I am overweight, even though many people think I look 130, I'm 165. I am 18 years old and I hate the idea of becoming fat. I've watched too many people in my family gain weight through their lives. I'm not very coordinated, so Zumba didn't work for me. I can't run or I'll have an asthma attack. I have no upper body strength, none, I haven't even when I was skinny.
By Savannah K.
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I've struggled with this all my life and I'm currently in Weight Watcher's. There are a couple of web sites that are free if you don't want to or can't afford a paid program. Spark People is a great FREE site, Hungry Girl has an excellent diet out, but you have to purchase the book. Perhaps you can get the book used on Amazon or from the library. Skinny Taste is another great book. My philosophy is to do something that you can live with for the rest of your life. If you restrict yourself, the "diet" is guaranteed to fail. I've used the word "diet" here, but I don't like the word. "A way of life" is a much better way for me to look at it. And, you're still young, so get used to that dreaded "e" word...
Measure and weigh your portions and get used to what a "portion" looks like. There's a ton of information out there. There is no one size fits all way to do it. Do what works for you and you'll be successful. For me, I have to stay busy and not sit and just watch TV. If you like to dance, that's a great way to burn calories. I went out dancing last Saturday night and burned a ton of calories and had a great time. Hope this helps. Try to not let the scale rule you. You are more than a number on the scale.
Best of luck to you.
You are smart to get fit while you are young because it is much more difficult to lose weight when you are older. My family has had a lot of success with the G.I. diet books by Rick Gallop. We all lost weight and never felt hungry. When you say that you barely eat, it may be WHAT you are eating, not how much you are eating. You can read about the diet and books here: gidiet.com/
My husband reached his goal weight without exercising and has kept it off for a few years now. This diet isn't really a diet. It is a way of eating. It is easy to understand using a stoplight method. Red foods you avoid while losing weight, Yellow you eat sparingly, and green you can eat more than enough of. When my husband notices that he is gaining a pound or two back, he just avoids the red foods again.
I have also lost weight with this method and liked it because I didn't have to count calories, points, etc. I tried Weight Watchers, but found that it made me think about food constantly. I was hungry all the time, and always had to be thinking about how many points everything was.
I also have a 20 year old son, and an 18 year old son. They, too have benefited from this way of eating. Also, they both had symptoms like you describe with your feet turning red and swelling up when you are on them. My oldest was really bothered by this so we took him to the doctor about it. They ran tests and determined that he had Raynaud's syndrome.
The form of exercise that works for me is bicycling. We used a regular bike and turned it into a stationary bike with a bike trainer stand. My husband found this stand very cheap on Craigslist. (You could put in a request on Freecyclers in your area. I have seen people give away bikes all the time on there. Also after new years, people give away exercise equipment when they get new stuff or during Spring cleaning, they give away the new stuff when they decide they aren't going to use it.)
With my asthma, I had to start out using the bike for only 5 minutes at a time - that was all I could do. But now I am up to 32 minutes on low tension. I listen to music so it doesn't feel so undo-able. Also, if I do the inhaler about ten minutes before getting on the bike, I think it helps. Still, I have to make sure that I am breathing deeply enough while exercising, or I get really out of breath.
The walking idea is also good for people with asthma. You might even find someone who would pay you to walk their dog while you are walking for exercise. This would also make it a commitment and more of a motivation to follow through. Here is a place where you can read more about exercising with asthma:
www.livestrong.com/
Good luck and don't give up--the more fit you become, the better you will feel!
If you can afford it, you should get your health checked out with your family physician. I realize that if you live in the US, this might be costly, but hopefully you can manage it. I find it alarming about your feet - "bad circulation" is not a diagnosis. You should find out what the problem is.
In the meantime, I would advise you to walk. They say that if one walks 10, 000 steps a day, you will lose weight, and be able to maintain a healthy weight. This is a lot of walking, and you will have to really try to incorporate this into your lifestyle. I believe that it will work.
Other ways to add exercise to your life is to always take stairs, not the elevator. Park at the far end of the parking lot. Get a dog (if you are into pets) that needs to be walked every day. Find a friend to go for an energetic walk with every evening. Do some exercises - sit ups, lifting weights, while watching TV.
If you can, try to see a dietician, to get help with your diet. Portion size is important. Eating fresh veggies and unprocessed foods is also important. If money is a problem, you likely can't afford Weight watchers. TOPS is another support group that is less expensive, usually. Perhaps you can find some help from books and online, but try to avoid any "diet" that severely restricts the kind of foods that you eat (eg no carbs, for example), as that is going to be something you won't be able to live with over the long term.
Good luck.
See your doctor.
1. Exercise:
- Yoga is good generally and teaches about breathing also.
- Walking
- Ankle exercise: place your feet in comfortable slippers and sit. Extend 1 leg out and form the alphabet using your feet (toes and ankle) only - rotate the ankle when "drawing" the letters. Do the same with the other leg/ ankle. This strengthens the ankle and improves circulation. The reason for the slipper is to force you to use the ankle (as some people use the toes alone)
2. Drink more water - are you drinking enough right now?
3. Have a glass of room temperature water with 1/2 lemon in the mornings.
4. What about applying for food stamps card - this way you can have healthier food choices
5. Avoid oil and sugar foods.
6. Have spinach daily.
7. Probiotics: Have plain (raw, lacto-fermented, or unpasteurized) yogurt with live cultures - No added sugar or fruit. You can instead use supplements - tablets etc
8. Rule of thumb food portions using the palm of your hand
- Meat/ fish/ Chicken (grilled/ broiled is best) - 1 palm size
- Carbohydrates - 1 palm size
- Vegetables & fresh salad: Fill the rest of your plate
9. Have at least 6 small meals per day (as best as possible instead of large meals)
Eat fruits!!! My parents are in WW, and they lost 20 pounds before old habits came back. You can always drink protein shakes, GNM has some great stuff and advise!! Start cooking from home, if you aren't. Get some zuchinni and squash grilled or cooked in the oven, put some salt and pepper on that. Eat chicken over steak. Since steak has more fat, the chicken is the way to go. Eat your fruits. It needs to be your best friend. I hate the idea of going to a doctor, and since my recent knee injuries, I take it easy and just eat up. I'm 15, I think I know what your getting into. From my perspective, WW is a waste of time. STOP eating fast food, chips, or anything that has carbs. PLEASE dont starve yourself. Think about what your eating before you put it in you mouth. Greek Yogurt needs to be in your fridge, and Salads. Get some brocolli, cucumber, red onion, feta cheese, and lite ceasar dressing is ONE AWESOME SALAD!!!!! Drink water, avoid juices and milk. Hope I helped, Jenna
Make sure what you are in-taking and be calculative with that. And dont cut of the food instead take it in small. And do some slight exercise..Might Consulting a doctor is much helpful to you
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