losing weight

Losing weight to combat depression/body image (or bulking up for that matter, my current project) can be a two-edged sword. Done right, the effort, satisfaction, and pride of a job well-done can boost self-esteem and image. Done poorly, it can end up resulting in cycles of effort, failure, success that feels like failure, and recrimination.

So, I'm going to focus on the psychological side of things here, not the physical. Do exercises you enjoy, and don't limit yourself to food you hate. Try exercising to be fit, rather than to shed fat (you'll probably end up doing both, but if you exercise solely to loose weight, psychologically, you're setting yourself up for disaster. It's just one of those things).

Do exercise and diet in as routinized a fashion as you can manage. Makes it easier to follow. Reward yourself with positive self-talk when you do your exercise/follow your diet (and make sure the talk is about how great a person you are for sticking to your routine, not for how good you'll look--this can take time and if you promise yourself rapid weight-loss, it can backfire).

tl;dr: If you get your mental ducks in a row first, it'll be easier to attain a physical goal.

 

I'm trying to lose weight also. Swimming is good, though you have to do a fair amount of it to get much benefit. Probably 30-60 minutes a day. It's great for starting an excersise regimen if you're not normally very active. Also, if you're normally pretty sedentary, start small and work your way up. Start with 15 minutes twice a day or something easy. Walking, bicycling, and rollerblading are some more good low-impact exercises. You may want to add some strength training also, as muscle works a lot of wonders for your body. Building muscle burns fat, and the more muscle you have the more fat you burn.

As for diet, the last thing you want to do is get swept up by some crazy diet you find online or something. If you can, you may want to see a nutritionist. If not, just try and make health conscious choices, and watch your portions. Eat lots of vegetables and some fruit (not too much though, fruit is pretty sugary). Small portions of nuts, dairy and meat (go for lean meat most of the time, or even try some tofu - it's has less fat, less calories, and as much protein or more). Drink lots of water, and if you're a soda junkie, I hate to say it but you're gonna have to pretty much cut it out of your diet. Drink it as a treat once a week or so. It's nothing but empty calories, and diet soda's a joke. Green tea and grapefruit are supposed to help boost your metabolism. Also, switch to whole grains whenever possible. I know there are some things that just don't taste as good whole grain, but if you switch at least half of your grains to whole, you'll be doing yourself a favor. For instance, I use a whole wheat bread for most sandwiches and toast and things like that, but I still keep a lighter cracked wheat bread (which is pretty much white bread with a smattering of whole grain in it) in the house for grilled cheese, because it's just not as good with whole wheat. Also, I have whole wheat and regular spaghetti noodles, because I like them with sauce or just with butter and salt, and if I'm eating them with sauce, I eat whole weat, and if I'm eating them with butter and salt, I eat regular. So you don't have to go entirely whole grain, just switch what you can.

Have a long-term goal, but realize that's going to take a lot of time and effort, and set smaller goals for along the way. Lastly, don't get discouraged and give up if you falter. It happens to all of us. Just keep reminding yourself why you want to lose weight - for yourself, your health and your confidence, and remember that you can always keep going and try again! Good luck!

 

this was also a problem for me.
and then i lost weight !
with these diet tips
dont eat and sugars or carbs
but if you do wanna eat carbs
make sure you only eat wheat products

i did this diet and lost 10 pounds! in three weeks trust me!
it works [:

 

I'm not the best person to ask for weight loss advice (I have a bad history with bulimia), but generally speaking, it's all about cutting your eating portion and exercising.

Well, that's what most websites say. If you want to successfully lose weight, a healthy diet would consist of watching your calories intake and the sugar in the food. If you're going to eat, gradually start cutting off a few portions, ie. If you eat 3 slices a Pizza, why not try just two slices? It's best to do this over a course of time and not immediately because you're body won't be adjusted to the starvation (you shouldn't be staring yourself anyways). Reduce the amount of snack you eat between meals, and opt for more healthier snacks like fruits or my favorites, Special K bars (they're only 90 calories!).

Drink plenty of water! Oh man, if you've never been told this before... then something's wrong. Ha ha! Drink at least 2 bottles (of course you can opt for glasses or whatever, if you're concerned about the environment) a day! You need plenty of water to keep your body hydrated and healthy. Also, water is a good stomach-filler. When I'm hungry, I would just drink a bottle of water and I'll be full.

Last but not least, exercise! That swimming pool sounds like a great idea! Try to get at least one hour of swimming exercises daily. Oh, and when I say swimming, I mean actually swimming, not just sitting and soaking in the water. Also, if you want a fit body, you should do some exercise like working out and running on the treadmill. It'll do you wonders!

Those are just some general advice. Just eat healthy and feel healthy. You'll be depressed no-more (hopefully) and you'll have so much more confident.

Good luck!

 

This was always a problem for me too growing up and its only recently I've done something about it and lost weight to a point that I'm fairly comfortable with it now. The key is getting more exercise and eating healthier (obviously lol). The hard part is actually doing it, it takes will power, but if you put in the effort, you'll definitely lose weight.

Set time everyday for exercise. Swimming is an excellent way of exercising, I just walked for about an hour everyday at a reasonable pace and it helped a lot. Make it become part of your daily routine, I found it easier that way. As for eating, I planned my meals ahead, so that I wasn't tempted to eat the easiest (and probably most unhealthy) foods to make/buy. I cut out a lot of the junk food, and replaced them with healthier options, ie instead of eating a bar of chocolate I ate a low fat yogurt/healthy bar/piece of fruit etc. and instead of drinking fizzy juice I drank diet stuff instead........have a look in the shops, some of the healthier options are actually nice tasting. Treat yourself too though, have one day at the weekend or whatever where you can chill and have a few things you'd normally eat (as long as you don't overdo it). That way the diet doesn't become too unbearable. It does get easier as you go along, and you don't need to cut out things you like completely either. Just cut down on how much you eat them and how often.

You'll probably know yourself what's best for you. What it takes is determination and will power, so if you think positively you will do it. If it worked for me then it can for anyone! Don't let it get you down too much, you end up trying to cheer yourself by eating! (in my experience ) So, hope this helps, good luck

 

It's proven that after doing something 27 times consecutively it will become a part of your daily routine that you will naturally start doing after those first 27 days. So basically If you start swimming almost every day for a month, it will be a lot easier to do it because it will feel more natural. The hardest part about losing weight is getting the will power to get up and start something, it's all down hill from there really. So long as you can last that first month, you'll be fine!

 

Good luck, honey! I hope all goes well and that you feel better and healthier soon!

 

Losing weight is not as hard as you might think it is. I've been losing 1-2 pounds a week just by switching out some of my regular TV dinners to lean cuisines and doing cardio for 45 minutes at a time 3-4 time a week.

 

I think by asking these questions you're already looking for a quick way out.

You know diet and exercise means less weight.

Now go do.

 

The solution will depend largely on your personality type.

If you're someone who is very motivated and enjoys solitary activity, running, jogging or walking are all good choices. You don't have to start doing marathons- just allocate an hour per day to go to the park or the beach or to the track at the local high school to walk. Start with walking and work your way up to jogging. You can also do 20-30 minute walks around a shopping mall or on your break at work. Every little bit helps.

If you're someone who is not motivated, then get a workout partner. Someone you can depend on to not listen to your excuses. Someone who will pack you up in the car or get you off the couch to go workout. When you have someone that depends upon you to work out with them, you'll find them to be a motivator and someone who you can motivate at the same time.

 

First of all, it requires consistent dedication. If you're looking to loose body fat, cadrio is obviously the best remedy. The best time to do it is first time in the morning, right when you wake up...atleast 30-40 mins. you may have to build up to that point, but maybe try to run 1/2 mile and walk next 1/2 mile, and build up from there.

The reason why it's the best time is because your body has nothing in its system and it is forced to burn fat as fuel.

If that is impossible, wait 2-3 hours after your last meal to to cardio.

Light weight training would help tone your body as well.

Diet is also the key. You could run from here to China, yet if you continue to consume more calories than you burn then it wont do any good.

Don't go on any of these no carb crash diets...they do nothing but screw your natural balance up. Yours body need carbs for energy, but you must consume the right balance of simple and complex carbs. Complex carbs are your green veggies, simple carbs are things like rice, potatoes, etc. Limit the simple carbs and increase the complex carbs...and protein..eat plenty of protein.

stay away from processed sugars as much as possible.

Good luck! it's not easy, but once you get into a routine it becomes addicting...which is a good addiction!

 

As someone who has lost weight, gained it back, lost it again (and so forth), I have come to the realization that my self confidence, or lack there of, has never once changed with my weight. I felt fat when I was skinny, felt fat when I was fat. You have to learn to love you. And that might be the most confusing journey you'll take in your life.

But maybe we aren't in the same situation. You can exercise doing anything. Sometimes when I can't stand to get on the treadmill, I'll just put on some music and shake my ass around for a while. Go for a walk to somewhere kind of far away but somewhere that you love. I walk to the library, burn some cals and at the end, I get to check out some books.

 

I am starving today, so don't go by me. I am starving until I look good.

I did the healthy eating/excercise, and no it doesn't work for me. I did the starvation once, and I maintained 40 lbs of weight lost (220 to 180), so I am going to starve till 140 this time.

I won't stop until I am hot.

 

Just remember that "spot burning" is a myth. If you look at your stomach and want to burn fat, doing crunches is not the way to go about it. Sure you will gain abdominal muscles - under that fat, which will just make your stomach even bigger!
Aerobics are the best way of trimming fat. I'm a runner myself and can easily do jogs of up to 6 miles a day (although I typically run 2 miles a day with lots of walking throughout the day). It's encouraging that many people on here are recommending like an hour of walking a day, but I'll let you know from my experience that it did not work for me. People are different, so maybe it'll work for you, but in my empirical opinion, I think it may require more. But do keep in mind that you should always work your way up to this! (If I tried running 6 miles 5 months ago, I would be so dead).

My process heavily involved the treadmill starting about winter/spring quarter. I had to do a kind of guess and check method: I'd run a mile or so, then the next day I'd run a mile with the speed much higher. There were a couple times I would wear out and not be able to finish it (jogging consistently the whole time), but with time, I found where my ability sits and was able to work towards slowly setting higher goals. At the beginning of Spring, I was hardly capable of getting 2 miles in 17 minutes, and now I've chopped it down to 13:41. I've also gone from about 128lbs to 124lbs. I know that's not much, but I was already "relatively" fit, and I may have gained a little bit of muscle weight.

As for diet, that is super important!!! lol
Everyone on here practically keeps saying the same thing: Vegetables, fruits, watch your carbs (I think it was like 30g per meal or something. I don't remember, so definitely check it as I don't want to give you false information), light protein, and NO JUNKJFOOD! I know that's a really hard one to cut out for some people, but I think upon seeing the results, you really start to feel much happier about yourself. Through my experience, I've found that after cutting junk food for so long, my body begins to not even like it anymore. I may be in the mood for doritos or something, but when I start eating them, I start to feel kind of sick.

Anyway, hope this helps! I hope you can gain a lot from exercising and feel better about your physical appearance!!!

 

It's hardly a way to loose a vast amount of weight, but if I feel hungry between meals - tends to happen, my household eat early in the day and late in the evening, I tend to drink coffee - it tends to reduce your appetite, and it gives you something to do with your mouth. That said I'm not advocating starving yourself and living off coffee, or drinking vast amounts of coffee!