3 or 4 Workouts a week enough ?

I'm interested in shedding about twenty pounds. I'm 5'4 1/2', 28,148 pounds and according to my scale 30% fat. I've been on peertrainer for about three weeks and have found this stie very helpful.

Unfortuatnlely I've been very busy and have only been able to do about 4 workouts a week at 45 to 60 minutes each. Is this the typical amount of workouts to maintain weight not loose it ?

I'm just wondering if I have to bump up my workouts to 6 times a week to see some serious results. I definetly feel better but not seeing a major change.

Sat. Dec 15, 3:34pm

It really depends how many calories you consume during the week. you need to have a deficit of 3500 califories to lose one pound of fat. 3-4 workouts should be fine if you keep your calories lower than what you need to sustain.

Saturday, December 15, 2007, 3:39 PM

I've been losing a steady 2 lbs a week, eating 1200-1700 calories a day, exercising 30 minutes, 4-5 times a week. Exercise is definitely important to your health, but you need to watch your portions and eat better if you really want to lose weight!

Saturday, December 15, 2007, 9:22 PM

ok, presuming you're a woman, why would you want to lose 20lbs?
IF you are 30% bf, then that means losing 20lbs of fat would put you at approx 14% bf, which by most standards is really low for a woman- even low for women athletes.

There's no point in losing lean body mass. 20% body fat is at the low end for fit women. So a 15lbs loss isn't unreasonable. Anything after that, and you're sacrificing health to obtain a number on a scale that no one will see. That would be ridiculous.

Saturday, December 15, 2007, 9:43 PM

9:43 - at 5' 4 1/2", 148 lbs is right at the top of the BMI range for healthy. If she gains one lb she's into the overweight range. 20 lbs would be 128, which is a BMI of 21 or so, right in the middle of the healthy range. I don't think this is an unreasonable goal at all!

Sunday, December 16, 2007, 2:14 PM

Op here - I have a very small body frame (in high school I weighed 110 pounds) so I know that being 128 pounds is not unreasonable. When I was 23 I lost 17 pounds after grad school and was down to 123. That was the best I ever looked!!

I should rephrase my original post. I've been working out for more than three weeks. But this is been a very busy year (wedding, moving) so I'm in my 7th week of consistent working out since May. My body is very used to working out so I'm wondering if the 3 to 4 times a week I'm doing is not enough considering my background.

Thanks!

Sunday, December 16, 2007, 2:32 PM

People, BMI is MEANINGLESS compared to body composition.

The fact is, to lose 20lbs the OP either has to border having a dangerously low body fat level, or lose lean muscle mass to lose the 20lbs. Why would anyone want to lose muscle to change a number on the scale?

Let me re-iterate for those who seem to be missing the point: For the OP to lose 20lbs, she must lose healthy lean muscle mass to do so, or if she loses 20lbs of fat, she will be at an unhealthy body comp.

Knowing my lean muscle mass, my doc told me to aim for 155, not 145. Which at 5'6, would put me in the overweight range on BMI, but would have me at 20% body fat which is at the fit, not "average/healthy" range for body composition.

Losing muscle, to achieve a number on a scale, is truly vanity insanity.

Sunday, December 16, 2007, 2:59 PM

2:59 - are you large framed/big boned? I started here at 5'6" 155 and have been working HARD to get fat off. I was definitely too heavy at that weight, with lots of fat on waist and hips, arms, etc. 128 is NOT to skinny for 5'4" if you have a small frame.

Sunday, December 16, 2007, 3:25 PM

op again- I'm not trying to just "reach" a number on the scale with no regard to muscle mass. if I get drop 10 pounds and look great, then I'll stop ofcourse.

20 pounds is just my goal. I was 4 lbs 14 oz at birth... I'm small.

Sunday, December 16, 2007, 3:53 PM

2:59 again. Yes, I am big boned. And I have long dense solid legs from years of sports. For me, 130 would be underweight- I guarantee you if I ever hit that wieght, friend, family and my doc would put me in an institution. However, that's not the case for all people 5'6. I'm thinner than my best friend who is 20lbs lighter than me, and the same height.

128 is an acceptable wieght for a person 5'4, yes, BUT, for the op to be 128, given her current body comp of 30% fat at 148, she'd need to drop to a body fat comp where she's not likely to have her period, or she's going to have to lose muscle to get to that wieght. Both sound ridiculous to me. Getting to a body comp of 20% would be a reasonable goal. This thread isn't to talk about some generic fictional 5'4 person, it's about the OP and her current real life stats.

Weight and height guidelines, are just that: guidelines. Some of us don't fit into them and trying to fit into them is futile or in some cases absolutely unhealthy. Coming to terms with that and discovering what is truly reasonable and attainable goals beats fighting a losing battle and always feeling like a failure.

OP- let me repeat- you phrase your goal as "I want to lose 20lbs" what that really means is "I want to have such a low body fat level I don't have regular periods" or "I want to lose 20lbs of weight, and that includes muscle mass." There is NO other alternative for you to lose 20lbs.

Sunday, December 16, 2007, 4:10 PM

OMG - seriously. Stop. I'm the same height as the OP and 128 for me is too much. TOO MUCH. You simply cannot make these broad statements about being dangerously this or that b/c it would be bad for YOU. And since when do we treat the body fat % on home scales as the absolute truth? Just stop.

And I get my periods regularly. And my body fat is not dangerously low. And I haven't gotten to my weight by eating away at all my muscle mass. I'm not emaciated. I'm nowhere close. I look normal. Arrrgh.

Happy holidays everyone.

OP - you're fine. Whenever you can work out - just make the most of them. Especially if you're doing strength training - you'll be fine.

Sunday, December 16, 2007, 6:17 PM

3 or 4 workouts a week enough?

Hi, I am just going to answer your question and maybe it will help. 3-4 workouts will probably just maintain your weight. If you can and have the time, go to 5-6 days, 3 of them heavy weight training and 3 of them 45-60 min of cardio. The weight training days no more than 1 hour at gym, break it up, legs one day, back and bi one day, chest and tri the other day. Add some HIIT into the mix (high intensity interval training) and believe me you WILL see results. Check out my before and after pics, I did that routine will eating 1300-1700 cals and hit my goal. Yes my body fat is low, but no, did not loose my period, ect ect...all you have to do is watch your body and listen to it, take measurements each week and DON'T BELIEVE THE SCALE BODY FAT numbers!
If you can stick to that routine faithfully you will see results in a matter of weeks. I lost rougly 1-2lbs a week and I am 5'6".

Hope that helps. Good luck!

Sunday, December 16, 2007, 7:22 PM

op here- I'll have to let this thread die.... it seems to have gotten quite off track!

Sunday, December 16, 2007, 7:23 PM

I'm 5'1" and lost 17 lbs (from 130 lbs to 113 lbs) via diet only. I almost never worked out. So, I'm going to say the workouts are secondary to your caloric intake.

Lower your calories and you'll lose the weight.

And, unless the OP did a hydrostatic dunk test to come up with the % body fat (which most of us haven't done), it's likely not accurate anyway. So don't worry about the % body fat.

Monday, December 17, 2007, 7:08 PM

2:59 you need to DO THE MATH RIGHT before you start incorrectly criticizing people for wanting to be too small. I'm usually the "you want to be too small" nazi on this board, and half-baked comments like yours weaken legitimate arguments about trying to lose too much. Your mistake: you did all your percentages based on her current weight of 148 instead of adjusting for the lower weight she will be as she loses fat. What this translates to:

As a 5'4" woman, your lean body mass is 102-110 lbs...can't remember the name of the formula, but I'm your height, and these numbers stuck with me from the last time I calculated it about 2 years ago. So at 148, 30% of your body weight is about 45 lbs, making 103 lbs your "fat free" weight. At 128, you will have 25-28 lbs of body fat (taking into account that you will very likely lose a little muscle), making your body fat percentage approx. 26/128, or 20%. Which is perfect.

To answer the original question: you are indeed working out enough to lose weight. Maintenance is more like 30 mins, 3x a week. You're doing double that. And as the above previous poster points out, most of weight loss for women is about the diet rather than the exercise. Focus on that and you'll get there :)

- A Math Geek

Monday, December 17, 2007, 10:56 PM

Thank you Math Geek! You'd have to have some MAJOR muscles to make 128 dangerously low at 5'4"

Monday, December 17, 2007, 11:38 PM

Related Content: How To Lose Weight- The Basics Weight Watchers Points System The Fat Smash Diet The Eat To Live Diet The Beck Diet Solution How To Get The Motivation To Lose Weight		How To Be Successful Using PEERtrainer How To Burn Fat Online Weight Loss Support- How It Works Does Green Tea Help You Lose Weight? Tips On Using PEERtrainer Visit The PEERtrainer Community Diet and Fitness Resources
Fitness Weight Watchers Meetings Learning To Inspire Others: You Already Are Writing Down Your Daily Workouts Spending Money On A Personal Trainer? How I Became A Marathon Runner		Preventive Health How To Prevent Injuries During Your Workout Flu Season: Should You Take The Flu Shot? Are You Really Ready To Start PEERtrainer? Super Foods That Can Boost Your Energy Reversing Disease Through Nutrition
New Diet and Fitness Articles: Weight Watchers Points Plus How To Adjust Your Body To Exercise New: Weight Watchers Momentum Program New: PEERtrainer Blog Archive Review Of The New Weight Watchers Momentum Program		Weight Loss Motivation by Joshua Wayne: Why Simple Goal Setting Is Not Enough How To Delay Short Term Gratification How To Stay Motivated How To Exercise With A Busy Schedule
Real World Nutrition and Fitness Questions Can Weight Lifting Help You Lose Weight? Are Protein Drinks Safe? Nutrition As Medicine?		Everyday Weight Loss Tips How To Eat Healthy At A Party How To Eat Out And Still Lose Weight The Three Bite Rule Tips On How To Stop A Binge