My new fitness plan - what do you think?

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AlexandraWilliams19
AlexandraWilliams19 Posts: 16 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi All,

After joining the gym early December I am now taking advantage of the classes that they are providing. My plan is to do a mix of BodyPump, Spinning and Yoga to help myself lose weight & hopefully tone up at the same time.

My diet will be ranging from 1200 cals to 1380 (depending on results & my need to keep myself fuelled!)

I will hopefully be attending 5 classes a week & am hoping to lose 2 lbs a week.

Am I being realistic & is this a good attitude and approach to my goal?

Thanks, :) x


Replies

  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
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    Whether or not you are being realistic is going to depend on your stats and how much you have to lose.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    What are your age/height/weight/goal weight? It's hard to tell if this is a good approach.
  • miketoryan
    miketoryan Posts: 41 Member
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    Depending on how rigorous the classes are you may want to increase or decrease the number. I took a bikram yoga class I couldn't do more than 2 times a week. But some are more peaceful and relaxing than strenuous. Also spin classes tend to be hard.

    My point is, a training regimen is easier to maintain if you don't burn yourself out. Check out a few classes and then set your plan.
  • snaapz
    snaapz Posts: 41 Member
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    If you are doing intense spin classes you may want more calories on that day.

    I consume about 1400 cals per day, I do 20 min jogs 3 times a week and I lose the weight but after a month and a half I was running 5 times a week and I hit a 2-3 week wall where I wasn't losing weight, I upped intake to 1500-1600 cals and started losing weight again.

    Also the key for myself is to consume only about 120g of carbs per day and get the rest of my cals from fat and protein.

    Good luck!
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    alexroxs wrote: »
    Hi All,

    After joining the gym early December I am now taking advantage of the classes that they are providing. My plan is to do a mix of BodyPump, Spinning and Yoga to help myself lose weight & hopefully tone up at the same time.

    My diet will be ranging from 1200 cals to 1380 (depending on results & my need to keep myself fuelled!)

    I will hopefully be attending 5 classes a week & am hoping to lose 2 lbs a week.

    Am I being realistic & is this a good attitude and approach to my goal?

    Thanks, :) x


    "Tone" is a buzzword that basically means dropping enough fat to show your muscles - so that's from the kitchen

    I assume body pump and spin are both cardio ..yoga is flexibility and stretching and some core dependent on how you engage ..I'd put in 2-3 sessions of heavy lifting a week to see good results
  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
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    It's really hard to say if this is a good plan without knowing your height, weight and goals. I'm 5'4, 136 and sedentary for most of the day. I workout about 4 times a week. My base calorie goal is 1420, on days when I work out it's 1700. I also splurge a lot so, really, by the time those calories are counted I'm eating at maintenance.

    My concern with your program is that it's a lot of exercise for so few calories. It's also a pretty rigorous plan - if that much exercise isn't already a part of your routine, you may be taking on too much which will lead to burnout.
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
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    Hmmm...I'd need a bit more than that, and I'm quite short (5'1") and not young (47). OTOH, I'm very heavy (200 lbs.)

    It really depends upon your stats, but at my height, weight and age, I'd be looking more at 1400-1500. Right now, with just light activity (say, a walk, or Pilates), I eat about 1400 on any given day and am losing 1.5-2 lbs./week.
  • Marz009
    Marz009 Posts: 26
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    the best fitness plan is the one that you stick too ;) you have the right idea tho. im also concerned you may be consuming very few calories for the work outs you want to do. always remember quality of work out over duration as well. someone that runs a mile in 6 min will burn more calories than someone that dose it in 20 min. like mike says those spinning classes are hard. but if you can work into the slowly to the point that you can do 3-5 classes per week you be fine. i have a friend that lost 115 Ibs by dieting and spinning classes.

    stick to the routine and adjust your calorie intake if you see your getting tired or cant finish as the weeks go by.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
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    alexroxs wrote: »
    Hi All,

    After joining the gym early December I am now taking advantage of the classes that they are providing. My plan is to do a mix of BodyPump, Spinning and Yoga to help myself lose weight & hopefully tone up at the same time.

    My diet will be ranging from 1200 cals to 1380 (depending on results & my need to keep myself fuelled!)

    I will hopefully be attending 5 classes a week & am hoping to lose 2 lbs a week.

    Am I being realistic & is this a good attitude and approach to my goal?

    Thanks, :) x


    This doesn't sound like a bad plan to me, as long as the calories listed are net calories and not total (meaning you eat more on heavy exercise days). I think you will be overly hungry and your workouts will suffer if eat only 1200-1380. BodyPump and Spinning burn a lot of calories.
  • AlexandraWilliams19
    AlexandraWilliams19 Posts: 16 Member
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    Hi guys, sorry for the lack of stats!
    I'm 22, & weigh 201lbs & am 5ft 8

    I have a goal of dropping 15 - 20 lbs by the middle of march (I have my wedding dress fitting then). & then hopefully continue at a steady 1-2lbs a week from then on. Ideally i would love to get down to about 145lbs to be able to be classed as 'healthy'

    Am I meant to be eating back my exercise calories? Or do people eat a percentage back to help aid the weight loss?

    Thanks again!! Tips are greatly received :) x
  • AlexandraWilliams19
    AlexandraWilliams19 Posts: 16 Member
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    .... I also have a desk job & so not alot of activity through out the working day
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
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    alexroxs wrote: »
    Hi guys, sorry for the lack of stats!
    I'm 22, & weigh 201lbs & am 5ft 8

    I have a goal of dropping 15 - 20 lbs by the middle of march (I have my wedding dress fitting then). & then hopefully continue at a steady 1-2lbs a week from then on. Ideally i would love to get down to about 145lbs to be able to be classed as 'healthy'

    Am I meant to be eating back my exercise calories? Or do people eat a percentage back to help aid the weight loss?

    Thanks again!! Tips are greatly received :) x

    MFP intends for you to eat back your exercise calories, but many people choose to only eat a percentage of them because they feel MFP overestimates calories burned. If you don't have a heart rate monitor or FitBit type gadget to tell you (approximately) what you burn, eating only a percentage doesn't seem like a bad idea. If you are overly hungry, then up the percent a bit.
  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
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    alexroxs wrote: »
    .... I also have a desk job & so not alot of activity through out the working day

    Me too. So I set mine to sedentary.

    I eat back a 50-75% of my exercise calories, but I also use an HRM to get a more accurate read. I weigh my food too.
  • Deena_Bean
    Deena_Bean Posts: 906 Member
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    1200 calories is hard to maintain and generally not advised. I started there (we probably all did that at some point), but a little research and guidance from some experienced people pointed me in a more healthy direction. You should consider calculating your TDEE/BMR and subtracting a reasonable percentage from that to come up with an appropriate, safe, functional daily intake. JMHO. Also, don't overdo it with the workouts or you'll burn out on it...you need to find a sustainable plan for it to work.
  • Territravel
    Territravel Posts: 165 Member
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    Sounds like a good plan. You can always adjust the calories if you need too. Watch your carbs, try to eat a lot of protein, and give it at least two weeks. If that doesn't work, you could try upping your calories on spin day. That's a tough class if your just beginning to work out, Good luck!
  • wilsoncl6
    wilsoncl6 Posts: 1,280 Member
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    I don't think your plan is too bad but you should make sure to eat some of your calories back on your workout days or adjust your caloric intake based on how much energy you feel you have throughout the day. You could get burned out on the classes if you're just taking them to get the caloric burn. Find something that you enjoy and do that and you'll never burn out because it'll be fun, not work and you'll be more likely to stick to it over the long haul no matter how hard it is.
  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
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    wilsoncl6 wrote: »
    I don't think your plan is too bad but you should make sure to eat some of your calories back on your workout days or adjust your caloric intake based on how much energy you feel you have throughout the day. You could get burned out on the classes if you're just taking them to get the caloric burn. Find something that you enjoy and do that and you'll never burn out because it'll be fun, not work and you'll be more likely to stick to it over the long haul no matter how hard it is.

    This is good advice.

    When I read your OP, my immediate reaction was too much, too soon. We have a tendency to set a lot of goals when we are excited for something. Don't get me wrong, goals are great. BUT, if you decide you don't like one class be prepared to change it up. If you need an extra rest day, allow yourself the flexibility. If you are struggling on such a low calorie diet, pay attention to that. I'd hate to see you set a really high bar and burnout before you even get started.
  • JoshD8705
    JoshD8705 Posts: 390 Member
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    Sounds like you're gonna try to start way too aggressively. Body pump will make you very sore at first. I was confidently lifting for 6 months when I tried body pump, and it still kicked my butt lol. Just accept sore doesn't mean injured, and it gets better. Especially if you go back the day after, the 2nd day in a row will actually help you be less sore. 2 weeks of consistently going will get you addicted to going :).
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
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    PRMinx wrote: »
    wilsoncl6 wrote: »
    I don't think your plan is too bad but you should make sure to eat some of your calories back on your workout days or adjust your caloric intake based on how much energy you feel you have throughout the day. You could get burned out on the classes if you're just taking them to get the caloric burn. Find something that you enjoy and do that and you'll never burn out because it'll be fun, not work and you'll be more likely to stick to it over the long haul no matter how hard it is.

    This is good advice.

    When I read your OP, my immediate reaction was too much, too soon. We have a tendency to set a lot of goals when we are excited for something. Don't get me wrong, goals are great. BUT, if you decide you don't like one class be prepared to change it up. If you need an extra rest day, allow yourself the flexibility. If you are struggling on such a low calorie diet, pay attention to that. I'd hate to see you set a really high bar and burnout before you even get started.

    I had a similar thought when I first read the OP, but after I saw her reply that she planned to switch to a slower rate after her dress fitting, her plan doesn't seem overly aggressive.
  • AlexandraWilliams19
    AlexandraWilliams19 Posts: 16 Member
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    Thanks for all the feedback :)

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