hi everyone, my name is liz.  i've been using alli since january 08.  needless to say, i'm very happy with it.  i've been going to a local gym four-five times a week for an hour, and i've lost 27 lbs so far, and 'm receiving so many compliments on how i look.  but i'm having issues when i'm exercising.  i HATE cardio with a passion.  i can't stand being on the tredmill for more than 10 minutes!  i see people who use the tredmill/eliptical for more than an hour while at the gym. 

i know that cardio is the main exercise to do if one wants to lose weight, but i can't STAND it!  it's so boring.  are there any alternatives? 

usually, right after i do my mile on the tredmill, i go and do the weights and 300 crunches.   i'm guessing the weight training and the cruches aren't enough to lose weight, right?  is anyone able to help me?

thanks,

liz

Hi erpelle,

Congrats on your weight loss!  Twenty-seven pounds is something to be proud of! 

It sounds like you're working very hard to accomplish your weight loss goals. Alli promotes not only a healthy low-fat diet, but regular structured exercise on most days of the week! This includes cardio workouts as well as strength training! Cardio workouts are very important to burn calories and provide heart-heatlhy benefits such as lowering blood pressure, total cholesterol, and decrease risk of chronic illnesses such as diabetes and some cancers. However, it isn't necessary to perform long, continuous bouts of treadmilling or the elliptical to achieve these benefits!  It is perfectly OK to break up your cardio into 2 or 3 shorter bouts of exercise throughout the course of one day, versus one long bout!  So, your 10 minutes on the treadmill is just fine!  Try to get in a couple of 10 minute sessions per day to accumulate a very good caloric burn, promoting weight loss and cardio fitness! 

Additionally, I would encourage you to increase the intensity of your cardio sessions if you're going to keep them shorter.  Performing just 10-20 minutes of higher intensity workouts will burn just as many calories as one long 30-45 minute session.  Increase the workload by raising the elevation, resistance or by adding in bursts of higher intensity exercises.  For example, if you're walking on the treadmill, raise the elevation significantly for 2-3 minutes then recover and repeat or increase the speed and run for several minutes then return to a brisk pace to recover and repeat.  By performing higher intensity workouts, you'll be able to reduce the time you spend performing cardio and still reap the rewards!

Lastly, some additional ideas to pass the time is to go for your walk/run with a friend, workout to your favorite music, or try something new & fun such as dancing, hiking, moutain biking, skating, swimming or a fun DVD such as P90X.

Continue to perform your strength training workouts as they are crucial to the long-term success of your weight loss goals!  By maintaining/increasing lean muscle mass while losing weight, you'll become more metabolically efficient b/c muscle burns more calories than fat!  Therefore, the more muscle mass vs. fat mass you have, you'll be able to burn more calories all throughout the day, even at rest.

Best in health and keep up the great work!

Kelli 

Ive been on Alli for a month 1/2 half now. I lost 14 pounds the first 2 weeks!  I think that was all water weight. Its been about 3 weeks after and I cant seem to loose any more weight  :(    I try to do the most cardio I can with out being bored or tired haha I work out about 5 days a week every to twice a day and keep the calories low. Am I doing somthing wrong? is my body in starvation mode? Im still taking alli and Im eatting way less, maybe now taking in 800 cal a day instead of the norm of 1,200   I need help! I dont know what else to do with out starving my self or over doing it at the gym.......PLUS im on birth control

Ive been on Alli for a month 1/2 half now. I lost 14 pounds the first 2 weeks!  I think that was all water weight. Its been about 3 weeks after and I cant seem to loose any more weight  :(    I try to do the most cardio I can with out being bored or tired haha I work out about 5 days a week every to twice a day and keep the calories low. Am I doing somthing wrong? is my body in starvation mode? Im still taking alli and Im eatting way less, maybe now taking in 800 cal a day instead of the norm of 1,200   I need help! I dont know what else to do with out starving my self or over doing it at the gym.......PLUS im on birth control

 Hi Rubberstarlet,

You must be careful not to drop your caloric intake to a level that is too low.  It sounds like you are committed to your exercise program in the cardio area, but if you are not engaging in strength training sessions, you need to.  The alli site has strength training exercises that it recommends that you can integrate into your program. 

You should also post to the registered dieticians forum in regard to the amount of calories that you should be consuming daily.

If you have any other questions, please let me know.

Good Luck,

Paul