Along the same vein as shogunhb

[hazliya]

I've been obsessing about my weight more so than usual lately.

Probably because, after a bout with mono and a switch to a desk job 3 days a week, I hit the heaviest I've ever weighed.

At the highest, I was 135, which is absolutely unacceptable for someone my size. Seriously. Big boobs and all, I was 20lbs overweight. 30, if you go by minimum healthy, which I am eventually aiming for as a precaution against my genetic disposition toward goddamn everything.

I was very unhappy with that, and so set out walking Elsa a lot more, eating breakfast, and cutting down on sugars. Diet sodas, limited portion size, and less junk. I've replaced a lot of the candy in the house with clementines and crackers, because sugars, not carbs, tend to be the huge problem for me and my dye-uh-bee-tus family.

It's been slow but steady progress. I've trimmed back down a little, and I'm feeling a lot better. I have more energy, which Elle-belle appreciates (seriously she has EIGHT CANINES NOW THIS NEEDS TO STOP), but my own vanity isn't an issue. I don't care if I lose my curvy figure, which used to be a point of vanity for me, but it's a matter of health.

Any tips or advice those on my same quest found worked for them? I really would like to join a gym, but there are so many out there that I'm rather overwhelmed.

Comments

Sharing

[zombie-dog.livejournal.com]

I've been struggling with my weight for the past six years or so. Back then, I was over 75 pounds over the highest healthy weight for someone of my height. At my absolute lowest weight I was about 10 pounds away, but I have never actually reached goal. Even now, I am 40 pounds over what is generally considered a healthy weight, which has spurred me to action (I generally start being happy once I am less than 30 over).

I've mainly found success in a Weight Watchers style program by writing down everything I eat and exercising on a regular basis, and monitoring my portion sizes and the like.

I've found that my greatest success comes when I arrange my life so that positive choices concerning my weight and health are easy and feel good.

Concerning dietary control:
Making sure I don't get too hungry, having snacks around that taste good but aren't too caloric, and not running out of food are a big deal. I make the worst dietary choices when I am backed into a corner and feel helpless.

Concerning exercise:
Exercise ought to feel good. There are some kinds that I don't like, but there are enough that genuinely make me feel great that I shouldn't lack for a complete workout. Hell, I just helped develop a game that's good exercise.
I've found, though, that even going to the gym can be all right, so long as I make sure that I don't have to go significantly out of my way to do it. With that in mind, my best bet is to build exercise into my schedule. It's much easier to attend a gym if it's part of your day, rather than an interruption into it. Even something fun like DDR becomes skippable if you don't make it a set part of your schedule.

So, those are my tips. Different things work for different people, obviously. If you think that a measure of accountability will help you, I'm starting to post again in quieta_movere, including a monday check-in. For me, this means posting my weight and changes to it. For others, it may be a rundown of activities. Whatever the case, community can help.

I hope this proves fruitful, healthy and fulfilling for you.

Re: Sharing

[shogunhb.livejournal.com]

There are a bunch of different height/weight charts. The "standard" one says that I should weigh 180 pounds, and that I am morbidly obese. (I've been 180 at 6'1", and I was a scarecrow).

My PCP doesn't even think this is realistic. I'm supposed to aim for "under 200", which means I need to lose about 20 more pounds.

Re: Sharing

[zombie-dog.livejournal.com]

Frankly, I don't buy it either. :)

I'm not realistically trying to get down to 175, the upper ideal for a 5'9" male, but I tend to feel at my most agile, strong, and attractive (yes, I am still vain :P) when I'm under 200. I also start to feel gross and bad when I go over 210. I guess that means that 200-210 is my neutral zone, sort of.

Re: Sharing

[nightskyre.livejournal.com]

Yep. And I'm supposed to lose 75 lbs to be considered "healthy"

Imagine me 75 pounds less. IF YOU CAN SEE ME.

[shogunhb.livejournal.com]

I keep a record of my workouts (I made a sheet). I record weights/reps and time/distance. It keeps me focused, gives me a good idea of when to increase difficulty, and gives me a solid measure of progress.

I don't know about finding a gym, we have one at work that is free to use and I try to go at the same time every day. It's not usually possible to go every day, but by trying for every day, I can usually manage 3-5 times per week.

[kadath.livejournal.com]

I don't have gym recs, but two general suggestions:

1. Don't just do cardio. Build muscle. A lot of women make this mistake, 'cause they don't want to "get bulky" or whatever. Unless you have an unusual phenotype, moderate weight work won't do anything but make you look toned. Bulking takes effort.

This won't reduce your weight, since muscle is denser than fat, but weight's not a great indicator of health on its own. It will raise your metabolism, indirectly contributing to weight loss.

Use free weights when possible. Machines are better than nothing, but free weights help you with the ability to use the muscle you're building, because you have to be able to control the weights. Any gym you join should have a trainer available to teach you how to use free weights safely and effectively.

2. Some people don't get an endorphin rush from exercise. I'm one of them. Don't push yourself past your target time or heart rate on the assumption that if you don't get a runner's high, you're doing it wrong. People always tell me I'm not "trying hard enough" until I inform them I've done the Army physical fitness test wearing winter-weight BDUs and combat boots, and then done a 10k double-time march with a full ruck and all it did was make me want to die. (I say this not to brag, but because I'm so fucking sick of people assuming I don't know what I'm talking about.)

Only mildly tongue-in-cheek

[anitra.livejournal.com]

Come "babysit". I guarantee that playing with a toddler (especially outside) will make you be much more active than you would normally be. Bring Elsa along and double the fun!

On a more serious note, exercise alone never did much for me. Diet changes are a MUST to lose weight, and I find that exercise just keeps me from losing muscle mass in the process. (The one time that I dieted in highschool was in the winter - ie. without increasing physical activity. I lost 20 pounds, but then could no longer walk up a slight incline without getting winded.)

Edit: You're doing both, which is great! Just wanted you to keep that in mind. Being more active does not (usually) justify going back to your old patterns of eating.

Food-wise, I found it was smart not to keep tempting foods in the house. My natural thriftiness generally kept me from going out and overdoing on junk food when I craved it - instead, making junk food "expensive" helped me be mindful of what I was eating - "If I really want a cookie, I will go to Subway and buy ONE cookie, instead of keeping cookies in the house and potentially eating them all in one sitting."

I counted calories.

[maverick-weirdo.livejournal.com]

I decided that for me 1600 calories per day was a reasonable amount for my height, build and activity level and tried to stay between 1550 and 1650 every day. Being consistant in calories per day is as important as how many. After each meal I would write down the calories I ate in a spreadsheet.

I also made an effort to exercise regularly (which it seems you are already doing.)

I lost 32 lbs in six months. (17.5% starting body weight)

[redfishie.livejournal.com]

I use sparkpeople.com for diet and fitness trackiing. I've lost 35 lbs. From my heaviest and have a good bit to go.

[relique.livejournal.com]

I find that if I'm just trying to go to the gym to do gym things, it's NEVER going to happen. On the other hand, if I'm fencing, or rock climbing, or taking a dance class, I'm more than happy to be active regularly. For me, it's not a weight issue-- if I stop being active, my muscles basically seize up into little balls of pain. It's also easier to convince myself to do if I'm meeting someone or actually taking a class.

Bellydance was AMAZING, possibly the best thing for my body EVER.

[mindways]

...and so set out walking Elsa a lot more, eating breakfast, and cutting down on sugars. Diet sodas, limited portion size, and less junk. I've replaced a lot of the candy in the house with clementines and crackers...

Sounds like you're doing well so far - the above describes most of the suggestions I'd make. (Regular activity, eating breakfast, eating better, making sure there are healthy snacks to grab for when rushed or on autopilot.)

One thing I've not heard talked about much is being aware that willpower is a finite (though replenishing) resource. It's a lot easier to (once) not buy an unhealthy food while shopping than it is to (every time you're hungry) avoid eating it once it's in the house. It's a lot easier to resist temptation at a grocery story or restaurant if one hasn't had to exert willpower on other things earlier - whether food/exercise-based or just coping with a trying day.

Related: if you know that you tend to get the munchies at a particular time of day, arrange to be doing something that's engaging/distracting so that you only think about food once or twice instead of every five minutes.

Finally: protein and fiber are both fantastic at making one feel full.

[nightskyre.livejournal.com]

As the twinkie diet recently proved, weight loss is pretty much all about the ratio of calories consumed to calories burned. There are a lot of other things the twinkie diet didn't set out to prove/disprove - blood pressure, cholesterol, etc, but the core point remains - when calories in < calories expended, you lose weight. There's 3500 calories in a pound, so really, the math is pretty easy. I recommend the Hacker's Diet (no link because I'm working and this is supposed to be a quick comment. Google works well for this one) for a quick read on the subject. The main point he makes is that calorie consumption/management is FAR more effective than exercise for weight loss.

[reichan.livejournal.com]

Absolutely understand the concern and applaud your efforts- also all the good advice here. I figured I'd share of of the things that took me through my illness recovery when I started as basically so sick and with so much muscle atrophy that I had to relearn how to walk. It also had me loose about 40lbs on MY short frame between April and September of one year and be in maybe the best shape of my life.

1. A friend/ partner that is willing to do it with you. It helps if they have a goal too, something they are also trying to improve/ achieve and it gives you some accountability. You are less likely to break your scheduled planned workout date if someone else is depending on you too. Also, its much more fun no matter what form of exercise you are doing to have someone to chat with or even share muscle hurt with. I had my brother Omar, and sometimes he pushed so hard I wanted to punch him...someone his level of extreme would likely not work so well. =)

2.Baby steps. Start with where you are currently and build up slowly to more intense/ strenuous activities so you don't hurt yourself. Don't get frustrated that everything doesn't happen all at once. You sound like you are doing awesome at this, but I know its sometimes hard to be patient.

2.Massage. After you have made all your muscles sore, take some time to have them rubbed down to relax. A really good massage every couple weeks (or more often if you have a willing *coughadamcough* person to lend a hand) can really help and feel like a welcome reward for all your hard work.

Good Luck!