New here...need to lose 40 pds, but have many roadblocks
I am new here. Found this website while researching P.I.N.K. which I don't think would work for me, except maybe the exercise part. Anyway, my problem is losing weight or working out, period. I am 40 pounds overweight and 46 years old. I feel so terrible these days. I'm always totally exhausted. And worst of all, most of my weight is in my mid section and upper body. I never thought this would happen to me, but it has. I feel as though every which way I turn there is a blockage. I can’t afford the gas to drive back and forth to the gym. And I don’t like working out in front of other people. My neighborhood isn’t good for walking and also I’m very uncomfortable walking in it ie the people, traffic, dogs, etc. I don’t own a treadmill and can’t afford one right now. I occasionally, as in about once a week, take my dog to the park for a walk, but again, I can’t afford the gas to drive back and forth to the park, except on occasion. Plus, if I have to go anywhere, I am less likely to work out. I really don’t eat all that bad, but I don't eat good either. I have 3 meals a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner. And I eat a light dinner. I rarely eat after 8pm. At this point, I don’t know what the answer is, I have absolutely no motivation either, but can’t afford a trainer. I can't stomp around in my house because it will wake my hubby up because he sleeps during the day, so I can only do quite exercise. So, it’s all road blocks, that’s why I have given up. Any solutions or advice?
Hi Kandy, I'm fairly new here too. I'm 48 and also carry most of my weight in my upper body too- pure apple! I don't have all the roadblocks you have, but I had some- not a good walking neighborhood, not excited about working out in front of people, etc. My advice is to start small on the exercise. Buy some 3-5 lb hand weights. Start with exercises you remember from gym class way back in the day, or from previous regimens, and do them with the weights-twists, bends, etc. Commit to 10 minutes a day and gradually, as your energy level increases, you might look at exercise videos or find others online that you can do quietly. Any small thing you can think of that gets you moving- stairs at work vs elevator, 15 minutes a day playing tug of war with your dog, walking up the driveway to get mail rather than stopping in your car... the trick is to get yourself moving even a little bit more than you are and build stamina.
As far as the eating, you say you don't eat bad, but don't eat good either- what do you mean? My problem was always more eating fast food and junk food more than overeating. I completely cut the fast food, and added lots of fruit & veggies to my diet. I will still indulge in chips or whatever but 97% of the time I'm eating "real food" and find that makes a huge difference. Identify what you mean by "bad" and cut it or modify it.
Just remember you don't have to choose or commit to a formal "program" or diet. Get yourself moving, play with eating differently. We all know "eat less, exercise more"- the trick, in my opinion is 1- finding ways to do it that you will enjoy (or at first, not totally hate) 2 - be constantly mindful of taking care of your body 3- remember it's not a race. Do it for the long haul and celebrate the tiniest of achievements. This is a great place to help you do that!
Hi Kandy, I'm fairly new here too. I'm 48 and also carry most of my weight in my upper body too- pure apple! I don't have all the roadblocks you have, but I had some- not a good walking neighborhood, not excited about working out in front of people, etc. My advice is to start small on the exercise. Buy some 3-5 lb hand weights. Start with exercises you remember from gym class way back in the day, or from previous regimens, and do them with the weights-twists, bends, etc. Commit to 10 minutes a day and gradually, as your energy level increases, you might look at exercise videos or find others online that you can do quietly. Any small thing you can think of that gets you moving- stairs at work vs elevator, 15 minutes a day playing tug of war with your dog, walking up the driveway to get mail rather than stopping in your car... the trick is to get yourself moving even a little bit more than you are and build stamina.
As far as the eating, you say you don't eat bad, but don't eat good either- what do you mean? My problem was always more eating fast food and junk food more than overeating. I completely cut the fast food, and added lots of fruit & veggies to my diet. I will still indulge in chips or whatever but 97% of the time I'm eating "real food" and find that makes a huge difference. Identify what you mean by "bad" and cut it or modify it.
Just remember you don't have to choose or commit to a formal "program" or diet. Get yourself moving, play with eating differently. We all know "eat less, exercise more"- the trick, in my opinion is 1- finding ways to do it that you will enjoy (or at first, not totally hate) 2 - be constantly mindful of taking care of your body 3- remember it's not a race. Do it for the long haul and celebrate the tiniest of achievements. This is a great place to help you do that!
I usually don't eat breakfast, then eat something small for lunch like a ham sandwhich or brussel sprouts. Then I eat a regular dinner such as pork chops, rice and green beans. But I eat in moderation, I don't overeat. I know I could eat better. I'm thinking of replacing breakfast and lunch with a healthy protein energy smoothie, then eating a regular dinner in moderation. As far as the exercise goes, that's a tough one. I'm trying to save money to buy a treadmill because the likelihood of me getting out of my house to go do something is slim. And doing exercises in place would be boring, so I'm really hoping to get the treadmill within the next month of so. Thanks for the great advice!
Extra weight is ALL about eating. It really is. There's a saying that goes "You cannot out-exercise a bad diet" and it's true. Exercise at most burns around 400-500 cals per hour for most people. You can easily out-eat that and gain weight while exercising ... so not being able to exercise is not a reason to not lose weight.
Mind you, exercise will help you lose weight FASTER and it will help you to lose more fat than lean muscle, but bottom line is that exercise is the bonus. If you want to lose weight you HAVE to control your eating.
I'd suggest registering with one of the free sites like livestrong.com and using their my plate feature to log your food for a while. I bet you'll be very surprised at how much you're actually eating over what you need.
As far as exercise, the most efficient form of exercise you can do to help you burn FAT (not just weight) is to lift weights. Pick up a set of dumbbells at WalMart (and not wimpy pink 3lb ones either - a set of 10lb dumbbells will take you a long way) and use them to do basic exercises with weight: lunges, squats, over head pushes, bent over rows, and things like that. Lifting dumbbells doesn't make noise, doesn't take hours of time, doesn't require you go to the gym, etc.
Basically (and I don't mean to be harsh, just truthful) you're making a bunch of excuses for not doing things. Eating right and exercising can be done at any time and don't take a lot of money or making loud noise. You have to decide that this is something you WANT to do and you're willing to put effort into doing. If you're not at that point, then you'll just continue to make excuses as to why you can't do it .. and nothing will change.
Yes, I could certainly eat better. I'm thinking of replacing my breakfast and lunch with a protein energy smoothie that P.I.N.K. uses. Then eating a regular dinner within moderation. And I almost never eat past 7pm, so I do pretty good with that. As for the exercise part, I do already have some weights. I have those small balls that you use and bands, then I also have 3lb, 5lb and 8lb weights. So I could start doing some exercises with weights. That why I'd love to have the P.I.N.K. Method DVD's, but I don't really want the rest of it because following a strict diet is not something I'm good at. Watching calories or eating in moderation I can do, but not following a particular diet. I'm trying to save money to buy a treadmill and hoping to get one within the next month or two. Hopefully sooner than later. I've had a treadmill before and I know I do very well with one. So hoping to do that again. I was always slim and trim until I hit 40 then the weight just came on so fast it was crazy. Every year after 40 I'd put on a few pounds until next thing I know I was 185. I want to get down to 160 first, then shoot for 150 then ultimately 140 and if I go any less than that say into my 130's that would be a bonus, but my goal is my 140's.
And I appreciate you being truthful, to some degree I suppose I am making excuses, but the roadblocks just discourage me. I really need motivation. Not only do I look terrible, but worse, I feel horrible all the time. And I'm worried about my future health. I'm already on high blood pressure medication. Oh and I will definitely try the livestrong.com I've never heard of it before, thanks for telling me about it. I'd do weightwatchers, but I can't afford it. I'm starting to get more motivated, but feel I need support, so thought I'd come here where others are going through what I am. Thanks for all your input and advice.
So if he works between 11 and 7 and sleeps between say .. 8 and 6 ... what happened to the hours between 6p.m. and 11p.m. Why can't you exercise during those 5 or 6 hours?
And if he works 11 to 7, that means he probably leaves the house before 11 to get to work, right? So why can't you exercise between 10:30 and 11:30?
Honestly .. what I'm seeing are excuses. If you want to do something, you'll make the time for it.
Yes, he works 11-7, but he doesnt sleep between 8 & 6, I mean he sleeps ALL day long. I think a treadmill will be quiet enough to do while he's sleeping I'm just ready to have one right now, but it'll be about a month before I can get one...waiting on my next check which will be 3 more weeks, then I have to order the treadmill. I know what you mean about excuses, yes I will say I don't won't to work out late at night at 10 pm. And just doing exercises without the cardio just isn't for me...now along with cardio yes, but not alone...I need to lose fat, so I want both. I just can't get my treadmill soon enough. Thank you for pushing me to exercise though & clean up my diet, I really need that. I'm so looking forward to my treadmill. As far as the protein drink I skip breakfast most of the time, so I thought I would start drinking an energy drink in the mornings to help.
You can lose fat w/out cardio. Cardio is absolutely not necessary to lose fat. I lost 30 lbs w/o doing a single bit of cardio .. just lifting weights. IN fact I broke a plateau when I quit doing cardio and started lifting using a structured weight lifting program. Just .. FYI.
And saying that if you can't do one part means you won't do any ... is kind of silly. It's kinda like saying that if you can't clean the whole house at one time, then you're not even going to bother to do the dishes.
I didn't really realize just lifting weights could help you to lose weight without the cardio. I actually lifted some today. I did some upper body work, then I did squats too. I didn't do a lot, but it's more than I usually do, which is none. My arms will probably be sore tomorrow just from the little I did today. I thought maybe if I thought in terms of just doing enought to get me started that would help me. So until I get my treadmill I going to try to work on my eating habits and do a little daily weight work.
Yeah. Think baby steps. What little thing can you do today? Is it more than you did yesterday? Do it. Feel good about it.
Yoga, lifting dumbells, using a resistance ball are all quiet exercises that you can do while he's asleep. Just shut the door and go to it.
You need motivation, but you keep making excuses. No one can answer all of the reasons why you think you can't right now. I'm worried that you're going to get the treadmill and it won't be the answer to everything, it will be as boring as you find the simple exercises.
So back to the moral of the story. My perhaps not so humble opinion. There's always going to be roadblocks and challenges. Some greater than others. Take baby steps. Do more today than you did yesterday.
Yeah. Think baby steps. What little thing can you do today? Is it more than you did yesterday? Do it. Feel good about it.
Yoga, lifting dumbells, using a resistance ball are all quiet exercises that you can do while he's asleep. Just shut the door and go to it.
You need motivation, but you keep making excuses. No one can answer all of the reasons why you think you can't right now. I'm worried that you're going to get the treadmill and it won't be the answer to everything, it will be as boring as you find the simple exercises.
So back to the moral of the story. My perhaps not so humble opinion. There's always going to be roadblocks and challenges. Some greater than others. Take baby steps. Do more today than you did yesterday.
Good luck!
Thanks. That's what I'm going to try to do...baby steps, do a little each day. It's possible once I get my treadmill I may still be bored, but I used a treadmill before and was very successful with it. I was in great shape at one time because I stayed on the treadmill and lifted weights 4 days a week, but quit once I got to be about 37. And then when 40 hit, every year til now 46the pounds started packing on. But yes, I'm going to think in terms as baby steps so I don't get overwhelmed.
Hi. I'm new here as well.
I agree with the other ladies, if you want to do it, you will.
I understand the whole hubby sleeping thing, etc. My boyfriend is a very light sleeper, but he is also VERY supportive and encouraging.
I think once you gain a good support system [like the ladies on this site], you'll start telling yourself that you can do. Sometimes you have to be a bit selfish when it comes to doing something that benefits you! So if the hubby loses a half hour of sleep, it won't kill him.
Take that half hour to continue doing the little exercises you have set in place.
Good luck & Happy New Year.
Yes, my motivation is going to have to be strong enough for me to make the decision to move forward. On a good note, I found a nice used treadmill that I may buy within the next two weeks, so then I will start working out real soon instead of another month or two. I really think the treadmill will work and hubby is open to me having one, so gonna go from there. I just hope I'm as successful with the treadmill this go around as I was the last time, after all, I am about 9-10 years older now...40's isn't as easy as the 30's was.
New here...need to lose 40 pds, but have many roadblocks
It's kinda like saying that if you can't clean the whole house at one time, then you're not even going to bother to do the dishes.
