In need of motivation!

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marina_212
marina_212 Posts: 6
in Motivation and Support
hey guys! im new here, clearly...i have about 100 lbs to lose. i work all day and by the time i come home im exhausted. however, the other day i started counting calories and only did it for about three days. i was feeling tired and restless. i didn't know if it was because of what i was eating, but i made better choices on fatty foods(example: peanut butter)

also, did anyone who lose a lot of weight had a problem with excess skin, or does that vary in each person? that's one of my biggest fears when losing weight.
thank you!
marina

Replies

  • PhilyPhresh
    PhilyPhresh Posts: 600 Member
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    The skin will vary from person to person, depend on how quickly you took the weight off, and how much mass you actually lost. As for the level of fatigue (anyone else notice that word starts with fat? lol) It can very much depend on your diet and exercise routines. At first, you are probably going to have to force yourself to be more active (go for a jog, do push ups or sit ups... stuff like that) until you get into more of a routine. As long as you are eating right, and the longer you do it, your body will become less dependent on bad foods and more efficient with the healthier alternatives you choose.

    When I started my journey, I jumped in with "Whole 30" I felt sick for about a week. I had headaches and I felt nauseated all the time (that first week), I felt tired and lethargic all day for probably about 2 weeks… but now? Now I feel better than I have in my entire life. I used to wake up every day all stuffed up in the morning, and it was pretty gross, not a single time since. I used to get headaches at least twice a week, sometimes migraines, I have had one in the past 4 months. I am more active, more energetic, work harder, faster and better than I used to…

    Basically the point I am trying to make is this. It is probably going to suck at first, but if you push through it is TOTALLY worth it…
  • thetrapezeswinger
    thetrapezeswinger Posts: 16
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    As long as you are eating right, and the longer you do it, your body will become less dependent on bad foods and more efficient with the healthier alternatives you choose.

    I agree completely. All those "food is fuel" sayings really start to make sense, after a while.

    Just stick with it. At first, it can be hard. If you've drastically reduced your calories (like I know I did), then you may feel a little "blegh" for the first week or so. I know that I was cramming all sorts of sugar and fat and excess carbs into my body before I started to record my food and count my calories - so it was no surprise that I had a headache for three days straight after cutting it all out cold-turkey.

    Good job on making smart choices! Your change in eating habits isn't going to be perfect (mine certainly isn't, at least) and it's definitely not going to happen over night, so be proud of yourself when you make a good decision - like cutting out some of those fatty foods.

    Do you mind me asking how old you are? I came to my doctor when I was twenty-one with the same question about excess skin. He said, verbatim, "Don't worry about that at all." Skin is fairly elastic. The advice I received is that some people have problems with it, and some don't. Generally, the younger you are, the less you have to worry about it. Exercise (especially weight/strength training and other exercises that help tone) can significantly reduce excess skin, especially if done throughout the process of dropping those pounds.
  • marina_212
    marina_212 Posts: 6
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    Thank you both for replying! I'm relieved about excess skin and about my fatigue issue.
    I'm actually 21 yrs old! Should I start with a rough exercise like Insanity or stick with something like yoga that isn't rough but it's both cardio and strength?!
  • PhilyPhresh
    PhilyPhresh Posts: 600 Member
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    Workouts are so different to individuals that I would say to do whatever it is you feel is going to work best for you. I do CrossFit, so of course my advice would be to find a local CrossFit box and join it! But I try to be realistic and I know that not everyone likes doing the same thing, so I would recommend hopping on YouTube or something like that and checking out some different styles before you pay for or buy anything! Best of luck to ya!
  • marina_212
    marina_212 Posts: 6
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    whats crossfit? i live in a very small town..
  • jenlarz
    jenlarz Posts: 813 Member
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    Being fairly young should help your skin bounce back a little better than some! For me starting out I did lighter exercise and am working my way into more intense. I did EA Active on the Wii for a long bit and it combines cardio w/ strength based moves. There are DVD's like that also. I am now working on the C25K running program and when I did Active last night it seemed too easy :)
  • thetrapezeswinger
    thetrapezeswinger Posts: 16
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    I've heard a lot about Crossfit, too, and have no idea what it is. We should check into this! Haha.

    I would recommend starting with something that you enjoy doing - and something that won't overwhelm you. I agree with Jenlarz, it's beneficial to ease into more intense work-outs. You prevent injury, you build up your endurance and stamina, and you won't burn out. I personally just started looking into yoga and I love it, so I'm definitely going to say give that a try! (:

    I do like having a schedule or a set regimen for my work-outs, especially when the semester is in full-swing and I just don't have the mental capacity to be creative (haha) or the money to invest in fitness classes.Which is where those specific programs come in handy - and which is why I love P90X. It is challenging, but it gives you the option to take it slow and offers different ways to approach each particular move. If you don't have weights, you can even use resistance bands. I've never tried Insanity, but I've heard great things.

    Just keep in mind that you definitely don't have to restrict yourself to one program or one form of exercise. Mix it up, have fun with it. Otherwise, you may find it difficult to incorporate on a long-term basis.
  • ilovemybuggy
    ilovemybuggy Posts: 1,584 Member
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    Workouts are so different to individuals that I would say to do whatever it is you feel is going to work best for you. I do CrossFit, so of course my advice would be to find a local CrossFit box and join it! But I try to be realistic and I know that not everyone likes doing the same thing, so I would recommend hopping on YouTube or something like that and checking out some different styles before you pay for or buy anything! Best of luck to ya!

    I also don't know what crossfit is- however his advice about browsing you tube is great. That's what I did- and through it I discovered Zumba AND Kettlebell; both which I love!
  • PhilyPhresh
    PhilyPhresh Posts: 600 Member
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    I am probably not the best at explaining things exactly as they are... (because people always tend to yell at me on here and get WAY too literal about the things I say)… but here goes:

    CrossFit is somewhat of a sport consisting of workout community that contains bot aerobic and anaerobic structured workouts. It is designed to teach people the importance of combining both cardio and heavy lifting for peak physical fitness. The ones of you who have friended me, I typically will post my WOD (workout of the day) at the end of the day, these are pretty typical workouts to give you an idea of what it is. You can also youtube CrossFit stuff to actually see it, or better yet go to ESPN3.com as the CrossFit Games just aired on there and you can watch the competitions! (really cool) I would love to be able to explain it a little more, but there is so much I could say and I am at work (so not a lot of time to type right now) but if you have any specific questions let me know!
  • ZillyPaul
    ZillyPaul Posts: 13
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    If youre worried about excess skin then the time to lose weight is RITE NOW. The younger you are the more resiliant/elastic your skin is. If you wait untill your almost 4o like me, youll probably need surgical remoal.
  • jebo1982
    jebo1982 Posts: 85 Member
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    I see a lot of people post about 30 day shred. You can find it on youtube. The weight training part will help with loose skin in the long run.

    The most important thing about preventing loose skin is to make sure you give the skin time to adjust (slow and steady is def the best for weight loss). Plus you are young and that helps.

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