[20anonymous08]

Okay so I used to overweight. Then I got married... got depressed and ended up eating one meal a day. Within a few months I went from 180 to 126. It was an insane weight loss... I wasn't starving myself I just was hardly ever hungry. So I got divorced blah blah and met my fiancée and we had a daughter. She is 3 now. When I got pregnant I was no more then 130. (I am 5'7 by the way) as soon as I saw that I was pregnant... I ate ate and ate. Whatever I wanted whenever I wanted because I could I guess. Well when I went in for my first appt I was 160. The dr never believed I was 130 prior to conceiving since I guess I should have gained maybe 5 pounds max in the first trimester but I ate terribly. So the day I went in to give birth I was 220 lbs! I was ALL stomach of course. Well over the first year.. I got down to about 155. I wasn't very happy I still wanted to firm up. Well I kind of let go I guess and now I am at 170. I am so unhappy being overweight! I mean I can wear clothes that can cover it up and I really don't look THAT heavy since I am tall... but I would love to be able to look in th e mirror and not see flab! (sorry it is long felt I needed to give a little insight to my life) (I am 24 years old by the way)

Well I gave up cokes earlier this year and drank ONLY water... (I used to drink ONLY cokes and never water! ) Well it was very hard... but I adapted and now I don't like how cokes taste. Well except the very occasional sprite. But anyway... that didn't make me lose ANYTHING! Aww I get so disapointed. Then I tried the special k diet... that lasted almost 2 weeks... but I didn't lose anything. I love all the food that is bad for me! I can't force myself to eat like a rabbit! I also have arthritis so a lot of exercises are hard / impossible for me to do. I like to walk but I can only walk so much without being in pain. So I got this exercise video that has 3 different 10 minute workouts. So for almost 2 weeks now I have been doing 10 minutes of kickboxing every morning. I do 25 sit ups when I get out of bed. I just gave up candy bars... hopefully I can stick with that... so far so good. Well I weighed myself when I started and I just weighed myself today... I haven't lost anything! Not even a pound. So my question is how long until I can see results? Am I actually going to get results doing what I am doing? I am going to add walking at night for about 15 minutes. But what else can I do to get results? I am so unhappy! Can 10 minutes of kickboxin in the morning really be effective? I enjoy it so it is easy for me 2 stick to. Plus I hardly have time so a long workout is not reasonable. I was thinking about trying detox pills... do those work? Is there a certain part of day I should exercise? I exercise the moment I get up in the morning before I get ready. IS that okay?

Thanks 4 any help you can provide!

[joshdom]

The best way to lose weight is to eat what you want to eat. Work out how many calories you are eating now and cut tha down slowly. Most short term plans are really unhealthy and can permamnently damage yor body. e.g I'm eating 3500 calories a day. A sensible amount to go to would be 3300, then a few weeks later 3100 etc, until you have the calorie level set a your target. The recommended calories for women is 2000 a day. This is often more effective because its helthier, and you are free to eat what you like. Because of the limit you will be forced off fast foods and onto small pasta's and bars of chocolate. The reason you must give a few weeks between each change is to allow your body t adapt. You will simply stop depending on more food income, and you won't be hungry, so you won't need to eat.

[kp2171]

And give it some time... tae bo, like kickboxing, is a good workout that can really get into some muscles at a different angle than you might normally get with other work... but you are just beginning...

Anytime you start a new exercise program I don't think its good to judge until you are at least 6-8 weeks in. in the first few weeks your body is just beginning to adapt and learn. I think it easily takes 6 weeks for a "task" to become a "habit"... and if you like it and it makes you feel good, keep it up.

You will get stronger.

You will likely see results.

But you need to keep at it.

And cross training is good... can you get to a swimming pool? I know... the dreaded swimsuit. Still, its an option that is low impact.

Can you jump rope? It is generally lower impact than running, and it is The Devils Work. Seriously. Try jumping rope in your home for two minutes. It sucks. Its one of the most efficient ways to move your heartrate and burn calories... so... if you can't jump rope for long, do it for 30 seconds... then walk in place or use a "step" to step up and down for 30... repeat... change when you get endurance.

Id like to see you have an extended workout past 10 minutes in the AM, but not really concerned... your body is still adjusting to the demands of the work. Its still cranking in... you need to be patient, focus on good form, and begin to extend the workout as you can to 30-40 minutes... which sometimes means getting up a little earlier with a little one in the house.

The early AM workout is great. It gets it done. No putting it off. It cranks your metabolism up for a big part of the day when you are eating. I don't get up before god and the army cause I like it. I just like the results. And this frees you for perhaps a second "workout" later in the day, perhaps a stroll around the neighborhood.

So... address your diet, as was mentioned. Don't starve yourself. Portion control is good. And be patient.

People who keep exercise and diet journals have been shown to lose twice the weight as those who do not. Just something to think about.

And if the kickboxing works for you, think about going to your local public library to check out other dvds of interest for free. It's a great way to try out something new without spending the money... and dvds are a core part of my workout routine... including tae bo and pilates...

As far as I'm concerned, put some great music on and dance to it for 30 minutes.

[xoxaprilwine]

I know EXACTLY how you feel (and I am 27)... I just had a son 3 months ago and have a 2 year old girl. Problem is our metabolism is shot after kids. I found my metabolism slowed down after 23.

I find that I drink so much water and milk that nothing else tastes right... I actually drink so much that it shrunk my stomach. I know when I was pregnant I ate and ate too... so I elected to drink water and eat hand servings of food... I was not hungry, I was not starving BUT I was content. I started by training my stomach to consume only what I needed and would stop when I felt OK... I also eat on smaller plates to trick my mind that I was eating a lot more. Load up on fruits and vegetables and stay away from carbs unless they are low sodium and calorie wise. Eat white meat with no skin (turkey, chicken and seafood) Don't starve your body, just learn to take the appropriate intake about 4 times a day. Eating better and more frequently... you will find you will have more energy within the first 3 days. Write what you eat down and write your cheats... this will help you understand your triggers. If your craving sugar... eat an apple and I would stay away from the granola bars.

I do take detox pills but only for the first 30 days and after that I take vitamins for women. I detox about 2 times a year. Then you have to work out at least 30 minutes a day but not just cardio... you do cardio for the first 15 and weights for the last 15... this will help burn pure fat. Once you have more energy by eating right you will have more motivation. If your interested PM me and I will give you the brand that is most recommended by my personal trainer.

Remember self talk is the most important. Only say nice things about yourself; it starts with a mental thought and it could be detrimental if it is negative. Don't worry, a lot of women go through this and if you change your thinking anything is possible. Start the change inside first... be positive and seek the right support.

Also set an attainable goal first... once your there treat yourself and make a new goal for weight loss... baby steps... not the whole picture because you will be overwhelmed.

(Have you thought about getting a bike and buggies for the kids... pull them around at the park - this will get you out and the kids) When you feel pain... know that you should stretch first... if not more extensively - and additional flexibility never hurt anyone. Also, give it a day if its painful (take a short break)... if its sore your working on the right muscles but if it is painful your doing something wrong. Ensure you are using equipment correctly and don't hurt yourself.

You will notice energy increase almost the next day but depending on how well you eat, how frequently (don't starve - check out what happens to your body on that - not good) you eat and how, when and for how long and frequency of workout. You should notice results in a matter of a couple of weeks.

Don't eat after 7 pm.