I'm new and this ain't easy for sure!
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You dont need to to exercise to lose weight, you need to eat at a calorie deficit to lose weight. I work out 5-6 days a week (I love it, Im in the habit and cant NOT do it now! But that took a full year of forcing myself to do it before it became a habit)
I started slowly gaining weight 2 years ago and Ive gained 10lbs a year. I realised that its because I felt I could eat what I wanted because I was exercising - but I realised I couldnt. FYI I was training for a half marathon so I could burn 1000 calories a day and still gain weight!
Get your calories under control before you start thinking about exercising. Weigh everything on electric scales and log it in your MFP diary - you will soon see what you are overeating on and work on that. In the meantime, take a nice walk or a bike ride or a zumba class - something that you will enjoy.
Just remember - weight loss is 80% diet, 20% exercise.0 -
Thank you for your reply bellkat31. That's a great tip! Yes, I need to plan things out better than I do. Many times it's about "what do I have here in the office?" or "I think I'll go out and get this". And while I do go for salads and not use creamy dressings, it's still not very well planned. Thank you for sharing that idea. <insert a thumbs up>0
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As for the logging, I was here a long time ago and I did the logging. I found that it did help because even though I'm the only one that sees the log (I'm not ready to make that public yet. *LOL*), I would stop sometimes before I ate something and ask myself "do I really want to log that?" and sometimes I wouldn't eat it because I was being very honest in my logging and I just didn't want to log that. Thank you for mentioning that because I had forgotten about that, so I'll get back to that again.
One of the most helpful aspects of being on MFP for me has been having a small group of friends with open diaries. Not only does it help with making good choices- "do I really want to have to log that and have them see it?"- we are constantly raiding each other's diaries for good ideas & new products that help us meet our goals.
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Thank you try2again for your reply. You make a valid point. I can see how making it public would help. I didn't realize you would make it public with just a small group of people. I thought it was either all public or not. I will have to think about this. Right now I don't think I'm ready for that step yet, but I think I might be willing to try it later on. Thank you for the suggestion. 0
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Hi Lola! Personally--and this is just me, personally--I think motivation is overrated. Motivation is easy. Just the fact that you're here and you know you have to get healthier IS all the motivation you need to start. Commitment is the hard part, the part where so many people fail (and where I have failed, so many times before). But it's commitment--not motivation--that's going to see you through to your goal and keep you there.
What's worked for me so far is to look at healthy diet and exercise as being like a marriage, or a job you want to keep. There are days when it's magical and easy, there are other days when it's boring, infuriating, frustrating, tiresome, or just plain drives you nuts...but you stick with it anyway because you made a commitment and ultimately you want this, despite the bad days. It's commitment that creates consistency, and consistency is the name of the game when it comes to weight loss and healthy habits. Ultimately we're in this for the rest of our lives!
Which is not to say there's anything wrong with motivation. On the contrary, any time you see progress, or get a "good job!" from a friend, that feels GREAT and it's going to make you want to keep going. It's just that, as great as it feels, it's not going to get you through the bad times when you feel like giving up.
“Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do.” - Bruce Lee0 -
Hi lilawolf. Thank you for your reply.
I know, darn it ~ I wish motivation did fall out of the sky. *LOL* I'm just having a hard time finding it I guess.
I had to look up "non-scale goals" as I've not heard that term before. I guess the fact that I still have favorite clothes that no longer fit me would be my non-scale goals. I would really like to fit into those clothes cuz I have some really nice things. I want to be stronger and I used to be. One of my non-scale goals I think would be that I would really like to do a marathon. I don't know why, but I've just always wanted to do one. You know, like a 5k run or something, and right now I'm not sure I could do an "around the block K".
I'll have to search and see if they list future marathons for my area and maybe I could strive for that. Maybe having that as a goal could help me. Hmmm..........
Maybe start by looking into "Couch to 5K" programs (you'll see that referenced as "C25K" around here sometimes). These are programs designed to start you with walking, and get you running. There are later versions of training plans to move you to longer runs, but C25K is a good start.I have often thought about taking martial arts. I took a class in college YEARS ago, when I was in pretty good shape, and that instructor was psycho. I mean I literally got sick and had to leave after one of his "before class begins" work-outs. And I think that kinda made him smile, but I didn't care ~ I left. If it satisfied him and helped the rest of the class get beyond that portion, then so be it. I did pass his class though, but it wasn't a good experience at all. However, I'm sure that not all instructors are like that, and I could probably find a class now that would be geared more for my age..........not that I'm old, but I'm not 20 anymore that's for sure.
There are lots of different martial arts, and lots of different instructors. The different arts emphasize different things, so you might enjoy one more than another. And instructors come in all personality types; they're for sure not all psychos. (I started kung fu in my 30s and practiced it pretty seriously for 8-10 years. The instructors from various clubs & workshops were, by and large, decent folks, with only a couple who were are little . . . intense (but not psycho).)
Try a class (martial arts or any other active thing, for that matter), stick with it for at least a few weeks to see if you like it (unless there are injuries or more psychos involved!). Then if that isn't the one, try another.You are so right. I have to go to work and I do it............good thing I like my job, so that's not an "ugh" situation. However, people always say they feel better after getting into the habit of working out, so hopefully it won't take that long for me to hit that point as well. No one likes an "ugh" situation that's for sure. I will think POSITIVE though and get myself moving! I gotta at least START!
Thank you for sharing your wisdom!
I'd pretty much guarantee that if you find something active you can truly enjoy, and stick with it for a while, you will feel better. And as you get stronger, lots of things in daily life become easier to do, too.
At age 60, I've been quite active for the last dozen years (even when fat; thin is a "just this past year" thing for me). Life would be soooo much worse in so many ways if I weren't.
Oh, and by the way: I'm wondering what your current weight loss objective & loss rate target is. Often, when people report that they're sooooo hungry, their calorie deficit is too aggressive to be sustainable. It's better to have a smaller deficit that you can stick with than to have a giant loss rate target that you can't sustain. Just because MFP will let you set your calorie level to lose 2lbs a week, doesn't mean you need to do that - and it isn't even healthful to lose that fast unless you have quite a bit to lose.
Also, it pays to experiment a bit with what and when you eat: Some folks are more satisfied (less hungry/more energetic) if they get more protein, others find fats filling, etc. Some do best on a big breakfast and smaller other meals; others distribute their calories over the day differently. Some do better with snacks between meals (or many small meals vs. 3 main ones). Try various ways, each for a few days, and find your happy spot!0 -
My motivation was how much better I felt... but of course, that doesn't happen until you start. I was grumbling when I made my MFP account- "This is going to be hard", "I'm not going to be able to eat anything I want anymore", "my joints hurt too much so I won't be able to exercise", etc. I'm 47 and I expected to have a harder time, too. But I just started logging what I ate and mostly kept to my calorie goal. Made some minor changes to my diet so I could accomplish that. Didn't seem too hard. Tried my stationary bike and realized it was easier on my ankles & knees, so I'd do that for 10 or 15 minutes and some gentle calisthenics. I was feeling pretty good about that, and then started to see a little weight loss. Cool! That made me want to try a couple more changes. Starting going outside for *short* walks. Lost more weight. Etc, etc. You get the idea. It's ridiculous how much better I feel and I don't feel "old" anymore. I have bad days, even bad weeks, but I know now there's no reason for me to quit because it's just not that hard for all the huge benefits I'm reaping. I bet you've got it in you to log what you eat... and then just see what might follow.
I didn't see your first reply until now try2again. I will work on trying to do something everyday for exercise. I bought one of those big rubberband thingys, so I could work on a few muscles here and there. At work I could get up and go outside and walk up and down the stairs a couple times. That's not always easy for me because it really bothers my knees, but maybe they are weak? Maybe if I keep doing it, at some point they won't hurt anymore. That's what I'm hoping anyway.
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workout_ninja wrote: »You dont need to to exercise to lose weight, you need to eat at a calorie deficit to lose weight. I work out 5-6 days a week (I love it, Im in the habit and cant NOT do it now! But that took a full year of forcing myself to do it before it became a habit)
I started slowly gaining weight 2 years ago and Ive gained 10lbs a year. I realised that its because I felt I could eat what I wanted because I was exercising - but I realised I couldnt. FYI I was training for a half marathon so I could burn 1000 calories a day and still gain weight!
Get your calories under control before you start thinking about exercising. Weigh everything on electric scales and log it in your MFP diary - you will soon see what you are overeating on and work on that. In the meantime, take a nice walk or a bike ride or a zumba class - something that you will enjoy.
Just remember - weight loss is 80% diet, 20% exercise.
Thank you for your reply workout_ninja. I see your point. That makes sense. I have started to use the logging and wow, I'm amazed at how easy it is to go so fast over your limit. Thank you for that tip/info.0 -
AngryGangrel wrote: »Hi Lola! Personally--and this is just me, personally--I think motivation is overrated. Motivation is easy. Just the fact that you're here and you know you have to get healthier IS all the motivation you need to start. Commitment is the hard part, the part where so many people fail (and where I have failed, so many times before). But it's commitment--not motivation--that's going to see you through to your goal and keep you there.
What's worked for me so far is to look at healthy diet and exercise as being like a marriage, or a job you want to keep. There are days when it's magical and easy, there are other days when it's boring, infuriating, frustrating, tiresome, or just plain drives you nuts...but you stick with it anyway because you made a commitment and ultimately you want this, despite the bad days. It's commitment that creates consistency, and consistency is the name of the game when it comes to weight loss and healthy habits. Ultimately we're in this for the rest of our lives!
Which is not to say there's anything wrong with motivation. On the contrary, any time you see progress, or get a "good job!" from a friend, that feels GREAT and it's going to make you want to keep going. It's just that, as great as it feels, it's not going to get you through the bad times when you feel like giving up.
“Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do.” - Bruce Lee
Thank you for your reply AngryGangrel. You make a valid point about motivation vs. commitment. I can see where you are coming from on that. Consistency can be difficult some days. Some days I'm worn out and it's just "easier" to make the wrong choice, but I've got to pay attention for those times and then push thru it regardless of how I feel.
Thank you for sharing your insight! 0 -
Thank you for your reply AnnPT77. I've never heard of C25K before, so thank you for that info. I will look that up.
Yes, I agree ~ not all instructors are the same. I will plan to look into something that would be better suited for me at this stage in my life.
Well I just seem to always be hungry, but I'm beginning to wonder if maybe I'm just bored or tired or whatever. For the last couple days I've not been hungry at all. I've had salad for lunch and an orange for snack. I'm tired, but that's probably because my allergies are abso-stinkin-lutely crazy today. I've been up since early morning and I can't stop sneezing and blowing my nose, so THAT has worn me out very much so for today.
So this just occurred to me today that maybe it's not that I'm hungry so much, but that I need to occupy my time in other ways. It's funny though I'm not really a couch potato, but I sit at work a lot and do paperwork, then in the evenings, depending on if I am working late or not, I tend to sit a lot as well. So I think I need to get up and get moving when I get home.
Maybe light exercise in the evenings would be good. I've not done a lot of that because I've read that exercise can get your body moving and that that can interfere with your sleep if you do it too late in the day. However, like you said " Try various ways, each for a few days, and find your happy spot! "
Thank you again. 0 -
So this just occurred to me today that maybe it's not that I'm hungry so much, but that I need to occupy my time in other ways. It's funny though I'm not really a couch potato, but I sit at work a lot and do paperwork, then in the evenings, depending on if I am working late or not, I tend to sit a lot as well. So I think I need to get up and get moving when I get home.
Maybe light exercise in the evenings would be good. I've not done a lot of that because I've read that exercise can get your body moving and that that can interfere with your sleep if you do it too late in the day. However, like you said " Try various ways, each for a few days, and find your happy spot! "
Other evening activity options: Do some light stretching (feels good, relaxing, doesn't interfere with sleep). Drink some water or hot herb (non-caffeine) tea to see if that helps (there are herb tea flavors for every taste, these days). Learn a new hobby/craft or resume an old one that keeps your hands busy: Knitting, jigsaw puzzles, giving yourself a manicure, playing (or learning to play) a musical instrument - anything that distracts you and isn't associated in your mind with eating.
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Other evening activity options: Do some light stretching (feels good, relaxing, doesn't interfere with sleep). Drink some water or hot herb (non-caffeine) tea to see if that helps (there are herb tea flavors for every taste, these days). Learn a new hobby/craft or resume an old one that keeps your hands busy: Knitting, jigsaw puzzles, giving yourself a manicure, playing (or learning to play) a musical instrument - anything that distracts you and isn't associated in your mind with eating.
Really good ideas. Thank you so much. I think I've gotten into such a rut routine that now I need to just DO something else. Even something small is better than nothing at all.
For years I'd get discouraged because I wasn't losing fast or because I'd mess up. I just have to accept that I'm probably not going to lose fast and that that is not healthy anyway AND that I'm going to mess up. If I just keep going back to it, then I'll be consistent. It's not about being consistently perfect at it, it's about consistently trying. THAT is what I'm learning. YAY ME! *LOL*0
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