Does This Seem Like Enough Excercise?

**marcwagz** · Posted On: 6/02/2012 8:52pm

Currently I'm 205 pounds. I am only 5'11 so I think it's much too heavy. My overall goal is to one day be 185, I have never been 185 since grade 10, I've gone as high as 240 (yuck never again please) and as low as 190.

I don't need to be 185 in 2 weeks or something though, just hopefully by next summer and I want to be able to maintain it (I want to get there and maintain it by holding the same exercise routine is that possible?)

My problem is I spend most of my time on my backside. I work 7 hours a day in an office on a computer, then a few extra days I also do University classes 3 hours long each. That's a lot of sitting around.
So even if I don't each much for a couple days in a row I don't lose any weight.

Anyways right now I only do this for exercise...

In a week 3x Karate
Warmups we do 5 minute runs, stretching, push ups crunches and drop kicks etc.
The remaining 48 or so minutes is very random because some times we can pound striking combos and shadow boxing/footwork all class which is crazy tiring, or we can just bang off katas all class which isn't nearly as physically taxing. I love it though and will continue doing it for a long time I believe!

And 1 time a week usually on the weekend I go to the gym and lift weights and do a bit of a longer run. All together it usually takes around 1 hr an 45 mins.

in a month or so time I am also going to start Jujutsu and BJJ (run out of the same class split in half). I'll probably at that point go to Jutsu twice a week (some classes are immediately after my Goju classes, same club).

Does this seem like enough exercise to eventually meet my goal or will I never be able to do it until I can finish my classes quit my job and work out more?

**lordbd** · Posted On: 6/02/2012 10:18pm

It depends. If you aren't dropping lbs. With the exercise you're getting you'll have to cut calories.

**marcwagz** · Posted On: 6/02/2012 10:47pm

but it weird because I don't seem to gain/lose weight whether or not I have exercised on that certain day

If I do cut calories and eventually reach 185, if I go back to eating normally would a normal person stay the same weight or go back up to what they were before?

**lordbd** · Posted On: 6/02/2012 10:58pm

If you take in more calories than you burn you'll gain weight and vice versa. Cut out beer see what happens after a few weeks.

**marcwagz** · Posted On: 6/02/2012 11:23pm

i dont drink beer
but i'll cut out root beer next week, see how that works.

**lordbd** · Posted On: 6/03/2012 7:40am

Everyone is a little bit different but here's what my experience has been.

I am 5'11" too, and was sitting at 205lbs. a month or two ago. Right now I'm at 196 and trying to get down to 180. That first 9 lbs dropped over the first few weeks where I started Muay Thai. I go to class for 2-3hrs 3-4 times per week. My weight-loss has pretty much slowed down now, so I have a choice: Add more exercise on off-days or change my diet.

I'm not a personal trainer, doctor, or nutritionist, but I work as a health psychologist in a hospital and sometimes have to help people lose weight. I am trying to take the same advice that I give patients: Make small but sustainable changes at first (e.g. no beer, no soda, carrots sticks when you feel like snacking) and after you feel like the new change has become somewhat habitual (a few weeks perhaps) set another new goal. I'm not a big fan of the yo-yo dieting sort of lifestyle, so I think you're right that you have to change your diet in ways that will stick with you for a lifetime if possible.

My biggest change has been to stop ordering pizza and to eat two different types of vegetables with each meal (I'm a red meat mofo normally).

**Gypsy Jazz** · Posted On: 6/03/2012 5:31pm

OP: losing weight is FAR more about what you eat (or more accurately what you don't eat) than the amount of exercise you do. Look at it this way: A hard exercise bout may burn 500 calories or so. If you have 1 large meal at a restaurant it is almost without question going to be more than 700 calories unless it is on the "diet" section. You can see that even with diligent regular exercise people can gain weight.

Originally Posted by lordbd

Everyone is a little bit different but here's what my experience has been.

I am 5'11" too, and was sitting at 205lbs. a month or two ago. Right now I'm at 196 and trying to get down to 180. That first 9 lbs dropped over the first few weeks where I started Muay Thai. I go to class for 2-3hrs 3-4 times per week. My weight-loss has pretty much slowed down now, so I have a choice: Add more exercise on off-days or change my diet.

I'm not a personal trainer, doctor, or nutritionist, but I work as a health psychologist in a hospital and sometimes have to help people lose weight. I am trying to take the same advice that I give patients: Make small but sustainable changes at first (e.g. no beer, no soda, carrots sticks when you feel like snacking) and after you feel like the new change has become somewhat habitual (a few weeks perhaps) set another new goal. I'm not a big fan of the yo-yo dieting sort of lifestyle, so I think you're right that you have to change your diet in ways that will stick with you for a lifetime if possible.

My biggest change has been to stop ordering pizza and to eat two different types of vegetables with each meal (I'm a red meat mofo normally).

Well, I am a personal trainer (most certainly not a dietitian or nutritionist), but that is by far my preferred approach to sustainable weight loss. I'm in the process of taking a course offered by Precision Nutrition designed for around coaching people based on eating habits. I have no affiliation with them beyond this, but there's a very nice free 4 part series linked here: http://markyoungtrainingsystems.com/...er-should-see/ (for professionals) that I think can be reverse engineered and tailored for personal use. I think a few of the habits are silly and generally harmless, but I think the framework it gives is great.

**Bruiser** · Posted On: 6/03/2012 6:55pm

http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wi..._Strength_Wiki

or

Simplefit.org

Thank me later bro.

***battlefields*** · Posted On: 6/04/2012 1:16am

I've lost over 25kg, 13kg of which were done this year, I would figure it out for you in pounds, but I don't want to because it might force you into the modern era. Yeah, I exercised but I made a couple of major changes.

1. Stop eating sugar. Altogether.

2. Stop eating starchy carbs.

3. Refer to the above two points.

I stopped those and watched the weight slough off me. Seriously, at one stage I stopped doing intense exercise and STILL dropped kilos.

Fat loss is done primarily in the kitchen.

**paddy82** · Posted On: 6/04/2012 4:40am

i was gonna put my two pence in but looking at the above i have no need to and your training looks to be enough without immense amounts of cardio, but the point remains the same look at diet first then exercise!