Need suggestions - 700 cals/day...?

MyaA

ok so i know this one is a little off the beaten track, but is there a bellydance class in your area? in some places, there are inexpensive classes at community centres....i'm a bellydancer (teacher and performer) and i've worn my HRM to a class or two to see what it does to my calorie burn and sometimes i burn 150 calories/hr teaching and i work far less harder than my students do.

the dance is also very low impact, so is forgiving on your joints ( i also have injuries in my knees and ankles so i'm judging from experience). it's a fun way to spend an hour, and you do get some work going in various muscle groups (which groups depends on your teacher's style).

other option, you could buy a bellydance dvd and do it at home, they're usually cheaper than exercise dvds and i could check what's out there and make a couple recommendations if you like.

good luck!

cutmd

OP, you shouldn't go into it with the attitude you can't do anything for 90 mins. You can walk for that long at a slower pace, can't you? But I digress.

My suggestions for a cheap workout:

Jumping rope, with or without a rope is a huge burner
If you have a step stool, you can use it as a stepper. Step on and off to music or tv, your heart rate will soar
Combine these with a $10 Jillian michaels DVD like 30 day shred (you can start with soup cans for weights) and you've got a good cardio and resistance program

As for eating healthy on a budget, see if you have a local farmers market, buy whole chicken and de-skin it yourself, get some bulk nuts, etc. Yes it's not as cheap to eat healthy but it can be done

yvonnej1

Is swimming an option for you? It is how I started to improve my fitness after injury at the start of my weightloss before then moving onto the gym. It's low impact so will protect your tendons and joints, works virtually the whole of your body and helps to improve stamina. The calorie burn can be quite high too depending on which stroke you do.

muth3rluvx2

Some fantastic ideas coming out - keep them coming! I'm sure I'm not the only one out there with these kinds of questions.

to address some folks simultaneously:
I've re-started 30 day shred - I'm just being SUPER careful with the weights & push-ups.
Swimming means a YMCA membership where I'm at. :-( Not cheap.
Walking/Running - I do this at least 4 days a week - but because I power walk/run and my endurance in low, 20 minutes is still all about I can manage at those speeds and it only ends up being around 100 cals (varies depending on how much of it I've run vs. walked).

Diet - I don't think I said anything about having trouble with diet, per se. I actually eat rather healthfully (coffee is my worst culprit). I occasionally have soda or candy but almost never fast food, fried foods and i try very hard to stay away from pre-packaged/boxed foods. Calories does not equate to WHAT you're eating, necessarily. I'd caution anyone from jumping to that conclusion. I've overdone my cals on fruit before (bananas, avacados and grapes are amazingly high in cals). My other big problem is I probably don't eat as *frequently* as I should. But again, that doesn't speak to WHAT I'm eating. And eating healthy actually costs less than pre-packaged crap.

Belly dancing - looks like ALOT of fun BUT 150 cals/hour isn't what I'm looking for. If I can work out for an hour, I'd better be burning 3-500 cals. :-)

Life change: I have to find what works before I can commit to something being a life change. My goal IS to lose weight - which means once I get to maintenance, things will change again. Living healthy doesn't mean stagnant. I see alot of people getting flak for their focus being on losing weight ... generally (alhtough not always), that's how and why we end up here initially - because we want to lose weight. The style in which we work out and eat will alter as we go - so I'd like to also suggest that we're a little lighter when people mention weight loss and assume that they realize that MFP is about health *also*. If they don't, they'll leave on their own eventually.

Okay - I did my work out.. time to get something to eat - finally! And teh day is going far too fast for a Monday!!! :-p

fitbot

bely dancing is only good once you get good. as a beginner its kinda slow

coffee is not BAD.
but i have a suggestion.
try matcha lattes.
i find that its the milky beverage that mentally preps me for the day/

matcha is really healthy and has antioxidants and wakes you up and you can have it in latte format

muth3rluvx2

Is there a way to have it without milk? Lactose intolerant. :-( I do so love my coffee though.... lol