I'm sooooo frustrated! (And by the way, FAT is an exaggeration) I'm actually at a healthy weight BUT I'm up about 5 lbs from where I like to be and the worst part is all my pants are uncomfortable . So I'm at the stage where it's lose a few or buy new pants, and I refuse to buy new pants!
I've always had to watch what I eat, I'm not naturally thin . . . but normally once I set my mind to it I can lose. As a matter of fact, I usually can watch what I eat and lose pretty quickly, like a couple of pounds the first week . . . not this time! It's been two weeks and I'm stuck . . . or the scale is. So I'm wondering what's different, and it's either the fact that my lifestyle is so sedentary (studying up to five hours a day!) or the fact that I'm just getting older (almost 38).
I am normally a workout freak but this semester is tough and I had to cut back to 30 minutes a day, can't increase it because I just don't have the time. So all I can think of it . . . eat less. I'm eating my normal "lose weight" foods and since it isn't working I have to cut back some more, I guess.
Kcal expenditure during exercise all depends on what your doing and how you do it. If your'e doing regular cardio, switch it up and do HIIT or 1/4 mile work. If youve never done HIIT or 1/4 mile work youll notice a big difference. And not to stereotype you but if your weights consist of lots of machine work or a low % of your 1rm and several reps, thats another problem as well.
Huh - English please? What's HIIT - high intensity interval training? That's what I do one day per week. I actually work out at home, so no machines, I use weights and it's not low weight high reps - I go as heavy as I can, I also do push ups and pull ups, so you get the idea.
Since time is an issue - I'm thinking about adding some sporadic exercise in between study sessions. I always study in 1/2 hour increments so I can get up and stretch, but maybe I'll take 5 minutes or so in between and just run up and down the stairs, something like that. I could add in 20-30 minutes of cardio that way.
Thanks again for all the suggestions and sympathy!
Yep, high intensity interval training. Most people can handle 3 sessions of up to 15 minutes per week before they get diminished returns. The problem with hiit is most people dont use high enough intensity during the 30-60 second intense phase. Unless you have health issues theres no reason to add regular cardio to the mix. 3 sessions of true HIIT per week well give you what youre looking for. HIIT can also be done using any form of cardio you would normally use, running, stationary/recumbent bike, stair climbing etc... you could even use it with walking for certain indivduals.
You can also change up your weight training workout by increasing the total volume and decreasing the rest in between sets. Mix in the HIIT and take another look at your nutrition to see where its at and you should be set.
. So I'm at the stage where it's lose a few or buy new pants, and I refuse to buy new pants!
krenee
517 Posts
Huh - English please? What's HIIT - high intensity interval training? That's what I do one day per week. I actually work out at home, so no machines, I use weights and it's not low weight high reps - I go as heavy as I can, I also do push ups and pull ups, so you get the idea.
Since time is an issue - I'm thinking about adding some sporadic exercise in between study sessions. I always study in 1/2 hour increments so I can get up and stretch, but maybe I'll take 5 minutes or so in between and just run up and down the stairs, something like that. I could add in 20-30 minutes of cardio that way.
Thanks again for all the suggestions and sympathy!
Kelly