How Much Is Good? or How Much Am I Supposed to Be Doing?

I love the hollywood diet along with exercising.
The southbeach totally copied it. I hope you can still get it. I bought the package years ago and found this online http://www.hollywooddiet.com/ but the most important part of the 15 day diet is the cookbook and following it. The first 2 days are juice and water (and that is not fun) but the next 13 days are really great and with exercise you really see great weight loss. So don't just buy the juice, get the book. Once you have it you are set and you can do it once a year if you feel like it. All of the recipes are excellent for year round healthy eating too.

It sounds to me like you are doing the right things already! If you are enjoying working out and feeling good, then you are doing great! Don't worry about what others are saying or numbers or anything like that - exercise for you and your health! The weight will come off if you are consistent with diet and exercise - congrats and have fun!

P.S. Workout buddies are the best!

The machines don't take into account the fact that after exercising you continue to burn calories at a higher rate. Also, I wouldn't worry so much about fat grams as I would about the types of fat you consume - avoid the hydrogenated fats altogether and stick with healthy oils such as olive oil and coconut oil. Also, sugar and carbs are some of the worst culprits in causing weight gain and keeping one from losing weight. This is what they've learned after years of preaching a low fat diet. Many people regained alot of weight when they came out with the Snackwells because they replaced the fat with sugar. I would just focus on eating healthy: fruits, veggies and healthy meats and some grains (whole grains only) and keep away from the sugars altogether. That doesn't mean your daughter can't have an occasional treat, but telling her it's healthy in any way isn't going to help her in the long run. Things like dark chocolate covered raisins or nuts or just plain raisins are a good regular treat for kids. There are also candies made with some of the alcohol sugars (e.g., Xylitol) that are actually good for their teeth, but you have to be cautious with those as they can cause some GI issues in some sensitive individuals.

First of all, don't compare yourself with your Curves friend. Each person is different in size and the body structure. Visit your doctor and talk to him/her about a diet plan that is right for you and the amount of exercise you should be doing for your current cardiac condition. Thirty pounds may take 6 months or more so don't be discouraged or expect a quick weight loss. Losing the weight slowly will be easier to maintain later on and watching what you eat will be a lifestyle, not a diet.

First count the calories that you currently eat and set a goal to eat less and burn off about 1300 per week in combination. For example, if you currently eat 1600 per day, try to eat 700 calories less and burn off 600 calories at the gym per week. That would be 100 calories less per day (700 calories) and 3 trips to the gym at 200 calories each trip (600 calories).

Avoid sugary drinks (lots of hidden calories) and go for diet drinks. Use sweetner (I like Splenda) instead of sugar. Measure your portion sizes (that's my problem!) and read up on how much portion sizes really should be. Keep eating out to no more than twice per week. If you overeat one day, then make it up by doing more at the gym, but try to keep within your daily calorie allowance. Write down what you eat and your gym activities so you can be accountable to yourself.

Try moderate weight lifting. Don't worry about building those awful looking muscles that you see in body-builder magazines. Women just aren't genetically going to look like that! But do add some weights into your routine. Slowly increase the amount of weight and try to do 15 repetitions for 2 sets of each body part. It's best to get with a trainer until you understand the best ways to go about weight lifting. This will not only strengthen bones, but will also help with weight loss and toning (you'll burn calories in your sleep!).

Weight loss is a journey and you should find something you enjoy doing along the way. Once you have reached your goal, continue to monitor your calorie intake. You should know at that point how many calories your body will need daily to maintain your weight.

Most importantly, don't follow fad diets or take pills! Remember that weight loss and maintenance is a lifetime commitment - not a quick fix plan of weird foods that you won't eat in the long run. There is no magic plan: it is all based on "calories in - calories out". It's really a simple concept that people try to make difficult so they can write books/CDs etc. to make money. Just remember: calories in - calories out. Good luck!!!

If you have never been one to exercise consistently, I wouldn't worry too much right now about how many calories you burn. The machines are only providing an approximate. The more important thing is to gradually increase your cardiovascular fitness and overall tone. 20 minutes on the elliptical followed by light weight training or a nautilus circuit will help you lose the weight and tighten things up at the same time in a steady consistent fashion that will last. As you get in better shape, you can set the machines to increase resistance. That, with portion control and eating better foods (not dieting per se) will provide the best results. Do not exercise more than 5 days a week. Your body must have time to rest and repair. One final note - at a certain point you will stop losing weight. Don't freak, just check that you are still losing inches. Muscle weighs more than fat.

Dear M.,

I'm a member at LA Fitness and have a personal trainer. I was given a handbook to track my progress and in that book is the Harris Benedict Formula for figuring out how many calories you need each day to lose, gain or maintain. Here's a website that should explain this formula. http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-bened...

Hope this helps.

R. L

good for you that you are taking control of your health and setting such a good example for your daughter! here is my input, take it for what it's worth...
don't get too caught up in how many calories your burning. make sure you are pushing yourself, doing interval training when doing just cardio and that you are doing weights. women need weights! increasing your muscle mass will burn more calories over all (working out and at rest) than just cardio. also, don't get too consumed with fat grams either. fat is necessary! very necessary. make smart choices such as no boxed foods (as in a meal in a box), nothing with artificial food coloring and flavorings, nothing with partially hydrogenated oils (there are products that say no trans fat and have this in them...so be careful). 2 books that I would highly recommend starting with are Jordan Rubin's The Maker's Diet and Timothy Brantley's The Cure. If I can help in any way, please let me know. I am a personal trainer/nutritionist.
Good luck!
p.s. no artificial sweetners! they are total poison!

I joined this free website called sparkpeople.com and you answer a couple of questions and it puts toggether a sample workout plan and nutrition pan. It also has message boards so you can talk to people your same ae or in your area or with similar intrests about their journey to weight loss. I have stuck with my exercise a lot longer than I usually do and I have been recommending it to everyone. Maybe you can try it out!

Congratulation getting started is the toughest part. I use lots of sources to help me. If you can get a trainer for a little while to put you on the right track. Find something you like to help you stick to it. Try http://www.realage.com/

http://wwww.badartbaby.etsy.com
http://www.cafepress.com/delladesigns

I went to a nutritionist (I recommend it if you can) and since I was still nursing she had me on a 1700 cal diet. I could eat what I wanted, by supplimenting lots of fruits and veggies. Oatmeal with frozen berries for breakfast, a mid morning snack (Activia is a great tasting low fat yogurt), sandwich on whole wheat with fruit/veggie, snack in the afternoon and a good dinner.

Good luck!

I want to share a few things I am doing that I enjoy. I am doing cardio 4x per week and resistance training 2x per week. I first got weighed and measured for body fat and body mass. I have too much body mass so the director put me on a light weight/high rep resistance workout to help keep the heart rate up for more cardio. My cardio consist of spinning and a few other classes.

For more support go to: www.sparkpeople.com .....it's free. It gives tons of information. You can enter your food intake and it will total your calories, fat, protein, carbs....and it will keep track of your workouts too. There are tons of people to connect with on there for support. It's the best thing I've seen online.

Regarding food, stay completely away from sugary items. This will create more insulin in the body which causes bloat. Plus insulin prevents the body from ridding of fat. Eat protein. Read Sugar Busters (book).

Also, I am doing the Fat Flush Plan (book) It introduces fat back into our diet (the right fats) and detoxes our system. A friend told about this book and she lost weight from it. I went to the grocery store yesterday and got all the stuff (veggies and meat) to get started. There are recipes in there too. Let me tell you, if you don't like veggies and meat, you won't like this plan. I'm excited.

Your exercise routine should be customized for you. Set a goal and work on the body parts that are hard to tone more often and try yoga and pilates. They are good for stretching and breathing. Do not over do it and make sure you hydrate yourself before, during and after your workout. Drink plenty of water and gatorade. Explain to your daughter the true benefits of good eating habits and working out. And let her have at least one cheat day. If you workout properly and monitor your food consumption, intake and output. Every thing will work out just fine. Good luck!!

I havent' worked out in a while but when I was I can tell you burning 500 calories in 30 mins is almost impossible. I do not believe those ladies at Curves are doing that!. Also i found the eliptical machine to be of very little use. Your own body weight is much better - something like kickboxing, plyometrics etc. Of course you should do what works for you and whatever you enjoy. Don't forget to do some weights - you will see results faster. Good for you! Keep at it!

First of all it really depends on if you want to lose weight or get fit...there is a big difference. Like you I wanted my pre-pregnancy weight back and I got it by exercising. The problem was, I weighed 145lbs before I got pregnant which was about twenty five pounds too much. I busted my tail at the gym, going to spinning, step, aerobics etc three to five times a week. I lost nothing. Then I asked a friend what she did to look so good and she told me that it was Weight Watchers that took off all of her extra weight. I joined in May and lost 28 pounds by September and stopped working out completely! I have managed to keep it off for almost six months and haven't been back to the gym. I promise that I never thought I would look as good as this, I had been chunky ALL OF MY LIFE!!!! I NEVER WORE A SIZE 4 BEFORE NOW, 16 YES, BUT NOT 4!I will go back to the gym soon because I want to do some cardio work, but I am telling you, if you want to get the fat off, it is ALL ABOUT THE FOOD. I even get to eat chocolate every day because Hershey's miniatures are only one point each! You don't have to pay for the food at WW and it can be used in conjunction with working out too. If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them, and no I don't work for WW!

Beware the Curves contract. If you decide that you want out of the contract before the years is up you have to pay the remainder of the contract in full. Just be sure you understand before you sign. Other than that is is a great way to exercise as a group and keep each other going.

Hi M., I am a Nutritionist and Personal Trainer and full-time mom.

If your goal is to lose 30 pounds, you are off to a great start with cutting the fat. Add good foods to your diet, such as fruits and veggies, plus take a multi vitamin and extra calcium. Eat only whole grains! Watch your calories - drop your calorie intake to 2000 or less. My class' (Women on Weights) goal is to alternate between 1200 (for two weeks) and 1500 calories (for two weeks). Well, we try to get down to that amount!

As for your activity, a 45 minute Spinning Class will burn 500 calories, so it is possible to really burn the fat, but you are just starting out and your body needs to work its way to that level. (Funny, I only burn 500 calories in a half-hour when I have someone really pushing me. You are doing great! You do need to add weight training to your activities. Lean muscle burns calories all day long. Your metabolism will become faster and you will see your whole body change. The Body Sculpting Bible for Women tells us that more than 40 minutes of cardio can begin to burn muscle. If you burn muscle, you are losing your advantage that lean muscle gives you, a faster metabolism. (Side note - drink lots of water before, during, and after your cardio, and even eat a piece of fruit to give your body some more energy to use.

Remember, the scale only tells you how much everything weighs. It cannot tell you how much lean muscle your have, nor can it tell you how much your bones and organs weigh. Use your clothes and the mirror to judge how well you are doing, not the scale.

Sorry for the long message; I can go on and on....

Hey M.! I am proud of you for wanting to do good for yourself. I am 26 wks pregnant right now and I try to exercise a little but I am not a workout fanatic AT ALL! I hope to be later. But to answer your question--you are not expected to burn the same calories in the same amt of time as someone who has been going to Curves. Just do what your body allows you to do and what you feel good with. The important thing is you are burning the calories! Good Luck and hang in there!

I dont know where you are from but if you live in san antonio you have got to get a ballys fitness membership I go to this kickboxing class on monday night and saturday morning and i am telling you it is very nice. The trainer of course kicks are butts but you really feel it its a total body workout in one hour. Just email me back and i can maybe see if i can get you a 7 day trial membership.

Hi, M.. I'm a personal trainer, so I thought I would offer up some advice. Everyone is going to burn a different amount of calories in a set period of time. There are many factors that play a part in how many calories one burns. The best way to workout is to have a balanced workout throughout the week and to keep your heart rate and calorie intakes at the appropriate amount for your body. Also, do not decrease your calorie intake by more than ###-###-#### calories. Congratulations on taking the first step to being a healthier, happier you! You can use the tools on these websites to help you figure some things out. https://www.gofigure8.com/tools/calc_cal_women.asp
http://www.uniquephysiqueonline.com/

Let me know if you have any more questions. Keeping working hard! :)

M.,
There is no tried and true formula about how many calories you should burn when you work out. It all depends on how much you weigh, your age, your metabolic rate, the type of exercise you are doing. You and your friend can be doing the exact same exercises and she may burn more than you if she is taller/bigger or you may burn more if your pace is higher than hers. In general, the American College of sports medicine recommends that adults exercise at a moderate rate for 30-60 minutes on most days of the week. Be sure to add in strength training (work out with weights) to build lean muscle which will increase your metabolic rate and help you burn more calories. Strength train 2-3 times a week and do cardio the other days. This combined with monitoring your dietary intake and you will see the weight loss results you desire. Be sure to give yourself time. You did not gain the weight quickly, so give yourself time to take it off. You're more likely to keep the weight off.

The best thing is that you are exercising and watching what you eat. There is no magic bullet. You just need to be consistent. I think it's awesome that you are teaching your daughter healthy eating and exercise habits now-it will serve her well down the road.

Best of luck to you!!
D.

M.,

Congratulations! You are doing something wonderful for yourself and your family. Please do not listen to the woman from your work. Most people drop out of exercise routines because the do too much too fast and end up sore or injured.

If you have not been exercising, it is recommended you see your doctor before starting an exercise routine. Right now you want to concentrate on frequency, the number of times per week you work out. Try to work up to 20 minutes/day, 6 days/week. Then you can work on duration (how long you work out) and intensity (how hard you work out). Keeping it fun and having a workout buddy will go a long way in making exercise a permanent addition to your life!

One last thing to remember, don't obsess over the scale. Notice how you feel and how your clothes fit:)

Best wishes,
K.

500 calories in 30 minutes- completely unrealistic-you will probably burn about 150-200

If you are going to make a lifestyle change then go slow and steady. If you reduce your calorie intake by 300 calories a day and increase your activity to burn 200 extra calories per day, you can expect a steady weight loss of approximately one pound per week. This can include walking further across the parking lot, taking stairs, etc.

Also remember muscle weighs more than fat so as you build muscle, your numbers won't necessarily change. You'll know by how your clothes fit.