Anybody wants to lose/gain weight and trying to get fitter? Encouragement thread!

[Sara]

This is such a great thread! ^_^

I'm trying to tone up, stretch and loose weight atm. I'm only 5ft 3-4 (although I was deluded for a good few years thinking I was 5ft 5 :lol

In the past year I have dropped a dress size, but I think its because my lifestyle completely changes every year. I'm always moving house, and living with different people, so I find it hard to have a a regular routine. Also because I work 3 part time jobs I can go from working 18 hour days to 0 hour days.

As such I've found that I've just been snacking on small bits and bats and have only the occasional full meal a week with my bf. We both work in Bars as well, so finding days when we can eat together is tough.

For exercising etc, I try to get up at a regular time everyday. I start work at 8 so get up everyday at 7. Even if I get out of work at 3am. I think getting up early really does help you to get some kind of balance. That way I tend to work out in the mornings or late evening.

I do Yoga, Drills, Pole dancing (which is great for toning up), dance Dvd's when possible and circuits. For stretching (outside of Yoga practise) I do have one good piece of advice. Watch tv or talk on the phone. It really does distract you from the length of stretch.

 

[Shanazel]

I bought three way feed for my horses yesterday. It comes in fifty pound bags, which is a little less weight than I lost in the last year. When I hoisted that bag onto my shoulder, I thought my knees were going to buckle. No wonder I was so tired all the time!

My exercise routine varies. I teach dance Wednesday nights for 1.5 hours. I also teach dance in the elementary schools 1-3 days per week (depending on the week) for 2-3 hours at a time. I ride my horse bareback for a while in the arena, then take her out for a walk in the foothills. Everyone thinks I'm nuts for leading her instead of riding her, but I don't see that it is any odder than taking one of the dogs for a walk. At least my mare doesn't have to stop and sniff every clump of sagebrush!

 

[Imeera]

I am in the same boat. I gained weight over the first term of Uni and winter holiday together. So I want to lose some of that weight and get down to what I was again. I also want to tone everywhere (esspecially my behind and belly) and loose my belly, it was fine but its sticking out more than I want now! I have lost some fat around my hips thanks to dancing! I am still a good weight but I was bordering very closely to overweight. I have no idea what I am now (I just ordered some scales off amazon!) so it will either be a shock, that I have put on or lost weight, or no shock at all. I am doing all the usual things, eating less portions but still getting what I need for exercise, exercising everyday with dance, yoga and general exercises like walking or leg lifts (even if its a fast walk up a hill to Uni). I have sleeping problems, so I am always tired, I keep waking up for no reason at night. Normally its just to go to the bathroom but for a while there has been no reason and I too have problems with bloating, no matter what I do it never goes down so I have kind of accepted that it wont change and I will be poofy there forever :lol:

 

[Amulya]

It's strange: I was looking normal a few months ago and gained 3 kilo recently, that's not much at all, but somehow it makes me look bad. To really change that I think I have to loose a bit more weight, I am differently build than most people: very thin wrists etc. so I have to weigh less than most people my height. I am still exhausted, but am dancing again now every day, so I hope that will soon help to tone up a bit.

 

[Sherezade]

I'm a terrible diet-follower, to be honest. I love eating and when I'm under stress, I tend to eat much more chocolate than I should. I simply love chocolate. The problem is that it's easy for me to put on weight and hard to lose it. However, there are things I do:

- I try to exercise at least 3 times a week.

- I feed myself every hour, even if it's just some fruit and yogurth.

- If I feel a hunger-attack, either I try to kill it with fruit and, if I can't, then I just try to keep busy so that my brain forgets about it. And when I say busy, I don't mean typing on the computer or reading a book. I must be physically busy (exercising, dancing, etc) otherwise it won't work. I got this advice once by a friend of mine who said that being bored is a big diet enemy. When people have nothing to do, they tend to approach the fridge.

- I seldom eat fried stuff. I always opt for boiled, grilled or roasted.

- Being short of money sometimes also helps me, as I reduce the number of cookies I eat per week. Sometimes I used to eat an entire packet of cookies in just a day (yes, a day!!) and then would go to the supermarket to buy more. Now, as I need to save, packets last for two weeks. :lol:

Probably not the best diet, but that's what I try to stick to. I think that the secret is more on WHAT you eat than how much you eat.

 

[Amulya]

I

- Being short of money sometimes also helps me, as I reduce the number of cookies I eat per week. Sometimes I used to eat an entire packet of cookies in just a day (yes, a day!!) and then would go to the supermarket to buy more. Now, as I need to save, packets last for two weeks. :lol:

I remember being on this 'diet', it worked miracles :lol:. I wouldn't be able to buy food for 2 or 3 days sometimes, and I had to be careful with what I bought anyway. I was much slimmer... Also when I am alone I don't eat much. When in company of people, I like to eat.

Update: going really bad! I crashed major big time and am sleeping all the time. It's hard to do exercise that way Still trying to dance and do stretches, they are good because they relieve my aches.

 

[Sherezade]

I remember being on this 'diet', it worked miracles :lol:. I wouldn't be able to buy food for 2 or 3 days sometimes, and I had to be careful with what I bought anyway. I was much slimmer... Also when I am alone I don't eat much. When in company of people, I like to eat.

Yes, quite an effective diet. Being short of money can have its advantages. :lol: Well, when I'm alone I also tend to eat, especially if I have nothing better to do. But it's true, in a group we tend to eat more (and worse).

Update: going really bad! I crashed major big time and am sleeping all the time. It's hard to do exercise that way Still trying to dance and do stretches, they are good because they relieve my aches.

Oh, dear! Hope you get better soon!

 

[Amulya]

Thank you

Alone I forget to eat, but with others I get reminded every time I see them eat LOL and some people can just eat more or more often than me.

 

[Sherezade]

Thank you

Alone I forget to eat, but with others I get reminded every time I see them eat LOL and some people can just eat more or more often than me.

I wish my stomach forgot to ask for food! But it looks like it has a great memory! :lol:

 

[Reen.Blom]

I think I will be joining the club once I recover from my cold. I wanna go for long walks and use bellydance and fitness DVDs. Maybe join the gym when I have some money (would love to go swiming!)

Anyone to resume Bellydance DVD challenge we dropped last year? ( I was overseas for 4 months, so now Im home and can do it again!)

 

[goddessyasaman]

I think I will be joining the club once I recover from my cold. I wanna go for long walks and use bellydance and fitness DVDs. Maybe join the gym when I have some money (would love to go swiming!)

Anyone to resume Bellydance DVD challenge we dropped last year? ( I was overseas for 4 months, so now Im home and can do it again!)

Hey reen.blom what was this about I missed it?

 

[Greek Bonfire]

Now I'm trying to lose five pounds and I'm close to my ideal weight. It is really hard to lose those last few pounds.

 

[Reen.Blom]

Hey reen.blom what was this about I missed it?

Well, most of us got a secret stash of bellydance/fitness dvds we never get time use use... so the challenge is to work with a DVD every day or certain amount of times a week. And of course to share the experiences!:dance::dance::dance:

 

[Sirène]

May I suggest counting calories?

I was in a "boot" like this --->

the previous summer and, as luck would have it, also for a short time this past summer, and couldn't work out. I started counting calories hoping just to maintain my weight (i.e. not end up like Jabba the Hut since all I could do was sit on my couch), but found I could actually lose weight if I kept it around the 1400cal mark (this will of course vary by height, weight and gender).

For the most part I ate healthy foods (i.e. no fast food) though I found the occasional chocolate attack was ok as long as the calories didn't go over my daily limit. I managed to lose 10 lbs during that summer... which sadly found their way back during the holidays, darn it (that's the downside of being able to walk again - getting to the kitchen was too easy).

As of the end of February I'm back on the calorie count brigade, and so far -4 pounds . Alas, so many more to go...

 

[goddessyasaman]

Well, most of us got a secret stash of bellydance/fitness dvds we never get time use use... so the challenge is to work with a DVD every day or certain amount of times a week. And of course to share the experiences!:dance::dance::dance:

Sounds like fun, we should do that again as you said I'd love to:dance::dance:

 

[Reen.Blom]

Oh Sirene, must have been terrible! Best of luck with your new plan!

goddessyasaman
Why not??? What DVD's you have planned? I just done about 10 min of hip drills yesterday, hope to move over to full blown workouts this week, this cold just must let me go!!! Grrrr

I think I might dig up Ansuyas zills DVD....

 

[Nailah_Siti]

I am big time into nutrition, if I didn't have this thyroid problem I would be tiny! Best way to lose weight: keep a food journal and be honest in it! By really seeing what you're eating and knowing you will have to be accountable for it, you are much less likely to go crazy. Also, the "Eat This, Not That" books are helpful. Many times we think we are eating healthy and the stuff is awful! I know of people who ate the same foods, just substituted with a different brand and lost weight. Just takes some discipline.

 

[Sirène]

I am big time into nutrition, if I didn't have this thyroid problem I would be tiny! Best way to lose weight: keep a food journal and be honest in it! By really seeing what you're eating and knowing you will have to be accountable for it, you are much less likely to go crazy. Also, the "Eat This, Not That" books are helpful. Many times we think we are eating healthy and the stuff is awful! I know of people who ate the same foods, just substituted with a different brand and lost weight. Just takes some discipline.

The food journal is an excellent idea, and I second the Eat This, Not That books. I'll never forget when I opened the first one and discovered that the average black & white cookie has almost 2x the calories of a donut. :shok: Definitely educational.

For anyone with an iPod touch, there's a free app called LoseIt which acts like a food journal - you enter what you eat, and time spent exercising (yes, "bellydance" is among the exercises ) and it automatically keeps track of your calories for the day.

@ Reen.Blom:
It was a hideous way to spend a summer, I swear to you. And I was so upset when I ended up in the boot again - though it was thankfully only a few weeks this time. My advice to everyone: be kind to your feet and don't skimp on the stretches at the end of a workout.

 

[Reen.Blom]

Ouch, was it a dance related injury?

 

[Nath]

Just want to contribute that I lost 70 lbs between Oct. 2009 and July 2010 and I've been maintaining my weight since I hit my "goal" weight.