Should I Get on My Elliptical Every Day to Lose Weight?
Regular exercise on an elliptical trainer helps you burn calories, which is key in the battle to lose weight. Getting on the machine every day doesn't guarantee weight loss, though.
Regular exercise on an elliptical trainer helps you burn calories, which is key in the battle to lose weight. Getting on the machine every day doesn't guarantee weight loss, though. You'll still need to modify your diet, monitor your workout intensity, and hit the weights a few times per week to lose weight and keep it off.
Calories In, Calories Out
To lose one pound, you must burn off 3,500 calories more than you consume. An average 30-minute session on the elliptical burns 335 calories for a 155-pound person. If you get on the machine every day, seven days per week, and work at the intensity required to burn these calories, you can lose about two-thirds of a pound weekly. For significant weight loss to occur, the American College of Sports Medicine advises you work out at least 250 minutes per week at a moderate intensity -- or approximately 45 minutes, five days per week.
There's More to It
Weight loss is dependent on your diet, too. If your extra elliptical effort makes you hungry and you consume more calories daily as a result of the exercise, you won't see results on the scale. A total-body strength-training routine performed twice per week on nonconsecutive days is also essential for weight loss, as it helps you create a leaner-looking body. Since muscle mass is more metabolically active than fat, a leaner body burns more calories at rest.