6 ms·

Compared to exercise, it takes much less effort to accomplish weight loss through eating less. Doing both certainly doesn't hurt, but there's more work involved

by beoba 16y ago

Compared to exercise, it takes much less effort to accomplish weight loss through eating less. Doing both certainly doesn't hurt, but there's more work involved in burning 200 calories than in skipping that extra cookie to start with.

yummyfajitas 16y ago
Spending an extra 9-12 minutes on the elliptical is not that hard. Harder than skipping the cookie, sure, but also better for you. For example, look at the thighs of a chronic eater/exerciser and a chronic dieter.
- beoba 16y ago
  Yeah, my post mainly applies if your primary goal is weight loss. Skipping exercise entirely will ultimately make you look emaciated, but its best (easier, safer) to ramp up the exercise after you're already near a healthy weight.
- matwood 16y ago
  Like most people you have waaaay overestimated the amount of calories burned during exercise [1]. To burn 200 cals in 9-12 minutes you will need to be doing all out sprints for that entire time and that might not even get you there. I'm in pretty good shape and did a real 1000 calories workout one time with a trainer friend of mine (he has a body bug which does an okay job of tracking calories). It took an hour of high intensity exercise and I nearly puked a few times during the workout. That's how hard it was. [1]http://www.fitsugar.com/Ten-Ways-Burn-200-Calories-1081158 http://www.fitsugar.com/Ten-Ways-Burn-200-Calories-1081158
  - yummyfajitas 16y ago
    I don't think I'm that far off. According to the calorie counter on the exercise machines, that's what I do while warming up. (I do 1 minute full intensity, 30 second rest intervals, which prevents the puking.) Your own link suggests 12 minutes of vigorous biking will burn 200 cals as well as 10 minutes of boxing. http://www.fitsugar.com/health/tools/calorie_burner_input http://www.fitsugar.com/health/tools/calorie_burner_input
    - matwood 16y ago
      The calorie counters on the exercise machines are generally not very good. They are like the scales that attempt to show you your BF%, directionally correct but number given is not very good. You hit on the rest of the equation though, specifically about what people think is high intensity. Vigorous biking means going all out for 12 full minutes likely with the resistance turned up pretty high. When it comes to elliptical machines they are notoriously bad at making people think they do all this 'work' when in reality it's momentum unless they turn the machines resistance way up. Treadmills do some of this by 'carrying' people along, but they are not nearly as bad as ellipticals. Boxing is very good, but really doing boxing for 10 minutes with a heavy bag is not easy. Notice how long the rounds are in a real boxing match and how tired the fighters are. Reminds me of the only other time I've puked while exercising was doing 2 minute on/1 minute off BJJ rounds. You should actually swap your warmup method around [3]. If you can do a minute full intensity with only 30 seconds rest then that would lead me to believe the intensity isn't as high as you think. Instead do 30 seconds full intensity with 90 seconds rest[1]. Personally, I have to do this on a track b/c it scares me to even try to run at a true full speed on a treadmill (I had a 5.0sec 40yd at one point in my life hah!). 60 second splits with 180 second rest is also popular. I can't find it now [2], but the original HIIT research found the 1:3 sprint:non-sprint ratio as a key factor. [1]http://www.intervaltraining.net/HiitTraining-30.html http://www.intervaltraining.net/HiitTraining-30.html [2]Darn all the 'fitness' crap on the internet because it makes it near impossible to find anything a second time [3]To clarify - I would actually do a different warmup more focused on the up coming workout and do true HIIT post workout or on it's own day.
      - yummyfajitas 16y ago
        I know what vigorous biking means. I don't see the point of doing anything else while you are at the gym, unless you are just there to enjoy the sight of yoga girls. And I don't think it's implausible that an elliptical on high intensity (which works both upper and lower body) can burn something comparable to a bike. As for my interval times, it corresponds to 1 minute rounds, 30 seconds rest. I could jack up the intensity more if I wanted to do 30/90, but in the ring that would correspond to 30 seconds dishing it out, 30 seconds getting killed. By the way, could you explain the rationale behind [3]?

by beoba 16y ago

yummyfajitas 16y ago

Spending an extra 9-12 minutes on the elliptical is not that hard. Harder than skipping the cookie, sure, but also better for you. For example, look at the thighs of a chronic eater/exerciser and a chronic dieter.

beoba 16y ago
Yeah, my post mainly applies if your primary goal is weight loss. Skipping exercise entirely will ultimately make you look emaciated, but its best (easier, safer) to ramp up the exercise after you're already near a healthy weight.
matwood 16y ago
Like most people you have waaaay overestimated the amount of calories burned during exercise [1]. To burn 200 cals in 9-12 minutes you will need to be doing all out sprints for that entire time and that might not even get you there. I'm in pretty good shape and did a real 1000 calories workout one time with a trainer friend of mine (he has a body bug which does an okay job of tracking calories). It took an hour of high intensity exercise and I nearly puked a few times during the workout. That's how hard it was. [1]http://www.fitsugar.com/Ten-Ways-Burn-200-Calories-1081158 http://www.fitsugar.com/Ten-Ways-Burn-200-Calories-1081158
- yummyfajitas 16y ago
  I don't think I'm that far off. According to the calorie counter on the exercise machines, that's what I do while warming up. (I do 1 minute full intensity, 30 second rest intervals, which prevents the puking.) Your own link suggests 12 minutes of vigorous biking will burn 200 cals as well as 10 minutes of boxing. http://www.fitsugar.com/health/tools/calorie_burner_input http://www.fitsugar.com/health/tools/calorie_burner_input
  - matwood 16y ago
    The calorie counters on the exercise machines are generally not very good. They are like the scales that attempt to show you your BF%, directionally correct but number given is not very good. You hit on the rest of the equation though, specifically about what people think is high intensity. Vigorous biking means going all out for 12 full minutes likely with the resistance turned up pretty high. When it comes to elliptical machines they are notoriously bad at making people think they do all this 'work' when in reality it's momentum unless they turn the machines resistance way up. Treadmills do some of this by 'carrying' people along, but they are not nearly as bad as ellipticals. Boxing is very good, but really doing boxing for 10 minutes with a heavy bag is not easy. Notice how long the rounds are in a real boxing match and how tired the fighters are. Reminds me of the only other time I've puked while exercising was doing 2 minute on/1 minute off BJJ rounds. You should actually swap your warmup method around [3]. If you can do a minute full intensity with only 30 seconds rest then that would lead me to believe the intensity isn't as high as you think. Instead do 30 seconds full intensity with 90 seconds rest[1]. Personally, I have to do this on a track b/c it scares me to even try to run at a true full speed on a treadmill (I had a 5.0sec 40yd at one point in my life hah!). 60 second splits with 180 second rest is also popular. I can't find it now [2], but the original HIIT research found the 1:3 sprint:non-sprint ratio as a key factor. [1]http://www.intervaltraining.net/HiitTraining-30.html http://www.intervaltraining.net/HiitTraining-30.html [2]Darn all the 'fitness' crap on the internet because it makes it near impossible to find anything a second time [3]To clarify - I would actually do a different warmup more focused on the up coming workout and do true HIIT post workout or on it's own day.
    - yummyfajitas 16y ago
      I know what vigorous biking means. I don't see the point of doing anything else while you are at the gym, unless you are just there to enjoy the sight of yoga girls. And I don't think it's implausible that an elliptical on high intensity (which works both upper and lower body) can burn something comparable to a bike. As for my interval times, it corresponds to 1 minute rounds, 30 seconds rest. I could jack up the intensity more if I wanted to do 30/90, but in the ring that would correspond to 30 seconds dishing it out, 30 seconds getting killed. By the way, could you explain the rationale behind [3]?