Losing weight with a busy schedule?

futureshopaholic

Hello!
I recently got a new job as a baker full-time and I'm going to school part-time. So I'll be out the door at 7am and be home at 10pm Mon-fri. The only way I can fit excerising in is on the weekends. I'm wondering if anybody has had any success or tips with this busy lifestyle? My meals are fairly healthy. I'm a vegetarian so I eat a lot of chilli, lentil soup and spaghetti. (Think slow cooker recipes! Slow cooker is my best friend right now ) Since I'm gone for 15 hours, all my meals are homemade in advance. I'm worried that I won't excerise enough to lose weight

YF92

Wake up at 4, finish your workout then go to work. Youll have to do some preparations for your meals though. Its tough but it can be done.

You said youre back home at 10? That does include study time right?

futureshopaholic

Oh...no that doesn't include studying. X.x maybe an hour everyday so add an extra hour now. -Sigh- so busy.

sportmir

Hi, try to go for a run while your oven heats your dinner. Prepare your meals in advance and heat them slowly in the oven. This give you about an hour to go excercise. Good luck with losing weight.

YF92

Oh...no that doesn't include studying. X.x maybe an hour everyday so add an extra hour now. -Sigh- so busy.

What are your break times? Also what are you studying?

TavistockToad

you only need a calorie deficit to lose weight.

IHateThinkingOfAUsername

I am so not a morning person, and I need my sleep so for me the idea of getting home at 10, and getting up at 4 would just never happen.

The good news is you don't *have to* exercise to lose weight. That's done through diet (as in food intake). Eat in a true calorie deficit and you will lose weight. Make sure you log all your food accurately to make sure your in that deficit.
The benefit of exercise is for fitness and (for me) to eat a little bit more whilst still in that deficit.

My MFP net calorie allowance is currently 1200 (it'll go back up once I return to school). But by exercising I can eat around 200-300 calories more each day and still have the 500calorie deficit require to lose 1lb a week.

As a baker I imagine you'll be on your feet all day, so that'll put you as lightly active. If you wanted to get some exercise in, could you get say 30mins of running in during your lunch break?

futureshopaholic

Oh...no that doesn't include studying. X.x maybe an hour everyday so add an extra hour now. -Sigh- so busy.

What are your break times? Also what are you studying?

My day usually goes like this. Wake up at 7, eat breakfast, head out the door then class is 8:30am to 11:30, take two busses( lunch time) across town to make it to 1-9:30pm job and get home at 10ish

futureshopaholic

I am so not a morning person, and I need my sleep so for me the idea of getting home at 10, and getting up at 4 would just never happen.

The good news is you don't *have to* exercise to lose weight. That's done through diet (as in food intake). Eat in a true calorie deficit and you will lose weight. Make sure you log all your food accurately to make sure your in that deficit.
The benefit of exercise is for fitness and (for me) to eat a little bit more whilst still in that deficit.

My MFP net calorie allowance is currently 1200 (it'll go back up once I return to school). But by exercising I can eat around 200-300 calories more each day and still have the 500calorie deficit require to lose 1lb a week.

As a baker I imagine you'll be on your feet all day, so that'll put you as lightly active. If you wanted to get some exercise in, could you get say 30mins of running in during your lunch break?

Haha I'm glad I'm not the only one! When I heard 4am I did an audible ICK. Thanks for all the info. Really good to know

IHateThinkingOfAUsername

Oh...no that doesn't include studying. X.x maybe an hour everyday so add an extra hour now. -Sigh- so busy.

What are your break times? Also what are you studying?

My day usually goes like this. Wake up at 7, eat breakfast, head out the door then class is 8:30am to 11:30, take two busses( lunch time) across town to make it to 1-9:30pm job and get home at 10ish

Could you maybe catch the bus a few stops further down the line, and walk/run to catch it? Then as you get fitter and slimmer the distance you walk/run could increase while the distance on the bus gets less?

futureshopaholic

Oh...no that doesn't include studying. X.x maybe an hour everyday so add an extra hour now. -Sigh- so busy.

What are your break times? Also what are you studying?

My day usually goes like this. Wake up at 7, eat breakfast, head out the door then class is 8:30am to 11:30, take two busses( lunch time) across town to make it to 1-9:30pm job and get home at 10ish

Could you maybe catch the bus a few stops further down the line, and walk/run to catch it? Then as you get fitter and slimmer the distance you walk/run could increase while the distance on the bus gets less?

That could definitely work! Thanks for the idea

sportmir

I don't know the distance of crossing your town but maybe you can skip a busride and walk a bit?

Shropshire1959

Hi, try to go for a run while your oven heats your dinner. Prepare your meals in advance and heat them slowly in the oven. This give you about an hour to go excercise. Good luck with losing weight.

She already does that .. she uses a slow cooker.


Remember Diet has much more impact on weight than exercise, so try not to worry too much about exercising every day .. at the moment for you, with your hectic schedule, weekends only is probably fine ..... BUT maybe just try to walk more or use the stairs.

PixieMidoriKitten

50 squats each night whilst your brush your teeth. If you have the co-ordination to do it in the morning too then go for it. (I don't, too sleepy!)

The bus stop idea is also one that I use, though I walk briskly to the next one along the line as I attend work in a full suit and none wants to run in that unless it's the last 100m to actually catch the damned bus!

Try to resist the temptation at your new job too, baking is beautiful to eat but so full of carbs and fat that you need to keep it as a treat (ok, I do and would if I were you, you can do what you like, I'm just offering an opinion)

Good luck with school, and the new job

YF92

You can lose weight through proper nutrition only yeah but you'd miss out on the exercise benefits.
Um do you weight train or only do cardio?

If cardio then thats manageable, just get up at 6 instead of 7.
If weight training then get up at 5

Try it once or twice before you dismiss the idea. The reason why I'm advocating early morning waking up is not just for dieting but because your mood will be 3x times better. You'll see

angelabethb

I have a similar schedule to you. I have to get up at 5:45am to get to work (my commute is at least an hour). And then I don't get home until 7pm, which is when I want to eat dinner. My gym closes at 8pm and it's also dark at that time too. So what I'm trying now is some short yoga sessions before bed. It makes me feel so relaxed and I feel like I'm working my muscles. I worry that if I don't work my muscles at all, I'll just lose muscle weight and not fat. So 30 minutes of yoga is definitely doable for me. And maybe do some cardio and strength training on Saturday and Sunday. I hope this helps!

joshpass

ya I'm in the same boat. To just keep the weight off, all you need is a calorie deficit. That's it. Obviously exercise has tremendous benefits though. I wake up at 5am every day to exercise. It sucks but I'm glad I do it. I am not a morning person but I tried doing it at night like right before bed and I just couldn't.