Weight loss question... how much physical activity should I be doing?

[Anonymous]

So, I would like to try to lose about five pounds. Of course, I would like to lose it in my stomach area, but I know that you can't really target one area. However, I've been trying to build more muscle in my stomach so that the fat burns quicker, so hopefully that will help a little to direct the fat loss to the stomach area. Anyways, I was curious how many minutes of physical activity I would be needing to do per week to lose five pounds. Ideally, I'd like to lose it in two weeks, but even 4 weeks would be alright with me.

[kaylaS91]

It's hard to give a specific amount of time you'd need to work out to lose 5 pounds not knowing your current weight, your diet, etc..
I'd say doing about 30 minutes of cardio 4-5x per week should suffice. By cardio I'm thinking elliptical, which is great especially when the weather is still not the greatest. You get some resistance, it'll work on your legs, butt as well as core while still getting some good cardiovascular work in there, bonus being it's low resistance so easy on your knees/hips if those are your weak points. A brisk walk would work too if that's what you'd prefer.

After either one your choose, you can do a set or two of crunches/leg lifts to be working on core muscles while also burning body fat via cardio.

[Climber]

Roughly, 1/2 cardio is 300 cal. Building ab muscle will not burn fat there, but it will flatten your stomach. You cannot focuss fat burning to a particular area, it is general. To burn fat, you need low intensity cardio.

[meatballs21]

You can't target fat loss - it will be lost all over your body. You could have awesome abs that you can't see if you have stomach fat too.

The most you can realistically (safely) lose is two pounds per week but that takes serious effort. You need a good calorie deficit, that's the key, so get a calorie counting app like MyFitnessPal or Lose it! and work out what your Basal Metabolic Rate is, and then eat to that and exercise (cardio for fat burning, though some strength is good too).

[Asker]

ok. Per week, how many minutes of physical activity (cardio) do you think I would need to, on average. I'm just looking for a ball park range.

[meatballs21]

Cardio depends on the activity - running, cycling, ellipticals, stair climbers all burn at different rates. This is why you need to work out how many calories you need to burn, and from that you can work out how much time you need to exercise to hit that number.

A very very rough ballpark is 500-600 an hour.

[Asker]

isn't it bad to count calories?

[meatballs21]

Not if you actually want to lose this weight with this timescale! You might continue with your normal diet as it is now and not realize just how many calories are in it, and won't get the results you want.

A pound is 3,500 calories, so if you burn an extra 500 each day than you eat or drink, that's a pound a week. Calorie counting isn't an exact science but it's a very good guide.

[Asker]

alright, thanks for your help :)

[meatballs21]

Good luck. You have an attainable goal here if you work at it. :)

[thelanatellama]

It entirely depends on how much you're putting back in it.

[Asker]

I'm going to keep a steady diet, not really any changes from before

[thelanatellama]

That still doesn't really help that much.
www.fitwatch.com/.../weight-loss-target-date
Here, have a weightloss calculator

[Anonymous]

You need to get your heart rate up and exercise at least an hour a day. Drink a lot of water, cut out any bloaty stuff like bread and wheat.

[Strider90]

Walk every day minimum 60 minutes in a normal pace. One hour and you lose 300 calories.