cgf636 Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 So I drastically changed my diet/workout plan as part of my NY Resolution. I am a 5'4, 150 lb (starting point) at 26 yr old female. I've been weighing in daily since 12/29 with the goal to lose 25 lbs by April (so far I have lost 5 lbs). Anyway, while my plan is to workout 4-5 days a week during this time, mostly cardio - speed intervals on treadmill, zumba/turbokick classes when I can leave work on time... I am worried about being deterred by weather. Tonight I drove halfway to the gym during a snowstorm in Chicago and then realized how stupid I was for leaving the house and I turned around in fear that the snow would be so thick by the time I was leaving the gym that I wouldn't be able to get home. I know you are not supposed to plan to lose weight by cutting calories only - will I still lose weight this way? What are the risks? Thank you. Link to post Share on other sites
Light Breeze Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Yes you'll lose. calories is king! But Exercise is important. It's actually simple you eat below your maintenance you lose weight and you eat above you gain. However, our bodies are really smart they would adjust after a time of eating at a deficit, hence, the starvation mode. So I suggest mixing things up to confuse your system and avoid plateus or metabolic damage. For me, it's usually 4 weeks of caloric deficit (with one cheat day a week) and 1 week of eating at a more than your maintenance (around 150 kcals over). That being said, exercise is very important too. I'm no professional by any means but through experience I found out that you need too build lean muscle mass to greatly accelerate your metabolism. Given the snow problem I suggest you can start off by doing body weight exercises. There are a lot of resources in the web to choose from. My sister by the way is using Mark Lauren's "You are your own gym" 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Noproblem Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 (edited) I would suggest since sometimes the weahter is bad in Chicago is to buy yourself some dumbbells, mat, and kettle ( 3 pounds, 5 pounds and 10) and some Swiss ball you know there are tons of video on youtube that had a lot of different exercises to whole body workout with these not that expensive small tools weight lifting helps a lot and you can exercise at home in any small zone whenever the gym is off limit but don't make the weather as an excuse last year I saw people in Chicago running during that crazy snow you got.. Edited January 6, 2015 by Noproblem Link to post Share on other sites
Author cgf636 Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 (edited) Thanks for the replies! I find my best motivation at the gym. I really get into it when I'm running on a treadmill or ellipitical or going to a class. The people-watching helps too! I do have free weights at home and have tried some youtube videos. I will definitely check out Mark Lauren's. There are so many videos out there so recommendations are always good to help narrow the options. Pinterest has been great with this but I am still afraid that I'll lose my momentum if I can't get to the gym. My goal for tomorrow is to stop at the gym on my way home from work since I'll already be out of the house. And you only need to have one bad slip in Chicago to stop running outside in bad weather! Edited January 6, 2015 by cgf636 weird spacing Link to post Share on other sites
deathandtaxes Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Don't cut your calorie consumption by too much. You want this to be sustainable. You need to change up what you eat so you're eating healthier. And weights weights weights. Cardio is good and all. But a combined cardio/weight regimen will do wonders for your weight loss. Link to post Share on other sites
d0nnivain Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 Can you at least walk in your neighborhood when you can't get to the gym? Especially if you were formerly sedentary any additional movement is still better than sitting on the couch. Link to post Share on other sites
Els Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 There are exercises you can do at home - skip rope, jumping jacks, body weight exercises, even the more active types of housework count. But admittedly those are quite boring. Some people do lose weight by cutting calories only, but a lot of muscle goes with that. And you have to be careful to get enough nutrition with that, as the number of calories you have to survive on to lose weight without exercise especially for a woman is rather little. Link to post Share on other sites
Els Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 I also came across this article, that addresses a large part of your question: Exercise vs. Diet: Which Is More Important for Weight Loss? If you do read it, be sure to read all the way to the last sentence to avoid misconceptions. Link to post Share on other sites
Danda Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 Please don't try to lose by cutting calories only with no exercise. I was actually very similar to you in height/weight, and I started by cutting calories only. But my body adapted quickly (so to speak) so I had to keep reducing the amount of calories. It got out of control. I wound up skinny-fat and not toned, my hooters 'deflated' a bit and I got sick. When I switched to eating healthy I gained a lot of weight really fast for a bit and it scared me. To this day when I am really stressed/depressed it's hard not to fall back into old bad habits. Thing is that working out and getting enough nutrients tones while slimming, which means a better looking body, better health and higher metabolism. Cutting calories only risks lots of plateauing, less attractive body, super low metabolism and potentially even an unhealthy mentality. Best to just not even go there. Of course is someone is not already in a sedentary lifestyle and already moderately+ active then for them cutting calories is probably fine. But cut too much and you will become more sedentary. Unless you're manic. Lol. Link to post Share on other sites
Light Breeze Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 Yes, pro longed caloric deficit risks plateuing and metabolic damage but that could be avoided. A Trainer, friend of mine taught me about confusing your body often to avoid plateus, hence, cheat days and rest periods. Regarding healthy diets, personally I use IIFYM (If it fits your macros). When I'm maintaining I usually aim for 40% protein 40% carbs and 20% fat. If I'm cutting usually increase protein and lower carbs to induce ketosis. I just make sure I roughly estimate my calories because I don't think weighing everything I eat is the way to live a happy life Regarding exercise, I personally only do cardio twice a week to increase cardiovascular strength but never to lose body fat. Based on how my body works in terms of losing weight, cardio only increases the caloric deficit and do nothing significant for toning. That's why I'm a big fan of weight training or body weights. Lean muscles burn more calories than fat, thus, increasing your metabolism. Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts