Really need to lose weight

Prncsopowr started this discussion · 8/29/2010

So I am kinda flustered. I have slowly been creeping up on the scale and what's worse is that I have been letting myself do it. Both my brother and best friend are getting married in the spring and I am a bridesmaid in both weddings. What is worse though is how I feel. I just feel heavy and my clothing isn't fitting correctly. I know that I need to do something about it but am struggling with "rules" and "the right steps". I think I have decided to start with two goals. The first is that I can only eat out 8 times for the month of September, including lunch, dinner, happy hours, everything! I figure it will be a good plan for my wallet and waist. My other plan is to really focus on eating whole foods. If anyone has any great thoughts or motivational ideas. I just feel like counting calories is just too overwhelming right now but at the same time I need to see some results or I will become even more frustrated. Urgh!

15 replies

torrie24 · 8/29/2010
honey nut cheerios is a good start!! Im trying to stick to whole grains and fish diet. (not working to well yet) but when I am able to stick to it I find more energy to do more cardio exercises. But with doing pole I find it a win/lose thing with weight. When I pole alot I find that I gain the muscle weight but when I take some time off and do alot of cardio helps for losing the weight. make up your own schedule something that your bound to stick to! good luck!!
Prncsopowr · 8/29/2010
I think (or like to think) that I am focusing more on the number and more on my clothing. So gaining muscle is okay as long as my clothing starts to fit again. I guess that is more of my goal - to tone up and fit my clothing better.
Meleania · 8/29/2010
So you have until spring? so about march, thats about 27 weeks. Its safe for you to lose up to 1% of your body weight every week. Any more than that (with the exception of the beginning of your diet, since your body is getting rid of water weight) and your body starts to burn off your muscle. For most people thats about up to 2lbs a week.in the last 33 weeks ive been able to lose about 34lbs, so about a pound a week on average. but ill lose like 5lbs really fast and then be plateaued for 5 weeks (super annoying lol) I have lost 60lbs total so I know a bit about it, i practically had it down to a science before I started pole dancing again. Since pole builds muscle you have to go by inches and less by the scale, you might find yourself in a position like this for example.. Q: Is muscle really heavier than fat? I haven't seen any weight loss in over two weeks, yet I've noticed muscle definition in my arms and legs. My clothes fit slightly different too, but I would really like to see a change on the scale. A: Muscle is not heavier than fat - one pound of muscle weighs the same as one pound of fat; however, muscle is much more dense, and so one pound of muscle looks like one firm baseball, while one pound of fat looks like three soft NERF balls. An increase of muscle does obscure a loss of fat, and so don't get hung-up by your weight on the scale. If you want to follow the actual changes in your body composition, either get tested at a high-quality gym or track your measurements all around your body (chest, waist, hips, thighs, etc.) I suggest counting calories at http://caloriecount.about.com I have a profile there by Meleania as well, I have tons of weight loss tips on my journal. If you have any questions feel free to message me.
ktjane · 8/29/2010
A: Muscle is not heavier than fat - one pound of muscle weighs the same as one pound of fat; however, muscle is much more dense, and so one pound of muscle looks like one firm baseball, while one pound of fat looks like three soft NERF balls. An increase of muscle does obscure a loss of fat, and so don't get hung-up by your weight on the scale. If you want to follow the actual changes in your body composition, either get tested at a high-quality gym or track your measurements all around your body (chest, waist, hips, thighs, etc.) WHAT is this?? YES muscle is heavier then fat! one pound of anything weighs the same as one pound of anything else IT IS STILL A POUND. however a tennis ball size lump of muscle will weigh more then a tennis ball lump of fat. sorry i have no idea who wrote that but it doesn't make any sense. i have gained a stone (about 14 pounds) since i started poling but my body looks ten times better and i'v lost a size in clothing from a US 6 to a 4. another tip could be to use a body fat moniter to show the change and not worry about it however don't watch weight, watch size xxxxxxx
Meleania · 8/29/2010
A: Muscle is not heavier than fat - one pound of muscle weighs the same as one pound of fat; however, muscle is much more dense, and so one pound of muscle looks like one firm baseball, while one pound of fat looks like three soft NERF balls. An increase of muscle does obscure a loss of fat, and so don't get hung-up by your weight on the scale. If you want to follow the actual changes in your body composition, either get tested at a high-quality gym or track your measurements all around your body (chest, waist, hips, thighs, etc.) WHAT is this?? YES muscle is heavier then fat! one pound of anything weighs the same as one pound of anything else IT IS STILL A POUND. however a tennis ball size lump of muscle will weigh more then a tennis ball lump of fat. sorry i have no idea who wrote that but it doesn't make any sense. i have gained a stone (about 14 pounds) since i started poling but my body looks ten times better and i'v lost a size in clothing from a US 6 to a 4. another tip could be to use a body fat moniter to show the change and not worry about it however don't watch weight, watch size xxxxxxx 1 pound of anything is going to equal 1 pound of anything else, so in that sense, muscle is not heavier than fat. Kind of like that joke, "What weighs more? A ton of feathers or a ton of bricks?" Obviously bricks weigh more than feathers, but it is a trick question since a 'ton' is a weight measurement. http://localhosthttp://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm252/Meleania/muscle_fat_comparison.jpg?t=1283114936 I got that Q&A from one of my websites I read, I thought it explained it fairly well. But what it meant is that muscle is denser than fat. Have you ever gotten a gallon of milk and a gallon of water and held them in each hand? The milk weighs WAAY more than the water even though it is the same volume. Just like muscle and fat. See how in the picture it is exactly 5 pounds of muscle and fat and the muscle is much smaller than the fat? Sorry for the confusion.
Prncsopowr · 8/30/2010
I totally understand about the density of the two different body parts (muscle and fat). Its funny, when I was in college I had to do cadaver anatomy and have actually looked at what body fat looks like and its nasty!!! You would think that would be enough of a motivation! Muscle bellies are sooo much prettier! I think the more I think about it, the more I am discovering my issue (they seem to appear a little at a time). The one thing I really struggle with is motivation! I have done calorie counting before using sparkpeople, but it just seems a bit too overwhelming to me right now. So I guess my bigger question, is how do you all stay motivated?
minicoopergrl · 8/30/2010
Im not a big fan of calorie counting, I like things to be very effortless. Ive been a clean eater for over 6mos now. My main issue is portion sizes. I try to plate my food before I eat it esp. when im at home. I also avoid HFCS as much as possible.
chemgoddess1 · 8/30/2010
Clean eating. Pick up the books, pick up the cookbooks, read and learn. Calorie counting is not necessary if you eat clean.
pole-twista · 8/30/2010
hey i am in the same boat! 😮 🤸 i was FINALLY to my goal weight, 🥂 than had alot of vacation time over a couple months and gained 15lbs! ❗ 😳 i lost 5, but have 10 or maybe 15 to get to where i would like to be. i have also noticed my workouts have been really cut back time and frequency wise. if you would like to be "Goal Buddies" we could try to exchange tips, recipes, motivation, etc i mean as much as your time allows. i have alot of good advice as i lost a ton of weight after ending an unhealthy relationship, and did it w/o pills, special ldiets etc 📚 i did things like limit eating out to no more than 2x tops and got kids meals when went to fast food w water. blot my pizza, aalways take the stairs, park far away (as long as it's safe to do so), keep your kitchen stocked w healthy food (if you want junk you'll have to go out and get it and more often than not you won't. )make it easy for yourself to win. wash and cut fruit and veggies as soon as bring it home so when you want a snack or a side, you have healthy food waiting to go. no " it's too much work/ time" exuses. find ways to be active that you enjoy. if you hate running, don't run. swim, dance, lift weights, box etc. be creative. try to make healthier versions of foods you love. pizza = whole wheat crust, low sugar sauce, part skim mozzerella shredd cheese, your choice of veggies. healthy and yummy. ☀️ it's not huge leaps you need to take, it's small steps that will keep you steady and sustained. 🦇 i would love to have someone to do this w so if your intrested we can talk out here or exchange emails. take care 🌸 🌸
Prncsopowr · 8/31/2010
Support is always good!!! YAY for pole buddies 😀 I would add you as a friend but I cant figure out how 😕 Some parts of the site just confuse me!!!
pole-twista · 8/31/2010
lol it's ok, i started a 100 Day Challenge under health & Fitness. it's a way for everyone to be part of a 10o day health and fitness challenge where we can post our goals, healthy recipes, what we're working on as far as pole, push-ups, running distance or whatever. why don't you join us? it's easy to find. just go to health and fitness and go to topic "100 DAy Challenge?" great way to get tips, suppourt, and track progess! 🥂 🌸
Rena LadyBug · 9/1/2010
I am on a low carb and high protein diet, the p90x diet to be precise. I was burnt out on p90x (which I lost 14lbs in a few months and really started toning up) so I started going to the gym.. I also got off track when I went on vacation and have been fighting to get back on track. My husband has agreed to do P90x w/ me every other week, so we are going to rotate the gym and p90x. I'm hoping this will get me back on track for my goals. I would LOVE to lose 25-40 more pounds, but it just seems soo impossible!! I love food and I've never been skinny in my life!! I've ALWAYS been thick!! For as long as I could remember!! When I was younger, I wasn't fat, I was just thick.. and then I got older and I started becoming thicker..... I'm being nice 🙂 And honestly in February, I had gotten bigger than I have EVER been in my life, so I'm trying so hard to lose weight!! I am still a big girl, not going to lie at all 🙂 although I tell myself I'm thick and not fat 😀 If you have a workout partner, that will help keep you on track, but your diet is a HUGE part of your weight loss!!! Even if you are just walking and poling, it's better than nothing! 🙂
Prncsopowr · 9/1/2010
I joined the 100 day challenge and I have also gone back to checking in on Sparkpeople which has helped me lose weight in the past. I think I just need to focus on the small goals and as I meet them and they become habits, I will add more. I think that part of the reason for my continued yo-yoing is due to my continuously jumping in head first and changing everything at once and not really letting the changes become habits. For exercise I will be poling and dancing ballet. I will start to add the gym back in once the first round of goals becomes habit. Good luck with P90X! I have heard it is really hard but very effective when you follow it. I just dont think I would have the discipline to follow it right now.
Bellz · 9/1/2010
http://www.sparkpeople.com Awesome awesome awesome health/fitness/weight loss website. My name there is ShellyGon321, so if you sign up, tell them I told you to! It has helped me a lot, and helps a lot of other people too!!
sparkpeople.comSparkPeople — Reach Your Goals. Spread the Spark.SparkPeople is back — rebuilt from the ground up with SparkCoach AI coaching, streaks, a daily planner, and a positive community. Join free; your first 3 months of Premium are automatic.
coolchange · 9/2/2010
Hello.. I'll pop in with something that worked for me. Fall of last year I needed a hysterectomy for fibroids (or I was told I did). I was 42, my BP with meds was staying at 150+/ 100 and when I agreed to go ahead with the surgery, the snitty receptionist said, "he won't touch you with a TEN FOOT POLE with your BP the way it is". Wow she was rude. Maybe a good thing. My weight was up, my mood was down..woe is me. The final straw was geting together with friends after Thanksgiving from Jr High school. When I saw the photos of us together I was shocked at how I looked. That was it for me. I was seeing other doctors (thanks to a herniated disc) and finally a doctor said losing weight will help your back, your BP, yadda yadda. He very specifically told me to stay UNDER 30 grams a fat a day. Work out 45 minutes, 5 times a week. I thought I would last a few weeks and not stick with it, but for some reason I kept chugging along. I live on a farm, and any gym I ever join loses it's sparkle when I'm already tired and have to drive so far. Well...we live on 36 acres and I decided to walk. We have roads cut through the woods on the back of the property and dear husband mowed out a half mile loop for me. He even planted grass. Well in December I started walking. Just a few laps to begin with. A few steep hills back there, so I would huff and puff and thank goodness for my Ipod. A good jam would come on and I'd tune out the negativity and walk faster. I followed his 30 grams of fat rule and continued my walk in the woods and it all started to work. I'd eat oatmeal, fruit, carmel rice cakes for my sweet tooth and, chicken/fish/chicken/fish. I wonder some days if I will grow gills or start clucking. Lots of veggies, fat-free spray butter, plain Greek yogurt replaced the sour cream on my baked potatos (it's actually good). Organic skim milk, low-fat mayo or just skip it (a hard one for me) and on and on. Learned how to make the best strips of chicken breasts with wing sauce and eat celery with fat free dressing and it's just as good. I started following up at the doc and in a few months I was 9 lbs down. In another 45 days I had lost 12! About six weeks ago I went back and had lost another 9. My BP is perfect, no meds at all now!! All total this year over 35+ lbs and I went from a 12 to a size 6/8 and I'm 5'8. I went again today and walked my 3 to 3.5 miles and it's just what I have to do. The Veena lessons couldn't have come along at a better time. We had a BRUTAL summer here in Florida and I was able to start working the pole in on days when it was just too darn hot to walk and I'd find myself in there for sometimes 2 hours at a time and just so determined to fight this back injury and gain core strength and not lose my mind with two very dear, but very ill elderly parents to oversee. Now the upper body strength is coming, my legs are toning up and I love the workout. Funny thing is I refuse to get on a scale or let them tell me the numbers. I'm too obsessive and my clothes did the talking. Giving away 33 pairs of pants let me know I'm on the right track. It's finally a lifestyle for me and I plop down every night with a bowl of Butter Pecan frozen yogurt with carmel drizzled on top (probably a fourth of the fat that was in the Ice Cream I used to eat). It's September today and I haven't had one fast food burger this year, I don't drink soda now and when I do steal a few of my husband' s fries, they just aren't that great to me anymore. Kind of gross actually. Hang in there...took me years to find what worked for me and my doc is a huge fan of Sparkpeople. Wishing you the best... Becky in FL ☀️