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Shifting the pounds


Stunner

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Couldn't find anything related, but was hoping for some advice and maybe even to spark a thread while I'm at it :)

 

I've been overweight since I was about eight or nine years old, which has often been closely related to my depression and anxiety issues - as such, my weight has always fluctuated between "somewhat overweight" and "obese" in this time. Anyway, I had a bad bout over last summer which meant I piled on the pounds, and since then I've been unable to find work, don't really have the money to socialise, so the weight is still slowly rising.

 

So I decided to really do something about it - I've done a solid 30 minutes of pure exercising every day for a week. This is primarily jogging (about 18-20 minutes a day), with some aerobics, muscle exercises and hula (don't laugh!) for good measure... I'm working up a sweat every day - my muscles aren't really thanking me at this juncture but I'm already at a point where I'm getting less tired (but sweating more) by the day.

 

I just have this nagging feeling it isn't enough. The Internet is utterly impenetrable for decent weight loss advice - a simple "is thirty minutes exercise a day?" search on Google gave me three consecutive results saying; 1: Thirty minutes exercise is the perfect amount for weight loss, 2: Thirty minutes is not enough, and 3: Exercise is completely useless for weight loss - it's all in your dietary intake... Of course, I've heard the exact opposite of point three at times.

 

At its root, weight loss is extremely simple - eat better and exercise more; if your weight loss plateaus, eat better and exercise more again, etc. But there's so much quackery and outright bull around it's almost impossible to stay focused. It's obviously a big step in the right direction than the sedentary lifestyle I have been living for the last nine months or so, but my anxieties about my weight mean it's actually a big deal for me to actually get outside and be seen, so I'd really rather not go through all this for no clear difference. So in short... is thirty minutes of exercise a day enough to start seriously losing weight?

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Exercise is great but meaningless unless you have your diet right. I've gone from 19 and a half to 12 stone through portion control, an exercise bike and DDP Yoga. I know some people are set against it but checking your calories via myfitnesspal etc is a great place to start. Personally I've found the foid aspect about 10x more important than exercise.

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Similar to Maverick I went from 19 stone down to 12 in under 2 years but just by changing my diet. I made a point at the very start not to try and use exercise as I knew the chances of me sticking to it were slim, so I just concentrated on controlling what I ate, and how much.

 

I used an app called myfitnesspal as a calorie counter and tracked EVERYTHING I ate or drank. You put in your stats and target and it calculates how much you can eat each day to achieve your goals. I quickly found that just understanding the impact of each type of food I ate was a massive help. Fizzy juice was the first to go and I'd say made the biggest difference as I had always drank a shit load of it. I replaced it with nothing but water or non-fizzy juice for a good 8-10 months, then slowly weaned myself back on to Diet/Zero versions. Bread was the other biggie. Beforehand I was having a breakfast roll, sandwiches at lunch, and then a load of toast at night as a snack. I literally had no idea how bad bread was for you until that point. I cut out pretty much all bread save for one or two breakfast rolls at the wkend as a treat. Other than those it was just the usual unhealthy snacks that I had to watch out for, and I found having the app really helped with that too. Just seeing it in black and white that I can't have any more calories today (or, just as importantly, only having so many calories left and having to make better choices on how to use them) was such a benefit.

 

As it stands I've been steadily around the 21st mark for around 18 months now. I no longer track everything I eat but have a much better understanding of what I'm eating and it's impact. I put on around half a stone at Xmas and was able to lose it all by the end of January just by returning to my normal diet.

 

Good luck, it's definitely doable!!

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As it stands I've been steadily around the 21st mark for around 18 months now. I no longer track everything I eat but have a much better understanding of what I'm eating and it's impact. I put on around half a stone at Xmas and was able to lose it all by the end of January just by returning to my normal diet.

Good luck, it's definitely doable!!

I hope you got your 2 and 1 the wrong way round or you've put it all back on!

 

I can't offer too much advice as I've never had to lose weight but when I broke my heel last year I was unable to exercise for 6 months and actually lost over a stone in weight. I put it down to not working away and eating burgers and chips in the hotel washed down with a few pints 2-3 times a week.

 

I rarely drink sugary drinks which I think keeps me around 12st-13st, I'm 6ft so it's probably a healthy weight for someone my age and build.

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A fitbit is a good way of keeping track of your steps and tracking exercise and you can just do it all using their smartphone app. I have mine set for 10,000 per day, but depending what shift I have at work can usually get about 15,000 steps done on a daily basis, which it tells me is just under 7miles. You'd be surprised how much distance you actually cover just doing your day to day stuff

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30 minutes is a great base to start from, providing you don't stagnate. When you feel fit enough look at doing some high intensity intervals either through running or aerobic exercise or both. That shit will shred the weight off you providing you're diet is cleanish. I say cleanish because you shouldn't try to cut all the bad stuff out, that's boring as fuck. In time you'll get to know your metabolism better and will be able to judge your limits in regards to eating shite.

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I find walking a great exercise to help with weight loss. Due to back problems I can't walk for long periods non stop but a few short walks a day help

 

Snacking on fruit and drinking water tends to keep me full outside of meal times.

 

I also like to make a quick, simple homemade veg soup because it makes for a quick lunch or light dinner at this time of year and helps me make sure I get a good amount of veg in my diet.

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Nice one. My missus and half of my staff at work are doing Slimming World. I'm not usually a fan of prescriptive diets but SW is really good. Most of the time dinners take a while to prepare on it I find but the amount that you can eat and lose weight is unbelievable.

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Slimming world is just teaching people about portion control of the 'bad' stuff and filling up on the good stuff. It's a calorie controlled diet without the people on it having to count calories. I dare say if you ate a shit ton of one of their free foods like pasta that you'do struggle to lose weight.

 

It does work and probably seems simpler than learning about basic nutrition but for me you're better off learning about nutrition even if you are on SW.

 

Their Facebook pages are good for a laugh though.

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The whole idea of the super easy method is that 1/3 of your plate has to be a super free/speed food like onions, peppers, carrot, stuff like that. I've lost about 6lbs since the start of the year by partly following my girlfriends plan and every single evening meal has had a fair amount of carbohydrate. My missus is down over a stone since December.

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I've been working on losing weight myself since Christmas. Already gone from 20st 8lbs down to 19st.

 

A few things I've picked up:

 

1. Even if you're being fit & healthy, you're still yourself. So if you hate running, found an exercise you enjoy to ease you in otherwise you're likely to quit. Similarly, don't deny yourself foods or drinks you enjoy - just find healthier options.

 

2. Eat regularly. You should never go more than three hours without eating, even just some fruit, as it keeps your metabolism moving.

 

3. It's okay to slip - especially on a Friday or a Saturday. Just make sure there's no give 6 days a week and you will lose wait.

 

4. Impulsiveness is a problem. That cheeky pint (which inevitably turns into at least four). The takeaway because you can't be arsed to cook... It all adds up and for me is largely responsible for my weight problem. Plan your meals and snacks - the structure really helps. Don't skip either.

 

5. 40% healthy carbs, 30% protein, 30% healthy fat a day. Again, a simple structure which really helped me.

 

6. I add to those who vouched for myfitnesspal. Ultimately for me, losing  weight is about accountability and if you have to log your consumption everyday there is a bit of shame attached to a bad day. Be religious about logging too - you skip, you're only lying to yourself.

 

7. Weight yourself everyday, at the same time. I do it as soon as I get up. Even after a bad weigh in, you know today can be better. A good one and you fly into work!  Weighing in kilos is helpful too - I find it more precise.

 

8. Take away the stigma. Yes, you're overweight. But you're trying to do something about it. Even if you're still a fat bastard but you've lost 2lbs in a week, that's progress and be proud of it.

 

9. Take ownership and prioritise losing weight. The reality is diabetes and heart attacks are properly shit. And they start in your 40s. Even earlier for some. Put it above saving money, above work, above socialising. Still do those things, but health is important.

 

10. Realise that you have a problem and seek help if you can. I'm clear -I have a problem with eating and food control. I've gone to experts, got advice and support. My girlfriend struggles with her weight too and has lost a similar amount to me this year. Support is vital in succeeding. The doctor, in my experience are useless, giving nonsense advice which nobody can stick to. But your local gym or slimming world probably has some free or cheap scheme to help you through. I don't love slimming world - but I love the weekly affirmation about my weight loss from middle aged women!

 

Just my views!

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7. Weight yourself everyday, at the same time. I do it as soon as I get up. Even after a bad weigh in, you know today can be better. A good one and you fly into work!  Weighing in kilos is helpful too - I find it more precise.

 

8. Take away the stigma. Yes, you're overweight. But you're trying to do something about it. Even if you're still a fat bastard but you've lost 2lbs in a week, that's progress and be proud of it.

 

9. Take ownership and prioritise losing weight. The reality is diabetes and heart attacks are properly shit. And they start in your 40s. Even earlier for some. Put it above saving money, above work, above socialising. Still do those things, but health is important.

 

10. Realise that you have a problem and seek help if you can. I'm clear -I have a problem with eating and food control. I've gone to experts, got advice and support. My girlfriend struggles with her weight too and has lost a similar amount to me this year. Support is vital in succeeding. The doctor, in my experience are useless, giving nonsense advice which nobody can stick to. But your local gym or slimming world probably has some free or cheap scheme to help you through. I don't love slimming world - but I love the weekly affirmation about my weight loss from middle aged women!

This is one thing where I do have some issues with what you say. There is a focus on weight and tangible, measurable metrics, which I find is a mistake. This is because if you're eating well and exercising your body will change, including the gaining of some muscle. This means you can lose fat, gain muscle and put on weight over the space of a week. This is why I wouldn't be so dutiful when it comes to weighing yourself so regularly, especially since you can drop a fair bit of weight if you just go for a piss and a shit. A good set of scales that does your Body Fat Percentage are a better investment

 

As for prioritising losing weight over work and social life, this is another thing where you need to be careful.Because I do MMA and I had to stop doing BJJ due to getting injured, namely re-dislocating my shoulder, which then affected my work as a gardener. Obviously this sin't the same for everyone, but still going too nuts and injuring yourself can end up effecting your mood, which can end up with you slipping, with both your diet and exercise.

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