Hello,

I'm new here, I'm a 42 yr old female and a mother of 2 children. I began my weight loss journey on 30th Jan 2014 weighing at 229 lbs. Since then I have lost 21 lbs to date, right now I weigh 208 lbs. I am 5'6" tall. As of now, my exercise plan seems to be working but I feel like going forth, it might not as my exercises are really not that intense! At my gym, there are classes such as 'Muscle Conditioning', 'Cardio Express', 'Bosu Challenge', etc which are intense cardio + strength training exercises and I make sure I stay away from all of them because I am unable to do that much cardio or strength training now! So far this is what I am doing to lose weight and please suggest your ideas to add on to the following:

1. Walk at 3.4 mph for 48 min (covering 2.5 miles) 5 times a week.
2. Do BodyPump - a class that covers strength training via weight lifting for 60 min once a week.
3. Pilates Mat - for 60 min once a week.
4. Core Pilates - for 60 min once a week.

I know the above sounds kinda scanty for a weight-loss goal of an aggressive 60 more pounds! So please suggest what you think is appropriate and would make my workout plan more complete. (Since I suspect OsteoArthritis of left Knee, I stay away from running).

Thanks,

BigNomore71

Most importantly how many calories do you eat per day?

I'm eating 1200 Cal a day.

If you can maintain eating at 1,200 per day then it's safe to say you will lose weight, it just takes time and in the beginning it can sometimes be slow. If anything maybe ramp up your exercise to more cardio or weights when you feel ready otherwise it sounds like you're doing everything right..

I personally couldn't sustain eating at 1,200 with exercise but that's just me.

You don't need to exercise at all to lose weight. I only started exercising after losing 50 pounds. That said, I think exercise is very helpful especially at the maintenance stage.

Your exercise regimen sounds fine to me. Body Pump is certainly intense enough. One day, you may feel motivated to try one of the more intense cardio workouts. The first time I tried Body Combat and then Body Attack, I thought those classes were for crazy people. But something compelled me to go back and now they're just my speed. (I'm 57.) I still don't have the nerve to try Body Shred, though. That's for REALLY crazy people.

F.

Thanks for the replies -- Freelancemomma, I would so LOVE to lose weight without exercise (or with limited exercise) - just how did you accomplish that? My problem is 'hypothyroidism' and that messes with the metabolism and makes it so slow -- if I do not eat anything, my body reacts, 'oh, well, that's fine with me, I don't need as much anyways' due to the thyroid issues and reduces its expectation and does not do 'anything' regarding losing weight! So all the exercise to boost the metabolism.

Have you spoken to your doctor about your diet at all and its relationship to your hyperthyroidism? I aim for 1200 calories a day and I weigh 126 pounds, if I exercise I have to eat more because I need the energy- I would imagine that you could afford to eat more, but I'm no medical expert so I would check with your doctor. Good luck!

I hate exercise--when I'm doing it. I love the accomplishment I feel when I'm done. I have been exercising regularly for over 20 years. Not bad for someone who doesn't like to! But, it's a habit. I have regained while exercising, too. It's all about the calories. Personally, I think your routine is just fine.

Oh, I forgot to have mentioned this before! I am big at the upper body - arms, chest, abs and my lower body is kinda trim. That's the reason I posted this query - although pilates and Core Pilates work the whole body, other than that, I'm not getting much of upper body workouts, only lots of lower body with all that walking! I wonder if upper body results will start rolling by as I lose weight even with walking as my predominant exercise form!

I've heard that it's better for women of a certain age to do more "impactful" exercises to stave off osteoporosis - something about how it encourages bone density to develop so walking is a good place to start. However, if you're looking to get more of a cardio work out and to get your HR up, then I would recommend the elliptical especially if you're worried about straining your knee as it is a low-impact exercise.

Personally, i'm not a fan of classes and would prefer to go it alone. Because of this, i focus on my cardio and lifting free weights - better for muscle development as opposed to using the weight machines. Pilates is great exercise but i think the key to using exercise as a weight loss tool is getting your HR up/high intensity work outs. So i'd try to get more high-intensity workouts into your week somehow.

Working out the top half of your body won't make it smaller per se, but you will build muscle tone; cardio is what you need if you're trying to melt the fat.

Thank you, Kaybee1. I will also try the ellipticals.