mfanyafujo Member

176 still...

Assuming you have roughly 9 weeks, that's an average of 4.5 pounds a week. You may lose high numbers in the beginning, but when you get closer to your goal, the weight loss slows down. It's not really safe or sustainable to lose weight so quickly - usually because you need a crazy diet and hours of exercise. Focus on…

I was vegetarian for ethical reasons, but then I when I was moving to Africa, I realized it wasn't realistic to continue, and ate meat again (also I put in a lot of thought to my reasons, and realized not all were valid, but that's away from the point). I was ready to eat meat again, so it was fine. If you're not ready,…

Thanks! Yay teachers!

I'm lucky in that I'm a bit inland, so it's not so humid and it's relatively cool in the morning, evening, and sometimes all day during the rainy season. I do most of my exercise indoors though, so I can wear my "skimpy" workout clothes. I'm a year and a half in. Should be home in November.

Hey! Sorry you're feeling so bad. Sometimes getting healthy is a real struggle. Don't be discouraged - you've kept trying for three years, after many people would have given up. So don't give up now! If what you are doing now isn't working, change everything! Change how you eat, change how you work out. Find some fun…

I get the whole busy schedule thing. If, for example, you have a spare minute and you want to do squats, then a minute of just squats might not be so challenging. As was suggested, you can turn them into plyometric squats, or you can do a static squat - hold in the down position for as long as possible. Feel the burn!!!

It really depends on how strong you are now and how your muscle endurance is. If 10 reps of something gets your heart rate up and your muscles burning, then yes, you can spread the sets out, and you probably don't need to do 10 sets if the first few sets are difficult. If 10 reps is no big deal, then you aren't doing much…

176 :)

Hey all, I'm Leslie, a current PCV in Tanzania. I'm teaching secondary school. I eat pretty much only rice and beans, so... not quite the healthiest thing in the world, but I do have a lot of free time for exercise. The good thing about living here, is that chocolate is so expensive I can't afford it! Ha!

Actually, it was chosen for me. I'm in the Peace Corps, but I love TZ, and may get another job here when I finish PC. There are tons of organizations here that hire ex-pats.

I'm from Florida, living in Tanzania. It's pretty cool here. Except when it's hot, and then I miss air conditioning.

Out of curiosity, how's your Swahili?

Excellent book. I did the beginner program, and have finished week 6 of the next level. Never thought I'd easily be doing pushups with my legs elevated... I have no equipment, but it's not needed. The results have been awesome.

^^^ this The best way to improve your sparring is just to spar. But of course, sometimes that's just not possible. So alternatives include other cardio workouts, specifically using intervals (or sprints) to get in some high intensity cardio. Also, circuit training, which would give you high intensity strength and cardio.…

Hi! I'm in Tanzania. Welcome to MFP, feel free to add me!

Making new habits and breaking the old ones takes time. Make a plan for yourself, stick to it, and your eating should eventually normalize. Just keep trying! You have tons of food options, so try different things and keep experimenting. I'd love to eat healthier, but I literally can't, because of where I live right now. So…

When I'm on a treadmill, I tend to look down. Otherwise, I might fall off. Done it before. Don't even get me started on the stupid TVs the gym puts right in front of the machine. Outside, I run on trails, so I look down a lot to check the ground, but otherwise I tend to sight see all over the place.

Pushups! Lots of pushups, in many different varieties! That will help your muscles, anyways.

If you belong to a gym, some gyms have a hand bike, which is great cardio. If not, maybe you can get your doc to prescribe physical therapy, and the therapist might have one. Or just wave your arms around :)

When I worked in a gym, part of my job was setting up machines, the other part was demonstrating proper form and other exercises. Got anyone like that floating around? You can't take up a ton of their time, but you can get some info. I've always found it helpful to see exercises demonstrated, so whatever exercises you find…

The free weights will be more effective, since they are compound movements, involving more than one muscle group. There are tons of online resources, but I think the best thing you could do is hire a personal trainer for a session or two to show you the ins and outs of the free weight area. Also, if you're going to do free…

I started lifting in high school, specifically for sports. I definitely gained muscle, but didn't bulk up. The free weights and machines were nice and all, but now I'm really into body weight exercises. If your daughter is still afraid to touch weights, she can learn a bunch of awesome body weight exercises and she'll see…

Give it a try! Different things work for different people. But, if you wake up at 3am because you're stomach is growling, then maybe night's not the right time for you. I prefer late afternoon or evening myself. No chance at all of me getting up early to work out.

176.5

For me (on any day) the key is staying somewhat busy. Even on a designated rest day, if I have a lot of free time with no scheduled activity, I'll end up eating out of boredom. So maybe if you get some activities for those days and times that you usually binge, you might end up being too occupied to binge.

Body weight exercises! No equipment needed, or you can improvise with household items. There are a lot of online resources. You can make your own program, or follow a pre-made program. I'm using a book (You are your own gym). I've gotten great results just doing body weight stuff.

Mine's private because I essentially eat the same meals over and over and over again... I don't have many healthy food options right now, so I'm mostly focusing on exercising, and I'll eat healthy in a few months when I'm back home. Maybe then I'll open my diary, but for now, what's the point? No amount of people…

Swimming is awesome! I'd recommend a swimming cap, since that tends to make life easier. Also, carry water-drying eardrops with you, in case you get water in your ears! As far as exercise: different strokes work your muscles in different ways, so you should try to use them all (tho not necessarily in the same workout). The…

Maybe later in the day you have less energy, so you put less intensity into your workouts?