Dropping weight
- Thread starter BigPapa
- Start date
It's a constant battle especially with age as well. To go down to the basic calorie count is a key, limiting carbs and sugars, and keeping active. I'll mention some things below that I've been told to help with overall health and losing weight.
- No soda at all. Not diet or zero just avoid it.
- After eating get up and get moving for at least 10-15 minutes.
- Avoid the carbs and increase the pure proteins.
- Portion size is key. It's better to do a few small meals through a day rather than bigger and heavier ones.
- Eat breakfast and get your system moving and consider making dinners smaller.
And a perfect line for this is improvement not perfection. We do not all have the time to get to the gym every day. Sometimes we want something with flavor to ******* or we want ice cream after dinner. Plus if you slip up it's okay and not the end of the world. Just get back to it.
- No soda at all. Not diet or zero just avoid it.
- After eating get up and get moving for at least 10-15 minutes.
- Avoid the carbs and increase the pure proteins.
- Portion size is key. It's better to do a few small meals through a day rather than bigger and heavier ones.
- Eat breakfast and get your system moving and consider making dinners smaller.
And a perfect line for this is improvement not perfection. We do not all have the time to get to the gym every day. Sometimes we want something with flavor to ******* or we want ice cream after dinner. Plus if you slip up it's okay and not the end of the world. Just get back to it.
I'm 39 and have consistently been into weightlifting / fitness the last 10 years. It definitely gets harder as we get older. The first step I tell everyone who wants to jump start their diet is to track your current intake with MyFitnessPal for at least 2 weeks. Everything. Understand what your total calorie intake is and your carb, fat, and protein distribution and compare it against your caloric needs for your goals. Adjust those based on your desired outcome and set a realistic timeline. For most people I've helped, it's been around 1 lbs a week. There are different ways to achieve that, but thats where I start.
Gyms being closed don’t help either. Ever recorded via the Cronometer app?
I'm not in the best shape currently due to chronic conditions but several years ago I went from close to 400lbs down to 150lbs in about 15 months so I do know a thing or two about weight loss.
The biggest thing for me was cutting out all caloric beverages. At first that meant switching to diet soda and iced tea and then eventually just to water. After a while you won't want juice or pop at all, you'll crave only water. I dropped 25lbs pretty much immediately just from this change.
Next was tracking all my food, at first just tracking things as I ate them to get a handle on how many calories were in my favourite foods and then eventually I was planning my meals the day before in the MyFitnessPal app. Seeing the amount of not only calories but sugar and sodium in the things you're consuming will change how you eat.
For exercise I got myself a trainer for the first year and she was fantastic. I recommend getting some outside help at first even if it's just for a few sessions because it gives you a foundation. Tons of trainers are doing discounted online sessions at the moment. She got me comfy with how different movements should feel and gave me a wealth of knowledge so I didn't feel so lost on my own workouts. At my peak I was working out twice a day, once with her and once on my own 5 days per week. After our sessions were up I kept the same pace just because it was second nature. Right after I hit my goals I got a fracture that took me out of my routine and then right when I was getting back into it they closed my gym so I ended up on a year long hiatus and gained back 50lbs. Consistency really is key!
With my gym closed I tried a few others but never really found one I loved so I ended up doing fitness classes (zumba and yoga mostly) at a dance studio and took off everything I gained back. It was easy because I loved the classes and it didn't feel like work. While I was back to the same number on the scale, my body wasn't as toned because I wasn't lifting. But it was an easy fitness regimen to stick to because it was fun, try to keep that in mind because you're way more likely to quit something that feels like work and you dread doing.
I started getting really sick a few years ago with autoimmune bullshit and gained back that 50 plus some extra due to constant pain and a whole whack of medication fucking my system up and just generally making everything exhausting. Thankfully I'm nowhere near where I started and even though I'm overweight I still have much healthier habits. I can't workout like I used to but I walk my dogs all the time and on good days I workout at home (zumba, yoga, HIIT, insanity, TRX). For now that's what I'm able to do so it's good enough for me.
The best advice I can give is be realistic, a lot of people have an all or nothing approach to weight loss and fitness where if you're not eating perfectly and lifting heavy everyday you're not doing it right but that's a great way to burn yourself out and lose all your motivation. Start small and easy and once you get a handle on one small change, add another. The changes in your body won't be instantaneous but they'll happen. Eventually when you start feeling better you'll want to challenge yourself and see just how much you can take on and then boom you've got a healthier lifestyle. Don't focus on a number on the scale or fitting into certain clothes, just make the changes that make you overall healthier and all that will follow.
The biggest thing for me was cutting out all caloric beverages. At first that meant switching to diet soda and iced tea and then eventually just to water. After a while you won't want juice or pop at all, you'll crave only water. I dropped 25lbs pretty much immediately just from this change.
Next was tracking all my food, at first just tracking things as I ate them to get a handle on how many calories were in my favourite foods and then eventually I was planning my meals the day before in the MyFitnessPal app. Seeing the amount of not only calories but sugar and sodium in the things you're consuming will change how you eat.
For exercise I got myself a trainer for the first year and she was fantastic. I recommend getting some outside help at first even if it's just for a few sessions because it gives you a foundation. Tons of trainers are doing discounted online sessions at the moment. She got me comfy with how different movements should feel and gave me a wealth of knowledge so I didn't feel so lost on my own workouts. At my peak I was working out twice a day, once with her and once on my own 5 days per week. After our sessions were up I kept the same pace just because it was second nature. Right after I hit my goals I got a fracture that took me out of my routine and then right when I was getting back into it they closed my gym so I ended up on a year long hiatus and gained back 50lbs. Consistency really is key!
With my gym closed I tried a few others but never really found one I loved so I ended up doing fitness classes (zumba and yoga mostly) at a dance studio and took off everything I gained back. It was easy because I loved the classes and it didn't feel like work. While I was back to the same number on the scale, my body wasn't as toned because I wasn't lifting. But it was an easy fitness regimen to stick to because it was fun, try to keep that in mind because you're way more likely to quit something that feels like work and you dread doing.
I started getting really sick a few years ago with autoimmune bullshit and gained back that 50 plus some extra due to constant pain and a whole whack of medication fucking my system up and just generally making everything exhausting. Thankfully I'm nowhere near where I started and even though I'm overweight I still have much healthier habits. I can't workout like I used to but I walk my dogs all the time and on good days I workout at home (zumba, yoga, HIIT, insanity, TRX). For now that's what I'm able to do so it's good enough for me.
The best advice I can give is be realistic, a lot of people have an all or nothing approach to weight loss and fitness where if you're not eating perfectly and lifting heavy everyday you're not doing it right but that's a great way to burn yourself out and lose all your motivation. Start small and easy and once you get a handle on one small change, add another. The changes in your body won't be instantaneous but they'll happen. Eventually when you start feeling better you'll want to challenge yourself and see just how much you can take on and then boom you've got a healthier lifestyle. Don't focus on a number on the scale or fitting into certain clothes, just make the changes that make you overall healthier and all that will follow.
We found ourselves asking these questions 5 years ago, and we did the following:
1. Got educated and interested in exercise and muscle building.
Recommendation (which we used) Both the hard copy and audio book of Bigger, Leander, Stronger: https://legionathletics.com/product...OhyGHOJGQj0DmT1Q699cYNT7Ie8CJGNEaAl2_EALw_wcB
2. Made daily journaling (for purposes of setting intentions as well as accountability) a must-do activity as it promotes and reinforces new positive habits.
One excellent and simple journal that husband uses is "The Five Minute Journal": https://www.intelligentchange.com/c...cwD_hwZ-xImmOege_S9oINbp6QiMheMaAs0PEALw_wcB0
3. Finally, listen to podcasts that interest you and give you something to look forward to - and make that a part of your daily exercise routine. Workout and nutritional podcasts can be a part of it, but sexy podcasts and anything that holds your interest can also be a part of it. The point is to make the whole a part of the reinforcement process so that exercise becomes a habit you look forward to.
1. Got educated and interested in exercise and muscle building.
Recommendation (which we used) Both the hard copy and audio book of Bigger, Leander, Stronger: https://legionathletics.com/product...OhyGHOJGQj0DmT1Q699cYNT7Ie8CJGNEaAl2_EALw_wcB
2. Made daily journaling (for purposes of setting intentions as well as accountability) a must-do activity as it promotes and reinforces new positive habits.
One excellent and simple journal that husband uses is "The Five Minute Journal": https://www.intelligentchange.com/c...cwD_hwZ-xImmOege_S9oINbp6QiMheMaAs0PEALw_wcB0
3. Finally, listen to podcasts that interest you and give you something to look forward to - and make that a part of your daily exercise routine. Workout and nutritional podcasts can be a part of it, but sexy podcasts and anything that holds your interest can also be a part of it. The point is to make the whole a part of the reinforcement process so that exercise becomes a habit you look forward to.
