So I'll lay it all out for you guys. I won't lie, I'm extremely lazy and without motivation I feel like it's worthless. I push off starting my weight loss journey as much as possible.
I now weigh in around 245 pounds or so, it varies daily. Anyway, I try to come up with weight loss plans and programs for myself, but they never work when I actually set in to use them. I can't afford any organic foods or other items people have told me to get, and nor can I afford a gym membership since I lost my job in August. I'm 19 and I still live at home, but my parents are not very supportive of me. Either is my boyfriend. My family, friends and boyfriend always tell me they're afraid for my weight and my health, but they never help me.
I would really appreciate any tips that would help with my weight loss journey with my financial issues.
Do you have any exercise equipment at home? Or do you live in an area where it's safe to walk outside?
I know that when I started it was easy for me to lose weight just by doing 60-90 minutes walking and eating healthy (no calorie counting, which I still don't do).
Start little, you don't need a drastic change in calories or exercise at this point, make the most of the initial momentum (when you start you lose faster).
Also, as I mentioned elsewhere, when I lived with my parents I used the Leslie Sansone Walk away the pounds DVDs. Those are great, especially for starting out.
ETA: Also even if you're not using it for weight loss, exercise is great for feeling good, it releases endorphins so you feel happy after you work out. I think I now exercise more to have that effect than for weight loss. I hate missing my workouts!
Last edited by happynottsgirl; 01-23-2011 at 06:50 PM.
The number one thing is attitude. Instead of thinking why you can't do things, think in terms of "what is important? How can I get the important part within my limitations?" and have faith that there IS an answer to that problem if you are determined.
For example, when people are saying "eat organic food", instead of saying "I can't afford that", ask "What is it about organic food?". For that example, I think what people mean is that unprocessed food (not always organic) tends to be much, much more filling for the same or less calories as processed food. So then the question is "How can I incorporate more unprocessed food into my life?"--and unprocessed food doesn't have to be expensive at all: boneless skinless chicken breasts are $1.78/lb here, cottage cheese is cheap, frozen veggies are cheap and just as healthy as fresh, many fresh veggies are cheap, brown rice and dry beans are all but free, cottage cheese is cheap . . .there are lots of options.
When people say "join a gym", don't say "I can't afford that", say "What does a gym offer?" and the answer is "the opportunity to get some exercise". So how else can you get some exercise?
The other part of attitude is that you have to get pretty obsessive. At least for a while, this is what your life needs to be about. It's changing the kind of person you are, and that takes attention. I mean, if you were having a baby, you'd think about it, make plans, daydream about it all the time, right? If you were moving out and getting your own place, you'd think about it, make plans, daydream about it all the time, right? This is that kind of change. When you are thinking about your day and what you need to do, you need to think about your eating and exercise and make sure you have everything you need. Anytime anything happens in your life: you are going out on a date, you have to work late, there's an ice storm coming, whatever, your first thought needs to be about how you are going to shift your eating/exercise plans to accommodate it.
As far as specific plans go, I started at a lot heavier than you, and what worked for me was 1) fairly high calorie (1500-1800ish most of the time), 2) high protein, 3) high fiber, 4) steadily increasing exercise. I used Fitday and tracked my calories as perfectly as possible. But these sorts of details can be sorted out after you'd made the fundamental attitude shift. They are such big topics they need their own threads.
You do not need organic food or health products, you can do just fine by controlling your portion. As far as exercise you can start by walking 30 min a day at a brisk pace.
A lot of exercises like squats, sit up, push up, require no equipment and you can find vidéos on YouTube to guide you.
Unfortunatly not everyone is supportive so be it you cannot change that but it is up to you in the end to do what is good for you, they have nothing to do with your weight loss since you are the one that will have to cut the calories and start exercising. Beside once you start seeing the results it will motivate you to continue. Good luck
I don't have a gym membership. I get the majority of my exercise with Wii Fit and EA Active on the Wii. I also use some workout DVDs and I walk outside when everything isn't covered in snow.
As far as diet, I am not on a specific plan, I just limit my calories and try to eat fruits, vegetables, and healthy foods every day.
Not to sound nuts, but sometimes it feels good to take control just for control's sake. It sounds like you have a lot of overbearing factors - parents, boyfriend, lack of $, living at home, etc. But there ARE things that you can control. The little things add up.
Something that I have to remind myself is that it costs no money or time to NOT do some things. It's free to not eat junk food - just eat something else instead, or nothing at all. It takes no time to just NOT drink a sugar-soda.
So try those things first - decide on some things that you will refuse to put in your body, no matter how much flack you might get for it. Take that control over yourself - if only because it's yours, and no one else's, to take.
You will see changes - and I think the motivation to make more proactive changes will come!
When you say your family is worried for your health but they don't help you, what do you mean?
Calorie counting is free, but it takes motivation. Only YOU can come up with motivation, which is also free btw. Going outside, jogging, bodyweight exercises, are all free too.
Until you find that motivation from within, it doesn't matter if you have your own personal trainer, personal chef, and live on the BL ranch with nothing to focus on but weight loss. The 'kick' as to come from within.
I absolutely understand what it is to be lazy. I'm unbelievably lazy myself. Yet I've been able to get with (and stay with) a weight loss plan for three months and change now.
For me, the key was to make it require more effort to eat off-plan than to stay on it. It's precisely because I'm lazy that I've made it easy on myself to stay with it. When shopping, I pretty much skip the center aisles as all the stuff I want is on the outer part of the store (produce, meat, dairy stuff); being able to do this appeals to my lazy nature. I'm also so lazy that when I cook, I cook big amounts so I can store stuff; that way I can skip cooking here and there. As for fast food/prepared foods, I'm so lazy that I can't be bothered to drive there and place an order when I could just eat something in my own kitchen. It's a lot closer than McDonald's.
Laziness also means not a lot of formal exercise. I can rarely stir myself to do it. What I can do is walk to the store, walk around the block a few times while I think of work stuff, and walk with my husband because I like him. I can also ride a stationary bike while reading instead of loafing on the couch while reading; it's marginally more effort, but once I'm on there, inertia keeps me going. And I can lift weights because it's kinda fun to do. Maybe for you, dancing would be fun. Maybe Wii Fit is your style. Maybe you enjoy gardening. There's almost certainly some kind of informal physical activity that could become exercise if you did it longer or put more effort into it. Try new stuff; you might find you like it like I found with my free weights.
In addition to being lazy, I'm also broke. That means we eat a lot of beans, big inexpensive cuts of meat, whole chickens that I or my husband butcher ourselves, and fresh fruits and vegetables. Locally grown produce tends to be cheaper, as does stuff in season; It's a happy accident that these are also great-tasting; mostly we buy them because they're cheap.
My weight loss isn't super fast; a lot of people have lost a lot more than I have. But I'll take my seven pounds or so a month and keep at it, because getting over a quarter of the way to my goal is pretty good for someone as lazy and broke as I am.
Motivation may not be what you need; routine and inertia may be what you need. It's been working beautifully for me.
Last edited by Nola Celeste; 01-23-2011 at 07:29 PM.
I'm lazy too. I thought "I'd like to lose weight" for years before I actually did anything about it. Then one day after a weekend of eating almost nothing but meat (disgusting but true) I realized I felt uncomfortable in my own skin. Until you hit that "turning point" where you truly, deeply want to change, you probably won't bother.
I'm still lazy, and I'll always be lazy. Like Nola Celeste said, the way to lose weight while being a lazy person is to make routine out of healthy habits. You don't need to buy "organic" groceries (it's BS anyway) or expensive supplements or anything, and walking or running outside/body weight exercises are free. I have spent $0.00 on anything pertaining to exercise, yet I've gotten super toned legs and built tons of strength that I never had before.
First and foremost, you must WANT to lose and be WILLING to do what it takes. Diet and exercise will do it. PS I do not buy expensive foods, or do I have expensive exercise equipment, or do I belong to a plush gym , no spas or anything like that. I do not pay someone to tell me what to eat or pay someone to tell me to get off my butt and do some exercise and, yes, walking is exercise.
You don't need to spend money at all in order to lose weight. In fact, I've actually been saving money because I've cut down on the Starbucks in the morning and the fast food for lunch habits I had for years. I also cut down on the random candy and junk food I used to eat all throughout the day. Things like that add up over time, even if you don't do anything else. As for exercise, you can walk around the neighbourhood or in place in your room, or up and down the stairs. Or find a used copy of a workout tape, you can use those over and over again and don't have to keep paying for a membership. Again, things like that add up.
As for organic food, you don't need to spend loads of money on that in order to eat a healthy diet. Non-organic produce is healthy too, and a lot cheaper, as are frozen veggies and canned fruits. Buying foods like grains, beans, pastas, etc. from the bulk food section is cheaper as well.
How do I do it? I just follow my plan, which happens to be Weight Watchers. You could follow a free plan like Sparkpeople.com.
And then you just start. And you follow the plan every day. And the day after that. And the next day. On the days you feel great and the days you feel crappy. On the days you have a ton of time and the days you have no time. On the days you are alone, and the days you are at parties. On the days the scale drops and the days the scale mocks your hard work with its lies.
That's the secret. Follow the plan. It's not sexy but it works.
Like they say in AA - it's easy. Just don't drink.
Yup, everyone has said what I might say (but I'll say it anyways! ).
I've SAVED money losing weight. I used to eat out a lot, ordered in pizzas, chinese...you name it...now I eat at home and I plan what I eat, and I count my calories. I don't know if that's something you're willing to do, but it's absolutely key for me, and many others on this site. I focus on healthy foods but in the end if it fits in my calories and I want it, I can have it.
Exercise has been completely free too - I do it outside or else even just doing brisk walks around the mall when it is too cold out (it helps also I'm pushing a double stroller). But to be honest I don't exercise a heck of a lot. It's something I'm working on adding in more of....but like you I'm lazy too and it's a bit of a battle. I have an easier time controlling food so that's where my main focus is at the moment....to be honest though as the pounds come off, I WANT to get moving more and more. The feeling is pretty awesome....I took my son to a playground the other day in the snow and it was deserted...I just had urges to run around the little track there again and again....I was amazed at how I didn't get winded. Anyhow a little tangent but if you are able to find the motivation and committment to do it, it is SO WORTH IT! Keep posting here - this place is wonderful!
You can eat right and save money. I buy fruits, veggies, and skip all the packaged junk, and honestly my grocery bill has been cut in half. My protien is cheap too because I buy in bigger quantites and freeze it, after dividing it up in appropriate portions. As for the exersice, My gym is 10 bucka month, but if you cant swing that, go to a garage sale and get some weights, resistance bands, and a jump rope. you can get free exersice videos from youtube that work great. When I was in highschool I worked out everyday before my parents came home by watching MTV and dancing to the music videos. It really did wonders.
I'm another one in the "free" club. I lost a whole lot of weight and the only money I ever spent was $10 on a workout video that I did once and about died. So I gave it to my son who does it fairly regularly. I don't buy organic food, (but I do grow a large "organic" garden). But when I buy fresh produce in the winter, I buy what is on sale at the local grocery store and wash the heck out of it.
The only excercise equipment I own is a push lawn mower, a rake, a hoe, a wheel borrow and a shovel. Oh and a piece of rope that I use as a jump rope when I get the urge. I have never set foot in a fitness gym and I rarely ever buy into processed "diet foods".
You can do this on your own with no help. You've just gotta help yourself. I wish you the best.
PS: I count calories...in a free datebook organizer that my insurance man gives me every year at Christmas.
How do you do it? Tips Appreciated!!
