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There is so many conflicting info. I am obese but at the same time I like my shape and just want to be a smaller version of myself. I've been doing only the elliptical and working the back of my arms with a 10 pound dumbell.
Does this mean my thighs would still be flabby or does the cross trainer at least tones the thighs?
I also don't eat extra of I burn 500 cal at the gym. But I read that will make you go into starvation mode. I also hear though that if you burn off 500 cal at the gym you aren't supposed to add in back to your body,because no deficeit has occured. Any suggestions?
There is really no such thing as "toning". To get that look you have to lose weight and gain muscle...or more accurately...both. You also can't spot reduce fat either. Generally speaking, it comes off in the same order it goes on.
There is so many conflicting info. I am obese but at the same time I like my shape and just want to be a smaller version of myself. I've been doing only the elliptical and working the back of my arms with a 10 pound dumbell.
Does this mean my thighs would still be flabby or does the cross trainer at least tones the thighs?
I also don't eat extra of I burn 500 cal at the gym. But I read that will make you go into starvation mode. I also hear though that if you burn off 500 cal at the gym you aren't supposed to add in back to your body,because no deficeit has occured. Any suggestions?
Your best bet would be to walk for an hour or more a day, which will result in you shrinking. Once you are closer to your ideal weight, then start with the weights to firm and tone. Just doing the elliptical only works the same muscles over and over again. So you want to add walking to that.
Walking is a good weight bearing exercise that slims you all over.
Burning off 500 calories at the gym will not make you go into starvation mode. It's just eating 500 calories a day, which is too little and that will send your body into starvation mode, which results in you not losing the weight as fast as you expect to. Also you need the right fuel for your body, so don't expect to eat a lot of junk food and saturated fat and still lose weight. If you still eat that way and exercise, it will be very slow going.
Make sure you are eating whole grains, lots of veggies and fruit, and you will drop the weight like crazy. Plus don't eat too late at night, because it will make you gain more weight.
There is so many conflicting info. I am obese but at the same time I like my shape and just want to be a smaller version of myself. I've been doing only the elliptical and working the back of my arms with a 10 pound dumbell.
Does this mean my thighs would still be flabby or does the cross trainer at least tones the thighs?
I also don't eat extra of I burn 500 cal at the gym. But I read that will make you go into starvation mode. I also hear though that if you burn off 500 cal at the gym you aren't supposed to add in back to your body,because no deficeit has occured. Any suggestions?
You probably will need to do some lower body work to tighten up the skin or your thighs may seem flabby. Use an elliptical with resistance settings on as tight as you can handle. Depending on your skin, goal body fat, already existing muscle, and goal look...you may need more. Just take it as it comes. Its easier I think to do that at normal weights because its easier to see results that keep you motivated plus no excess weight straining the knee area.
Starvation mode is thrown around way too much. The rules of simple calories are this:
-females: never drop below 1200
- all: best to never drop below BMR for metab(may be higher than 1200)
- max cut 1000 for total daily needs
- regular cut 500
- fat burn cut 200 (this is what you do at the end of your loss)
Don't count on the machine count burns or even calculators if you are obese. They could be wrong because you could have a higher body fat and overestimating your burns. So go by loss. You want to see about 1-2 lbs a week come off.
Your total daily needs are just what you burn in a day plus exercise. I dont know your weight so I would just advise to go with the range of:
so i cant get toned doing aerobic exercises alone?
Its possible but unlikely. Really, in order to achieve your goal, you'll need a combination of - cardio, weight training, and proper nutrition. NOTE THAT I DID NOT SAY DIET!!!
Sometimes, for someone just starting out, its better to just jump in and start working out with a very basic plan. Too many people get turned off and lose interest when they have to start doing mathmatical/algabreic calculations to deterimine number of cals burned, cals intake, time/duration, etc so it just becomes overwhelming.
My suggestion is to concentrate on your PHYSICAL FITNESS first. For example, lets say you do 45 minutes on the elliptical. Take note of your distance (strides or miles - 2300 strides is approx one mile on a Precor). If you do say 3 miles in 45 minutes. Next time out, try to do 3 miles in 40 minutes (at the same setting resistance/incline as before). I like this because it gives you a daily goal instead of some long term (month or two) goal so it is encouraging and inspiring for each workout.
You'll also need to do a lot more weight training other than 10 lb DB for back of your arms. Squats, leg curls, shoulder press, rows, bench press, lat pulldowns would be a good beginners basic routine. Use weight that you CANNOT lift more than 15 reps. If you can do more than 15 reps you need to add more weight. I'd suggest 2 sets of each exercise prior to doing your cardio.
While you're doing this, head over to your local Barnes and Nobel or Borders and read through or purchase books on NUTRITION. DO NOT GET ANY DIET BOOKS. As you learn more about proper nutrition, you're better able to tweak your intake to speed up the weight loss process.
There is really no such thing as "toning". To get that look you have to lose weight and gain muscle...or more accurately...both. You also can't spot reduce fat either. Generally speaking, it comes off in the same order it goes on.
Amen.
I would add that calorie counting is also flawed. The machines are not tuned to your body's metabolism, and the TYPE of food you are eating is much more important than some arbitrary number.
You could also try eating a small, protein-rich / carb-free meal after a workout, instead of the typical carb-rich meal many people have.
I would add that calorie counting is also flawed. The machines are not tuned to your body's metabolism, and the TYPE of food you are eating is much more important than some arbitrary number.
You could also try eating a small, protein-rich / carb-free meal after a workout, instead of the typical carb-rich meal many people have.
I was starving on carb free diets. I do better with low fat,high carb. Protein isn't very filling to me,maybe something is wrong with me.
There is really no such thing as "toning". To get that look you have to lose weight and gain muscle...or more accurately...both. You also can't spot reduce fat either. Generally speaking, it comes off in the same order it goes on.
That's were the confusion comes in. Once your body fat percentage is low,shouldn't the muscle be there already? When people say fat is covering the muscle and once you lose the fat,you should see muscle,what is the purpose of lifting weights,if muscle is there.?
Once you get rid of the fat,you should automatically see muscles right?
That's the point. What would be the purpose of doing squats when I still have 34% body 206 pounds? Shouldn't I get down to 20% body fat then start toning?
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