Help, tips, advice & friends needed please!

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DinkyDani88
DinkyDani88 Posts: 22 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So far this year I have attended 4 weddings, have 1 more to go, then a year break before 2014 brings more! At every single one I have felt fat.

Mainly because, for obvious reasons, the bride always looks stunning as do the bridesmaids. I have struggled each time to find something to wear, always a different dress as all my friends are from the same circle, so no recycling. And I am fed up of it.

I have a 1200 calorie limit per day, I don’t really struggle to stay within it most days, and I try to do a lot of cardio. BUT, no weight is coming off, my clothes don’t fit any better than when I started and I am dreading going on a weekend away with 14 of my friends (all couples) and getting into my bikini when all of the other girls, bar 1, is a lot smaller than me.

I have 40lbs to go to my goal weight, which I was at 2 years ago before I met my boyfriend. Any tips are welcome and I would love some motivation.

Replies

  • superflus
    superflus Posts: 29
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    Be sure you are getting enough protein and fiber among your 1200 calories, and drinking plenty of water. Have you tried changing up your workouts? Cardio some days, lifting other days, something like yoga on other days, and a rest day or two? Changing the ways you burn might get your body moving in the direction of loss.

    Feel free to add me; I log every day. Best of luck.
  • bii14
    bii14 Posts: 192
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    hey i have quite the same issues as you i dont strruggle much to stay under which we definitely should. my weight loss has been quite slow and i need to get started really seriously on it. I have lost quite a bit of motivation, also on MFP when i first joined and started making frends people would respond to your daily activities and their comments would just be so motivational but that seemed to have stopped coming in and i guess thats something of a big reason for loss in motivation. Would love to have more frends and some new motivation :)
  • Butterbean6737
    Butterbean6737 Posts: 34 Member
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    i'm not an expert but I would suggest it's down to 80% diet and 20% exercise. My weight has yo-yo'ed since I started on MFP two and a half years ago but it's going the right way again.
    A targetof 40lbs in a year is definitely doable. Best of luck and feel free to add me. I log most days and regularly reply to my MFP friends :)
  • DinkyDani88
    DinkyDani88 Posts: 22 Member
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    Thanks guys, I think I will start shaking up my work outs. I never quite know what to do with my weights for it to effective though!

    I've always thought about Yoga..may have to give that a try.
  • AlphamaleBAMF
    AlphamaleBAMF Posts: 373 Member
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    So far this year I have attended 4 weddings, have 1 more to go, then a year break before 2014 brings more!

    And about 10 years until a spate of bitter divorces.

    Not to sound like a wet blanket but at least 2 of those marriages are going to fail.
  • parrrp
    parrrp Posts: 14 Member
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    Have you spoken to your doctor? I have an underactive thyroid and before I got treated I couldn't lose weight at all... they should be able to refer you to someone who could look at what you're eating and give you some advice on why your weight isn't shifting?
    I also find cutting out processed wheat helps - bread and pasta seem to slow my metabolism down and make me retain water.
  • chljlleal
    chljlleal Posts: 230 Member
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    Feel free to add me, we can all do with some mutual support.

    good luck
  • ModernLeper
    ModernLeper Posts: 7
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    I would say weight lifting is more important than cardio for weight loss exercise. Your muscle IS your metabolism, and you burn (this number varies a lot depending on your sources) about 30 extra calories a day per pound of muscle you add, which may not seem like a lot, but 5lbs of extra muscle means your body is burning roughly 55000 more calories a year.
    Cardio may burn more calories, but in the long run you will be burning fat AND muscle, muscle needs preserving. Also as you do more cardio, your body becomes much better at metabolising fat efficiently, so you are burning fewer calories.

    5lbs of muscle won't make you big or bulky or anything, we don't have testosterone so our muscles can't get that big, it will just make you look toned and shred calories!

    A lot of people on here recommend "new rules of lifting for women" as a starter book for weight training and so do I, it's an easy read and will mean you're not afraid of lifting heavy. If you want to start straight away though there are some great beginners programmes for women on body building.com, just make sure your form is perfected.

    Good luck and I hope you look great at all these weddings!
  • RunningWithoutAWatch
    RunningWithoutAWatch Posts: 31
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    Welcome.

    What are you eating? What are you doing for exercise? How often are you exercising?

    Jay
  • gloriapiz55
    gloriapiz55 Posts: 73 Member
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    A lot of good advise here, changing up your workout is the key, you should try Zumba.. it's a fun and fantastic workout, I go 3x a week plus I do cardio and weights.. I also do some TRX suspension training which is very good as well. Definately you should have your thyroid checked out, I had the same issue. The internet is a great source of info, so if you don't know what to do as far as lifting weights.. check out some sites, Shape magazine has a great website, they have pictures and tutorials of different moves you can do. If you have an iPhone, iPod or iPad, iTunes has great apps too.

    If you attend a gym, maybe you should schedule a session with a personal trainer.. it's amazing the stuff they can show you in just a 1 hour session. Or you can just ask them for advise they are there to help!

    Feel free to add me as well. Good luck!

    Gloria
  • DinkyDani88
    DinkyDani88 Posts: 22 Member
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    Hi Jay,

    I typically have cereal for breakfast, fruit salad w/natural yoghurt or normal salad for lunch, then dinner is usually a lean meat with either salad or vegetables, weekends I slip a little either have a rice based dish or a roast dinner.

    Exercise wise, I do around 3 hours a week cardio, I do some lifting, but only small dumbell weights to tone the bingo wings! Some stomach crunches in the evening, but I've read that this doesn't really help!
  • LouiseP78
    LouiseP78 Posts: 4 Member
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    If anyone would like to add me that would be great I need all the help I can get :)

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