Struggling to get anywhere with weight loss

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Psyched87

New member
Hi there

I'm new to the forum, and I've joined because I'm struggling to get anywhere with losing weight.

I'm 26, reasonably fit, exercise 'properly' (i.e. gym) 1-2 times per week, plus I walk briskly quite a lot in the week. My diet is not perfect, but certainly not bad. I weigh 11 and a half stone and I'm 5'6".

My main problem is that I genuinely have a very large appetite, and when I don't eat enough, I lack energy (so struggle to exercise) or end up snacking on rubbish. In addition, I think because I'm reasonably fit and my diet isn't too bad anyway, making 'smaller' changes doesn't seem to be having much of an impact.

Does anyone have any tips for how I can start to lose some more weight? I'd be very grateful for any advice at all!

Thanks
 
Hey there :waving: There could be plenty of reasons you're struggling to lose weight. It could be that the type of exercises you're doing at the gym aren't effective (not all exercise is created equal), or that your diet isn't as good as you think it is (there's a lot of misinformation out there about healthy eating). Or maybe you're not getting enough sleep, have too much stress, your hormones are whacked out... you're giving us only general information here, so I can only offer some general advice.
1) Diet: Eat clean. Eat lots of vegetables (have some at every meal, and veggie chips and pasta with vegetable ingredients don't count!) and one or two servings of fruit per day. Healthy carbs come from sweet potatoes and potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, and other grains. Get your protein from legumes, nuts and seeds, fish with low levels of mercury, and organic meat and eggs (don't want those nasty hormones). Healthy fats come from avocados, cold-pressed olive oil in dark glass bottles, cold-pressed coconut oil, and raw nuts and seeds. Limit sugar, refined carbohydrates like white bread, vegetable/canola oils, any kind of corn syrup, weird chemical ingredients you can't pronounce, and non-raw milk (healthy yogurts and cottage cheese are okay). Every meal should have a protein and a vegetable. Avoid eating fats and carbs together, because carbs trigger the storage response in your body and you're more likely to store the fats onto your body. Carbs are best eaten either before exercise or an hour afterwards. Limit carbs on days where you're not active. Note: if you have a large appetite, don't be afraid to eat when you're hungry! Everyone's requirements are different. Just don't fill up on junk. Eat some properly filling foods.
2) Exercise: Muscle building is important because muscle burns fat and increases your metabolism. Get with a fitness instructor at your gym to begin a strength training regimen. The best time to do cardio is right after strength training, because muscle exercises will release fat cells into your blood stream. Cardio exercises will burn these fat cells when they're hanging out in the blood. If you do some muscle exercises and stop, the fat cells will just go right back to where they were. The most effective cardio, and the least boring, is HIIT, or high intensity interval training. You can look it up and how to do it online, I won't go over it here. Consider picking up some exercise DVDs. Julian Michaels has some good DVDs that combine strength training and cardio moves for maximum fat burning. Good job on your walking! If you like it, keep it up.
3) Other factors: Are you getting enough quality sleep? If you have some sleep issues, sort those out with your doctor. Are you stressed? Find a way to relax, like meditation, hobbies, nice long baths, stuff like that. Could your hormones be imbalanced? Drink clean, filtered water, avoid food that has come into contact with plastic, use natural, chemical free soaps and cosmetics, and generally steer clear of toxins that could screw with your hormones.
That's all I can offer for now. The most important thing is to make baby steps. If you try to incorporate too many lifestyle changes at once, you may get overwhelmed and just end up quitting altogether. A baby step could be adding one salad a day, beginning a nightly pre-sleep ritual, starting a new exercise plan, etc. Go at your own pace and stay happy! Depression and frustration will hinder weight loss goals. Also cut your big goals into smaller goals, i.e. if you want to lose 40 pounds, focus on losing only 5 at a time. Best wishes for your health and wellness! :)
 
Great advice.. I go to the gym at least 4 sometimes 5 times a week.. I can't excersize on an empty stomach either.. I have to eat something decent before I go ;) I do alot of classes because I like to be pushed and like the atmosphere of group excersize!! My current favorite is body attack! I also do spin, body combat and body pump.. If I go in the gym I tend to mess about with the tension machines or go on the squat rack.. I am not into the treadmill find it very boring!! :p despite maintaining since the beginning of this year I still track calories via myfitnesspal.. I weigh food cereal and veg so I know exactly what I am eating.. With the intense activity I do find I can eat alot now if I don't I can still drop weight which I have to be abit careful of I am currently as low as I want to be!! Would like to develop proper abs!! Only goal left really!! My biceps since getting into the whole fitness thing are unreal it's like where the hell did they come from!! :p
Good luck on your journey x
 
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