Podgy and poor

courteener

Gloomendoom wrote: »

I'd hazard a guess that it has something to do with consuming less calories.

That's the most effective and cheapest way to lose weight.

It's not at all that simple though, the body metabolizes different types of foods at different rates so it matters what food types the calories are, and when they are consumed.

Most people slow down their metabolism by skipping breakfast, and most people can lose weight gradually over the long term by increasing their exercise so long as they guard against the increased appetite this can cause.

If somebody builds a little more muscle mass they can eat the same if not more number of calories and still lose weight.

It's not even close to a simple calories in need to be < than calories out equation.

courteener

OP If your hubby usually eats meat at every meal could you eat the same meat as him but with salad or frozen veg instead of potatoes or pasta? Low Carb works and fits well with most men's meat obsession I should think.

My mum got loads of books out of the library when we started eating low carb, and she made small changes to start with. We all lost weight.

There's a low carb thread on here somewhere with loads of cheap meal ideas. Low GI works for most people too.

If you eat one meal a day with Hubby then that's two meals and a snack each day that you can please yourself with. Make them count.

Would a cheap exercise dvd help get your motivated? I've got a Wii and tracking my progress really helps keep me on track, rather than other people. Maybe you need to start a notebook or a make a poster you can fill in. (Pin it up in your wardrobe if you don't want to discuss it with other people.)

Join one of the diet or exercise threads on here for virtual company?

My auntie started doing laps of the park in the mornings after the school run and met other people doing the same, so now they do it together.

I walk an old lady's dog so she doesn't have to give him up. Even when I'm shattered I still go because he needs it, if it wasn't for him I'd be slumped in front of Gilmore Girls after college most days!

Loads of people who are doing the Moonwalk, Sunwalk, 5ks and walk for life type things need walking buddies. They advertise on the sites for those events. Find one near you maybe?

Don't beat yourself up, encourage yourself kindly like you would a friend who needed a bit of help.

Once you get going it'll soon become second nature.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

This is an interesting motivation tool - http://makeovr.com/weightmirror/liftupload.php

And as motivation, it costs nothing

murphydog999

nzmegs wrote: »

But generally less than 1500 calories is a good start.

As far as types of food go. it really doesn't matter as long as you stick to the calories.

Sorry, but that is really bad advice.

Calorie requirements are based on different criteria, inc. age, weight, and gender. I said to a lady on another thread who is 17 stone that her weight loss calories would be around 2100, so this sort of thing cannot be generalised.

Courteener is absolutely right about food types in her post, eating the right food at the right time can make a big difference.

Gloomendoom

courteener wrote: »

It's not at all that simple though, the body metabolizes different types of foods at different rates so it matters what food types the calories are, and when they are consumed.

Most people slow down their metabolism by skipping breakfast, and most people can lose weight gradually over the long term by increasing their exercise so long as they guard against the increased appetite this can cause.

If somebody builds a little more muscle mass they can eat the same if not more number of calories and still lose weight.

It's not even close to a simple calories in need to be < than calories out equation.

It's as complicated as you want to make it.

I wanted to lose weight so I cut down on what I ate. I lost weight.

Simple.

BTW I don't eat breakfast... or lunch.

courteener

Gloomendoom wrote: »

It's as complicated as you want to make it.

I wanted to lose weight so I cut down on what I ate. I lost weight.

Simple.

BTW I don't eat breakfast... or lunch.

That's lovely for you, but even if you want to ignore all the science on this subject you must be anecdotally aware that not everybody finds it so straightforward?

Given that the OP said the following it's probable that she's one of the poeple who doesn't find it as easy as you do.

Crisp_£_note wrote: »

Hi I was hoping for some help please. I have been struggling with my weight for a very long time it just wants to go on not come off. I watch my portion sizes, what I eat and drink as much as I can....

...Re reading over this post looks like I dont try so its no wonder my Dr wont help and I feel nobody cares or beleives me when I say how hard I am trying yet my body is putting it on not taking it off.

HeidiHi

belfastgirl23 wrote: »

The really awful thing is that I am exercising a reasonable amount so OMG I must be eating like a hog :eek: but yes let's make a pact. No more excuses.

I feel like that. I walk ten miles a day on the school run, I do Yoga, I use my Wii. I work at a physical job, I do two other people's housework besides my own, I don't have a car so I carry the shopping home every couple of days, so if I'm still a size 28 I must be eating way more than I think I do. (only I don't think I am.)

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

Part of my issues are that I feel more 'secure' with a full stomach,

I have that too. I can't sleep if I'm hungry / not full.

Gloomendoom

courteener wrote: »

That's lovely for you, but even if you want to ignore all the science on this subject you must be anecdotally aware that not everybody finds it so straightforward?

I am well aware that there is huge industry based on this 'science' that panders to the popular desire for an easy fix. There is no easy fix. Eat less and do more.

"So for the average person, caloric intake—rather than calorie burning from exercise—appears to be the most important factor in weight loss. But even if calorie intake trumps exercise, this does not mean exercise does not play a key role in helping people stay trim."

Source: Scientific American

Given that the OP said the following it's probable that she's one of the poeple who doesn't find it as easy as you do.

My original post was in not in response to the OP. I sympathise with the OP and sincerely hope that she finds something that works for her.
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SandC

My 2.5 stone + weightloss actually IS down to exercise, but it's taken me over a year to get to this point. The only dietary tweaks I have consciously and purposely made is less alcohol - but less alcohol in turn for me means less comfort food the next day.

The exercise I built up from 2-3 hours per week to what I'm now doing which is 8. I have a very sedentary lifestyle though - and for me that works. 5 of those hours are swimming before work. This, to me, is the equivalent of a busy mum and what she must do each day in terms of running around kids, housework, walking to school, walking dogs etc.

The increased exercise led to weightloss only really after I upped it to 5/6 hours per week. Of course, the diet has changed in that you can't be eating while you are exercising. And the changes in my health and fitness and how I look make you more aware of what you are taking in. Having said that, I basically eat what I want at weekends. But eating 'what I want' never constituted the amount two normal adults would eat in one sitting from a chinese takeaway.

As for those who are active but still have weight/size issues. You are probably sitting on a weight that over the ages you have achieved through some bad habits. You are probably eating the same as any other person (ratioed to size) so your body stays where it is. To lose that weight/size you have to be eating less or moving more or both. The reasoning can only be that if you are very active you are eating what your body requires to give you that energy - which is probably quite a lot. If you don't reduce that to below what a slim person eats then you won't see a reduction in size.

SandC

HeidiHi wrote: »

I feel like that. I walk ten miles a day on the school run, I do Yoga, I use my Wii. I work at a physical job, I do two other people's housework besides my own, I don't have a car so I carry the shopping home every couple of days, so if I'm still a size 28 I must be eating way more than I think I do. (only I don't think I am.)



I have that too. I can't sleep if I'm hungry / not full.

If you've ever watched those boot camp type programmes it's always quite amazing how little food is required to sustain the levels of activities that the people are being put through.