Is this unhealthy?

[QueenAdrock]

Okay, so my friend thinks I'm being unhealthy, but I don't think I am. I want people's input.

Beach trip is in a month, I've been going to the gym for two months and worked off a little bit of weight, but now I'm really stepping it up so I can burn more calories and slim down to where I want to be in a month (around 3-4 pounds less than what I am now). So I've been eating healthier, and eating around 1,500 calories a day (usually cereal/milk in the morning, whole wheat turkey sandwich, fruit, and granola bar for lunch, vegetables and some sort of lean cuisine for dinner). I've been going to the gym for an hour and a half the past few days too.

I came home sweaty and gross yesterday, and she asked me how long I was there. I said "80 minutes, I worked off 880 calories!" She just kind of looked at me and said "That's half of your calories you have for the day. That's not healthy." I don't think she's right. If I eat balanced meals and have my recommended calories for the day but go to the gym and work about half of it off, is that being unhealthy? I'm not obsessing, I don't do more than what I can handle. I don't get dizzy or weak or exhausted at the gym, I feel good once I leave. I have more than enough energy during the day, and I'm feeling good. Just because I work off a good deal of calories doesn't make me automatically unhealthy, does it?

[camo]

I'm not sure, but I just thought I 'd say kudos for the effort though. Good on ya (y)

[Lo_Lyfe]

It is unhealthy. You'll probably die either accidentally, or from some health complaint, or at an old age.

[QueenAdrock]

:mad: I plan to be eaten by bears, thankyouverymuch. That way my parents/brother/whoever can collect my life insurance and not worry about having to pay for a funeral or anything. I think it's a nice gesture.

It's only for a month until I shed the pounds I want, then I'm just going to work out for about half an hour or so a day, which is recommended. Oh, and I'm giving the big Fuck-You to my gym and handing in my month-to-month membership and riding my bike instead.

[mikizee]

isnt that how u lose weight?

burn more calories out then u are taking in.

so its not unhealthy.

[Nivvie]

How many calories you burn can really only accurately be worked out when hooked up to machines, and you will burn less and less each time you work out, but at the same time the resting metabolism is raised with each worked out, and so yadda, yadda, yadda. 6 of one, half a dozen of the other.

However, there's no way I'd tell a patient that what you have done is unhealty.
A football game (soccer) last for 90 mins, rugby for 80, etc, and with many smaller clubs with few substitutions people are out there for most or all of the time. The world doth not frown upon that.
I used to cycle to work and back each day, two hours of hard cycling each day, as well as running around the hosptial and moving patients, on about 1800 cals a day, for years.
Just because something is done in a gym, people seem to think you're pushing it, but no one tells post men and women they do too much walking.

1500 cals is not hugely low, although I'd aim if burning around 800 to leave yourself with 1000 or so, and if you add the extra on with fruit, it will improve digestion and bowel health thereby helping weight.

The only thing to watch out for is every time you lower you calorie intake on a diet you slow your metabolism, and often, this is permanent.
Just think of all those women who seem to do nothing but drink coffee and pick at food like a little bird, but still have flabby bits. Each diet you go on has lasting effects, and one way to help combat metabolism reduction is to 'snake' your diet about. Eat a little more some days, a little less on others, so your body never gets used to the reduction, and doesn't think there's a war on. Taking omega and vit suppliments also helps keep things level.

A lot of people like to be negative about new healthy habits in others, a lot of it's just jealousy.
If you honestly feel fine, chances are, you are. (y)

[abcdefz]

If it's not a diet/program you're trying to maintain indefinitely, you're probably all right.

[QueenAdrock]

Well, the amount of exercise I don't want to keep doing, because an hour and a half a day takes a lot of time and it's super-boring. As for the 'diet', it's just me cutting calories out. I've always hated the idea of a 'diet', I'm just trying to eat healthier and stop snacking as much because that's where I get calories I don't need. I'm trying to eat more whole grains, more lean meats, and reduced-fat cheeses and yogurt and stuff. Adding more fruit and veggies. Naturally cutting calories out, not starving myself. I always hate to hear a friend go on a diet, lose weight, and gain it back, I'm looking for a lifestyle change.

And yeah, mikizee, that IS how you lose weight, but my friend seems to think it's too much too fast and it'll be bad for me, blah blah. I dunno.

Thanks Nivvie for that great in-depth analysis. It'll help me a good deal. :)

[QueenAdrock]

The machine you work out on calculates your weight that you enter, it times how long you go, and takes into account how fast you move/how many steps you take per minute. It tells you at the end of the workout how much you worked off. Nivvie is right, that you can't know exact amounts for sure, but it gives me a general idea of how much I can expect to have burned.

[QueenAdrock]

Wow, thanks Joel.

What's that 4-minute exercise thing you speak of? I doubt I'd do it, but I'm curious.

[ToucanSpam]

Take it easy with a lighter routine, 880 calories is a lot to burn in one go. You're going to wear yourself down and potentially hurt yourself if you burn that much that fast.


Just ease up on the intense workout and the weight will go away. I've lost 15 pounds since March just by a moderate amount of walking and completely cutting out sugary stuff.

[QueenAdrock]

But also, I've been going to the gym for two months. I went for 30 minutes the first month, 40 minutes the next month, now I'm doing around 80 minutes. I'd do a more light routine, but I gots to buy myself a bathing suit in about a month, so I want to drop as much as I can (in a healthy way) before I go to the store.

I don't think my routine is that rigorous, my heart rate stays around 170 beats per minute the entire time. I'm not sure what it should be, but I never feel like it's anything I can't handle. Either way, I'll ask my chiropractor if she thinks it could be potentially damaging because she did say she wanted me to do more rigorous, intense, and longer workouts than what I had been doing (when I was doing 40 minutes each day), but I also don't want to do anything that could potentially hurt myself.

[Lo_Lyfe]

I am always amazed at you people with your chirpractors and gym memberships. Not in a derogatory way. Checking the mail constitutes 'adult life' for me.

[mathcart]

I've always hated the idea of a 'diet', I'm just trying to eat healthier and stop snacking as much because that's where I get calories I don't need. I'm trying to eat more whole grains, more lean meats, and reduced-fat cheeses and yogurt and stuff. Adding more fruit and veggies. :)
this is the key and the reason why it is NOT unhealthy. The nutritional value of the calories you eat and their breakdown into the "stuff" (protein, essential fat, etc) that your body needs is what matters most. 1500 empty calories (which could easiliy be one meal in an improper diet) do not give your body nearly any of what it needs to be at peak health- so again, its not just the number of calories.
That being said, fudge brownie sundays are the shiznit.

[QueenAdrock]

I am always amazed at you people with your chirpractors and gym memberships. Not in a derogatory way. Checking the mail constitutes 'adult life' for me.


Trust me, I know. There's nothing yuppier sounding than "I'm going to the gym after I get out of my chiropractor appointment." :(

However, I wouldn't be doing either if it hadn't had been for my back injury. I couldn't walk so I'm doing physical therapy with the chiropractor and she tells me I have to go to the gym every night and really work on this.

Still though, yeah.

[abcdefz]

Trust me, I know. There's nothing yuppier sounding than "I'm going to the gym after I get out of my chiropractor appointment." :(





I dunno. You didn't mention a personal trainer or anything.

[ggirlballa]

i once lost like 10 pounds in 2-3 weeks eating 500 cals & burning them off by the end of the day, i'm trying to do that agina now, i didn't feel unhealthy at all:confused:

[QueenAdrock]

HAIL THE YUPPIE QUEEN!

*sips vente mocha latte with skim milk*

:cool:

[zorra_chiflada]

you should probably be eating more than 1500 calories. try 2000. 1000 is considered the starvation point.

[zorra_chiflada]

Not for a midget. It depends on who you are and that's what that formula I posted was for.

for a grown female like queen adrock, i'd say 2000. i dont' have any evidence, but i do have the kind of knowledge my dietician mother used to bang on about all the time.

[hpdrifter]

You're all good, girl. You're not unhealthy.

I wouldn't bother with the auto calculator on the machine, though. They often tell you you're burning more calories than you are. Just get your heart rate up (take it yourself) and try a random or hill setting. Intervals are great for getting your heart rate up. Better than going for the whole time straight on a high setting.

[ET]

Holy shit, I think this is the first truly informative post you have ever done. Unless you wanted to inform us of your tie in Sure Shots. Which I'd say was 100% successful.

[ET]

I don't mean any harm. My compliments are like heterosexual porn; like when they show a closeup of the guy's ass when you least expect it.

See: every compliment I give any girl in Sure Shots.

[QueenAdrock]

Yeah Joel, I'm surprised. I just wasn't aware at all that you had this wealth of knowledge on the subject.

I do want to start lifting weights, but the meatheads at the back of the gym scare me. I'm going to drag a friend along sometime this week to show me which machines she likes and how exactly to use them. I'd ask the people at the gym, but they're usually kinda standoffish and I don't feel comfortable asking them.

Goddamn Bally's. :mad:

[zorra_chiflada]

i've lost weight and i don't know how. it sure as hell isn't from sitting on my ass and playing project 8. or maybe it is?

[cosmo105]

wow. i had no idea, joel. i've been wanting to get into some weight training. through cardio (lots of running, biking, swimming, some elliptical machine) i've lost most of the fat that i wanted to, but i still feel weak and really want to get some muscle. i want to be toned! it's been years since i've been near weight machines, though, so i'm a little leery of them. what workout would you suggest for someone just starting with weight training?

[Loppfessor]

Dude didn't you ever see that Full House where DJ was spending all that time on the treadmill and then passed out??!! :eek: and then she was still chubby afterwards.....

[cosmo105]

That shouldn't be a problem, I just got one question first. Are you a male or female :o I'm sorry I just don't wanna make assumptions like with other people on the board and been wrong. I usually think that a female is male : .)
i'm a hot slice of lady. i'm vegan, and actually a nutrition and dietetics major so my diet is definitely in check. i work out about 3 times a week, for a good hour or so. i've got a small frame but some visceral fat i want to get rid of. my legs are pretty muscular, but my arms in particular are pretty weak. always have been.

[befsquire]

is it bad that my only exercise comes from sex?

[Lyman Zerga]

i worked out for over 3 hours today

*dead*

[hpdrifter]

So Joel, my legs are sore today because I did a workout with heavier weight (30-40 pounds) and fewer reps, am I correct in thinking that soreness means the muscles are ripped and rebuilding? I remember hearing something when I was in high school about soreness being bad, lactic acid and all that.

Also, do I need to wait until the soreness subsides before working out that muscle group again? I am planning a cardio workout tonight which will work the sore leg muscles. Not a weights workout, but the legs will be used nonetheless.

I want to lose fat.

edit: I am female

[b i o n i c]

joel, you're the mang.



i know a girl who makes a pretty good living being a trainer. you write really clearly about the subject too. all great info..

[hpdrifter]

Thanks, Joel. I want to achieve a Jennifer Aniston/Jessica Alba style body. I have the same build but I carry a little extra fat than they do. I am tall with long limbs. I used to be naturally slender but now that I'm getting older not so much.

By the way, I was going to say your lyrics in that other thread were hella funny too.

[zorra_chiflada]

nothing will help you lose weight as much as grief and loss. i'm in the best shape i've been for years

[hpdrifter]

I am actually curious about this as I have been going to the gym regularly for about 2 months and I don't seem to be losing any fat and yesterday it seemed to me I had gained some.

I eat reasonably healthy, on the weekends probably less so but mostly my diet consists of

breakfast: String cheese and grapefruit or yogurt (reduced fat/calorie)

lunch: almost always sandwhich or burrito. Vegetarian, usually cheese or tuna on a sprouted wheat flax bread.

dinner: (not always my best meal): macaroni and cheese, sometimes pizza, sometimes subway sandwhich, but usually higher in fat than breakfast or lunch.

I got to the gym on average 4x per week

Monday: 10 minute cardio warmup, weights for 20 minutes or so and then 30 more minutes of cardio. I do three sets of 15 on most weights and use about 30-40 pounds on a machine (not free weight).

Tuesday: 60 minute cardio kickboxing class

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: 60 minute class which combines 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of sculpting (free weights, lunges, squats, crunches, etc)

Friday: 60 minute endurance cycling class

Help me Joel, I want to be fit for my birthday at the end of July. I'm going to Vegas and I need to look slammin hot in my bikini.

[Jconman3636]

you have yourself one helluva exercise regimement there! wow.

[hpdrifter]

Yes, so why can't I unload that pesky little bit of midsection fat?!?!?! Its incredibly frustrating.

I want to be lean and slender.

[zorra_chiflada]

not to brag or nuthin but i'm in wicked awesome shape right now all because of the bad shit that has gone down in my life. i'd recommend it.

[Lyman Zerga]

and i work out like a mad cow but only lose shit in slow motion

[hpdrifter]

Okay, cool. Thanks, Joel.

[saz]

queenie, don't be afraid or intimidated of asking people at the gym for help or advice. dudes at the gym always like helping out the ladies. the best thing though would be to talk to a personal trainer, or someone who works there. tell them what your goals are, and ask what excercises you should be doing. they'll usually help you out with a 3-4 day program, but if not request one. i've been working out for six years and have never consulted any weight/training magazines, sites, books etc. i consult with a personal trainer, and a professional bodybuilder now and then, just to make sure i'm doing things right etc. to the best of my knowledge, as long as you're eating right (your typical daily meals appear very sound/healthy), spending at least an hour and a half in the gym, and doing a lot of cardio etc, you are definitely on the right track. also make sure to switch up your excercises after two months or so (i switch after one month for the additional shock to my muscles). and doing abdominal excercises, squats etc are important, but the most crucial thing is to focus on your form, and make sure that your form is correct.

[beastieangel01]

Yes, so why can't I unload that pesky little bit of midsection fat?!?!?! Its incredibly frustrating.

I want to be lean and slender.

I'm no expert but I noticed that even if other things would tone up well and lose the fat, my midsection would be the last part to cooperate. Honestly, the phrase "abs are made in the kitchen" are completely true at least when I tried it out. I had to be REALLY strict with my diet and VERY rarely (I'm talking maybe once a month MAYBE twice) eat pizza and the like.