HELP!!!!!!

MIDWIFEnTRAININ

Ok here it goes, Ive been reading through loads of threads here and am finally asking for help myself. I want to lose weight but Ive been to weight loss classes and this did not work for me. My story.....

Ive always been a tall girl but when I hit 13 I started to put on weight. Ive been on a diet on and off since I was 15. I lost 2 and half stone without even realising it when I was 17, had a lot more time then. However I met my other half then and the weight crept back on. I had my son when I was 19 and didn put on weight through the pregnancy to my delight!! However I became very anxious soon afterwards and my weight increased I reached 18 stone. I started training as a Midwife and tried to lose weight for myself and my job and was a little bit successful. I lost 2 stone. But Im loosing my mind with everything Im looking at, what exercise to be doing? what foods are best? when to eat them? Im so confused with all the contradiciting information!!!
Ive had enough of being this size. But i cant see a way through it sometimes. I dont want to be a qualified Midwife thats over weight. Im coming near to the end of my training and Im noticing that my knees are very sore on a daily basis, this worries me.
Ive never been hugely active but I do enjoy certain exercises. From reading here I think Il have a look at fitday to help sort out my food diary. I understand this will take time but Im stuck in a rut and seriously need to get my act together for the sake of my sanity. I dont have loads of time with a four yr old and the study i have to do to. Ive been scraping by in all aspects tbh. I started jogging and walking a few weeks ago but my knees were very sore for days afterwards. I need help with my exercise routine. What is best for weight bearing exercises, for fast weight loss. Would I be better of starting a weight training programme or stick to full on cardio for the first few weeks? any suggestions or motivation greatly appreciaited???
Thanks in advance

Oh and my current weight is 17st 2lb, height 5ft 8.5, Daily activity is low unless Im on shift then Im on my feet for 13 hours.

Milo83

Firstly jogging is probably not the best exercise for you as its quite a high impact exercise, until you loose a bit of weight, some light jogging on grass mite be safe enough. Try brisk walking, up hills, take the stairs as often as possible. Swimming is fantastic for toning up expecially the abominals and back muscles. Find stuff you enjoy, dont make a chore out it, look foward to it.. maybe try dance class etc.. Weight training is also brilliant for weight loss and will make you alot leaner.. There is some great videos on youtube on weight training, if your a bit of a novice.

Dietwise just follow common sence- cut out the junk food- have five small healthy meals each containing protein i.e chicken, fish, eggs, beans, dairy, lean meats..., that will give you a full feeling.- if you still starving- snack on fruit an veg. Also cut back on the carbs but not completely, try making a rule like no carbs after 6pm.. Also drink lotsa water.. cut back on yours tea's and coffee. Green tea is also fantastic and i swear by this, just google the health benefits from it, you'l be amazed.

I hope this is of help. But remember to have fun with it and allow youself the odd treat... "the odd treat that is".

Sparkx

Hi there,

You have allot on your plate (Excuse the Pun) with a 4yr old and college etc.
Firstly concentrate on all that is good in your life.
If you worry all the time, you will only feel worse and stress more.
You need to start again. Forget about the classes that didnt work.
We all make time for our employer and our study so we get paid and perhaps get Job satisfaction.
Would we work for free?
Think of your health in the same way. The benifits of healthy living is far more rewarding but dont always think that money is the only reward that matters.
Get a new diary for your energy intake , output and exercise.
Make time to exercise and look at the Quality and Quantity of the food you eat.
There are many exercises that wont impact on your knees.
Visualize the person you want to be, the healthy weight that person would be and imagine you have a responsibility to that person to care for them , thier energy intake and exercise long term.

I dont believe it is our bodies that are the problem but our minds.........

Hiring a personal trainer is an option but you must make a commitment to yourself first.

MIDWIFEnTRAININ

Thank you both very much for your replies. I know what your saying is true. But Im finding it hard time wise and deciding what exercise to do. Is weight training more beneficial than cardio. I do need to decide on less weight bearing exercises I wasn hugely fond of jogging anyways. I need to relax more too and Im trying to find ways to help that too. I really appreciate your replies and will definitely consider some of your pointers.
:rolleyes: things can only get better

Rovi

A very quick 'n dirty back-of-an-envelope calculation based on the details in your opening post would indicate that you could ideally do with loosing in the region of 70-80lbs (6.5 stone, 36kg) or so.
That's approximately 1/3 of your current bodyweight.
This CAN be done; I've done it myself.

They (whoever 'They' are) say that weight loss is done 90% in the kitchen and 10% in the gym.
I wholeheartedly agree, and that's pretty much exactly how it worked for me.

You say you've started using fitday.com, that's an excellent start.
Keep the food diary diligently and honestly, you'll be codding no-one but yourself by 'manipulating' the figures.
Aim to keep your daily calorie intake down around 2000/day, certainly under 2500. This one thing alone will shift a lot of the weight quite quickly. By 'quite quickly' I mean 1 - 2 lbs/week.
The food diary will very quickly show you which foods are piling in the calories. Replace these with lower calorie alternatives, ideally with 'natural' 'whole' foods: vegetables, fruit, lean meat, fish, nuts, etc.
Try to cut waaay down on the spuds, bread, pasta, cereals, etc, and eliminate processed sugar in all its forms (in the tea, sweets, sauces, etc, etc) as much as possible too.

You DO NOT have to go hungry, just eat better!!!

Don't stress out on the exercise; certainly get and remain active at something you enjoy, but the big bulk (sorry ) of initial weight loss is pretty much all about controlling what and how much you eat.

For the first 1/2 - 2/3 of the weight loss, concentrate on monitoring the calories. As you get closer to the 'ideal' weight, looking more closely at managing protein/fats/carbs becomes more important, but by then you'll have a lot of experience with food labels and your food diary, and it'll be easy enough to get into.

Again, I can't stress how important it is to be scrupulously honest with the food diary, and also that you don't have to starve yourself or go hungry.

Rovi

Rovi wrote: »

A very quick 'n dirty back-of-an-envelope calculation based on the details in your opening post would indicate that you could ideally do with loosing in the region of 70-80lbs (6.5 stone, 36kg) or so.
That's approximately 1/3 of your current bodyweight.
This CAN be done; I've done it myself.

They (whoever 'They' are) say that weight loss is done 90% in the kitchen and 10% in the gym.
I wholeheartedly agree, and that's pretty much exactly how it worked for me.

You say you've started using fitday.com, that's an excellent start.
Keep the food diary diligently and honestly, you'll be codding no-one but yourself by 'manipulating' the figures.
Aim to keep your daily calorie intake down around 2000/day, certainly under 2500. This one thing alone will shift a lot of the weight quite quickly. By 'quite quickly' I mean 1 - 2 lbs/week.
The food diary will very quickly show you which foods are piling in the calories. Replace these with lower calorie alternatives, ideally with 'natural' 'whole' foods: vegetables, fruit, lean meat, fish, nuts, etc.
Try to cut waaay down on the spuds, bread, pasta, cereals, etc, and eliminate processed sugar in all its forms (in the tea, sweets, sauces, etc, etc) as much as possible too.

You DO NOT have to go hungry, just eat better!!!

Don't stress out on the exercise; certainly get and remain active at something you enjoy, but the big bulk (sorry ) of initial weight loss is pretty much all about controlling what and how much you eat.

For the first 1/2 - 2/3 of the weight loss, concentrate on monitoring the calories. As you get closer to the 'ideal' weight, looking more closely at managing protein/fats/carbs becomes more important, but by then you'll have a lot of experience with food labels and your food diary, and it'll be easy enough to get into.

Again, I can't stress how important it is to be scrupulously honest with the food diary, and also that you don't have to starve yourself or go hungry.

He speaks the truth and has walked the walk!