Some advice please

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H

Hyimi

Hey gang,

I really need to lose some weight, about 20-30 pounds. What makes this a bit more challenging for me is that I cannot lose it by walking or running due to an injury a few years ago. Basically, I can't run or jog, and can't walk over long distances. Does anyone know of any good exercises besides push ups and sit ups and the like? Especially ones that can get the heart racing?

Thanks in advance!
 
Cajungal

Cajungal

Staff member
When I can't jog or do my elliptical, I do squats, lower back exercises (like "supermans" and others), and light weights in different positions. I also do tae bo, which is cheesy, but there's an 8-minute workout that, I think, is still up on youtube, and it feels really good. Also, if you do squats properly, you might have to take them really slow, but you'll feel your heart rate increase.

And as you probably already know, if you can't exercise much, what you eat will be very important. Good luck. :) I was in the same boat as you about 2 years ago. I still need to lose about 10lb, but I lost 40 pounds in about two years just by making small changes in my diet and exercising 20-30 minutes a day.
 
S

Steven Soderburgin

Rowing machine? Bike (stationary or otherwise)? Ellipticals are pretty low stress but good for cardio.

EDIT please note that i do not know shit about exercise routines
 
Cajungal

Cajungal

Staff member
Hell yeah to the rowing machine. Also, there are these elastic bands you can use that simulate rowing, and it's cheaper. You have to do it right, though, or you can hurt your back really bad.
 
Cajungal

Cajungal

Staff member
Also: when no one's around, put on a high-energy album and dance crazily to 3 songs in a row. Take a drink and repeat until the album is over. :D
 
S

Steven Soderburgin

damn i knew more than i thought about this maybe i should start doing this exercising thing

*continues seeing 3 movies a day and subsisting on large popcorn and diet coke refills*
 
Dave

Dave

Staff member
Swimming is probably our best bet. The buoyancy helps keep stress off of your joints & knees and burns a lot of calories.

Another thing you could do is talk to your doctor to see what he or she suggests. They may have things based on your known medical history that we don't have.
 
R

rabbitgod

If you can bike that's good. I like to bike to hang out with my friends and sometimes to work. It saves time that way since you are commuting.

Also if you can do 8 counts. You can build up quite a sweat after a while. But it may be too much impact if with all that jumping around.
 
AshburnerX

AshburnerX

The single biggest thing you can do to affect your weight is dietary changes. Cut out regular soda and coffee, and switch to a diet Soda or Water. Eat Vegan a few times a week (not as hard as it sounds.) Reduce your portions slowly. Eat less meat and eat more veggies, fruits, and grains.
 
H

Hyimi

Some really good advice here. I never considered rowing before, I will definitely look into that. Argh, I feel like an idiot for not even thinking of swimming. I'll look into the local YMCA and see what they have.

As for food, I am trying to gradually change my diet into one that's a little better for me. My first priority is trying to eliminate or reduce a lot of the sugars and various syrups, like soft drinks.
 
D

Deschain

I eat one meal a day. I stay up into the wee hours of the morning meditating and starving (but mostly starving) until I wake up in the afternoon, eat one meal, and then go back into hibernating.
 
ZenMonkey

ZenMonkey

Hyimi said:
As for food, I am trying to gradually change my diet into one that's a little better for me. My first priority is trying to eliminate or reduce a lot of the sugars and various syrups, like soft drinks.
Click to expand...
That is about one of the best things you can do for your diet. When I once radically cut sugar out of my diet, I lost about 15 pounds without even trying. And I hear the same thing from a lot of people who cut soda out of their diet. (I don't drink it myself but at the time I was drinking lots of Snapple, so similar deal.)

Just remember that sugar is very addictive, and it might be harder than you expect to cut it out. In my personal experience, once I get past the "detox" part, though, I don't crave it anymore at all. And to this day I like my iced tea unsweetened.
 
D

Deschain

Also, real advice. Count calories, use program to keep track of it. Water is always better than soda. Juice is good too, not too much or you'll have too much sugar.
 
ZenMonkey

ZenMonkey

Agreed, juice is a good substitute for soda but definitely not in the same amounts. I love cranberry juice but try to drink at most one glass a day (and usually not that much). It's good to have around in case of a soda craving though.

Also, make sure the juice you do get is 100% juice. In the case of cranberry juice, it's actually pretty hard to find some at our store that isn't mixed with sugar or corn syrup or even worse, artificial sweeteners. Read labels really carefully, especially since these days "sugar-free" almost inevitably means "sugar replaced by some noxious chemical sweetener," not "no sweetener added" as one might like.
 
North_Ranger

North_Ranger

Staff member
Swimming, as already mentioned.

I should take my own advice... but the last time I went swimming there was this crazy bastard with a peg leg and a harpoon constantly coming after me. He kept yelling something about "Richard Moby" or something...
 
Dave

Dave

Staff member
If you use it I'd also suggest a Wii Fit. I think Zen got one of those to help her stay fit within her physical limitations. Hell, if you've got a Wii send me a PM and we'll talk.
 
Zappit

Zappit

Staff member
Water and skim milk rather than soda and certain sugar-rich juices. If you live near a Subway, the healthy subs menu has some decent sandwiches that fill you for lunch. I lost ten pounds - ten pounds - just by making this switch. It still allowed a day each week for a "bad" meal and a soda to go with it.
 
Cajungal

Cajungal

Staff member
I will say that one of the most useful things I've done is to find more movement in my everyday life. I scrub the floors by hand instead of mopping, I switch hands while stirring and lift big cans of broth with the other, and I always always take the stairs. And if I'm not in a hurry I'll go up and down the stairs a few times. It doesn't seem like a lot, but it really makes me feel better on top of daily exercise. I think that simple movement like that is a big step when you're trying to overcome a largely sedentary lifestyle, much like mine was.

Posture is also important. Standing straight and breathing properly give you more energy. If you find yourself slumping, sit up straight and take a nice, deep breath.

None of that alone will make you lose 20 lb, hehe, but every little bit helps, even if it's just making you feel a little less tired when that afternoon drag kicks in.
 
drawn_inward

drawn_inward

I also suggest swimming. It's good that you are going at it gradually. I don't know how many times I have quit sugar/caffeine only to have a relapse like it was heroin.

Getting rid of sodas and processed sugars will help tremendously.

Get some support. Get a swimming buddy that will get your butt in the gym. Accountability is key!
 
Cajungal

Cajungal

Staff member
Ya know what I just thought of? Like people have been saying, don't do anything drastic with your diet til you talk to a doctor, but one change that I made that has REALLY helped me is eating soup with a smaller meal. I either eat the campbells low fat and sodium kind (I loooove the tomato soup) or just make my own.

And I don't mean creamy soups--I mean stuff like chicken noodle, vegetable, bean soup... It's not a fad diet thing at all. You're still getting a good meal, and you're probably getting a serving of vegetables in there, too. Plus it keeps you full while lessening the amount of calories you're probably taking in (again, it depends on the soup and the meal). But yeah, for lunch I'll often make half a sandwich and a can of soup (coming to about 160-190 calories). It's extra nice when the weather gets cool.
 
Shegokigo

Shegokigo

Dave said:
Swimming is probably our best bet. The buoyancy helps keep stress off of your joints & knees and burns a lot of calories.

Another thing you could do is talk to your doctor to see what he or she suggests. They may have things based on your known medical history that we don't have.
Click to expand...
I miss my old Gym, it had a full size olympic pool. I substituted almost my entire workout for laps.... worked wonders and was fun as hell. Time flew by.... not like now.... stupid elipitcal and weights.... :eek:rly:
 
M

Morgoth

Shegokigo;277894][quote=Dave said:
Swimming is probably our best bet. The buoyancy helps keep stress off of your joints & knees and burns a lot of calories.

Another thing you could do is talk to your doctor to see what he or she suggests. They may have things based on your known medical history that we don't have.
Click to expand...
I miss my old Gym, it had a full size olympic pool. I substituted almost my entire workout for laps.... worked wonders and was fun as hell. Time flew by.... not like now.... stupid elipitcal and weights.... :eek:rly:[/QUOTE]


I don't mind weights so much until a big gorilla man sits next to me, and starts pumping away at 100 lbs dumbbells while I'm using the 25's. Complete with grunting.
 
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