Thread: New Here - NEED SOME GOOD ADVICE.

My name is Angel I am 27 years old, i have been thin most of my life, but i had went through some personal things in my life, that caused me to not care about my looks or figure anymore

Hi Angel!

People go through points in their lives where they simply, give up. If you asked me what I did the two years after my little brother died, I couldn't tell you. I couldn't pin point anything, because I simply went through life on auto-pilot. I quit caring about myself, how I looked -- all of it. I had wonderful people in my life that cared more about me than I did. And that -- that is a terrible thing.

This past June I decided to quit. To try and get back to what I used to be, and you know what, I've gotten more out of it than just a slimmer body. I'm proud of myself. And as odd as it sounds, I'm more myself than I have been in years. I'm vibrant again. Simply -- I am who I used to be, and the harder I work and the more I push myself, the more I find the spark of the determined individual I am. I'm ambitious again. I'm happy again. I feel like I live life, instead of just skate through it. I can't tell you how wonderful it is, and I would have never guessed that... well, just losing weight and putting the effort would be the best therapy I could get.

I'm sorry you had to go through whatever was terrible, and if you're anything like me, it caused you to quit caring about yourself. Hopefully, you can start caring enough to get back into shape. With the new-found happiness I have, if you could only get a fraction of what I have gotten from working out, you'll be a changed person, for the better. I urge you to really try it.

I'm not making any excuses it was MY FAULT - since then, i have met the man of my dreams, and we have had 2 beautiful kids - and it seems like losing weight is MUCH harder now - I feel like i don't have enough time in the day to focus on working out - i maybe get an hour to my self to work out

Losing weight is harder every second you put it off, but that doesn't mean you should stop trying.

Congrats on the family. Having two kids and the man of your dreams? Hunny, you got a lot to work for.

You don't have enough time in the day to focus on working out. Got it.

You have enough time in the day to take a shower.
You have enough time in the day to play with your kids.
You have enough time in the day to take care of your kids.
You have enough time in the day to love your husband.

But you don't have enough time in the day to take care of you? I hate to be the one to break it to you, but how do you expect to take care of your kids if you can't take care of yourself? Sure, right now, you're wanting to lose 100 pounds. As you made it sound, you're putting a half-a**ed effort into losing the weight, and you could be doing a -lot- more.

But you're not.

I love watching the biggest loser. It's one of my favorite shows on TV. One of the ladies on there this season has children, and one day her little girl, and I mean a little girl, told her she lost her sight. The girl was rushed to the ER, and guess what was wrong with her? She had quit eating and drinking completely. She didn't want to be fat like her mother. Could you imagine? While this seems like an extraordinary case, what if your kids end up getting your bad habits? Or worse, what if they develop an eating disorder? What if they make themselves sick because they don't know how to diet and work out?

But if you took another hour out of your day, you'd have two hours every day to dedicate to working out. And you have those two hours to learn what to do, how to be efficient with your diet and exercise. And then, you have knowledge that you can pass down to your kids, friends, family. For just setting aside another hour a day? That seems much more worth it if you ask me.

i have lost 71lbs - since January

That's amazing.

Really. That's amazing. And you should be proud instead of beating yourself up over it.

but i feel i can do so much better - I could have lost so much more if i just tried harder - anyone who has the same problem? i still need to lose just over 100lbs. i want and would love to get back my old body - but i do know that it will take more then an hour a day to do it... any exercise tips from anyone? how long each day should i try to work out?

I do cardio for about 40 minutes, then lift weights for about 40-50 minutes (I have a partner though, so it might not take you quite that long). I'd say anywhere between 1.5-2 hours is ideal.

I have been trying really hard to eat as healthy as possible, i don't think that's the problem, i think the problem is not working out enough - i don't have time for the gym - is it possible to have good workouts at home with nothing?

I'm a gym person, but you've got a whole world to run on for free. Dumbells are fairly cheap, and they're great for weight training. The hardest thing about doing them at home, is you don't get away to do it. If you have a place you go to, you don't have kids interrupting. You don't have your husband asking what time dinner is ready. You don't have interruptions during your "me" time. You need the focus 100% of the time while working out, and I just don't see how that is possible if you're doing it from home. Also, the gym usually offers a support group. If you're lifting wrong or there's something better you could do, there's someone there giving you advice. That kind of help is invaluable.

Anyway! Good luck, and I really wish you the best. I know it's hard to believe right now, but it's worth it in the end. Give it your all.

You deserve it.
Your family deserves it.
The knowledge you gain from it will last from generation to generation. And guess what, you're the one that was able to give that gift.

You can do it!

You may think food is not the issue, but you may be surprised... alot of people don't eat much and eat healthy but are still racking up calories that inhibit them from losing weight. I strongly reccomend keeping a food journal writing down everything you eat, how much and then finding the calories for it either from the box or online (there are several websites that provide this service for free) and then take a look, a true and honest look at how man calories you are consuming a day vs how many calories you are supposed to be consuming to facilitate weightloss.

Working out is essential but will move your course so slow if you are taking in more calories than your body needs to lose weight.

First let me say way to go on your already success in losing weight!!

I completely agree with keeping a food journal. It is extremely important you keep track of the calories you eat. What many don't know is the best way to lose weight is to eat. Many people cut there food in take instead of replacing it with better smaller portions. You should be eating something small about every 2 hrs. Never eat more than 4 oz of meat at any sitting.

As for exercise, theres tons of things you can do at home. Take a walk/jog, I use my stairs as a stair stepper, go out and buy work out DVD's. Yoga and pilaties are awesome for toning. I'm currently working out with "just dance" wii game.

Keep one thing in mind. your body will get used to a routine, dont let it. Unfortunately, we all come to a place in our weight loss where we have to step it up cause our body has gotten used to the intensity. Any Hour work out is plenty of time each day to get an effective burn as long as you are doing well with calories

Sounds like you're definitely succeeding in your efforts and just need to be patient with yourself while continuing to push yourself. There's no reason that you can't achieve great results (as you already have) with 1 hr of workout a day. Also you can incorporate other little things into your day. When you stand up from a chair, do a few squats. When you're walking across the room to get something, do a few lunges. Get some weighted wrist straps and wear them when you're cleaning or doing laundry. Turn on some music and dance. The kids will love it, you'll laugh, and you'll sweat if you do it long enough. Strap the kiddo's in and go for some walks. Get on your hands and knees and do some leg raises, and fire hydrant lifts. There are lots of things you can do during your normal day to keep your body moving, keep your heartrate up and burn some calories.

Also, be very conscious of what you're eating. What you're eating, how quickly it digests, how many BM's you have a day an be a big factor in your weight loss.

Have you ever heard the saying "If Mama's ain't happy, ain't no one happy!"?? It's true. In order to be the best mother and wife you can be, you need to be the best you you can be first.

I saw a comic the other day and the doctor was telling the old man "You can spend one hour a day working out, or 24 hours a day dead." Meant to be funny because the old man had said he just didn't have an hour a day to give to exercise. But it's true. Being 100 lbs overweight is causing stress on your organs, your bones, your joints, every single day causing them to age prematurely because they're having to work so hard. You can't get that time back. So focus, and remember, that if you're not happy......... no one is.