How much do you work out?

Posts: 26
edited 3:23PM in Fitness and Exercise
Hello everyone!! I have about 80 pounds (or more) to lose and I just wanted to find out from others how much workouts you are putting in to get the weight off and to get toned. Right now I'm doing the 30 day shred, but I don't fell like it's enough at all! It really does kick my butt lol, but afterwords I just feel like 20 minutes is way to little for such a big overall goal..

A little more info about me.. I'm 23 years old.. Weight 229.8 pounds (started at 238.8 lost about 9 pounds in about 2 weeks).. 5" 5 inches.. And my goal weight is at least 145..

I don't have the money to get a gym membership, so I'm really only able to do dvds or in home exercises.. Can't (or should I say won't) do outside exercises right now, because the humidity is super killer here where I live, otherwise I would be adding walking to my routine.. Also, I'm super prone to sprained ankles (I usually have at least 4-5 every year!) so I have to watch very carefully when I do different workouts that I don't get carried away.. I can actually just be taking a few steps and BAM it'll just go out :-(

Anyway, any advice and insight would be greatly appriciated! I really want this for myself.. Not just for the weight loss, but because I want to be happy & HEALTHY for once in my life

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Replies

  • Posts: 437
    I have had good luck with Boot Camp and Tae Bo for DVDs and they are inexpensive. For convenience you can even order them on EBay
  • Im doing insanity so 6 days a week one rest day! Love it and great results!! You should look into it!:}
  • Posts: 110
    What is insanity like?
  • Posts: 438 Member
    Please start out slow love..if you try to bust your arss everyday you are going to get burnt out! I would say every other day is plenty if you are really giving your workout your all. Your body needs to recover and you might not figure that out until its too late and you're exhausted
  • Posts: 174 Member
    I do Cardio, treadmill, outside walking, or biking 6 days a week. When I walk it's for 45 mins to 60 mins. I work out with weights 2 times a week right now, and while I do go to the gym. I travel so I use resisitance bands for many of the exercises I do with weights as well. I take one day off typically.
  • Posts: 593
    I wish all I had to do is 30 day shred to lose weight. It's only 20 minutes. I have a Thyroid problem and so I need to work out 6 days a week for 45-60 minutes a day. The only workouts that I have found that push me hard and are that long is P90X and Turbo Fire. I am sure there are more out there but these have been working for me. I have also heard great things about insanity but I wanted to get through P90 and Turbo Fire first before I will be brave enough to try that one. :)
  • Posts: 58 Member
    I try to go to the gym 3 times a week "I have 2 kids" so it's a success if I make it 3 times. Also for you...I've lived in the humidity so I know what you mean "however" you can add walking at night or very early in the a.m before it gets bad. I myself use the gym but I also use wii sports and do the boxing if I can't make it to the gym just to have done something. Best of luck to you!
  • Posts: 273 Member
    Work full time however I always try to save an hour+ a day for cardio and some weights.
  • Posts: 920 Member
    I have two personal training sessions a week with cardio before hand, for a total of 45 minutes. Then I also try to walk 2 miles a couple of other days in the week.
  • Posts: 29 Member
    I am currently doing 5 days a week of two a days, one day a week one workout and rest one day.
    My two a days are curcuit training/bootcamp, step aerobics or taebo in the morning. Then the second workout is either the treadmill on an incline or swimming.

    The day that I do one workout depends on how my body feels. It is either a walk or circuit training.

    We do have a Y membership but I also rent DVD's from the library or from netflix. I get bored easy so I need to change the workouts.

    Make sure you start out slow. Don't jump into it or you are more prone to injuries and burn out. Also find something you enjoy. I love circuit training. My friends were trying to get me to go to zumba but I really didn't enjoy it and felt clumsy.
  • Posts: 1,309 Member
    I work out 6-7 days a week for about an hour. I do HIIT, lifting, running, and yoga. (I'm 5'6", 116-118 lbs depending on the day and lost over 20 lbs here!)
  • Posts: 999 Member
    1-3 times/day. Usually for 30-60 mins each time. (noon walk, zumba or insanity class) and/or Jullian Michaels video depending how motivated I am. I always try to do at least one 30 minute spurt of something. I had about the same to lose as you when I started....the second half is going much more SLOWLY!!!
  • Posts: 183 Member
    I just started Insanity, but before that I would run 4-5 days out of the week and do some sort of crosstraining 2-3 days, with one total rest day. That being said, I also only weigh 130-135 (depending) and don't have the knee/ankle/joint problems that you might have.

    I'd have to agree with lifeskittles in saying start out slow. As long as while you're working out you feel like you're actually working, then you should be fine. I've pushed and tried to do too much before and it doesn't tire you right away, but it accumulates and then before you know it you're feeling drained all the time and it's not a good feeling. When you stop feeling like you are working during your workout, then I think it'd be time to amp it up, but not until then. Exercise is supposed to give you an energy/mood boost about 20 mins after :)
  • Posts: 227 Member
    You don't need to go nuts, at least not at first when you are working on more general fitness and getting used to things and getting in better shape. I started with 30DS, but only 3x a week. I'd try to do something active on the weekends like a bike ride or long walks with the family. As 30DS got easier and I got healthier in general (i had never really exercised in my life), I made my workouts longer and harder.
    One thing I want to say, kind of in response to all the folks who are busting out hours on the treadmill every day -- I've been reading a lot about how long cardio sessions at medium intensity can actually make you lose muscle rather than fat so I've tried to make sure most of my workouts are load bearing, pretty intense, and that I get enough protein. I'm not an expert on this by any means but I've been reading this same theory over and over enough that it makes me kind of glad I never got into running. ;)

    Right now, I'm still only working out 3x a week and trying to do fun active things on the weekends. My new favorite things are Jillian Michael's No More Trouble Zones (a 40-min DVD) and the Spartacus Circuit which you can read about on the Men's Health website. Really kicks your *kitten*. Excellent. And all you need are some hand weights.

    I've lost 43 lbs in about a year and am in maintenance now.
  • Posts: 2,819 Member
    I do Zumba 1-2 days per week. Yoga 1-2 times/week. Cardio and weights the other days. I also do fun things on the weekends like hike, kayak, or ride my ATV. I've always been active.
  • Posts: 1,117 Member
    I suggest you start off slow, continue with the 30 days shred and then start adding a little more. You don't want to push to quick. I workout 5-6 days a week, two days I take a bootcamp class and the other days I alternate between jogging the treadmill, DVD workouts or my iPhone apps and I will occassionally take a class Saturday mornings.
  • Posts: 659 Member
    When I started my weight loss journey I had no gym membership and no babysitter to watch the kids so I could get out of the house! I lost a good 40lbs counting calories and working out 6 days a week in my living room!! I did body weight exercises, bought some resistance bands, hand weights, and a stability ball...I think I actually started with the Self Magazine Challenge (now I'm a Oxygen Mag girl)...for cardio I would run in place, do jumping jacks, or even imaginary jump rope.

    Now I run 4 times a week, cross train 2 times a week (bike or eliptical), yoga for 20 min everyday and strength train 4 times a week...I spend a good hour and a half a day working out and still count calories!

    Best of luck to you! :)
  • Posts: 2,001 Member
    Right now I do 3 ModerateIIT sessions per week, 3 heavy lifting sessions per week, and 2 LISS session per week, but I know I COULD lose without any cardio. I am so close now that I am not going to bother changing, but next time I need to cut I am going to see if I can do it with no cardio.
  • ........
  • Posts: 512 Member
    I'm so with you! I don't have the cash for a gym membership either. I'm a lot older than you and my responsibilities are different that being said, I committed to changing my lifestyle. I also have hypothyroidism so my weightloss takes longer than most.
    Anyway, what i do with little cash and time is this:

    MWF and sat or sun running outside for 40 mins.
    I started with c25k - awesome. You can do this! No injuries and can download app for free. Or can download it on a computer and print it out. I graduated last week, went from not being able to run and can now run 40 minutes straight. Ran my first 5k last week. Loved it!

    Tues and thurs I do 30 day shred DVD.
    I get bored doing the same routines all the time. I'm on level 2 and I feel this is good resistance training for me. Once I get level 3 comfortable, I'm going to do insanity. I figure it will be winter than so my running will probably get knocked out a bit.

    Whenever I can I also include walking the dog or riding bikes with kids, and I love swimming, even though I suck.

    I track everything on MFP. It's such a routine that I'm addicted.

    Hope this helps and I'm rooting for you!:flowerforyou:

    Sorry I forgot to say that with this heat I've been running between 6 and 7 a.m. I just stay hydrated. I figure the more I sweat the more toxins leave my body. Plus when it is cool I can run faster! This morning it was 100!
  • I wish all I had to do is 30 day shred to lose weight. It's only 20 minutes. I have a Thyroid problem and so I need to work out 6 days a week for 45-60 minutes a day. The only workouts that I have found that push me hard and are that long is P90X and Turbo Fire. I am sure there are more out there but these have been working for me. I have also heard great things about insanity but I wanted to get through P90 and Turbo Fire first before I will be brave enough to try that one. :)


    I don't actually think it's the 30DS that has helped me lose what I have so far.. I'm actually only on level 1 day 4 right now (I started over because I was doing other things and wanted everything to be consistant).. I don't have any Thyroid problems that I know of.. Dr. did tests a few weeks back & never said anything about it, so I'm guessing that that's not a problem for me.. I'm pretty sure the reason I dropped the weight I did was because when I first started (a little over 2 weeks ago) I had this idea that 800 calories was a good starting point (which I learned was really not good at all), so for a whole week 800 cals a day was all I had.. Then I moved up to between 1200- 1500 cals a day.. I haven't tried the programs you're doing, but I have tried the Turbo Jam & I liked it (although I though some of it was just too slow and didn't even break a sweat).. MFP has me at a little over 1400 cals a day (joined 2 days ago), so I have been pretty much been following that for over a week even before I started here.. I have heard good things about Insanity too, But just thinking about it makes me shiver :-) I am soooooo out of shape that I doubt I could even get through one session lol..
  • Posts: 1,392 Member
    4-5 days a week at the gym for 1hr-1.75 hr.
    Then easy yoga on Sundays for one hr.
    also sometimes at night go for 45min walks with my mom.
    Averaging around: 5.75hrs - 11.25hrs a week
  • I am currently doing 5 days a week of two a days, one day a week one workout and rest one day.
    My two a days are curcuit training/bootcamp, step aerobics or taebo in the morning. Then the second workout is either the treadmill on an incline or swimming.

    The day that I do one workout depends on how my body feels. It is either a walk or circuit training.

    We do have a Y membership but I also rent DVD's from the library or from netflix. I get bored easy so I need to change the workouts.

    Make sure you start out slow. Don't jump into it or you are more prone to injuries and burn out. Also find something you enjoy. I love circuit training. My friends were trying to get me to go to zumba but I really didn't enjoy it and felt clumsy.

    I actually just found out today that Netflix has workouts, and I found some that are supposed to help with strength and flexability (which I have none of lol), so I might try those out to see if they help me.. I deff feel you on getting bored easily, as I am the same way.. My first week of working out for me was pure torture lol.. I was constantly stopping (which is no good, because I know I can't be burning enough with the big breaks in between), but yesterday when I did my 30DS I was able to push through with only a couple water breaks (maybe a minute a piece).. I'd love to get a Y membership, but right now it's way out of my budget :-( I LOVE swimming, so a Y membership is something I hope for in the future.. It would be sooo nice to be able to get a good workout in then go for a refreshing dip :-)
  • Posts: 127 Member
    Well just keep in mind that the calorie deficit is what will make you shed pounds. Whatever your net calorie goal is on MFP, that's what you should have and if all goes as planned you will lose weight on schedule. So as long as you're at that net calorie goal, working out more isn't really necessary. When you get to your goal weight and your focus shifts to toning, then you might need to work out a little more to really see your muscles changing. Good luck! :)
  • Posts: 589 Member
    Jillian Michaels Banish Fat Boost Metabolism--it's 45 minutes of almost all cardio. Personally I started w/ 90 minutes of cardio 5-6x/week before I began incorporating strength training. Personally though, I love my $10 gym membership--gives me so many more options! I hope you find a good routine!
  • When I started my weight loss journey I had no gym membership and no babysitter to watch the kids so I could get out of the house! I lost a good 40lbs counting calories and working out 6 days a week in my living room!! I did body weight exercises, bought some resistance bands, hand weights, and a stability ball...I think I actually started with the Self Magazine Challenge (now I'm a Oxygen Mag girl)...for cardio I would run in place, do jumping jacks, or even imaginary jump rope.

    Now I run 4 times a week, cross train 2 times a week (bike or eliptical), yoga for 20 min everyday and strength train 4 times a week...I spend a good hour and a half a day working out and still count calories!

    Best of luck to you! :)

    I'm in the same boat you were when beginning.. I have two kids and no babysitter, so when i'm working out, I have to stop to tend to their needs as well.. I have some equiptment that I bought just to get me started.. I got resistance bands, push-up bars, and 2 pound hand weights.. I can't wait to actually be able to workout without having to stop because of being so out of shape..
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