Losing weight the healthy way and on a budget

simmed

Swimming is a poor method to lose weight because it doesn't burn many calories, requires a lot of effort to travel/change/get dry etc, and makes you ravenously hungry.

OP, by far the easiest way to lose weight is to join a gym and do both cardio and weight training (lift weights that are heavy that you can only just lift them ~8 times). Calculate your daily calorie burn, go below it (how far below depending on how fast you want to lose weight, maybe around 1,000 below). Eat 100g protein a day.

custardy

Sharon87 wrote: »

I'm like the OP, been overweight for a while, been on a few diets in the past. But recently I've started getting unhealthy, not put any extra weight on, but maintaining my 2.5 stone overweight!

I did quit the gym as I wasn't motivated and kept hurting my ankle, knees.etc Really need to go find a swimming pool, but winter doesn't make me want to swim lol.

I've not been eating very much but eating rubbish. I think I need to do some muscle building exercises as once I have more muscle it burns fat quicker. I've lost weight in the past, it's just keeping it off, and keeping active and healthy is the main problem. Life changes so quickly, especially my routine due to working short contracts all the time.

I've been eating breakfast most of the past couple weeks, which is new, so I've made a start there! Healthy cereal too, well it's like shredded wheat with frosted bits on top. So mostly healthy!

Treadmill?

Sharon87

custardy wrote: »

Treadmill?

And crosstrainer. I tend not to run on the treadmill for long periods anyway as being a bustier lady it really is uncomfortable! Need a sports bra to strap me in I think!

I thought swimming would be a good exercise to do, especially if I want to reduce the strain off my ankles and knees. It gets me puffed out now if I'm in there long enough. Surely swimming is better than nothing?

I have just discovered some tennis courts nearby, so need to look into that, I do enjoy tennis.

custardy

Sharon87 wrote: »

And crosstrainer. I tend not to run on the treadmill for long periods anyway as being a bustier lady it really is uncomfortable! Need a sports bra to strap me in I think!

I thought swimming would be a good exercise to do, especially if I want to reduce the strain off my ankles and knees. It gets me puffed out now if I'm in there long enough. Surely swimming is better than nothing?

I have just discovered some tennis courts nearby, so need to look into that, I do enjoy tennis.

Theres plenty you can do in/out of the gym while avoiding the treadmill and trainers
I suffer with a dodgy ankle and foot injury
So I need to work around that. treadmill is a big nono for me,and to a point the cross trainer.
I use the spin bike to go for a proper sweat on 'easy' cardio session
Though I wear SPD shoes to avoid strain from the foot straps on my ankle

usually for a cardio session I like to do circuits
I find the machines boring
plus I can work around whats broken/not working at that time(had shoulder surgery too)

So the other day I did 3 sets 10 x 1 minute cicuits

• sandbag power clean,whirlwind or sandbag shoulder
  
• kettlebell swing or figure 8
  
• sandbag throw(throw the sandbag sideways and side step to it,then throw it back and repeat)
  
• sandbag drag(go into the push up position,then drag the sandbag over with one hand. shuffle to the side to the bag and repeat)
• sand bag slide
  
• kettlebell swing or figure 8 depending on what you did before
  
• sandbag power clean,whirlwind or sandbag shoulder
  
• drop squats from or step up on the rebook step
  
• medicine ball set up or Russian twist
  
• Gecko on the bosu ball
  
• step up onto the bosu ball with one foot,knee,one two punch and then step down
• I put that at the end as it allows me to catch my breath a bit

use a gymboss or as i do. A HIT timer on my phone.
So the phone counts the 1 minutes,so its a case of slogging for X minutes
Thats an example. you have near limitless variations of what you can do.
I can't really do much running just now(I prefer early morning/night runs outdoors to treadmills)
I find machines boring

However its a case of finding what fits you.
I posted about a 10,000 rep challenge a while back that I'm doing(plus my normal training)


25 sits ups
25 dorsal raises
25 squats
25 push ups

the deal is you do them every day for 100 days
in any order,as well as you can
you will see a massive difference in how it feels to do them

margaretclare

I've been told by people in the know about swimming that it is one of the best exercises because it uses every muscle in the body including the heart. It's also good for fat people/older people because it doesn't put the strain on weight-bearing joints that running on a treadmill does. It's also less painful for ladies with large boobage.

As an alternative, how about aqua-aerobics? This ticks many of the boxes that swimming does but it works for those who are scared of drowning (like me).

belfastgirl23

There are broad principles - eat less move more being the main one.

For exercise, anything that gets you moving and keeps you moving is a good start. I'm a fan of starting with what you enjoy but trying other activities as you go along so that if/when you don't enjoy it any more or something happens that you can't do it (eg the swimming pool closes ) you have an alternative to fall back on. Do planned and unplanned activities - so don't just go to the gym, get off the bus a stop earlier, tackle the messy spare room, cut the hedge, have a walk at lunchtime, walk to the shop instead of driving. Find ways to fit in spontaneous exercise.

For food, my fitness pal really does have an excellent database so whatever you do, at least keep track of calories in and out. I don't think it's the whole story but it's a significant part of weight loss and inputting your details makes you think twice both before you eat and if you're tempted to put off exercise.

The big thing is to keep in mind that SMALL EFFORTS APPLIED CONSISTENTLY YIELD RESULTS. it's not about going all out to lose half a stone, it's about day in day out keeping an eye on what you eat and getting enough exercise.

SwipernoSwiping

I've done every diet in the book and then some. There is some very good advice here. Myfitnesspal, Minimins are very good sites for menu plans, but first make sure you do a food log. Food Focus site is good for that, you can record your weight there, exercise and all that you eat.
There are few on the SW thread that are following the plan without going to group with success. I wish I was brave enough to ditch the group and go it alone tbh. Cut down on the fat content. increase your veg/fruit intake. (1/3 of the plate)
One thing I have found since following SW is that low fat "BRAND" doesn't always mean low cal. Fat Free is the way to go if you can.
Good Luck!
**The big thing is to keep in mind that SMALL EFFORTS APPLIED CONSISTENTLY YIELD RESULTS. it's not about going all out to lose half a stone, it's about day in day out keeping an eye on what you eat and getting enough exercise.**
Totally agree !!

sedment

Not sure if this is what you are looking for, but there is a site called good to know, and if you go under the diet club bit, you can sign up for free for 5 days. What you do is input your weight and height and your actitity level, then it works out how much cals a day your body requires and has a food diary for you to add all your food. You weigh everything that passes your lips, and might give you a idea where you are slipping up!!

miduck

lynneee wrote: »

Keep a food diary for a couple of days then you know what you really eat in a day ( I was shocked when I first did this!) Then work out if there are any easy ways to cut calories (eg switch roast potatoes for boiled, fried bacon for grilled, poached egg instead of fried egg). Also look at what liquid you drink in a day. I used to take 2 sugars in my tea, so switched to one sugar then 1 sweetner, and went from blue top (full fat) milk to green top. Lots of little things that all help shift a few lbs without feeling like you are depriving yourself too much.
Good luck!

This is really good advice. I thought I ate healthily, and it wasn't until I wrote it down that I realised what a mess my food intake was! I have increased my exercise massively, cut out most (but not all) carbs, and always have my five (or more) a day. On the last point, I find if I'm having lots of fruit and veg, I don't have time for chocolate and chips!

I also make sure I eat regularly - I had fallen into a pattern of starve and binge, which was doing nothing for my metabolism. I used to be bulimic, but don't tend to get the urge anymore?

Fire_Fox

simmed wrote: »

OP, by far the easiest way to lose weight is to join a gym and do both cardio and weight training (lift weights that are heavy that you can only just lift them ~8 times). Calculate your daily calorie burn, go below it (how far below depending on how fast you want to lose weight, maybe around 1,000 below). Eat 100g protein a day.

Sorry but what you suggest flies in the face of any medical/ healthcare advice or sports science/ weight management research. It's not recommended to drop more than about 500 calories a day except under medical supervision and certainly not if you are burning more by exercising intensely.

It would be virtually impossible to get all the nutrients the body needs in that scenario - an average female needs ~2000 kcal a day, you are recommending dropping as low as 1000 and then eating 400 kcal of that as protein! How on earth can you get sufficient fat, carbs, vitamin and minerals to maintain health in 600 calories without living on pills? Someone attempting that would be dropping muscle and would be chronically dehydrated (3g water stored alongside 1g glycogen) so it would be risky to exercise intensely.

margaretclare wrote: »

I've been told by people in the know about swimming that it is one of the best exercises because it uses every muscle in the body including the heart. It's also good for fat people/older people because it doesn't put the strain on weight-bearing joints that running on a treadmill does. It's also less painful for ladies with large boobage.

The type of joint issue and level of obesity is highly relevant as to what is and is not safe, if joints are healthy exercise actually strengthens them. There is a difference between something being beneficial for health and being good for weight management. Swimming and slow walking are fantastic starter exercises, but it's actually healthiest to do a wide range of different activities to work the muscles and stress the joints in different ways. The treadmill is actually gentler on the joints than roads or pavements because it is 'bouncy', few decent exercise professionals will have a previously sedentary person run on a treadmill, they would encourage walking on an incline and interval training.