I am 23, 5'3 and 220 lbs :-/

  • Well, I am wanting to lose weight. I have tried a few diets and even gotten excited about dvd's to lose weight lol. I had an appt with my doctor and even though it was the right thing to do, my doc rushed me through it and the nutritionist has yet to call me. I am waiting for yet another appt with my doc because I want to know the healthy natural correct way to lose weight. My husband currently does the Insanity program and just eats wholesome meals. Of course he looses weight, I tried the Insanity and I guess because of my weight, I basically died and kept getting constant horrible migraines so I seen a doc and he said that program is for people who are not Obese. Well, Any Good information is welcome and appreciated, thanks!!
  • I would say not to tire yourself out with exercise and you are right not too be too strict on your diet. You need to ease into it and take baby steps. Try a little at a time. I heard one girl who cut out one unhealthy food every two weeks and replaced it with a more healthier alternative that way it doesn't hit you all at once and you don't feel like just giving up. You will see changes in yourself and start to feel better about yourself and you will want to keep going. And you have come to the right place for advice there are so many helpful girls who are in the same boat here!
    Also about the working out do not wear yourself out! It will make you want to eat even more calories and make you feel like you are starving. This happened to me before until I found a workout video that was more my pace and I was not using up all my calories at the gym only to eat them all in starvation. I lost more weight doing smaller amounts of exercise more often then I did when I had a personal trainer.
  • Have you tried a fitness program other than insanity? If you are really out of shape, I would suggest doing small increments of workouts. A 60 minute workout is killer to even those who are fit, so that's why I think you should start out with 15-20 minutes a couple times a day (before work, after work, and maybe after dinner if you are feeling up to it). This will increase your stamina without you wanting to give up because of that hour long killer workout.

    Also, the "natural, healthy correct way" to lose weight would be simple exercise and a healthy diet. A lot of people see success with counting calories and just adding some exercise into their lives. It doesn't have to be anything like Insanity, but even going for a 30 minute walk will help!

    Another thing that helps people avoid failure is not changing everything at once. Just as it is hard to quit smoking, its hard to change our eating habits as well. Some people find it better to start by replacing one meal a day with something healthy for one week. After that, they replace two of their normal unhealthy meals with more nutritious food. Others start by cutting every drink out of their diet except water. These small changes overtime will help prevent you from giving up to early due to the drastic changes. Remember losing weight is a lifestyle change, not a short term diet. Slow and steady wins the race!
  • Take baby steps! We're the same height (and the same age!) and I likely weighed the same as you when I started "getting healthy" (I don't know my real starting weight, but it was over 200lbs).

    It took me seven years to get to this point, but I don't think I would have gotten here if I tried to do it all at once.

    I started exercising before I started eating healthy when I was 16. I think at that point I dropped around 20-30 pounds to get to 200. I started eating healthier within the next few years but I didn't lose any weight. Back in May I really kicked it into gear with cutting my portions and then later on added calorie counting and here I am

    Realize that you MUST change your whole life to lose weight. You cannot simply do a diet and go back to your old ways. If you are physically capable you must add exercise and couple it with healthy eating (and the right amount!) to reach your goals.