paying 3 - just cutting out junky stuff that creeped into my diet (I’m not talking donuts here…just crackers and a few cookies here and there). Since I don’t eat much junky stuff, going past the 10 pound loss has been hard. Will be looking for ideas here! Last time I lost 30 lbs, I did it with diet, running and lifting weights but the last two are out right now.
<p>For me it works to have a dog and walk it for 30 minutes every day (no matter what the weather). That is part of this year’s resolution, to not skip very many days! </p>
<p>I also use the light dumbbell weight exercises from my PT for frozen shoulder to work on toning my arms, even though the frozen shoulder is gone. So I want to try to do a couple of exercises every day from that list.</p>
<p>If you take up one other sport you enjoy just for fun, it gets you out because it is FUN. Cross country skiing for me, 1-2 times a week in the winter and one vacation week devoted to it most years. So I plan to get out skiing every weekend that the snow cooperates --and it is VERY cooperative right now 
And I have two short vacations planned to ski! Yay!</p>
<p>I like cross country skiing- especially on the other side of the mts where a qt of snow doesn’t weigh 5 lbs 
It is hard work but fun- unfortunately I don’t do it enough to get very good- snowshowing is fun too though, not quite as much, but you can do that with crappy snow.</p>
<p>I really hate exercising, really hate running. I’m very unathletic, so I’ve never found a sport I enjoy. Exercise is sheer drudgery, plain and simple. But I do time on the stairmaster and the treadmill. And I’ll never enjoy it.</p>
<p>Alright. I am here. And I’m confessing that I need to lose at least 50 pounds. Think I will make a first goal of 10 pounds for some sort of (non-edible) reward. Gotta think about what it will be…hm…something that I would like. Maybe new PJ’s.</p>
<p>But I’m not starting until after we eat all of the goodies from our New Year’s Eve party. Which shouldn’t take too long.</p>
<p>I will most likely count WW points and walk in my neighborhood or at the YMCA. Having back issues, so I need to be aware of that. Getting an MRI on Monday.</p>
<p>Need to get a new spiral notebook to write down what I eat. This will make it more “fun”. lol It’s not fun.</p>
<p>The only times I was successful with weight loss was when I kept a very accurate food diary.</p>
Remember ~ just because you hate running doesn’t preclude you from enjoying exercise! I also HATE running (much to H and S’s dismay) but really LOVE exercise! There are so many other forms of cardiovascular exercise besides running. Group exercise classes are great for beginners as most instructors will gear towards all levels, and it has a comraderie that tends to keep you on track (disclaimer: I’m a group ex instructor). And don’t forget about the benefits of strength training…increased metabolism, bone density, functional strength, and of course looking toned and strong!
I just had to put my two cents in…exercise doesn’t have to be running!!
<p>As we say on my insane running forum “running is stupid.” (2200 miles in 2009 for me)</p>
<p>I sure don’t like running- walking OK- not running.
My current gym is the third one I have joined, and it is the one that took.
The others were too big, too crowded, too expensive.
While I would like to set up an office/mat room in the basement, it is nice to have something close by, where I can be warm and dry.
I like all the equipment at the gym and for aerobic I alternate between the rowing machine, the upright bike and the elliptical trainer.
I have joint issues too, my back and my knees- so I can’t stand the treadmill, but as long as I don’t push myself too hard with the elliptical trainer, my knees are OK</p>
<p>I did lose about 45 lbs about 5 years ago, when I got on some nutritional supplements to help me deal with stress and concentration, instead of using snacking to do so.
But I could never keep track of what I eat- I can’t even keep track of my keys!</p>
<p>a good way to ease into yoga is the AM/PM Yoga DVD with Rodney Yee. Well, really just the AM part with Rodney Yee. It’s shot on a beach, probably in Hawaii, and it’s a very relaxing and non stressful way to learn some basic yoga principles. The PM section is a little jarring because it has a harsh desert backdrop and the poses are harder.</p>
<p>The Rodney Yee (AM) dvd is what I use. It is a very gentle way to get the kinks out in the morning; I highly recommend it. (I think it is helpful to take a class if you are a total novice, to ensure that you are doing the poses correctly.) I have the props, but have never enjoyed the PM routine.</p>
<p>Comments based on the comments:</p>
<ol>
<li>Classes are good but many, many people fall into the habit of only going for their class or on that day. This means they work out once or twice a week. If you want to lose weight, other than diet, you should be doing low to moderate intensity exercise 4 to 6 times a week. This requires a commitment of 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours a day. </li>
<li>I suggest an advanced elliptical. The most modern one I’m familiar with is the Precor AMT; it provides the most realistic range of motion, one that is closest to running, and can be very low impact. (It feels at first as though you’re running in water.)</li>
<li>Yoga is great, especially for relaxation and basic strengthening of your core muscles but don’t think it will burn a lot of calories. </li>
<li>I think people who are overweight and/or are new to gyms should avoid treadmills. Running on a treadmill has issues; it constantly pulls at you and the effort required to cover distance is not the same as it is outside. BUT, if the choice is a treadmill versus running outside, I’d recommend inside any time. Reasons are: sidewalks are tilted and that can cause hip problems; cement is really, really hard; in winter, taking lots of cold air into your lungs is correlated with exercised induced asthma.</li>
</ol>
<p>I hate dreadmills. Elliptical is more tolerable. I would always say go outside over inside for running. Bike paths or asphalt for me. I only run on a dreadmill if the roads are icy or if it is pouring rain and under 50 degrees. </p>
<p>Yoga won’t take the weight off. Hot Yoga, coupled with sensible eating, will. Hot Yoga is killer.</p>
<p>Obviously a lot of people interested in this topic!</p>
<p>H and I are going to change our evil overeating/under working out ways after New Years.</p>
<p>One of my biggest (no pun intended) struggles is that while I eat a pretty good breakfast - a banana and either 2 scrambled eggs or oatmeal I am starving at work at 10:30 or 11:00. Any suggestions? </p>
<p>I also get very hungry at night no matter what I eat for dinner.</p>
<p>Good luck to everyone. Remember that the goal is not to lose weight. The goal is to change your lifestyle. That’s the only way to keep the weight off.</p>
<p>OP, Thanks for starting this thread.</p>
<p>I have lost 20 lbs over the years. At least 3 times. But every time the lbs come back and bring more friends. Now I have an empty nest and should have no excuses, but I just dont have the right mental approach yet, I think.</p>
<p>Last year I got so discouraged that I gave up on exercise and that was a biiiiiiiig mistake.</p>
<p>Guess what? I told myself it was ok to spend all my time and effort on DS (and work)! That was not really a good course of action.</p>
<p>This thread has given me a lot of positive ideas, though.</p>
<p>Well, I am glad to come back here and see so many ideas and theories. Surely something to appeal to everyone. </p>
<p>I do not particularly enjoy the treadmill. I usually make use of the elliptical or something D and I call an “arc trainer” - sort of like striding while in mid-air. Very low stress on the joints. We’ve developed a circuit of sorts- I think it was ucsd<em>ucla</em>dad who described using free weights- so we’ll do 5 minutes of brisk walking, pause and use the dumbbells, do more walking, do some lower body weights using a body bar, do some more walking, repeat. I’ve seen some variations that include the use of a step and involve brisk stepping instead of walking. Might try that at some point. </p>
<p>FallGirl, my last go around of successful weight loss involved eating smaller meals every 3 to 4 hours. But when I say meal a meal might be an apple with a measured piece of cheese. I found that food combinations such as a carb and a protein kept me from feeling so hungry so quickly. </p>
<p>My weight issues really escalated when my S had some legal issues- then followed by a car accident- hard to feel positive about much of anything and I definitely found myself stress eating. I think we’re all focused on taking better care of ourselves- so hopefully we can come back here for support when we need it, ideas and encouragement. I plan to use this thread to keep myself honest!</p>
<p>Thank you for starting this thread OP! I started on the healthy path by packing up all of the cookies and goodies gifted to us and giving them away! (After sampling some of them, of course…) Now, I’ll be going back to the gym after a 2 month break (embarrassed to say) and I will try the elliptical because I don’t like the treadmill. My goal this year is to work on weights - gotta beat the osteoporosis that runs in my family. That also means revamping the foods we eat. DH has returned to running and is doing well but I worry that he’s not eating the right foods. Ideas for good healthy meals, please!!! Good luck to everyone!</p>
<p>The elliptical requires a degree of coordination that I do not possess. I can walk on a tread mill. I can walk up stairs. That is what I can do. </p>
<p>Back to food. I’ve always wondered how my weight would be if I ate very small quantities of really spectacular food. I think that only empty nesters could afford it, but for dinner, maybe two silky scallops or a tiny tender steak, with veggies. I wonder if one could turn oneself into an absolute food snob so things like burgers and fries and fried chicken seem disgusting and only fresh wonderful food is good enough to pass one’s lips…</p>
<p>I surprised by a lot of the comments on the thread.</p>
<p>First, there have been several recent, highly credible studies that show that for most, exercise is simply not a good way to lose weight. It’s simple–exercising makes you hungrier. In my book, exercise is for health, though cardio exercises, if you can manage hunger, certainly burns the calories. </p>
<p>Second, I want to address trainers. I tried many over the years and lost interest in all after a few weeks. After PT following an accident, my therapist introduced me to a personal trainer who has made a phenomenal difference in my life. From teaching me to use light weights to gain strength and bone density, using cardio I enjoy to burn calories and helping me to understand what to eat and when to eat it–it’s the best money I’ve ever spent. The trick was to find someone who knew what a fifty something woman needed to achieve and not a gym rat who knows how to get guys a 6 pack.</p>
<p>I admit to taking it all very seriously and drastically changing how I ate and being religious with the exercise–but after 5 months I felt ten years younger. Weight loss wasn’t a goal, but the accident and it’s fallout had shown me that in your 50’s, overall health can take a big hit quickly. I wanted to be healthier than ever and this trainer guided me there.</p>
<p>So I’m now a wheat grass drinker, I eat very little meat, Carbs only when I’m about to burn calories…but it’s all been worth it.</p>