How much exercise do you do whilst lowcarbing?

[Justchillaxing]

I'm nearly 3 stone overweight and hideously unfit. I've started following the Harcombe diet (similar to low carb) and have bought a second hand cross trainer because I can't afford a gym membership.

How much exercise should I do to start with? I'm early fifties so don't want to overdo it, but my lifestyle is practically sedentary so I need to do something.

Hi Justchillaxing
I'm 57 and was 96lb heavier than I am now. When I started like you thinking gotta exercise. But, concentrating on the diet only for the 1st 70lb was when I lost weight. When I tried doing a 5km walk with the dog every evening and dieting didn't lose any weight.
So, for the first 2 weeks concentrating on the diet you will lose. Then weeks 3/4 and reading the boot camp threads 5/6 there will be a stall, but don't panic fret it's not working it is. You'll get a whoosh and 5lb will drop off. Once your with in 10-15lb of your target you feel you have energy to burn and that's when you start walking riding dancing going window shopping round the mall.
Don't forget currently you're weight lifting 42 lbs with every step every bend.

So have fun, get the fuel input right get plenty of rest and sleep.

I've lost two stone so far, Chillaxing, (nearly half way there), and it's only in the last week or so that I've started to deliberately add exercising in. I have been walking the dog three miles or so every day, but other than that I am fairly sedentary (late 50s). For weight loss, I think the eating part has to be fixed first - lots of excellent reasons to exercise, but it's not a particularly effective weight loss strategy. If you aren't used to exercise, I'd start with walking regularly, and take it from there. Your body is going to undergo a lot of metabolic change over the next few weeks, so I'd make getting that bit tight my first priority. Good luck!

I'm fairly new to low carb, 9 weeks in and I've lost 17lbs so far and that's with very little exercise. I go to pilates once a week and then 2 or 3 times a week I'm doing the 7 minute workout. Apart from that I'm pretty sedentary. I'd agree with the above, concentrate on your diet and then start introducing some exercise gradually.

It depends what you are aiming for. If it is just weight loss, diet is 90% of it but you may end up skinny but wobbly (as I did before). You will lose muscle mass low carbing so if you can do some weights a couple of times a week that will help - muscle will be increasingly important to you as you age. I'd use the cross trainer a little bit (once or twice a week for 30 mins) then step it up when you hit a plateau.

Thanks for the replies.

I don't even walk these days, live in an ugly part of an ugly city, no longer have a dog and depression and anxiety have stopped me going out in recent years. I feel very unfit and thought a bit of exercise would help. I definitely used to be fitter when I walked every day.

I'll maybe just do 15 mins gentle cross trainer for now and concentrate on the diet then.

In that case, probably a regular short date with the cross trainer would be good. If you have a few steps in your house, stepping up and down off the first one will help your legs a bum. Squatting rather than bending to pick things up, doing dome arm curls while holding cans of beans (given you won't be eating them now!) will all help to build muscle strength. Then thinking about a DVD as a next step?

I have a dance DVD I might dig out. I can't squat due to crap knees but will try the other things, thanks.

HIIT (high intensity interval training) is supposed to be good for both fat-burning and improving aerobic fitness, and it doesn't take long. When I warm up at the gym I do 2 mins gentle pace, then 30 seconds as fast as I can. Then 90 seconds gentle and 30 seconds fast, then again 90 seconds gentle followed by 30 fast. Then a short cool down. There is a book by Michael Mosley (who wrote the 5:2 diet and the 8 Week Blood Sugar diet). I can't remember the exact name but something like Fast Exercise.

A dance DVD is a good idea.

Alternatively try a boxing DVD if you can find one. It is the only form of exercise that literally leaves me grinning for hours.

How about hula hooping?

I couldn't hula hoop to save my life!

You don't lose muscle mass when you're low carbing - you burn fat!

Many years of exercising and very fit despite being 2 stone overweight. I realised that to lose weight is 80% food 20% exercise. Once I changed to a more balanced less carb diet the weight flew off.

@Justchillaxing

In your shoes I would start with mobility first. You need some basic strength and flexibility. So try some easy yoga exercises every day.

You will need to slowly rebuild muscle. Fat people actually have very thin musculature because of the effect of carbs and insulin. Your cells become insulin resistant after a while meaning they no longer accept nutrients as much as healthy humans.

so contrary to popular belief fat people do not have strong muscles because they are lifting huge weight. That’s a myth.

Once you get some mobility - eg when you can actually squat again - you can try body weight exercises to add more muscle. But you’re probably four months away from that.

And @BIWI is right : go ketogenic to burn fat for fuel. You’ll lose weight more quickly , gain muscle back more quickly and won’t be hungry. Fat is a far superior fuel for your body compared to sugar (glucose).

@BIWI is right about not losing muscle with a keto diet by the way. Your cells will slowly become insulin sensitive which means they will accept nutrients again. This means muscle will be able to build again.

Good luck and let us know if you need help. It’s easy once you know what you are doing and get organised to do it.