Weight Loss Thread

[FredaR]

And we will be waiting with open arms:extrahappy: :grouphug: :hug3: !!!

Thanks Lexee!

Freda

 

[Em_in_FL]

I’m not really seeking to loose weight… but just wanted to share my ideas (and prayers) with you all!

My biggest piece of advice is to EXERCISE.
I personally think exercise makes a much bigger difference in losing weight than focusing too much on what you eat.
When you exercise your body naturally starts to crave healthier foods.
For example… if you go to the gym one day after having a really nasty fattening meal, you’re going to feel horrible (gasy, bloated, unable to finish the workout)… but if you eat a healthy meal you’ll notice your workouts are so much easier and you’ll have more energy for the workout. Eventually you’ll naturally figure that out and start eating healthier as a secondary effect.
Exercise should be FIRST though.

Speaking of… I’m headed off to the gym right now! I try to go twice a week during my lunch breaks from work. I found a great gym that’s only $10 a month with no contract, so you don’t have to spend a ton of money to get into shape.

If you focus on food… then that’s what your mind will be thinking about all the time… FOOD.

FOCUS on EXERCISE and the healthier food will come naturally!

 

[Belle10]

I’m not really seeking to loose weight… but just wanted to share my ideas (and prayers) with you all!

My biggest piece of advice is to EXERCISE.
I personally think exercise makes a much bigger difference in losing weight than focusing too much on what you eat.
When you exercise your body naturally starts to crave healthier foods.
For example… if you go to the gym one day after having a really nasty fattening meal, you’re going to feel horrible (gasy, bloated, unable to finish the workout)… but if you eat a healthy meal you’ll notice your workouts are so much easier and you’ll have more energy for the workout. Eventually you’ll naturally figure that out and start eating healthier as a secondary effect.
Exercise should be FIRST though.

Speaking of… I’m headed off to the gym right now! I try to go twice a week during my lunch breaks from work. I found a great gym that’s only $10 a month with no contract, so you don’t have to spend a ton of money to get into shape.

If you focus on food… then that’s what your mind will be thinking about all the time… FOOD.

FOCUS on EXERCISE and the healthier food will come naturally!

Thanks for all the great advice! Lately I’ve really been feeling like just getting moving will make a difference!

Is that gym you found by any chance a chain? Finances are an issue, but $10 a month I can handle!

 

[jc-servant]

Right now i am trying to learn how to get my body in shape for running. i have been over weight all my life. I was never able to do run in junior high or high school so i have set a goal to run the Houston-Half Marthon in January 2009. It gives me a year to learn how to run correctly. Hopeful through the process i will lose the last 20 lbs and change my life habits.

I used to run, but now my knees are shot. However, I’ve discovered deep water exercise which has been used very successfully by Olympic runners and triathletes to train. Many of them do “water running” which is done vertically while in place with an emphasis on the leg muscles. The really fit people don’t need a float belt to water run.

I’m doing water aerobics with a variety of exercises to hit all of the muscle groups with NO impact. Yipee! I found a great DVD at www.watergym.com which is also where I ordered my soft foam flotation belt. The belt is meant to keep your head/face out of the water rather than your upper body which some people expect. You don’t need really deep water, just 1-2 feet more than your height to allow for movements like running in place in a fully vertical float.

The DVD is very good because it explains about training for slow twitch and fast twitch and other things that most exercise DVDs just ignore. It has underwater video that clearly shows every movement, a laminated cheat sheet for poolside and an audio CD with music plus vocal cues to the exercises.

All of my activities from my 20’s and 30’s were wearing my knees out until I just stopped doing most anything. I have pain and swelling (despite medication) if I even take a lengthy walk with good shoes because my cartilage is almost gone in my knees. I took lessons again and began swimming. I then discovered it is anaeorbic instead of aerobic. Duh, no wonder the weight didn’t come off.

The nicest thing I’ve found about deep water exercise is that it can be done as vigorously or gently as you need for your level of fitness. There is no jarring impact on the joints which you can get even in shallow water aerobics. The side benefit is that the water massages your muscles as you move so that you rarely have any soreness after doing it.

beckers, have you thought about joining a racing club to take advantage of their training opportunities? I have some good friends who are in the Dallas Athletes Athletic Club. They have some good info on their website that you might find useful. They do training clinics for beginners in running, cycling and swimming at various times each year. They also have training runs every week that people can do together for support.
dallasathletes.com/

I hope you get to race. One of my oldest friends decided that she wanted to do a tri in the year that we turned 40. She actually started in beginner swimming in January of that year and finished her first sprint tri race in the summer with an open water swim. She now does half marathons and other races regularly. She was always overweight until she turned 40, so you can do it too! She had never been a swimmer or a runner when she started and her only cycling had been short distances for fun.

 

[jc-servant]

Speaking of… I’m headed off to the gym right now! I try to go twice a week during my lunch breaks from work. I found a great gym that’s only $10 a month with no contract, so you don’t have to spend a ton of money to get into shape.

You are the luckiest person on the planet to have a $10/month gym nearby! I think I had to pay more than that even in the 1980’s for a place with nothing but weights and one shower! I was not even in the “big city” back then.

 

[masondoggy]

I found some pictures of me from college (graduated in 2001) where I looked great, and taped them to the fridge. I think I need to make copies and tape them to every surface of the house, car, office, etc.

Lol, I did that too! I found a pic from right before I got married when I was at my thinnest. I don’t really expect to get to that size again, but it does remind me that I have a ways to go.

 

[jc-servant]

Right after Thanksgiving last year I went vegetarian. Since then I’ve changed my eating habits drastically. No more candy (except on the rare occassion), no more soda and nothing with trans-fat. Most of these changes came about because of personal taste, not a desire to lose weight…but I’ve lost about 65 pounds since October of last year and still losing a couple pounds a week

Wow. Good for you!!! I’m afraid that I have the occasional ravenous craving for meat, so I’ll never be completely meat-free. However, I’ve noticed that I only want red meat a couple of days per month anyway recently. I’m a bread-fiend rather than a sweets person. My big push has been to shift towards having a higher percentage of veggies in my diet. I realized recently that I never even learned how to properly prepare a lot of fresh veggies because we never ate them as I grew up. I can see the change in how I look and feel by adding the veggies to my diet now.

I’m honest enough with myself to know that my biggest problem is prioritizing everything except my exercise time. I looked back at when I was in tip-top shape and that is the biggest difference in my lifestyle. I used to have to move almost 6 of 8 hours for my job and then I would run, lift weights and do other things for fun that were in motion also. Now I sit at at desk and have sedentary hobbies. Not good.

 

[Lexee15]

Hello everyone, just wanted to offer some words of encouragement for all those battling the bulge or just trying to live healthier.

We can do it, all it takes is will, determination, prayer and knowledge. Exercise is important, but nutrition is 80% of your success is what I’ve learned. Portion control, what kind of foods you eat and how often you eat.

I am eating full meals (protein, complex carbs and a little good fat) 5-6 times a day, I use my hand or fist to measure portion (only what would fit in my hand or if it’s the size of my fist) and I’m eatining nutrient rich foods. I thought it was going to be so hard, but it really hasn’t been, I plan all my meals and exercise the night before and stick to it as best as I can, most days I follow right through.

I would recommend reading Body For Life by Bill Phillips, it gives you all the tools you need. It has been the best book I’ve read on reaching weight goals and gives you what you need to reach them.

Have a great day everyone and God Bless you on your journey.

Oh, and thanks for the info on the grills, I think I’ve made my decision.

 

[Em_in_FL]

Is that gym you found by any chance a chain? Finances are an issue, but $10 a month I can handle!

You are the luckiest person on the planet to have a $10/month gym nearby! I think I had to pay more than that even in the 1980’s for a place with nothing but weights and one shower! I was not even in the “big city” back then.

Yup, it’s a chain!

I’m not sure if every location has the same price (because they’re franchised)…
But here’s the link!
planetfitness.com/

 

[imamom]

I use an orbitrek platinum elliptical as well as dog walks for my exercise

 

[Belle10]

I use an orbitrek platinum elliptical as well as dog walks for my exercise

I’ve been thinking about getting an elliptical – I might do it this weekend.

Yup, it’s a chain!

I’m not sure if every location has the same price (because they’re franchised)…
But here’s the link!
planetfitness.com/

Thanks for the info! I’m going to check out the one near me on my lunch break tomorrow - and they are running a $10 membership! Is it like a regular gym, or is it like Curves?

 

[Em_in_FL]

Thanks for the info! I’m going to check out the one near me on my lunch break tomorrow - and they are running a $10 membership! Is it like a regular gym, or is it like Curves?

No problem!
It’s a regular gym. There are no classes or anything (which is why it’s so cheap)… but my location has a ton of great machines and free weights! Lots of cardio (treadmills, elipticals, bikes, etc), weight machines, and free weights…

 

[Island_Oak]

The best rule i have is that if i eat out i automatically split the meal into two. Then i am not tempted to eat the rest of the meal and over eat. It’s all about portion size.

AMEN!! I’ve lost 16 lbs. in the last year and as with anything worth doing, it wasn’t easy or quick. I was far from obese, but had allowed myself to get a bit pudgy. Portion control was and is essential. We Americans all need to re-educate ourselves about how much we are putting in our mouths. Also…if we’re trying to LOSE weight, not just maintain, it’s not a bad thing to feel hungry from time to time and endure it, as opposed to eating. I found reducing the volume of what I ate + increased exercise + not eating (at all) late in the day (i.e after 4:00 pm) were the things that worked for me. I am back down to 115 lbs. (pre-pregnancy/college weight) and can’t remember when I felt so good (or could fit into such fun clothes–the BIG reward!!). This thread is a great idea and will help those of us who are trying to maintain as well as those still trying to lose.

 

[beckers]

AMEN!! I’ve lost 16 lbs. in the last year and as with anything worth doing, it wasn’t easy or quick. I was far from obese, but had allowed myself to get a bit pudgy. Portion control was and is essential. We Americans all need to re-educate ourselves about how much we are putting in our mouths. Also…if we’re trying to LOSE weight, not just maintain, it’s not a bad thing to feel hungry from time to time and endure it, as opposed to eating. I found reducing the volume of what I ate + increased exercise + not eating (at all) late in the day (i.e after 4:00 pm) were the things that worked for me. I am back down to 115 lbs. (pre-pregnancy/college weight) and can’t remember when I felt so good (or could fit into such fun clothes–the BIG reward!!). This thread is a great idea and will help those of us who are trying to maintain as well as those still trying to lose.

I use to be about 225lbs and lost 45 lbs. But went back up 190 and then started weight watchers. I just felt horrible that my old fat clothing was fitting again…ARGH!!!

I was watching i think the TV show called “The 750lbs man” and they were interviewing this obese women (i think close to 500lbs but has lost tons of weight) she said something that has made me think…“There are people all over the world who have never known what it feels to be full and i have never known what it means to be hugry”. It was one of those moments when you look back and go. Have i ever really being straving. Why do i eat? Do i eat because i am truly hungry or because this is my normal time to eat or do i eat because i am bored? I am trying to ask myself these questions before i eat something just because it is there.

I agree with another poster that excerise is important. Just get moving and make it a part of your day. You feel so much better and your body will thank you!

 

[catechumen08]

Oops! I had meant to say that I can’t gain weight!

 

[beckers]

Oops! I had meant to say that I can’t gain weight!

you really just want to make all of us women hate you right?

 

[Lexee15]

Had a great workout this morning:thumbsup:, how’s everyone else doing? My eating has been going good too, I never thought I’d be able to go almost 3 WEEKS with no fast food:extrahappy: :clapping:!!! Well, on my free day I have indulged on something from the drive-thru, but not much at all, that’s amazing!

 

[Island_Oak]

Had a great workout this morning:thumbsup:, how’s everyone else doing? My eating has been going good too, I never thought I’d be able to go almost 3 WEEKS with no fast food:extrahappy: :clapping:!!! Well, on my free day I have indulged on something from the drive-thru, but not much at all, that’s amazing!

Good for you!! Walked my son and his best friend to school this morning. It takes about an hour round trip–school is about 2 miles from our house–but I love the way it starts the day for me, my son…even our crazy dog is happy. Now am off to buy donuts for his “star of the week” snack… guess we can’t be healthy 24/7…but I’m determined to resist the urge to partake in all that sugar with all the other 9 year olds!!

 

[catechumen08]

you really just want to make all of us women hate you right?

There’s a fine line between love and hate, dear beckers.

 

[nana3]

I need to lose about 50 pounds. I have been on Weight Watchers in the past, but I am always hungry on it. I don’t eat right now, but I don’t each much. I just need to be determined to do something. I don’t really exercise either. I have a back pain and can’t do much except swim that will not cause too much pain, but hate to go to the gym.

I hope to get enough strength to join all of you. I hope everyone does well.