As you probably already know, practicing Pilates is great for many things.
It can improve your posture, increase flexibility, build your muscles and even help you with back pain.
But, do Pilates make you lose weight?
Pilates can make you lose weight, but it is not magical. To successfully do it, you will have to change your diet and if possible, do some cardio training too, like jogging. But losing weight with Pilates will not only make you lighter, it will tighten your body and you will look healthier.
To know more about how can Pilates help you lose weight, read the following chapters, where you will find all the details:
What are Some Factors that Affect Weight Loss?
Losing weight, at least for some people, is not an easy task.
Besides, many will try strict diets which will bring them more bad than good.
The basic principle of losing weight is spending more calories than you take.
But, to do it healthy, and in a way that the weight does not come back, you have to be smart. So, the first and most important factor is food, followed by exercise and other factors.
Food
To lose weight, you should cut down the portions and eat various foods.
To be honest, you don’t have to remove anything besides processed sugar and saturated fat. People often decide to eat just certain foods, but our bodies need all the nutrients, even carbs, which are often mentioned as something bad. The thing is, you should adjust the quantity of it.
Additionally, skipping meals and starving is not productive on the long run, and certainly not healthy.
Eat healthy food, make your own meals and avoid processed food. After all, your health comes first.
Exercise
I sad that you have to spend more calories than you take, so the best way to spend a few extra is to workout.
It will speed-up the process, and when you lose weight, you will also have some muscles and your shape is going to be different.
If you look at thin people, you will notice than some of them have no muscles whatsoever, and that is not healthy, or pretty. No matter do you want to lose weight because of health, looks, or both, exercising will improve the end result.
Other Factors
Unfortunately, some people can change their eating habits, and be very active, but their weight will stay, or even increase. If that is a case, you should see a doctor. Hormonal imbalance, genetic factors, illness, age, or even insufficient sleeping can affect the ability to lose weight.
How many Calories does Pilates Burn?
When talking about Pilates for weight loss, the first question that people ask is how many calories will it burn?
The answer is not that simple. Burning calories is not the same for everyone.
It highly depends on your sex, age, weight, and your practice.
If you are skipping half of the exercises during practice, I have bad news for you. You are not spending as much as someone who is really trying to do their best.
Some average calculations are based on an average person, and it is possible to say that practicing Pilates for one hour will burn about 200-300 calories. Of course, this depends a lot about a practice itself.
There are therapeutic programs which burn less, or power Pilates programs which burn more.
All kinds of phone apps will show you much larger numbers, however many of those are more motivational than accurate.
To increase this number, you can always start doing more demanding exercises, or invest in one of those watches and gadgets which monitor your heart rate. That way, you can get a more detailed information about your calorie burn.
To increase calorie burn, you should combine Pilates with some other cardio workouts, such as running, biking, swimming or similar.
If you have sensitive joints, and that is the reason you have chosen Pilates, try swimming instead of running, or make sure you are running on natural surface like grass, and never concrete.
So, do Pilates Make You Lose Weight?
I know that many people would like to get a straight answer when they ask will Pilates help lose weight, but it depends a lot about you.
Pilates is not some magical activity and you will have to make an effort and change other, previously mentioned, aspects of your life.
If you do it right, Pilates can definitely help you lose weight.
To lose weight in a healthy way, you should not lose too much in a short period of time, because weight lost in such a way will sooner or later come back.
Pilates is actually great for that, because it will not make you thin overnight.
When you finally lose weight, you should keep practicing. It will keep you healthy, develop your muscles and prevent gaining weight.
When you reach your desired goal, keep eating healthy too. You can eat something sweet or greasy once in a while, in moderate quantities, but make sure you don’t go back to your old habits.
When you want to keep your ideal weight, and you have a problem with it, make a diet plan. Calculate what and how much you can eat. Pilates will help in just one part of the process.
How Often Should I Do Pilates for Weight Loss?
When asking do Pilates make you lose weight, you would probably want to know how often you need to practice it.
Again, it depends on a lot of factors.
If you are combining it with other forms of exercise, even 2 times a week for 1 hour can help. If Pilates is the only activity you plan to do, you will need to practice at least 3-4 times a week.
Important thing to mention is that when doing Pilates when overweight, you should be careful and start with a beginners program.
As safe and low impact as it is, injuries are still possible.
It is a great activity for overweight people because it is a low-impact activity and stress on your joints is minimal.
If you want, and you are healthy, you can practice more, even up to 5-6 days.
But make sure you give yourself at least 1 day per week of rest.
Also, make your practice different from day to day, to avoid constant overloading of the same muscle group. Beside, doing different exercises is more fun and you will not give up because it gets bored.
When working out, always listen to your body.
Muscle soreness is fine from time to time, but if your muscles hurt while exercising, or you have any discomfort, do not force yourself.
Will Pilates Help Change Your Body Shape?
The last thing you want is to lose weight but have muscle tone of a 80-year old person.
Developed muscles support your body and have many benefits, especially as you get older. I’m not trying to say that you should look like a professional weight-lifter, but to look healthy.
Pilates is great for toning your muscles, improving strength and changing your body shape.
Of course, there are limits to what you can do with using your own body weight and an occasional props, but it is possible to make a noticeable difference.
Regular exercising will have a lot of effect on your core muscles too, because strengthening your core is one of the most important aspects of Pilates.
And the great thing about it, is that you can always target a certain muscle group more, to develop it faster, or more than other muscle groups. This versatility is great for body-shaping.
Besides body shape, you will see a few more benefits.
Pilate increases flexibility and improves your balance, so your standing and walking activities will appear much easier, and look far better.
Stretching also affects your body shape. As you are building muscles, you are also re-shaping them with a bit with stretching, so you will get a nice and lean look.
Conclusion
So, do Pilates make you lose weight?
I hope you got the desired answer and that you are going to give it a try. Pilates, especially combined with some other activities, can do a lot for your health and looks.
There are so many possible benefits that I am sure you are going to find something that motivates you.
But also, try to change your diet and habits too, to make the most of it.