Weightloss question

[Maria]

So I'm trying hard to lose some weight. After years of hoping it'll all go away if I just ignore it long enough it would go away by itself (what?? It worked with my brother when we were younger!) I have now joined a gym and after about four months is starting to see some results. However, I have come to a bit of a rough patch now where I feel like nothing is helping, especially for the fat around my stomach area.

 

And so I figured I should turn to you, oh wisest of all friends, and ask if you have any good ideas. Or just good weightloss ideas in general. I'm sure there must be some fonts of wisdom out there. =)

[Daetirion]

Climbing

 

Keeps you surprisingly fit, enjoyable and satisfy's those adrenaline urges

 

and if that aint up your street (well it was worth a shot  :P) Pilates is normally a laugh and does a lot of stuff aimed at the stomach. Did wonders for my flexibility as well ^_^

[Barmacral]

Play ball, or just have a ridiculously fast metabolism. Whichever works.

[Guest Far Dareis Mai]

Get ahold of a small exercise ball, and start using those for crunches and your ab workout. It allows you to extend farther than you would on the floor, and so it works your muscles better. And avoid white breads and white rice. :D

[Jhaenara]

RELACORE, FOR BELLY FAT!!

 

   

 

lol, no, don't really use that.  Just you asking about belly fat reminded me of that stupid arse commercial.   ;D

[Dwynwen]

Take up dance, especially ballet.  When I was doing ballet four times a week, I was able to eat dessert for every meal and still lose weight.  Now that I don't have much time for dance, I've gotten fat.  Ballet will do for your body what pilates will, only to a greater extent.

[Guest nephitess]

Yoga is also a great way to go. lots of fun and relaxing. *nods*

[Raeyn]

Get ahold of a small exercise ball, and start using those for crunches and your ab workout. It allows you to extend farther than you would on the floor, and so it works your muscles better. And avoid white breads and white rice. :D

 

Amen, Far - as my parents put it when I was a kid?  Eating white bread is like eating a sheet of glue >_>

 

And I'd add that watching your salt intake is probably a good idea too; it could be water retention to some degree.  Natch, we all need a bit of salt to attract the water in our body to the right places and such, but like.. adding salt to anything you eat when eating out = bad idea, 'cause already loaded down with it, most likely.

 

Or, I could be a bit of a joker like Barm and add that smoking is a great appetite supressant! ;D

[Maria]

I would have loved to learn ballet, Dwyn! Except I'm 24 now. Starting ballet at this age is a bit silly, isn't it?

 

And yeah, I am trying very hard to stay away from white bread. I'm a huuuge fan, but 99,9% of the time I do eat dark bread.

 

And I've yet to be to a purely Pilates class, but I have been to a yoga/pilates/tai chi mix one which I enjoy very much. Haven't been in a while, though. Maybe I should do something about that.

 

Anyway. Thanks for your advice, guys. Keep it coming =)

[Besolyn]

I’ve had large success in overall weight loss by just cutting down my portions and making small changes to what I eat.

 

I eat 4 or 5 times a day (grazing I call it :P), usually about half of what I’d normally eat at one sitting (I’ve lost weight eating nothing but fast food doing it that way). I’ve found that several small “snack-meals” sustain be better that 3 large stuffed-to-the-gills meals. I also feel better first thing in the morning by not going to bed with a full stomach.

 

I’ve cut out my caffeine intake which cuts out a lot of processed sugars. On that same note. When I was in my early 20’s I lost 10 pounds in 2 weeks by completely cutting out caffeine and all unnatural sugars.

 

If you do need a snack: instead of potato chips, try pork rinds............or instead of a candy bar, eat some beef jerky.

 

Lastly, drink lots and lots of water! It’s the natural purifier......and most experts say that a glass of water will stop midnight hunger pains with no calories to feel guilty about.

 

For the tummy, the only thing I know to do is exercise that targets that specific area. It’s my problem area, too. I think sit-ups/crunches (which Far made sound a little more interesting) and rowing are the best ab exercises......sweeping is good, too. My stomach muscles always hurt after sweeping the whole house. ;)

[Maria]

I do try the whole water thing. My only problem is I wake up in the night/early morning having to pee like crazy. So I sort of try to avoid that. But I do drink a lot more water now than I used to.

 

Question, though. When you do get those crazy hunger urges, what do you eat? I usually eat a cereal bar or something, but they always make me a bit worried over my calorie intake. Suggestions?

[Besolyn]

That's where the beef jerky comes in or maybe a slice of cheese. You may even try your local health food store for protein bars (be careful of the energy bars!). Try to find something with lots of protein and less calories. The more protein, the quicker it fills you up, and the longer it stays with you forstalling "sugar crash" cravings.

[Majsju]

Walking at a decently fast pace for 45-60 minutes every day works wonders. My dada lost about 30 kilos in 6 months doing that, and replacing his evening sandwich with an apple.

 

Stop eating "works" in the sense that you notice a difference very quickly. But those kilos are also the ones that comes back overnight if you are not careful. And seriously, give up on tasty food? Go ahead and shoot me while you are at it!

[Maria]

Yup, that's exactly how I feel! And I haven't stopped eating. If anything I've started eating more. Which is good cause it means my metabolism is improving. And I love walking. You can't live in London and not, really. Well, you can but it could prove to be difficult.

 

I guess in the end I need to do more fruit and veg and less salt and sweets. And more crunches. *sigh* I hate doing crunches.

[Barmacral]

crunches will build up your stomach muscles, however, they will not reduce body weight, you need to do some cardio, like swimming lengths or taking long walks or something.

[Jhaenara]

To answer the question more seriously, I can't help with the stomach area problem, but I mainly swim laps (like Barm mentioned above).  It's great cardio, but you're not all sweaty and it's low impact on your body, which I like...  :)  I lost 15 or so pounds in a few weeks doing that only about two to three times a week and didn't give up anything that I eat.  I'm about to go back to it.  I really slacked after X-mas... lol.

[Barmacral]

Be sure, if you are going to swim, that you drink lots of water, you lose as much water swimming as you do doing any other sort of cardio, you just don't notice it because you happen to be in water. So yea, take a water bottle and leave it at the end of the lane, and drink from it on a fairly regular basis.

[Dwynwen]

It's not too late to do ballet as a hobby!  :)  It's a little late to start if you want to be a professional, but otherwise, you can start when you want.  My mom started ballet when she was 24, and she was still able to get pretty good at it.  When I get home, I'm going to try to get her to go back to it.

[Maria]

Oh I would love to do that. Mmmm ballet. I've always said I wanted to do ballet but I sort of figured it would be too late once I turned.. well.. 15 :P

 

And I love swimming! I haven't in ages though cause my gym don't have a pool and I can't be bothered to pay extra to go somewhere else.

[Ihsara]

Barmacral is right in that crunches will give you the muscles but they will not eradicate the fat. Cardio is really essential for that. You could try a stairmaster if you're interested. They work the legs and the abs, as well as giving a cardio workout.

[Guest Far Dareis Mai]

I use an elliptical machine for my cardio, since it is much more ergonomic (I have arthritis in my left knee). But really any excerise is good exercise. I don't recommend lifting weights if you are only interested in toning what is there, because that will add some extra bulk in the form of muscle. Kickboxing can really work you out too. I did that for about a month, and I wimped out. :D

 

As Bes said, try something high in protein and fiber for those snack cravings. Jerky is really good, and I also snack on Snow Peas (sweet, and also high in Folic acid), and non salted (or the lightly salted) peanuts.

 

 

[Tigara]

Crunches actually do work for removing belly fat. The stomach is one of the few places on the body that you can pin-point fat burning, so crunches help a lot.

 

And muscle increases metabolism, so the more you do of anything, the quicker you lose weight.

[Barmacral]

Crunches actually do work for removing belly fat. The stomach is one of the few places on the body that you can pin-point fat burning, so crunches help a lot.

 

Wrong, you can't burn fat on a specific area of the body, when you burn fat in one spot, you burn it in all spots. And Crunches will strengthen your stomach muscles, not slim your stomach down. Cardio is what is needed to lose weight.

 

Trust me, I asked the experts.

[Cadsuane]

Barm is right, there is no magical way to burn fat only from a specific area of your body. Toning the muscles underneath it will help improve the look of the area, but to actually get rid of the fat, you lose fat everywhere.

 

It's not too late to do ballet as a hobby!   :)  It's a little late to start if you want to be a professional, but otherwise, you can start when you want.  My mom started ballet when she was 24, and she was still able to get pretty good at it.  When I get home, I'm going to try to get her to go back to it.

 

I ditto this completely! I was actually one of the ones who started ballet at a young age, but I'm currently taking classes for fun and exercise at one of the community colleges, and the classes are full of college and older women who have only recently started to dance. You may also be able to find some sort of adult ed program in your area that offers ballet classes. Most classes in community colleges and adult ed programs cater specifically to beginning dancers, so they are definitely a "safe" place to learn.  :)

[Eadon Sedai]

I can't help with the stomach fat issue (it's my problem too), but if you're worried about your calorie intake you can always track what you eat. I use sparkpeople.com  ;D

 

err..well I would if I got off my lazy bum and started doing it regularly :p