weight loss

mushroom1129 · 06-04-2007, 02:39 AM

I'm not drastically overweight, but i noticed that my upper body is getting a bit bigger and i know i should try losing weight for my health, since having weight on your chest and all is not so good. So i'm going to start trying to lose weight as soon as i can. I'm 5'4, 145 pounds average, and maybe i should try for 135 to 130 as a goal. The thing is exercise doesn't come easy to me, i have sort of bad knees and ankles so running and fast walking is hard on me. Also, where i live you will have a heat stroke walking outside for more than a few minutes, lol.

I was thinking maybe yoga or pilates would be better for me, but do these make you lose weight? I've done pilates before so i know how to do them as correctly as possible. I'd particularly like to focus on my upper body but i know you can't just spot reduce. My aunt has been with weight watchers for the past year and has a chart, which tells her how many points a certain food is worth and you only can have a certain amount in one day. It is very effective but i dont have the money to join groups like weight watchers, it can be very expensive and i dont really think i need them at this weight.

So basically, i just would like maybe some personal tips and maybe books i can buy on weight loss. I'd like to understand how to count and keep track of calories as well as a good variety of exercises i can do in my home.

spunkmaster · 06-04-2007, 03:26 AM

My personal favorite website: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]! You can log your foods eaten, plus exercise etc. It really helps keep you on track, because it provides you with visual data of what you've been doing to improve your body. You can also set up your own personalized eating program and exercise program.

I think yoga/pilates is primarily used to increase flexibility and tone muscle, so it should make you lose weight as well as tone up. I prefer swimming though. It's low impact, fun, and works all of your body! Plus you can do it inside, outside...pretty much anywhere. All year round as well, provided you have access to an indoor pool!

Hope this helps, and good luck!

Insidious1 · 06-04-2007, 10:59 AM

Thats a good site!

IF you really wanna lose the weight... trust me when i say you need to do Lower Carbs! That means no more subs/pasta/etc etc etc!

Those are all "simple" carbs and spike your body's insulin. When your body notices a frequent and large increase in insulin.. it causes your body to hold on to those carbs/sugar and turn them into fat cells... INSTEAD of energy!

I HIGHLY recommend a low carb diet! TRUST ME! I lost 17 lbs and kept it off! I am now going on my 3rd month of the diet. It WORKS!

I tend to NOT eat carbs after 4 p.m. (unless they are vegies).

You'll want to speed up your metabolism. The BEST way to do this is to eat more often!!! You should try eating 4-6 SMALLER meals a day. People have the misconception that eating less is better.. WRONG!

Eating less causes your stomach to shrink. Your body's metabolism slows down DRAMATICALLY in order to "preserve" what little food stores youhave. So when you DO eat... your body hold on to every ounce of it!

Quick Tips:
1. Eat more often!!! But smaller portions
2. LOW CARB LOW CARB LOW CARB!
3. Eat more protein if you can.
4. Carbs in the morning and after working out.
5. Start exercising

If working out (i.e. running) hurts. Then don;t do it! Ilost 17 lbs in two months by sticking to this diet alone! NOT ONE MINUTE of cardio! Again, i don't recommend "no cardio". I think its great! But i am trying to bodybuild and running too much isn;t for me for specific reasons.

Anyways... try swimming like spunkmaster said! Also try just walking! It helps! The earlier you exercise the better! Its speeds up your metabolsim ALL day! As mentioned before.. if you stick to the diet... REALLY stick with it... you WILL lose al the weight you want!

PM me if you want a more detailed diet/workout routine.

easyguy · 06-04-2007, 11:44 AM

Indisious has some good advice. Diet plays a larger role in weight loss than exercising/working out, however-

For cardiovascular activities such as running, fast walking, biking (mobile, stationary), etc. - the key is to do it for more than 20 minutes if you want to lose weight. I always aim for 30 minutes. A nutrition professor last quarter at my college told us that your body is basically burning calories alone for the first 20 minutes, and after that, fat is being targeted more (in addition to the calories). I took her advice seriously, and the results have shown.

Whatever you are doing, do not be lazy about it, but do not kill yourself doing it. There is that needed intensity, but if you are fainting, you are working yourself too hard. You should be sweating mid to 1/3 of the way through... at least from what I have experienced.

And be patient with it. Do not expect results to show overnight. It is a practice which requires persistance.

1guygirl · 06-05-2007, 01:23 PM

as ive mentioned in another post - i went veggie but cos of gallstones i went to full vegan and lost a load of weight when nothing else seemed to - its mainly raw fruit & salad not cos im following a dogma but just cos i like it - it looks colourful too when you eat a wide variety

ive tried atkins (low fat atkins when normal atkins didnt work) and it just wasnt working for me. think thats the key, finding something that you enjoy so you stick to it.

oh and i get enough protein in my diet without stuffing myself full of nuts! hehe

good luck with it anyway

Aurian · 06-05-2007, 03:49 PM

I found the South Beach Diet very helpful. I lost 30 pounds in one month (although the bulk of that is probably giving up my daily pop!).

As for exercises, I kinda have crappy feet/knees too and get bored very easily if its not "fun." Any sports you want to join in on like golf or martial arts? I think it is important to move and be active but you`re more likely to do it if you enjoy it. If you drag yourself somewhere and feel lousy about it, its not likely to stick to your routine.

wrappedaroundhim · 06-22-2007, 12:02 AM

whoa. sparkpeople looks really cool. Thanks! and thanks Insidious. I used to be a gold medal rower in college and used to love it when people at the grocery store used to ask me if i worked out...and i got the whole..."wow you're hot" thing...even caused a car wreck once...because a couple of guys were driving by yelling at me and ran into the car in front of them...lol...no one was hurt so its pretty hilarious. Anyway, over the years i have tried to stay active but put on more weight... I am big boned and I am really muscular. I was 165-175 when i rowed and people thought i looked too skinny!! Now I am 200 and people think i look like i weigh about 160-170...they gasp and think i am lying when i tell them/make me prove it...but I am out of shape. I do roller derby now and spinning,--- but -getting over a breakup- the last two months have been hell...just sleeping all the time...eating chocolate...major depression. But i think it is time for me to move on and get back the confidence i had. I want to lose around 50 lbs. ...at least get back to around/under the 160 mark because that seems to be when i am most confident. I was really self concious even when i was smaller, but I felt better and was more -balanced- emotionally if that makes sense. Anyway, here goes! Thanks so much for the suggestions. I am going to try to cut back on the carbs and work out more...just so hard to find the motivation sometimes...but I know i have the focus..I have done it before and felt great. I just gotta climb back on the horse. Hopefully reporting back to the forums will help me and inspire other folks too!

ok.
here goes.
gonna start slow and have a long walk tomorrow morning before I jump back into the spinning. I think that will help me to start to clear my head of the relationship stuff too...

06-04-2007, 02:39 AM	#1
mushroom1129 Offline Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Age: 23 Posts: 49	weight loss I'm not drastically overweight, but i noticed that my upper body is getting a bit bigger and i know i should try losing weight for my health, since having weight on your chest and all is not so good. So i'm going to start trying to lose weight as soon as i can. I'm 5'4, 145 pounds average, and maybe i should try for 135 to 130 as a goal. The thing is exercise doesn't come easy to me, i have sort of bad knees and ankles so running and fast walking is hard on me. Also, where i live you will have a heat stroke walking outside for more than a few minutes, lol. I was thinking maybe yoga or pilates would be better for me, but do these make you lose weight? I've done pilates before so i know how to do them as correctly as possible. I'd particularly like to focus on my upper body but i know you can't just spot reduce. My aunt has been with weight watchers for the past year and has a chart, which tells her how many points a certain food is worth and you only can have a certain amount in one day. It is very effective but i dont have the money to join groups like weight watchers, it can be very expensive and i dont really think i need them at this weight. So basically, i just would like maybe some personal tips and maybe books i can buy on weight loss. I'd like to understand how to count and keep track of calories as well as a good variety of exercises i can do in my home.

06-04-2007, 03:26 AM	#2
spunkmaster Offline Bronze Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Illinois Gender: Female Age: 22 Posts: 264	My personal favorite website: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]! You can log your foods eaten, plus exercise etc. It really helps keep you on track, because it provides you with visual data of what you've been doing to improve your body. You can also set up your own personalized eating program and exercise program. I think yoga/pilates is primarily used to increase flexibility and tone muscle, so it should make you lose weight as well as tone up. I prefer swimming though. It's low impact, fun, and works all of your body! Plus you can do it inside, outside...pretty much anywhere. All year round as well, provided you have access to an indoor pool! Hope this helps, and good luck! __________________ Need extra money? Ask me about my legitimate work at home job! It won't make you rich quick, but it will put extra money in your pocket! "Try a little tenderness!"--Otis Redding

06-04-2007, 11:44 AM	#4
easyguy Offline Platinum Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Gender: Male Age: 23 Posts: 1,883	Indisious has some good advice. Diet plays a larger role in weight loss than exercising/working out, however- For cardiovascular activities such as running, fast walking, biking (mobile, stationary), etc. - the key is to do it for more than 20 minutes if you want to lose weight. I always aim for 30 minutes. A nutrition professor last quarter at my college told us that your body is basically burning calories alone for the first 20 minutes, and after that, fat is being targeted more (in addition to the calories). I took her advice seriously, and the results have shown. Whatever you are doing, do not be lazy about it, but do not kill yourself doing it. There is that needed intensity, but if you are fainting, you are working yourself too hard. You should be sweating mid to 1/3 of the way through... at least from what I have experienced. And be patient with it. Do not expect results to show overnight. It is a practice which requires persistance. __________________ "You can only give away what you already have inside yourself." -Anonymous

06-05-2007, 01:23 PM	#5
1guygirl Offline Silver Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: "Heartbeat" country, UK Gender: Female Age: 33 Posts: 355	as ive mentioned in another post - i went veggie but cos of gallstones i went to full vegan and lost a load of weight when nothing else seemed to - its mainly raw fruit & salad not cos im following a dogma but just cos i like it - it looks colourful too when you eat a wide variety ive tried atkins (low fat atkins when normal atkins didnt work) and it just wasnt working for me. think thats the key, finding something that you enjoy so you stick to it. oh and i get enough protein in my diet without stuffing myself full of nuts! hehe good luck with it anyway __________________ www.ahimsacosmetics.co.uk

06-05-2007, 03:49 PM	#6
Aurian Offline Platinum Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Vancouver, Canada Gender: Female Age: 30 Posts: 2,364	I found the South Beach Diet very helpful. I lost 30 pounds in one month (although the bulk of that is probably giving up my daily pop!). As for exercises, I kinda have crappy feet/knees too and get bored very easily if its not "fun." Any sports you want to join in on like golf or martial arts? I think it is important to move and be active but you`re more likely to do it if you enjoy it. If you drag yourself somewhere and feel lousy about it, its not likely to stick to your routine. __________________ How to spot a loser and understanding the abused victim: http://www.drjoecarver.com/3/miscellaneous2.htm Excellent articles!

06-04-2007, 10:59 AM	#3
Insidious1 Offline Silver Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 208	Thats a good site! IF you really wanna lose the weight... trust me when i say you need to do Lower Carbs! That means no more subs/pasta/etc etc etc! Those are all "simple" carbs and spike your body's insulin. When your body notices a frequent and large increase in insulin.. it causes your body to hold on to those carbs/sugar and turn them into fat cells... INSTEAD of energy! I HIGHLY recommend a low carb diet! TRUST ME! I lost 17 lbs and kept it off! I am now going on my 3rd month of the diet. It WORKS! I tend to NOT eat carbs after 4 p.m. (unless they are vegies). You'll want to speed up your metabolism. The BEST way to do this is to eat more often!!! You should try eating 4-6 SMALLER meals a day. People have the misconception that eating less is better.. WRONG! Eating less causes your stomach to shrink. Your body's metabolism slows down DRAMATICALLY in order to "preserve" what little food stores youhave. So when you DO eat... your body hold on to every ounce of it! Quick Tips: 1. Eat more often!!! But smaller portions 2. LOW CARB LOW CARB LOW CARB! 3. Eat more protein if you can. 4. Carbs in the morning and after working out. 5. Start exercising If working out (i.e. running) hurts. Then don;t do it! Ilost 17 lbs in two months by sticking to this diet alone! NOT ONE MINUTE of cardio! Again, i don't recommend "no cardio". I think its great! But i am trying to bodybuild and running too much isn;t for me for specific reasons. Anyways... try swimming like spunkmaster said! Also try just walking! It helps! The earlier you exercise the better! Its speeds up your metabolsim ALL day! As mentioned before.. if you stick to the diet... REALLY stick with it... you WILL lose al the weight you want! PM me if you want a more detailed diet/workout routine.

06-22-2007, 12:02 AM	#7
wrappedaroundhim Offline Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 24	whoa. sparkpeople looks really cool. Thanks! and thanks Insidious. I used to be a gold medal rower in college and used to love it when people at the grocery store used to ask me if i worked out...and i got the whole..."wow you're hot" thing...even caused a car wreck once...because a couple of guys were driving by yelling at me and ran into the car in front of them...lol...no one was hurt so its pretty hilarious. Anyway, over the years i have tried to stay active but put on more weight... I am big boned and I am really muscular. I was 165-175 when i rowed and people thought i looked too skinny!! Now I am 200 and people think i look like i weigh about 160-170...they gasp and think i am lying when i tell them/make me prove it...but I am out of shape. I do roller derby now and spinning,--- but -getting over a breakup- the last two months have been hell...just sleeping all the time...eating chocolate...major depression. But i think it is time for me to move on and get back the confidence i had. I want to lose around 50 lbs. ...at least get back to around/under the 160 mark because that seems to be when i am most confident. I was really self concious even when i was smaller, but I felt better and was more -balanced- emotionally if that makes sense. Anyway, here goes! Thanks so much for the suggestions. I am going to try to cut back on the carbs and work out more...just so hard to find the motivation sometimes...but I know i have the focus..I have done it before and felt great. I just gotta climb back on the horse. Hopefully reporting back to the forums will help me and inspire other folks too! ok. here goes. gonna start slow and have a long walk tomorrow morning before I jump back into the spinning. I think that will help me to start to clear my head of the relationship stuff too...