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| Sun, 02-13-2005 - 3:35pm |
Hello all. My name is Dee. I have been trying to lose weight for several years now. Life has not been really kind to me at times, but I now have too much weight to be toting around. I am 30 yrs old, 6 ft tall and 285lbs. Over the course of the last 4-6 months I have been trying to diet but I gained 20lbs. But when I restrict my diet all I do is gain weight. I try to look up good honest information, but everyone wants you to pay for it. About 2wks ago I bought an eliptical machine. I have used it throughout the week.
I need lots of help. I do not know what to eat, how much, when. Eveything I have tried just packs on more pounds. I do not know how much to excersize or when. I also plan on getting me some free weights. Any information or support would be soooo greatly appreciated. I am tired of being HUGE. My ideal weight that I would be very happy at would be 175. I work in an office so I do not get much activity there. I also go to school full time. The sad thing is I rarely eat large amounts of food or many calories and I gain weight. I am confused and need help to get me going in the right direction. Hopefully one of you could give me some good pointers and great support. Thanks for reading my sob story.
Dee

Hi Dee and welcome to the board.
The first step I took was talking to my doctor about the best way to do this. "Plans" don't really work for me because I hate the thought of depriving myself of anything as the moment I do I want it and tons of it.
So, as per doctor's advice, I try to stick to the Canada Food Guide which means tons of fruits and veggies combined with whole grains and various proteins. Plus, I try to avoid processed foods.
As for exercise I try to walk everywhere (easy enough as I don't own a car and it only takes 30 minutes to walk to work), take bellydancing and have just started doing Tae Bo at home along with crunches and free weights.
I've found it's all about balance. For me I needed to change my lifestyle while ensuring it's something I can live with forever.
The women here are amazing and so very supportive. Oh, and we're all pretty well opinionated but more than willing to help each other out.
Hope to see you around!
Hey Dee!
Welcome Dee...
The board here is great and the people are very supportive.
I am Jen(32), a single mom of 2 kids(7 & 4), and I have about 130 lbs to lose to get to goal.
I think one thing you should do is talk to your doctor about your weight gaining. You just might have a thyroid issue or something else that's contributing to your gaining weight.
Also a tidbit of information. You need to eat regularly. You should eat breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, and dinner. Not eating food puts your body into starvation mode and it will hold onto everything, thus making it very hard to lose weight. Also what are you drinking? If you are drinking any regular(not diet) pop/soda or juice then you should think about switching to diet. Regular juice and pop really packs on the pounds. Also use whole wheat breads and pastas and brown rice instead of the white stuff. Get in lots of fruit and veggies, but watch that you don't consume too much of the starchy ones. Also portion size...a portion of meat is no larger than a deck of cards(or the palm of your hand).
I found that a lot of my problems are portion sizing, and the soda/juice thing too. I have found that if I get those frozen entrees(by Lean Cuisine or Stouffers?, etc...) then I am more in control of portion sizing. Also another problem of mine is I don't drink enough water. I am a pop/juice freak and not too fond of water, so I really need to work on the water. I also need to work on exercising.
I hope this helps you some.
~Jen~
Hey Dee and Welcome to the board!!
I am Jackie. I live in Florida and I have about 125 - 130 pounds to loose. I think that all the ladies have given you great advice. I would definitely start with a doctors appointment and blood work. I myself started out that way. Also if you are having trouble loosing there may be something more going on. (tyroid, diebetes etc..) I will say that you may be eating way more calories than you realize. Last time I started a diet I felt the same way, didnt think I ate all that much. But I joined a gym for a while and had a trainer that encouraged me to write down everything that went into my mouth. Portion size and type of food are critical!!! I was in shock!!!!! As for me now, I am a carb junky!! About 5 years ago I did Atkins and lost 70 pounds. Started eating wrong and ta-da back came the weight with alittle more to spare may I add!! Atkins is a way of life, I am a carb junky and I know that I can not go there anymore. For me it is kinda like an alcoholic with liqour. Diebetes is now a wonderful part of my life!!! Type II. All I have to do is get my eating back under control and I will be off my meds!! SOOOOOO with my first grandbaby on the way I made a stand!! I will get healthy!! Started back on my atkins on Monday and know now this will just have to be a life change for me, not a diet. Atkins is different from what alot of ladies here do. There is a Atkins board that will give you lots of info if you like. I think that everyone just has to find out what works for them.
Here is wishing you lots of support and luck!! This is a great place to be for that!
Jackie
Hi Dee, I can completely relate to where you are coming from. All the info is so confusing. One of the places that I found help is to do the free consult on ediets. It will tell you how many calories you should take in and then wants you to sign up. I didn't but have heard many who like it. Anyways, as far as exercise, start slow and be consistent. Consistency is the key to results. It really depends on your activity and fitness level to begin with but they say to lose weight you want to work yourself up to 30 min. 5 days/week. Also, you can get exercise behind your desk. The best ones I can think of right off hand are just plain and simple muscle contractions. While you are working, sqeeze your abs and repeat 10-15 times. Same with the old butt muscles and the thighs. This will help to tone and the cardio on your elliptical will do wonders. It is great to have you here with us. The ladies here are a wealth of info. You can do this and we will be right here to support you along the way.
Rhonda
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