So overwhelemed and confused

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ldnewlady
ldnewlady Posts: 25 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I need to lose at least 50 lbs. I'm a female, almost 35, 5'2 (and a half), 177lbs. I know that a bulk of losing weight is based in the kitchen and how you eat. However, what about exercise? There is so much information it is confusing. Do more cardio, less weights while you are losing weight. Then I hear do less cardio more weights. Exactly how much of each am I suppose to be doing for effective weight loss? How long is good for effective weight loss? I know I need to include some flexibility stuff in the equation as well.
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Replies

  • JenMc14
    JenMc14 Posts: 2,389 Member
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    Your diet is the most important thing. Find a basic strength program to start, find some cardio you love, and figure out the mix that works best for you. I lift 3 days a week, sometimes run or do HIIT the other two days, and I throw some yoga in there as well. It's a mix that works for me.

    I'd suggest starting with a bodyweight program like the one at nerdfitness.com or something like that, then gradually add weights. You can also try something like Starting Strength or New Rules of Lifting. I also really like the Strong Curves program, and it has a bodyweight program as well. Fitnessblender.com is another good resource for some cardio and strength ideas.
  • sunnyside1213
    sunnyside1213 Posts: 1,205 Member
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    Eat clean. Drink water. Get moving.
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
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    Eat less. Drink water. Get moving.

    FIFY
  • ldnewlady
    ldnewlady Posts: 25 Member
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    Eat clean. Drink water. Get moving.

    Thanks I know those 3 things but I feel I wanted to know If there is a balance I should be following for working out.
  • ldnewlady
    ldnewlady Posts: 25 Member
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    Your diet is the most important thing. Find a basic strength program to start, find some cardio you love, and figure out the mix that works best for you. I lift 3 days a week, sometimes run or do HIIT the other two days, and I throw some yoga in there as well. It's a mix that works for me.

    I'd suggest starting with a bodyweight program like the one at nerdfitness.com or something like that, then gradually add weights. You can also try something like Starting Strength or New Rules of Lifting. I also really like the Strong Curves program, and it has a bodyweight program as well. Fitnessblender.com is another good resource for some cardio and strength ideas.


    Thank you!! That is very helpful!! :)
  • 999peanut
    999peanut Posts: 14
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    eat less, find an exercise you enjoy and do it..

    you need to find something that you can continue long term, not only for weight loss... no good losing and then stopping.. it is a new lifestyle you need to find that works for you.
  • ldnewlady
    ldnewlady Posts: 25 Member
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    Eat less. Drink water. Get moving.

    FIFY

    Might be a dumb question to some but what does FIFY mean??
  • missemmapeel
    missemmapeel Posts: 69 Member
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    For exercise, I suggest do what works and what you love. When you shift your energy balance (eat less and exercise more) it is usually easy to start losing. Don't make this more complicated than it needs to be. Walking is great, so is just about anything else that you love.
  • monicastricker9
    monicastricker9 Posts: 56
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    Diet is the most important thing, but when I say diet I mean healthy lifestyle changes, not short term fad or restrictive diets. That will be impossible to maintain and often have the opposite effect. I recommend a heavy focus on cardio. Depending on you physical activity previous to now I would start with the tried and true low impact walking. Just get out and walk if all you can do is around the block thats fine just add a little more each time or each week. As for weights initally I would just work on body weight exercises like crunches, pushups, squats lunges etc. And with all of these do be mindful of proper form to avoid injury. I would also recommend finding a reputable running shoe store or place that sells shoes with experienced knowledgable staff to fit you with a proper shoe for comfort and foot health on your journey. As for stretching there are a lot of resources for stretching and pilates are yoga for every skill level. I would try to fit some cardio in every day and add some strength training say every other day to get a routine. Do what you can and try not to get sucked into going full beast mode but rather work up to it. Hydrate and get some sleep. I hope that helps
  • ldnewlady
    ldnewlady Posts: 25 Member
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    Thanks. Yes, I don't believe in fad diets anymore. I tried them all and none of them really works. I am so tired of trying to lose weight over and over again. I am just going to count calories and eat clean without banning food groups. I tried Paleo, tried gluten, wheat free, dairy free. I really have no legit medical reasons other than a history of anemia, low vitamin d. My stomach does get pretty bloated though. However, I need to increase my water intake I suspect that is the reason.

    I like many different forms of exercise my main favorite is kickboxing and dancing. Walking I don't mind so much. I wouldn't mind running but I tried it and it was torture on my joints.

    My DH swears I'm not eating enough. I average about 1400-1500 calories. I just get so lost and confused on adequate meal planning to make sure I'm eating enough. That gets overwhelming in itself.

    I have been stuck between 173-177 for the whole year because of "diet hopping". I'm so fed up with this and have to get this together and do this right once and for all.
  • ldnewlady
    ldnewlady Posts: 25 Member
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    Sleeep, hahahahaha what is that?? Seriously, I work day, DH works evening. We have only one car that we share. I can't be without a car because of our children's activities. So, I have to take him to work by the time I go pick him up, we come home it's 11pm. I'm in bed at about 12am-1230am. Then, I have to wake up at 5:45 at the latest in order to be at work by 6:45. Crazy, huh?
  • ldnewlady
    ldnewlady Posts: 25 Member
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    I almost feel that I'm completely doomed because I'm not getting the 7-8 hours of sleep and I know they say sleep is important to lose weight.
  • kshadows
    kshadows Posts: 1,315 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here?hl=so+you're+new+here&page=1
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    Eat less. Drink water. Get moving.

    FIFY

    Might be a dumb question to some but what does FIFY mean??

    Fixed It For You.


    eat at a calorie deficit.

    Do some cardio vascular work- do some resistance training.

    Cardio
    anything that gets your heart rate elevated from it's resting state- walking briskly- all the way up to HIIT/ sprints/running/swimming/jump roping.

    Resistance training
    > body pump (leans more toward cardio- but it's not a bad option for people new to resistance training)
    > resistance bands
    > aesthetics
    > body weight conditioning
    > isolation lifting (check body building .com)
    > compound lifting (strong lifts- starting strength- new rules of lifting)
  • kshadows
    kshadows Posts: 1,315 Member
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    I almost feel that I'm completely doomed because I'm not getting the 7-8 hours of sleep and I know they say sleep is important to lose weight.

    I have 2 young children, a FT job, I'm a FT college student. I get....MAYBE 6 hours of sleep a night. If you're doing everything else, a little less than recommended sleep will not ruin everything for you.
  • burtonvdp
    burtonvdp Posts: 19 Member
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    Do you go to a gym? Do they have trainers and can you afford a few sessions? If so I'd start there, they usually will work with you on diet and exercises to meet your goal. They may not have all of the answers but its a great start and being shown how to do an exercise as well as adjusting the machines is important IMHO. If not I can only tell you what I do and why. I work out 5 days a week (Strength training using machines and Cardio on a sit down bike every day I'm there) because I have some back and knee problems that I tend to aggravate while using free weights.

    I worked with a trainer who put me on a calorie specific diet. I like the theory that bigger muscles burn more calories and even if you are planning to only "lose weight" its a good idea to strength train. I do basic muscle groups every day and cardio as mentioned above. I am loses a decent amount of weight but more importantly I have losing size. More so then any diet only I have ever done. I have only lost 13 pounds but I'm slimming down more than 20 pounds on my last "diet only". I suppose its because I'm gaining muscle which adds weight back on.

    1) Pick any workout combo that you can do - Push yourself but know you limits so you dont burn out
    2) Eat to your daily activities
    3) and the hardest part..... give it time! Dont be discouraged about your weight loss progress. If you are feeling stronger and healthier the weight part will happen.
  • TheDingBat
    TheDingBat Posts: 6
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    First, everyone is giving you solid advice about doing what works for you that you can stick to. Second, the sleep thing is a recommendation. Studies have shown normal sleep for some people can be as little as 6 hours. If you are running on a sleep deficit (like kshadows, wow, girl), that's a different story, but you shouldn't force yourself to sleep more than your body wants just to meet some goal "someone" says is needed for weight loss.

    In terms of your caloric intake, I was doing 1500 a day when I was trying to lose and my doctor said that was a good starting point. You may need to make further adjustments based on how much exercise you're doing and what your basal activity level is.

    The only thing I'll say about exercise is that, whatever you decide to do, you should try to add in some moderate strength training as well. Strength training is not only important for bone health, but muscle burns more calories than fat, which means as you add muscle, you'll start to accelerate your weight loss, and it will be easier to keep it off.

    I don't have the nifty little graphic, but I lost 40 pounds (beating my goal weight by 10). I've since gained back 5 pounds, but it's all muscle and I actually wear a smaller dress size than I did at my lightest. I feel like the strength training I've been doing is the single biggest thing I've done to help keep the weight off (over a year and half).
  • daw0518
    daw0518 Posts: 459 Member
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    Agreed that weight loss starts in the kitchen and is mostly about calorie deficit. That is the best place to start. When it comes to exercise, I would suggest starting small, doing your best, and not being too hard on yourself about it. Exercise is hard for me, so when I started I told myself I was just going to eat at a calorie deficit and not worry about exercise. As time went on and I found myself losing weight, I was motivated to work in some kind of movement. I'm an introvert & have some social anxiety, so I usually hate going to the gym - instead, I love doing at home DVD's or YouTube routines [Zumba, body weight exercise, etc]. I also enjoy walking because it fits well with my introversion and is a natural stress reliever. Just try anything you think you'll like and stick to whatever works for you!
  • ldnewlady
    ldnewlady Posts: 25 Member
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    Thanks for the advice/tips. We are in so much debt the gym is nothing more than a complete luxury at this point. We been saving up for a 2nd car because our 2012 has 77000 miles on it and the car only had 3 miles when we purchased it in Dec. 2011. Yeah, we needed a 2nd car like yesterday. I have various workout programs at home, and walking of course is free! :)

    I been through tons of stress the past 2 years. Losing a son to SIDS in May 2012, my house caught on fire in April this year, teenage daughter who ran away from home in March of this year because she didn't want to follow the rules of my house. She came home 3 days later then I sent her out to her bio father who is 1500 miles away from us. My DH is only the father of my younger children. So, she lasted out there for 2 months and realized how good she had it with me and begged to come back. Ever since she has followed the rules of my house. My mother was so sick she almost died this past summer. She is now on dialysis. Some may say so what excuses excuses. Yes, I neglected myself through all this stress. Time to find myself again and take care of me, myself, and I. Long over due

    That is good to know about sleep. I was stressing myself out over not getting enough sleep.

    Thanks everyone for all your tips and advice, and the article that I'm going to go read now!!
  • kshadows
    kshadows Posts: 1,315 Member
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    If you are running on a sleep deficit (like kshadows, wow, girl)

    Sometimes on a Saturday or Sunday I'll luck out and get 8 hours...that might put me back into balance lol.

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