overwhelmed by all the conflicting information out there

Btmartin54

Wow! I have been cruising the posts looking for answers...I'm so glad you posted this question and received so many encouraging responses. This sure helped me a lot!!!

tanyaslosingit

A few years ago, my DH read a book called The Wisdom of Crowds (by James Surowiecki.) The basic premise of this book was that crowds are smarter than individuals when it comes down to figuring out the answers to questions or problems. The example that my husband quoted was that if you go to a county fair and they have a contest wherein everyone guesses the weight of a bull; no one individual is going to get it right; but if you take an average of all the responses, the resulting answer will prove to be very close to being correct. The theory has had its practical apllications in real life problems like when the military was looking for a missing sub. The experts weighed in and than everyone else in the room was also invited to guess. The sub was found within a close proximity of the aggreate co-ordinates!

Anyway, I bring this up in context of the MFP community. Whenever a question is posed on one of the forums, a number of advocates for a particular way of doing things will pop up and insist that their way is the only way! Some of it is well-intentioned and some of it is mean; but in reality none of it should be disrgarded per se; but each opinion taken in consideration of what will work for you!

Personally, I've been relying on my own experiences of what has worked (or not) in the past and duly noting the different opinions that are posted in response to questions similar to mine. Ultimately, in listening to my own body and keeping it all real, I've managed to reach a number of weight-loss milestones. With that in mind, when I post a response to someone's post, I only mention what has worked for me. I don't tell other people what to do :-)

LaurenAOK

You have to do you own research. That's basically what it comes down to. You can't believe anything someone just tells you about weight loss, because you're right, people have so many conflicting ideas. For example, the classic "should I or should I not eat my excercise calories" debate. You'll see a lot of conflicting info on here, but at the end of the day it's your job to look up articles, studies, etc. and see what actually makes sense. I did and things are a lot more clear to me now.

Above all else keep this in mind... when it really comes down to it, weight loss is pretty simple. Calories in vs. calories out. So whoever told you that running is pointless - don't listen to them! Running burns calories, and it's good for your cardiovascular system. If you're burning more calories than you eat, you lose weight. Ta-da!

Of course, there may be more effective ways to lose weight than running. And sure, if you want to get toned and lean faster, weight training is a great idea. But that doesn't mean that you MUST weight train or you CAN'T run. It's not that you CAN'T eat this and you MUST eat that. Anyone who tries to make it that black-and-white is generally wrong. Keep an open mind, do your own research, and enjoy your journey.

KristenBru

But when it comes to weight loss, this is my first "baby".

Love this! You'll get there!

supplemama

I try to keep it simple: Move more, eat less. Burn more calories than I eat. Force my body to use my fat reserves. So far it's working. I walk for the bulk of my exercise, and that is really helping the pounds fall off.

I wouldn't over think it. If you like to run, then run. Watch your diet, that goes without saying. You will lose weight. Keep going, you're doing great!

MaraDiaz

Keep doing what you're doing, if it is working.

This!

sixfootaliw

The way I look at it is that I am overweight because of years of eating rubbish and sitting on the sofa. So if I eat well and get moving, then it's got to be an improvement. Any movement is better than what I was doing!

I saw the PT at my gym this morning, and he says I'm not wasting my time with my long fast walks. Anything that gets my heart rate raised for an extended period is good according to him, and he knows far more than I do about it!

I reckon you should do what you enjoy and what you will stick at and stuff the so called 'experts' on the web!

AllergicToExercise

I know what you mean. In some ways there's too much information available to us now and it complicates things if you let it! I'm guilty of the same thing. I think the key point is that you're losing weight so you're obviously doing something right!

The only time I would look to change things up is if your current routine stops working or if you want to try out some new form of exercise or whatever. Otherwise, it's interesting to read what works for others but it may not necessarily work for you.

mscrumbyy

I agree with the others. If you're not enjoying yourself then what's the point? I personally find obsessing over calories and being overly strict with myself sucks all the fun out of being more active and healthy, and I give up pretty fast. I'm sticking with doing more and eating better and that works fine for me.

lesle1

I feel the same way at times. Sometimes it really bugs me when people don't know what they're talking about.

It really is about eating fewer calories and exercising more.

I lost 115 pounds in 1 year. I'm 51 years old and I have hypothyroidism. People say it's hard because you're "older" , or "Oh I have a thyroid problem". Yeah. Ok. Maybe. I don't know. I also had bad knees. I had to use my arms to lower myself into a seat and the pain going up and down steps was not fun. I do know that when I finally decided I was going to lose the weight it came off.

You have to get it in your head that YOU ARE GOING TO DO IT. It takes dedication. I did start with walking months before I started adding jogging. The walking was making me stronger but the weight wasn't coming off as fast as I wanted it to. I added slow jogs... from this driveway to that... that telephone pole to that mailbox, etc. and for you runners out there I'm going to call it "jogging" because I wasn't going faster than walking just bouncing around more : Þ

Eventually I was running. The more active I got the more I found I could eat. I eat a lot. I still eat a lot of junk and I'm working on it. One thing I've done from early on was start eating oranges, apples and bananas. Oranges I crave. I drink a lot of water. I can go through 48 ounces if I run 6 miles. But that's me... I drink a ton of water.

The more I ran the better I felt. Sure there were times I didn't want to run. I usually went anyway. I felt best if I was out there an hour a day. I didn't care at first that it was walking/jogging. The energy and good feeling that last all day is so worth it! Eventually I didn't care so much about the weight loss. I started caring more about how my body was feeling and how fast can I get... Wow my body hasn't felt like this in years! Woaaa I feel good!!!!!!! What would happen if I tried pushing a little harder. Oh, that's cool! Then I found I could win races. Ohhhh but there's some ladies still faster than me. Wow, she runs a 21-22 5K and she's 52 years old! How does she do that? Hmmmmmm... .wonder what would happen if I try this... Wow I did a half marathon and lived! That was so cooooooool. Why did I try to run the day after a half marathon? My poor ankle. Man I gotta runnnnnnn. Next day... I'm running. Slow running but I'll live. It feels better to get out there and do something then not to. Cool, new PR! oh yeah. I can get faster! Another half marathon.... geez... why do people run full marathons???? They're crazy. Wow! I lived through it! A week later. Wonder if I can train for a full marathon...

Not ready for a full marathon. I feel great! What can I do? I've got too much energy. Time to go swimming! Hey, if I use the bike I can train for a triathlon. That would be cooooooooooooooooooooool. Wonder how far I can swim..... what if I push harder. Hey I've got sore muscles. I haven't had sore muscles for awhile. I must be doing something right. Wow I can swim a mile. Gotta dig out the bike.

The more active I got the better I felt. I can eat a ton of calories now, but if I eat junk my body can tell the difference. I'm working on carbs before a run, carbs and protein after a run. For some reason dark red kidney beans, corn and brown rice give me energy for running so I like to eat that the days before a race.

It really does come down to fewer calories and more exercise. You don't have to exercise as much as I do. I just found that I love working out and I love being able to eat whatever I want.

The reason I love working out? Not so much about the weight loss anymore. (It's still cool when I run into people that don't recognize me). I love how I feel. I've been feeling really really really good. Yesterday morning I woke up and didn't know what to think. This 51 year old body felt like I did back when I was kid and swimming everyday and not caring about anything but having fun. That so much makes it worth it.

tamtamzz

I feel the same way at times. Sometimes it really bugs me when people don't know what they're talking about.

It really is about eating fewer calories and exercising more.

I lost 115 pounds in 1 year. I'm 51 years old and I have hypothyroidism. People say it's hard because you're "older" , or "Oh I have a thyroid problem". Yeah. Ok. Maybe. I don't know. I also had bad knees. I had to use my arms to lower myself into a seat and the pain going up and down steps was not fun. I do know that when I finally decided I was going to lose the weight it came off.

You have to get it in your head that YOU ARE GOING TO DO IT. It takes dedication. I did start with walking months before I started adding jogging. The walking was making me stronger but the weight wasn't coming off as fast as I wanted it to. I added slow jogs... from this driveway to that... that telephone pole to that mailbox, etc. and for you runners out there I'm going to call it "jogging" because I wasn't going faster than walking just bouncing around more : Þ

Eventually I was running. The more active I got the more I found I could eat. I eat a lot. I still eat a lot of junk and I'm working on it. One thing I've done from early on was start eating oranges, apples and bananas. Oranges I crave. I drink a lot of water. I can go through 48 ounces if I run 6 miles. But that's me... I drink a ton of water.

The more I ran the better I felt. Sure there were times I didn't want to run. I usually went anyway. I felt best if I was out there an hour a day. I didn't care at first that it was walking/jogging. The energy and good feeling that last all day is so worth it! Eventually I didn't care so much about the weight loss. I started caring more about how my body was feeling and how fast can I get... Wow my body hasn't felt like this in years! Woaaa I feel good!!!!!!! What would happen if I tried pushing a little harder. Oh, that's cool! Then I found I could win races. Ohhhh but there's some ladies still faster than me. Wow, she runs a 21-22 5K and she's 52 years old! How does she do that? Hmmmmmm... .wonder what would happen if I try this... Wow I did a half marathon and lived! That was so cooooooool. Why did I try to run the day after a half marathon? My poor ankle. Man I gotta runnnnnnn. Next day... I'm running. Slow running but I'll live. It feels better to get out there and do something then not to. Cool, new PR! oh yeah. I can get faster! Another half marathon.... geez... why do people run full marathons???? They're crazy. Wow! I lived through it! A week later. Wonder if I can train for a full marathon...

Not ready for a full marathon. I feel great! What can I do? I've got too much energy. Time to go swimming! Hey, if I use the bike I can train for a triathlon. That would be cooooooooooooooooooooool. Wonder how far I can swim..... what if I push harder. Hey I've got sore muscles. I haven't had sore muscles for awhile. I must be doing something right. Wow I can swim a mile. Gotta dig out the bike.

The more active I got the better I felt. I can eat a ton of calories now, but if I eat junk my body can tell the difference. I'm working on carbs before a run, carbs and protein after a run. For some reason dark red kidney beans, corn and brown rice give me energy for running so I like to eat that the days before a race.

It really does come down to fewer calories and more exercise. You don't have to exercise as much as I do. I just found that I love working out and I love being able to eat whatever I want.

The reason I love working out? Not so much about the weight loss anymore. (It's still cool when I run into people that don't recognize me). I love how I feel. I've been feeling really really really good. Yesterday morning I woke up and didn't know what to think. This 51 year old body felt like I did back when I was kid and swimming everyday and not caring about anything but having fun. That so much makes it worth it.

haha! This is EXACTLY how I feel! Gosh, when I first started, I couldn't even jump. I was huffing and puffing when I would walk my daughter to the bus stop. It was awful. I started doing Turbo Fire, my body was KILLING me, but I modified, then I could do it. I tried P90X but it was too boring for me, so I went back to TF.

Then my husband bought a treadmill, and that's when it started. He used it for about a month then stopped. I was happy with my beachbody products, but I'll be damned if we're gonna pay for a treadmill no one uses. That's how I started running. I knew about HIIT and Plyo from TF, so I incorporated in my running.

With strength training, well, I hate lifting weights. I find it unbelievably boring. I enjoy calisthenics, so that's what I do.

I guess the important thing is I like what I'm doing. I'll just stick with that. I'll also remember to use my common sense when it comes to weight loss. Most people who are successful in weight loss eat less and move more. Period.

jahzbuttafly

I'm so overwhelmed and confused, and I'm starting to lose motivation a little bit. :-/

Why is it when it comes to weight loss everything one does is wrong or incorrect? It's so aggravating. I like to run, so I run. I was doing a little surfing to find a hill repeat schedule only to find running is a waste of time, and you won't lose any weight. Great. Don't even get me started about diet because it's the same thing. It also seems that strength training MUST be done in a gym, or at the very least with weights. Anything else is sub par and a waste of time.

After a while it's like, "Well, what the hell am I supposed to do to lose weight?!" That leads to sitting on the couch trying to figure out what to do, also know as analysis paralysis.

What are some things you have done to get past allll the conflicting information? How do you make sense of it all and actually lose weight?

I have been losing, but, of course, that's supposed to stop and stall out any day now. Arghh!!

I am so in agreement with you on the information overload and the analysis paralysis!!! I am adopting the philosophy of some others "if it works for you, do it until it works no more, then try something new!"

ladykate7

Compare yourself to you. Do you not eat veggies, and you had a veggie today. Thats good! Sure you're supposed to have more than that, and I've read somewhere that if fruits and veggies are interchangable, but whatever. You did something that was a step in the right direction for you. And that's the focus, you.

Same with exercising. Did you move around a bit more? Great! Even if it only burns 10cals its still 10cals more than if you hadn't. As far as weights and the gym. There are plenty of things to do at home with no equipment. Ballet moves are all body weight. Try moving your legs around like that of 20mins and tell me its not a workout. Same even with arm circles. Its more endurance weight training then actual strength, but your body is a weight. Sit-ups, push-ups, planks, any yoga pose that makes your body shake from holding it so long. jumping jacks, burpees, hopscotch type drills, squats, lunges, dips off the dining room chair. Just to name a few.:happy: