Hi. I am 28 years old and I have a 4 year(angel). II am 4'11"tall and I weigh 116lb. I used to be 97 lb before I had my baby. I am not trying to get back there but I wold love to lose 10lb. My weigh is more in my upper body. My stomach, my back and my arm are the part I hate most. Is there any dvd that works because I don't have time and I don't have a gym close to me. Is there a diet that is not crazy to follow. What foods should I avoid? How many times should I exercise and what are the best to loose the upper body weigh? Thank you:)

Foods to avoid? None.

In fact incorporate more veggies and fresh fruits in your diet, cut your salt intake in half and maybe eat that sweet once a week instead of everyday. Drink more water, and can that soda.

The best way to burn fat is by doing lots and lots of cardio ; say 100 jumping jacks, jogging around your block a few times, jumping on your tready, anything to make your heart go bump-bump-bump.

Here's a site with some things like ; ab excercises, pilates, and yoga
VideoJug - Life Explained. On Film.

Diets are crazy.. I mean they make you crazy. Most of the time you end up gaining more than you lose!


Here are 7 Simple Steps to Lose Extra Weight and Tone Up:

1. Write it all down on a journal.

It is always a good idea to write down accurately what you eat and drink everyday including your occasion snacks (e.g. a chocolate cookie). Also, you must jot down what kind of exercise you do every day. From there, you can learn about your own eating and exercise behaviour. You will be able to zoom in your weak points which you can make improvements on.

2. Learn to read the food labels.

This is a very important habit you must adopt. Do not be deceived by words such as "Low Fat" or "Less Sugar". The products may have reduced its fat or sugar content from the original products, but you must still do a proper comparison with other similar products to find the right kind of food for yourself. Remember to study every label before you purchase anything that will end up going into your body.

3. Drink more water & cut down on other beverages.

It is very important that we drink 8 to 10 eight-ounce glasses of water a day. You will need drink even more when you are doing your exercise. In case you didn't know, this can help your metabolism also. Try to cut down on your fruit juices. Instead, it's better to eat the whole fruit because it will give you the fiber and vitamins your body needs and less calories as compared to a glass of fruit juice. If possible, try to limit your alcohol intake, especially high caloric alcoholic beverages.

4. Eat all your meals.

Do not skip any meals. Many women tend to skip their meals, especially their breakfast. Do not do this. You must eat breakfast everyday. Because so many hours have passed since last night's dinner, your breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Choose a breakfast with complex carbs and fruits to kick start your day. You can have a small snack before your lunch and your dinner. As for your dinner, it is a good idea to reduce the portion size and have more vegetables for easy digestion. Remember, do not starve yourself as this will backfire on you, and make it more difficult to lose the weight in the future.

5. Exercise.

A good old advice. Exercise is one of the keys to lose weight regardless what kind of diet you are on. A 30-minute routine of aerobic exercises such as brisk walking, jogging or swimming every day can help to burn more fat in your body. Even doing housework can be treated as a form of exercise. Remember, you must keep your body moving if you want to burn those fats.

6. Increase your metabolism

The key to increase your metabolism is really to build muscles. Muscles are like a furnace that increases your metabolism, allowing you to burn more calories even when you are at rest. Thus, muscles are very important and essential for your fat loss. You can do weight resistance training 2 to 3 times every week. Furthermore, you will also look better with a toned-up body when you are in your swimming suit or bikini... just like the Hollywood stars.

7. Sleep.

Many people tend to ignore the importance of sleep. In fact, if you have sufficient 8 hours of good sleep, you will not only feel refreshed and recharged, but you will find yourself losing some weight. Recent scientific research has shown that people with insufficient sleep tend to have difficulty to lose weight and tend to get other health problems too.

It may seem quite easy but without a proper plan and successful strategies, you won't succeed in achieving your weight loss goals. You really need to have patience as results do not happen overnight. The most important thing is that you must not GIVE UP even when you hit a temporary setback.


7 Tips are from: http://ezinearticles.com/?7-Simple-S...mmer&id=237482

Good luck on your journey to fitness,
MRS.S

Mudweiser thank you for taking your time to answer me. My willpower is not working like it used to. Sometimes I want to see result overnight, but I know is impossible. I have to try harder and not let myself down if I take a stepback and I am going to exercise more often. Thanks again

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Originally Posted by alma0123

Mudweiser thank you for taking your time to answer me. My willpower is not working like it used to. Sometimes i want to see result overnight, but i know is impossible. I have to try harder and not let myself down if i take a stepback and i am going to exercise more often. Thanks again

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No worries- I used to think the same. I did the diets, I did the starving and I gained twice my wieght because of it. Now I'm doing it the healthy way and I already feel better just by eating better.

P.S. Exercise is always good too [the hard part is to get off your butt] ;)

MRS.S

Pilates is one of the best exercise programs for strengthening your core... you abs, your back (including stubborn lower back), rear...

While it isn't considered aerobic, I can tell you this much. My wife has had two children. With both, she gained some stubborn weight that she struggled to lose, even though she was generally fit, never obese or especially overweight. Just had "problem areas".

Early on she tried to run it off. Lots and lots of cardio. She eventually did get cranked in with lots of running and some weights the first time... but it wasn't the most efficient method.

The second time she cross trained. She ran very little. She did billy blanks tae bo dvds and she did pilates... both at home, early in the am.

The results were astounding.

We all talk about cardio to kick up your metabolism. Cardio is needed.. you need to move air through your lungs and you need to work your heart... but I'm convinced that, at least for some, all cardio can be a mistake.

My wife is more than 36 years, and has a stomach that most 20 year olds would die for. You could bounce a quarter off it. She doesn't have a six pack visible, but you can feel it just under the skin.

It took time and work.

Within six weeks of pilates (almost every day) she could see a line running down her tummy. Now, almost two years into doing pilates regularly... 2-3 times a week, she is so, so tight and strong.

And muscle burns calories.

Likewise, the tae bo dvds are great. I do some pilates, but more tae bo. You can get the dvds and do them at home... and they'll hit muscles at angles that you don't normally hit.

Athletes cross train for a reason. Doing the same old thing over and over doesn't confuse the body.

Sure... you can simply walk and walk... or run off... or swim off... lbs over time. But your body is programmed to adjust, to learn, to adapt.

So by changing your routine, you confuse it and get better results.

Do stairs one day. Another day walk or run. Jumping rope is seriously HARD. I'm active and fit, and its one of the things I like to do least, but I do it. Burns a lot of calories in a short time.

Dvds can often be bought cheap online or at local resale sites (2nd hand movies, book stores) and can also be checked out for free at your local public library.

I'm a huge fan of having exercise dvds in the home, especially with kids around.

You can get the workout in without the travel, you can often get a decent workout in if you can get up 45 min earlier, and as the kids age they can workout with you.

Do not starve yourself.

Mud had some great points...

Those who keep a food journal and exercise journal have been found to lose and keep off twice the weight as those who didn't.

Meal portions and fewer, smaller meals are important. Why dinner is often the biggest food consumption event of the day makes no sense.

If you don't have time to cook breakfast, fine. Eggs can be cooked ahead of time and gently reheated. Whole grain toast with a little peanut butter takes no time to make. Fuel your body often, but with little, and your body will respond.

Low salt, oven roasted nuts (macademias, almonds) with a little dried fruit (like cherries) makes for a great late afternoon snack that will curb your dinnertime appetite.

Use a smaller plate at dinnertime. Take a third less carbs and protein and more fruit and veggies... within a very short time you won't notice any difference.

If going out, split dinners... or eat "tapas" style... order a small plate to share... talk, eat, drink, then order another small plate... you'll find you often eat much, much less. This isn't always possible, as kids don't have the patience for this... so share a big plate or plan on taking half of your meal home.

Exercising in the early AM is absolutely preferred. I'm a night owl. I HATE getting up at 5:30 to workout... but I do. Not everyday, but one in two or three.

Why is this so powerful? First, it cranks up your metabolism for the better part of the day. Anything you eat in the morning hours is more likely to be burned.

Also, it checks it off the list. Gets it done. No putting it off until later, until later is too late.

Last... if I workout in the AM, before taking my son to school and getting ready for the day in front of me, it leaves open the chance ill get in a second "workout" later in the evening... maybe a walk with my wife and son in the evening...

awesome psot KP! I'm going to start doing this myself.

Thanks for the comment.

If you are interested in pilates, I have a recommendation... not an expert in this area, just my experience... my wife first learned this method, we have dvds from this system, and we've had personal trainers who have used this... so I'm biased...

The Secret to Flat Abs is a good place to start... you can likely get it discounted on Amazon or another reseller online.

Personally, I pick what parts of the dvd I do... the pilates method of properly engaging the muscle, breathing, movement... its what makes it powerful. Just like a bodybuilder who wants to get the most out of every workout by good form and maximum return for the effort, pilates is all about efficient work for the best results.

I like Stott Pilates... its what I've used and been trained in with a trainer... there are other forms and dvds, but this is, in my opinion, a good place to start.

http://store.stottpilates.com/Stott/...ategoryCode=31

And the great (and HORRIBLE) thing about pilates is that once you learn how to engage muscles and do the movements well, you can always amp up the exercise with minor modifications.

It's the devils work. I swear. Id rather lift heavy weights for three sets than to join my wife in an hour long pilates workout. Wicked stuff... but you can start with the basics and easily inch it up more and more until you are suddenly powerful and strong.

Oops looks like I made a spelling mistake on the rep. Darn it!

Thanks KP! I was actually going to PM you to ask you what the DVD was called. I'm on my own journey to fitness. I want to feel and be healthy.

Thanks again!
MRS.S

KP 2171 Thank you for your good advise. It makes sense everything. I am going to start the pilates dvd and I am going to keep it going because I am tired of hating and hiding my body. I am going to try the web that you wrote. I feel it is time to make that big change for myself. Thank you so much again

Don't know if you have a ymca near you, but its one of the friendliest gyms for families... and for those whose budget restrains joining, as I understand, they are willing to try to work with any and all who want to join. All you need to do is ask about assistance.

My son loves going to their child center while I work out or my wife works out, and many classes offered are free or discounted for members. Just something to think about. Talking to them is free. If the price isn't right, fine. If they won't come down to a price you are willing to pay, OK. My opinion is ask and ask until they just cannot help you.

My wife loves many of the free programs to family members, and I've always LOVED being able to get an hour or two alone a couple times a week while my child played with others.

Divide the $72/mo for a family membership I pay by 8+ trips a month and its really small change (4.5-9 dollars a trip)... and that's without asking for membership assistance.

Even if its something you can't do now, consider this when the weather starts to turn and outside activities (and exercise along with it) starts to tail off...

Thank you again KP2171 for taking your time to write back to me . There's not a gym close to me. I live in a small island and I don't have a car. Between my job and my son(drop him off and pick him up from school) I don't have much time. There is the house (cleaning, cooking ect). My husband won't help me . He finds the idea of gym stupid. He won't even watch our son if I want to go for a walk after work. That's why I am trying to get dvd I am going to wake up early and try to exercise. He is another reason that I go down sometimes and I thing I am going to look like this forever. The biggest part is stress. I am emonatinally eater so that doesn't help. I am going to keep trying.Thank you it is always nice to hear good advice.