Exercise question

Exercise is for health and fitness. A calorie deficit is for weight loss. There is therefore no “correct” amount of exercise to do for weight loss, and you don’t have to exercise at all of you don’t want to. You would still lose weight if you are eating at a deficit.

Keep in mind that MFP intends you to eat back exercise calories; you should not be using exercise to create a larger deficit.

The amount and type of exercise you should do is entirely dependent on your non-weight-loss goals. If you enjoy cycling, you should do that. I will say that if you’re new to exercise, it’s best to start slowly and give your body plenty of rest. It takes time to work up to longer/harder/more frequent workouts.

lschodosh wrote: »

Hi——I’m five feet tall and about 60-70 pounds overweight. I’ve never been this weight in my life. Life handed me some lemons and I ate to cope. I have finally decided to get off my pity pot. I started eating healthy and joined a gym. I’ve been doing 30 minutes of cardio on the bike. Is that enough? How many days should I do? Also looking for friends so add me if you’d like. Thank you.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, “For substantial health benefits, adults should do at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) to 300 minutes (5 hours) a week of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) to 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity. Preferably, aerobic activity should be spread throughout the week. . .
Adults should also do muscle-strengthening activities of moderate or greater intensity and that involve all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week, as these activities provide additional health benefits.”

I do cardio twice a week and resistance training 3 times a week - building lean muscle mass will eventually increase the number of calories your body burns at rest so I figure if I build more muscle I will eventually not have to work quite so hard to lose weight and ultimately keep it off! (Probably not true but since I hate working out, if it works at making me work out. . .)

Hope this helps!