workout question. Please Help.

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Jlongblade
Jlongblade Posts: 77 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
My wife and I are on our second week of working out. We do not have weights or anything excersie equipment, so we have been doing the Biggest Loser Cardio workout, everyday but have not seen any results. My wife is working out twice a day, me once. Last time we did P90X workout we saw immediate results with big weight loss. Is it just becuase we are only doing cardio excerises. We have good burns and have been using a HRM to determine the amount of calories burned, and our diet is going good, we are always under are daily goal. I guess my question is since we are onyl doing the Cardio is that holding us back on the weight loss and we are just getting more in shape??

Replies

  • jenniferg83
    jenniferg83 Posts: 278 Member
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    it's only week 2. you wont see any results for a few weeks. you have to keep going. eat right and move. :) keep it up you will see a change
  • ATLMel
    ATLMel Posts: 392 Member
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    Stick with it for 2 more weeks and see what happens. Weight loss is not instant. (if it is, it isn't usually permanent.) Have patience and give it time.
  • 86_Ohms
    86_Ohms Posts: 253 Member
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    Weights are icing on the cake when it comes to working out for weight loss but they're not "totally" needed.

    I guess it depends on what you're eating and what "under your daily goal" means. If you're using this site for the calorie goal, that amount usually reflects a number around your BMR and you should really be eating very close to it or exercising down to meet it. Doing that full cardio workout without too many designated breaks brings out some good metabolism spikes from the aerobic movements. However, Eating way less than your BMR will result in slow metabolism during your rest period, leave you feeling tired and burned out, and is just plain not healthy.

    As for your food, I can only hope you're sticking with low sugar (except for fruits) and whole foods (meaning non-processed foods like meats, beans, fruits, vegetables and nothing that has been machined together). Those energy stores will be harder to burn off in the long run. Don't totally eliminate foods like that, but try to limit them greatly during the first steps of your new diet.

    While you're eating around 500 calories less than your maintenance caloric intake, you should lose around 1lb/wk depending on your current weight (you might lose more if you're just starting out too). If you don't see much on the scale dropping, try taking measurements around your neck and waist at the naval. Take every fraction of an inch you lose as a reminder that your work out is going well. If all that isn't working for you, you may want to discuss that with your doctor as they can give you some advice.

    Edit for my silly grammar.
  • Jlongblade
    Jlongblade Posts: 77 Member
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    So what is more important actual calories eaten or net calories?
  • 86_Ohms
    86_Ohms Posts: 253 Member
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    So what is more important actual calories eaten or net calories?

    As long as you're eating with a healthy pallet, net calories.

    If your goal of that day was 2,000 calories, and you ate 10,000 (somehow), and then exercised off 8,000 then you would be good. It's an extreme example but figurative to how your body works very close to how a machine would.

    You need to eat less than your maintenance, but eat at or very close to your BMR so your metabolism stays constant and your organs remain happy.
  • aheartbeatsos
    aheartbeatsos Posts: 87
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    It's a bit of both, but be aware of your net calories:

    "If Net is positive (Intake is greater than Burn) you have a calorie surplus, which leads to weight gain.

    If Net is negative (Intake is less than Burn) you have a calorie deficit, which leads to weight loss.

    If Net is zero (Intake is the same as Burn) you have a calorie balance, which leads to weight maintenance."

    Regardless of this, lowering your calorie consumption to below the calories necessary to maintain your weight will also assist in weight loss :)
  • Jlongblade
    Jlongblade Posts: 77 Member
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    I have been on avg close to my daily goal of calories but net calories can be way low on somedays depending on what excerises I do and if I workout more than once. I have even had NEG net calories once. Although i did have to eat something later that night becuase i felt terrible, nad knew that was the cause.
  • Jlongblade
    Jlongblade Posts: 77 Member
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    Let me correct my previous statement, I have been about 600 calories below my daily goal for the last 2.5 weeks. Before working out.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Let me correct my previous statement, I have been about 600 calories below my daily goal for the last 2.5 weeks. Before working out.

    wow, that is way too low. trying ending the day +/- 100 cals from your net goal.
  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
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    It's a bit of both, but be aware of your net calories:

    "If Net is positive (Intake is greater than Burn) you have a calorie surplus, which leads to weight gain.

    If Net is negative (Intake is less than Burn) you have a calorie deficit, which leads to weight loss.

    If Net is zero (Intake is the same as Burn) you have a calorie balance, which leads to weight maintenance."

    Regardless of this, lowering your calorie consumption to below the calories necessary to maintain your weight will also assist in weight loss :)
    this isnt exactly true the way mfp is set up, since they already give you a deficit.
    if MFP says to eat 2000, thas to lose weight with no exercicse. you eat that and lose weight.. if you eat that and exercise off 500, that leaves your net at 1500. your net is positive, but your deficit is now bigger so you will lose weight, tho not necessarily faster. everyone is different. (though with the way the site is, you should eat those exercise calories)
    if you eat 2000, and exrecise off 3000, that makes your net -1000, and thats going to be extremely dangerous, since you arent leaving anything for your body to function on. youll probably lose weight, but probably end up dying from starvation.
    if you eat 2000 and exercise 2000, that leaves your net at 0 and is just about as bad as a negative net.

    you want your net to be as close to your pre-exercise goal as possible.
    for example, my daily goal is 1845. if i do the elliptical for an hour i typically burn 600 calories, so that makes my net 1245.. i need to eat 600 more calories to make my net 1845.
  • 86_Ohms
    86_Ohms Posts: 253 Member
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    Let me correct my previous statement, I have been about 600 calories below my daily goal for the last 2.5 weeks. Before working out.

    As stated, do NOT go under the daily goal that Fitness Pal gives you. Try to be in tolerance of it as erickirb stated -/+ 100. You ONLY want to do that under the direction of a MD, as they give way low caloric intakes if their patient is preparing for a procedure or surgery.

    I don't like saying it, but if you didn't do any exercise at all but met stayed almost exactly (or a tiny bit under) your BMR, you WILL lose weight (for the sake of argument, you would. There could be factors and variable that make it easier or harder.)

    The good thing about exercise is that it keeps you motivated throughout the dieting process, allows you to eat more than small meals a day as you can exercise back down to your number, and brings fitness to your muscles that inevitably helps your energy throughout the day. Also, a pound of fat weighs the same as a pound of muscle, but muscle will take 3x more calories to maintain than the fat.

    If you're wanting to lose the weight as fast as they do on "Biggest Loser", then you should read the strike the contestants had against the producers of the show. It's entertaining and sad at the same time.
    you want your net to be as close to your pre-exercise goal as possible.
    for example, my daily goal is 1845. if i do the elliptical for an hour i typically burn 600 calories, so that makes my net 1245.. i need to eat 600 more calories to make my net 1845.

    Exactly!
  • Mom_4_More_Muscles
    Mom_4_More_Muscles Posts: 46
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    Weights are icing on the cake when it comes to working out for weight loss but they're not "totally" needed.


    As for your food, I can only hope you're sticking with low sugar (except for fruits) and whole foods (meaning non-processed foods like meats, beans, fruits, vegetables and nothing that has been machined together). Those energy stores will be harder to burn off in the long run. Don't totally eliminate foods like that, but try to limit them greatly during the first steps of your new diet.

    THIS!! Definitely....:bigsmile:

    Be kind to yourself! It takes a week to 10 days at first for the body to show the results of a pound or two lost. :bigsmile: You'll get there!! Just keep at it. We didn't put it all on at once~ ~ and it doesn't come off all at once, either. :sad:

    Don't stop eating!! :noway: Our bodies need calories, fat, nutrients and water just to exist!! If you're still frustrated with your results, please check with your doctor. I can only share what works for me. I won't tell you what you should or shouldn't do. I'll leave that to your physician. :smile:

    Good luck to you and your sweetie!!:smile:

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