When gut health is compromised, it can lead to a variety of unwanted symptoms including indigestion, poor energy, bloating, stubborn weight loss, skin problems, poor immunity, inconsistent bowel patterns, mental fog, and low mood. While many tend to rationalize these symptoms as the new normal, it’s actually far from what it’s supposed to be.
Apologies if this is addressed in the FAQs...I've lost over 50 lbs and am at the very tip top of healthy BMI for my height; however I want to keep going. I do an intense cardio/strength bootcamp style class twice a week for an hour each class; I walk daily around 3 miles, and do two 30 min sessions on the stationary bike at work weekly. So I'm getting a decent amount of exercise...my body fat percentage (measured using that Omron device that you hold with both hands out in front of you) has dropped from the mid/upper 40s to 36.9% currently. I know these numbers aren't the most accurate but at least there's been a loss. I want to lose more weight, but I also want to aim for a "fit" body fat percentage for my age (52) IF it's at all possible, which according to what I've read is around 25%? Is it just a matter of continued exercise and weight loss? Or do you have to really up the exercise to achieve this? Or do you reach a point where it just won't go lower, no matter what you do...? Thanks!!
Me and my current partner got together a year ago, and in the early stages of our relationship we ate out a lot and got a lot of takeaway. Our shared meals were almost always unhealthy. I wasn't happy with my body to begin with, and this "food honeymoon" phase of our relationship caused me to gain even more weight.
We moved in together a few months ago, and during this time I decided that I had to start losing weight and eating healthier, I was tired of feeling uncomfortable and anxious in my own skin. Me and my partner agreed to make a joint effort towards healthier eating habits, and we have been doing just that! The bad news is that my partner is unable to accept my weight loss goals and methods, and it's putting a big strain on us both.
My partner suffered from a severe eating disorder about a decade ago, and even though she has been completely healthy for years, the disorder has left her with mental scars. This means that anything relating to weight loss makes her anxious. I have tried to talk to her about my weight loss goals (losing about 20lbs/9kg) and my methods (intermittent fasting, calorie counting) to reassure her that I'm not being obsessive over my weight loss and that I can't be truly happy in my current body, but these conversations alone have been enough to send her into the verge of an anxiety attack.
My partner means the world to me and the last thing I want to do is to put her into anxiety-inducing situations. This means that I have started hiding my intermittent fasting (18:6 and 20:4 mostly), my weighings, my progress pic and measurement taking and my fitness goals from her. We live in a small apartment, work from home and share most of our meals together, which makes it very difficult. She has started to notice my skipped breakfasts, my smaller portions and the dessert foods I continuously refuse, and I can see this is making her worried and anxious. Not being able to share my journey with the love of my life is already hard, and attempting to hide it makes it even harder. I can't help but feel guilty most days.
Does anyone have similar stories? Advice? I don't really know if this situation can be resolved in a way that makes all parties happy, which is beyond depressing.
Title pretty much explains it all. I’ve lost weight before using calorie counting but put far too much due to binge eating whilst pregnant now it’s time for it to come off.
So, any advice? I started last week. I’m going slowly as I’m worried about too much of a drop impacting milk supply so I’ve set MFP to maintenance and hoped that the breastfeeding would start to burn additional calories. However I’ve not seen much change on the scales yet after the initial water weight loss.
Does anyone have any experience on this? Im tempted to cut down my calorie budget next week but don’t want to do it if I’m already on the right track and I’m just being impatient.
Edit: if it makes a difference I am currently 9 weeks PP (so 7 1/2 when I started MFP) and my BMI is 30.2. A huge jump from where I was this time last year.
I started my journey at 295 lbs at 5'10 1/2.
Through calorie counting and moderately increased exercise, I got myself down to about 205 lbs (took about a year and a half). My goal was to reach a healthy BMI, which is ballpark 175 lbs.
It was an interesting experience socially. Originally I would get some scattered "keep it up comments" and general encouragement from friends and family. Then I finally bought new clothes (around 230 lbs maybe?). Overnight the people in my life started to gush over my success and how good I looked. I seem to lose weight in my arms/legs first and torso last, so if I dress myself well I could pass for being just a bit overweight and muscular rather than overweight and chubby. By the time I hit 210 lbs, the compliments turned to "are you sure that it is healthy to keep losing?"
The compliments had a very negative effect on my dietary discipline. Suddenly, I felt okay to have an ice cream at the end of the day when I had already eaten my calorie allotment. Then I decided that I didn't have to measure my pasta, I could just ballpark it. People said that I looked good, so it must be fine.
Well, it wasn't fine. I gained back 10 lbs (from 205 to 215). It didn't even take too long. My only saving grace was that I was starting to get more interested in the gym and weight lifting, so the weight gain wasn't a complete loss.
Then my family decided to do a weight loss contest. $100 each, set amount of time, highest % loss takes the $700 pot. The contest got me right back on track. I dropped down to 186 lbs by the end (some of that was a last day dehydration. I was probably closer to low-mid 190s when hydrated). I didn't win the contest but I was happy. In retrospect, the contest wasn't a good idea for me. Healthy long term weight loss is about good habits. Pushing yourself hard for 3 months is not a way to train healthy habits.
Following the contest, I have been steadily gaining wait. The scale read 212 lbs this morning.
I need to stop making excuses for myself. I need to stop listening to everyone else telling me that I look great. Don't get me wrong, I love how I look now but that was never my primary goal. I want my weight in a healthy BMI for my long term health. I want healthy habits and to not feel like I am suffering when eating in healthy quantities.
I just wanted to write out a short version of my story to share with others and to organize my own thoughts. If you made it this far, thanks for reading. I have started counting calories properly again this week. If anyone has any tips on how to fight that inner voice that says "you've done good enough, you can eat more" I am open to community input.
50 M, 6'0" SW234, CW199, GW184, working on it since mid-march. Slow but constant weight loss. Hi everybody, i am used to eat food crap but the last months i discovered a couple trick to eat healthier with less calories.
Salad dressing, i replaced it with greek yogurt and seasonned it with a lot full of stuff like sriracha sauce, spices, onion, crushed jalapeño crispy topping (from Fresh Gourmet)
Breakfast, i'm eating quick oats with maple syrup or honey. I found some good granola at Bulk Barn (1554) to mix in greek yogourt.
Hummous, my favorite snack, there's a lot of good recipes in Pinterest, and it is very simple to make. For a good treat i'm making my own "chips" to eat with. Maizena corn tortilla cuted in 8 parts, oven baked 10 minutes at 400F.
Hope you will enjoy, please share back your best hacks.
If you’re like most moms, squeezing in a simple shower can feel like a luxury–which means less pressing to-dos like figuring out how to exercise are pretty far down on the list of priorities. But while motherhood makes it a little (okay, a lot) harder to fit in a workout, getting in even just a little activity each day has massive benefits for your body and your mind.
Studies suggest that moms who make exercise a regular part of their postpartum routine tend to lose “baby weight” faster, experience less depression and improved mood, and have better overall self-esteem.
Plus, research reveals that exercise can actually make you feel more energized, which is extremely appealing to moms who tend to be sleep deprived.
Okay, so you know you should exercise. But the question remains: With little ones constantly at your feet, how on earth can you possibly work in a workout?
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Take a daily walk around your neighborhood with your little one. Your baby will love taking in the fresh air, sights and sounds (or, in some cases, the nap!), and you’ll love getting out of the house.
Plus, you’ll burn extra calories while you’re at it. That’s right: Researchers at the Exercise and Health Program at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse compared how many calories participants burned walking solo versus walking with a stroller. They found that on average, participants’ calorie burn was 18 percent higher when they walked with a stroller at a pace of three miles per hour than when they walked without a stroller. By picking up the pace, participants burned even more: At 3.5 miles per hour, the stroller-pushing calorie burn was a whopping 20 percent higher.
Make a list of all the parks in the area and walk a new one each week. As you get more comfortable walking with a stroller, consider changing up your path so you encounter more hills, or pick up the pace to boost your burn.
Too cold, hot or rainy for an outdoor walk? Don’t sweat it–just head to your local mall for some indoor laps with your little one.
In a study published in the Archives of Sports Medicine, moms who participated in “mommy and me” exercise classes reported having significantly less depressive symptoms in the postpartum period than those participating in other activities–or none at all. This makes sense–and not only because exercise releases endorphins, the “happiness hormones.” These types of classes also enable moms to socialize and share with others who understand the unique challenges of motherhood. It’s like a built-in support system.
Many gyms and community centers offer yoga or stroller workout classes for moms with babies and kids. Others offer swimming classes, which expose little ones to the water while providing moms with a low impact resistance workout.
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No one knows better than a mom that those tiny little bundles of joy can actually be quite heavy. But this works in your favor if you’re wondering how to exercise as a new mom and you’re willing to incorporate your little one into some resistance training.
Once your baby has sufficient head and neck control–usually around three or four months, you can consider (carefully!) doing squats, lunges, bridges, oblique twists and even overhead presses while holding him or her. You can even carefully hold your baby as you walk up and down your stairs for a great leg and glute workout.
If you’re nervous about including your baby in your workouts, consider squeezing in some planks or push-ups every time you put your baby down for tummy time. Experts at the Mayo Clinic recommend starting your baby with two to three tummy time sessions daily, and increasing that number as they get more comfortable with the position. If you do 15 push-ups each time you put your little one down, you’ll be feeling the burn in no time.
If you’ve got other moms in your social circle who are also wondering how to exercise in between all the to-dos associated with motherhood, set up a weekly get-together during which you all hit the pavement together or rotate houses to do a workout DVD. It’s a great way to burn some calories while squeezing in some social time with other adults. Plus, you’ll hold each other accountable, which will make it difficult to skip a workout.
If the little ones make group activity difficult, consider taking shifts watching the little ones throughout the week so each of you gets a chance to squeeze in a sweat session sans kids.
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Whether you’ve got a new baby or a toddler, chances are good there are some nap times happening in your house. Use half of those times to catch up on some much needed sleep, and the other half to pop in a workout DVD or pull up an exercise video on YouTube and get moving.
Figuring out how to exercise as a mom might be a tricky feat, but it’s not impossible. And, considering all the benefits associated with it, it should definitely be a priority on every mother’s list.
Note: If you’re a new mom, be sure to clear all activity with your doctor–some women, especially those who’ve had a cesarean section, are advised to wait till their six week check-up to start exercising again.
The post New Mom? How to Exercise When You’re Busy With Baby appeared first on The Leaf.
