Question about what to do after I reach goal

TrueTrue · 04-23-2008, 02:18 PM

OK, so I am getting pretty close to goal, thanks in part to a rather intense workout regimen. I do resistance training 3-4x a week and a cardio workout 5x a week. I am anticipating hitting my goal weight in maybe two months (I'm okay with losing nice and slow from here on in).

My question is: what about after I reach goal - am I going to have to continue working out at this feverish level to maintain my weight? Or can I back down to 3x a week for cardio and 3x a week for resistance? Right now I'm exercising like a nutball because I really want this weight off me. But I don't want my body to think that I'm ALWAYS going to work out this frequently... there's just no way I can sustain this amount of activity over the long run.

Godiva · 04-23-2008, 05:56 PM

All our bodies are different, so you're going to have to be patient and take the "wait and see" approach. I like to exercise, so I do it 5-6 days/week, but there are times when I'm doing a rotation that requires only 3 days/week and that works for me, too. And sometimes I go out of town for a week and do nothing but walk and that's ok, my body doesn't rebel and gain a ton of weight because I changed my habit. If you can do some form of exercise each day, do it. If not, then do what you can, and see how your body reacts. I think as long as you're doing some exercise and your diet is still clean, then you should be fine.

HTH!

mjais · 04-24-2008, 10:16 AM

Everyone is different, but no, I don't think you'll have to workout like crazy to maintain your weightloss results.

You will need to do enough strength training to keep your lean muscle mass (which makes your body burn more calories overall and boosts your metabolism) and maintain your tone and definition.

Try to gradually decrease the amount of exercise to something more sustainable. I don't have all the answers for you but I do recommend strength training approx. 3x per week(give or take). And don't forget to give your muscles a much needed rest with a day off.

Congrats on your progress!

Mary_M · 04-24-2008, 07:30 PM

I think cutting back to 3x/wk for cardio and maybe 2x/wk for resistance training is a good plan for maintenance. However, don't be surprised if after cutting back you decide to increase it a bit--chances are you'll miss the activity!

JuliaL · 04-25-2008, 03:43 PM

What you eat is going to have WAY more to do with how well you maintain than how much you exercise. I agree with other posters above that you'll need to try it and see what happens.

Personally I like to exercise 5-6 days a week. I miss it when I don't do it.

04-23-2008, 02:18 PM	#1
TrueTrue MAJOR LCF POSTER! Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Michigan Posts: 2,977 Gallery: TrueTrue Stats: 196/164/155 WOE: Clean eating!	Question about what to do after I reach goal OK, so I am getting pretty close to goal, thanks in part to a rather intense workout regimen. I do resistance training 3-4x a week and a cardio workout 5x a week. I am anticipating hitting my goal weight in maybe two months (I'm okay with losing nice and slow from here on in). My question is: what about after I reach goal - am I going to have to continue working out at this feverish level to maintain my weight? Or can I back down to 3x a week for cardio and 3x a week for resistance? Right now I'm exercising like a nutball because I really want this weight off me. But I don't want my body to think that I'm ALWAYS going to work out this frequently... there's just no way I can sustain this amount of activity over the long run. __________________ 9 pounds left till I can call GOAL

04-24-2008, 10:16 AM	#3
mjais Senior LCF Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: California Posts: 481 Gallery: mjais Stats: 119 lbs (5'5") WOE: Intuitive Eating/Fitness Start Date: Since 2004	Everyone is different, but no, I don't think you'll have to workout like crazy to maintain your weightloss results. You will need to do enough strength training to keep your lean muscle mass (which makes your body burn more calories overall and boosts your metabolism) and maintain your tone and definition. Try to gradually decrease the amount of exercise to something more sustainable. I don't have all the answers for you but I do recommend strength training approx. 3x per week(give or take). And don't forget to give your muscles a much needed rest with a day off. Congrats on your progress! __________________ ~ MJ ~ Last edited by mjais : 04-24-2008 at 10:22 AM.

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04-23-2008, 05:56 PM	#2
Godiva MAJOR LCF POSTER! Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 2,986 Gallery: Godiva	All our bodies are different, so you're going to have to be patient and take the "wait and see" approach. I like to exercise, so I do it 5-6 days/week, but there are times when I'm doing a rotation that requires only 3 days/week and that works for me, too. And sometimes I go out of town for a week and do nothing but walk and that's ok, my body doesn't rebel and gain a ton of weight because I changed my habit. If you can do some form of exercise each day, do it. If not, then do what you can, and see how your body reacts. I think as long as you're doing some exercise and your diet is still clean, then you should be fine. HTH!

04-24-2008, 07:30 PM	#4
Mary_M Senior LCF Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 137 Blog Entries: 2 Gallery: Mary_M Stats: size 14-16/in between lol/size 8 WOE: StellaStyle/SSing Start Date: 1997; restarted 1/1/08	I think cutting back to 3x/wk for cardio and maybe 2x/wk for resistance training is a good plan for maintenance. However, don't be surprised if after cutting back you decide to increase it a bit--chances are you'll miss the activity!

04-25-2008, 03:43 PM	#5
JuliaL Way too much time on my hands! Join Date: May 2003 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 16,784 Gallery: JuliaL Stats: 190/142/140 16/8/6, height 5'7", age 48 WOE: Atkins/BFFM Start Date: 4/22/03	What you eat is going to have WAY more to do with how well you maintain than how much you exercise. I agree with other posters above that you'll need to try it and see what happens. Personally I like to exercise 5-6 days a week. I miss it when I don't do it.