Weight loss is increasingly becoming a goal for many people, but how can one achieve it? This is a question that troubles many friends, so today, I will address common weight loss questions.
1. How should I start my weight loss exercise?
[Weight loss = Fat ↓ + Muscle ↑] Those who are significantly overweight or have excessive body fat should do aerobic exercises (brisk walking, cycling, swimming).
Those with slightly elevated weight/body fat: 70%-80% aerobic exercise + 20%-30% strength training.
Those whose weight/body fat is standard but want to achieve a firmer and better-looking figure: 70%-80% strength training + 20%-30% aerobic exercise. (This data is only approximate and varies based on individual physical conditions.)
2. What aerobic exercises should I do?
If you enjoy being outdoors or find it convenient to use a treadmill at the gym, choose brisk walking; if you prefer exercising indoors while watching TV, choose cycling; if you like more diverse movements, try zumba (which combines aerobic and some strength training exercises). Choose based on your lifestyle and preferences; establishing a habit is the most important. To achieve the best fat-burning results, keep your heart rate around 130 beats per minute for at least 30 minutes, and exercise at least three times a week. Everyone’s heart rate may vary slightly based on age and physique, but basically, you should breathe a bit quicker and feel slightly out of breath, without reaching a level of gasping or a dramatically increased heart rate.
If you want to burn fat faster, extend the duration to over one hour each time or exercise more than five times a week.
3. What strength training should I do?
It depends on which body parts you want to work on: for glutes and legs, you can start with “squats”; for the abdomen, do sit-ups; for arms, you can use dumbbells for training.
4. I have muscle in my body, legs, and stomach so I can’t lose weight—will working on muscles make me bulkier?
Unless you engage in high-intensity strength training for a long time, it’s unlikely that you’ll have only muscle; most likely, it is a thick layer of accumulated fat that you mistakenly believe to be muscle. Please return to aerobic exercise; you need to burn off fat first to lose weight healthily and beautifully.
5. Some people say that exercise will build muscle, will cycling or brisk walking cause my legs to become bulky?
This is just an excuse from those who do not want to exercise. The volume of muscle is one-fourth that of fat, but the calories that can be burned are several times that of fat. If you do not embrace the slimming benefit of “muscle,” does it mean having only fat and flabby body is more attractive?
Aerobic exercise is different from strength training; resistance does not need to be too high. The heart rate, duration, and frequency are what matter. Additionally, “running” does indeed target calf muscles more easily; if you want smoother calf lines, choose brisk walking or cycling instead of running, as they are more ideal.
It is recommended to stretch and massage your legs after exercising, and you can also do some stretching regularly. By the way, you can eat after exercising.
6. I’ve already eaten very little, so why can’t I lose weight?
Using extreme dieting methods harms the body and makes it easy to regain weight. You need to consume slightly more than your basal metabolic rate each day to avoid falling into a vicious cycle of eating less and losing weight. Furthermore, “what you eat” is as important as “how much you eat”. Rather than just eating less, focus on eating wisely; be sure to avoid hidden high-calorie foods and pay attention to “nutritional balance”. It is possible to eat carbohydrates while losing weight; not eating them can lead to nutritional imbalances and a dull complexion. Besides diet, exercise and lifestyle habits are also crucial—drinking plenty of water and having sufficient sleep are timeless rules.
7. What is the basal metabolic rate?
This is the basic energy necessary for a person to maintain life; in other words, even if you are asleep, you will still burn this amount of calories throughout the day.
If the caloric intake does not meet the basal metabolic rate, the body will activate defense mechanisms to lower it and will tend to store fat more during the next meal. Over time, this can lead to a tendency to gain weight easily, and you will regain weight as soon as you return to a normal diet.
To increase the basal metabolic rate…
