I need to lose weight.

I know that I do. I've known it for years. Saying and doing are two very different things, of course.

I can't afford food. My father does all the grocery shopping. Everything he buys is canned and prepackaged. If it isn't on sale, he won't buy it. We rarely have fresh fruit in the house and never have fresh vegetables. It's a lot of hamburger meat and processed foods. That makes it very hard to eat healthy. All of my income goes to paying bills, unfortunately. Once my boyfriend is able to find a job, we'll be able to buy our own foods.

Working out is somewhat of a challenge as well. We have 4 people living in a 2 bedroom/1 bath apartment that measures in at ~800 square feet. What that boils down to, basically, is zero privacy and very little space. The only place I'd have ROOM to work out is the living room, and it's the one room everyone is always in. It's basically a 14x14 foot space that everyone lounges in all the time with their laptops, watches TV and movies, etcetera. Not really able to work out in there. I'd kill for a gym membership, but alas, I cannot afford one of those either. I don't mind going for walks and whatnot but when it's 100 degrees outside, it's hard to get motivated to walk. I was walking a lot more 2 months ago when it wasn't ridiculously hot out. Now I try to sneak in a walk around 10 or 11 pm when it's only 85 or 90 degrees instead of 100. I don't like getting hot because it makes me dizzy, light-headed, and sometimes nauseated. I can work up a bit of a sweat but much more than that and I feel ill.

So in addition to all these other stupid circumstances, I have very little motivation to stick to a weight loss plan. I can start one without a problem. It'll last a couple weeks then I'll see no results, miss all my favorite foods, get lazy, and go back to what I was doing before.

I need to find a way to lose weight QUICKLY. I don't want it to be unhealthy necessarily, but I know that once I start losing weight, I'll want to stick with it. I don't want to lose 5 lbs a month for the next 2 years. I want to drop a fuckton of weight and I want to do it now.

Anyone have any ideas? Lol. The main thing I need to know, I guess, is what should I do to keep myself motivated? I need to find the trick to sticking to it instead of giving up. Bleh.

Comments

Walk every other day. Just fast enough that you could carry on a conversation, kinda breathy, and will get you a little sweaty. If you exercise you burn calories THEN, but also the next day you burn HALF as many as you just did. It's like BONUS.

And stop drinking soda! (My personal horrible nemisis.)

Or could sign up for those weight loss shows, but they are working out 2-4hrs a DAY so no wonder they can lose 30# in a month.
 
I may not be an expert on fitness but just so you know, the healthy way is a few pounds every month or week. From what I learned, if you do something that makes you drop a fuckton of weight all at once, you're burning out not just fat but also precious muscle. Anyway, I hope I'm wrong about this because I'm in a similar predicament as you.
 
Cardio and i feel like you may hear from me a lot of things you've heard before :p. I know your issue with the heat (I used to be 356 lbs now at 215) and would just feel ill, not to mention walking and what not would lead to horrible chaffing. My question is would getting up early for a 6 am or 7 am walk for a hour be okay (kicked my ass at first seeing as how I'm a night owl but I've gotten used to it)? Where I'm at (NY) its low 70s in the morning even with the heat wave so that saves me a lot of pain and suffering :). Something else you can try is adding in crunches (even just on your bed), helps to get other muscles active in your body to burn fat. I should tell both you and dtzg (although i did (especially at first) drop a lot of weight quickly myself) that healthy weight loss is 1-2 lbs a week, there can be some serious risks with dropping a lot of weight quickly. Anyways, best of luck to you toxin.

P.S. WATER WATER WATER :), especially with the processed foods, we retain A LOT of weight just by our sodium intake so you need to drink a healthy amount of water to flush your system.

P.P.S. Its kinda late here so i may be less than my usual coherent self, hopefully my points still stand and you can maybe take something from it. Again, apologize for the rambling :p

P.P.P.S Noticing you're a fellow gamer (and although this may not be the case with you) i've spent countless hours sitting in front of my computer, a lot of times for 6-10+ hours on end (just like tonight ><) and its hard to break out of the sedentary lifestyle when you're home from work or school or whatever. Try doing a set of crunches or reps with dumbells (if you have them) between loading screens after a bg, dungeon, or arena match (pick your poison ^^), it'll help keep ya motivated, at least it worked for me and it pushed me into more hours of working out.
 
As far as I'm aware, there's no SAFE way to lose weight as fast as you want to lose it. Safe methods just take time. Slow and steady has its benefits though! It means you're much less likely to end up with saggy, excess skin. And it gives you more time to get used to the weight loss psychologically.

As for the unhealthy food - it's totally possible to lose weight whilst eating unhealthy food. I lost 40kg eating unhealthy food and with absolutely no exercise. I did it by counting calories. I figured out how many calories I needed to eat, then I made sure I didn't go over that number. It's a method that really worked for me because it meant I could still eat all the foods I loved (including my daily chocolate fix).

If you want more info or wanna talk about the suckiness of having to lose weight, you're very welcome to PM me.

Good luck, and don't drop the idea of losing weight. Getting back to a healthy weight is sooooo worth all the pain it takes to get there.
 
Ugh. The idea of waking up early to exercise is a painful one. Lol. I too am a night owl. I wake up at ~7:15am to get ready for work and eat breakfast. I guess 6:45 isn't a whole lot earlier, but it sure feels like it when that alarm starts going off. :tongue:

As far as losing weight "quickly", I just want to clarify that I DO want to lose weight through diet and exercise alone. I don't want to take pills or go on juice fasts or anything like that. I just want to know how to maximize my weight loss through diet and exercise alone. How many calories a day should I shoot for? Someone told me that under 1400 isn't enough. I feel that 2000 is too much. 1600? 1700? Would cardio be best for weight loss or should I do weights as well?

I don't feel entirely comfortable getting into details about how much I currently weigh, but I will say that I need to shoot to lose at least 100lbs to be comfortable in my own skin and drop a lot of these health issues I'm having. I could afford to lose more than that, though. My goal isn't to be in a bikini though, I'm more worried about having more energy, buying cute clothes that I enjoy wearing, and being healthy.

I drink a decent amount of water but probably not enough - maybe 20-30oz a day. I've also been thinking about taking fiber supplements because I've heard that getting a little bit of a fiber boost can help flush your system and aid in weight loss.

I am a gamer, I do sit a lot. I also have a sit-down job at work. However, I make sure I get up at least once every 2 hours just to be standing if nothing else. I hate sitting for extended periods of time, my legs get restless and I can't feel comfortable in any position I try to sit in, so I have to just get up and do something. Wander around the apartment, clean something, grab a drink, whatever.

I will say, I'm not sure I'm emotionally ready to quit drinking soda altogether (lol) because I'm going to be making a lot of changes in my lifestyle and too many changes at once generally doesn't work for me. I will be drinking less, though. I'll limit myself to one can or possibly 20oz bottle of soda per day.

Currently I'm thinking of starting with these daily goals unless someone has a better idea or something else I can add to help.

Taking fiber supplements each morning (5g or so of fiber, nothing crazy)

Doubling my water intake.

Walking at least 30 minutes every single day.

Capping myself at 1800 calories per day.

Thanks a ton for all your responses, it really means a lot to me. I need as much moral support as I can get right now. Lol.
 
Good on you for committing to getting started!!

Regarding the right amount of calories to eat - I've heard all sorts of numbers quoted as the number you shouldn't go below. For me, what worked best was just to listen to my body (not to the hunger :tongue: - I figure you're gonna be hungry if you save a chunk of your calories to spend on chocolate).

My method:

1. Use a website of some kind to calculate how many calories you need to eat to lose weight.

2. Try it out for a few weeks. One week won't be enough.

3. Once you have a few weeks data, see if you're losing weight at the rate you should be (0.5 - 1 kg a week, around 1 - 2 pounds I believe).

4. If you're losing it slower than that, reduce your calories a bit more. If you're losing more than that, increase your calories a bit.

I was on significantly less calories than the numbers you've come up with, but it was what I needed to lose that 0.5 - 1 kg a week. Some people can get away with eating MORE than you are planning to eat.

Oh, I did pick up one tip along the way that really worked for me psychologically (I have no idea if it was a physical factor in succeeding). You should try not to eat the exact same number of calories every day. Instead you should spread those calories out over the week unevenly. For instance, instead of eating 1800 three days in a row, you should have 1800 on day one, 1100 on day two and 2500 on day three (averaging out to 1800). I think it's supposed to trick your body into not going into starvation mode. I just liked it coz I got to have one really bad day each week :biggrin1:.
 
First off, I applaud your candid view of the situation and the fact you understand your strengths and weaknesses and barriers to success... that does help.

Everything everyone has posted so far is true and in honesty, you probably knew these things already. Energy output > energy input = weight loss.

My only concern here is that you're wanting a dramatic weight loss over a short period of time and while that can be achieved, it takes drastic measures.

In your circumstances, I'd offer the following:

1) Drink water. Heaps of it. Litres! Drink when you're hungry... then if you're still hungry 20 minutes later, eat.

2) You need to exercise. I'm aware of limitations with regards to space. But you need to understand that this living space/eating space/gaming space is ALSO now your workout space and you need to treat it as such. You do not need a gym membership. 200 sit ups and 100 push ups every single day (when performed correctly) WILL get you results, in accordance with...

3) Eating right. And if that's limited based on whose shopping and you really feel like you can't get them to go healthier, than you really need to restrict your portion size (and unless you're doing a lot cardio at night, cut out carbs with your evening meal and eat plenty at breakfast and lunch).

All the best!!

As you pointed out, motivation is the key factor and it really does have to come from you. All the support on the internet won't help you in reality when faced with moments of weakness. This is for you.
 
@subgirrl - My cousins wife is the one that told me not to go under 1400 calories or my body would go into starvation mode and I wouldn't lose weight. I can't imagine that magical number is true for everyone, though. I'm just going to make sure I stay below 1800 calories for right now. If I only do 1500 in a day, I'll be okay with that too as long as I'm not hungry. :tongue:

@ThatFellaUK - As much as I enjoy drinking water, the only reason I'm sitting at 20-30oz a day is because if I drink more than that, I feel like I'm flooding on the inside. Lol. I'm going to try to make a conscious effort to drink more, though, and i do like your idea about drinking water when I feel hungry and waiting to see if I still feel hungry afterwards. Thank you!

I'm also aware that I need to find a space to do some workout stuff. Again, I don't mind being outdoors, it's just so damned hot. I can't even do a pushup, I don't think. Lol. I could probably manage some situps, though. Hell, maybe I'll just do jumping jacks? I'm glad my downstairs neighbors moved out. :tongue:

I know in my heart that my motivation needs to come from me. Advice on how to continue during the hardest moments would help though. What did everyone before me who has lost weight successfully tell themselves when they were craving foods they shouldn't be having, or feeling lazy when it was time to work out? I don't want to die young. I like my life and want to continue living it. However despite that, I still find it hard to convince myself to stay healthy. "Oh, one bowl of ice cream won't kill me." Etcetera. That's sort of what I'm having a hard time with, how to keep myself motivated - not how others can motivate me, so much. Though the moral support is always appreciated. :smile

@sargon20 - I do appreciate the information, however I can't afford to pay for any services right now. Maybe in the future!
 
Do you want some tough love?

I am too ADD to read all of the advice given but I know diets dont work and neither do most of the things that we're told to do, eat more veggies, go jogging. I mean honestly you know all of this and you dont do it right?

It starts with your mind. You need to make up your mind that it's possible, and then do whatever it takes to make that happen. If your dad only buys crap food then ask him if he would allow you a budget of say $10 a week on produce and go to the farmers market. Everything is cheap there. If you dont have one then you can shop at bargain grocery stores, I dont know what they are in the midwest but surely dear old dad would be open to a little improvement in your (collective) diets?
Every single day you make decisions. You can decide to make excuses or you can do whatever it takes. Make changes daily one by one. Dont try to move mountains right away. Start with your diet and add in healthier foods. Park far away from your destination. Yes you live in cramped quarters with little money but there is always a way. Its not easy and its not fast. You just need to get your mind right first and then everything else follows!
 
Just so you know that there are other opinions out there: reducing caloric intake is not a good way to reduce weight. Your body will simply alter its metabolism to retain more from the calories you are eating, then if you go back to eating what you were before you'll gain the weight you lost back plus more (for evidence ask any woman who has gone a calorie restricted diet ever). Also, I would suggest that there is no way to lose a ton of weight quickly in a healthy manner. If you've been eating a poor diet of processed foods full of chemicals it's likely that you've been storing those chemicals in your fat tissue. Burning it off too quickly could make you sick and miserable. Consider the possibility that extra weight is not the cause of your health issues but rather the result of your body's attempt to deal with the health issues it's facing by shuttling toxins into the fat until you (specifically your liver) are healthy enough to process them.

But I'll tell you now that if you are drinking soda, any weight loss will be temporary, and may come from losing muscle and bone instead of fat. It sounds like you might be in pretty bad shape (not just the weight, but with other health issues), which means you may need a more drastic lifestyle adjustment if you want to feel good in your body again.

The advice of drinking when your hungry is a great one because chronically dehydrated people confuse thirst with hunger. But you need to get your water intake up a lot. You can add fresh squeezed lemon and/or sea salt (ie electrolytes) to increase your retention of water.
 

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