How Much Weight Can You Lose With Aerobics?
How much weight you can lose with aerobics really depends on your dedication to the activity, your size and your dietary habits.
Aerobic exercises are brisk exercises, such as running or swimming, that make your heart and lungs work hard, increasing the amount of oxygen circulating through your blood. When combined with a low-calorie diet, aerobics can lead to significant weight loss.
To lose weight with aerobics, you'll need to burn more calories than you consume and exercise regularly. Gradually increase the duration and intensity of your aerobic workouts for even greater weight loss.
Your Current Weight
Your current weight might impact the amount of weight you lose doing aerobics. The more you weigh, the more calories you'll burn with during physical activity. For example, a 200-pound person who does low-impact aerobics for 1 hour will burn approximately 450 calories, while a 130-pound person who does the same will burn about 300 calories.
This is because your weight is a factor in determining your basal metabolic rate — the higher your weight, the more calories you'll typically burn. Over a month, assuming extra calories aren't consumed, the 200-pound person will lose about 4 pounds, while the 130-pound person will lose approximately 2.5 pounds.
Type of Aerobics
The type of aerobics you do also affects the number of calories you burn and how much weight you lose. Low-impact aerobics are easier on the joints and burn fewer calories than high-impact aerobic activities. Low-impact aerobics are a good choice for individuals who are older, obese or pregnant.
A 150-pound person who does high-impact aerobics for an hour will burn approximately 480 calories, while the same person doing low-impact aerobics for an hour will burn about 340 calories. Extremely intense aerobic activities, such as a Zumba and spinning, can burn up to 800 calories an hour.
Read more: List of Cardio Exercise
Time and Frequency
The amount of time you spend doing aerobics also affects your calorie burn and thus the amount of weight you lose. If you weigh 150 pounds and do high-impact aerobics for 30 minutes three times each week, you'll lose a little less than a pound after a month.
On the other hand, if you do high-impact aerobics for an hour six days a week, you'll lose over 3 pounds each month. Keep in mind that in order to lose 1 pound in a week, you must burn 500 more calories than you consume every day.
Diet
Attempting to lose weight through exercise alone can tempt you to overdo your workouts, which can lead to injury. Increase the amount of weight you lose by adding healthy low-calorie foods to your diet and jettisoning higher calorie, lower nutrient foods. For example, forgo garlic bread with dinner, and eat a small spinach salad instead. Eliminate desserts and sodas, and consume plenty of water, which will improve satiety.
Make meals consist mainly of lean proteins, such as chicken breast and fish, whole grains, fresh vegetables and fresh fruits. Small servings of healthy fat, including avocado and olive oil, are OK, but avoid saturated and trans fats.
Read more: What are Some Different Types of Exercise?