Weight loss/Becoming healthy support thread!

[ilrak]

I have about 23 more pounds to lose and have already lost about 10. My mom is joining me on this (especially because of some drastic changes in her health) and I've already been changing my lifestyle with my mate. We're on a low carb diet (absolutely no refined sugars right now) and I don't think any of us have felt better in a long time. My mate and I are also doing KettleWorx and my mom and I are taking up walking and will be doing the dance cardio tapes once she recovers from her current ailment.

[Akai]

I used to weigh 250 lbs. By switching two of my foods to diet versions, managed to lose 50 lbs in about 3 months! That was about 8 years ago. Unfortunately, recently, I've managed to creep slowly back up to 230. I've been hoping to lose them back (and thankfully, I haven't increased a belt size yet!), but really looking for ideas on how to lose the weight again and more. Any ideas? If anyone says exercise, please include ways to motivate me to get to doing it and without me feeling too tired. @_@

[Galactic Som]

Akai, I use to be the same way about exercise when I first started trying to lose weight. And you know what helped? Video games! No kidding, right? I already owned an Xbox 360 and I decided to pick up the Kinect and a copy of Your Shape: Fitness Evolved. It really motivated me with exercising because of how fun and easy it was for a beginner. Plus is helped me lose about 15 of the 24 pounds I've lost! I totally suggest trying it out if you can.

[Akai]

Don't want the Kinect. I have a bias against it. Have the Wii, have Wii Fit, as you can see, didn't really help. I'm a big time gamer, so I want my games to be fun, and yeah, exercising can help, but when you're a hardcore Pokemon-er, spending those hours getting a better 'mon is "better" than waving your arms around the TV. Whaaaat? When it's made, I get to keep that mon for ever and ever! Just like my Charizard! <3

Yeah, I think I need another idea. >_<

[Zeno]

fun fact: weight for weight, protein and carbohydrates contain the same amount of calories (unlike fats, which have more than twice as much), which means they contain the same amount of energy! Now, I'm pretty sure that amino acid chains, which form proteins, have stronger bonds than sugar chains, which form starches (carbohydrates) which would mean more energy is expended breaking the bonds and the energy is released over time rather than all at once. Anyway, enough derailing with the blinding light of science.

True, but in my case, in addition to losing fat I was trying to gain muscle, hence why I threw the protein bit in .

[Galactic Som]

Don't want the Kinect. I have a bias against it. Have the Wii, have Wii Fit, as you can see, didn't really help. I'm a big time gamer, so I want my games to be fun, and yeah, exercising can help, but when you're a hardcore Pokemon-er, spending those hours getting a better 'mon is "better" than waving your arms around the TV. Whaaaat? When it's made, I get to keep that mon for ever and ever! Just like my Charizard! <3

Yeah, I think I need another idea. >_<

Haha, well... lack of commitment is going to be your downfall in to matter what you do. :P I'm just saying that using gaming exercise means is a lot easier to start out than just regular old exercise. I'm sure everyone would rather be doing something else when they're starting out, but you said you wanted easy. So... I don't know what's more easier than that or just plain old walking.

[StarRhythm]

Take classes at a gym. Committing to the duration of the class will force you to get a certain amount of exercise in per week, and there are others there to be with who are after similar goals, so you form a support system. Alternatively you might want to invest in a trainer (if you can), or even get a buddy to work out with you. Being accountable to someone can help with things. Ultimately though, you need to want to do it and keep doing it yourself. :3

Personally I think if you're not a little tired after a workout then you didn't work out! But that's just me. I prefer to exercise before bedtime for this reason, so it can help me sleep.

[bloodmuffins]

I've been losing weight lately~ I've lost 10 pounds so far. I'd like to lose 40-ish more, although I think I'd be happy with 20-30, too. Basically, I gained 30 pounds during a really awful time in my life two years ago, so I at least want to lose that weight. More would be nice though ;D

I've been cutting out as much fat as possible, especially saturated fats. Sat fats aren't good for you -at all,- so I just won't eat them, mostly. (Regrettably they're also the greasy fats that make so man foods taste good, lol! XD) But yeah, it's been working. I've also been making an effort to go to the health club more with my mom, which is really fun and it feels great to know I'm working on getting my body healthier =3

[Moonlight Hunter]

If anyone says exercise, please include ways to motivate me to get to doing it and without me feeling too tired. @_@

Do you have a dog? Having a dog is a great motivation. Dogs NEED to go on walks at least once a day, and going on two walks a day will make them incredibly happy. It's easier to commit to walking that much when you are doing it for a beloved pet who you want to keep healthy. Part of the reason I got my dog in the first place was that, after years of trying to get friends to go walking and running with me, I was tired of going out and doing it alone all the time. I wanted the company.

Velvela - If you have a problem with vegetables, I would suggest trying to drink V8 Splash regularly if you can. It combines fruit and veges, and it tastes good. It isn't all nasty like the regular V8.

My suggestions for people who are trying to eat healthier - read labels and don't criminalize an entire food group. Sometimes things that are "fat free" or "sugar free" aren't really fat or sugar free. They just have synthetic fats and sugars, which are worse than the real thing. Fat free dairy products are always best, though, because they retain their nutritional value even when the fat is removed. You do need some fat in your diet as long as they are healthy fats. The best sources of those are fish, peanut butter, and olive oil. Actually, any time you would use butter for anything, just replace it with olive oil. It will make you a lot healthier just to do that.

I would like to lose weight more than anything I have ever wanted in my entire life. Unfortunately, after nearly a decade of persistent hard work and a solid commitment to living a healthy lifestyle, staying active, and eating right...I have had to accept that it's just not in the cards for me. My body likes being obese, and it's bound and determined to stay that way no matter what I do. But at least I am in otherwise perfect health.

[Rail Aybara]

@Akai
The Kinnect actually works well if you have the right game. Maybe the dancing game or something, I got Rail to lose 3 lbs that way! Not like he really needed it, though.
-Laura