Do I stay round or slim down?

[stealthee]

Remember, there's a difference between "overweight" and "unhealthy", even if it's rarely mentioned on TV commercials. Muscle weighs more than fat. It's not about a magic weight number, it's about overall health.

Some people are 20, 30, 40 pounds over what their weight should be - but they can pull a car uphill on ice.

Some people are 20, 30, 40 pounds over what their weight should be - and they can't walk up a hill without sweating.

Completely different circumstances. But you already said you are unhappy - so work towards getting to a point where you are happy.

Exactly why I said BMI is bullshit. I have extremely strong legs. Ever since I started putting muscle on in my legs is when my weight went from 145 to 165. I've been around that ever since.

Body fat percentage is what really needs to be watched.

[MR2]

I've always had a great deal of trouble getting any women around me to work on loosing weight....I don't understand really...

1, cold breaky...as much as you want.
2, big lunch, stay away from fried.
3, small dinner, have it 3 hours before you sleep

1, do some weights in the morning before your morning shower.
2, do some weights in the afternoon followed by as much cardio as you can manage.

repeat every day....or every second day depending on where your body is.

extra tricks for eating...

1, drink as much water as you can before eating,
2, deliberatly eat slowly..
3, deliberatly order/cook less than your sure you want.

don't complain that your "starving" THAT'S THE IDEA, NOT A QUEUE TO GO SNACK UP. instead find something to occupy yourself. I find that if I'm hungry and I go exercise + a bottle of water I suddenly don't feel hungry for a while.

that's just me...any sort of discussion like this with any girl I know has resulted in an argument.

[Roybatty]

What a difference 5yrs makes. Oh, and 5k to the dentist as well since then. lol

@25

LOL, Duuuude you have the hippy 60s look down to a T, tiedyed and all.
Thats awesome, thanks for sharing.

[Granny]

A lot of good points to think about.

The struggle here for me has been do I just accept where I'm at or did I want to dedicate myself to try and loose.
Obviously I'm not living with it well if I'm talking about it.

I'm not going to post up my actual weight because I'm not ready to do that.
I will say as of Sunday morning my goal of weight to lose is 55.5 lbs
I have been working on my bad eating habits since then and keeping track with an app on my phone.

This morning I was down 1.5 lbs.

Exercise will come soon but for a few weeks I want to focus on what not to eat.

Monday will be my day to weigh in and if things are not going well I'll post up my food intake to see if anyone has suggestions on where to improve.

[jba3]

A lot of good points to think about.

The struggle here for me has been do I just accept where I'm at or did I want to dedicate myself to try and loose.
Obviously I'm not living with it well if I'm talking about it.

I'm not going to post up my actual weight because I'm not ready to do that.
I will say as of Sunday morning my goal of weight to lose is 55.5 lbs
I have been working on my bad eating habits since then and keeping track with an app on my phone.

This morning I was down 1.5 lbs.

Exercise will come soon but for a few weeks I want to focus on what not to eat.

Monday will be my day to weigh in and if things are not going well I'll post up my food intake to see if anyone has suggestions on where to improve.

I've found the best thing to do isn't to set a "target weight", since lots of people reach it and then stop, until they gain more weight and constantly fluctuate around it. I think the best way to think about it might be "I want to lose 2 lbs this week", and do that weekly until you're happy with the way you look, rather than happy with a number that may or may not be what you picture it as. By taking a week at a time, it's easy to see what you can modify in your weekly routine to help trim weight, and help keep it down, too. Keeping track with your phone sounds like a fantastic start.

[Granny]

I love the app on the phone.
It has several resources to use but the one I like the best is if it's a packaged food you can scan the barcode
and it will enter the information for you.
It tracks fat, carbs, protein and calories.

[3KVT]

I've found the best thing to do isn't to set a "target weight", since lots of people reach it and then stop, until they gain more weight and constantly fluctuate around it. I think the best way to think about it might be "I want to lose 2 lbs this week", and do that weekly until you're happy with the way you look, rather than happy with a number that may or may not be what you picture it as. By taking a week at a time, it's easy to see what you can modify in your weekly routine to help trim weight, and help keep it down, too. Keeping track with your phone sounds like a fantastic start.

This is so true. People get to their "target" and just think, well I did it, guess I can eat what I was eating again.
I also agree with the weekly goal mentality. If you can get an image in your mind of what you want to look like, that will help you out so much more than just aiming for a number. Once you can visualize what you want to look like, it becomes easier to work towards that goal. Plus, thinking of 50 lbs as your target can become overwhelming as your results start to taper down (everyone has great weight loss at the beginning of a diet/lifestyle change and it always slows down once you get into your routine, which is why every personal trainer I know preaches versatility and constantly changing your routine). If you're setting smaller goals on a more frequent basis, you're bound to feel as though the challenge is easier to overcome. And that's what everyone needs, constant motivation!

[MR2]

your actual weight is not really something we need to know...nor something you need to share, that your unhappy with it is enough...

Excercise I hate to say it, is the critical thing here to tip the balance of input and output energy, it also builds the muscle and that is what uses turns the converted food into energy

[3KVT]

your actual weight is not really something we need to know...nor something you need to share, that your unhappy with it is enough...

Excercise I hate to say it, is the critical thing here to tip the balance of input and output energy, it also builds the muscle and that is what uses turns the converted food into energy

Exactly.
As much as some people may truly hate working out, it is crucial when it comes to losing weight in a healthy way. And the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn, due to an increase in your baseline metabolic rate and your steady-state VO2 max. The shape that you are in is directly related to calorie consumption and the efficiency with which you process calories you put into your body. Seems like we have a lot of knowledgeable people on this subject, so I'm sure if you're having any trouble, I'm sure this group could help you find ways to fix the problems you're experiencing. Is this your first time attempting to lose weight? Either way, any questions you may have, I'm sure someone here can answer.

One point I noticed (since I haven't checked this thread in a while) was everyone advocating carb-cutting. While overall carbohydrates do basically metabolize into fat when they are not used, they are crucial in energy generation! So yes, watch your carbs (especially if you aren't exercising on a particular day) but don't be afraid of them! There are tons of ways to swap bad carbs for good slow-digesting carbs (swapping wheat bread for white as an example). There is also a plethora of websites on ways to swap bad carbs for good carbs. I guess my main point is to be careful what you cut out based on carb content, because eating the right carbs at the right time when performing an exercise routine can make quite a difference in your overall health, strength, and multiple forms of stamina (in the gym and out).

How's the progress goin for ya?

[Granny]

The amount of weight I want to lose came from the closet full of clothes that have been in storage for 2 years because I can't wear them.

I'm a woman...what else would it be!

I didn't even know what my BMI was until today. LOL Right now I'm taking it one day at a time.

Instead of eating breaded and deep fried chicken tenders with TGI Fridays loaded potato skins with Hubby tonight I sauted my naked tenders in olive oil with a side of fresh steamed broccoli and a tall cold glass of unsweet green tea.