Fitness for weight loss - high vs low impact?

[edgeofheaven]

Group of my friends were chatting.

Friend 1: great shape, primarily does Pilates and a bit of Kayla Itsines type workouts

Friend 2: overweight, does HIIT/boot camp/kickboxing 3x per week

F1 says she does even though lower impact exercise burns fewer calories, she doesn’t get as hungry afterwards so can control calorie intake better.

F2 feels she wants to maximize calorie burn at each workout. But she definitely eats more than F1 which is why she’s not losing weight.

Do you think F1’s theory is correct? That choosing lower impact exercise is better holistically?

I’m trying to decide which path to take for myself. I have a bit of weight to lose (3-5 kg) and my gym offers a mix of all of these class types.

The best way is whatever you can stick to.

I much prefer high impact classes. I don’t find I get more hungry than when I’m not doing them.

This is something I can never quite work out.

I think Pilates and Kayla workouts do burn quite a lot of calories, with rapid result toning too.

@PurpleDaisies I definitely notice I’m hungrier after intense workouts and then I feel I’ve put back all what I’ve burned.

You need to both. Pilates and yoga are great for core strength and keeping limber. Aerobic great for heart health and burning calories. Strength training (you can do quite a bit in Pilates, but weights are better) good for muscles and the more muscle you have the more calories you burn at rest.
Ultimately you exercise for fitness and eat for weight loss. Plus different body types - your thin friend may not put on weight eating the same amount as your heavier friend or more. Battle of the bulge is won in the kitchen, and some have to fight harder than others! Unfair, but true.

Long fast paced walks strip fat! Anything like boot camp and stuff is mainly cardio. You'll still lose weight eventually but not as much!

Basically eat around 1700 Cals per day and walk at least 6 -10 miles a day, it will fall off!

@roothyb what’s your pace?

@edgeofheaven I don't actually know! I monitor it through Fitbit heart rates.

Anyone have thoughts on barre? A good middle way between aerobics and Pilates?

I think you’re over thinking this. The most important thing is to do something.

@PurpleDaisies I'm very active. I play a team sport for 5 months of the year. I go to the gym 3-5x a week. But I have some weight to still lose and I want to change my shape.

I'm not overthinking. I'm looking to change my routine.

Calories in v calories out. That's it.

Whether you choose to do barre or Pilates isn’t going to make a difference.

Hi, I am a PT and I know quite a-bit about this.

Loosing weight has one main principle
-You need to be eating less calories than your body needs... not too much but about 200 away from your TDEE.

You can eat at maintain which is what your body needs to maintain wait and then exercise.

Any exercise is good and unless the calories aren’t right no matter how many hours you do on the treadmill or at pilates you won’t loose weight. It comes down to the calories and nutrition but I do recommend HITT.

Calories in v calories out. That's it.

Not for changing shape and building muscle tone in different parts of the body.

Whether you choose to do barre or Pilates isn’t going to make a difference.

OK...thanks for your input.

@SarahGod19 you haven't observed that there are changes in appetite related to intensity of exercise?

When I'm in season with my sport I am ravenous after a game. It's easier for me to control calories when I'm doing less intensive exercise.

Maybe more productive if you identify how you want to change body shape. Do you want more muscle in specific areas. Are you after a 6 pack?? Do you want to develop a waist or lose the hips? Do you want general toning? I'm no expert but I think if you specify how you'd like to change body shape it would help. If you're already fit and burning calories/ eating less or more healthily, it seems like you want something quite specific.

Personally for weight loss, I find losing carbs in my evening meal makes a huge difference. I can eat some rubbish in the day and a large main meal at lunch, but if I stick to salads/ green shakes/ soups in the evening I can still lose a fair bit.

A combination of weights, a ten mile a day walk/run target and a low fat diet (by necessity not by choice) keeps the weight off me.

Ultimately though, if I start over-eating it shows on me very very quickly. Can't out- walk the fork, alas!

I've lost a lot of core strength since having DC2 (20 months old) - two c-sections hasn't helped. All the weight I've lost post DCs has come out of my arms and legs, but my mid section is just a blob. I struggle with exercises now that I used to have no problem with like planks and any sort of ab work. So I clearly need to work on that to fix the stomach issue.

As mentioned I play a high intensity sport for half the year but did not see the results that I expected so I found F1's comments interesting as I'd never considered it. Always assumed more intense more calorie burning exercise must be better all things being equal. But maybe it isn't always.

I don't think there's one answer for everyone. For me, running about 20 miles a week at a medium intensity is what works. Pilates and heavy lifting, while good for overall fitness, make no difference to weight loss. (Also it's almost impossible to build muscle while eating at a deficit, so what lifting really does is lower the amount of muscle loss as a proportion of weight loss.)

For you, if you feel ravenous after training, maybe a less intensive form of exercise would work better?

I think that most of weight loss is what you eat not whether you workout.

For me the only way to lose weight is to cut my food intake significantly then do toning things to get rid of loose skin etc.

Although cardio etc is fun and I find once I’m at a weight I like a few cardio sessions a week means I can maintain weight without cutting too many treats out

Best thing I've found for changing my body has been HIIT. It's painful and I shout "fuckit" at least 5 times during each session but it's fast-paced, doesn't take up much of my day and has a huge impact on my emotional health as well as physical.

I'm 5'8" and have toned pretty much everywhere but especially my core with HIIT. My arms and legs were decent to begin with but everywhere just looks longer and leaner after a relatively short time training. I do three sessions a week plus two lots of yoga and PiYo. The combination of those have made huge changes.

As you've experienced, exercise increases your appetite. While it's great for your fitness and general health, it's very difficult to enough exercise to lose weight.

If you're aiming to lose weight then you need to examine your diet.

I guess you need something to get your core stronger then. I'd definitely recommend pilates. I actually have a very targeted dvd which is only for stomach as I had a muscle separation with twins. It was amazing. The problem with most classes is that they will focus on lots of things, and not just the thing you need help with, in which case I think doing stuff at home is the best whilst maintaining general fitness with other things.

Of course high intensity exercise burn more calories than pilates. That's simply not arguable, it does.
If you now eat it all back afterwards, that's a different topic. So I would separate them. Want to lose weight - control your calorie intake. Want to build muscle and get fitter - exercise.

F2 doesn't HAVE to eat so much after her HIT workout does she

I like a lot of cardio, but it took a bit of training myself into good habits not to stuff my face afterwards.