How much is too much ?

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So I used to be fit, I did triathlons and did 19 hours training per week, so my mind & body are capable I'm sure.
I'm 70lb ish overweight, a house/area move, job change and lifestyle change added 50lb in less than 2 years.
Now is the time to lose the weight
Intentions are low calories all good food,
Month 1 Mon-Fri
walk 7 miles per day (currently do 5+) at work
Cycle 2 x 30 mins per day (currently cycle 20 mins each way)
Swim 30 mins per day
Month 2
Walk 7 miles at work
cycle 2 x 45 mins per day
Swim 30 mins at lunch plus 2 masterclasses in the evenings.
Classes 1 x spinning class, 2 x body pump
Month 3
Introduce running back into the equation

So my question is
Being overweight are my exercise plans too much
Has anyone any suggestions to what else I should try and mix in for weight loss.

I would ideally like to aim at losing 50lb in say 10 weeks after that I will be back in training mode and my weight will sort itself out.


Replies

  • Cait_Sidhe
    Cait_Sidhe Posts: 3,150 Member
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    I'm going to go with, yes, it's too much. Losing 50 lb in 10 weeks first of all is a little unrealistic. Second of all, what are you going to do after you lose the weight to maintain it? Is this a schedule that you're going to stick to long term?
  • Skrib69
    Skrib69 Posts: 687 Member
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    It took 2 years to put the weight on. Losing 5lbs a week every week for 10 weeks will be pretty tough. With your current condition and that exercise schedule, you must be pretty convinced you can do it - I know I couldn't. So yes, I would say you are being too hard on yourself - ironically, 10 weeks away is Christmas time. Why must you lose it by Christmas??? Think longer term and how you will maintain it, and how you want to change your lifestyle for the better.
  • CopperB73
    CopperB73 Posts: 39 Member
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    Hi there!
    Maybe you just have to try it, and find out? If you end up too stiff to do the next day, or really tired, or find you've temporarily used up all your motivation you can always go a bit slower, & take the time it will take. Much better than getting so wedded to a particular training plan that you feel massively knocked back if it doesn't work out. Should that happen, simply revise the plan, and keep going.

    Bad idea to be completely deaf to what your body us saying, though you might of course choose to be a little hard of hearing:).

    Hope that helps!
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    edited October 2014
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    If your daily intake was 2000 calories daily and you ate absolutely nothing-zilch for the following 10 weeks, that would save you 140,000 calories which would be equivalent to losing 40lbs total not counting all the exercise calories you burned.

    Does that sound like something you could stick too?
  • BigGuy47
    BigGuy47 Posts: 1,768 Member
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    andysport1 wrote: »
    added 50lb in less than 2 years...

    ...aim at losing 50lb in say 10 weeks
    It took you 2 years to put it on and now it all has to go in 10 weeks?

    A reasonable goal is 1lb/week. In less than a year you'll hit your goal.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    andysport1 wrote: »
    So my question is
    Being overweight are my exercise plans too much
    Has anyone any suggestions to what else I should try and mix in for weight loss.

    The most important thing for weight loss isn't the exercise you do, it's the calorie deficit you create. I agree with everyone else who's saying that 5 pounds a week is unreasonably high. I lost 45 pounds in my first year. That was (and is) sustainable.

    Exercise can be an important part of sustaining a deficit. Your exercise plan sounds feasible but maybe a bit much. You're adding around 2 miles of walking a day, and 20 more minutes of cycling. That doesn't seem bad. But adding 30 minutes a day of swimming, too, might be too much. Of course it depends on how hard you're working out. You do have experience from your triathlon days, but a lot of amateur athletes train too hard. Even some pros do, too: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/19/sports/alan-webb-grinds-out-a-bumpy-transition-to-triathlon.html

    At the very least, build in at least one rest day each week. And I would add some strength training rather than more cardio all the time (and I say that as someone who really enjoys cycling and running). Strength training will help preserve muscle as you lose fat.

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  • andysport1
    andysport1 Posts: 592 Member
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    Thanks to all of you, oops the 5lb a week isn't really a fixed thing just kind of an aim the Christmas connection is irrelevant to me, my best mate and I sat talking about fat 2 weeks ago, last weekend he had a heart attack and is now waiting for an op, message to my fat reserves "no place here for you" = that's the reason why now is the time.
    My concerns are my current weight and the strain on my body undertaking additional training.
    Thanks for the comments all very sensible.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    Nobody is going to be able to tell you if it's too much...just start slow and listen to your body. See how you feel as you progress and make adjustments to your fitness regimen as necessary.

    Also, yeah...50 Lbs in a couple of months is not realistic in the least. It took me around 9 months to lose 40ish Lbs. Where your health is concerned, you also want to be paying attention to your nutrition, not just losing weight. Losing weight is a good start, but ultimately solid nutrition and a reasonable exercise regimen is going to benefit you most in RE to your blood work, etc.
  • TiberiusClaudis
    TiberiusClaudis Posts: 423 Member
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    I took off 60 lbs in 4 months. Primarily do to walking. Some days I lost 2lbs a day. Diet is key of course. I think if you actually DID what you planned, I think you'd see some outstanding results...Big If. I'm pulling for you, so let us know how you do.
  • andysport1
    andysport1 Posts: 592 Member
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    Ive dug the Garmin out so I can track everything, 5 miles walking today so just another 2 to go, I'll go out for my walk the minute I consider picking (a double win)

    Thanks for the words and thanks Tiberiusclaudis for the encouragement/challenge.