Every other day should be good. I did Monday - Thursday, about 2-2.5 miles a day of running. I would do 5 minutes of warmup at a slow pace, then I would increase the pace on the treadmill a significant amount. I would try to do this for 10 minutes, then I would slowly work my way down to a fast walking pace. Then I would do another 10 minutes at the higher speed, then follow that with a cool down of 5 minutes (slowly decreased every minute).

 

So i did HIIT today and boy was that tough. At the end i felt like i was going to collapse but i did it! I managed 1.6 miles and 300 calories in 18 minutes of HIIT. Tomorrow i will be going back to LI with intervals (45 minutes). I will be alternating every day from Mo-Th. Just had a chicken salad wrap with only chicken and lettuce.

 

Good work! Keep the HIIT to every other day. Your body needs the opportunity to recover.

 

Make sure you include some variety in your cardio workout, doing just the elliptical for days will tend to get boring (granted it does work your whole body). If your doing cardio 7 days a week. You could do something like: elliptical, bike, elliptical, rowing, elliptical, treadmill, elliptical (or day off). Just always target that your losing about the same amount of calories on each.

 

For now i will be doing 4 days a week, but thats a good idea. I do tend to lose almost twice as many calories doing the 45 minutes as opposed to the 18 mins of HIIT. I wonder if thats ok since its HIIT

 

Thanks! I enjoyed the HIIT , didnt get boring at all and was very challenging. I was enjoying every second of the jog between sprints.

 

Good thing about HIIT is that every time you do it it gets easier the next time, and your body will start getting used to it a bit. That's when you improve.

 

Do you think the fact that i burn twice as many calories during the 45 mins of cardio as opposed to HIIT is an issue?

 

Well your saying you did 18 minutes of the HIIT which is obviously 27 minutes less than just the normal cardio. As rye said HIIT has been shown to speed up your metabolism for another 36 hours, so that is why you should be seeing the benefits.

I'd say don't worry so much about the caloric readings.

 

I think it's a good thing to do what whiskers said and alternate the intensities during your workout. Also, be wary of a lot of foods even if they come from places such as trader joe's (i.e. - chicken salad). Those can be full of fat. But if that's your meal while you're on the run such as during work or something when you can't pack, then it's much better than the typical lunch. However, if at all possible I'd say pack a sandwich and some snacks so you know exactly what goes in your body. I try to eat more carbs in the early morning to give me energy through the rest of the day and eat less carbs as the day goes on. Keep in mind that carbs exist in not only breads, but sugars and other things you wouldn't necessarily expect. Find a combination of diet and exercise that you're comfortable with.

 

You'll quickly find that the more you workout the bigger your hunger gets...just eat healthy

 

I make sure that nothing i eat has more than 5 grams of fat.

 

Rather than being concerned with fat intake, be more concerned with sugar intake. You're going to need healthy fats in your diet.
I would also suggest a food intake journal so you can document what you're eating on a daily basis.
Keep up the good work!

 

Thanks again, I am already starting to feel better about myself, but i know i have a ways to go..

 

45 Minutes Elliptical

Distance: 5.61 Miles
Calories: 600

 

Looks like im seeing my first imporvements:

Weight: 184
Body Fat: 22.1%

 

Is it ok to have a bowl of cereal before i go to the gym. Usually I am pretty hungry when i get back from work right before i go to the gym. I don't get cramps or anything I was just wondering if this will hinder my fat loss/calorie burning in any way.

Thanks!

 

22 Minutes Elliptical HIIT

Distance: 2.19 Miles
Calories: 300

 

I would try a banana, or some other fruit. You could even have a protein shake right before you go.

 

You should leave about an hour with food that are heavy or dense in your stomach.

 

Weight: 183.8
Body Fat: 22.8%

 

So maybe i'll try a protein shake instead of a bowl of cereal.
Cereal may be too dense to have right before going to the gym?

 

Trust me on this one:
-1 banana
-skim milk
-protein powder
-1 small spoon of natural peanut butter
-about a cup of grape nuts
-Ice
Blend and enjoy

 

Sounds delicious.. but isn't that around 500 calories?

 

350-400 at most...Loose the peanut butter if you want. But its good for the gym, lots of energy.

I also add clear fiber: http://us.fibersure.com/index_flash.shtml

-1 banana = about 90 cals
-skim milk - about 80 cals
-protein powder - 100-150 cals
-1 small spoon of natural peanut butter - about 80 cals
-about a cup of grape nuts - about 70 cals

 

I don't have the box of grape nuts, but I went off of this link.. A cup of grape nuts is 400 calories..

http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/item/8329.html

 

That doesn't seem right...Im getting a box today and will check.

 

Yeah I thought it was a bit high, but I found the same results on two different calorie counting web sites..

 

Just looked at my son's box of Fruit Loops and that has 120 calories per cup....So no way grape nuts is that high....

 

Yeah I thought 400 was too high, but every other ingredient you listed matched up calorie wise to what that site said. Maybe I was looking at the wrong grape nuts?

 

Looks like 120 per cup....

http://www.amazon.com/Post-Grape-Nut...950242-4823166

 

Ah good find. I may try that out for breakfast.. seems just like what I need.

 

No grapes, no nuts...What's the deal

 

 

http://www.thesheltered.com/?p=53

 

May be i'll take a banana and a protein shake before the gym. I am only doing cardio so i don't want to put too much in my stomach before.

 

Elliptical: 45 minutes

Miles: 5.85
Calories: 600

 

Weight: 183
Bodyfat: 21.2%

 

Well I went food shopping today, and I looked at the Grape Nuts box and it is 200 calories for 1/2 cup.. Maybe there are different brands of grape nuts?

 

Well the weekend is over, ready to hit the gym tomorrow!