How do I know what to do?

[Ghstgirl]

I'm 5'3.5" and weigh 190 pounds, the most I have ever weighed in my life and I am, quite simply, miserable.

I'm not sure what sort of work I should be doing to lose weight, though. I'm a very anxious person and prone to depression, especially at this weight. I live in the middle of no where so if I want to walk, I have to drive to town. At least it's only 10 minutes away but it's still kind of ridiculous. Walking along the road is just asking to get hit considering the fact that people go about 60/65 here...

My family eats very unhealthy so I'm trying my hardest to find the least of the evils to eat. My Mom should be going shopping in a few days so hopefully I'll be able to get some things then.

I know I should do crunches to help with my stomach which is my least favorite part of myself. I know I also need cardio so I thought I'd walk. The question is -- How many crunches, how long do I walk, and what else should I do?

I also wonder if I should stick to a rigorous workout routine or be realistic and try something that I may be able to maintain long term.

Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[Jeanette401]

The most important thing about weight loss isn't how many crunches you do, or how rigorous your workout - it's what you put into your mouth.

I'd start by tracking what you eat at a site like fitday.com or livestrong or sparkpeople. Control how much you eat and you're already on the right start.

For exercise you should really do something that you can maintain long term. You should also look into resistance training as you start to lose weight (There's a good sticky on what to do in the weightloss through exercise sub-forum).

I'm about your height and I used to weigh more, so it's not hopeless! Most of my change was from eating, but I also did walking in place (some Walk Away the Pounds DVDs) for my exercise. At 190 lbs I'd suggest trying to limit your calories to 1900 a day or less (your weight x 10) and to get at least 120g of protein - that's not necessarily meat, just the protein parts of all the food you eat. Then eat lots of fibrous veggies and some fruits and occassionally fill in the rest of your calories from whatever is around the house.

 

[aesir22]

Try to think of positive ways to lose weight, not reasons why you can't.

You need to drive to walk? Do that then! Or take a route on safer roads. Or buy cheap gym equipment. I have been using a £70 exercise bike for years and its still working perfectly. Join a gym if you fancy that. If not, stick to walking.

Crunches don't burn much fat. They tone muscle. So you need to focus on losing weight before doing things like crunches and sit ups. Start to introduce those into you routine once you have a proper exercise regime set up.

Weights or cardio, both will help you lose weight. But diet is much more important. If your family eats unhealthily, you should avoid what they have. Or tell them its too unhealthy and they are doing themselves no good.

Walking is probably a good way to start losing, and fix the diet. I'm sure you'll be well on your way in no time

 

[Harold14370]

Exercise does not have to be something specifically designed as such. Just get out from in front of the TV and go do something useful. I am always amused that people get into their cars and drive to the gym. Then they go home and cut the lawn with a lawn tractor. Or they drive to the walking trail and park as close as possible to the trail head or they circle the parking lot at the mall looking for the closest spot.

If you live in the country, I can almost guarantee there are plenty of opportunities for exercise. Do you have a garden? It's about the right time of year to put one in. Spading or hoeing a garden will wear you out very quickly.

Ask your parents what they need done around the house.

 

[Ando3242]

First of all try to politely inform your mother and family what your intentions are. Hopefully you can get your mother to buy healthy food to support your efforts to lose weight. This way they won't be as likely to sabotage your efforts. Who knows? Maybe your new good habits will rub off on them.

As for exercise, cardio is very important. If it takes a 10 minute drive to get to where you can walk maybe it will be worth the effort. Start at a good pace to keep your heart rate up, but don't over do it. You will get gradually better and maybe eventually can start jogging part of the way. Cardio will not only help you lose weight but it will help with your depression and anxiety. There's nothing wrong about doing crunches, but remember that working out a certain part of your body doesn't remove fat from that part of the body. At first put more emphasis on the walking regime. Good luck!