How Much Weight Can You Lose With Aerobics?

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 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 185-pound person who does low-impact aerobics for one hour will burn approximately 488 calories, while a 125-pound person who does the same will burn about 330 calories, according to Harvard Health Publishing.

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 185-pound person will lose about 4 pounds, while the 125-pound person will lose approximately 2.5 pounds.

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.

What defines low-impact aerobic movements is that one foot is always on the floor, according to a February 2019 blog post from Loyola University Chicago's Center for Fitness. Low-impact aerobics are a good choice for individuals who are older, pregnant or have overweight.

A 155-pound person who does high-impact aerobics for an hour will burn approximately 520 calories, while the same person doing low-impact aerobics for an hour will burn about 410 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

The amount of time you spend doing aerobics also affects your calorie burn and thus the amount of weight you lose. If you weigh 155 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 one pound in a week, you must create a calorie deficit and burn 500 more calories than you consume every day, says Harvard Health Publishing.

​Read more:​ Time to Change up Your Routine?: The 3 Main Categories of Exercise

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 consisting 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.