Getting toned and losing weight

[DivaDiamond007]

I''ve only lurked in these parts of PS but here I am and I need some help. I need to lose the baby weight. My son is almost two, and while I''m back down to my pre-pregnancy weight I obviously don''t look it since my own sister asked me if I was expecting yesterday

I''m a petite person at 5''0" and weigh around 115lbs. I don''t think my diet is too bad - here is an example:

Breakfast: a banana at home then a generic slim fast when I get to work
Lunch: a frozen "diet" meal (Lean Cuisine, etc.) from home, string cheese, an apple with water
Dinner: baked chicken with evoo and seasoned, veggie and potato/rice with water
Snacks: right now I''m on Samoas. Otherwise it''s something else yummy and bad for me

I only drink soda on weekends.

I need to exercise more. Right now at least once a week I have to file court papers for work and that''s more than a mile walk. I can do that no problem. The rest of the days of the week though....yikes. We have weight equipment and one of those old exercise bikes in the garage, however, I am of somewhat limited mobility due to a medical problem and I''m not sure I can ride it.

Does anybody have any suggestions as far as exercise goes? I don''t have a lot of time between work and a toddler, but I''ve got to lose the saddlebags and get toned.

Thank you!!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/15/2010 9:35:57 AM
Author:DivaDiamond007
I''ve only lurked in these parts of PS but here I am and I need some help. I need to lose the baby weight. My son is almost two, and while I''m back down to my pre-pregnancy weight I obviously don''t look it since my own sister asked me if I was expecting yesterday

I''m a petite person at 5''0'' and weigh around 115lbs. I don''t think my diet is too bad - here is an example:

Breakfast: a banana at home then a generic slim fast when I get to work
Lunch: a frozen ''diet'' meal (Lean Cuisine, etc.) from home, string cheese, an apple with water
Dinner: baked chicken with evoo and seasoned, veggie and potato/rice with water
Snacks: right now I''m on Samoas. Otherwise it''s something else yummy and bad for me

I only drink soda on weekends.

I need to exercise more. Right now at least once a week I have to file court papers for work and that''s more than a mile walk. I can do that no problem. The rest of the days of the week though....yikes. We have weight equipment and one of those old exercise bikes in the garage, however, I am of somewhat limited mobility due to a medical problem and I''m not sure I can ride it.

Does anybody have any suggestions as far as exercise goes? I don''t have a lot of time between work and a toddler, but I''ve got to lose the saddlebags and get toned.

Thank you!!

Hi Diva!

What I would do is track calories with something like www.sparkpeople.com as it could be you aren''t eating enough....

For exercise, maybe get your MD''s ok and look at getting an elliptical which works more of the body, or even a treadmill can blast calories. But first I would start calorie tracking as that is what weight loss comes down to in the end to make sure you are getting an appropriate amount.

 

[elrohwen]

The actual foods you're eating sound ok, but I'm guessing that your portion control might be off. It's definitely possible to eat things that are healthy for you, but still gain weight/hold on to weight (I'm living proof of this!). I would try reducing how much you eat for dinner - maybe increasing the veggies and decreasing your portions of starch.

For exercise, I'm of the opinion that unless you're burning 200-300 calories daily, it's not really going to help you lose weight. Exercise is fantastic for your overall health, so definitely try to do it whenever you can, but I think most of weightloss really comes from what you're eating. It's also easy to think "I walked for 30 minutes today. I deserve an extra cookie!" when really, your walk may have only burned 100-150 calories - just one serving of cookies and you've negated the exercise you did.

So I would focus on diet. You're eating the right things, but I think you need to cut down on the overall calories and you should see results.

eta: Have you tried pilates? You can get some pretty good dvds and that should help you build muscle and get toned. It won't burn that many calories, so your diet will still be very important, but it might help your figure by tightening some of the muscles in your abs. It's also doable even with physical limitations and doesn't usually require any equipment.

 

[DivaDiamond007]

Thank you for the suggestions ladies!

Lorelei - I sort of keep track of calories in my head so maybe I''ll check that site out and see how much I''m really eating. I can''t afford an elliptical, but I did try it when I was still in therapy and couldn''t get it to move an inch. I have very little strength in my left leg. My MIL does have a treadmill though....

El - I do fall into the trap of "oh I did x so I can eat y". Way too much. I do need to cut back on snacking and eat more veggies for sure. I''m interested in pilates and yoga, but I think I need something more physical to get some of the weight off too.

My target areas are my thighs, tummy and rear. My arms are pretty toned from lifting a 30-pound kid

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/15/2010 10:40:48 AM
Author: DivaDiamond007
Thank you for the suggestions ladies!

Lorelei - I sort of keep track of calories in my head so maybe I'll check that site out and see how much I'm really eating. I can't afford an elliptical, but I did try it when I was still in therapy and couldn't get it to move an inch. I have very little strength in my left leg. My MIL does have a treadmill though....

El - I do fall into the trap of 'oh I did x so I can eat y'. Way too much. I do need to cut back on snacking and eat more veggies for sure. I'm interested in pilates and yoga, but I think I need something more physical to get some of the weight off too.

My target areas are my thighs, tummy and rear. My arms are pretty toned from lifting a 30-pound kid

Thats the first thing I would do, you could be amazed at the amount of calories you are consuming or aren't consuming....Spark will give you a daily goal to aim for according to your height and the amount you want to lose so that would be a great start.

See if you can get the treddy from your MIL!

But the most important factor in weight loss is calories so make sure you are eating the right amounts first.

 

[elrohwen]

Date: 3/15/2010 10:40:48 AM
Author: DivaDiamond007
Thank you for the suggestions ladies!

Lorelei - I sort of keep track of calories in my head so maybe I''ll check that site out and see how much I''m really eating. I can''t afford an elliptical, but I did try it when I was still in therapy and couldn''t get it to move an inch. I have very little strength in my left leg. My MIL does have a treadmill though....

El - I do fall into the trap of ''oh I did x so I can eat y''. Way too much. I do need to cut back on snacking and eat more veggies for sure. I''m interested in pilates and yoga, but I think I need something more physical to get some of the weight off too.

My target areas are my thighs, tummy and rear. My arms are pretty toned from lifting a 30-pound kid

If you really want to exercise to lose weight, I think you need to either run or bike for an hour a day, 4-5 days per week. That''s really going to give you enough calories burned to really make up for eating. If you do less than that, you should still restrict your calories enough to lose weight on diet alone. Like I said, 150 calories burned is really just a drop in the bucket.

 

[mayachel]

FYI-Sparkpeople makes a free app for Ipods or Iphones. I''ve just started using it over the past few weeks to track my meals. I was really surprised to find that I was regularly coming in UNDER my target calorie range and I think that it has contributed to my weight gain/plateau. Mostly because the more I eat, (still healthy and good foods) The easier a time I seem to have with loosing weight.

 

[Erin]

Remember it takes a loss of 7000 calories to lose two pounds.
I thought it was funny when my new bf was asked by a friend of his, How did you lose the weight? His response was, I ate less.

 

[megumic]

Maybe you just need to tone instead of actually losing weight - 115 isn''t particularly heavy by any means, even for 5''. I know that when I exercise regularly and use my muscles, I appear much thinner and clothes fit differently, but my weight stays pretty stable. Know what I mean?

 

[DivaDiamond007]

Date: 3/23/2010 9:18:41 AM
Author: megumic
Maybe you just need to tone instead of actually losing weight - 115 isn''t particularly heavy by any means, even for 5''. I know that when I exercise regularly and use my muscles, I appear much thinner and clothes fit differently, but my weight stays pretty stable. Know what I mean?

Megumic - I do need to exercise more regularly.....it''s just so hard to get motivated to do it even with my sister''s snarky comment.

 

[megumic]

I totally get the motivation thing. I go through waves it seems. I''ll exercise 6 x week for months on end, and then all of a sudden I crap out for 6 months. But I always get the itch to go back. Maybe set a goal - like a 5k or something - to work toward. Then it''s not just about losing weight or getting toned - it''s about running a race! Or maybe get a few moms together to take walks together or something. Then it becomes more than just a nagging chore of exercise.

Also, the most practical and meaningful benefits of exercise to anyone are better health and more energy. Maybe look at it from more of a I''m a better mom when I exercise b/c I have more energy standpoint. But on the same point, you truly do have to want to do it for you!

 

[lknvrb4]

Cut out the sugar and processed foods and you will be amazed. If you like walking stick with that.

 

[DivaDiamond007]

Ok....so I signed up at SparkPeople and have been tracking my calories. Weekdays are fine - I come in under their recommended amount (1200-1590) most days. The weekends are another story - I go way over because of snacking. We dug the ol'' Schwinn Exerciser (dated January 1980 on the bottom) and I can ride that quite well. It needs a gel seat pad but otherwise it works. I''ve been doing 20 minutes about every other day on that and also lifting 2lb free weights to keep the tone in my arms.

I am also trying to convince my DH that we should get a treadmill. He''s also trying to lose weight but doesn''t think we need one. He thinks I should just go outside and walk/jog around the neighborhood, but I know me and I''m not likely to do that. I''ve looked a bit on Dick''s Sporting Goods site and it seems that for around $800 we could get a decent machine that includes an ipod hook-up, is electric, and will fold up if necessary. We can swing that for sure. I also looked on Craigslist but I am unsure of buying something like that used.

I weighed myself the day before I started tracking my calories and I am at 120, which is more than I originally stated in this thread. I would like to lose 10lbs by my 10-year highschool reunion, which will be over Thanksgiving weekend.