Weight problems

[skcin]

I don't swim. Well, I mean, I can, but not well. I like it & everything, but I don't have good form, good breathing technique, etc. So I don't swim for exercise, only for fun.

I can't run. My husband says I look ridiculous (I do), I'm not very coordinated and one of my legs is slightly shorter than the other, so running doesn't work out that well. Boy, I just painted a real purty picture of myself, huh? Biking is OK, I don't ride too much anymore though. As far as outdoor stuff, I like to walk really fast, preferably with a friend - or the dog! Get a 75 pound Boxer to pull you around, now that's a workout!

As far as cardio machines, stationary bikes are OK, but you really don't burn many calories. Treadmills - I feel like I should be outside walking & enjoying nature instead of running on a belt. Oh, and I tend to trip on them (short leg again.) But I love the elliptical. Absolutely love it. It burns calories & works your entire body if you use the arm thingys.

[JazmenFlowers]

Originally Posted by skcin

one of my legs is slightly shorter than the other

me too. I used to have lifts in my shoe...it causes a lot of back problems for me.

[DavidMn]

Originally Posted by JazmenFlowers

me too. I used to have lifts in my shoe...it causes a lot of back problems for me.

I have a friend that has this same problem. He's always had back problems because of it.

[estranged4life]

on purchasing a treadmill this Spring, Since I am a bigtime treadmill junkie...

Rather have one for use in the privacy of my own home instead of paying to go use one at a gym/spa...But I have to be careful with what music I listen to while though, If I listen to speed/death metal I can easily run for 2.5 hours non-stop (Hell, I ran Cross Country in high school...Thus why I did 5 miles a day), Whereas if I listen to Stevie's "Stand Back" I will just stop the mill and glide to the back with my arms stretched out (Which I have done for my own amusement at the "Y"...Deb just rolled her eyes and said "Oh brother" )

[DavidMn]

Originally Posted by estranged4life

on purchasing a treadmill this Spring, Since I am a bigtime treadmill junkie...

Rather have one for use in the privacy of my own home instead of paying to go use one at a gym/spa...But I have to be careful with what music I listen to while though, If I listen to speed/death metal I can easily run for 2.5 hours non-stop (Hell, I ran Cross Country in high school...Thus why I did 5 miles a day), Whereas if I listen to Stevie's "Stand Back" I will just stop the mill and glide to the back with my arms stretched out (Which I have done for my own amusement at the "Y"...Deb just rolled her eyes and said "Oh brother" )

I love to walk alot whenever I can. But I think a treadmill might not be a bad addition.

[amber]

I love this thread. Everyone had good advice. Especially David. Tommer? I feel your munchy pain. And I also keep my thinner clothes - they're really cute, I can't bear to let them go.
Uh, anyway, DavidMn - Another thing to keep in mind about your veggies that you should be eating lots of is - if you cook them, steam them as little as possible. Way al dente. They retain more nutrients that way.

Also, it's important to keep your blood sugar stable, which means a certain mix of carbs, proteins, and fats at every meal. This will make your body feel satisfied. Also, if your insulin spikes, like it does when you eat simple carbs or sugars, that causes your body to store fat. You may have heard of the "Zone" diet. That's what I'm talking about, essentially. It just means balancing your carbs, protein, and fats in an optimal way to keep your body satisfied and running efficiently. Also, it sounds like your cholesterol is probably high. So cut back drastically on Beef, don't eat pork at all (no one should really eat pork). But, if you don't want to eschew red meat totally, buffalo and venison are great, they are very lean and high protein, much better than beef. Most natural food stores (whole foods) will have it.
You've got to exercise. Nothing good can happen without it. It's important to build muscle, because muscle burns much more calories than fat.
But essentially, you really have to take in less calories than before. What you should do, and I've also been doing it, actually, is write down everything you eat, the amount of calories it has, and the amount of fat. That way you can get an idea of your intake, and then you'll know how much you need to cut.
It's also important to eat something every three or four hours at least, again to keep your blood sugar stable, and to prevent your bodies insulin response from storing fat.
Good luck. I'm buying an elliptical trainer for my house next month, because my knees and legs are so whacked from too much exercising that I need to have a low impact way to exercise. My leg has been on fire with pain for about the past month from riding my bike/hiking uphill excessively. I've pretty much been exercising constantly since I was three. I used to run a lot, I think that's the main culprit, so I would not recommend running to you, especially since you have extra weight for your joints to support.
Oh, you might want to take up some form of stretching/yoga. It seriously helps with blood pressure and weight loss, too. Lots of people think yoga is about being flexible, and they say "oh, I'm not flexible, I can't do yoga or stretch". But yoga/stretching is actually about breathing, and feeling your breath in your body, and stretching only to the extent that it's comfortable for you, you should still be breathing deeply the whole time. The benefits of yoga/stretching are absolutely enormous.
And remember, you will feel a million times better when you exercise, and it's likely you won't crave as much/as crappy foods.
You can do weight training at home, without equipment. Sit ups, push ups, donkey kicks, calf raises, squats - there are tons - look online for more, the ones I mentioned are the main ones I do.

Oh, I forgot - make sure to either eat Salmon or a bunch of walnuts every week. If you don't do that regularly, you must get flaxseed or fishoil suppliments. You need omega 3 fats to process the other fats you take in, and only a few things have Omega three. Also, calcium is important to weight loss, so I suggest a calcium suppliment as well.
Oh, and cut caffeine if you drink a lot (at least as much as possible) caffeine is terrible for your blood sugar, and coffee strips vitamin C from your body, it also raises your blood pressure. So moderation. You might want to start drinking green tea, and other teas, as tea has tons of phytochemicals that are good for you, and it's an easy way to get enough water when it's cold out.

[David]

Originally Posted by amber

Oh, you might want to take up some form of stretching/yoga.

I started two classes last week--hatha yoga & tai chi. The tai chi is sort of interesting. At this stage, I'm not really into it because I'm still trying to get down the form. As for the yoga, the first class last week was BRUTAL. She took us through a bunch of positions, cracking the whip. Plus, she had the air temperature in the yoga studio up to 80 degrees--decidedly not my comfort zone.

I dread going back for my second class of yoga, but I'll do it anyway. Even if I throw up.

[amber]

Originally Posted by David

I started two classes last week--hatha yoga & tai chi. The tai chi is sort of interesting. At this stage, I'm not really into it because I'm still trying to get down the form. As for the yoga, the first class last week was BRUTAL. She took us through a bunch of positions, cracking the whip. Plus, she had the air temperature in the yoga studio up to 80 degrees--decidedly not my comfort zone.

I dread going back for my second class of yoga, but I'll do it anyway. Even if I throw up.

Tai Chi is weird, I tried it before and felt the same as you - only I didn't stick with it. It's supposed to be great, though - I definitely plan on taking it up again sometime.
Yoga isn't supposed to be brutal, unless it's supposed to be brutal (bikram, for one). Remember the point of yoga is to breathe through your body and be conscious of that breath, not to nail the position. But I'm sure you know that, although it sounds like your teacher may not. I went to one yoga class when I first moved here, and the teacher went through it fast, and not in a flowing way, in a more athletic way (it wasn't supposed to be one of the athletic forms of Yoga) and I never went back. In chico I had a great yoga teacher. It was all relaxed, she made sure to remind everyone to breathe, she went around and adjusted body positions, she told everyone exactly how they were supposed to be aligning their body positions, etc. It was a great foundation to enable me to do yoga properly at home with tapes. So, you may want to switch teachers. You may not, I was just saying.
I hope you stick with Tai Chi. I've read a ton about the benefits.