Wanna help me find my fat loss exercise?

hewwokitty
hewwokitty Posts: 69 Member
edited November 10 in Fitness and Exercise
Okay so..I always hear a TON of opinions on what the best fat burning exercise is. But I can't seem to find mine, and yes, diet is included here. I'm 5'6 and currently 144.
I just started Ct5K and yesterday was my second day. This is THE first time I've ran, period. I've had bad lungs since I was born, so I'm getting used to it (and doing better than I expected if I may say so). Do you think runnings the answer? It's the only thing I haven't messed around with...
I've done circuit training, didn't lose any fat. Toned up my arms and that's about it.
I don't have a gym membership, I'm not buying any equipment either. I believe you can transform your body WITH your body.
So what do you think my best bet is? All I have is a pair of small hand weights, yoga mat, stability ball, a treadmill, and myself (:

Replies

  • JennieAL
    JennieAL Posts: 1,726 Member
    Best option for fat loss is to eat in a caloric deficit. Just set your daily intake around -500 your maintenance. The hand weights are probably pretty useless if they are small. I'd go with building muscle by doing body weight exercises if you don't plan on using any real equipment. And walk on your treadmill at a slight incline for 3 days a week or so... maybe 30-45 min at a time.
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
    Best option for fat loss is to eat in a caloric deficit. Just set your daily intake around -500 your maintenance. The hand weights are probably pretty useless if they are small. I'd go with building muscle by doing body weight exercises if you don't plan on using any real equipment. And walk on your treadmill at a slight incline for 3 days a week or so... maybe 30-45 min at a time.
    Pretty much this.

    If you want to incorporate some muscle building, I suggest you do wind sprints on the treadmill.
  • hewwokitty
    hewwokitty Posts: 69 Member
    I'm really not looking at muscles right now..at all haha. Just what I gain from running or what not. -500 calories? Wait I'm confused...I had I think 400 left yesterday after finishing my log with food and exercise, is that what you mean?
  • JennieAL
    JennieAL Posts: 1,726 Member
    Using weight lifting while you're cutting won't cause you to build much muscle, if any... it will help you to preserve what muscle you do have.

    Just eat in a caloric deficit. Period. You do not need cardio or any other exercise in order to lose fat. If you tweak your settings on MFP to be set so that you lose about .5 to 1 lb per week, you should be fine. Basically, work it out so that you eat 3500 less in ONE WEEK than your maintenance calories. Make sense? Find one of the calorie calculators online, or the MFP one, and set it so that you eat 500 less each day.

    Cardio will help create a deficit as well. But it will also make you want to eat a little more. But cardio alone will also eat into your muscle mass if you overtrain, and then this will lower your RMR. Which, in turn, causes you to burn less fat while at rest. Hence, the weight lifting to maintain muscle :) NOT bulk yourself up, which you can't do unless you deliberately try to do so, and that's with eating LOTS of food while lifting heavy.
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
    Walk on your treadmill or outside if you can. I read that you burn more fat walking than you do running but running will make your heart stronger and increase lung capacity, etc. (dont know if that's true but walking is a lot easier. lol) Also I read that you burn about 100 calories per mile period, walking or running.
    I use my laptop and Netflix to watch movies and before I know it, I'm done. Also you can make some weights to tone up with empty laundry soap bottles, water bottles or milk jugs and it's free! Just fill with water or sand to the weight you'd like to use.
  • hewwokitty
    hewwokitty Posts: 69 Member
    My calorie limit is at 1300..which it's been at since I've joined MFP. That's at losing 1 lb a week, and I don't lose 1 lb a week LOL.
    -500 is 800 calories a day...doesn't sound like a good idea.
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