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2012/02/22, 04:50 AM
hi, my name is bettina i am 31 and i am finding it very hard to lose the last 5 or so kilos i would like to get rid of. I exersise every day and have done so for over a year but i just can't seem to reach my goal of 56 kilos i was about 65 kilos when i started walking for a minnimum of 2 hours a day out of neccessity and i did this for 12 months. Now i don't have to walk everywhere ( thank goodness cause it really sucked ) so i have been jogging every day for 30 to 60 minutes, i now know i should'nt be doing the same thing every day but no matter how hard i try i can't seem to get under 61 kilos i have been the same weight since about 3 months into my daily walking "routine" what can i do to get little bit leaner ? I know i am a healthy weight but i like my body shape better when i am a little leaner.
Cheers,
Bettina.:)
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2012/02/22, 08:53 AM
Hey Bettina! Welcome! First of all I am no expert, but it sounds to me, that you have reached a plateau. Don't give up and fight thru it! One thing I may say to keep an eye on is to remember... Weight loss can slow down as you near your goal because it does not take as many calories to support your smaller size. For every pound lost, the body needs approximately eight fewer calories a day. That may not sound like much, but if you have lost 25 pounds, then your body may need 200 fewer calories than it did at the start of your weight-loss efforts. If you’ve downsized, so too must your calories. Have you adjusted your diet, to reflect your loss? Maybe try that if you haven't already. As I said... I am NO expert, and somebody else may have better advice, but this is my two cents! Good luck!
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2012/02/22, 03:48 PM
Thankyou so much for your advice, to tell the truth , i am hopeless with my diet, i eat healthy food but i generally only have two meals a day. I eat salad or wholemeal toast with avocado for lunch and i eat my dinner which consists of veges, chicken and some pasta or rice i dont eat much red meat and find i can very rarely afford fish as i'm on a very tight budget cause i have a tribe of kids haha. Do you think it would make much of a difference if i stop having my most significant meal in the evening and start eating it earlier in the day or could i just start to do a workout after dinner instead of before? I have a long way to go in understanding the role that food plays in all this but i am excited about learning how to use it as a tool to help me reach my goal, do you have any suggestions on where i can get good information on this? Also where can i go to find out how to calculate the calories in the food i am eating? I am so new to this i should be wearing L plates :)
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2012/02/22, 09:18 PM
Diet is essential when trying to lose weight. As with everything, it's not easy. I find what really helps when you're stuck is to keep very close track of what and how much you eat. As kchuskey said, when you get closer to your "preordained" weight, it gets harder to lose weight. The losses don't come as quickly or as easily. Diet is even more important for you now than ever. Here are a few suggestions:
First, make sure you're giving your body all the nutrition it needs. A balanced diet is very important, and half of what you eat should be fruits and vegetables. Lean protein (lean pork, white meat chicken, lean beef, etc) are important, but should be less than 1/4 of your daily calorie intake.
You mention you only eat twice a day. That could really be bogging down your metabolism, keeping your body from burning calories as efficiently and as much as it could. Optimum eating habits would be for you to eat small amounts, 5 times a day. That's over twice what you're eating now. Definitely DO NOT throw out the most substantial meal of your day...having a solid, sensible dinner is very important. It's got to tide your body over for 8 hours...that's the longest your body goes without food! Support your metabolism by eating a light, balanced breakfast. It's very important to eat breakfast.
I'd also recommend that you consider a light weight training program. The wonderful thing about strength training is that your body burns calories when you're just sitting around (even sleeping). If you don't lift weights, you're not maximizing your body's calorie burning potential.
I admire the dedication you've already put in to this. You've done a great job already! If you really want to see it through to your goal, you've got to get serious about it. I know time and money can be short, but there are ways of eating less food and still getting the proper nutrition your body requires...same with exercise. You don't have to go out and buy weights or memberships to clubs. Do some pushups...lift some bags full of canned goods...I used to go out and lift bags of dirt to train my muscles. When you take your kids to the park, do some pull ups on the playground equipment. The home workouts here on free trainers are very good, and can be done without much equipment at all!
Good luck, and I hope you reach your goal!
-Herald
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2012/02/23, 04:53 AM
Thanks Herald, I guess its time i really start to study food and calorie intake, i have been doing the at home workout program on this site as well as jogging and have found a park to take the kids that has a playground and fitness equipment for adults though i dont know what to do with half of it. I attempted to do pull ups but i can't for the life of me pull myself up, i gave myself a good laugh ( you had to be there it would have looked hilarious to anyone watching ) thankfully it has just made me determind to get strong enough to do it, and i will do it! I will take your advice and start having smaller more regular meals, also the bags full of cans, i can't believe i did'nt think of that! i have just been using one in each hand and it felt like it was accomplishing nothing so thankyou very much, your advice has been super helpful
Thanks again,
Bettina.
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