AH Gym- motivation and support thread!

[sophia jane]

It seems that there are several of us here on the AH who are trying to lose weight (me included) but need a little motivation and support to either get started or to keep going. So here's the place for it. If you're trying to lose weight or just trying to stay healthy, feel free to post here and hopefully we can encourage each other to keep going!


SJ

 

[sophia jane]

So, I'll start. I need to lose about 30 pounds. Still trying to get rid of all my baby weight.
But... I'm working out about 4 hrs a week. My biggest stumbling block seems to be that I eat too much junk. Really need to work on that. Anyone have suggestions?

SJ

 

[ElizabethWest]

Thanks SJ!

My diet has been no secret but I'm getting to a place of plateau. And I'm having the munchies this week. I keep telling my self to be strong, but it isn't easy.

 

[kendo1]

So, I'll start. I need to lose about 30 pounds. Still trying to get rid of all my baby weight.
But... I'm working out about 4 hrs a week. My biggest stumbling block seems to be that I eat too much junk. Really need to work on that. Anyone have suggestions?

SJ

Eat less junk!

 

[sophia jane]

Eat less junk!

Um. Yes. That's exactly the thing I need to do.

SJ

 

[CrimsonMaiden]

I'm not going to say how much I need to lose... just suffice it to say, I need to lose some.

My problem is everything, lol. I hate the way I look, but I can't seem to find the motivation to exercise, cut back on junk, or drink more water. Part of it with me is energy and pain. Due to some injuries from a car wreck, I have chronic pain, which of course, saps my energy. That makes it more difficult to just get up and do it.

Hopefully with some support from others who are trying as well, I can get the push I need to get off my big ass.

 

[kendo1]

Personally, I like a bit of meat on a woman. Come to that, I like women!
My wife is also trying to lose 30 lbs- are you her Alt SJ?
I like her the way she is, but then again I'll like her the way she will be when she loses the weight. She'll be happier though, and that's fine by me.
Seriously, SJ, all I can suggest is eating more fruit and veg- they fill you up and cost the same as junk food. You'll feel better too once the crap is out your system. Try carrying a bottle of water to drink from instead of snacking, it'll go straight through you and doesn't have any calories.

 

[sophia jane]

I'm not going to say how much I need to lose... just suffice it to say, I need to lose some.

My problem is everything, lol. I hate the way I look, but I can't seem to find the motivation to exercise, cut back on junk, or drink more water. Part of it with me is energy and pain. Due to some injuries from a car wreck, I have chronic pain, which of course, saps my energy. That makes it more difficult to just get up and do it.

Hopefully with some support from others who are trying as well, I can get the push I need to get off my big ass.

Crim, I've heard that the best approach is to try to change one thing at a time so you don't get overwhelmed and give up. So... maybe you could pick one thing you want to change to start with and then once you've implemented that, add another. For example, you could start with drinking more water. Then in a week or two, when you're doing that without a problem (or much of one), you can pick something else, like trying to exercise or go for a walk two or three times a week. Every little change will help, because they eventually add up to being a much healthier person.

SJ

 

[kendo1]

I'm not going to say how much I need to lose... just suffice it to say, I need to lose some.

My problem is everything, lol. I hate the way I look, but I can't seem to find the motivation to exercise, cut back on junk, or drink more water. Part of it with me is energy and pain. Due to some injuries from a car wreck, I have chronic pain, which of course, saps my energy. That makes it more difficult to just get up and do it.

Hopefully with some support from others who are trying as well, I can get the push I need to get off my big ass.

Swimming- there's bound to be a ladies only time available for you if you feel embarassed. Takes the weight off your legs in both senses.

 

[LadyJeanne]

Um. Yes. That's exactly the thing I need to do.

SJ

Moderate the junk.

If you must snack, eat a piece of fruit first, then a glass of water, then allow yourself a few cookies. The fruit will take the edge off the sweet craving, the water will fill you up a bit, leaving less room for the cookies.

At meals, if you insist on the fettucine alfredo because nothing else will do, make sure you've got a bunch of veggies with it. You at least get some nutrition along with the carbs and fat.

If you have to have the bacon and eggs, skip the toast or skip the hash browns, and have some melon or strawberries.

 

[kendo1]

Eat snake- it tastes like chicken!

 

[CrimsonMaiden]

Swimming- there's bound to be a ladies only time available for you if you feel embarassed. Takes the weight off your legs in both senses.

That's a good idea...except the only place around here that offers that is about to close down the pool because something is wrong with it and it will take too much money to fix it (live in a very small town).

We have one of those blue infatable pools for summer, but I don't think it's deep enough. (and I am NOT going to a public pool, lol).

Thanks for the suggestion about one thing at a time Sj. That would probably be a good way to get started.

 

[kendo1]

And with that, I'm off to bed.
Night ladies, big hugs to you all!
See you on Tuesday.

 

[sophia jane]

Moderate the junk.

If you must snack, eat a piece of fruit first, then a glass of water, then allow yourself a few cookies. The fruit will take the edge off the sweet craving, the water will fill you up a bit, leaving less room for the cookies.

At meals, if you insist on the fettucine alfredo because nothing else will do, make sure you've got a bunch of veggies with it. You at least get some nutrition along with the carbs and fat.

If you have to have the bacon and eggs, skip the toast or skip the hash browns, and have some melon or strawberries.

Excellent suggestions. I'm a chronic snacker. I'm thinking about trying gum to see if that will help me snack less.

Thanks for the tips! Definitely need to try having fruit before the cookies (maybe even instead of them).

SJ

 

[R. Richard]

So, I'll start. I need to lose about 30 pounds. Still trying to get rid of all my baby weight.
But... I'm working out about 4 hrs a week. My biggest stumbling block seems to be that I eat too much junk. Really need to work on that. Anyone have suggestions?

SJ

The key to losing weight with a workout is to burn fat. If you exercise for longer intervals at a rate that still allows you to carry on a conversation you will burn fat. I would suggest a stationary bicycle and a CD player with enough music to carry you througn at least a 30 minute workout. Finish up with some knee pushups and you should be able to burn of a pound or two a week. Do not try to lose more than a pound or two a week. If you lose more than a pound or two a week, the weight will come back.

Once you lose the weight, you will need to find a maintenance diet to keep you at your desired weight. You need to weigh yourself every day and, if you gain a pound of other than water weight, you need to get back on the weight losing program until you lose the pound.

 

[AppleBiter]

The key to losing weight with a workout is to burn fat. If you exercise for longer intervals at a rate that still allows you to carry on a conversation you will burn fat. I would suggest a stationary bicycle and a CD player with enough music to carry you througn at least a 30 minute workout. Finish up with some knee pushups and you should be able to burn of a pound or two a week. Do not try to lose more than a pound or two a week. If you lose more than a pound or two a week, the weight will come back.

Once you lose the weight, you will need to find a maintenance diet to keep you at your desired weight. You need to weigh yourself every day and, if you gain a pound of other than water weight, you need to get back on the weight losing program until you lose the pound.

And how, might I ask, are you supposed to tell if the extra pound on the scale from one day to the next is fat or water weight? Women can fluctuate 5 lbs/day in weight, one way or the other. I've been told to weigh yourself weekly, not daily.

 

[Dar~]

I need to lose 130 pounds. I weigh 285 lbs. Next month, after years of deits and lifestyle changes, I am having Gastric Bypass surgery. I will still need the support of others, b/c it is not an easy road.

 

[ElizabethWest]

I need to lose 130 pounds. I weigh 285 lbs. Next month, after years of deits and lifestyle changes, I am having Gastric Bypass surgery. I will still need the support of others, b/c it is not an easy road.

That can be a dangerous procedure. Good luck.

 

[Belegon]

from a guys side, I'm with ya, and I am also proof you can do it.

truth: I was not looking to lose weight. I wanted my strength back. but I went from 240 to 200 lbs from July last year to Jan this.

I quit supersizing...I quit snacking after 9 pm (nothing but water and maybe a scotch or occassional beer)..but most of all I started working out. I work out with free weights at home, no gym, and I do it just a little while before bed. I don't concentrate on how many or what weight, but on getting "the burn". and I don't worry about getting tired because I am going to bed anyway...

You can do it! it will take time and hard work...

"Life is pain, Princess. Anyone who says otherwise is selling something"

but you can do it!

here for support thru pm or email too if you need it...

 

[impressive]

You know, I've come to believe that folks dive into a "diet" the wrong way & set themselves up for failure with a deprivation mindset.

Start with exercise -- even if it's just a long walk daily. Once those muscles start working and warming up, you'll start feeling good (or at least, better) about yourself and the motivation to continue becomes stronger. It's self-perpetuating. Then, as the outlook improves, so do the food choices.

Everyone's different, but I have been successful with a low carb lifestyle. I had a decade of baby weight to shed. Each kid left 25# on my frame. My doc didn't want me to try low carb because my blood pressure & cholesterol were high, but I convinced her to give me a month -- with careful monitoring. At the end of that month, she looked at my lab reports and said, "Whatever you're doing, keep doing it."

I lost the bulk of the weight in the first year (about 60#). Since then, it's been a very gradual loss -- sometimes stalling for months at a time. I don't care how gradually the remaining 20# comes off (if ever). I feel terrific -- and have actually REVERSED a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. Cured myself, so to speak. The boost to my libido was incredible, too.

Now, before you say, "I could never give up pasta (or bread or rice or potatoes)," let me tell you that there was never a MORE carb-addicted person on the planet than I. My absolute favorite meal was what I called a white plate: pasta (heavily buttered & salted), garlic bread with mozarella cheese, and a mountain of mashed potatoes. That was typically followed by a very sugary dessert (like the chocolate thunder from down under from Outback Steakhouse). The breakfast white plate was: two eggs (fried in butter), toast, hash browns (the loose, shredded ones), and grits.

If I could walk away from that -- ANYONE can. There are so many low carb products on the grocery store shelves these days that it's a lot simpler. Breads & pastas, even. Gotta become a label reader, though.

It's not a "diet" to me, anymore. It's a lifestyle. I'm never going back to the depression and apathy and mood swings and cravings that are tied directly to carb-induced swings in blood sugars.

 

[Guest]

Fattie thread.

 

[English Lady]

All I can say is you've go to be careful.


Each person will have something that will work for them, but just because it worked for you doesn't mean it'll work for everyone.


Of course, to loose weight you've gotta burn off more calories than you consume -thats how it is. So the idea is to eat filling food which isn't calorie intense (junk food has tons of calories, but it doesn't fill you. you feel hungry soon after eating it) and up your excercise.

It's not as easy as that though, it needs a bit of working out. Simple steps help though, don't put butter on bread in sandwiches, use low fat mayonnaise or low fat spread if you need too...and little things like upping your water intake, it washes out your system and fills you up. Add lots of fruit and veg into everything, keep frozen veg in the freezer and add some vegetables to everything you eat and fruit for desserts...even tinned fruit works.

Little bits and pieces, just changing to be a bit more healthy is the key. Walk more, even just a little bit more,and keep working it up a bit when you feel able, it's good excercise, free to do and theres no equipment involved.

I still meed to loose a bit more weight, just for me really, i'm much healthier now than I was, I just would like to be ableto go out and shop for clothes and be able to go in a good section of shops and know my size will be stocked. I'm surrently a 20/22 on top (UK size) and a 22/24 on the bottom. Looking to be an 18 top and a 20 bottom (my hips mean i'm always bigger on the bottom *L* ) and i'll be happy

I think before anyone does anything they shoul talk to a doctor, and do it sensibly so you can find the irght thing for you...yo-yo dieting doesn't work!!! Loosing more than a few pounds a week is not good, your body thinks it's starving and hangs on more to your fat...you don't want that *L*

Anyhow, if anyone wants me to waflle more i will, and anyone can PM me about the way i've lost my weight (about 3 1/2 stone so far) just hollar!

 

[impressive]

I think before anyone does anything they shoul talk to a doctor, and do it sensibly so you can find the irght thing for you...yo-yo dieting doesn't work!!! Loosing more than a few pounds a week is not good, your body thinks it's starving and hangs on more to your fat...you don't want that *L*

So true!!!!

And a big YES on the extra water. It makes a big difference.

 

[Guest]

Fat talkers.

Do somethign.

 

[English Lady]

So true!!!!

And a big YES on the extra water. It makes a big difference.

Oh yeah it does, even just a few extra glasses a day, I know I feel blah now if I don't have at least a glass or two of water.


It's sure not an easy thing BUT it is easier than you might think, and you don't have to loose all your weight over night, just doing it slowly, gradually, is the best way as you're more likely to keep it off long term, which is what we all want at the end of the day