Stationary Bike vs Walking?

J

jonalisa

0
Hi, I'm new.
I have about 20lbs to lose-mostly in the torso, although you can see it in my face. I am 41, female, 5' tall and gained weight over the past 2 years. I am eating 'healthy' but not following any diet. (I did Atkins, South Beach and WW - none of which allowed me to lose more than an initial 4lbs. despite sticking with it religiously for 2mos minimum even with exercise).

I am doing 30 minutes a day on a stationary bike at a moderate pace. (About 5 miles at 85-90 rpms). When I'm done, I don't feel I could go longer (out of breath, legs tired).

A friend told me I would be better off walking 5 miles a day at a normal pace. Is that true? Or should I slow my pace on the bike and try to go longer? How long?

I am very frustrated because I really put in the effort religiously but never seem to get any results. (I have done light weights in the past - 20 min every morning upon waking up which seemed to be working, but now have tennis elbow or arthritis in both elbows - seeing a doctor next week.

Could anyone offer some advice? I am not in the best shape and 20 lbs may not seem a lot - but I am short and don't feel well at this weight. I am a person who is very dedicated and won't cheat...but need some guidance as to the most effective way to get exercise.

Thanks in advance,
jonalisa
 
well, you've come to the right place. There are a few of us here who know a bit about the whole weight loss (I prefer the term fat loss) game, and between us, we should be able to put you on the right track. When you say your eating healthy, are you eating enough? Do a google search on "calorie intake calculators" and use one of those (you put your height, weight, age, and tells you what amount of calories you need to maintain your current weight. All you have to do is eat 500 calories less than that per day. This would equal out to losing about 1 lb a week (3500 calories in a lb). Eat clean (no junk food, fast food subway is ok though as long as you choose wisely), get plenty of protein.

With exercise, weight training and cardio are key. Try to weight train 3 times a week for 45 minutes, and do cardio 4-6 times a week for at least 30 minutes, no more than an hour.
 
Thank you :)

OKAY!!!
Thanks for the quick response and encouragement and making me feel so welcome and not alone.
I did a calculator search and here's what it said:
Maintenance: 1518 calories/day
Fat Loss: 1214 calories/day
Extreme Fat Loss: 968 calories/day

Am I just looking at packages for calorie counts or is there a place to find caloric values elsewhere? Any tips on calculating for mixed foods (salads, etc?)

As far as exercise, my arms are essentially 'broken' at this point - cannot lift a cup of coffee without pain. Any substitutes? I can do floor exercises and bike or walk. Any input on my question regarding 30 minutes on the bike vs walking? I have an old, noisy treadmill that would take some effort to move into a useful area, but will do it if it would be of more benefit than the bike. If I don't have the stamina to do the bike more than 30min should I slow pace and go longer or add a different exercise on top of it? (I live in a big house - so stairs are an option too.)

Lastly, I drink a lot of decaf iced coffee with fat free half&half and sweet n lo. Does this count towards water intake or just start drinking water?

Sorry, so many questions...but I am very motivated. Thanks very much for your input.

jonalisa


(I hope this doesn't post multiple times...had some problems posting.)
 
If I may ask, what is your weight? If you don't want to post it here, thats fine. But your calorie intake levels are WAY low. The maintenance level is about the minimum that you want to eat. You may just need to redistribute the weight. If thats the case, we can work with you there. The arthritis part is unavoidable. We have to work around it, it can be done yes, it may be a bit harder though. If your at a healthy weight, and just have a little excess fat in certain places, we have to go about it a bit differently.

You should drink water, you don't necessarily have to cut out the iced coffee, but try to drink more water.
 
Help!

Hi,

Im a newbie and definitely fed up with this weight loss game. I am also 41 and have been dieting well over 2 months and can not loose weight. I have been eating healthy and exercising 3 times a day. My calorie intake is usually 600. I stated eating more calories based on a new plan and ended up gaining weight! Someone please help me. I am 5'5'' and tryingo to get down to 120 which is a comfortable weight for me! I am miserable and very depressed.

Please help someone! Also, I am now taking smartburn diet pills to see if that will help. :(
 
fed_up said:
Hi,

Im a newbie and definitely fed up with this weight loss game. I am also 41 and have been dieting well over 2 months and can not loose weight. I have been eating healthy and exercising 3 times a day. My calorie intake is usually 600. I stated eating more calories based on a new plan and ended up gaining weight! Someone please help me. I am 5'5'' and tryingo to get down to 120 which is a comfortable weight for me! I am miserable and very depressed.

Please help someone! Also, I am now taking smartburn diet pills to see if that will help. :(
Click to expand...

Well it actually depends on what kind of exersise you doing....for fat loss I would go for cardio. Healthy Diet?:confused: Hmmm...it again depends on the quantity you take in Vs the quantity you are actually burning:rolleyes: . So Healthy Diet doesnt guarantee you in weight loss:( . Plan your diet in such a way its proportionate to your cal burn;) . I see this you first post. Dont worry, I guarantee that you are in between many good people who can help you out in here. There are many threads in the forum Which would enlighten you.:)

Keep it goin,
 
Last edited:
Help

Thank you Xtacy78!

I am trying to stay positive. I usually workout 3 times a week. 20 min on the stationary bike. 20 min on weights and 15 on floor. I do 5 min (200 ab crunches) a day. Today I have taken in abt 900 calories and that's including dinner. My scales show 133 and I am miserable. I want/need to be 120. I dont know what else to do. I hope someone can help me.
 
Your calorie intake is fine (if not a little low), so the only other thing to do is increase the amount of time you put into your exercise. Make sure the intensity of you cardio is high enough. I think the theory of low intensity cardio is bunk. If you go for 20 or thiry minutes at low intensity 3 times a week, I don't think you will reach your goals, Kick it up a notch in intensity, length of time, and frequency, if you are physically able. Losing weight and getting in shape isn't easy, but it is definitely worth the effort.
 
I'm going to come at this from a different angle.

1) You are always better off walking and NOT on a treadmill. Get out in the fresh air and sunshine. Pick a route that goes up and down hills that you can handle. Find a park near you or walk along a lake. Nothing is more boring than trudging on a treadmill. Here's a great one. Walk while tossing a 3 lb medicine ball from hand to hand and up over your head. You'll up the calorie burn and also tone the arms and core at the same time.

2) Pick exercises that engage your whole body. Your body is designed to move as a system. Isolating specific body parts is O.K. but you can work your whole body while you emphasize not isolate specific body parts. A push up for example emphasizes chest and shoulders but also engages the entire skeletal-muscular system. You work more when you engage your whole body.

3) Don't count calories. If you pick the right foods, it's almost impossible to over eat. Stay away from anything that comes in a bag or box or has more than one ingredient on the label. Do not eat anything with added sugars, high fructose corn syrup etc. Run from any diet food like it was the plague. Eat everything as close to its natural state as you can. Eat when you're hungry and only eat enough so you are not hungry anymore but still could eat some more. An apple and a small handfull of raw almonds is way better for you than a Slim fast bar.

Those calorie caculators and Basal metabolism calculators on line are worthless. If I listened to those things I'd be eating 4000 calories a day and would be getting fatter by the minute.

Drink water. get your water in first, at least 2 liters per day then drink whatever you want. Remeber to stay away from the sugary stuff.

You don't need to waste your money and clutter up your house with all the cheesy gadgets to get in shape, you just have to move.

One of my personal inspirations is Jack Lalane. This guy kept fit and strong by doing mostly calesthenics and bodyweight exercises and at 90 he can still whoop most people's butts.
 
Hiit

Just to add here. Have you tried doing some High intensity interval training (HIIT) to help loose those last 20lbs? I know it helped me out a lot.
 
doing 200 ab crunches per day will do absolutely nothing for you. You cannot spot reduce fat and your abs will not become visible just by exercising them.
You are overtraining your abs. You should be working them a maximum of 3 days per week with 1 days rest in between. you should only be doing a max of about 15 repetitions as well. Add some weight if need be.

You might want to try alternating between cardio and lifting days.
wake up and run/elliptical/anything-that gets your heart rate up.. dont eat.. Do cardio. use the fat for fuel.
get that heart rate up too. Just walking will probably not be enough.
If you eat and then run, you are wasting your time. If you want to lose weight you need to create a calorie deficiency. If you feed your body what it "wants" it will hold onto fat. If you provide a steady flow of nutrients (6 small meals per day) your body will hold onto less. Get plenty of protein and do not avoid fats. Just dont eat crappy food packed with saturated fats.
EFAs are something you should look at as well. You can get EFAs from things like fish, Flax oil, udo's oil.. Essential Fatty Acids promote the usage of fat for fuel and also perform a host of other functions in your body.

Skull Pilot hit lots of great points! Drink that water.. LOTS of it. :)
 
my take

I do cardio 5 days a week, but I mix it up, I do stationary bike, but I do it as a Spinning class, I do it at home with a Video, if you want the name I can place it on a reply. But it is a 40 Min. workout at various speeds and it is a intense workout and I enjoy it as opposed to just riding my stationary bike for 30 min. same speed.

I also jog a mile and a half, just enough to reach the anerobic stage for a while, then cool down (walking) for another half mile.

I been shedding pounds like crazy, I just keep pushing myself.

I will be adding swimming now that it is warmer out. I want to get up to a mile swimming.

mix it up and make it fun.
 
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