i need help! beginner exerciser (CARDIO QUESTION)

hellooo

i joined a gym a while back, and i have just started going this week.

how many calories on average do weight-loser's attempt to burn in cardio? today i did 25 mins on the treadmill at a fast walking pace and high incline. with my weight it said that i burned 330 calories, does that sound right? i also did about 10 minutes on the bike on level 7 and it said that i burned about 70 calories--does this sound right?

also, is this enough cardio, or should i increase it? i was thinking of adding either 5 minutes time, a faster mph, or a higher incline every week until i can't really add any more. what do you think?

ps. i'm at 195 lbs and am trying to reach about 115 (i'm only 5,1)

any suggestions or comments are greatly appreciated, thanks!!

Your calorie burned estimates seem okay, because remember they are just estimates. As far as increasing your exercise, you should take it slow to avoid injury. Dont rush into increasing the intensity too quickly, maybe like you said adding an extra 5 mins a week or faster mph, but not both in the same week.

Also, you might want to try adding some strength training exercises with free weights. Cardio will help you create a big calorie deficit but muscle in itself burns more calories than fat, and strength training will help you lose actual fat whereas with cardio the weight you lose might come from muscle too.

yeah i planned on increasing only speed OR incline OR time, not all at once! that'd be way too much in one week.

and about the strength training: i heard that if you have a lot of fat to burn off you shouldn't start strength training until you burn a majority of it off. this could be a total myth, anybody know??

i think i'll just trust you and come up with some strength training exercises. i have some free weights here at home so that should get me started!

Original Post by devonx:

and about the strength training: i heard that if you have a lot of fat to burn off you shouldn't start strength training until you burn a majority of it off. this could be a total myth, anybody know??

That's a myth.  You want to keep as much of your muscle as you can and burn fat instead.  If you *just* do cardio and eat less, you'll lose weight, but some (maybe a lot) of it will be muscle.  If you want to lose mostly fat, do the strength training as well.

Oh yes strength training is a key to maintaining muscle mass. I wish I knew that when I started to loose weight, maybe I wouldn't look like a malnurished 17 year old now.

As for calorie burned. Treadmill seems on a high side. The bike depends on what level 7 means. On average if you were doing some work and not just spinning pedals while reading a magazine without breaking a sweat it sounds about right. Not saying you were doing it, but I see it quite frequently in the gym. Of course there is a mandatory Gatorade bottle right by the bike, to you know replenish all those elecrolytes lost.

UD

whew, i'm REALLY glad that i didn't do this whole thing without strength training. and yeah, i think i'm going to increase my workout so that i burn enough calories. but i'm going to start out slowly and increase it a bit week after week (for both cardio and strength training)

thanks everyone:)