scb515 Member

Get a trainer to help you create a programme and - more importantly - show you how the machines work! I know you've been to a gym before, but you haven't necessarily used the same kit in this one this time. If you don't like a particular machine, you don't have to use it. I personally hate the treadmill, but I like the…

I know how you feel. I had a tough time at work recently and on one particularly bad day, I ordered a ridiculously calorific takeaway and ate it all. Cue instant overnight shocking weight gain. You have to recognise that you're not actually hungry, you're making bad choices because you're an emotional eater - you therefore…

That's a great achievement, well done! :smiley: I've tried many 'diets' over the years, but it really does come down to the simple maths of eating less than you burn in order to lose weight, and eating the same that you burn in order to maintain. Daily exercise is a fantastic lifestyle change - it makes such a difference.…

I wish I'd started earlier, purely because of the impact on my skin. That's it. People assume if you're "young", it will magically adjust, but if you've been overweight for any significant period, you've already knackered the elasticity.

Well, there are two types of swimming: anything goes and lane swimming. With anything goes, people get in your way and you can't do laps. With lane swimming, you get told off by the serious swimmers for being too damn slow. The chlorine is bad for your skin (if you have eczema or sensitive skin, it's particularly awful)…

I don't like running. But I don't hate it anymore. Maybe one day I'll actually like it. For now, I'll settle for not hating it. When I first started running, I carried a small bottle of water and ran until the bottle was empty. A friend of mine said to make sure I was walking as much as I was running when I started, and I…

I binge ate on Wednesday night, Thursday and Friday. It turns out that I'm still an emotional eater. Have got back on the wagon now, am planning calories and have done some exercise, but I can't remember the last time I fell that hard. I really need a better coping mechanism for dealing with bad news...

You need to learn to put yourself first - no, I don't mean eat what you like and regain all that weight and who gives a damn what the OH thinks, but eat better and do it for you. If your partner is happy you're in shape, well, that's a side benefit. This is about you. You've lost 30b already - way to go - are you telling…

I think you should always strive to be the best possible version of yourself. If you're overweight, you should want to be lighter for your own benefit - your own health. If you have stretch marks - well, that's not going to change, so you should learn to accept those. That is the best possible version of yourself. There…

Personally, I'm maintaining at a BMI of 25 rather than 20 because I don't think I could lose any more weight and have it look good without either a) surgery or b) lifting weights. And I don't fancy doing a) or b). As long as you're a healthy weight for your height and build, maintain at what feels right for you. Healthy is…

I eat my calories back. I don't run because I enjoy running, I run because I enjoy eating!

There's a takeaway near me that does the most tasty pizza. If I order the pizza, I will put on half a stone overnight. Not even kidding, it's that high. It's not real weight, but with normal eating, it takes up to a week for the scales to go back down - just shows what salt can do. I still occasionally eat said pizza…

If you've been accurately logging your food and exercise, then try dropping your calorie allowance slightly for a week (say by 100 to 200 calories) and see where that gets you. There's no best diet as such, it's about eating the right amount of fuel for your weight and height. The hard bit is figuring out what your calorie…

I think consistency is key. To give you an example, if you have a bowl of cereal for breakfast every day for a week, your body will expect a bowl of cereal at breakfast o'clock and get grumpy if you don't have one. If you have a cheat day and have a massive fry up, the next day your body will remember that delicious blow…

If you fire up the website (not the app), go to MY HOME and then Check-In, you can alter previous weigh-ins to get your progress logged accurately. I don't know why, but sometimes the wrong weight appears, so I do use this to go back and amend it (don't think you can amend on the app itself, you have to use the site).…

If you're less active, unfortunately you're going to have to decrease your calorie allowance and eat less food than perhaps you would have done in the past. You have my sympathies, an injury is a horrible thing to deal with. It's good to hear you're in physical therapy as that means this is just a temporary hurdle - I…

My advice is to be totally honest. Whether your diary is open to everyone or visible to only you, you're answerable to yourself. If you slip off the wagon and eat something horrendously full of calories and fat which pushes you over your calorie allowance, log it. Log all of it. If you don't keep an honest record of what…

I use Runkeeper. You can only link it to Spotify if you have a Premium account, but I just run free Spotify and then Runkeeper (two apps at the same time) so it isn't an issue. I think you can link it to your iTunes account for free, but I don't have any music saved; I'm all about the cloud. I found out recently that you…

Well, I took on board all your tips about posture and just managed to run 5K without stopping once. I was tired as I'd run the day before and I normally need at least one rest day in between, but I made a conscious effort to keep relaxing my shoulders, didn't carry water and dropped my hands to 90 degrees. It may not my…

Why, hello, emotional eater. I lost a lot of weight after my last serious relationship ended - I came out of that realising how important it is to look good and feel good for my own benefit. There's a temptation to overeat because you don't think your partner is looking elsewhere, or if you're unhappy and are trying…

You guys are brilliant. Lots to think about. I'm so glad I posted!

I've never been able to do regular pushups, but I've just googled modified pushups and that looks... well, doable. Ha, I didn't even know wall pushups were a thing, but having seen a video, it looks like something even I can do. Many thanks for the advice, I'm definitely going to give modified pushups a go. :)

Marmaladepixie, it's definitely my upper back, and it feels likes my muscles are tightening up in a way that they shouldn't. Thanks for the tips, kikichewie. I'm going to try to be more aware of my technique on my next run. I'm planning to try running without water (will hydrate plenty before and after), so if I'm not…

I've been running for a while and I still don't run on consecutive days. I need at least one day off to feel sorry for myself! Listen to your body. If you ever feel like crap (muscle ache, cold, flu, etc), don't exercise. x

I'm still waiting for that moment. A friend of mine who is a serious runner says you need to force yourself to run until you suddenly realise you actually enjoy it... I am running, but dragging myself each time. Lovely post. :smile: x

There are a few chain restaurants in my city where I know I can make good choices - if a friend wants to eat out last minute, I know what I can swap around and still meet my calories for the day. It's helpful to have a mental list ready of low calorie dining options - pre-logging is great, but you need some flexibility. x

One big loop around the Thames - down Tower Bridge, past the Tower, past the Shard and back to the Scoop. It's not a "closed race", so you end up running through crowds of confused tourists and commuters. :smile: I prefer running on concrete (such a city girl), so I really liked the route. I must admit, I didn't start…

Everyone's allowed an off day, particularly if they've been planning for it, which it sounds like you have been! Have a wonderful Easter yourself. x

Ooh, a local! Hello! Not doing Race for Life, but I'm doing a 5K at the end of this month near St. Pauls. Did the JP Morgan (5.6K) and Run the River (5K) last year. I still don't consider myself a runner, I'm always surprised to make it to the end of a run and not be dead. How's C25K working out for you so far? x

I hope you're joking, or you mean the small cans which are really hard to find over here. A standard can is 980 calories. Not planning for 980 calories is enough to derail anyone's day.