Is 1 hour of cardio OK?

[emvied]

Im 5'5 , 135 lbs right now. HW was 170.

This is my meal for the last few days usually:

Breakfast: Peaches and Cream oatmeal: 130

Lunch: 2 Nutrigrain bars : 260

Dinner: 1 cup of egg whites(120)
1 4 ounce of chicken breast grilled(160)
1 can of tuna(160)
Protein Shake (200)

That was around 1030 cals , Im trying to UP it sometimes I cant cause Im in school and have to buy extra stuff to eat thats healthy which can sometimes be expensive.

Routine:

30 min treadmill ( 15 min running , 15 min walking )
30 min elliptical ( 3.30 miles )
30 min random weightlifting ( mostly arms) and including:
20 hanging knee raises
100 sidebends

The whole point of this thread is if 1 hour of cardio is OK? , Im not completely wiped out after cause I can still do the weightlifting easily. After being in a rut for months and not being able to get down from 140 I decided to up it to an hour of cardio. After my first day of upping my cardio, starting this diet and drinking lots of water I woke up 4 lbs lighter. I know I didnt lose actual fat but it was good to see something move on the scale. I know my meals need more stuff in it , anyone care to suggest anything also?

[Emma-Leigh]

I am going to be blunt: You are only 21 yrs old, and with this sort of routine, you are going to ruin your body, and mind, very, very quickly. :o

Weight loss doesn't have to be about doing 'massive amounts of cardio' on 'very low calorie, low fat, protein only 'clean' diets'.... <- and this can actually be very detrimental to your goals.... It also trains your brain that 'starvation' and 'over exercise' are 'what you need' & 'good things' <-- and that if you do anything other than this, you are 'bad'. Essentially - it trains you via 'guilt' and negative association and this sets up a system of faulty reward pathways which can spiral you into disordered eating and eating disorders.

If you want to lose weight - start here: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=132380633
^ keep things sensible, simple, and balanced.

I said it before, but I will say it again: You are only 21 - do NOT ruin your life at such a young age.

[freebirdmac]

Definitely read that link and get your cals up. I'm guessing to 1600. Get some good fats in there like olive oil, flaxseed, avocado, nut/seeds, and nut/seed butters. Eat a freaking real lunch!!! It should be a meal! More good carbs from fruits, veggies, quinoa, and brown rice should also be in there.

Stop the random weight lifting and get on a good lifting routine. Cardio is fine a couple of days a week but 30 minutes is enough.

Stop worrying about the scale. You don't have much at all to lose and it should come off slowly. Water fluctuations can cover up your losses. Use measurements, picts, and how clothes fit.

[Tathiel]

I'm very guilty of doing a lot of cardio. I just can't help myself sometimes as I enjoy doing a lot of cardio. I do Body Combat a couple of times a week which is usually 45 min's of cardio and then 10 mins at the end conditioning. But i'll then do an hour the next on the cross trainer and treadmill. I need to get out of this habit.

[kdiamond55]

Agree with the others, all of that cardio and crap food is going to make you skinny and sickly looking. Eat for health (watch your calories but don't go too low), and do a normal amount of exercise per day. You will lose what you want, it may take longer, but it will be worth it and will help you establish a healthy pattern you can keep for life. :)

[emvied]

I am going to be blunt: You are only 21 yrs old, and with this sort of routine, you are going to ruin your body, and mind, very, very quickly. :o

Weight loss doesn't have to be about doing 'massive amounts of cardio' on 'very low calorie, low fat, protein only 'clean' diets'.... <- and this can actually be very detrimental to your goals.... It also trains your brain that 'starvation' and 'over exercise' are 'what you need' & 'good things' <-- and that if you do anything other than this, you are 'bad'. Essentially - it trains you via 'guilt' and negative association and this sets up a system of faulty reward pathways which can spiral you into disordered eating and eating disorders.

If you want to lose weight - start here:
^ keep things sensible, simple, and balanced.

I said it before, but I will say it again: You are only 21 - do NOT ruin your life at such a young age.

This definitely set an alarm up in my brain. Thanks, Im really going to force myself to pay attention to the amount of calories im eating daily and cut down to 35-40 minutes of cardio a day as well as rest.


Definitely read that link and get your cals up. I'm guessing to 1600. Get some good fats in there like olive oil, flaxseed, avocado, nut/seeds, and nut/seed butters. Eat a freaking real lunch!!! It should be a meal! More good carbs from fruits, veggies, quinoa, and brown rice should also be in there.

Stop the random weight lifting and get on a good lifting routine. Cardio is fine a couple of days a week but 30 minutes is enough.

Stop worrying about the scale. You don't have much at all to lose and it should come off slowly. Water fluctuations can cover up your losses. Use measurements, picts, and how clothes fit.

Thanks for the advice , Im going to definitely follow it and Im going to go buy a measurement tape now!

[Ang123]

Seems like a lot of grain in your diet. Nutragrain bars are not healthy. Also why are you not consuming vegetables? Or for that matter some fruits? Continuing that diet will eventually lead to health problems from lack of proper nutrients. Take it from someone who learned the hard way. Foods such has green beans and broccoli have almost no calories and are great to have along with chicken at mealtime.

[Femtex23]

Seems like a lot of grain in your diet. Nutragrain bars are not healthy. Also why are you not consuming vegetables? Or for that matter some fruits? Continuing that diet will eventually lead to health problems from lack of proper nutrients. Take it from someone who learned the hard way. Foods such has green beans and broccoli have almost no calories and are great to have along with chicken at mealtime.

...and nix the peaches and cream oatmeal. That stuff is loaded with sugar and extra chemicals. Get the good old-fashioned oatmeal. Throw some almonds, bananas and REAL cut up peaches on top of it instead. mmmm!

Something else that is really cheap that you can do a lot with is sweet potatoes. You can bake them, make fries out of them. Produce, depending on where you get it, can be very cost effective. We have a little market here in Dallas that runs specials all the time. Every week or so, I load up on all sorts of fresh veggies. For $20 I can get bags and bags of stuff!

If theres a bed bath and beyond or a world market near you, check them to find a microwaveable steamer. It's very inexpensive and all you do is put water in the bottom bowl, put the little steam basket on top, put your veggies in and put the lid on, zap it for 2 minutes and voila! Freshly steamed veggies!

[kimm4]

Seems like a lot of grain in your diet. Nutragrain bars are not healthy. Also why are you not consuming vegetables? Or for that matter some fruits? Continuing that diet will eventually lead to health problems from lack of proper nutrients. Take it from someone who learned the hard way. Foods such has green beans and broccoli have almost no calories and are great to have along with chicken at mealtime.

She has couple nutrigrain bars and some peaches and cream oatmeal...I hardly consider that a lot of grains. (Plus her calories are low, she could use them.)

People need to get out of this "all your food must be clean bull****!* This is the biggest reason people can't stick to their plans, become obsessive and fall into ED patterns down the road...

She has good protein sources, but she needs more calories. She can use more carbs, more healthy fats and veges.

But telling people that eating a nutrigrain bar is not healthy...

Any kind of food in moderation is fine and people are seriously being misinformed.