Really Need Encouragement

crittergurl84

I really need to lose weight and it is hard for me at this point cause I do not have anyone that will help me through or encourage me through this weight loss. I do not own a gym membership or a bike all I can do is walk. I am not sure how to start what I need to keep doing to stay out on this. Can anyone help me?

lilyxD

Feel free to add me! I love to give encouragement, and I LOVE motivation buddies!! If you ever need anything, please dont hesitate to message me!!(:

SPNLuver83

You can FR me if you want. Best thing to do is get an at home workout program and follow the schedule they give you.

mmsmom99

Welcome! Rest assured you are not alone. I've only been on this site for 2-1/2 weeks, and I have already lost 7 pounds. You will be amazed at how much better you feel after losing only a little bit of weight. Even if you only walk for a few minutes, it's better than nothing. You're still moving. And pretty soon that few minutes will grow into a longer walk. Every little bit helps. Don't get discouraged!

JlSimon22

Feel free to add me too. I always find it more helpful when you have a community of encouraging people with the same goals. There are definitely ways you can do it without having a gym membership. It's one day at a time! Food is a huge part of the battle and then adding in exercise. And if you are like me, in that you know what you should do but find it hard to keep on track sometimes- its so helpful to do it with others and give yourself a break to know it is a life long journey!

denisemacris

Hi, do not get discouraged, this is a journey and we need to appreciate the good and bad days. I have started walking every day for 30 minutes and it makes a huge difference. I literally walk 15 minutes out and then 15 back wherever I am. It goes by so quick. Just have to make it a habit.

JlSimon22

There are also a lot of free exercise tips online that are helpful.

Here's a good one to start with

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/fitness-beginners-guide

AnneSamson

Walking is a great exercise so I wouldn't let that get in the way, get out and walk! I have had some success by phasing myself into a change in my lifestyle. First I started exercising regularly. I didn't change anything else, just made myself fit the exercise into my life. I used to be a "I hate exercising" kind of gal but now it is like my drug, I feel soooo good after a workout, its amazing! Another thing I did that really helped was "redesigning" eat meal, one at a time. So I started out by finding some choices (like 2-3) that were healthy, I really liked and kept me full for breakfast and I kept with those choices, adding different choices as I came across ones that met my needs. Then I found some snacks that worked. The lunch, another snack and finally dinner. I expand a little at a time but it helped me a lot to take this approach, I found it a lot more stressful than all of a sudden from this moment on I have to do everything differently. I have been trying to eat a big, big salad for lunch every other day or so which keeps me full for a long time and can be super low in calories if you put it together with mostly veggies and then add a lean protein like chicken or tuna and a low calorie dressing. I also really, really like the Fiber One bars for snacks. To me they are just delicious, low in calories and have the bonus of added fiber!

Anyway, my point is, do what works for you, not what everyone tells you to do. Its very personal. Good luck!

tlnurse

Feel free to friend me....I also need encouragement! Do you have a TV and DVD player? My favorite work-outs are from beachbody.com (Chalean extreme). All you need is that program and hand weights.....it will change you life and your body!

Spiritwarrior3000

I sent you a friend request i really would like to help you lose weight

ElviraCross

I love to walk! Feel free to add me!

karenharper88

Hi there.. feel free to add me, I need the help too.
There are a lot of weight-loss-oriented exercise programs available on the internet, that don't require any equipment. Some are even free, like these on youtube that I like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtYgmDEddug
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUieo6Mc9EA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT09bryb0C4&feature=related
Good luck!

Givingitagdgo

I know the feeling and Im new too. Feel free to add me

Smokey19

Walking is a great way to start. Make small changes slowly. Drink plenty of water. You CAN do this. Feel free to add me.

dmoses

You will find lots of encouraging and supportive friends here. If you have Netflix, I believe they have exercise DVDs that you can rent (maybe even watch instantly, but I don't know for sure).

MD1Girl

Do you have cable? My cable company has fitness on demand. I choose several and workout in the comfort of my own home. They are constantly changing the selections so I don't get in a rut with the same old boring routine. Plus, I'm already paying for it, so why not use it? They have workouts for all fitness levels and it has saved me spending money on a bunch of different workouts I may or may not like. Hang in there! This site is very helpful in helping you track your food and exercise for success. I'm not on the boards much and I don't have many friends on here as I'm relatively new myself.

pfdn

You don't need any :-) I can't speak for myself, as I'm doing a bit of cardio and weight lifting. However, my sister lost 15kg just dieting and trying to be more active (use the stairs instead of elevator, get out of bus one stop before of after her destiny and walk, etc). Just use your imagination and you'll see the "gym membership" part is just marketing :-)

Reginahasdoneit

Hey, I have been motivated to just do movement, baby sit-ups, and floor stretches, it is helping me and it is helping motivate me to walk and cut back on my portions. I hope it helps, baby steps helps.

basillowe66

Hi Critter, Are you just starting? Have you lost at all? Just realize, you have to increase your activity and decease the total calories that you eat. You will find if you get a notebook and write everything down that you eat everyday and be accurate with the calories. That means no chip, no cookies no donuts or thing like that. You can get your excersise by walking , but as you get into it you have to incease your speed some. Just realize, that for the 1st couple of weeks you won't see any great results, it takes time. But you will be happy as time goes by . The biggest thing, you have to want to lose!!!

Basil

angelsingin4jc

I lost my fist 20+ lbs "just" walking! My husband and I don't have a gym membership and before we moved into our apartment, we didn't have access to any exercise equipment whatsoever! We started on our journey back at the end of March. We walked at a 3.0-4.0 mph pace for 25-35 minutes a day, 3-4 times a week, at first. I lost 11.9 lbs my first week! I'm now so in shape that I can rock out 40 minutes on the elliptical! (P.S. The elliptical is a total butt-kicker when you first start using it!) Walking is a great way to tone as you go, too! Toning as you lose weight will help (but not eliminate) excess skin! My legs are solid muscle right now due to walking and the elliptical! Seriously! Don't be discouraged! Losing weight doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg!! If you need encouragement, please feel free to add me! I don't have a lot of non-real life friends on my list, but I'd love to change that!

angelsingin4jc

I'd also like to add that I am still severely overweight (read: obese.) I have my next short term goal (50 lbs) on my weight loss ticker, but my ultimate goal is around 145 lbs lost. Yep. I was/am THAT overweight! Soooo...I'll be on here for a good while! :-)

speediejane

take each day as it comes,make small changes daily -watch portion size drink water-and walk-feel free to add

aaruskey1

You can totally do this without fancy equipment or a gym membership. I was 226 lbs over a year ago and started P90X (my friend lent me the videos). I couldn't fit into any of the clothes at work (I worked for J.Crew) and that was honestly my motivator. I would look in the mirror and be so angry that I couldn't even wear what I sold. That was the breaking point as well as what fueled my drive to make a change. There are so many online resources for exercises that you can work into a routine or just even getting outside to walk/jog and use a GPS app to track your distance/time. I find online tools all the time to help me out.

Feel free to add me if you need encouragement or even just someone to give you a swift kick to stay on track. This was a lifestyle change for me and is a part of my day to stay on track.

angelsingin4jc

Hi Critter, Are you just starting? Have you lost at all? Just realize, you have to increase your activity and decease the total calories that you eat. You will find if you get a notebook and write everything down that you eat everyday and be accurate with the calories. That means no chip, no cookies no donuts or thing like that. You can get your excersise by walking , but as you get into it you have to incease your speed some. Just realize, that for the 1st couple of weeks you won't see any great results, it takes time. But you will be happy as time goes by . The biggest thing, you have to want to lose!!!

Basil

I don't mean to sound rude, so please don't take it that way, but if you have a lot to lose, the pounds will melt off at the beginning. Changing your life from lots of calories to fewer calories has a bigger effect on people who weigh more. Also, I do agree with the "no junk" at first. I didn't have sweets/junk food for the first month, so my body could detox a little. I now can have a snack or some frozen yogurt/ice cream and only have a serving! Measure everything! Learn what a serving size of each food looks like. Pre-plan your meals. Plug everything into your diary at once so you can adjust accordingly. Do NOT eat your exercise calories. You can, but the progress won't go as quickly. Be HONEST. If you have a cup of something, don't enter 1/2 cup. If you can't find the exact brand, overestimate calories. It's better for your diary to reflect more than you actually ate than to under estimate and eat more than you've recorded. Focus on your workouts. When you're out walking, don't do the bare minimum! Push until it burns! Sweat profusely. Don't give a darn about how you look to others. They don't matter! You're saving your life here! Let them think what they want! :-)

reggie2run

Feel free to add me too. I am on here everyday, a couple of times a day.
I have found that counting calories has really worked for me...that and having the support and motivation of my MFP friends. They're awesome!!
We can motivate and support each other thru this journey.

angelsingin4jc

You will find lots of encouraging and supportive friends here. If you have Netflix, I believe they have exercise DVDs that you can rent (maybe even watch instantly, but I don't know for sure).

I only use the streaming version of Netflix, but there are TONS of workout DVDs on there! I love the ten minute ones! The kickboxing and dancing ones are my favorites!

johicks

You can also do some circuit training- I don't go to the gym either.

http://exercise.about.com/od/circuittrainingworkouts/Circuit_Training_Workouts.htm

"If you think you can, you're right! If you think you can't, you're right!" ~ Henry Ford

jeannelawrie

I still have quite a way to go and have done a lot of what I have accomplished so far with home workouts and walking. The fact that you found this site, is already a great start. You can do this and please feel free to add me if you want another friend and person to support you!

CSU2012

I just started my diet yesterday. I'll tell you what I plan to do. I have a treadmill, but don't want to start out my exercising with that. It's soooo boring. Walking outside gets boring too. I plan to start out by vigorously cleaning. For example, today, I chose to clean out my refrigerator. This was a very strenuous exercise for me, since I'm so large. I burned 572 calories in the 90 minutes of cleaning! It was a great workout, and definately not boring at all. It went by so fast! Tomorrow, I plan to thoroughly clean out the freezer section of my refrigerator. Some other vigorous cleaning you could do: wash your car by hand; completely detail your car; repaint a room; clean out your closet; clean out your dresser drawers, clean out your child's closet, etc. I hope this helps to get you motivated to exercise. Best of luck to you! From: CSU2012, (in Denham Springs, Louisiana-USA)

StefPayne

I love to walk, mostly because I love to be outside after being in an office all day. I walk carrying 5 lb hand weights so that I can get some upper body workout in as I am walking. I just started 5 weeks ago and I am up to 4 miles a day ( with lots of hills) 6 days a week and I love it!! If you can incorporate some hills in to your walk it will be an added workout. Just watch your calories in, start walking and drink plenty of water and you will see a difference. Please feel free to add me and just remember you can do this!!