Attention fitness buffs!

[muffin1]

What do you recommend for weight loss? I've been using Wii Fit (aerobics, strength training, and yoga) for about a hour per day, and Wii Shape Boxing for about 20-30 minutes per day, 6-7 days a week. I probably consume about 1,200 - 1,500 calories per day (although I DO cheat and have drinks once a week-twice this week). I've been doing this for over three months, and have lost 17 lbs. I have about 35 more to lose. At the rate I'm going, it will take another six months!

Any tips on how to speed it up (without giving up my weekly cocktails - I know they're bad, but I LOVE them!)?

[NJmaverick]

1. In the scheme of things excercise is much less important

than reducing your calories, when you are trying to lose weight. I suggest trying to reduce the high calorie density foods (fatty food would be a good example).

[muffin1]

3. I've been fairly successful at cutting out "bad food" like fats,

except when it comes to nuts. I know nuts are "good", but I can't stop eating them once I start. Naturally, cashews are my favorite.
Anyway, I cut them out of my diet last week.

[NJmaverick]

9. Portion control is helpful

if you are snacking (like on the nuts), put them in a bowl. Don't eat from the container, or you run into the problem you mentioned with the cashews.

[Bossy Monkey]

10. Don't cut out fats. Your body needs them. Cut down fats but more especially sugar

and exercise reasonably. Don't eat in restaurants; don't eat fast food ever. (This isn't Fast Food Nation stuff; this is how I lost weight unintentionally after going on the gluten free diet.) The exercise you're doing sounds quite sufficient, if not more than you need. All I ever did was 10 minutes on an exercise bike and 20 pushups, both every other day.

Don't worry about target numbers; don't worry period. Just try to be healthy and the numbers will no doubt follow.

[NJmaverick]

11. Bossy, I find that fats are like salt

You can make an effort to cut them out of your diet and you still end up getting plenty.

[Sanity Claws]

2. Give up the cocktails

It's not only the extra calories. Alcohol slows down your liver and your metabolism.
I also find that it affects my taste; the next day I want to drink more coffee because the alcohol slows me down. I also want more sweets.

[AngryAmish]

5. Never cut out the booze

The world is too hard to take when sober.

Maybe start smoking? When you feel like eating just have a couple smokes.

[muffin1]

8. Anyone here who knows me personally is

I actually smoke one and a half packs a day - and please, no tsk-tsking from the anti-smoking brigade. I've heard it all before.

The world really is shitty without the occasional drink. In fact my weight gain started 2-3 years ago when I started hanging out at DU. I was working for a mouthy freeper, and my George Bush hatred was growing by the day. I would check out DU several times a day, and I would be so angry at the shit Bush was doing, I thought my head would explode. Then freeper boss would tell me how wonderful Bush was, and well, pretty much every work day ended in me getting sloshed. Getting down to once a week was no easy feat.

[seemunkee]

4. Losing 1 lb a week is a good target

so 35 pounds in 26 weeks isn't too bad

[Demoiselle]

33. Slow and steady is more likely to make it permanent..

Try not to be impatient. You don't want to lose weight so fast that you trigger your body's "Oh my god she's starving me I have to slow down the metabolism and horde the weight!"
syndrome. Naturally I can't remember the proper name for the thing, but anybody who's taken weight off too fast and put it back on just as fast knows what I'm talking about.
And don't deny yourself a few treats. ( A couple of drinks a week....sounds fine to me.) I'm not a Doctor. I'm just passing on what's always sounded like wise advice to me.

[RagAss]

6. High repetition dumbell weight lifting.

[muffin1]

13. What size weights do you recommend for triceps and biceps?

I don't want to bulk up, just tone. My triceps have never been great. In fact, I'm ashamed to admit that I probably haven't worn short sleeves (or God forbid, sleeveLESS) in 25 years.

[Beer on a stick]

25. Here's the thing about women (you are a woman, right?)....

W/out steroids, you can't and won't 'bulk up'. It's a myth.

You simply don't have the hormonal system, period.

[RagAss]

32. Start with 10 for biceps curls and 5 for triceps......

[flvegan]

39. What weight is she using now for those exercises?

Yeah, exactly.

[flvegan]

7. Wait...how does the Wii Fit work for strength training?

Those 1500 calories or so, tell me what a typical day of eating is for you.

[muffin1]

12. Push-ups, crunches, triceps extensions, planks, and the like.

Breakfast is usually cereal (Cheerios, or something similar) with half a banana, and 2% milk. Occasionally, I will have two eggs and a piece of whole grain toast (with the SMALLEST amount of butter a person could possibly put on a piece of toast).

Lunch varies widely - one slice bread with a whisper (I swear) of mayo, some mustard, lean meat, slice of cheese and maybe tomato and lettuce.
Sometimes I graze instead of eating lunch - a serving of fruit, a hour or so later, I'll have a slice of lean meat, or a cheese stick.

Dinner also varies widely. Piece of chicken (baked), with perhaps a serving of pasta and some kind of veggie.
I try to have a giant salad a couple of times a week with low-fat dressing.

I drink 1-2 cups of coffee with two teaspoons of sugar and 2% milk daily.
LIGHTLY sweetened iced-tea that I make myself - use about 1/3 cup of sugar per half gallon. I've tried it without any sugar, but I haven't been able to get used to it...I'm from the south, what are you going to do?

At night, I admit I have a low-calorie sweet of some sort. I try to keep it between 150- and 200 calories.

[TokenQueer]

14. ...

[muffin1]

15. Hey...

there's nothing funny about having bat-wings for arms!

I would wave, but that's also not pretty.

[TokenQueer]

18. Girl, please.

I am rofling because I have accidentally sipped from your coffee cup in the past. Two "teaspoons" of sugar...indeed.

[muffin1]

19. Now, I'm

Okay, maybe I left out the word "heaping"...

[flvegan]

16. Interesting.

I admit that I'm not as up to speed on the Fit as I probably should be (I'm a personal trainer on the side, and this is obviously some folks' choice of "gym equipment" so I really should be).

At any rate, I think your diet is very clean. What you need to do for your diet right now, is go from 3 meals to 5 or 6 spread out over the day more. Don't worry if your calories go up a couple hundred. That's fine. Eating several smaller meals rather than three at specific times each day will help your metabolism (and a number of other things I won't bore you with) "work" better.

I have to ask, what's your end goal? You mentioned losing 35 more pounds. Most people are hypercritical of themselves. Is 35 pound realistic? I noticed that per your profile you're female. Are you simply looking to slim down and tone up or are you going for beach hardbody?

[muffin1]

21. I'm just looking to lose weight and tone.

I have no illusions about having a hard body! I'm 48 years old, 5'7", and currently weigh 181.
I would love to get down to 145, even though I DID weigh 135 when the weight gain started.

The weight gain thing has happened a few times in my life. Every 8-10 years, I manage to put on a lot of weight. It's always been much easier to take it off. I guess I can't expect to lose too much too quickly once the old metabolism slows.

By the way, I love your sig line.

Thanks for all your help!

[flvegan]

26. Okay, here's what I'd tell you to do

based on the basic info you've given me (in addition to the diet change). I'm not sure how the Wii handle things work, but I assume it's all based on movement and not pressure.

Now this will sound silly, but trust me on this. The problem with this sort of strength training is that the resistance (weight) never changes. I'd go get some fairly cheap but adequate weightlifting gloves (or some sort of tight wristbands or even Ace gauze wrapping) and velcro the Wii handles to the back of them. I'd get a small dumbbell tree (normally they'll come in 1, 3 and 5 lb increments (or if you're feeling ambitious, 3, 5 and 10 lb increments). Do your Wii exercises with those weights in your hands with the Wii handle things attached to the back of your hands/wrists. Increase the resistance, increase the benefits.

You're not going to bulk up, but adding a bit of muscle and toning what you have will not only burn more calories per hour, every hour, but will also benefit you a great deal later in life. In time, you'll gradually move up in the amount of weight you move in each rep.

Thanks, I like my sig line too.

Please keep us posted on your progress. I like to help. You can always pm me with questions, etc.

Good luck!

[muffin1]

27. Thanks again, flvegan.

You've given me lots of good advice that I will put into action starting tomorrow. Maybe I'll even post before/after pics in a couple of months!

[Skittles]

36. what I cannot figure out is

why does anyone need a WII to do these things? I've exercised at home for years without a WII

[flvegan]

38. Some folks need a motivator or guide, or something to make exercise fun.

I've seen cardio machines with virtual screens where it looks like you're running/rowing/skiing in real time. LOTS of money. So I guess not a matter of "need" but a matter of "like to use" to make it fun/interesting.

[Skittles]

40. I just look at myself naked in a full length mirror

that's all the motivation I need

[muffin1]

42. Oh my dear,

I just responded to your response to me, and then looked over the whole thread again and saw your other responses...
It's not motivation I'm lacking, my body is just not cooperating the way I'd like anymore.

I have gained a fair amount of weight about 3 times in my life (every 8-10) years (once was a pregnancy). The last time this happened, I was still in my 30's, and it came off fairly quickly with exercise and dieting moderately.
THIS time however, nothing, and I mean nothing was working. I would try for weeks on end, and see NO weight loss. A friend of mine bought a Wii, and lost 35 pounds in three months. Sounded like manna from heaven to me. And I AM losing it now, just slower than I'd like or I'm used to.

But, what are you going to do? He's a guy in his late 30's, and I'm a female in my late 40's. Oh, well...

[Skittles]

43. I'm 52

5'4" 125 pounds - exercise an hour every day - it is worth it! I have always found it easier to do that than to count calories

[wickerwoman]

37. I would guess that carbs are your problem.

Especially if you're holding on to weight around your middle. Cheerios + a banana is a seriously high glycemic load for breakfast and then more bread and pasta for dinner and then a sweet at night and a drink or two a week. Are you really hungry all the time? I would be having major blood sugar crashes if I ate that many carbs.

The best resource I know is www.sparkpeople.com . It's a free calorie and exercise trackers (and all kinds of other cool motivational stuff). Sit down and honestly record accurate portion sizes for two weeks and it should be obvious what the problem is. If it isn't, it's probably carbs. Cut them by 20-30% from whatever sparkpeople recommends (it's not a carb-restricting program) and then see if your weight-loss picks up.

Also, it's important to take a day or two off every week from exercising to let your body recover. Your body can interpret too much exercise as stress which will cause it to cling to weight to keep it in reserve.

If none of that works, try something with a little higher intensity cardio than Wii, like swimming, biking or taking a kickboxing class.

[LeftyMom]

17. It just measures how well you're balancing your weight during a task

(so, for example, if I'm doing a yoga pose it keeps track of my center of gravity and I get more points if it stays in the right spot and if I breathe in and out at the right pace) and keeps track of your minutes on each task and your current weight.

It doesn't do anything a person couldn't do by themselves on a bare floor, except for the weigh-in. And it keeps track of one's BMI, which we all know is your favorite thing ever. Ours keeps telling LK that he's overweight.

[flvegan]

22. How does it know when you breathe?

Okay, I've got to get a rundown on this thing.

I mean, it sounds like a good thing if it motivates folks to exercise and guides them along. A couple hundred bucks is a lot cheaper than a gym membership and a trainer (if they don't know what they're doing).

Don't get me started on the BMI.

[LeftyMom]

23. Center of gravity moves forward a bit and then back. nt

[Catch22Dem]

20. I think you're doing great actually!

If you shed another 35 pounds in just six months, that's GREAT! Sounds like you're doing everything right to me.

[muffin1]

24. Thanks for the support!

I'm just a total "type A"...instant gratification takes too long and all...

[AwakeAtLast]

28. I've had mine about a month - I've lost 7 lbs.!

I also have a pinched nerve in one leg, and none of the activities have bothered it. If anything, it is feeling better! I needed that!

Congrats on your awesome weight loss!

[muffin1]

29. WOW! That's fantastic!

Let me tell you, a pinched nerve is no joke. I had a ruptured disc that caused a pain in my leg that was so horrible, that I was praying for death - and I'm not even religious. I'm so glad the exercise is helping it. Do you have a ruptured/herniated disc?
Let's see... back surgery: $17,000, Wii Fit and accoutrement: $300. 00-$500.00, and a fit body to boot!
You go, girl. We'll have Michelle Obama arms in no time!

[AwakeAtLast]

30. You are psychic - I do have a herniated disc

A very good chiropractor saved me from back surgery. I should be going still, but it is too expensive just like everything else.

I have a lot more to lose, but the Wii Fit is fun enough that I can keep going.

I like the Yoga and the boxing. I will have to check out the other boxing thing you mentioned, and I also want to maybe find a good yoga DVD.

Baby steps for me, but it's better than no steps at all!

[muffin1]

31. If you use Netflix or another rental outlet,

you may want to rent the shape boxing disc before you buy it. Actually, the name of the workout is "Gold's Gym Cardio Workout", but it's almost all shape boxing. You can choose from beginner, intermediate, and advanced workouts. Even the beginner was pretty intense when I first started doing it.
Beware especially the ducking and weaving...my legs hurt for a couple of days to the point where I actually had to use a heat wrap.
I'm quite used to it now, so it's no longer an issue. I thought I would give you a heads-up because of your health issue.

[Deja Q]

34. No booze, walking, speed walking, jogging at most...

Running is more stressful on joints, and if you have fused vertebrae that only compounds the issue.

DON'T OVERDO. You might make things worse and spend more time trying to heal...

Faster pace or more time doing the exercise.

[Skittles]

35. hey muffin

there's nothing wrong with slow weight loss - you have a better chance of keeping it off the slower it comes off

[muffin1]

41. Hi Skittles

You're right, you're right, I know you're right...I just can't stand being this overweight. It's a shame that in this day and age, it still makes a person "invisible". People tend to look right through me - the difference in the way I'm treated when I'm svelte and when I'm overweight is astounding, I tell ya!
I know it's THEIR problem, but it's just gotten to me lately.

Thanks for your advice