Hi everyone, I am new and want to get healthy! My starting weight is 154 and want to get down to 130-135. I'm right on the verge of becoming overweight, and really want to stop gaining.

When I first began gaining more weight, I started a medication that's known for causing weight gain. A few months ago I was fluctuating around 147, but now I am fluctuating around 153! I have been trying to eat healthier, portioning my food, and cooking more, hardly eating fast food, but have slowly gained more.

I also have been doing pole dance/fitness at least twice a week, with one of the days being 3 hours of activity, for the past month, and once a week for an hour since mid-April. I could be gaining muscle and losing no fat, but it's hard to tell, and my waist measurements haven't changed.

I work in an office sitting all day, an 8-5 job. I think I have a "spare tire" tummy, due to not enough exercise and an improper diet. I try to eat healthier during the week but usually once I week I eat out for a date night or to hang out with a friend.

I've been trying to eat more healthy snacks during the day like yogurt, granola, snack cheese, and most of my recipes come from SkinnyTaste. For lunch at work, I usually eat a Lean Gourmet or Lean Cuisine meal. I don't know what to look for on nutrition labels other than calories and fat content.

I'm just not sure what to do. I hate running and don't want to get a gym membership. Does anyone have any ideas on work-outs I could do? I tend to do better when I can watch a workout video. Any recommendations would be so appreciated!

Welcome!! So glad you joined!

Weight loss comes down to calories in vs calories out. I would suggest tracking everything you eat to see how many calories you're truly eating. While it sounds like you are making excellent choices where you may be adding extra calories without realizing it is in your portion sizes and possibly condiment choices. I'm not saying that you have to become a calorie counter, there are a lot of other plans out there, but this is just a way to help you see if there are areas your overdoing it.

As for looking at nutritional labels I suggest not worrying so much about fat (unless its trans) but rather looking at protein and fiber. Fats, if the right kind, are actually very good for you and definitely needed for your body to function properly. Many vitamins and minerals your body needs are fat soluble so without fat in your diet those vitamins are just expelled without ever being used. Fat is also good to help you feel satisfied. Just think about some of the most craved foods, they're generally high in fat. Adding healthy fat or real fat (butter over margarine) to a healthy meal will make it more satisfying and easier to stop eating when you're full (as long as you recognize your body's full signals). Protein and fiber are will help you feel full and stay full longer, they're great for helping give you energy, and keep our digestive track running smoothly. For women it's recommended that we get at least 60g of protein and 25g of fiber a day. Tracking your food will also help you track these numbers as well. There are plenty of free apps or websites that can help you with that such as My Fitness Pal or Spark People.

As for fitness it's all about being as active as you can, when you can. So small things can help such as parking in the back of the parking lot and walking the distance, taking the stairs, and biking to places closer to you rather than driving. There are a lot of other ideas out there too if those don't work for you. I think it's great that you've already started some fitness classes. That'll help a lot. You could also try tracking your steps. I have a Fitbit and I love it but they aren't cheap. However there are perfectly good pedometers for under $10 that'll track your steps. They're a good way to see just how much activity you really do in the day.

Thank you for your welcome and reply!

I actually have a My Fitness Pal and try to track my calories but always fall out of committing to it, especially when I go on a trip out of town (which happens pretty often!). I also tend to not include dinner in any calorie counts, so maybe that is when I'm overeating. I didn't think about condiments, I tend to need some kind of condiment on everything! Will definitely try to portion that out.

You made a good point about fats, I've been thinking I need to keep my fat intake down as far as I could. Which is hard anyways lol. I have trouble meeting even half of that 60g of protein and I'm not so sure about my fiber intake. What are some foods you can eat everyday that give you a lot of protein/fiber without having to eat so much or buy expensive protein foods/mixes?

Thanks!

I struggle with protein and fiber too. Instead of regular yogurt I buy greek yogurt because it has more protein without adding more calories. Just look at the nutrition label. Some are full fat, high sugar, and can be 300+ calories a cup. While you don't need to really limit your fat, fat does contain a lot of calories so you don't need to go full fat either. I also like egg whites. I will buy liquid egg whites and use them to make an egg sandwich in the morning. They are very high in protein but hardly have any calories. I'll also add hard boiled egg whites on salads or sandwiches to add some more protein. But those I do from normal eggs not the liquid because I don't have that figured out yet. You can also get protein in meat, lean meats are better because you get more food for the same number of calories. And also nuts and seeds will have them. Just be careful with those since they are also calorie dense. I believe almonds give you the most protein for the least amount of calories.

Fiber only comes from plants so fruits, veggies, and grains will be your best source. You said you eat granola, there are a lot of granolas out there that can be high in fiber. Just be careful when adding fiber that you don't add too much all at once. If your digestive track isn't used to it fiber will make you very bloated and give you really bad gas. It's uncomfortable and it makes a lot of people want to avoid it from then on. Think about the reputation beans get and that's because they are high in fiber. So I try to avoid FiberOne bars because they cause this horrible reaction in me but it doesn't do that for everyone. I say if you buy a new product that is high fiber try on your day off when you're at home just in case things don't go well.

My favorite on-the-run snack that's high in fiber and protein but lower in calorie (and tastes kinda like a candy bar) is Kashi Chewy Granola Bars Chocolate Almond & Sea Salt. 140 calories, 4g fiber, and 6g protein. I eat it with a large glass of water and it can hold me for a long time between meals if need be. It also satisfies my sweet, salty, and chocolate craving.

BLOGILATES!
OH MY GOD! FSLDKJFHSKLGSKLGS

Cassie is quite honestly the best thing ever, she's so nice and peppy and her videos are actually quite fun to watch! The best thing of all, is they're free! She also has a meal plan and journal available for purchase to go with her workouts but that's not 100% necessary. She sends out a workout calendar every month with a list of videos for each day for you to complete, and the best part is, there's a beginners calendar as well for those who are new to pilates! The best part is all you really need is a yoga mat! Even then, it's not 100% necessary either just be wary that you will be in pain if you do the exercises on a hard surface without any kind of cushioning!

If you *feel* like spending money then Tone It Up has some excellent videos. I love Karena and Katrina and I actually have the nutrition plan. And the best part is, they GET results! They have hundreds of examples on their website (just google Tone it Up or Blogilates and it'll come up right away).

Another one is the Jillian Michaels 30-day shred. It really gets you moving! And all you need is a set of weights that you're comfortable with! You can get it on amazon for like $10 or less I think now because it's an older video but it's a classic. Her Yoga Meltdown is also incredible.

I know what you mean about the sitting all day issues. I'm at an office job and also feel like I hardly move sometimes.
You said you've been cooking more. Why not pack your lunch? The frozen meals can be good in a pinch, but you can make something yourself that's cheaper, yummier, and more filling.