A
female
age
26-29,
anonymous
writes:Hey! Basically I have been un-happy with my weight now for some time and I am REALLY desperate to lose it. It kinda started about a year ago, I got put on these pills which made me put on loads of weight. I was orignally 10 stone, and over a year I have put on 3 more stone and I am just under 13 stone. I am deeply self concious about all this weight gain and I am so desperate to get back down to my 10 stone. I have visted my doctor and he has given me the all clear to lose all this weight, and so I pretty much started trying to lose it last week. So far it has gone really well, i've cut out a lot of the junk food I used to eat, as well as my weakness which is coca cola (have had just one can all week) I have started eating fresh fruit for snacks, and my dinner has been vegies and fish or chicken, all week. I do sometimes get up rather late as i'm a teenager and all so I do occasionally miss breakfast, but I either have a piece of fruit or scrabbled egg. And for lunch I have a salad, soup or a fruit salad. So over the last week the eating part has gone fantastic, the exercise part has gone okay too. I do find it really hard to exercise, just because I get easily tired and I find exercising hard to enjoy, however the one type I do enjoy is walking, so I have been walking 1-2 miles almost every day this week. Also in the past I have lost weight through simply just walking. However, even though I have done all that I haven't lost any weight this week which has kinda left me feeling disheartened, so I was wondering am I doing something wrong? Do I need to exercise more than I already am, I can't join a gym due to money and it just wouldn't really be my thing. Is it normal not to lose any weight after the first week? Any information or handy tips would be great as I am so determined to shift this weight! Thanks x
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reader, anonymous, writes (25 May 2014): This is verified as being by the original poster of the questionI can do that :) And with the whole jogging thing I do totally agree with you, I have injured myself before and I just found it hard to jog for more than a few minutes. I love cycling, but atm I don't have a bike, I also love swimming but I just have massive confidence issues with getting my body out. I think my best bet is walking and doing indoor workouts, I think I could extend the amount i'm walking to a lot more, which should help with the weight loss. I also need to do the workouts on a daily basis as I have done them before but i've never managed to keep it going. I think once I do that I will be on my way to losing weight, I just really hope I can stick to it and I will actually get the results that I want, as at the moment my life is on hold just so I can get fit. Thankyou again!
A
female
reader, Honeypie  + ♥, writes (25 May 2014):
 Find healthy things to replace those treats. For instance I use almonds, walnuts, pistachios and every now and then dark chocolate (because let's face it most women NEED chocolate every now and then ) For a while I used to chocolate chips you can use for baking about 15 little "drops" will give that "OMG chocolate!" feeling and won't ruin your change in diet. Popcorn is an easy and OK snack as well. Just don't go nuts with the salt/butter stuff.
Treating yourself to a coke or a store bought granola-bar (which contains a lot of salt/sugar/fat) can add things you do not need. And it sets your self up for thinking that a Coke is a treat, when it's really not. (I used to be a can a day of Coke, I haven't had one in years) Soda should be avoided.
Cutting sugar is good, because we don't really NEED sugar.
If you like something sweet in your tea use honey/argave nectar. It's not WAY more "healthy" then sugar, but it is unrefined which is good. AND.. you use FAR less.
If you can I'd rather go bike riding/swimming over jogging. When a person is heavier then normal jogging puts extra strain on the joints, knees, hips and ankles which can result in injuries and... that will give you a huge set back.
I did a combo of bike-riding/gym/pool. Bike riding and swimming are by far better for your joints.
And DO keep a weightloss journal.
Put in your measurements, you work out (whatever you did that day), and you what you ate. ( there are calorie calculators that works with many cell phone, but you can also just use an online one).
DO NOT get on the scales daily, it's demoralizing. Once a week might be better. Also do the tape measures once a week.
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A
reader, anonymous, writes (25 May 2014): This is verified as being by the original poster of the questionThankyou for your advice!
I am so desperate to lose weight I am willing to do almost anything and if that means getting more active and cutting even more food out then I will!
I have cut a lot of junk food out, but i've still been having a treat when it gets later on in the day, such a small chocolate bar or a muffin or just a little thing like that.
I will start tomorrow by cutting them little things out as well!
I will start building up my exercise and i'll walk further and further each day, I will also take up looking on youtube for some small workouts to do and I will try and build them up each day to as I do find it hard to do the whole thing and to keep on going.
Also the 6 days a week thing sounds good too, as I haven't been doing it six days a week, but i've been doing it for about 4 days a week. And I did have 3 days where I did nothing.
My eating is going down the right path, as for main meals I am doing the whole "separating your plate up" by having half of the plate veggies, and the a part protein and a part carbs.
I will also try and take up jogging when I start losing some weight and I think atm I should focus on the walking, and working out at home bit and then get round to the jogging, I will also take up swimming when I feel comfortable enough to get into a pool.
Thank you so much for your support, and your advice. My diets have failed in the past because I have done it for a week and haven't got my desired results which has made me feel like a failure, so I give them up. But this has only made me more determined so thankyou so much! I will update you when I can about how its going, I just hope it goes well. :)
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A
male
reader, Mark1978 +, writes (24 May 2014):
 Hello,
I lost two stone last summer through diet and exercise and I know that loosing weight can take time, effort and commitment. Even if you eat almost nothing and ran for miles it would unlikely show up much on the a scales after a week.
Skipping breakfast is bad as it puts your body in to a mode which causes it to store fat. Lacking breakfast and laying about all morning will hinder any effort to loose weight as you are spending too much time doing nothing and making your weight harder to shift.
Im afraid that if you want to loose weight its a case of cutting out ALL junk food. There are so many calories in junk food that it would take several miles of walking just to burn off the junk, before you make inroads into your body fat. Also be wary of eating too many salads and the like. Although healthy they don't fill us up meaning we are more likely to reach for something yummy and fattening to fill us up.
To be honest walking one or two miles a day isn't very much at all. I lost my weight by cycling. At first I thought riding to my closest village and back was a major achievement (about 4 miles). No I realise that was nothing on a bike. I soon built it up and despite set backs, frustrations, injuries and lots of punctures, I managed a few months later to cycle 65 miles in a day as a one off, and around 45 miles three times a week. It took probably three months before the weight suddenly dropped off very quickly.
The mistake a lot of people make is to plod along on a tread mill for five minutes, or walk a mile or two and think they have burnt away the calories. In truth you have to keep extending yourself. As you are overweight at present and therefore not so fit it will be hard at first. But stick with it and keep pushing further and you will see results.
Walking is good exercise but not one that will make you shed the pounds too quickly. Running, cycling, swimming, etc are much better. If you want to loose the weight by walking then you need to go further each time. Until eventually you can do several miles. Yes its hard, time consuming and boring but if it was easy we would all have a body as great as mine (Ahem).
My weight loss was hard, it was painful at times, took a lot of time and effort and when your 50 miles from home, caught in a storm and trying to find a tiny thorn that's punctured BOTH tyres on your bike it can be soul destroying. Yet I am now fit, healthy, happier, less stressed and of course slimmer.
I have to keep up some exercise and obviously watch what I eat but again its better than looking like i'm a heavily a pregnant man.
DONT FORGET TO LET US KNOW HOW YOU GET ON!
Mark
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A
female
reader, Honeypie + ♥, writes (24 May 2014):
Don't UNDER EAT. (starving yourself will make your body produce fat) Make SURE you know how many calories (how much fat/protein/carbs you need to lose weight). KEEP a food journal and keep track. Eating plenty of unrefined grains, like brown rice and whole-wheat bread, cereal, and pasta. They also suggest that fruit and veggies should make up half of what is on your plate. I like bulgur for lunch because you can make it with more or less ANY veggies.
Water. INCREASE your water intake.
Don't make excuses for why you don't want/need to exercise.
Exercise doesn't have to be RUNNING 5 miles a day. Going to a good brisk walk for 45 min is a good start. Start with something you can STICK with. If you have a dog, taking her/him for an extra long walk will do you both good. Walking 1-2 miles a day is a GREAT start. After a couple of months then add swimming/weights/bike riding. Work out 5 or 6 days a week and DO have a BREAK day - after a while you will find that you STILL WANT to get up and do something.
As for weights, you don't have to BUY any. Get a couple of 32 ounce soda bottles and fill with sand.
DO NOT have ZERO days. Days where you do nothing. If you are NOU feeling up for walking (it's raining and crappy out) look up YOUTUBE for some 5-20 minute work out.
You won't REALLY see a big weight-loss for a good 4 months. The first month, month and a half it can be a merely water weight. YOUR body HAS to get into the habit of BURNING the calories.
INSTEAD of getting on the SCALE every day, MEASURE yourself on key spots.
Common Body Measurements
Bust: Place the measuring tape across your nipples and measure around the largest part of your chest. Be sure to keep the tape parallel to the floor.
Chest: Place the measuring tape just under your breasts/pecs and measure around the torso while keeping the tape parallel to the floor.
Waist: Place the measuring tape about a 1/2 inch above your bellybutton (at the narrowest part of your waist) to measure around your torso. When measuring your waist, exhale and measure before inhaling again.
Hips: Place the measuring tape across the widest part of your hips/buttocks and measure all the way around while keeping the tape parallel to the floor.
The safe weight loss involves combining a reduced-calorie diet with physical activity to lose 1/2 to 2 pounds a week, no more.
Because of your age, I would suggest you talk to your mom/dad and get your GP to help you with a healthy eating plan. When you start trying to do it on your own it can turn out to do more damage then good.
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