Weight loss questions-Special K, Topomax, Zumba!, etc.

KtLeeMc
KtLeeMc Posts: 7 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, I’m Katie :O)

I’ve lost five pounds so far from treadmilling, eating Special K for my lunches, taking Topiramate (generic for Topomax) may have helped, and eating approx. 1,300 calories per day.

With all that being said, I have some questions for you!
-I am joining a ZUMBA! class on Tuesday, does anyone find ZUMBA helps them to lose weight and get tone? Is it difficult? It looks like it could be really fun!
-What are some ways to get rid of belly fat?
-Does anyone else find that Topomax or Topiramate works for them?
-Do you have any tips for how to stick with weight loss?
-Has the special K diet worked for any of you?
-What has worked best for you in your weight loss journey?

Also- I’m new to MFP, please feel free to add me as a friend, I’d love to make some new friends on here! :O)

Best of luck on your weight loss journey!

Replies

  • jgmom2
    jgmom2 Posts: 14 Member
    Zumba is great and yes it does tone. You might find it hard in the beginning but stick with it. It does get easier, i promise. It will help you to lose and tone, my abs have gotten much stronger because of it.

    The only way to get rid of belly fat is to move. lots of cardio. walking is great.

    Special K is good, special K diet not good. It will only be a temporary fix. you have to find something that you can stick with for the long haul.
  • ddky
    ddky Posts: 381 Member
    Hi, Katie. I am not on the special k diet, but I do have special k cereal every morning for breakfast. As far as the Zumba, it will be good exercise, but the difficulty depends on the instructor. I had one who showed everyone the low impact and the high impact moves for each song and said we could do which ever we felt we could. If we got tired then we could just step from side to side as long as we kept moving. I had another instructor that I nicknamed the zumba nazi. Her classes were INTENSE. So I would suggest you observe a class before you join. I am losing weight steadily with only walking and using hand weights. Exercise is important, but diet is the key. Good luck
  • KtLeeMc
    KtLeeMc Posts: 7 Member
    The Special K thing- That's what I'm starting to sense. It started out great, I like the cereal so eating it for lunch was alright. But I'm getting bored with it! So I'm thinking about getting something like lean cuisine dinners for a variety of hot meals for lunch. Thank you for your response!
  • KtLeeMc
    KtLeeMc Posts: 7 Member
    Thank you ddky, wow I will definitely observe before I commit to certain instructors! I'm not a fan of exercise nazis, I've had those before. Glad your exercise with the hand weights is working for you, maybe I'll give that a try!
  • audreygonzy
    audreygonzy Posts: 161 Member
    Not sure about everything else but I did the special k thing loosely for a while and lost about 10 lbs....then gained it back once I stopped. I used to do lean cuisines and healthy choice meals for lunch because of low calorie but then I started realizing I wanted to eat better food in general and not I eat REAL healthy meals I prepare the night before!:)
  • free2live72003
    free2live72003 Posts: 186
    I love Zumba and it has helped me tremendously (along with proper diet) to lose weight and tone up especially in my abdominal/oblique area. But, one class a week won't do it. You need to do at least three classes/week to see much benefit. Also, look for a Zumba class that also does Zumba toning (uses hand weights during routines) and some belly dancing. You will notice that there are alot of overweight people out there doing Zumba. So, if you don't eat properly you may build endurance doing Zumba, but you won't lose weight or do much toning.
  • starla5881
    starla5881 Posts: 190 Member
    Zumba is actually what ultimately led me here and got me started on this journey. I went to a class several months ago with a relative, on a whim. The first class was hard as anything, but I loved it, so I started going regularly. The exercise made me feel great, so when I found out that one of the girls in the class led a boot camp on off days, I started going to that to. At that point, changing my diet seemed like the logical next step, so I started using MFP. So, now the pounds are melting off, my endurance is WAY up, and I probably wouldn't have done any of it were it not for that Zumba class. :-)
  • cjmas
    cjmas Posts: 63
    -I am joining a ZUMBA! class on Tuesday, does anyone find ZUMBA helps them to lose weight and get tone? Is it difficult? It looks like it could be really fun!
    -What are some ways to get rid of belly fat?
    -Does anyone else find that Topomax or Topiramate works for them?
    -Do you have any tips for how to stick with weight loss?
    -Has the special K diet worked for any of you?
    -What has worked best for you in your weight loss journey?

    -I've never done ZUMBA, but as long as you're consistent and have a good instructor, you should definitely lose weight and tone up. (Eating right is important here, too.)

    -There is no such thing as training to lose fat in a particular area. You can work on your abs, but fat-loss is general, not specific. Keep up the cardio and strength training. Eventually, you'll get there.

    -I have a friend who loves Topomax because it kills her appetite, however, she feels like a zombie when she takes it, so she recommends it at night, only.

    -You have to find the motivation to stick with it yourself. What drives you? What inspires you? Some people hang bikinis on their door, or want to fit into their prom dress, or whatever. Other people train for races. Other people got dire warnings from their doctor. Other people just decided they NEED to be healthier. Find what motivates you, and remind yourself of THAT when you are feeling like quitting. If you do have a bad day and eat too many calories/skip a few workouts... be kind to yourself, and just get back into it. It's a lifelong thing and we're all human.

    -The Special K diet is like any other temporary diet... once you stop, you gain it back. Don't bother with gimmicks, and stick to lifestyle changes. Also, eating that much cereal is boring. (I also don't really like their bars.)

    - again, see my thoughts on motivation.

    Good luck!
  • mandylooo
    mandylooo Posts: 456 Member
    One top tip for weight loss would be to eat a healthy, balanced diet and count your calorie intake. It needs to be sustainable in the long run and not something that will ultimately bore you, like eating cereal bars.
  • BabyLeila23
    BabyLeila23 Posts: 410
    Zumba is a great way to lose weight, get tone and have fun. Best of luck! :smile:
  • KtLeeMc
    KtLeeMc Posts: 7 Member
    Thank you everyone for your responses. I've learned a lot from you! :O)
  • folieadeux
    folieadeux Posts: 1 Member
    Once I started eating breakfast everyday I thought Special K would be great because of all the claims to drop jean sizes. But after some Googling, I found plenty of articles that state the Special K plan isn't so special. It's really not the healthiest of cereals and is aimed at people trying to diet because they know dieters will do anything to lose weight & spend constant money on the cereal. Somewhere I found a chart that had lists of Kelloggs cereals comparing them to Special K and Kelloggs sold healthier cereals than Special K but I can't find the link anymore. But I did find this & it takes a look at the ingredients: http://www.diet-blog.com/11/special_k_cereal_true_health_revealed.php

    Needless to say, I quit eating Special K and now eat Multigrain Cheerios every morning.

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