can i just do the elliptical?

the only machine i have in my house is the elliptical, i have a bike, and i bike sometimes but i prefer the elliptical because it is more controlled and when i bike i have to go around my neighborhood 3x to get a decent workout and it gets pretty boring. i try jogging occasionally but find it hard and i walk most of the time, besides that i can barely do it, right now i have achilles tendinitis so its hard to flex my foot which is needed to run/walk. i have some weights, but every time i promise myself to do 50 biceps, 50 triceps,  i end up giving up and becoming bored of it after a few consistent nights.

so, my question is, eating aside, can i just do the elliptical and still lose weight (i have a pretty decent amount to lose :(  ) and become healthy? if i do the elliptical 5-7 times a week, for an hour, at the highest resistance and incline, which i have been doing (highest resistance is 15 and incline 30), is that enough? or do i have to do weights also? i know i dont HAVE to, but is the elliptical sufficient?? thanks!

The onlyway I can get through my workout (65 minutes) is pumping up so mega inspirational music on my ipod. I have no idea how people do it without something to motivate them. Also, I have found that if I can get through the first 15-20 minutes, my endorphins kick in and the last 15 minutes is a breeze (as long as I am jamming)

Quick Question:

Does anyone know why the "fat burning" heart rate is so low? I am always in the high cardio or max zone. I have to really sweat and push myself or I don't feel like I am getting a workout. Am I going about this the wrong way?

Hi! I have never hit a plateau. I think this is because I have been using the zig zag method of calorie intake...in short, it involves varying my intake through the week to keep my body guessing and burning. I also eat four meals a day to help keep things appropriately chaotic for my amped up metabolism :-)

I too go at about 80 to 85% of max heart rate on my machine and have read that the fat burning zone, while technically true, isn't all it's cracked up to be. I simply want to burn calories, and 80-85% of max h/r will burn more calories than 55-60% of max h/r will. More burned calories = more weight loss. I was not too worried about what kind of weight I was losing, just so long as I was losing. Now I want to take up a muscle building programme that will be in addition to my time on the trusty elliptical. I know I've burned off some muscle mass and now that I'm at my target weight I want to start building it back on.

At the end of the day it's up to your body, your tolerance for sweat, and your own plan for weight loss/management. CC is all about doing things sensibly and doing things in ways that work for you. Good luck!

Cheers,

Mike

Mike:

Thanks for the reassurance. I was headed in that direction. How long were your workouts in the beginning of your weight loss journey? I am doing at least 65 minutes usually 7 days a week. On maybe 5 days I will add a second workout of between 60-90 minutes. I know that it is alot ... but I feel motivated to work now... I figure why waste the motivation? I just need to be careful not to burn out. To be honest, today's workout was pretty tough. I felt better once it was done... but those first 20 minutes were a killer!

Again, thanks for the post! Ciao Bello!

Michael

I started with 30 mins, then up to 45, and finally 60. When I attained my weight loss goal I dialed it back to 45 mins again, and try to work out every day I can. That usually works out to 5-6 times a week.

Cheers!

I’m so glad I found this group, I was starting to think that I had to change my cardio routine, I read a lot of post where people are doing so many different things that I would forget what day it was trying to keep up with all that stuff. But now that I read this entire thread I am know motivated to kill it once again when I jump back on the elliptical tonight! I also do weights, I don’t just want to be thin I want to be fit & have definition when I get to maintenance.

 Congrats to all of you who have achieved so much on your elliptical, you all are truly an inspiration!!