Lose weight with cardio
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F_Jan
Posts: 4 Member
Hi, Im just starting my weightloss and fitness journey. I want to lose body fat. Is it a good strategy to start by doing zumba for an hour ,3 days a week. Keeping my diet clean?
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Replies
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You lose body fat by consuming less calories than you expend (and it has nothing to do with eating "clean", by whatever one's definition of that is).
Cardio can help establish that calorie deficit and exercise is a great idea for a number of reasons, but calorie intake should be your first priority. It's very easy to out-eat your exercise.12 -
Also, don't underestimate weightlifting.9
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Eat less and/or move more = success. Adding zumba will help burn calories, but you still need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight, regardless of your activity level.
A clean diet has many definitions, but sometimes clean is high in calories. Count calories, eat in a deficit and you will see results.8 -
Here's how to lose weight with cardio:
Step 1: Be very fit
Step 2: Maintain your fitness with a high training volume.
For example, if you're a cyclist, have an FTP over 200 watts, such that 140w which is 500 calories per hour, is an easy ride. Ride 12 hours per week. Or, if you're a runner, be fit enough to run 12 hours per week at a good pace.
Unfortunately, due to the universe having a sense of humor, this isn't really available to the people who could benefit from it the most. So it winds up mostly being about how much you eat.7 -
I kept my diet mostly clean** and exercised energetically for at least 5-6 hours a week for a dozen years, and stayed obese (though I did get a lot more fit and athletic despite the obesity).
When I started eating the right number of calories, I lost weight quite expeditiously.
It's easy to out-eat almost any level of exercise, whether eating clean or dirty.
** "Eating clean" is not even remotely well-defined terminology. Normally I wouldn't use the phrase, because I think it's meaningless. However, I've read other people's diverse definitions, and I was mostly eating clean according to most of those, plus I've had other people call my eating that, even though I unequivocally reject the term.
Eat a balanced diet with plenty of nutritious food. Occasional treats are fine, too.
Editing to add: Zumba 3 times a week; eating a balanced, nutritious diet; and sticking to a sensibly moderate calorie deficit would be a good way to lose body fat. Adding some kind of strength training would also be a fine idea, as would making sure to get plenty of protein in that balanced diet.
Reasonable calories for weight management + balanced, adequate macro/micronutrients for nutrition + exercise for fitness = best odds of long term good health and good appearance.7 -
rfreitas1848 wrote: »Also, don't underestimate weightlifting.
I agree that weight lifting/strength training is useful, not matter how much I hate it, but it's not going to help the OP lose weight if they aren't eating in a deficit.3 -
The heavier you are, the more calories you burn walking. Here is a great calorie calculator that factors in weifht and incline. http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/walking-calorie-burn-calculator.shtml
I walk every day, and burn 700 cal, eat back 200, and lose an extra pound per week beyond my MFP target.1 -
I kept my diet mostly clean** and exercised energetically for at least 5-6 hours a week for a dozen years, and stayed obese (though I did get a lot more fit and athletic despite the obesity).
There was an Indian restaurant about a mile from where I used to live. Order seating in the summer. They let me bring my bike in, or at my table if I was eating outdoors. So I would stop there for dinner on the way home from a long ride. And since I had just done 30 miles (about 1,000 calories, although at the time I believed my HRM which said 3 times as many) I deserved a side of butter naan and some paneer pakoras along with my curry dish.
I don't know if that's clean or not, but I lost the weight I had put on when I started getting realistic about calories.7 -
NorthCascades wrote: »Here's how to lose weight with cardio:
Step 1: Be very fit
Step 2: Maintain your fitness with a high training volume.
For example, if you're a cyclist, have an FTP over 200 watts, such that 140w which is 500 calories per hour, is an easy ride. Ride 12 hours per week. Or, if you're a runner, be fit enough to run 12 hours per week at a good pace.
Unfortunately, due to the universe having a sense of humor, this isn't really available to the people who could benefit from it the most. So it winds up mostly being about how much you eat.
Even if you ride or run 12 hours a week, you can't outrun your fork.6 -
CarvedTones wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »Here's how to lose weight with cardio:
Step 1: Be very fit
Step 2: Maintain your fitness with a high training volume.
For example, if you're a cyclist, have an FTP over 200 watts, such that 140w which is 500 calories per hour, is an easy ride. Ride 12 hours per week. Or, if you're a runner, be fit enough to run 12 hours per week at a good pace.
Unfortunately, due to the universe having a sense of humor, this isn't really available to the people who could benefit from it the most. So it winds up mostly being about how much you eat.
Even if you ride or run 12 hours a week, you can't outrun your fork.
That kinda depends what you put on your fork, wouldn't you say...?9 -
Diet is first and foremost. It will take some experimentation but if you can work with your body in terms of food and how it effects you, the whole process will be much easier. Also, realise that it can be a learning curve and that you're not going to know how steep (or shallow) it is until you start figuring out your diet.
As for exercise, make sure it's something you're going to enjoy, otherwise you're going to lose interest pretty quickly. I will say, if weights are your thing and you have a lot of weight, please pony up for a personal trainer, even if it's just for a month. Correct form is everything and you can do more harm than good (speaking from expereince, having diastasis recti).
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NorthCascades wrote: »CarvedTones wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »Here's how to lose weight with cardio:
Step 1: Be very fit
Step 2: Maintain your fitness with a high training volume.
For example, if you're a cyclist, have an FTP over 200 watts, such that 140w which is 500 calories per hour, is an easy ride. Ride 12 hours per week. Or, if you're a runner, be fit enough to run 12 hours per week at a good pace.
Unfortunately, due to the universe having a sense of humor, this isn't really available to the people who could benefit from it the most. So it winds up mostly being about how much you eat.
Even if you ride or run 12 hours a week, you can't outrun your fork.
That kinda depends what you put on your fork, wouldn't you say...?
Yes, but if you max out exercise and eating, eating will "win".2 -
What do you mean by "max out?"5
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Hi, Im just starting my weightloss and fitness journey. I want to lose body fat. Is it a good strategy to start by doing zumba for an hour ,3 days a week. Keeping my diet clean?
I am a testament to Zumba. I calculated my TDEE and ate at a deficit, roughly 500 calories less a day than TDEE and I did Zumba 3x a week. I eat nutritious foods but don't have anything on a "NO" list so I make treats work in. My Zumba teacher happens to be intense! But the combo of these things led me to almost a 50 pound loss over 48 weeks. I peppered in strength training but I wasn't consistent with it. Like @lee0806mfp1 said, you HAVE to like your workouts for the most part. If I did the calorie deficit along with 3x a week on the treadmill, I would have lost all motivation and interest in less than a month.3 -
NorthCascades wrote: »What do you mean by "max out?"
As much as you can fit into your normal life - working, sleeping and doing things besides just exercise in your free time. The problem with maxing out eating is you can do it while working, while doing things in your free time and even intermingled with exercise. Some people precede a 45 minute not really all that intense gym routine by eating a 400+ calorie mega protein bar then log an hour (because they were at the gym an hour) of circuit training or cardio with whatever machine they were on most and they they come away from that with what they thin is a deficit.2 -
Well, if you're eating as much as you can possibly fit into your day, you don't have any time for exercise, work, relationships, etc.
Bet let's limit this to real life.2 -
CarvedTones wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »CarvedTones wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »Here's how to lose weight with cardio:
Step 1: Be very fit
Step 2: Maintain your fitness with a high training volume.
For example, if you're a cyclist, have an FTP over 200 watts, such that 140w which is 500 calories per hour, is an easy ride. Ride 12 hours per week. Or, if you're a runner, be fit enough to run 12 hours per week at a good pace.
Unfortunately, due to the universe having a sense of humor, this isn't really available to the people who could benefit from it the most. So it winds up mostly being about how much you eat.
Even if you ride or run 12 hours a week, you can't outrun your fork.
That kinda depends what you put on your fork, wouldn't you say...?
Yes, but if you max out exercise and eating, eating will "win".
Might win would be more accurate, there are very few absolutes.
When you get into double digit hours of exercise it can actually become hard to eat enough. Last week of my recent training block I had circa 18hrs worth of exercise calories to eat and fewer meal times in which to eat my allowance plus suppressed appetite as well.
Wasn't aiming to lose weight but I did.NorthCascades wrote: »Unfortunately, due to the universe having a sense of humor, this isn't really available to the people who could benefit from it the most. So it winds up mostly being about how much you eat.
Very true.2 -
Hi, Im just starting my weightloss and fitness journey. I want to lose body fat. Is it a good strategy to start by doing zumba for an hour ,3 days a week. Keeping my diet clean?
Calories in vs. calories out. You can eat clean (whatever your definition is) or "dirty," weight loss still comes from a calorie deficit.
Do zumba if you enjoy it. Find ways to move more (calories out). Then manage your calorie intake too. Managing intake is often an easier (more consistent) way to build a calorie deficit. It may take an hour of zumba to burn off 1 candy bar.
Strength training can help you keep the lean muscle loss to a minimum. Look for a way to incorporate that too.2 -
Hi, Im just starting my weightloss and fitness journey. I want to lose body fat. Is it a good strategy to start by doing zumba for an hour ,3 days a week. Keeping my diet clean?
If you like zumba, go for it. But it will not be enough for weight loss if you do not monitor your calories. You can easily eat all the zumba calories back without even noticing.2 -
CarvedTones wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »CarvedTones wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »Here's how to lose weight with cardio:
Step 1: Be very fit
Step 2: Maintain your fitness with a high training volume.
For example, if you're a cyclist, have an FTP over 200 watts, such that 140w which is 500 calories per hour, is an easy ride. Ride 12 hours per week. Or, if you're a runner, be fit enough to run 12 hours per week at a good pace.
Unfortunately, due to the universe having a sense of humor, this isn't really available to the people who could benefit from it the most. So it winds up mostly being about how much you eat.
Even if you ride or run 12 hours a week, you can't outrun your fork.
That kinda depends what you put on your fork, wouldn't you say...?
Yes, but if you max out exercise and eating, eating will "win".
Might win would be more accurate, there are very few absolutes.
When you get into double digit hours of exercise it can actually become hard to eat enough. Last week of my recent training block I had circa 18hrs worth of exercise calories to eat and fewer meal times in which to eat my allowance plus suppressed appetite as well.
Wasn't aiming to lose weight but I did.NorthCascades wrote: »Unfortunately, due to the universe having a sense of humor, this isn't really available to the people who could benefit from it the most. So it winds up mostly being about how much you eat.
Very true.
Yesterday it was supposed to rain but it was sunny instead, and I had some free time after work. So I can rode my bike for two happy hours. I had a large and satisfying dinner, but still had 1,100 calories left for the day. And I was under my carb goal. The situation required a pint of coffee iced cream, which will help me ride today in a spirited manner.
This goes back to what I said originally. Using cardio as a significant contributor to weight loss requires a high level of fitness. It's not for people who are starting in their journey.6
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