Hi everyone--My name is Dara and I'm new to this forum and I'm very excited about getting to know everyone. I'm currently the largest I've ever been in my entire life--including when I was pregnant and overdue with my first child...Yikes! Several years ago I was able to lose 70 pounds, but did it mainly with diet pills and starvation. Though toward the end of my weight loss I was running 3 miles a day 5x a week. Of course, I have gained it all back over the years and then some. I have high amounts of stress in my life due to ongoing family issues and a mother who is mentally ill and keeps everything stirred up, and refuses to get help. I am very concerned about what this stress is doing to my body.
A few weeks ago my husband and I joined a gym and have been going together during the week--3-4x depending on other commitments/illnesses. We want to go 5 days per week at least. I must say I haven't felt this good in years! Although, I know I'm not working out enough. I also started eating healthy, with tons of veggies, lean meats, and protein, and I enjoy cooking from scratch rather than having processed foods. I know I"m headed in the right direction. I'm curious if anyone has tried the South Beach diet and can share their results, and also how much should I be working out? I've had to start off slowly and try to work my way up. I do 15-20 min on the treadmill and follow with 15-20 min on the bike. Then onto the cybex machines to work my abs, arms, back, and thighs, which usually takes a good 20 min. I have lost only 2 pounds of weight--which is very discouraging to me b/c I used to take a few walks and lose 5 pounds in a few days! My husband can tell a change in my body--but I'm overly critical of myself and really cannot see a difference. Any advice about how much to be working out for weight loss and others experiences with the SB diet are welcome.
Thanks, and I look forward to getting to know everyone!
A few weeks ago my husband and I joined a gym and have been going together during the week--3-4x depending on other commitments/illnesses. We want to go 5 days per week at least. I must say I haven't felt this good in years! Although, I know I'm not working out enough. I also started eating healthy, with tons of veggies, lean meats, and protein, and I enjoy cooking from scratch rather than having processed foods. I know I"m headed in the right direction. I'm curious if anyone has tried the South Beach diet and can share their results, and also how much should I be working out? I've had to start off slowly and try to work my way up. I do 15-20 min on the treadmill and follow with 15-20 min on the bike. Then onto the cybex machines to work my abs, arms, back, and thighs, which usually takes a good 20 min. I have lost only 2 pounds of weight--which is very discouraging to me b/c I used to take a few walks and lose 5 pounds in a few days! My husband can tell a change in my body--but I'm overly critical of myself and really cannot see a difference. Any advice about how much to be working out for weight loss and others experiences with the SB diet are welcome.
Thanks, and I look forward to getting to know everyone!
