bluethewolf:  I don't feel like an inspiration, but thank you. XD I'm gonna try. I just have to wait for it to stop raining here, because I am not so dedicated as to walk in the rain. I'd rather not be sick. *cough*  But yes, I do. Oxycontin when I have to. Yes, it's prescribed, and no, I don't like taking it. It stops the hurt in various parts of my body, not just ankles/ hips (yay, I know, 27 and I've been falling apart since I was born, it's SO FUN) , but it also makes me loopy as all get out. It gets annoying, so most of the time, I just try to deal with the pain as best I can without taking anything. That's only for when my tolerance just snaps. 

I've been seeing the posts on here, and the ones about eating healthy has intrigued me. Mainly because I eat more fruits and vegetables than most people, lol (thanks, mom). Yea... my mom has been forcing me to eat lots of vegetables and fruit for years now, and I guess that's a good thing. Also, it's not just any fruits or vegetables my mom gives me, it's the organic kinds. *mindblown*. Yea... the only thing I'm worried with my diet is when I leave home. I only eat the vegetables because I'm forced to, basically.

About the endurance thing... it's become more apparent. In school, my friend volunteered to walk 1/4th of a mile and run 1/4 of a mile for a science experiment, because he thought I would fall down from doing that. I should really work on that. Progress? Not much. Well, let's see how it progresses next week.

ZeroTails:  One thing you can do about your veggies, whether when you move out or now, is do little things to make them taste better and be more accessible so you'll reach for them instead of junk. Voice of experience, here.

Put carrots, celery, and cucumber sticks in a jar filled with water and put it on the top shelf of your fridge, close to the milk and stuff. The water makes things crunchy and taste SO MUCH BETTER.  If you can find them  -- they have them at Walmart or Food City, I think, if you have either near you -- buy these little (cheap!) bags of sweet peppers called snack peppers or mini sweet peppers. They come in a plastic bag with a handle... and I think the brand is Pero Family Farms? Something like that. Even if you don't like peppers *raises hand* these things are GOOD, and will satisfy both a crunchy and sweet craving. Aaand you can use them to cook with. They are excellent sauteed and then put over brown rice, with or without mushrooms, your preference.

Also, keep spinach and strawberries handy. Combine those two with a bit of vinaigrette dressing and you have an instant salad that tastes good with everything from chicken to fish, and will help you eat MORE of the salad because it complements things so well. 

You can also keep packs of baby carrots or whatever like that out on a countertop during the day, and just reach for one whenever you walk by, if you aren't sick, at least.

I and my mom do these tricks with my dad and sister, so they'll eat their veggies, and it WORKS. No complaints.

bluethew0lf : you CAN make Brussels sprouts enjoyable. Just add a little fat (REAL cheese, butter) to it and you will find that actually everything tastes better! When making my meals for the day after, I always take a fingerfull of the (regular) sour cream I use because it's so tasty.

Zerotails While I didn't reject my veggies outright like my father did, I wasn't a fan either. However, just thinking about all the health benefits was enough to motivate me; hell I now eat mushrooms and radish! The trick is to, little by little, incorporate veggies with foods you actually like. Why not put some berries in your yogurt or spinach with your omelette?

Yunimori : Oh, I see. That sounds rough. I'm glad you don't let your physical issues keep you down and hope you never do. I have struggled with my lack of strength and fatigue for a long time.I  was depressed a lot. I never pushed myself until now and I'm doing good. I also don't get as many headaches as I used to. I'm building up endurance and eating healthier. Go us! lol

I've never heard of the vegetable, water, jar thing. I will have to try that out because the celery and cucumber I get most of the time are pretty limp and bland. And I have never had sweet peppers, only the super spicy ones. Gonna have try some of those; my mouth is watering just thinking about them.

ZeroTails : Well, at least you've gotten started and have evaluated yourself, that's a step, and a step = progress. Oh, and watch your breathing when you walk. I've learned that breathing properly is important while exercising. Your body works its best when your blood is getting plenty of oxygen. You can read some about it here http://www.livestrong.com/article/246963-proper-breathing-techniques-for-walking/ (I don't remember reading anything about links not being allowed in rules, so if they aren't, please don't stab me!)

janus : I currently have an addiction to cheese and butter that I'm trying to get over, so that might not be a good idea for me. lol But sour cream on the other hand, I have never really used it much. I shall give it a try.

bluethew0lf : Quite the opposite; INDULGE in those. Of course, I'm not proposing that you stuff your face with them,  but they are a very good addition to any meal. Plus, thanks to the fat, it will fill your stomach quickly keeping you from eating dessert.

The same thing goes for sour cream: choose the most "natural" one you can find, i.e. with only milk/cream and bacteria

Sorry for not replying to the board a while. I've been quite busy and in my free time I've been playing Digimon games and trying to fix the sound and lag that I get while playing PSX roms.

Success! I have gone from 138 to 135 over the past few weeks. At first I was afraid that I would lose weight too rapidly, but it has been going smoothly. I have become stronger, also, I can now walk for longer than before.

Thank you guys for a the tips! Has anyone else made much progress?

bluethew0lf : That's excellent news! To better track your progress, it's better to weigh yourself always at the same time, and always in the same conditions. For example, I weight myself every Sunday mornings right before I ingest anything (including water).

And to track whether you're losing fat or muscle, try finding those small machines that calculate it. The margin or error is huge - 25 percent I was told - but it gives you an idea of how you're doing.

bluethew0lf : Congratulations! It's a slow but steady progress and you're on your way! Don't give up! I'll share my fitness goals with you too

I'm currently 5'2" and 51 Lbs. I'm pretty average, I work out at home but recently I've been going to the gym for the past month so I can help out my friend who is overweight. She's shorter than me and was probably twice my weight, but ever since we've being working out together she's lost some weight. Last week, she lost 1 pound. I hope she gets to achieve her desired goal.

My current fitness goal is to be strong enough to be able to do 100 push ups in a row and not get easily tired when running. I also would like to be a bit toned as well Last year, before I used to work out, I was slowly gaining weight. I couldn't fit in one of my dresses anymore. Then I just worked out at home on the treadmill, lifted weights and followed a circuit. I followed the fitness blender videos on YouTube, you should probably check them out. They have great workouts!

Anyway, fast forward a couple weeks and I had to attend this wedding reception. I totally forgot to prepare and buy a new dress. I looked at my old dress, the one that didn't fit anymore, and I thought "hey, why not?" So I tried it on again and it fit! I was so happy! Now I'm currently working on my strength and toning my muscles. I still have difficulty doing regular push-ups, but I can do assisted push-ups on the TRX/step board. I'm getting there

My workout comprises of assisted pushups/pull ups, squats with weights 10lbs, weighted backward lunges, bur pees, inchworm, Leg lifts, 20 minutes of cardio, skaters on a step board(with weights). I try to change it up when it gets boring. Usually my personal trainer increases the difficulty after 3 days.

I don't have a lot of sugar/processed food in my diet. I try to keep it balanced as much as possible. I heard drinking green tea helps speed up one's metabolism. Usually when one cuts out the sugar/junk food from one's diet, they will find loosing weight easier. I do have a cheat day each month where I get to eat anything my heart desires, but of course I don't go overboard hahaha.

marescanog : 51 pounds?! Are you sure it's not a typo?

Anyway even if you're a female you should look into gaining muscle mass. THAT is what will make you lose fat since more muscle = higher metabolism. Cardio can still be good but it has to be challenging; doing it at the same pace for an extensive period of time actually burns lean muscle mass.

Right now I am just trying to eat healthier and a lot less. I go walking as well sometimes too. I am not taking my weightloss journey to the extreme though, I'm just taking it one day at a time. I find it's best because if I rush things I could binge or something and gain more weight which is something that I don't want to do.

Bintsy : Indeed, slowly but surely. However, you don't necessarily need to eat less; you need to eat smart. Calorie-wise I'm probably consuming close to 3000 calories (I don't keep an exact count). Since I do not eat that many carbs (which seems to be THE problem in most people's diets) then I was still able to lose body fat.

Well, in the past two months I've been losing weight and gaining fitness, so far I've lost a stone, I'm still over weight but I'm sticking to my diet and exercise. My fitness level has went up quite a bit as well, I can comfortably jog for half an hour, I can manage seven press ups, compared to the zero when I started and I can pull myself up into the loft without a ladder fairly comfortably.

I know it's not that impressive but I'm getting there, come this time next year I hope to be a healthy weight and quite sporty.

ant123ant : We all have to start somewhere. It's about YOU, not what others think. It's a marathon, not a 100-meter dash. I've been serious about fitness for about 15 years, and it's been not more than 2-3 years since I can say I love the way I look AND feel

Well, it rather seems my scales at home weren't accurate, I was weighed at the doctor's on two different scales yesterday and it would seem that, on their records, I've lost 24 pounds on their records since Christmas.

ant123ant : Congrats on losing 24lbs since Christmas! That's a great accomplishment! Keep up the great work!

Bintsy : It's not actually about eating "Less" It's about eating healthier and more sensibly. Actually in order to keep your metabolism in high gear its recommended that you try to something small every 3-4 hours or so. I know that's hard to do with work and whatnot but making it a point to eat smaller healthier portions MORE OFTEN will help you lose weight in the long run and avoid "binge" eating.

One way I usually recommend people do this is by tracking their daily eating habits. This can easily be done by a number of smartphone apps. One that's free that I usually recommend is "MyFitnessPal calorie tracker" If you make it a point to track your eating habits on most days, you can start learning more about where your diet difficulties lie, then make a better plan of attack moving forward.

Jordanv78 : While I don't use apps, I do keep track of what I eat - it's usually the same thing so it's easy. I adjust accordingly if I gain/lose too much weight. I also keep track because I eat so much; it's good to see where I can eat less without losing too much weight.

Old thread, maybe, but I want to type it somewhere at least so I can remember.
So, yesterday I weighed myself, and I weight 151 pounds. I really want to lose 20 or maybe 30 pounds, to be at a reasonable weight. My arms are decently skinny, and that's the only part of me that really is. Thighs and lower legs are pretty chubby, and I have a decently big belly. Especially around the face/head area I want to lose the fat. Just overall I want to lose fat. I have little muscle, so I also want to have more of that.
Currently, I do sets of 10 pushups, 30 sit ups and 40 squats, which I feel is just too low.
My main problem is eating at the moment. I don't eat unhealthy, but I do eat too much. I'm really trying to cut back, and still think that I eat too much.
So, anyone have any sort of tips? Would greatly appreciate it.

I've lost another eleven pounds since I posted here so things are going well, I aim to lose another thirty five though before I'm satisfied.

ant123ant : That is excellent news! But always remember that when you will have lost all those pounds, you need to maintain that weight. More importantly, "you can not exercise your way out of bad eating."