To ask if I am doing enough exercise- I don’t think I am

[Mangetoutrodney]

I am 45 & I want to stay fit & strong but also lose weight. At the moment I am running 5k twice a week & doing Joe Wicks Hiit workouts 3 or 4 times a week, usually for 15-20 mins- usually one with light weights.

It’s not really doing much to my body shape so I assume I am not doing enough really -

Aibu to ask how much I should really be doing each week?

@biwi I am really trying to eat good carbs- sweet potato etc but yes, prob too much carbs

@flumpy trying a bit it both- lose half a stone ish and get toned too

I think for a change in shape you need to lift heavier weights

I'm not sure if your HIIT incorporates weights though...I really don't like HIIT! I do weights separately to running and yoga. We have osteoporosis on both sides of the family so v. important to lift heavier weights, for me.

Try filling this in tdeecalculator.net it will tell you the amount of calories you burn each day. Then reduce it by 200 Cal's a day on mfp. That should create a deficit which will lose approx 1lb a week. (The link is to a total daily exercise expenditure calculator....just in case it doesn't come through)

Your exercise is great
But as we all know 80% of weight loss is calories and diet
So maintain exercise and look at diet ?
Anyway you will yield benefits you don’t maybe realise it yet ?

Sweet potato isn't a good carb - there's a clue in the name!

Sorry, but a vegan diet really isn't good from the point of view of carbohydrate, which does mean it will be difficult for you to lose weight.

Whether it's healthy or not, I'll leave you to debate - you obviously have reasons for being a vegan!

@BIWI I am not totally vegan as I eat eggs but yes, I am dairy free/ plant based for ethical reasons

Those weights are very light OP. I have fairly weak arms but I use 3kg handweights and 4 and 6kg kettlebells. I think it's good to mix up your exercise. I do DVDs 5 or 6 mornings a week for 30 minutes - weights or kettle bells twice a week and the other workouts are a mix of Davina, Jillian Michaels etc. I walk at lunchtimes for 25/30 mins then do 20/25 minutes after work of skipping and hula hooping.

It's a fair bit but none of it too strenuous but it helps keep me in pretty good shape along with a fairly good diet(I use MFP and stick to 1200 cals during the week). I'm 50 and weigh 8 stone so what I'm doing is fine for now.

Might be worth making your workouts a little longer as well as upping the weights I think.

And @BIWI what’s unheathy about quinoa, beans & pulses, fruit, veg, rye bread, oats, tofu, brown rice, houmous etc?

Nothing inherently unhealthy about them individually, but taken together, they are a huge carbohydrate load. And too much carbohydrate is what leads to weight gain. And you did ask about weight loss.

Look, I'm never going to argue with someone who is making dietary choices for ethical reasons. But you do need to understand the potential impact on your health. And if you want to lose weight, then I'm afraid that exercise alone isn't going to do it - as you have already realised. Which means it comes down to diet.

OP I love your username

btw my family have historically been vegetarian/vegan and all skinny minnies, I wouldn't worry about it. Some of us are not designed to do the low carb thing.

I'm not familiar with Joe Wicks but also wondering how much resistance work there is in those workouts. Muscle burns calories etc etc.

oh and second the thing about looking at calories

I'm short and it costs me a lot of calories compared to even an average height woman.

Another vote for much heavier weights because you can do fewer workouts as you’re doing a lot and it’s hard to keep up that level.
Compound moves like deadlifts work several muscles as do squats. Have a look on Pinterest but do take care with form on dead lifts. I asked an instructor at my gym.
Loads of ideas also for truly evil variations on weighted squats on Pinterest
Don’t bother with light weights. Lift heavy - you want to be failing towards say the 8th rep or at least thinking “fucking hell”. If you can’t do the stairs the next day this is great news!
I’m in my 40s and we are losing muscle fast at our age so we want to build it and the only way is to lift heavy

Depends what you want to achieve and, for losing weight, it's way more about diet than just exercise.

I aim for fitness and strength which means I do hiit boot camps, running, boxing and Bodypump classes - that works for me but it's really pretty subjective about what your goal is. The effects you will have will also be hugely effected by your diet and how long you have been training/where you started from.

We really need to rethink weightlifting. 2kg is not heavy. My working weight for squats is 45kg.

It’s easy to tell if you’re eating too much - you’ll not be losing weight!

Interesting thread.
Is that too much impact on your 45year old body doing HIIT and two 5k runs pounding the pavement each week? Or is that good and something I should be aiming for?

I dunno Spring my knee is no good from sprinting on concrete in my 30s so I stick to the XT but if someone loves running (I dont🙈) with no ill effects then great, no matter their age.
I think HIIT is fab - mainly cos it’s over quickly lol but I also feel the short sharp shock is more beneficial for cardiovascular than me plodding (walking) long distance. And it wouldn’t necessarily be impact eg circuits can be bastards but not impact.

@spring- yes, that’s the thing, it’s hard to know what I should be aiming for at 45! I still enjoy running but it’s more of a jog these days! I love hiit - I do some davina too but switched to Joe Wicks- not sure I am pushing myself enough tho tbh! I love walking most of all!!

I would add an hour yoga once a week or more, and a weights workout. Kudos on the running though. The strength training will protect you against injuries too.

I agree with the others that your weights sound way too light. You need to go heavy and you'd probably be surprised at how much you can lift.

Also, what kind of pace are you doing on your runs? It's easy to trot along at an easy pace but if you want to improve you should incorporate some intervals and change up speed and elevation etc.

If you can afford it you’d probably benefit from a few sessions with a PT, you’ll be surprised at how much you can lift, even for endurance rather than strength you should be lifting around 70% of your 1 rep max ( for example I am deadlifting 80kg x 15 reps x 3 sets though I have been training for a while) they will give you a good starting point, make sure your form is correct so you are not at risk of injuring yourself and teach you about safe progression. Also as a pp mentioned diet will play the biggest part in weight loss.

Google Chalean Extreme; it's a weight based training program that you can get through Beachbody.com. The trainer is terrific - and explains well why you need to up your weights. On some of the exercises I'm using 25lbs!

You don’t need low carb to lose weight. It really is as simple as calorie deficit if you aren’t losing weight you are eating too many calories. Look closely at your calorie intake work out how many you need, if not losing after a few weeks then go down 100 or so until you find the right number. Log everything you eat. I didn’t find MFP very accurate I prefer lose it try a different counter to see if your calorie intake is accurate.

I thinkbyou need to think about What you want to achieve.... from what I can see.... that is less than 30mins daily which is minimal for health.... 1 or 2 kg weights are not really going to do much for anything unless you are recovering from something.... but assuming you are an average 45yo with no major health conditions, you need to kick up the intensity and duration a little to see real differences....
For instance, I'm a bit older than you.... in the gym for about 45-60mins 5 or 6 times a week and do some 20 mins of cv getting my heart rate properly up and sweating but not killing myself either and then weights with something challenging.... so depending on the exercise, anything between 10 and 300kg....
I also train for my sport 4 or 5 times a week in the evenings....
I would consider myself to be moderately fit .... I also have a sedentary job.... I'm carrying a bit too much fat at present as i enjoy chocolate a bit too much... and resting heart rate is around 49-50