Way to lose weight ... ?
What kinds of things have you tried in order to lose weight? It seems that we are constantly bombarded by new weight loss fads and the ever thinning expectation of what "beauty" yet are also surrounded by the ever tempting convenience of fast food (in the restaurant sense as well as in what we buy).
This is my third blog post, and I would really like to get some feedback on what kinds of things other people have tried. What has worked for you? What hasn't?
Here are some things that I have tried in the past, and a little bit about how they worked out for me.
A year ago, I tried Insanity with my roommate. (It is worth noting that in the past I have tried P90X as well and found that for me personally, I much prefer P90X.) But everyone is different and may find they like Insanity better. For me, when I tried Insanity, it was right in line with the time period in which I gained 30-40 lbs, and have been trying to get it off ever since. At first when the weight piled on, it seemed to be that I had gained muscle weight in my thighs from doing Insanity (it was sooo insane and I was super soar!). But after trying it for over a month, I had only gained unwanted pounds and did not lose any!! (In fairness, I believe around that time I also started to increase my portion sizes in my snacks through out the day because of stress). Combined with the stress of school and the needed time commitment, I decided to drop it.
All though claiming to be different workouts on the different discs, Insanity felt like a lot of the same stuff over and over again; so I think if I were to try a workout DVD program, I would do P90X. But who has money for that anyways?!
When this did not work out, when I had time, I tried going to the Fitness Center in my apartment complex. From what I remember, this was actually working out all right for me. I would run on the treadmill for a mile, or on a cycle, and then do a couple more exercises with the equipment that was available. I think what happened here was that as it got closer to the end of the semester, it became more and more difficult to find the time to get to the fitness center.
I do not think that I pushed myself as much as I could have and I was not very consistent. I do not like watching what I eat, but I should have at this time period. Perhaps then I would have seen more results. But now I live in a town house with no fitness center and I do not like taking all the time it takes to get dressed and drive to the gym. Yea, I can be pretty lazy, but I just hate having the feeling that my life is centered around working out when I would rather do other things.
A couple months later (after graduation, a proposal, and a family trip to Spain) I tried running. I was living with family in their basement alongside my then soon to be sister-in-law. I have a hard time sticking to running, even though I was a soccer player for a large chunk of my life. Running for the sake of running is not really fun for me. The air in Utah is dryer compared to Virginia which made me feel twice as thirsty during the run. My knees have also begun to feel worn down when I run; as well as my hip will begin to feel uncomfortable when I stretch afterwords due to the minor bursitis. I have a hard time pacing myself to a jog as I get bored and just want the run to be over and done with. But this just ends with me running less than half the distance most "runners" would.
I realize that one of my biggest personality flaws is that I allow myself to get discouraged and I give up on things. Do not get me wrong, all though running is not for me, I have a deep respect for runners and how they are able to push themselves. In fact, I am a little jealous at times when I see people running that seem to be miles away from any neighborhood where they could have started from. (One of those people is my Dad, he is amazing!)
Not long after, I got a Wii Fit Board. I did this because I realized that in order for me to stick to a workout routine, I needed to do something that I enjoy and actually have fun doing! I had played on a wii fit board before and thought it might work. At the time though, I was not giving my all into losing weight like I should have. Stress of trying to find a job, a place to live, and wedding plans seem to get in the way.
At one point I got sick, then I got preoccupied with marriage plans. After the wedding and Christmas, I tried doing Dance Central 3 on the XBox Kinect. (A gift from my husband). I really enjoyed playing Dance Central 3 and stuck to it for a long time. I weighed myself using the wii fit board, but I did not see much results. I think this was actually due to the fact that I still was not eating right. During this time, I was actually home alone a lot because while I worked from 9-5, my husband would not get home until 10 or 10:30. What I realize now is that while I did workout, I would first come home and eat way more than I should while watching tv to wind down. I was eating a lot through out the day due to boredom and perhaps loneliness.
Again, I allowed myself to get discouraged and stopped doing this. Also a part of the reason was that I decided that I would be able to become much more active when my dog was finally flown out to me from home. You see, Kandy is a Siberian Husky and needs LOTS of exercise! It is important that I walk her at least twice a day. I saw this as a point in which I knew I would have to become more active. So in April I started the dog walking.
Now, thanks to watching shows such as Supersize vs Superskinny, I actually have been more conscious about what I eat and am working toward cutting down on my portion sizes. So, I am actually dieting now as well as working on the Wii Fit, actually trying to push myself; usually working out 30 to 40 minutes a day. Sometimes it is a struggle, but I hope that perhaps by blogging about it, I will find the motivation to push through and not give up.
Please feel free to comment or message me if you perhaps have any questions about PCOS or want to know more about what I have found works for me. I would also love to hear what everyone else has tried and what people find work best for them! I know everyone's style is different, but you never know what might help someone achieve their weight loss goals!
This is my third blog post, and I would really like to get some feedback on what kinds of things other people have tried. What has worked for you? What hasn't?
Here are some things that I have tried in the past, and a little bit about how they worked out for me.
A year ago, I tried Insanity with my roommate. (It is worth noting that in the past I have tried P90X as well and found that for me personally, I much prefer P90X.) But everyone is different and may find they like Insanity better. For me, when I tried Insanity, it was right in line with the time period in which I gained 30-40 lbs, and have been trying to get it off ever since. At first when the weight piled on, it seemed to be that I had gained muscle weight in my thighs from doing Insanity (it was sooo insane and I was super soar!). But after trying it for over a month, I had only gained unwanted pounds and did not lose any!! (In fairness, I believe around that time I also started to increase my portion sizes in my snacks through out the day because of stress). Combined with the stress of school and the needed time commitment, I decided to drop it.
 |
| Who has tried this? Did you like it? |
All though claiming to be different workouts on the different discs, Insanity felt like a lot of the same stuff over and over again; so I think if I were to try a workout DVD program, I would do P90X. But who has money for that anyways?!
When this did not work out, when I had time, I tried going to the Fitness Center in my apartment complex. From what I remember, this was actually working out all right for me. I would run on the treadmill for a mile, or on a cycle, and then do a couple more exercises with the equipment that was available. I think what happened here was that as it got closer to the end of the semester, it became more and more difficult to find the time to get to the fitness center.
 |
| This is an image from the actual fitness center I went to. (Only part) |
I do not think that I pushed myself as much as I could have and I was not very consistent. I do not like watching what I eat, but I should have at this time period. Perhaps then I would have seen more results. But now I live in a town house with no fitness center and I do not like taking all the time it takes to get dressed and drive to the gym. Yea, I can be pretty lazy, but I just hate having the feeling that my life is centered around working out when I would rather do other things.
A couple months later (after graduation, a proposal, and a family trip to Spain) I tried running. I was living with family in their basement alongside my then soon to be sister-in-law. I have a hard time sticking to running, even though I was a soccer player for a large chunk of my life. Running for the sake of running is not really fun for me. The air in Utah is dryer compared to Virginia which made me feel twice as thirsty during the run. My knees have also begun to feel worn down when I run; as well as my hip will begin to feel uncomfortable when I stretch afterwords due to the minor bursitis. I have a hard time pacing myself to a jog as I get bored and just want the run to be over and done with. But this just ends with me running less than half the distance most "runners" would.
 |
| I WISH I could look this good running! Instead I look like a chicken trying to take off! |
I realize that one of my biggest personality flaws is that I allow myself to get discouraged and I give up on things. Do not get me wrong, all though running is not for me, I have a deep respect for runners and how they are able to push themselves. In fact, I am a little jealous at times when I see people running that seem to be miles away from any neighborhood where they could have started from. (One of those people is my Dad, he is amazing!)
Not long after, I got a Wii Fit Board. I did this because I realized that in order for me to stick to a workout routine, I needed to do something that I enjoy and actually have fun doing! I had played on a wii fit board before and thought it might work. At the time though, I was not giving my all into losing weight like I should have. Stress of trying to find a job, a place to live, and wedding plans seem to get in the way.
At one point I got sick, then I got preoccupied with marriage plans. After the wedding and Christmas, I tried doing Dance Central 3 on the XBox Kinect. (A gift from my husband). I really enjoyed playing Dance Central 3 and stuck to it for a long time. I weighed myself using the wii fit board, but I did not see much results. I think this was actually due to the fact that I still was not eating right. During this time, I was actually home alone a lot because while I worked from 9-5, my husband would not get home until 10 or 10:30. What I realize now is that while I did workout, I would first come home and eat way more than I should while watching tv to wind down. I was eating a lot through out the day due to boredom and perhaps loneliness.
Loads of fun! It even has a storyline!
Again, I allowed myself to get discouraged and stopped doing this. Also a part of the reason was that I decided that I would be able to become much more active when my dog was finally flown out to me from home. You see, Kandy is a Siberian Husky and needs LOTS of exercise! It is important that I walk her at least twice a day. I saw this as a point in which I knew I would have to become more active. So in April I started the dog walking.
 |
| She certainly loves her walks... |
Now, thanks to watching shows such as Supersize vs Superskinny, I actually have been more conscious about what I eat and am working toward cutting down on my portion sizes. So, I am actually dieting now as well as working on the Wii Fit, actually trying to push myself; usually working out 30 to 40 minutes a day. Sometimes it is a struggle, but I hope that perhaps by blogging about it, I will find the motivation to push through and not give up.
Please feel free to comment or message me if you perhaps have any questions about PCOS or want to know more about what I have found works for me. I would also love to hear what everyone else has tried and what people find work best for them! I know everyone's style is different, but you never know what might help someone achieve their weight loss goals!
I found for me just counting calories, i would exercise everyday and i wasn't loosing. I think being conscious of what you put in your body is almost more important then what you expend. I stuck to a 1200 calorie diet for a year. and i lost about 50 pounds. I know it is different for everyone, but that is what worked for me. I would just eat what ever i wanted as long as it was 1200 or under. most of the time i stuck to 2 salads a day with fruit, and meat sides. I would walk my dog, and i would eat soup. once a week i would have a dessert or another snack food for a reward if i had accomplished it. I wish you the best katrina, and I know i can't understand exactly what your going through, but i do understand eating because of stress, and the struggle to loose weight. I believe in you and i know you can do it. - Rachel Gishwiller
ReplyDeleteThanks Rachel! I actually have found that counting calories and really watch what I eat has been helping this week! I have really cut down on my portions and am doing my best not to "boredom" eat. My weakness is that I am really not a fan of salad. :/ Some salads taste good at first, but if I eat too much, I feel nauseous (which means I barely have any). I think what I am going to focus on this week is counting calories and maybe light cardio work. Thanks for your comment! :)
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