Workout.

[MegRo]

I have three weeks till I go on a cruise and I would like to be bathing suit ready. I have been running for awhile now....currently I am running almost everyday at 6.3-6.6. Running slow and fast for about 40 minutes. The treadmill says I am burning about 500 calories. Does anyone know how accurate the machines are at predicting calorie burn?
Also- I am being very careful about my diet- but if I am burning that much, plus I am doing weights 3 times a week- am I burning too much? I just want to get as toned as possible before I put on that dreadful bathing suit! :P
Your recs are appreciated! =)

[Lorrie]

Running six days a week, lifting three times a week and paying attention to your diet all sounds great. You are doing the right things for sure. If you want more feedback though, we'll need details. Lots of details. The more you tell us the more we can comment on. But if this is your normal routine, you are probably pretty bathing suit ready now! ;)

Oh, and cardio machines aren't particularly accurate at counting calories.

[MegRo]

Thanks Lorrie!
You would be surprised, but I went almost a year on the ellyiptical machine and lifting heavy weights....and it took a long time to get results. My legs got a bit bigger I think and it was so frustrating. I didn't lose a pound. Stayed at 130-135 but I know I was gaining muscle. I wanted lean muscles- and just recently discovered the art of more reps and lighter weights- wish that dawned on me a little earlier. Also, discovering running has been a huge influence. I am starting to see more results. I am being so careful before the cruise and my clothes are getting a bit looser. I guess it doesn't hurt to burn 500 calories or so. I am eating two packets of plain oatmeal each morning with berries and a few pieces of dried fruit- I add splenda and a little bit of milk. FOllowing that I usually do a run once things have digested. Every other day I am weight training- have just switched to more reps less weight and that seems to be working. I have a gym in my apartment and it has a precor all in one machine. So I am doing about 3 reps of 20 on the leg press, 3 reps of the pull down, push up machine, the exercise that works your glutes (don't know what it is called :P) Umm, I have been using the ball with weights, sit-ups, triceps....I recently started doing some lunges. Didn't think that would do anything with 5 pound weights, but after going around my apartment, I feel the burn!
I'm finding because the results are fast on the treadmill...and I am running pretty fast usually...that I have to increase my duration or intensity....I don't want to have to run for an hour...so increasing intensity seeems more logical- I don't know if duration is better for fat burn or what...
For lunch, I will usually have chicken, tuna, soy, or some kind of protein....with half a whole wheat pita...or...have a salad....\
I am getting around 40grams of carbs with my oatmeal....so I don't have a huge carb intake after my workout.....
my snack is usually low fat or fat free yogurt with actually some dried oatmeal flakes...its like granola sorta....and fruit....
Or I will have a tapioca pudding (mY FAVOURITE) but it has 3grams of fat. It's about 90 calories, 11 carbs...and it's made with splenda, so only 4 grams of sugar. I dunno if that is indulgent? I hope not.
Dinner is often veggies and chicken or salmon sometimes when I can afford it....maybe brown rice, or rice spinach pasta....sometimes I have extra veggies and skip the rice....
I always have reduced calorie hot chocolate.....most nights. I froth skim milk and stuff....need that.
Dessert is ususally yogurt or pudding.....
I also love veggie burgers with a whole wheat bun....
THat's pretty much my diet...with coffee in the morning also.
And a multi-vitamin :)
So my treadmill says I am burning 400-500 calories.....
my guess is I consume more calories than I think, but I don't want to starve myself or anything. For what its worth, I don't feel hungry. I eat a lot of veggies.

I am almost bathing suit ready, not quite though. I have toning to do.......
Those are my details.
Any suggestions are welcome again :)

[MegRo]

Thanks Lorrie!
You would be surprised, but I went almost a year on the ellyiptical machine and lifting heavy weights....and it took a long time to get results. My legs got a bit bigger I think and it was so frustrating. I didn't lose a pound. Stayed at 130-135 but I know I was gaining muscle. I wanted lean muscles- and just recently discovered the art of more reps and lighter weights- wish that dawned on me a little earlier. Also, discovering running has been a huge influence. I am starting to see more results. I am being so careful before the cruise and my clothes are getting a bit looser. I guess it doesn't hurt to burn 500 calories or so. I am eating two packets of plain oatmeal each morning with berries and a few pieces of dried fruit- I add splenda and a little bit of milk. FOllowing that I usually do a run once things have digested. Every other day I am weight training- have just switched to more reps less weight and that seems to be working. I have a gym in my apartment and it has a precor all in one machine. So I am doing about 3 reps of 20 on the leg press, 3 reps of the pull down, push up machine, the exercise that works your glutes (don't know what it is called :P) Umm, I have been using the ball with weights, sit-ups, triceps....I recently started doing some lunges. Didn't think that would do anything with 5 pound weights, but after going around my apartment, I feel the burn!
I'm finding because the results are fast on the treadmill...and I am running pretty fast usually...that I have to increase my duration or intensity....I don't want to have to run for an hour...so increasing intensity seeems more logical- I don't know if duration is better for fat burn or what...
For lunch, I will usually have chicken, tuna, soy, or some kind of protein....with half a whole wheat pita...or...have a salad....\
I am getting around 40grams of carbs with my oatmeal....so I don't have a huge carb intake after my workout.....
my snack is usually low fat or fat free yogurt with actually some dried oatmeal flakes...its like granola sorta....and fruit....
Or I will have a tapioca pudding (mY FAVOURITE) but it has 3grams of fat. It's about 90 calories, 11 carbs...and it's made with splenda, so only 4 grams of sugar. I dunno if that is indulgent? I hope not.
Dinner is often veggies and chicken or salmon (when I can afford it)....maybe brown rice, or rice spinach pasta....sometimes I have extra veggies and skip the rice....
I always have reduced calorie hot chocolate.....most nights. I froth skim milk and stuff....need that.
Dessert is ususally yogurt or pudding.....
I also love veggie burgers with a whole wheat bun....
THat's pretty much my diet...with coffee in the morning also.
And a multi-vitamin :)
So my treadmill says I am burning 400-500 calories.....
my guess is I consume more calories than I think, but I don't want to starve myself or anything. For what its worth, I don't feel hungry. I eat a lot of veggies.

I am almost bathing suit ready, not quite though. I have toning to do.......
Those are my details.
Any suggestions are welcome again :)

[CinnamonGirl]

Sounds like you're on the right track, Meg!

I wouldn't say that lighter weights and more reps are a gold standard; I think you're enjoying increased benefits and more tangible results because you changed what you're doing.

Your diet looks good. Strive to continue to lose or even maintain at a higher caloric intake with that nice variety, it will make "dieting" seem less like dieting and more like eating well!

And, no matter whether or not you feel bathing suit ready, go and enjoy yourself.

[fireman1]

Meg:
There are three legs to the fitness tripod.

1. Performance Eating
2. Cardio
3. Progressive Resistance

Depending on your goals you bias the tripod in the direction you want to move.

In your case you want to bias towards weight loss. In order to do that you will need to focus mostly on eating and cardio. A good benchmarks is to try to loose 1-2 pounds per week. To do that you will need to make a 500-1000 calorie per day adjustment. That is to say you could eat 250 calories less and burn 250 calories more in cardio training. How do you know if you're achieving this? Watch the scale (don't believe what a machine might tell you about calories burned). If the scale is moving in the right direction you know you're on the right track. If the scale is not moving in the right direction, eat less or move more or both.

During this phase I think you've got a pretty good idea to lower the weight and increase the reps in your weight training. It's tough to lift heavy when you're cutting calories. Even though you're lowering the weight and increasing the reps you can still lift with intensity. That means always seek to increase the reps or the pounds with each session. It doesn't matter which you do, just make sure one or the other is always moving up. This strength training will take care of your 'tone'. As long as you lift with intensity, your strength will increase and your 'tone' will take care of itself.

Hope that helps.

[Marty]

sorry I've been out of circulation...

If I had 21 days I'd do the following -

days after a few warm-up sets cardio
1-7 work up to 3 sets of 12 3,000 calories 4 x weekly 30-min
8-14 2 sets of 8 2,500 calories 5 x weekly 35-min
15-21 1 set of 5 1,000 calories 6 x weekly 40-mins