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Weight Loss
I was recently diagnosed with polycystic ovary disease. To help with the symptoms, I need to lose weight. I know that this means I need to change my lifestyle - the way I eat and how active I am. I don't have a lot of money and I live in the city. My apartment is fairly small. These aren't excuses, just information to give you an idea of my situation. I don't need anyone saying mean or obvious things like "don't eat as much" or "get off your ass" because that is in no way helpful.
Basically, any advice anyone could give about how I can lose weight, either to do with eating or physical activity, would be very much appreciated. Thank you.
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Want to answer more questions in the Health & Fitness category?
Maybe give some free advice about: Fitness?
I've struggled with weight-loss my entire life. It really is hard to do, I know.
Diets don't work. They just don't. If you are constantly denying yourself of everything you absolutely love to eat then you're constantly being tempted. You have to alter what you eat into something healthier, smaller proportions, or learn to find what is similar and satisfies your wants but is healthier. This takes devotion on counting calories and journaling your food intake so you know what exactly you're putting into your body.
So, don't diet--change your entire lifestyle.
Next, you need to get moving! Many people have excess weight because they do not exercise as much as they need to. I just recently began incorporating exercise into my lifestyle and I'll tell you it really makes me feel good after a good workout.
My suggestion is to find out if you have a Curves (for Women) in your area:
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
Curves is for women only and is directed mainly to the older and/or overweight. We're not older but I am quite overweight, as you may also be.
In addition to the work-out, Curves also has healthy-eating lifestyle changes. The book you get when signing up has the whole method, week by week, on how to change your entire way of eating. It has recipes and teaches you how to eat what you want without gaining the weight you don't want. I haven't done the dieting (this is my second week at Curves and they recommend you wait at least one month to decide if you need to change your eating habits or not).
Curves is pretty nice. Yes, they weighed and measured me the first time I went but it really wasn't as embarrassing as it sounded. What you see in the mirror? Everyone else sees that. Everyone knows if you're overweight, it's no secret. The thin trainer didn't remark negatively about me after measuring/weighing. When I asked if my weight-loss goal was doable she said, "DEFINITELY! You can SO do this! This is not impossible." It's so positive and friendly there it really makes me feel comfortable.
This is how it works:
There are a set-up of a certain number of machines. Some curves have one or two more than others, depending on how long they have been opened. Anyway, you spend about 30 SECONDS on each machine. It really isn't hard to do--this coming from a girl that has never exercised in her entire life!
You spend 30 seconds on a machine and then you walk on this nifty little pad for 30 seconds to "rest" basically. The trainer teaches you how to do each machine properly and how to check your pulse rate, which you will check every 8 to 10 minutes. The trainer will always be there for you too so you don't have to worry about forgetting how to work a machine properly.
If you feel like you're too worked up or your pulse is racing then you take a 10 to 15 second break before continuing to let yourself calm down. There are a nice, upbeat music playing at all times and an overhead voice lets you know when it's time to move to the next machine or pad.
The total work-out lasts 30 MINUTES. Yes, that's all...half an hour for each workout session! In addition to that, there is no set times to have to show up. When your local Curves opens, you can show up whenever--even if it's 9:22am. You just show up and go right to working out so you never have to make a special time to show up or anything.
So, that's three times a week for half an hour each time. One hour and thirty minutes a week for good health, improved mentality, and a better body.
Pricing? Well, I think that varies from which Curves you join but mine was not very expensive for a fitness place. My sweetheart of a boyfriend paid $74 for me to sign-up (first 30 days free) and $34 a month after then. It is much cheaper than other gyms and is specifically designed for women so I think it's worth the money.
You also can join Curves forums to help you out on progress and see how you are doing compared to other Curvers. There is:
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
and
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
I really, really like Curves and totally recommend it to you. If you simply cannot do it, you need to find some way of exercising regularly. That's the only way you're going to lose weight, keep it off, and remain healthy--learning to eat right without denying yourself and exercising regularly.
If you end up joining Curves, I wouldn't mind keeping in contact with you about progress. It always helps to have a person supporting you :)
As a note, Curves has given me MORE energy. Right after a work out I feel like I'm on top of the world and it doesn't drag me out either. I don't end up going to be crazy early that night or anything but I have noticed how much better I feel after going.
I hope you do well on figuring out how to lose weight and keep it off! Please feel free to ask me any questions on this subject :) I would happy to help you out if I can!
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Hey there. You got some decent advice below. I would add that for any kind of weight loss, its inches and not the weight itself...
Anyhow, I will split my advice into two sections, the first will outline some general ideas behind weight loss, the other will give you some specific advice. I don't know exactly what you are willing/ not willing to do, so I think its easier to do it this way- that way you can decide how much you can/ want to put into it.
General principles:
- You need a calorie deficit. 500 calories less a day would mean about a pound of weight loss a week.
- You need to preserve your muscle mass as much as possible. Rapid weight loss particularly will digest your muscle. Loss of muscle= drop in metabolism which mean weight gain in the future.
- There are many specific diets out there but, for my money, nothing beats the balanced diet. It has one thing the others do not- sustainability. You dont need to be so speficic, but a calorie split of 40- 40- 20 is a fairly common recommendation (carbs- protein- fats).
- You should try to eat meals that are tailored to what you are about to do. Eat higher calorie and carb meals before periods of activity. Eat fewer calories and carbs before periods of rest.
- Exercise of all kinds is great. Cardio is crucial. Fasted morning cardio (on an empty stomach before breakfast) is generally accepted as the most effective way to target your fat stores. Weight/ resistance training is also useful- it protects your muscle mass from dropping during weight loss.
Practical suggestions:
- Eat 4- 6 small meals during the day. They used to say that this increases your metabolism. Now its not sure thats true, but it does enable you to control what your body has access to at different points in the day.
- Base your meals around a good protein source. If its hard to get enough protein, you might consider getting a supplement (e.g. whey shakes). Otherwise egg whites are an excellent source.
- As a vegetarian particularly, you have to eat very varied. Most of the vegan protein sources, like oats, grains, nuts, etc, are incomplete. They must be mixed with others for total absorption.
- Make sure you get a small amount of good fats, and particularly omega 3. This is crucial for your health and important for weight loss. You find them in good oils, flax seeds, nuts of all sorts (though only walnuts have significant omega 3), leafy green vegetables, etc.
- In regards to exercise you have a few options, of which jogging and biking are probably the easiest. If you can join a gym then that would be ideal, however if not then its not a problem. You could incorporate some bodyweight training to do at home. This could be every second or third day and could include push ups, lunges, squats, crunches and supermen (lower back exercise). You can find them all here:
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
- Cardio work should be nice and steady, not too intense, and be at least 20 minutes in duration. Getting it over 30 minutes would be even better.
- Otherwise cut out all the empty calories from junk foods, anything with sugar added to it, and so on.
- Make sure you stay properly hydrated.
Thats pretty much it. Good luck :)
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i have pcos too. and im a veg. what i have been doing for the last few months is cut down to like.. half sized meals. i dont knwo if you eat alot of like morning star (or other already preped vegterian foods) and stuff like that but its not the healist for you. so take one day out of the week and MAKE the food yourself. soemtimes when you pick the right thing to cook this saves you tons of money. i do it with lasugna.. because i can freeze it and make it how i want and less salt.. and bigger quanity it saves me bunches. for good things liek that try www.vegweb.com (thats vegan but you can always add things to be vegeterian). if you live in a city alot of malls have been known to have "walkers" you can usuaaly go to the secirty office or soemthing and eitehr get a little card or jsut tell them who you are and that way you can walk inside so you dont have to walk or run in the rain with creepy people.
(they ask you to let them know so they dotnt hink some speed walkers are walking back and forth all day long) also a big thing with PCOS is inches not just weight. i think its 35 and 1/2 inche waist and down is best for it. also if you are going to do any kind of walking or jogging it is best to do carido (get your heart rate up) for about 20 minuutes then walk for 5-10 then speed it up again for 20 miutes. repeating that should help. once a day, 2 times a week... however often is best for you that will do the job over time. anyways. i hope those are some okay simple ideas so i hope that helps
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To make things easier on you, it's probably not in your best interest to just cut out all foods you are used to and start excessively exercising just so you can lose weight. It's best to do things in moderation.
If you snack a lot, try cutting it down to just 1 snack a day. And if you can, make it a healthy snack. Like, yogurt or nuts or something. When you go grocery shopping, avoid unhealthy junk food to keep you from slipping up. Also make small changes in your diet. For example, if you eat something like Cookie Crips for breakfast, change it to Speacial K, or Honey Bunches of Oats. If you eat white bread, change it to wheat. Just small things like that can make a huge difference over time. Once you make all these small changes, if you want you can try cutting portions or other more drastic diet changes.
For exercise, if you can afford it, try buying a cheap bicycle to work, or the grocery store, or wherever you need to go. If it's walking distance, then walk. Or when you are bored and are just laying on the couch watching tv, try jogging in place or doing jumping jacks for 5-10 minutes.
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Hello!
I'm sorry about your diagnosis =/.
Anyway, the best way to become lose weight is not to be told "don't eat as much" or "get off your ass". When you cut meals, it's actually a lot worse for you. What you need to do is lessen your calorie/fat/carb intake. To do this, just watch what you're eating. If it has too much fat, don't eat it. If there are too many carbs [by that I mean more than 300 or so] per item, then don't eat it. It's really common sense.
Dieting can help you lose weight, but exercise is really what helps you lose it faster. And the exercise doesn't have to be intense. It should be about 30 minutes a day for at least 5 days a week.
If you want specific exercise plans, this may help:
By the way, I HATE these type of questions, but since your motive isn't to get into a bathing suit by next week in order to get all the cute guys at the beach, or whatever, I decided to help you ;]
Good luck with becoming fit =] You are in my prayers ;]
--Jack
(16/m)
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