How much working out is TOO MUCH?

mrsjennifermaffei
mrsjennifermaffei Posts: 469
edited October 3 in Fitness and Exercise
I set a very high goal of being 160lbs by New Years Day and that means losing 10lbs for the this month, November, and December. I am doing Jillian Michaels' 30DS, I'm on day 3, and I'm eating as close to my 1200 calories as possible. I also want to start walking 2miles MINIMUM a day.

I am DEAD serious about trying to reach my goal but don't want to have it backfire, am I good to go as long as I eat my calories....or??

Replies

  • DannyMussels
    DannyMussels Posts: 1,842 Member
    10lbs is reasonable to do safely and properly, as long as you stick with it and don't have 'cheat days' or meals frequently. You should see at least a 5lb per month loss if you're remotely consistant with your training, even upwards of 10-15.

    Quite reasonable I'd say.
  • ejohndrow
    ejohndrow Posts: 1,399 Member
    On average I work out about 2hrs a day (cardio 45 mins/weight training for the rest of the time), and I walk at least 3 miles or more, it just depends of the person I guess, between this and healthy eating I lost 8-10lbs in September and I have no fear of it letting up since I like eating healthy and don't plan on quitting.
  • kcmartian
    kcmartian Posts: 18
    I try to think of weight loss as a lifestyle change rather than a diet and/or something temporary, so unless you think you can keep up this eating AND workout routine in the long run, it may not be the best idea. You'll probably reach your goal of 160 by 1/1, but it might be good to think about AFTER that too. If you start eating more or exercising less or a combination of both, then you may gain some or all of it back (depending on how far you "slip").

    The exercising doesn't sound too bad, but I'm more skeptical about the 1200 calories a day. That's VERY little calories. I can't imagine eating that forever, but if you can do it, then you should give it a go.
  • ejohndrow
    ejohndrow Posts: 1,399 Member
    I watched a documentary on anorexics, one lady walked 20 miles a day on only the calories she consumed from coffee-this would be considered too much.
  • blackgirlfit
    blackgirlfit Posts: 120 Member
    ^^ like she said you need to think about the after math. You will achieve the weight loss for new years but what about for the months after? If you have no plan the weight will come back in. Sad but its true
  • cocolo89
    cocolo89 Posts: 1,169 Member
    10lbs is pretty reasonable, BUT if your planning on working out so much, then you might want to eat extra to make sure your body gets everything it needs and doesn't go into starvation mode. Sometimes if you over-work yourself with out eating good, you will not see great weightloss (or you might see weightloss, but will gain it back fast!) so, you can workout as much as you feel is ok, but make sure you eat enough. :)) 1500cal is more reasonable if your planning on burning 1000cal a day :)) play with your food numbers and see which works best for you :))
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    Try it and see how you go... bear in mind that your body and your mind needs rest from time to time.
    If you need a day off, take it - there is absolutely nothing to be gained by working out so much that you injure yourself and can't work out at all.

    I agree that 1200 is very low if you are exercising, your body is probably going to respond better if you give it good fuel to work with.
    I think its better to use this time to build strong healthy habits around eating and exercise and if you aren't quite at your goal by that particular date... well the world isn't going to stop spinning, you will be very close to your goal and you will know exactly what you need to do to get there.

    Personally I think setting time based goals is a double edged sword - a good thing if it gets you motivated and keeps you on track but a bad thing if it makes you start eating or exercising unwisely and in a way that isn't sustainable.

    But hey, give it a go, look after yourself and reward yourself for the small victories along the way!
  • manjingirl
    manjingirl Posts: 188 Member
    30 lbs loss in 13 weeks, that's 2.5 lb each week, every week. That's a 8700+ calorie deficit each week, 1200 calorie deficit each and every day. And you're going into autumn/fall and into the festive season.

    Recipe for failure, sorry.

    A healthy sustainable aim would be 13lbs in 13 weeks. It will take some dedication and determination, but you're young and obviously motivated so go for it.
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