Home workout question!

arilukaszewicz1 wrote: »

Hi guys, I currently weigh 233 pounds and I am 5’7 (I am a women) and I would like to get down to 160....
I was planning on following my fitness pal while I do home workout videos on YouTube for free and also go on brisk walks daily with my child.

Do you think I will be able to lose weight? Any tips for me? I can’t afford a gym membership now and I am a SAHM of a 8 month old so I have to find something that works for my lifestyle. TIA

I agree with the information above. Weight loss always comes from a calorie deficit, professionals often recommend exercise with losing weight because it helps create a deficit, and plus you get the health benefits from it. You don't have to exercise to lose weight, just eat less than your body burns, but usually when you exercise (depending on intensity), you can eat some of those exercise calories back.

Logging your food accuratley will bring wonders, so if you don't have a food scale already, I would invest in one.

I lost weight with mfp and mostly home workouts. Doing videos with dumbbells really helps. I started with 30 day shred, sets of pushups, and treadmill walks. You can "get toned" if you do some resistance/strength training as you lose weight.

I exercise at home and by walking and have been successful so far. If the videos you choose use hand weights you can hold canned goods or water bottles in your hands in lieu of them. Or you can just make a fist and do the exercise without holding weights.

Your food diary is your most important tool. So focus there first. Add exercise a little at a time do you don’t get overwhelmed or burn yourself out.

I do workout videos, walk, lift, ride bikes, and track my calories of course. Yes you can lose without exercise but exercise will help maintain muscle and make you stronger in many ways. Cardio is good for your heart, lifting is good for your muscles and bones. Especially for women who lose bone density with age and menopause later in life.

arilukaszewicz1 wrote: »

malibu927 wrote: »

Weight loss comes from your calorie deficit, not from exercise (unless you're using exercise to create your deficit). As long as you're logging everything as accurately as possible, you will lose.

True, I guess my question is will I get toned from doing that?

Toning is a word a lot of people use, and some use it in varying ways. If you mean look firmer, tighter, maybe a little bit more muscular but not "bulky" or bulging, then yes, you can do that with home workouts.

There are two general things that are needed to look toned in that sense:

One is to challenge yourself with exercise, especially exercise that increases strength. By "challenge" I don't mean exhaust yourself or anything, but rather just doing things that are a little bit hard rather than lackadaisical/easy all the time.

The other is to lose body fat until the strengthened and firmed muscles show up a little bit under your skin (a thicker layer of fat can hide even quite strong muscles).

There are plenty of exercise videos on Youtube or similar places that are free and will accomplish this. Anything that makes your muscles a little sore is increasing strength (you don't need to be in pain all the time, don't worry - just feel it a little). If you've been quite inactive, even basic walking fitness videos will do this at first. As you get fitter, you may have to do harder things to be challenged in order to make continued progress.

Including some strength exercise 2-3 times a week right away will help you retain your existing muscle as you lose weight, and give you the fastest progress. This can be bodyweight exercises, or weights. Some video programs tell you how to use things you have around the house as if they were weights.

If, like some women, you're worried that you might get "too bulky", don't worry. Women don't get super muscular easily or quickly. Even women who are trying for that have to work really hard for a long time! To build muscle, we women need to work quite hard, and it's very slow. It's even slower when losing weight at the same time. So, you'll have plenty of time to pay attention to how you look, and switch from building strength to maintaining it when you get the look you like. No one wakes up looking dramatically different overnight!

And don't worry either about my saying that it's hard to gain muscle while you're losing weight. When we first start out with strength improvement, we can get much stronger - which is so useful in daily life, and tends to look more "toned" - even before adding any new muscle tissue. (It happens because the first effect is recruiting and utilizing our existing muscles more efficiently.)

So, yes, definitely get started with at home video programs and other home workouts. Try some different ones, and you'll find what you enjoy and what works well for you.

P.S. As others have said, the weight loss part is mainly about matching your intake to your activity level, so that you eat fewer calories than you burn most days via daily life and exercise. (Good nutrition is also important for health, of course. ). The exercise helps you burn a few more calories along the way, helps you retain your existing muscles as you lose fat, helps your fitness improve, helps your appearance, and promotes overall good health.