Starting to get the hang of watching my calories.

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dawncarley22
dawncarley22 Posts: 4 Member
in Getting Started
I have pretty much eliminated all snacking but tonights supper was a doozy on the calorie count. Even making homemade food it seems hard to try and keep the calories down and so now I am going to hit my home gym to burn some of it off. I need some tips on some intense short workouts because I have limited time having 2 babies....I was impressed though and did 250 crunches with a 10lb weight in just 12 minutes. That was rough!

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  • maryvalekingz602
    maryvalekingz602 Posts: 19 Member
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    If time is limited, you can sprint for 30 minutes, and walk for 1 minute. Do that a set of 15 times.
  • VUA21
    VUA21 Posts: 2,072 Member
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    When I have my neices & nephews over (9mo, 1 yr, and 4yr) I do weird exercises. During the 30 minutes it takes to make dinner....I dance, often with at least one baby attached to me (BabyBjorn is a lifesaver!!!). I'll do "baby" squats and leg lifts playing with them... Squats holding them, leg extensions with them taking turns on my feet.

    And taking them for a 30 min walk outdoors is always nice cardio + whatever I'm pushing resistance.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    You can't outrun your fork. If you're struggling with sticking to calorie target even with homemade food, you have to either set a higher target (and lose more slowly, but also more consistently, and be happier and healthier, and reduce risk of ragain later), or adjust your expectations for fullness.
  • ashxtasticness
    ashxtasticness Posts: 160 Member
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    The only way I am able to stay under my calorie budget is by planning my meals ahead. I do it a day at a time to ensure I'll have the proper amount of everything without going over for the day. If I "wing it", I either end up with far too many calories or not enough. When making an actual meal at home, it's hard to remember that almost everything that goes into a dish has calories, so sometimes a switch up from the normal is necessary.

    I've been reading a lot (and about to start) the 4 week Power Walking Plan (found the article on here initially and looked further into it from there) I am a full time working, single mom of a 3 year old, so I totally get the issue with time. This seems doable, especially if you have someone that can keep an eye on the kiddos while you go out for a while or in my case, a tablet full of weird kid stuff to keep them occupied for 30-45 minutes a day lol

    Best of luck to you :)
  • RadishEater
    RadishEater Posts: 470 Member
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    Even with preplanning some days I am tired of fighting cravings. I also like to do some short intense workouts and log them under calithensics (light home effort) to make it under my calorie goal.

    I usually start off with 5 full mins of planking to get the heart rate up and muscles activated. I start on my hands then do side planks, then switch to forearms and do side planks. Also I try to do all the variations i.e one-legged, spiderman, tapping knees to ground in forearm plank, rotating hips from side to side, etc.

    Usually since I have already exercised my legs either from spinning, running, horse riding, Ill do intervals with weights 50s for one exercise, 10s recovery and repeat.

    Also if you are looking for a bit higher intensity but short on time, sometimes I will do half an insanity program.
  • Clobern80
    Clobern80 Posts: 714 Member
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    The vast majority of weight loss comes from your diet, not exercise. While you CAN try to add exercise to burn extra calories, it is not something you can easily do for the long term. Focus on trying to control what you eat, tracking what you eat, changing what you eat. And don't beat yourself up on days when you go over. Dust off and move on.

    That being said.... look up almost any HIIT workout on YouTube and follow along. HIIT is a great, quick way to get a workout in without going anywhere, and most of them do not require equipment.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,728 Member
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    maryvalekingz602 wrote: »
    If time is limited, you can sprint for 30 minutes, and walk for 1 minute. Do that a set of 15 times.

    I think you meant 30 seconds, otherwise, that's 8 hours shot.

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