[mellyymel]

Hi all,

So I hope I can follow and live by my favorite quote in regards to reaching my goal weight. I became a member in December but never really posted, just looked around the site. I'm 23 and currently in Nursing school. Which makes it difficult to find time to work out... but I'm DONE making excuses. I really hope I can take this more seriously this time and not have another failed attempt. I'm just tired of being exhausted and overweight all the time. I KNOW I can look better and get to where I want to be again. I'm pleased in all other aspects of my life, except my weight. And I know it's what's bringing me down and making me miserable. In regards to diet, I am calorie counting with an app on my phone. I'm currently eating between 1300-1400 calories a day. My app says my budget should be 1,500. I am cutting down a lot, reading LABELS, and trying to portion control as best I can, which I think is key.

But I think what really held me back before is the dreaded word...... EXERCISE. I tried to lose weight with diet alone but it just did not work out for me. Anyway, I've decided to get my lazy butt up and moving. I recently bought the Zumba game for Nintendo wii and I'm addicted! Well for now at least. I really hope I can stick to this! I truly recommend it to anyone. It's so fun and doesn't feel like a boring work out at all. I burn between 600-650 calories a day. I've been doing it for 4 consecutive days now for about 1 hour and 20 minutes each day, so let's see how it goes.

I've never been a gym fan because I feel like it's so judgmental. I own a gym a membership which I NEVER use. Horrible, I know. I hope if I see results it will motivate me to get my butt back to the gym at least 2-3x a week for weight training. We'll see... If anyone has had any weight loss results with Zumba or Zumba games/dvds please let me know! Thanks for reading and good luck to all of you!!!

[Roo2]

Hi Mellymel-Good to see you posting.
Yes Nursing school can be very hecticWhat year are you in? Are you doing clinicals?
I can imagine how difficult it could be for you to try to juggle everything and write all those Dreaded papers.Are you working part-time in a hospital too?
I know dieting is a struggle on it's own ..sounds like you have a Full Plate!!
Try to get enough sleep and keep as regular hours as possible for sleeping,
that will help with weight loss too.
I remember study group sessions and all the cramming we did both with tests and food.
Are you on a special weight loss program or counting calories?
Good Luck on all fronts,Roo2

[RisKay84]

Hi MellyMel!!

Nice to read your thread. I am doing Zumba also and love it. I definitely recommend the Zumba at home kit with the toning sticks. I do a different workout every day and it doesnt get boring!

Good luck on your journey!!!

[mellyymel]

I have 2 more semesters left... and I'm in my 3rd round of clinicals. It really is intense but I'm trying to keep my stress level down by eating right and and exercising enough. Weight loss does NOT go well with stress at all, so I'm hoping doing zumba can help manage it better.

I'm currently using the Lose it app to calorie count. I've been keeping under my budget of 1500 calories by cutting out dairy/bread/cereal. I've been increasing my water and fruit intake as well, and really using portion control. I think I'm on the right track so far.

[mellyymel]

@RisKay84... is the home kit a DVD program?

also, how many calories a day do you burn in your typical zumba workout?

[penmage]

Good luck!

[mellyymel]

Thank you! Good luck to you as well, keep up the good work! Congrats on the 26 lb lost

[RisKay84]

Hey Mellyymel... yes its a DVD program. You get:

Basic workout (learning the steps)
Basic 20 min cardio workout (20 mins interval workout if you dont have time)
Cardio Party - 55 min workout
Sculpt and Tone with toning stick - 45 mins
Zumba Cardio Live - 55 mins
Flat Abs - 15 mins

I generally find I burn between 500-600 calories depending on the workout.
i like sculpt and tone because you continue to burn calories after as you build muscle.

Hope this helps.

[mellyymel]

Awesome!! I'll def look into more Zumba products, I'm addicted! lol

[Mozzy]

Welcome and good luck on your journey!