Getting in Shape

Too much cardio?!

I was unhappy with my weight before I got engaged in May, but the pressure of wedding dress fittings and photographers really motivated me to get in better shape. A LDR and a job with 50% travel (that I hated anyway!) had contributed to a 30lb weight gain I could ill afford. In early July, I moved 200 miles back ‘home’ to my fiancé and started a new job.

I also signed up for a personal training package: 2 sessions a week for 6mo. I was upfront with the trainers with my goals, my expectations, and my awareness of my habits. They expected I could lose about 1.5lbs a week; I’ve lost just over that in almost three months. (Yes, I know about muscle gain, but my clothes still fit the same.) I’ve changed a LOT of things -- including food logging, reducing calories to about 1700 a day, drinking four liters of water a day, doubling the amount of veggies in my diet, walking 10k steps a day, etc. However, one thing my primary trainer said was that I should ‘only’ be doing cardio three times a week for about 20 minutes.

That just doesn’t seem like enough to me. I feel like I should be working harder. And given the fact that my weight has changed less than 2lbs since the 4th of July despite all of my changes… I’m starting to wonder if I should be listening to this part of her advice.

I meet with one of my trainers twice a week for 45mn each session. It is a lot of strength training with some cardio in a circuit format. The trainer is telling me to limit myself to my 3x/wk 20mn sessions on my elliptical at home with my heart rate over 140. With the scale not budging and my pants still treating me as an enemy combatant, I’m concerned and feel like I’m tying my own hands before my back with this three times a week stuff. I feel like I should be on that elliptical for 20mn at least five days a week – and probably for longer than 20mn. She even said to limit yoga! (I should note I’m in fine health. I’m overweight but I’m perfectly capable of exercising safely, so it’s not that sort of an issue.)

Any thoughts? Experiences? I’m trying to avoid a lot of the pitfalls I see people talk about here – not eating enough to lose weight, not doing strength training, etc. But I still feel like something is missing and I'm simply not seeing significant results.

Re: Too much cardio?!

  • I would step up the cardio.  A trainer friend of mine had me doing a lot of strength with just 15 minutes of cardio and while I toned up, I didn't lose. Your goal is to lose, so your workout should reflect that. You gave the trainer 3 months and haven't gotten the results you want, I would move on to someone else.
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  • I personally don't buy that stuff about "too much cardio"! That's where you burn a lot of calories!

    Strength training and diet are really important- but flexibility and cardio are just also important! 

    This must be so frustrating for you- I'm not a fitness expert (like, AT ALL) but I have been doing 5x cardio a week for anywhere from 30-50 mins and 20 mins 3x week of strength training, while watching my diet (but not really "counting" calories) and I have lost about 15 lbs in 3.5 months. I still want to lose another 15-20lbs though!

    I would suggest upping your cardio - good luck lady! you can do it!!! 
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  • I would definitely step up the cardio!  I did around 90 minutes of cardio 5-6 days a week for the months leading up to my wedding.  Weight/stength training is also important and I probably did about 3-4 hours of that per week as well.  I lost 37lbs in the 8 months before my wedding with this plan.  Of course I also ate a healthy diet!  Good luck!
  • If you are doing Jillian its strength and cardio combined. I'm doing that too.  Until my recent setback (hip injury), I would do Jillian 3x a week and run 4 times.  I did lose weight and inches.  I'm trying to get back to that point.
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  • I think you should for sure amp up the cardio!  I do 30 min MWFS 45 min Tues and Thursday. MWFS I also do weight training and T/Thurs I do abs after cardio. BUT you also need to take a closer look at your diet because it attributes 80% and 20% is working out. Its simple math 3500 calories equal 1lb which means you should at least be burning 500 calories a day and taking in 500 calories less a day if you want to loose 2lbs a week. 20 min of cardio is probably only burning 200 depending upon your body.  The best investment I have ever made was my polar heart rate monitor because it keeps track of the calories burned. You can pick one up at any sports store or online. I use it every day and I swear by it! 1700 calories sounds a little high to me unless you are doing a substantial amount of cardio and weights. My maintenance calories is 1500 for 5'6 125lb.  My best friend is a trainer so she has helped me learn a lot! MY ADVICE  for eating is aim to get 100 grams of protein and you will find yourself reaching for healthier foods because you will want to be getting the protein.  A combination of taking in more protein and putting on some more muscle will help you burn more calories. The more muscle you have on your body the more calories you burn. 
  • Haven't read the responses, so this might be repetitive--

    I have a lot of experiences with trainers, etc. I love to exercise, and read a lot. From what I understand, cardio isn't great for weightloss, because it's just the calories you are burning at that moment; not long term calorie burning (which you get from building muscle). 20 minutes on the elliptical is nothing though. I hate the elliptical-- I find it super inefficient. I think if you replace the elliptical with 20 minutes on the treadmill, doing hard intervals (sprints followed by jogs, hills, etc.) you'll see more results...

    In other words...I don't think they're wrong in limiting your cardio. I personally have found that I lose more fat if I focus on heavy weights instead of cardio. BUT, when I do cardio that I count as cardio (I ride my bike everywhere, for example, I don't cout that) I do hard running intervals. The ellipticals I do on my rest days.
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  • I totally agree that weight-lifting is the best way to boost your basal metabolic rate (BMR, the number of calories you use everyday just being alive) by increasing your muscle mass, but it's not true that cardio alone won't raise your BMR.

    About a year ago, I had my BMR measured during a VO2 max test. At the time, I only did cardio, 10-12 hours per week at various intensities (some long and slow, some hard intervals, some at lactate threshold) and my BMR was measured at well over 2000 calories per day. I know that I am just one individual, and so my experience won't apply to everyone; I also know that many people don't have the time to train as much as I do. But doing more cardio probably won't hurt you, and it may help, if you have time to do more without sacrificing other aspects (strength training, HIIT) of your routine.
  • I'm also way curious on the trainer's reasoning. Are you fatigued/not able to to do what they ask you to do during the sessions? If so, maybe that's why they want you to rest more?
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  • I'm confused about the limiting yoga part also. 

    I work out with a VERY physical personal trainer and he's come to accept the fact that I regularly practice yoga.  The only thing that he complains about is that the fllexibility sometimes makes it easier for me to use bad form but we both watch for that.  He and I are both looking for results, so anything that gets me moving and works on my strength (both huge in yoga) works toward that goal. 
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  • I think this is proof that not all trainers are created equally.  You pay them for results. The diet and workout plan this trainer has you on may work for some clients but its clearly not giving you what you want.  Last time I hired a trainer in three months I went from an 8 to a 4 and lost almost 10 percent body fat. I'm too broke to hire one now, but I just was saying that with the right guidance you can get to where you want to be.  I think its time to hire someone new.
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  • Weight training is great, but cardio is important too.  As a runner, I think it's bullsh*t when trainers tell you that cardio doesn't work.  It does!  How many overweight runners do you see?  Not many!!!   Plus, it's great for your heart, the endorphin rush, and general well-being.  Having said that, weight lifting should be a part of your routine, as should flexibility and eating right.  I don't think picking one will help you.  

    Here's my routine.  On Saturday I do legs/arms/abs (a combo of p90x workouts).  On sunday, I do yoga and go for a run.  Monday maybe yoga or a rest day.  Tuesday I run.  Wednesday I do arms.  Thursday I do legs and maybe yoga if I feel like it.  Friday I run.  Basically, I try to run 3 days a week, do yoga twice a week and do strength training a few times a week too.   I also try to go for walks every saturday and sunday and some nights after dinner.  

    Basically, I think our bodies are meant to be moving a lot more than they are.  We are so sedentary as a society.  I think limiting yourself to twenty minutes three times a week is crazy.  I always thought that was the recommended minimum, not maximum!
  • Thank you all so much for your perspectives; I will certainly be working to get more cardio in my day.

    To a few specific points:

    kailapennington , as I mentioned, diet has been a huge part of my effort. I have been logging all of my food intake since 1 August and using a daily calorie calculator since 1 September. My nutritionist has looked at all my food logs and says my daily calorie intake has decreased by a minimum of 500 calories per day. She is the one who told me to aim for 1700 calories a day. I wear a Polar heart rate montior watch when I work out. (You're right; they're awesome!) and carry a FitBit on me the rest of the day/night. We're monitoring like crazy here! :-)

    Re: Rayne's comments
    General comments on training: I do lift heavy weights. I am regularly struggling on the last rep or two. And while, yes, I do use the elliptical for my cardio, I vary the incline and intensity greatly as I do so to do both speed and incline work. I don't allow myself to zone out at a 135 heart rate with the resistance at 5. :-)

    Comment 1: bad diet/eating more than you think
    I don't have a bad diet. I may not have explained that clearly in my first post, but I am extremely aware of what I eat. I either weigh or measure -- in my own kitchen -- at least 90% of everything I consume, down to the garlic powder. I use an online calorie log and work with the assumption I will under estimate by about 100 calories each day from things like seasonings, a bite of the FI's dinner, etc.

    2. Processed foods
    I absolutely agree -- my mother is the poster child for 'clean' eating. But again, at least 75% of what I eat, I'm cooking from scratch in my own kitchen. If I can't pronounce something in it, I don't eat it.

    3. Not eating enough.
    Ha! This is so frustrating. You're eating too much, you're not eating enough! Sometimes it can't help but feel like you have to hit a sweet point of exactly X calories and even a 50 calorie change from that will RUIN your diet FOREVER. ::thunder:: I think I'm eating enough because I do not feel deprived. I eat five times a day and I do not feel hungry. My daily intake ranges from about 1400 to 1800, with 1800 being a 'treat' day.

    4. Thryoid
    While this is a problem in my family, my doctor did the blood work at the beginning of this month and tells me all test results were normal.

    Veritasatori-- awesome point I need to remember, that trainer is working for me. I've confronted them on my lack of results in the past but maybe I do just need to put on my big girl pants and fire them.

    They claim that I shouldn't change too much, too fast with the diet, strength training, cardio or it will overwhelm my body and it will just sort of go into starvation mode/refuse to budge calories out of shock. I don't know; I can't entirely buy that.

    (The funny thing about all of this is the most fit person I know is my mother. She hasn't lifted a weight or done HIIT training in a decade. She eats a 75% raw food diet, walks an average of 7 miles a day, and does 90mn of yoga 6 days a week. And when she feels like it, she has a donut. She's amazingly strong, graceful, and lean. I want to be her when I grow up.)

    The bottom line seems to be that more cardio can't possibly hurt. I'm going to continue to record every single thing that I eat/drink and double my cardio workouts. And maybe fire my trainers. :-)
  • I agree with most of the PPs, and have a few recommendations as well.  You definitely need more cardio.  20 mins on the elliptical is unlikely to do a lot to help weight loss, especially depending on the difficulty level you are doing it at.  I recommend doing high intensity intervals (HII).  They can be done on the elliptical, the bike, the treadmill, walking or running outside.. just about anything.  They are pretty much what the name implies- doing intervals of high intensity cardio, and you have a lower intensity break inbetween. 

    The general ratio is 1:2, (using the treadmill as an example) which can be 1 min running to 2 mins recovery walk/jog.  I always do a warm up, and bc of time limits on my gym treadmill, I only do this for 30 mins.  I'll start around 4.5 mph for my first sprint, up the intensity gradually during every HII, and generally end around 7 or 7.5, depending on how ambitious I'm feeling.  There's no set rules on how you do this, for as long as you do high intensity and recovery.  I usually do 1.5 mins each, ignoring the 1:2 ratio.  I also do this on the bike and elliptical.  It burns a lot of calories and helps boost metabolism. 

    Others covered food well, so I have one other rec for exercising.  Do stuff outside of the gym!  Go biking, jogging, hiking, kayaking, etc.  They are all great workouts, and it doesn't necessarily feel like it.  Your info says you are in the DC area.. I'm from central PA.  There are some great state parks in the area, most of which have really good hiking paths.  Don't feel like you are limited to the gym or a machine. 

    Btw, time to switch to a new trainer.  Can you do that at the gym you're at, someone who would steer you in a better direction with the cardio?  3 months is enough time to show good results, if your food is generally going well.  Sorry for the novel.  :)
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  • OP, I hope you didn't think I was attacking you!  It's just always easier to help when you've got more info.

    It seems like you're doing everything right in the food department (although I'd still say you might be eating too little).  My only other suggestion would be to invest in a heart rate monitor so you really KNOW what you're burning and can adjust your food intake accordingly.  The best kind are the ones that come with a chest strap (I've got a Polat F6) because they are constantly monitoring your heat rate, as opposed to one with just a wrist strap.

    Is there any reason you have to use the elliptical over something like the bike, or the treadmill?  It's just too efficient for me.  I'd think you could get a much better workout on something a little more high-impact (though I guess a bike does't really count as high-impact), try switching it up, you never know.

    Good luck.  I really hope you can figure out what's gotten you stuck!
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  • Thanks, Raynes! I read a lot of the discussions and I know your commitment to strength training has resulted in some awesome changes for you. And I can see my own arms and upper back are a lot stronger in the time I've been working with my trainer. I defintely want to keep that up!

    I have a heart rate monitor band/watch and I have to say it was one of the best fitness investments I ever made. I would tell anyone to get one -- the machines at the gym, they LIE! I recently replaced the battery in mine and am using it regularly again.

    Ah, the elliptical... Because we have one. :-) My fiance and I bought it about two months ago after going through the list of reasons going to the gym was a challenge. (Long commute, amount of time it takes to get ready for work at the gym, dog needs to be picked up, religious class in the evenings, etc.) With the machine, the rationale is that if I have X minutes, I can work out X minutes, not X - (minutes to the gym). When I'm in better shape to run our hilly neighborhood and the weather is out of the high 80s and humid, I'd love to transition outside for my 'running.' I try to prevent letting myself cheat by watching my heart rate and upping the resistance levels.

    Thanks again for the pointers!

  • My advice - Subscribe to sites like livestrong.com here is a link
     for advice for wanting to lose the last 15 lbs.

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/223701-easiest-way-to-lose-15-pounds/

    and also men's health.com which is also a part of eat this, not that

    I get these emails sent to me DAILY and they are reminders of what to eat, what to do physically.. so you are not stuck in the same old routine and do different things physically or try different foods like sweet pototos.

    People eat the same old stuff - oatmeal, blueberries, spinach, etc.

    You want your staple items, and maybe you want that item to be oatmeal and wheat bread for daily everyday, but regarding vegatables and fruits you want to swtich it up to vary the nutritents.

    It will remind you the benefits of spinach and also the benefit of sweet potatos and other foods that have the same benefits, and walnuts and what their benefit is etc.
    In general, if you get these daily emails, they will remind you of your goals and how to get their,

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  • Eat whole, natural foods. Choose fresh vegetables and fruits as the foundation of your meals and augment with lean proteins, whole grains and a bit of unsaturated fat. Opt for green and orange produce, fish, poultry, brown rice, oatmeal, quinoa, olive oil, nuts and avocados at most meals. Avoid adding butter or cheese to enhance the flavors of vegetables.

    Read more: www.livestrong.com/article/223701-easiest-way-to-lose-15-pounds/#ixzz10GlkJHfv">http://www.livestrong.com/article/223701-easiest-way-to-lose-15-pounds/#ixzz10GlkJHfv

    See - Quinoa, I forgot about that and been meaning to try it. 
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  • edited September 2010
    The amount of calories you burn during activity depends on your size and the intensity level, but any activity will help you burn calories. If you are already extremely active and cannot add more movement, you will have to trim calories further or accept a slower rate of weight loss. If trimming 500 daily calories makes your daily intake dip below 1,200 as a woman or 1,500 as a man, the minimum requirements as per Medline Plus—a product of the National Institutes of Health—you should seek to burn more calories, rather than starve yourself, to create weight loss. If your weight loss stalls after losing five to 10 lbs., you may need to re-evaluate your calorie intake. How many calories you need daily depends partly on your size: The calorie count that helped you drop pounds at a certain weight-point may no longer be effective and you may need to reduce further or increase physical activity again.

    Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/177037-how-to-lose-15-pounds-in-weeks/#ixzz10Go1M9Yl
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