I'm 10kg overweight and don't know where to start

[Matryoshka]

I am 10kg overweight and don't know where to start in regards to losing the fat, getting fit again. Most of it is weight gain from the medications i've taken/am taking for PND, but also the fact i don't exercise, and eat chocolate several times a week.

I have really low motivation, and a neck injury which prevents me from doing anything technical. I like walking but by the time i've got the boys ready to go out, after the tantrums and packing a million things i've lost the urge. I don't eat that well, skip breakfast drink lots of coffee and usually eat a big lunch and dinner - when i know i should eat more smaller meals.

I don't know how to get on track, or if i should try a diet of some kind... Theres a park around the corner which has a path right the way around, i was thinking i should start with one lap and slowly build up to more laps. I can't really think what else to do... and although i'm motivated in the sense i want to look and feel better, when it comes down to it, i just struggle to get going.

Any advice?

[Cupcake]

Hi Tan!! I joined the Mid Year 12 Week Challenge on here, we're currently in week 4 i think but another lady joined us this week so maybe if you feel up to joining check out this thread!! Motivation is a hard hurdle to get over but i find the ladies in that thread really motivational and if you're having a bad day we try to pick each other up and keep on going! Hehe. Walking is a great place to start; thats what ive learnt anyhow!! Goodluck with your journey, might see you in the 12 week challenge soon!!!

[aimz78]

Hi Tan,
motivation can be hard, but you are definitely on the right track. Start with small changes, such as having breakfast, it will help you to lose weight, keep up your metabolism and stop you going for the quick fix later in the day. Smaller meals and healthy snacks in between will help, too. Its great you like walking, its a really good excercise. Try not to focus on losing weight, think of it as being healthy and setting an example for your kids, you might even improve your energy levels and mood a bit, too. Try to improve your diet a bit, for example, still have your chocolate, but maybe just a little bit (everything in moderation? ) Don't deprive yourself and most of all don't be too hard on yourself. HTH

[Meo]

Hi Tan,

I'd be up for starting a mid year #2 weight loss challenge. I want to lose 20 kgs from all my IVF drugs so far, seeing as we're on a TTC break anyway.

[Turkish Delight]

Hey Tan,

I'm thinking of you... Don't have time now, but will BBL to write...

[boobaloo]

could have written your post myself, except i have 20kg to lose! it's very depressing, and i know where to start, i just can't be bothered. when you find some form of motivation - let me know!

[Matryoshka]

Thanks, i know, what little energy i have i put in to my boys.

I really want to start the walks though, if not for myself but for my boys to see the importance of daily activity.

I've looked at the challenge thread, it looks like it moves too fast for me, but its a great idea.

I was thinking of starting a blog, maybe it would make me keep a focus if i had to write in it every day....?

Some other basic ideas i had were replacing snacks with healther snacks, nuts and fruit etc. I always reach for quick and easy things, biscuits etc.

I was trying to work out how overweight i am, my BMI puts me in the overweight category just, by 1% or something. From the weight versus height tables it looks like i'm anywhere from 8-2 kg overweight. I'd be really happy if i lost 5kg so might start with that. Small steps i guess.

[Turkish Delight]

Hi Tan,

Look at the Calorie King website. They offer a free food and exercise diary. It is great. If you log everything you eat and do it keeps you tempted to keep on eating and doing the right things.

Have you tried the Tony Ferguson shake diet? It can give quite quick results to help with the motivation side of things??

Motivation is hard, but once you lose the first 1-3kgs you be even more motivated. Pin a picture of your old self (if you have a skinny photo) on the fridge or a "fat" photo even.

I have days when i lose motivation too. Only just recently it happened, but the girls on the mid year body transformation challenge helped me through it. I am almost at the end of the tunnel, i can see the light but reaching it can be damn difficult some days.

If i can lose 15.5kgs so far, you can lose the 10kg.

[Kristin27]

My hairdresser (and the three other hairdressers at the salon!) have had great success with the Bodytrim program. You may have seen it advertised on Kerri-Anne. You can buy the program online or at major bookstores like Borders.

The basic plan is low carb and low sugar and high protein. Eating every three hours so you don't have to starve! No strenuous exercise is necessary, your supposed to walk 10,000 steps per day but a lot of the girls haven't managed that and have still lost a lot of weight.

Good luck finding the right thing for you

[kelebek]

you have taken the first step Tan, admitting that you need to loose weight. I don't think it matters if you have to loose 2 kg or 20 kg's by admitting that you need to you are on the way. I personally had about 30kg's and am down to about 26 kg according to the BMI thingy.
I have started Weight watchers but what I have really done is cut down on all the crap. I don't have butter on my sandwhichs for instance and have switched to low/skim fat milk/cheese/yoghurt (while keeping the full fat for DS of course). It is a major hassel as it is more expensive but in the end if spending more $$ will help me loose weight then it is something for me and it just has to be done. Have in season fruit around, it is tastier and it is just as quick to grab a pear or banana as it is to get biscuits. Clear the house of chocolate and get some hot chocolate drinking powder for that chocolate hit. I have discovered corn thins which are great when you want that chip crunch, they are tastier then rice cakes as well.

As with anything it it has to be 1 step at a time, try and get to the park every 2nd to 3rd day and build it up to more often, take baby steps with your food and you will start to see some results (oh doesn't that sound easy wish it was that easy)

[Nadine216]

Oh Hell hun, you and me both!!! I also have exactly 10 kg to lose, will be happy with 5kg, extatic with 13kg!!!! I'm 170cm (about 5.6") tall and currently weighs around 79kg .. naked in the morning ... after a wee My BMI is 27.5 *eeeeeek* and my height/weight thingy says I have to be 63kg, which for me I personally think is a bit to low seeing that I'm rather big-boned I would love to be no less than 65kg, no more than 70kg. And I want to fit into the same number on the bottom as I am on top .. that would be a 36. BTW I'm a pear Most of my curves are in my bootie

I also find it hard to motivate myself. I've joined the local Curves and like it, but have not noticed any change yet .. I've been curving for only two weeks go figure not change yet, but I wanted to SEE something already. I want my flat belly back

I'm eating like a hog. I have cereal and coffee for brekkie, coffee, coffee, coffee, cooked lunch (meat, starch, veggies) and quick meals for dinner (sausage & chips, bread, bread and more lovely bread ) and then, my favorite, late night snacks .. yummo. Ice-cream, hot milk, white chocolate, bread with peanutbutter and syrup, anyting sweet not being guarded.

I am disgusted with myself. I was so fit and trim before ds, have gotten my body back the way it was before dd, dare I say even better. And now I know what a HUGE job it is to get back into shape and the dicipline it takes to say NO to choccies and ice-cream and I just dont have energy to do that atm. I'm also on PND meds, so we are in exactly the same boat.

You are not alone ....

[Matryoshka]

Thanks for the replies!

This week has been a write off, myself and the boys have been sick.

Tomorrow we go food shopping though and my aim is stick to the list and totally skip the snack aisle. I'm going to start slowly and aim to go around the park 3 times next week.

Does anyone know, do i have to walk fast to burn fat? or will it still be of benefit if we stroll? because otherwise i'll have to take the double stroller, because my toddler walks pretty slow. Which might actually be a good idea because pushing both of them is about 20kg!

Nadine, i am similar, 165cm = 70kg. At my slimmest i was 50kg but i would be happy with 60kg... Considering i've had 2 kids and a hard year last year i'll be kind to myself Are you wanting to cut down on coffee? whenever i miss a cup i get irritable and a headache, as soon as i have coffee i feel better....

kelebek, thats great, do you use anything else instead of butter?

Turkish delight, i've looked at tony ferguson, i think i'd be too hungry on that... i think i just need to try to moderate what i'm eating. Thats fantastic about the 15kgs, youve done so well!

Okay so i'm going to do this!

[boobaloo]

tan - a few of us have become weight loss buddies, we start on monday and will be blogging progress, eating, excercise etc. come join us!!!

my blog thing is in my sig, so if you subscribe to it, we can all offer encourgement on there!!

[kelebek]

I don't have spreads on my bread anymore, ie vegimite/peanut butter etc... I tend to make tomotoe/cuecumber/extra light block cheese sandwhichs in an effort to fill me up more, I find that more satisfying then a vegimite sandwhich iykwim? so I either don't have anything or sometime will have hommus (hommus and tomato on toast is yummo for breakfast) or avocadoe (again great with tomato on toast ) or you can get extra light cream cheese I think it's like 5% fat or something so a lot less fat then anything else out there.


Umm with the walking, you said you were going to go 3 times a week maybe let your toddler walk 2 of the 3 in the first week and then only 1 the 2nd week, maybe you could build up doing a lap and then letting him play for a bit before heading home?


15kg's is a great effort TD. You are now my official inpsiration and I will keep it in mind everytime I doubt myself

[Nadine216]

This week's a miss for me too But I was not sick, just tired!!

Are you wanting to cut down on coffee?

Not really, I drink de-caff. It's just that each cup is one sugar and loads of whole milk hehehe, different from before when I only drank rooibostea without sugar or milk ... need to get back on that gravy train

To burn optimum fat you need to excercise at about 80%. That, for me, means that my heart rate should not go up more that 27 beats in 10 seconds. I'm 28 years old. So strolling might be good, but I'll go one day stroll, the next brisk ... something like that. They (whoever they are) say that you are walking "fast" enough when you can still carry a conversation, without sounding like a racehorse.

Goodluck for the week!!

[MantaRay]

Tan, I think the secret is baby-steps. Make one change at a time, and make it part of your routine before moving on the next thing. Maybe alternate a food change with an increase in exercise. And don't be hard on yourself when you slip up!

Boobaloo - you really don't look like you need to lose 20kg!

[turner]

Hi, I was like you and just couldn't pull it together except I didn't have the neck problem. I joined Contours because it had a 30 minute workout. I figured, I could do 30 minutes and guess what, I have been able to stick to it. First gym membership I didn't give up after 2 months. You may want to get your neck checked out though and I'm sure you can talk to the staff about it. The surprise benefit for me is meeting other women so that makes me want to go back again.

Good luck. I know it is hard to start and I put off starting for about 3 months until finally I'd had enough and just thought now or never. The other thing I do is I just removed one thing from my diet for one month that wasn't good. And now that I've got that one conquered, I'm about to take away chocolate from my diet. Wonder how hard that one will be??!

Best wishes