exercises you enjoy. Learn to find a way to eat and exercise that keeps you happy and healthy at the right calorie level so you don't have to come back and lose it again in a couple of years. Good luck :drinker:
  • raindawg
    raindawg Posts: 348 Member
    edited March 2018
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    My layman's understanding of your questions. There's truth to the adding muscle will burn more calories at rest however, the amount is negligible (not much). Timing of working out doesn't matter for weight loss. Cardio burns more calories than weight lifting. I do both cardio and wieght lifting, but I eat back my exercise calories. I use my net calorie goal to lose weight, and exercise for strength and health.

    Expecting quick results is a recipe for dissappointment. Weight loss should be slow and steady in my book. My goal is 22 lbs so I expect the process to take about 22 weeks if not longer due to plateau weeks toward the end.
  • RadishEater
    RadishEater Posts: 470 Member
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    CICO aka calories in, calories out is the best way to lose weight.

    Pick the exercise program/schedule that is sustainable for you. For me, I space out my intense cardio on days when I don't have to do something mentally strenuous for the next two hours afterwards.

    You might consider mixing up your workout doing some days of strength training and some days of cardio, but being able to keep with it will help you in the long run

  • mehreen_xo
    mehreen_xo Posts: 78 Member
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    Thanks so much guys, really helped.
    @kimny72 you are so right. Last time I followed a strict plan of 1200 calories and one hour of cardio a day and I lost fast (~45lbs in 6 months) butttt I went back to my normal way of eating when I was comfortable with my weight :( my problem is though that I think 1200 calories is the magic number for weight loss (maybe because it worked for me so well before) that I think if I eat any more than this I will not lose weight. Need to stop with this mentality as it’s literally just making me yo yo and I always told myself I wouldn’t be a yo yo dieter yet here I am :smiley: lol
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
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    mehreen_xo wrote: »
    Thanks so much guys, really helped.
    @kimny72 you are so right. Last time I followed a strict plan of 1200 calories and one hour of cardio a day and I lost fast (~45lbs in 6 months) butttt I went back to my normal way of eating when I was comfortable with my weight :( my problem is though that I think 1200 calories is the magic number for weight loss (maybe because it worked for me so well before) that I think if I eat any more than this I will not lose weight. Need to stop with this mentality as it’s literally just making me yo yo and I always told myself I wouldn’t be a yo yo dieter yet here I am :smiley: lol

    Wouldn't eating more in less restrictive way but losing more slowly, be a better plan than losing quick on an overly restrictive intake then piling it all back on?

    1200 cals has been spouted as a magic number for women's diets, but its unnecessarily low for most.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    mehreen_xo wrote: »
    Thanks so much guys, really helped.
    @kimny72 you are so right. Last time I followed a strict plan of 1200 calories and one hour of cardio a day and I lost fast (~45lbs in 6 months) butttt I went back to my normal way of eating when I was comfortable with my weight :( my problem is though that I think 1200 calories is the magic number for weight loss (maybe because it worked for me so well before) that I think if I eat any more than this I will not lose weight. Need to stop with this mentality as it’s literally just making me yo yo and I always told myself I wouldn’t be a yo yo dieter yet here I am :smiley: lol

    Yes, stop it! :lol: I was 5'4" 145lbs and I lost weight eating 1500 cals, and I wasn't very active. Very few people (mostly short, sedentary, older women) have to eat 1200 cals to lose. Just give yourself some time once you start logging to really look at what you're eating in black and white. What fills you up? Where are you wasting calories? What gives you energy? Start tweaking from there. Once you find that eating pattern that gets you at the right number effortlessly, you're golden!
  • mehreen_xo
    mehreen_xo Posts: 78 Member
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    Yes I suppose I need to stop being so unrealistic and lower my expectations; thanks guys I’ll take on board the advice, I’m gonna go slow and steady.
    Also is it true that doing too much cardio can actually lead to depletion of muscle mass? because I don’t want that. If it’s not true then I’m not going to incorporate weight training because itll be pointless for me if it’s not adding any muscle since I’m in a deficit.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
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    mehreen_xo wrote: »
    Yes I suppose I need to stop being so unrealistic and lower my expectations; thanks guys I’ll take on board the advice, I’m gonna go slow and steady.
    Also is it true that doing too much cardio can actually lead to depletion of muscle mass? because I don’t want that. If it’s not true then I’m not going to incorporate weight training because itll be pointless for me if it’s not adding any muscle since I’m in a deficit.

    Weight training helps retain muscle. When you're in a deficit you will lose both muscle and fat - trying to keep as much muscle as possible is a good idea as regaining it takes time, and your physique when you get to your goal will likely be closer to the look you want to achieve.
  • raindawg
    raindawg Posts: 348 Member
    edited March 2018
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    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    mehreen_xo wrote: »
    Yes I suppose I need to stop being so unrealistic and lower my expectations; thanks guys I’ll take on board the advice, I’m gonna go slow and steady.
    Also is it true that doing too much cardio can actually lead to depletion of muscle mass? because I don’t want that. If it’s not true then I’m not going to incorporate weight training because itll be pointless for me if it’s not adding any muscle since I’m in a deficit.

    Weight training helps retain muscle. When you're in a deficit you will lose both muscle and fat - trying to keep as much muscle as possible is a good idea as regaining it takes time, and your physique when you get to your goal will likely be closer to the look you want to achieve.

    This is spot on..... I think the "won't add any muscle in deficit" is one of the most mis-interpreted sayings on MFP. Most people that say they want to "add" muscle are really saying they want to add some muscle/tone to their physical appearance.

    Just as you pointed out, if you lift during deficit you won't gain new muscle but you will retain what you have. What you have will eventually be uncovered by the fat loss and you will have this new muscle/tone appearance at the end. It will look like you gained muscle......You didn't add muscle but you kept what you already had underneath and you've now uncovered it.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,170 Member
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    mehreen_xo wrote: »
    Yes I suppose I need to stop being so unrealistic and lower my expectations; thanks guys I’ll take on board the advice, I’m gonna go slow and steady.
    Also is it true that doing too much cardio can actually lead to depletion of muscle mass? because I don’t want that. If it’s not true then I’m not going to incorporate weight training because itll be pointless for me if it’s not adding any muscle since I’m in a deficit.

    No, cardio doesn't deplete muscle, unless it's part of dangerously, unnecessarily fast weight loss. It's common to lose some lean tissue alongside fat loss, but strength training and eating adequate protein while losing are the best strategies to preserve as much muscle as possible.

    You can also do as much cardio as fits comfortably into your life and schedule, while not making you so fatigued it leads you to be less energetic in your daily non-exercise life. (Reduced activity because of fatigue can actually offset some of the calories burned through exercise: Not a good thing!)

    If you're new(ish) to exercise, it can be good to gradually increase exercise time and intensity at first, to find the sweet spot where you get good calorie burn, but it energizes rather than drains you.

    Best wishes!

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