Cardio and Calories
By admin on Jun 22, 2010 in Health and Fitness
As you may have read in one of my previous posts, I have increased my training volume in order to prepare for my first triathlon. For me, that means increasing my workout frequency to 5-6 days per week instead of 4-5 and I’ve added about 2-3 hours more total cardiovascular exercise.
So basically I've kept my strength training about what it was, but added in more swimming, biking, and running. The interesting thing is that with all that additional work that my body is not used to doing I haven’t lost a single pound!
Hard to believe, right? There is a good reason for my weight remaining the same, though.
For all of my cardio workouts I wear a heart rate monitor that calculates my time, beats per minute, and calories burned. So, when I finish with my workout I know exactly how many additional calories I burned on top of my typical exercise routine. Now since my goal is no longer weight loss, but maintenance, I make sure to consume those additional calories I used during exercise. Although it does get a little more technical then this, the method I’m explaining allows me to maintain a steady weight and aids in my recovery.
My point for telling you all of this is that if you’re going from a fairly sedentary lifestyle to exercising, or even increasing your workout volume like I am, you’ll need to keep your current caloric intake the same in order to lose weight. If you add additional calories into your diet when you begin a new program you may be surprised at how little the scale moves…
In my next post, I'll explain to you the best way to ensure you’ll lose weight when increasing your cardio or beginning a brand new workout program. Stay tuned!
Credits to:Nutrition Data: Dieting & Weight Loss Blog