Feedback on my plan please?

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kayleighctrl
kayleighctrl Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone! I only recently started actively planning a weight loss routine, and I'd like to know what other people think about it.

I am 21, 5'5 and around 150 pounds (I need to get a more accurate measurement as I don't have scales!) and I would like to get down to 120. My problem areas are my stomach and upper arms (to a lesser degree, my thighs too). I don't want to be super fit or super skinny, I just want to get rid of all the fat.

At the moment, I'm on 1200 calories a day (using MyFitnessPal's app of course) - my diet isn't amazing, very carb-y, but I eat fish and chicken for protein, and I drink plenty of milk and fruit juice. I can't afford a more healthy diet as I'm a very skint uni student, so there's not much I can do in regards to that. Currently, I tend to have around 400-600 calories left at the end of the day, but I'm trying to sort that out; I hardly ever have three meals a day because of my body clock and timetable.

I can't jog or run because I have damaged knees and too much pressure on them will make it worse and put me in a lot of pain, so I'm going swimming five days a week, starting Monday. I plan to spend AT LEAST an hour in the pool each time. I also powerwalk everywhere (I don't have a car, which kind of benefits me at the moment!).

I've cut out caffeine and fizzy drinks too (I was drinking almost 2 litres of Dr Pepper a day before - eeek) and drinking a hell of a lot more water, so I'm hoping this will contribute majorly to my weight loss. What do you all think of my plan? Is there anything you can recommend to help me further? And finally, do you think I will start to see a physical difference fairly quickly?

Thanks for reading!
~ Kayleigh

Replies

  • FloridaMichael
    FloridaMichael Posts: 17
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    id cut out the milk and the fruit juices and get your fruits from actual fruits. Substitute ur milk you use for cereal for greek yogurt and lift some weights to burn calories. Also make sure to eat your full 1200 calories a day + your excersize calories. I noticed the moment i started eating more and complete to my diet needs, the moment the pounds started to shred off. good luck
  • wheird
    wheird Posts: 7,963 Member
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    id cut out the milk and the fruit juices and get your fruits from actual fruits. Substitute ur milk you use for cereal for greek yogurt and lift some weights to burn calories. Also make sure to eat your full 1200 calories a day + your excersize calories. I noticed the moment i started eating more and complete to my diet needs, the moment the pounds started to shred off. good luck

    I disagree with this first part. Milk is perfectly fine in your diet, provided you don't have a sensitivity to lactose, and has a pretty darn good macronutrient breakdown. While actual fruit would be better, she is a Uni student and I'm sure the juice fits her lifestyle a lot better, so that is a non-issue.

    I do however, agree with eating back exercise calories.


    OP: If you have access to the gym on campus, you could also do some cardio on the stationary bike. It is a non-impact exercise so it shouldn't strain your knee much or even at all. I would also recommend upping your protein whenever possible to .8-1g of protein per pound of lean body mass (I'd guesstimate between 100-120g per day).
  • YouHadMyCuriosity
    YouHadMyCuriosity Posts: 218 Member
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    My stats are roughly similar to yours- same height, only a little older, and a starting weight of 142, goal of 125 (up to 130 when I eventually gain some lean muscle). As PP said, make sure you are eating your calories plus exercise. For having similar stats as you, I set my TDEE at "lightly active" as I walk 12,000 steps a day and do a kettlebell work out three times a week. I aim to subtract about 10-20% off my TDEE daily, which averages out to around 1750 cals. I have lost 8.2lbs in the last 3.5 weeks eating that much, and my body is firming up a lot more than it has in the past when I ate too little calories and protein to preserve some of my lean muscle mass.

    Also, I'm guessing that when you say you don't want to be "too fit", you mean too visibly muscular. Don't avoid lifting weighs for fear of becoming too muscular- it is extraordinarily difficult for a woman to gain a large amount of muscle without using supplements or an extreme weightlifting plan. If you are eating at a deficit (like you are), adding strength training into your program will still result in losing both muscle and fat, but will preserve more lean muscle than if you just do cardio. If you want to change the look of your "problem areas", then it is crucial to preserve lean body mass while losing fat. Otherwise, you will just be a smaller version of the same shape when you lose weight. There is no such thing as spot reduction. That said, swimming and power walking are great ways to boost your calorie burn and increase cardio- just consider maybe swapping out a couple sessions for strength training.

    Oh, and on diet, I second swapping the fruit juice for actual fruits- that way you get the added health benefits of fiber. Also, many fruits contain the majority of their beneficial nutrients in the peel, which is usually not used in juice.

    Good luck!
  • YouHadMyCuriosity
    YouHadMyCuriosity Posts: 218 Member
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    Oh! Also on the topic of not being able to jog or run- one low impact exercise that I absolutely LOVE is rollerblading! When I can fit it in, it is a great way to get some exercise in without it *feeling* like exercise. If you have any interest in trying it though, I would ask your doctor if that is low impact enough for your knees, since I am not a doctor and don't know the severity of the damage.
  • j6o4
    j6o4 Posts: 871 Member
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    Losing weight will not get rid of the fat on your arms and stomach. You have to reduce your bodyfat percentage by maintining your muscles while losing weight so that everything you are losing is mostly fat. Getting enough protein + strength training + fair deficit + patience should get the job done.
  • mcesira
    mcesira Posts: 36 Member
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    Looks like you have received some good advice pertaining to weight training, eating back calories, and avoiding the fruit juice. Super job on decreasing the soda! And the swimming sounds like a great exercise for you. I truly recommend power yoga as an exercise to strengthen your upper arms. It has toned my body tremendously. I just started it in March. Amazing! Best wishes to you.
  • mcesira
    mcesira Posts: 36 Member
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    Oh I forgot to say usually if you make all the necessary changes you can for sure see a difference in 4 weeks. Yet everyone is different. You are young, it may happen sooner!

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