140, never done nay cardio before! 20 lbs to lose

[joonna]

Hi everyone!

I am a newbie on this forum. I am turning 26 soon and realized I've gained 20 pounds in the past few years. I weigh almost 140, 5''4. I started hitting the gym for 30 min intensive since 2 weeks, keeping the heart rate to 156, only using the elliptical machine which I really enjoy. I go to the gym everyday for 30 min rather than 90 min 3 times a week.

I am targeting to lose 20 pounds in 3 months and I wonder if it is realistic for someone who never been to the gym in the whole life. I also cut off my late night eating which I got used to in the past few years. I eat whatever I want, but I stopped junk food.

How long do you think it will take me to lose 20 pounds? Do you think I am on the right track if not what am I doing wrong?

Thanks for helping!

 

[ahammad]

Doesn't matter if you've never been to the gym before, as long as you become active now.

20 lbs in 3 months is reasonable, however you probably need to cut down on the food too. The gym itself is good, but when combined with better eating habits, you will lose weight faster and develop a lifestyle that will enable you to keep a healthy weight.

I went from 276 to ~237 in about 4 months by eating healthy and going to the gym 4 times a week for HIIT for about 25 min/day, as well as a moderate weight lifting routine. Granted, I weighed a lot more than you do when I stared so it may be easier for me to drop the pounds, but you shouldn't have too much trouble.

The other piece of advice is that the scale can be a motivation-killer. It is also an excellent motivation-booster if you see the results that you're looking for. I suggest that you don't pay too much attention to it at first, as it will most likely show that you an increased weight. Give it a few weeks and it'll start showing you the results that you want.

 

[TheFitRebel]

GO Go GO!

It certainly sounds like you have a pretty good game plan.

20 pounds in 3 months is very doable. I too recomend some strength training to really tone up and keep that energy level high.

I follow a simple rule for food regulation.

I don't get hungry and I don't get full. So I eat just enough to keep the blood sugar level. If you can do just that, that will go a long, long way towards helping you.

I also have a mini video course all about making weight loss a bit easier (after all why make it harder than it needs to be?)

It's free of course and you can get started here:



Hope that helps!

be fit and live free,

The Fit Rebel