How is my exercise plan?

JaderadeZ

Hi all!

I'm 5'9" and 260lbs. My goal is to get to 140lb!

So for the past few days, I have been eating spinach salads for lunch, veggies and dip for some snacks, and fruits and yogurt for other ones. My dinners have been pretty light (grilled salmon with corn on the cob, grilled chicken thighs with potatoes etc.)
But I am finally going to start exercising.

Today, I swam 40 laps lengthwise in my moms pool.

My exercise plan is...

Bike 45-60mins 3-4 times a week
Swim 40ish laps 1-2 times a week

And once I have gained more strength in my muscles, I would like to maybe add some jogging, and eventually get to running.

So... How does it look to you guys?? Is everything "A" Okay, or should there be a few tweaks??

Thanks in advance, and good luck to everyone!

frankerzzzfit

We have pretty similar goals! Swimming is great! It builds cardio and engages your larger muscles and it is so good on your joints. The downside is that it is harder to lose calories. Cooler environment means you need to work harder to burn more off. Just a thought to keep in mind. I love swimming so I make sure to add in some sprints to keep my heart rate up. Looks great though! keep it up!!!

JaderadeZ

We have pretty similar goals! Swimming is great! It builds cardio and engages your larger muscles and it is so good on your joints. The downside is that it is harder to lose calories. Cooler environment means you need to work harder to burn more off. Just a thought to keep in mind. I love swimming so I make sure to add in some sprints to keep my heart rate up. Looks great though! keep it up!!!

Hi there!
Yes, swimming is spectacular. I've never actually been a good swimmer, I kind of just taught myself today haha, and now I can't get enough of it.
Oh, I suppose that makes really good sense. The good thing is, most of my exercise will be biking, as I only have access to a pool 1-2 times per week.
Thanks so much for your kind words, I hope you achieve your goals!

Tiznonay

That looks like a pretty solid plan to me. Swimming burns a crazy amount of calories! I'd do it more if I had the pool access. For me, running really made the weight come off the best. Definitely start with walking, then kinda work your way into running.

But yeah, that plus that diet plan you talked about and you should drop weight no problem. Might take a minute. Took me 2 months to start seeing real results, but stick with it!

ButterflyJourney

How many calories are you consuming each day? What is your ratio of cals, fats, protein, fiber? When you exercise are you working hard or are you out for a leisure bike ride? If you can have a running conversation with a friend (be it biking or running, you aren't giving it your all). You should end your cardio workouts sweaty!! Drink water and plenty of it.

120 lbs is a lot to lose. It is going to take awhile. And it should if you want lasting weight loss. Take this 5 lbs at a time. Mini goals will keep you motivated and your mind in the journey.

Find some good MFP friends who will support you and that you can support in return. Sometimes it helps to have another person give you ideas or just say Yay!

Good luck.

MyJourney1960

sounds great and i'm glad you are on your way.

I personally don't love swimming - i have been trying to do 20-30 minutes once a week (for variety). i find it makes me very very tired and very hungry (even more so than my 65 minutes on the elliptical). but if you are enjoying it - then go for it. It's certainly supposed to be easier on the joints

Exercise - any exercise - is great but remember that it's the food you eat that really makes that difference so make sure to eat properly and log log log!

JaderadeZ

That looks like a pretty solid plan to me. Swimming burns a crazy amount of calories! I'd do it more if I had the pool access. For me, running really made the weight come off the best. Definitely start with walking, then kinda work your way into running.

But yeah, that plus that diet plan you talked about and you should drop weight no problem. Might take a minute. Took me 2 months to start seeing real results, but stick with it!

Yeah, I would personally love to run, but I just have the worst joints and being so overweight doesn't help at all. So I'll definitely take your advice and work my way into it!

Thanks so much for your encouragement and best of luck to you!

How many calories are you consuming each day? What is your ratio of cals, fats, protein, fiber? When you exercise are you working hard or are you out for a leisure bike ride? If you can have a running conversation with a friend (be it biking or running, you aren't giving it your all). You should end your cardio workouts sweaty!! Drink water and plenty of it.

120 lbs is a lot to lose. It is going to take awhile. And it should if you want lasting weight loss. Take this 5 lbs at a time. Mini goals will keep you motivated and your mind in the journey.

Find some good MFP friends who will support you and that you can support in return. Sometimes it helps to have another person give you ideas or just say Yay!

Good luck.

Hi there. I try as hard as possible to not count my calories, even though I know it is important. The last time I calorie counted and kept a food log I got incredibly obsessed with making my daily intake as little as possible. There were days when I'd only eat 200 calories.

When I exercise I am working myself as hard as I can. If I'm not a sopping mess after, I don't feel like I've done quite enough!

Thanks!

sounds great and i'm glad you are on your way.

I personally don't love swimming - i have been trying to do 20-30 minutes once a week (for variety). i find it makes me very very tired and very hungry (even more so than my 65 minutes on the elliptical). but if you are enjoying it - then go for it. It's certainly supposed to be easier on the joints

Exercise - any exercise - is great but remember that it's the food you eat that really makes that difference so make sure to eat properly and log log log!

I love using the elliptical but my chubby butt broke mine haha. I stepped on it wrong and the whole right foot piece snapped off!!

Best of luck to you!