Reduce my workouts?

I find that I am hungry all the time - and since my willpower isn't top notch I tend to give in (to healthy foods - but still giving in all the same).
I workout 5-6 days a week with 45-60 min cardio and 15-40 min weight training each day. I am wondering if I reduce my workouts to 30 min cardio and weight training only 2-4 days a week if I will be less hungry?
Has anyone had this problem/experimented with this?

Wed. Mar 19, 11:05am

Intersting question.
I think not since:
"regular moderate exercise can extend your disability free years by 6 and add 3-4 years to your life span. Highly active people can double these benefits. "
You want to be in the latter group.

I would say try to find foods that make you feel more full, drink more water, eat some pickles and celery and - if you have to - add 50 - 100 calories to your diet, a banana, apple, slice of whole wheat bread...adjust slightly to take the edge off and then you won't be cheating. Just like adding a little to your budget to be realistic and then sticking to it.
Bear in mind tolerence for hunger is what we are all developing here anyway so a little hunger is okay.

How many calorie are you eating, can you afford a few more?

Wednesday, March 19, 2008, 11:58 AM

I would recomend you try switching your ratio of cardio to strength training. Do 45 minutes strength training followed by 15 minutes cardio. I did this routine 4 days a week, was rarely hungry (my calorie range was 1200-1300 - perfect for my size and weight), and the weight fell off.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008, 2:48 PM

15 minutes of cardio? That's it? Shouldn't health be a priority? And if you're strength training, especially for 45 min, then you have extra muscle to burn off more calories.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008, 3:20 PM

i wish i could do 15 minutes of cardio. I just saw a personal trainer (just once--wasn't going to waste more money), and turns out because i am hypothyroid, i need to focus on cardio versus weight training even though I have a very muscular build for a female.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008, 3:26 PM

2:48 here. I get plenty of cardio during the 45 minutes of weights - my heart gets a workout, for sure. We all have the things that we like to do and enjoy and cardio on machines for long periods does not do it for me anymore. And I've ran marathons - I was just done with the long periods of cardio - especially since I never lost weight. Ultimately, people will do what they like - I just found I wasn't nearly as hungry and I saw fantastic results when I switched around my ratio of cardio to strength training.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008, 3:45 PM

It is really hard to say without looking at your logs. You may actually need the food based on your workouts. Could be you are starving for more carbs. Are you getting headaches? Ae you tired all the time?

Wednesday, March 19, 2008, 3:46 PM

OP here

Thanks for all the imput!

I am also a very "muscle-y" female. Im either built or fat - there is no hope of me being a small person.
I think I am going to try to change my workout to 30 min weight training and 30 min stationary bike (less intense than my normal run) for a few days and see what this does.
I should have added that I recently became a vegetarian, almost against my own will (after seeing those images from the beef recall I can't bring myself to eat meat even though I believe humans are supposed to eat meat. The exception to my vegetarianism is eating meat my husband has killed hunting, but we eat that not very often). Protein intake is something I am worried about. I might try adding a protein shake to my meal plan (subbing out oatmeal or some of the fruit I eat to balance cals).

Wednesday, March 19, 2008, 3:46 PM

Try out your proposed workout schedule and see if it makes a difference!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008, 3:47 PM

OP again

*input*

3:46 I think my protein issue answers your question - most of my diet is vegetables and carbs (mostly whole grains) ...and a nasty sugar addiction (in the form of lifesavers and lollipops).

Wednesday, March 19, 2008, 3:50 PM

Aaaah yes...so, you may find a big, big difference with making a few changes to your diet. Good luck, OP!!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008, 4:02 PM

Oh definately. If you are working out that hard and are a vegitarian, you certainly need a protein suplliment. I imagine you are not a vegan so cook up a huge portion of hard boiled eggs and eat them throughout the day (just the whites). Also peanut butter and edamame and Greek yogurt cuz it has more protein than regular.. I personally drink a shake for breakfast and one after every workout with weights.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008, 4:40 PM

3:26 checking in

2:48--that's interested because I guess I've always been taught to separate cardio from weight lifting.

Sounds like you've been very successful! Congrats to you!

Any diet/exerice tips you can share? How many days a week did you do what and caloric intake etc?

Thanks!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008, 4:50 PM

3:26 - here's what I did - take it for what it's worth - but I've been SO happy since I changed things around. Maybe you'd like it, maybe not! There are so many ways to get in a good workout! :)

For the most part I separated my strength workouts by either front of the body/ back of the body exercises or upper/lower. I use both machines and free weights. I would do alternating days of each and follow each workout with 15 hard minutes on a cardio machine. I'd shoot for a minimum of 4 days of this. And I'd do abs every other workout: Other days I might walk, do another strength training day, or just take the days off. So, for example:

Monday & Thursday: upper body strength/15 minutes cardio
Tuesday & Friday: lower body/abs/15 minutes cardio

Each workout was at least an hour. And even keeping what people see as the actual cardio workout to 15 minutes, I was still able to go out and run a couple of miles - and I'm not a 'runner.' It doesn't come easy to me, but I had enough cardio training I could do it.

The key to getting the cardio with the weights is to not have long periods of rest between moves. So, not a lot of sitting around between machines or moves with the free weights.

For diet - I figured out my BMR - which is 1300 (I'm short and don't weigh a whole lot). I stick to that and I lose weight. I eat protein with every meal and I'm not hungry (although the first few days after falling off the wagon are always hard and I feel like I'm starving, but it passes!!)

HTH and good luck!!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008, 5:09 PM

hard boiled eggs! great idea! Do the whites have protein or just the yellows? I know the whites are much lower cal. I eat a lot of salad and they will be a great topper.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008, 5:54 PM

SALBA

Add Salba to your food (2 tbsp per day). It really fills you up and it is super nutritious. You can look it up on the net for more info. I got mine at the Bulk Barn and have lost 4 pounds in 4 days. Not sure how that happened, but it's certainly kept me from snacking!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008, 6:21 PM

Definitely try different cardio options - some create a disporportionate hunger (swimming is pretty famous for this), and others vary a lot amongst individuals. Like running makes me want to wolf everything in sight, while most others experience a supressed appetite for an hour afterwards.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008, 6:46 PM

5:54

Whites have all the protein and none of the fat.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008, 9:30 PM

I agree about that you should take some protein supplements. Instead of substituting protein shake for your oat meal, ADD some protein powder into your oatmeal. Also, have you tried tofu?? Great source of protein, low in calories (unless u fry). You can also try some protein bars.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008, 10:01 PM

OP again

WOW Salba looks amazing. i will definately order some. i will also try some protein powder. and of course the egg whites :)
I already eat a little tofu - about one container/week (just had some on my salad tonight). I get bored with it though so the more ideas/options I have the better.
protein bars are not really a good option for me because they tend to be high cal. and i think they taste gross. I do likefiberone bars, luna bars and mojo bars.
THANKS EVERYONE for all the suggestions.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008, 10:25 PM

3:20 here. I also eliminated meat a year ago, although I still eat some seafood. Anyway, you can get a "complete protein" from combining certain foods together so you're getting protein as if it's come from meat. You should look it up to get an understanding of the science behind it. You need to eat a combo of certain foods...it doesn't have to be eaten at the same time (but I usually do just in case haha)..but within a day or 2. For example, PB and whole grain bread, pita bread w/ hummus, beans and rice, etc.

Thursday, March 20, 2008, 12:09 AM

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