A month off rigorous exercise. Whats the damage?

Lahneen
Lahneen Posts: 9
in Health and Weight Loss
So far I have lost 33 pounds in all....I am currently 219 pounds started in May at 252 pounds my goal weigh is 160pounds and I am 5 ft 10... I haven’t been able to go to the gym in about 3 weeks. In the first two weeks I lost 4 pounds by walking and keeping calories down. Now, the thing is for the next month, I am going to be very very busy with my dissertation:sad: :sad: :sad: ...I may not be able to be as careful as I have been. Not that I am going on a chocolate feast or anything, but I would have a very irregular schedule and eat at odd times and forget to eat sometimes, the point is once I have submitted, I am gonna be back in the groove of things. My question is this guys, how much damage would this month break do to achieving my goals? Would definitely be eating less than my TDEE so I might still lose some weight but just not at the same pace I have been on for about 3 1/2 months now…
Would the hiatus prolong my reaching my goal anymore than the month time lapse? To be clear, when I get back to my routine of working out heavily 7 days a week, would it be harder to lose weight?:huh: :huh:
Thanks guys!

Replies

  • conniemaxwell5
    conniemaxwell5 Posts: 943 Member
    Do your best to stay around TDEE - 20% during this time. If you're exercising less you may want to recalculate TDEE since it's based on your activity level. You should be able to start right back up when you finish your dissertation. Good luck!
  • mmouse90
    mmouse90 Posts: 83
    Just remember while doing your dissertation to take breaks and walk around even if it is just for 10 mins. Also I would make sure I had just healthy stuff around that way you do not have to worry too much about eating the wrong thing when you do eat and you will have healthy snacks within reach for when you need a snack. That should help minimize any "damage"
  • Bretto
    Bretto Posts: 196 Member
    Could you afford to take 10-15 min a day for yourself? You could do a quick HIIT (High intensity Interval Training) workout.

    For example you could do the following - 5 pushups, 10 sit ups, 15 squats. - Repeat this for 10-15 min and see how many time you can get through it. It is a great burn. You could run stairs for 5 min followed by squats and push ups.

    By taking just a few min for yourself each day will probaly help you feel better and you may end up being more productive with your dissertation.

    It would make you a lot less likely to get injured when you do return full boar.

    Good Luck
  • wesleycneill
    wesleycneill Posts: 64 Member
    Almost none if you eat clean and stay marginally active (walking in the park, bike riding, etc.).

    Expect some muscle atrophy after about two weeks. I think that's the max I would take off, but that's based on my fitness goal of maintaining maximum muscle during fat loss.
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,779 Member
    I'm getting back to business after a 6 week hiatus from workouts, which were primarily daily walking (3-6miles) and strength training 3x/week.

    I did gain about 2-3 pounds during the first couple of weeks, but 2 weeks ago, started watching my food intake a bit more, and after a good walking workout last night, this morning I weighed in at 204.6. My previous low was 205.2 on June 16.

    Unless you have gone back to eating at a TDEE surplus, you won't gain any significant weight, nothing that can't be lost once you get back into your routine.

    To answer your question "how much damage would this month break do to achieving my goals?", in my experience, the answer is "not very much" and I don't believe it will be harder to lose weight. To be honest (no science to back me up), I think that once you get back to your routine, your body will quickly adapt to the resumed exercise and will start dropping weight quickly.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    You can control your weight 100% with calorie intake. Your fitness level will decrease though with a month off...and you're likely to experience some muscle atrophy.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    #1) The whole process is ultimately controlled by your diet. If you keep that in control, damage will be minimal to nonexistent. Just some lapse in CV endurance and strength gains.

    #2) Keep yourself in "fitness mode" even when you're busy by squeezing something in most days. You don't need to dedicate much time, just take 15 minutes to walk, run, take a bike ride, or jump rope. You can always find 15 minutes, especially since that time is extremely effective at making most people more productive during the rest of the day.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    I've been off my game for the last 7 months due to family illnesses. Haven't gained a pound (I'm in maintenance) because I watched what I ate and although my cardio level seems to have tanked within a week of getting back at it I'm able to run 5K again even though my time sucks. You don't have to completely blow your diet or fitness just because you need to take some time off your routine. At least 80% of your weight loss will just be your diet.
  • TribeHokie
    TribeHokie Posts: 711 Member
    Is it a major problem if your weight loss slows down for a couple months? As long as you're still doing good things for yourself and dropping a couple lbs is it really that bad that you're not losing 10 per month?

    You can probably expect to get a bit more weight loss than you expect in the month off due to your muscles not being used, and then when you start up again may seem to plateau as they are strengthening back up again. Don't get discouraged.
  • Lahneen
    Lahneen Posts: 9
    Thank you everyone for all the suggestions. And I am pleased to know that I am not gonna have to take several steps backwards. The suggestion to incorporate some exercise is actually what I have been doing. Most 60mins - 90 minute walks to just have a break. but I think I am gonna incorporate a HIIT ssession as well....Running up the stairs is a good idea as I read on the 6th floor in the library....Thanks a lot guys....Cant wait to feed y'all back to see if I actually lose some more of the danglies...:bigsmile:

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