Understanding How Much Exercise You Actually Need On a Daily Basis to Lose Weight

There are three major variables that determine this.

I used to think I had a skinny disposition. I could eat anything I wanted and still stay thin. Clearly, I had an overactive metabolism. But after I became a Mom, no matter what I did, weight loss became the Holy Grail.

Considering that I always prided myself for staying active and eating healthy, I was rather terrified to learn that my BMI of 25.7 is considered overweight. With a family history of diabetes, I’ve always been paranoid about extra weight.

Weight loss, as we know, is a goal that calls for a disciplined and healthy lifestyle. It involves eating healthy, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep, among other things, in order to achieve that goal.

I was doing all that, especially after being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes eight years ago. Yes, family history did catch up with me!

While I managed to get my blood sugar under control, my weighing scale seemed to have a grudge against me. What was I doing wrong? What did I need to change to lose weight and reach my weight loss goals?

That’s a question to which many people want the answer.

The truth is, every individual is different and there is no magic number of hours or a one-size-fits-all exercise routine to lose weight.

When I did the research, I found that there are several factors and variables to take into consideration to figure out what works for a particular person.

In fact, there are three specific and major variables to consider when we try to determine how much exercise we need on a daily basis to shed those extra pounds. This gave me a blueprint of sorts to decide what would work best for me.

Variable 1: The number and quality of calories you consume

Weight loss is based on a simple equation: to lose weight we must achieve a caloric deficit or expend more calories than we are consuming. Thus, in order to know the amount of exercise needed to lose weight, we need to know what our daily caloric intake is, and just as importantly, what the sources are for those calories (for example, vegetables versus potato chips).

So, I found that if I followed a low-calorie diet, I would need less exercise to lose weight and this meant a moderate three to four days a week training plan.

It goes without saying that if one tends to eat excessive amounts or use supplements, it will require a modified exercise plan to really push to get back into the caloric deficit mode.

Variable 2: The type and intensity of exercise you do

The second key variable is the type of exercise, and more importantly, the intensity. Twenty minutes on the elliptical has a far different energy output than twenty minutes of all out sprinting. This variable can also dovetail with our first variable, in that the greater the number of calories consumed, the more energy we may have for high intensity exercise, whereas if we aren’t consuming too many calories, we may not need to exercise for an especially long time or at a high intensity per se.

I was surprised to learn that exercise modalities that are more aerobic require a longer time to see any sort of effective impact on weight loss. Jogging, biking, the elliptical machine or other options would all require a significant amount of time, potentially hours over the course of a week, to see a meaningful impact.

But anaerobic activities such as sprinting, resistance training or interval training methods are more effective in a shorter amount of time, yet their intensity level is much higher and thus they have a certain level of pre-requisite fitness to achieve their full potential and results.

Variable 3: Your weight loss goals and the timeframe in which you want to achieve it

The third variable is arguably the most important, what is the weight loss goal? Much like our car ride or travel plans are determined by our destination, our exercise plan and weight loss journey is dictated by the goal we have set.

Thus, if the goal is to lose five pounds in two months, that is a fairly modest and achievable goal for most people and would not require much additional exercise. If you were a sedentary person prior to your goal, you would only need to exercise 20–30 minutes a day for three to four days a week to achieve this goal.

However, if you goal is to lose thirty pounds in two months — phew! — the equation is radically different, and it would take an extreme amount of exercise, multiple hours every day at high intensity to achieve that same goal.

Putting It All Together: Finding the Right Number

After examining the variables that determine how much exercise is needed to lose weight, here’s what matters:

• A low caloric intake usually, with low intensity aerobic exercise, and a modest goal will need 30–45 minutes of aerobic exercise a day.
• If you love to eat, love to lift weights and also have an ambitious goal for weight loss, you’re going to have to spend hours per day working out to reach those goals.

My takeaways?

• Accurately assess your starting point as compared to your goal; then,
• Look at how much time you are giving yourself to reach that goal, and
• Make a plan accordingly to reach it rather than rely on a standard number or cookie-cutter approach that doesn’t apply to every person.

On 23 February 2021, I set myself a goal to lose at least six pounds in three months. As a diabetic, my first step was to make a meal plan that would help my blood sugar stay stable. I kept a food journal.

Next, I made a daily routine that included eating at the same time every day, and exercising thrice a week. The exercise includes yoga, core, strengthening and full body workouts. I learned that walking for ten minutes after every meal helps with blood sugar control.

I monitored my blood sugar levels once a week.

Three months later, on 23 May 2021, my weighing scale rewarded me with the result I expected to see — 6.6 pounds lost!

Stay healthy!

~ Vidya Sury

This post first appeared on Your Med Guide