I want to slim down just a tiny bit. I'm 5' 5" and about 115lbs, but I want to take it down to 110lbs. I have a knee injury that prevents me from running or biking, but I can do pretty much anything else. What's the best way to shed a few lbs? Any tips on some good cardio? Also, does building muscle help you burn fat? Maybe I should lift more weights?
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Dropping the pounds
- Thread starter McFoxy
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More muscle consumes more calories so it will help. I find a eating cut-off time 3 hours before bed helps, as well as a quick 15 minute jog 4 times a week in the morning.
McFoxy said:
Hmm must be hard to balance losing weight and being vegetarian. Need to eat nuts to supplement some of the things your not eating from meat. I'd try and find a crosstrainer (As I call it the machine of death) no impact and high intensity!
Yes and helps you keep it off, but you don't need to lift weights and go for the Bowflex body. An increase in muscle tone will help.McFoxy said:
But for people concerned with actual weight instead of inches will have a problem building muscle.
Because if you do too much you may increase to 120 or more, even though you are slimmer. Tend to freak some out that are tied to the scale.
If you can walk a couple/few miles, take several flights stairs carrying stuff, etc. you are ahead of most people already.
>Ham_man's routine is the simplest, but if you cannot run ... walk.
The Crosstrainer sounds very interesting.....no impact is definitely good for my knee.
I definitely can't run, but I could try walking more. I usually walk 30 mins, 4 times a week.
I definitely don't want to go for the "bow flex" type of thing.....that is not hot on women! But, I will try lifting some weights and just increase my muscle mass somewhat. Thanks for the info!
I definitely can't run, but I could try walking more. I usually walk 30 mins, 4 times a week.
I definitely don't want to go for the "bow flex" type of thing.....that is not hot on women! But, I will try lifting some weights and just increase my muscle mass somewhat. Thanks for the info!
Try power walking.McFoxy said:
It burns more calories than plain walking and less impact than running.
Yes, building muscles will help...the problem is the best muscles to build up are the bigger ones in your backside/legs...so the knee injury might come into play there.
I kinda agree with a variation on the no-carbs thing...which is eating only whole-grains...since you are a veggie, you might be doing this already.
Eat small meals to regulate you blood sugar levels and increase your metabolism.
Avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup, since it has all of the calories of sugar, but doesn't trigger the "I'm full" response like normal sugar does.
Drink water. Especially before you eat.
I kinda agree with a variation on the no-carbs thing...which is eating only whole-grains...since you are a veggie, you might be doing this already.
Eat small meals to regulate you blood sugar levels and increase your metabolism.
Avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup, since it has all of the calories of sugar, but doesn't trigger the "I'm full" response like normal sugar does.
Drink water. Especially before you eat.
Of course, you could always reduce the number of calories you're eating (and drinking) per day. This would require keeping track of everything you're eating and drinking for a few days. It won't take a major reduction to reach your goal in 6 - 8 weeks.
There's a good program called CalorieKing for OS X that makes it pretty easy to keep track of everything. It will also let you calculate how many calories you should be consuming to reach your goal. There's a free one-week trial, which I found was just enough to let me map out a plan.
Good luck.
There's a good program called CalorieKing for OS X that makes it pretty easy to keep track of everything. It will also let you calculate how many calories you should be consuming to reach your goal. There's a free one-week trial, which I found was just enough to let me map out a plan.
Good luck.
Spicy: I'll turn on the afterburners and speed up the walking, maybe my body's just too used to the routine. I need to wake it up a bit.
Answer: You must be in good shape, sounds like you know what you're talking about. I'm only eating whole grains.....and I don't eat very much. I'd guess I take it about 1300 - 1500 calories a day. I eat 5 small meals/day and I never eat junk food, or fast food. I'm like a poster child for healthy eating.....well, a bit more meat probably wouldn't hurt. I do eat fish though. That's where I get most of my protein. I eat eggs too.....actually, egg beaters.
I'm really not concerned at all about the # that I weigh, I just want to get rid of any body fat and tone my abs a bit more.
Answer: You must be in good shape, sounds like you know what you're talking about. I'm only eating whole grains.....and I don't eat very much. I'd guess I take it about 1300 - 1500 calories a day. I eat 5 small meals/day and I never eat junk food, or fast food. I'm like a poster child for healthy eating.....well, a bit more meat probably wouldn't hurt. I do eat fish though. That's where I get most of my protein. I eat eggs too.....actually, egg beaters.
I'm really not concerned at all about the # that I weigh, I just want to get rid of any body fat and tone my abs a bit more.
The best all-around cardio exercise you're going to get is going to be swimming. A full body workout for sure. And virtually zero impact, so it's knee friendly.
Cardio, hmm, swimming is a great workout as well as low impact but not everyone has access to a pool. If running and bikes are outta the question, or even if they weren't, I'd still opt for an elliptical machine.McFoxy said:
As far as all my P.E. teachers, wrestling coaches, crew coaches, and sports trainers have told me; muscle does burn more calories than fat.McFoxy said:
However, keep in mind, muscle is denser (I think it also retains more water) and so it weighs more than fat which means at some point, you could stop "dropping pounds" and actually up your weight.
Really shouldn't just judge yourself by pounds anyhow; clothes will fit more loosely, you'll have more energy, you'll feel better, etc. Those "side effects" will be much more telling and motivating than a scale.
Don't know what you drink, but if you haven't stopped drinking milk and soda cut those and you'll drop a few pounds pretty quickly.
adk said:
Milk is a pretty healthy and important source of calcium and vitamins, but everything in moderation of course. Although if you're already a vegetarian you might not be into milk (don't know if you went the vegan route or not).
