Question:
Exercise; how much will it speed-up weight loss?
I hope this doesn't sound like a silly question everyone, I guess I am looking for encouragement as much as I am advice.. I have been losing 2 pounds a week pretty consistently, but I have not been exercising. 2 days ago I started walking on my Treadmill. I'm walking only 10 minutes, which is a little over a quarter of a mile, but feel pretty good about my efforts and plan on increasing the time and distance little by little. Do you think if I walk every day, it will speed-up weight loss? By how much I wonder? A pound a week? Thanks! — Gina S. (posted on May 31, 2008)
May 31, 2008
Gina, I don't know about your wls surgery but I had Lap Band 4-16-08 and I
am down 27.4 pounds and they started me with just walking for 10 minutes,
then 15 minutes then so forth and so forth and now I am walking 30 minutes
a day but I do go to water aerobics three to four times a week. I have
lost inches more than weight and I feel it. The wearing of smaller clothes
and the scale says one thing and the smaller clothes says another. You
can't just go by the scales, these are called Non Scale Victories, NSV's.
Walking helps with a lot of victories, calories and inches. Walking you
can gain muscle and muscle weighs more than fat....Good Luck and keep up
the good work...
— dyates2948
May 31, 2008
I hope this helps you some. I started at the gym with just a bike for 10
minutes. That was all I could do without a break. Then each day I just
added a miinute, and I hired a Personal Trainer to get me on other
equipment properly. I now do 1-1/2 hours a day, and I do three streching
classes a week. I took up golf and I walk a lot rather than ride the cart
with my buddys. I beleive it all helps, but my weight loss will slow down,
it will stop for up to two weeks and then once3 in a great while I had a
three week freeze in weight loss. I have take off 110 lbs in about 6
months since RNY WLS. I feel that excersize has trimmed the excess skin
that I see others have hanging. I am 62 and shocked that these excersizes
are helping with the excess skin. I get measured for Mussele and I have
added about 8 lbs and I know I am a lot stronger. I could not walk a city
block. I had a perminet disabilty tag, and I would have to park closes to
the store. Now I park way out and walk in. I lover what I can do, so just
keep working at it and you will be pleased with your progress. Best of
success to you.
— William (Bill) wmil
May 31, 2008
Any and all exercise you do will absolutely speed up the weight loss
process for you. You would be surprised how much it really does
contribute. Do as much or as little as you can. I don't know an actual
number to tell you as far as the scale goes. Initially with a BMI of 71, I
could only do 2 minutes on the treadmill. I gradually increased it as I
gained more stamina.
In time, be sure to alternate the types of exercise you do and add some
resistance, flexibility and weight training for the best results.
Good luck to you,
Dawn Vickers, RN, BLC, CLC
— DawnVic
May 31, 2008
I had lapband surgery on 3/19/08 and started walking 10-15 minutes a week
and increased it by 15 minutes every 2 weeks and I walked 2-3 times a week.
I would lose 1-2 lbs a week. I am now 2 months post op and walk 1-2 miles a
day 5-7 days a week and I walk 20 minutes a day when I can at lunch to
stretch my legs. I have been losing 5-7 lbs a week consistently.
— Karen M.
May 31, 2008
hell yes it will speed up weight loss considerably! i lost 140lbs in a
year and am almost too thin now...i walk about 36-45 miles a week plus do
circuit training 3-4x a week....i eat whatever i want just in
moderation....hope this helps
— lizzie42
May 31, 2008
Not a silly question at all. I hate exercise, because it gives me
hallucinations about my junior high physical education classes! But I
began just 2 months ago walking the dog for about 20-30 minutes each
evening. I had lapband in August 2007, needing to lose 120 pounds, and to
date have lost 86 pounds, which my doctor claims puts me ahead of the
curve, so to speak. Yes, I think the walking has helped, but I have to
ramp up slowly, or I will give up. My husband in the past always tried to
get me to walk, but he would try to start me on a two-mile forced march, so
I'd give up. I agree with the comments about starting off gradually--it's
better to keep doing it, even if you don't do it to the max each day. I'm
the kind of person who does best when I consider something to be a class
assignment, as if I was still in school, so I wrote it down as a
commitment, and I'm sticking to it. Plus the fact is that my dog, as soon
as I finish dinner, starts barking and practically brings the leash to me!
P.S. And I know from the past that if I get bored walking (as I did get
moving one other time), I would listen to books on tape/cd and only let
myself listen while I was walking. Often this would keep me walking just
to hear more of the book! Best wishes.
— pdmatuske1
June 1, 2008
You'll burn an extra 2-3 calories a minute (roughly). Assuming you did
that amount every day, that would give you around 1000 calories a year. At
that rate it would take a little over 3 years to burn off an extra pound.
But hey, that's one pound more than if you hadn't walked.
http://www.coolnurse.com/calories.htm
— blues-singer
June 1, 2008
I have a Master's Degree in Exercise Phisiology so I know a little about
what I'm talking about. It all comes down to calories in calories out.
One pound is 3500 calories. One mile burns 100 calories. It doesn't
matter how fast you do that mile, it burns 100 calories. So you have to
walk 35 miles to burn one pound. And don't beleive the myth that if you
exercise at a slower heart rate you'll burn more fat. It really doesn't
work that way. It all equals out in the end even if you go at a faster
pace. At a faster pace it doesn't take as long. It is very important to
exercise, especially your large muscles. When loosing weight, your body
wants to loose 1/2 fat, 1/2 muscle, that's where exercise comes in.
Exercise helps perserve muscle. And as you exercise more you can even gain
muscle. At this point, don't worry about gaining muscle, what you need to
worry about is holding on to what you have. Make sure you get all your
protein in every day, because its protein that builds muscles. As others
have said, exercise also helps skin elasticity. Walking won't help in that
relm, you'll have to do some resistance work like weights or bands. But no
matter what, you need to exercise, even if you don't think it will make a
difference in your weight loss, eventually it will. Just take it slow and
build up a little at a time. If you can, get outside and walk, that is
more weight bearing than the treadmill and burns calories faster than the
treadmill. Good Luck, Paula B.
— paulajaneb
June 1, 2008
it should help the weight loss plus make you feel better and stronger and
firm things up some. bridget
— shadia616
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