Weight loss and exercise

Just back from seeing the GP re weightloss. I have lost 5kg in 3.5 months with a fairly strict diet of vegetables, protein, some low GI wholegrain carbs and no sugar, plus 2-3 per week gym sessions with other exercise on the other days (walk, videos etc). I was pretty disapointed in the weightloss as I'd been trying really really hard and I feel like I can't cut back my food intake to any less. I'm getting my hormones checked, thyroid is fine. Oh and I've got a long way to go on the weight loss front!

Anyway my GP "prescribed" 1 hour of hard exercise at least 5 days per week and no more than 1 day off between exercise sessions. Eeek! That sounds like a lot.

What do you reckon? Do you have a "magic number" for exercise for weight loss?

I've just been googling and yes indeed that is the recommended amount from a number of credible sites! How on earth am I going to do that?

I used to think I was pretty hot stuff for getting to the gym 3 times per week for about 40 mins per visit. I feel so inadequate now! I don't really like exercise that much!

Sometimes weightloss isn't always a matter of calories in v energy out kwim? There could be an underlying hormonal problem that may be stopping you from losing weight too so it's good you're getting that checked out. It could also be a matter of you cutting back too much on the food, so you've sent your body into flight mode and it's going to hang on to everything because it's thinks it's in famine, if that makes sense.

How many calories on average are you eating per day? Maybe with all the exercise you are currently doing you are putting your body into starvation mode by not eating enough in the first place.

If your hormone tests all come back as normal, I'd be assessing how many calories you usually have on a daily basis, and make sure that you are aiming towards a figure between your BMR and TDEE. Too few calories makes it too hard to lose weight as your metabolism adjusts to a lower number, and then you either have to keep restricting or work out like a mad person to drop the slightest figure. Much easier to eat enough to support your metabolism and your energy output and lose it that way :)

Also look at the type of exercise you do, wear a heart rate monitor so you can see how hard you are actually working. I find that I need at least 3 really full on cardio hour sessions per week plus a weights session. Other people need more or less but you need to find what works for you. I agree with looking also at exactly how many calories you are consuming. Sometimes you think you are eating all the right stuff but the portions aren't right.

I think the key is hard exercise.
I spend about 2 hours in the gym 5 times a week and I notice that lots of women turn up, walk on the machine a bit, **** about with some light weights then go home with their make up intact after barely raising a sweat. They get no results because they're not putting much in.
If you don't sweat, puff, pant, get a bit red in the face and maybe grunt you need to work harder

Do you do group fitness classes at your gym? It will push you a bit harder and you don't have to think about your workout - just do as you're told.

I agree with Arte - sounds like you need to eat more, do less cardio and lift some weight. I've been following a few instagram people, blogs and FB pages and they all advocate eating more and doing a few High Intensity Interval Training combined with weights. Happy to PM you the sites. 1 hr or more of exercise per day (Unless you are training for something specific like a half marathon) IMO in unnecessary. My uncles partner is also a PT and she is currently writing me a program designed for maximum benefit within 30-45 mins at least 3 times per week incorporating HIIT and weights using multiple muscle groups in one exercise rather than isolation.

FWIW I don't think 5 hours a week is a lot of exercise. There are 168 hours in a week.
Our bodies aren't designed to be sedentary. I enjoy HIIT but research in to the effects of being sedentary suggest that short exercise sessions don't outweigh the effects of long periods of inactivity on our health. Movement throughout the day is important for our health. Boffins who have been researching 'sitting disease' suggest that we need to move throughout the day.

I have consistently heard 40-60 minutes of "I can't talk to you, and might be getting sweaty" exercise 4-6 times a week.

Try it.

You'll feel better for it.

:)

Thanks everyone for your replies.

Yup, I'm conscious of not cutting back calories too much - I don't actually count calories, but maybe I should count one day to see if I'm hitting my target. I've been following the thread about the Eat the Food stuff. My friends are doing the Michelle Bridges challenge and I decided not to on the basis that it's calorie intake is too restrictive.

I'm definitely not "inactive" now, having 3 little kiddies at home with me ensures that my days aren't as sedentary as a desk job. And I am going to the gym now and doing exercise as well at home. I feel pretty good to be honest in terms of energy etc.

But yeah, the increase in time to 60 minutes will hopefully make a difference. I do lift weights at the moment (my favourite part of the gym trip is the 6 station, high weights, low reps weight program). I am going to do the Drs recommendation for 1 month and see how I go with it.

I have been reading on the net about HIit training and also Tabata training, which is interesting, so maybe next month I will give this a bit of a go. RhiChiChi - I'd love you to PM your favourite exercise info sites - the idea of HIit and weights for less time seems to appeal to me more than 60 minutes on a cross trainer! Thanks for your perspective too.

does your dr specialise in weight loss / exercise? you might get more helpful advice from a personal trainer or more specialised person. your gym might have advisors who can help.

good luck!

Tabata is good - I tend not to opt for it as it's not as "choreographed" as the Les Mills varieties, but it's a solid work out, and it's chopped up into "chunks" which make it stay interesting and the 45-50 minutes goes pretty quickly. I found myself quite energised, and up for a brisk walk or crosstrainer round after it - if I was the jogging type I would happily have jumped on the treadmill for another 10-15 to round out the hour, before doing stretches.

I didn't realise you did the Tabata program for 45 mins! I had only read about it online... Does your gym offer classes PN?

60 minutes is a long time - I do 30 minutes of cardio, 5x a week, I also keep a check on calories. I find apps like my fitness pal help a lot for keeping a check on it :)

5kg is still really great hun xx. i personally think you're not eating enough and your body is going into starvation mode. to lose weight it's 80% of what you eat & only 20% of exercise.

can you tell us what you eat on a daily basis?

Bloom - where in QLD are you from?
Tabata training sets are 4mins in duration, but you can do a number of sets. Ordinarily, a class that uses Tabata format will include a 10min warm up, 20 min tabata (with 1 min rest between sets, so 25min total), then 10 min cool down and stretch. So 45min in total.

I use Tabata a lot lately in my CageFit classes, Warrior and Bootcamp sessions, and even in PT sessions with my PT clients. I love it. But to drop body fat and firm up, weights training is much more effective. Building muscle will keep you burning more fat for longer each day - cardio training burns fat only while you're working out, and only if you're in an optimal heart rate zone. Unfortunately, restricting calories AND doing cardio training will only cause muscle atrophy (muscle wastage).

I lost over 60kg, then put on almost 20kg with cancer treatments. Lost 8kg in 11days, then the weight loss on the scales stopped.... but my clean eating and exercise plan kept my body fat % going down further and further. Measurements are such a great way to determine how effective your program is working... not scales. I have lost 80cms off my body in just over a month - yet the scales haven't changed.

..... so my long story IS for a reason....
What i'm trying to say is - throw those scales away. Measure your body instead. Enjoy your healthy eating and continue exercising because I'm sure you are moving mountains, even on the days you feel like you're banging your head against them!