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Old 01-07-2009, 02:30 AM
 
1,292 posts, read 4,687,723 times
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Hello i do not have the money for a gym but I want to lose weight. I am usually very busy at day but not so much at late night. My neighborhood is not very safe for jogging or outside activities, for one the crime and we live right off a busy highway. I still live with my family of 4 so I can't go out and buy the healthiest things, it has to appeal to everyone for the most part. Not saying I eat junk food but we can't just buy wheat this and soy that and have everything with 0 taste.. I hope you understand what I mean by this.

I have tried simple things like moving around more than I normally would (ex: up and down the stairs doing favors), I try to eat things like peanut butter sandwiches over take out and drinking ice water because the body burns energy to lower the temp. I'm a guy so I thought this would be easy but it is not. I've tried reading carbs and all of that, it just does not make any sense to me because I later found out BMI indexes are inaccurate!? I am 20 and I want to lose weight but I don't have any means to do so at all. Do you all have any suggestions?
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Old 01-07-2009, 08:00 AM
 
Location: SUNNY AZ
4,589 posts, read 13,129,331 times
Reputation: 1850
Quote:
Originally Posted by RonMaverick804 View Post
Hello i do not have the money for a gym but I want to lose weight. I am usually very busy at day but not so much at late night. My neighborhood is not very safe for jogging or outside activities, for one the crime and we live right off a busy highway. I still live with my family of 4 so I can't go out and buy the healthiest things, it has to appeal to everyone for the most part. Not saying I eat junk food but we can't just buy wheat this and soy that and have everything with 0 taste.. I hope you understand what I mean by this.

I have tried simple things like moving around more than I normally would (ex: up and down the stairs doing favors), I try to eat things like peanut butter sandwiches over take out and drinking ice water because the body burns energy to lower the temp. I'm a guy so I thought this would be easy but it is not. I've tried reading carbs and all of that, it just does not make any sense to me because I later found out BMI indexes are inaccurate!? I am 20 and I want to lose weight but I don't have any means to do so at all. Do you all have any suggestions?
There are definitly things you can do. Go grab a jump rope (shouldn't be more than a few bucks) and jump rope in the garage or back yard....drive to your local HS track and run stairs/track....HS's are typically safe as they have security. Push ups are free you said you have stairs right? You can do a lot with those....run them (if your allowed ) hang your heels over and do calf raises.....cardio DVD's you can find for like 5 bucks! If you can swing it....walmart sells simple free weights for a couple bucks each....otherwise, Save 2 gallons (of milk) and when they are empty fill those with water as when they are full they should weigh about 9ibs each which is good for toning up.

As far as diet goes.....is there any way you can swing your own grocery bill? For one person to eat healthy 7 days a week it really shouldn't cost you more than 20 bucks a week....personally, I find that cutting our red meat, soda and starches (any kind of white bread) is the best way to go. Watch your trans fats and your calories.....Burn more calories than you take in consistently and you will loose the ibs. Eat 5 small meals a day (typically every 3 hrs) this will re-train your metabolism so that you consistently burn more fat throughout the day even when your not working out. If you can't purchase your own food then talk to your parents about it....maybe there's a happy medium. Chicken/fish and Turkey are your best bet and anyone can eat those . veggies/cheese/fruit/yogurt/almonds.....these are all things you can eat that the fam would probably agree on.

best of luck to you!!!
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Old 01-07-2009, 08:45 AM
 
Location: Land of Thought and Flow
8,323 posts, read 15,118,472 times
Reputation: 4956
Quote:
Originally Posted by RonMaverick804 View Post
Hello i do not have the money for a gym but I want to lose weight. I am usually very busy at day but not so much at late night. My neighborhood is not very safe for jogging or outside activities, for one the crime and we live right off a busy highway. I still live with my family of 4 so I can't go out and buy the healthiest things, it has to appeal to everyone for the most part. Not saying I eat junk food but we can't just buy wheat this and soy that and have everything with 0 taste.. I hope you understand what I mean by this.

I have tried simple things like moving around more than I normally would (ex: up and down the stairs doing favors), I try to eat things like peanut butter sandwiches over take out and drinking ice water because the body burns energy to lower the temp. I'm a guy so I thought this would be easy but it is not. I've tried reading carbs and all of that, it just does not make any sense to me because I later found out BMI indexes are inaccurate!? I am 20 and I want to lose weight but I don't have any means to do so at all. Do you all have any suggestions?
All I see here are reasons you can't or won't lose weight.

One by one:

Quote:
i do not have the money for a gym
If you don't have the money, then you don't have the money. In case you're interested in pricing, my gym membership is $20/month at Planet Fitness. I'm sure others can tell you pricing at other gyms.

Quote:
I am usually very busy at day but not so much at late night.
Try working and going to evening/night school. If you want to make time to lose weight, you will. You can either get up early to exercise or do it at night. As a night owl, I do my stuff after I get out of school.

Quote:
My neighborhood is not very safe for jogging or outside activities, for one the crime and we live right off a busy highway.
If you have a backyard, use it. If you're in an apartment complex, try finding a place for runners. I would suggest going to the appropriate state forum and asking people from your locale where a good place to run and such is. You could also ask about gym membership prices there as well.

Quote:
I still live with my family of 4 so I can't go out and buy the healthiest things, it has to appeal to everyone for the most part.
Why kind of "healthy" things do you feel you cannot buy? Chicken is a family favorite. Tuna *in moderation* is good. Fruit is always great for families to have on hand. A small bag of pre-made salad shouldn't be too much of a hassle if you don't have the space for individual ingredients.

Quote:
Not saying I eat junk food but we can't just buy wheat this and soy that and have everything with 0 taste.. I hope you understand what I mean by this.
I'm sure if you went out and bought a loaf of Oatnut or 15 Grain Bread - they might even find that they like it much better than processed white bread (which has zero taste to me). I never buy straight "wheat" bread. As for soy, never was to my liking.

Quote:
have tried simple things like moving around more than I normally would (ex: up and down the stairs doing favors)
Moving around more is a great start to get a sedentary lifestyle back on track. Keyword on that is: start.

Quote:
I try to eat things like peanut butter sandwiches over take out and drinking ice water because the body burns energy to lower the temp.
If we're talking Skippy Peanut Butter on White bread - I'd just eat a small portion of that Take-Out. Shrimp and Lobster Egg Foo Yung? Ohh ya. Try ordering a salad or even making one.

The ice water thing, never heard of.

Quote:
I'm a guy so I thought this would be easy but it is not.
It's never easy to change lifelong habits.

Quote:
I've tried reading carbs and all of that, it just does not make any sense to me
I never really cared for all that carb counting malarkey. Here's an easy mathematical way of looking at it:

1 lb of fat is approximately 3500 calories. For every 3500 calorie deficit between how much you eat and how much you use, you will lose a pound. Somebody here recommended it before and I checked it out, but as far as the food thing, check out Spark People. They give you all the tools you need - even providing a list of home exercises to do on a schedule.

Quote:
because I later found out BMI indexes are inaccurate!? I am 20 and I want to lose weight but I don't have any means to do so at all.
A body fat calculator is what you should look at. For me, I've always used the Navy Method.

And finally, saying that you have no means to lose weight is a ploy you are putting upon yourself - and probably why you are not losing weight. Instead of finding every reason you cannot, find a reason to lose the weight.
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Old 01-07-2009, 09:01 AM
 
Location: SUNNY AZ
4,589 posts, read 13,129,331 times
Reputation: 1850
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kuharai View Post
All I see here are reasons you can't or won't lose weight.

One by one:



If you don't have the money, then you don't have the money. In case you're interested in pricing, my gym membership is $20/month at Planet Fitness. I'm sure others can tell you pricing at other gyms.



Try working and going to evening/night school. If you want to make time to lose weight, you will. You can either get up early to exercise or do it at night. As a night owl, I do my stuff after I get out of school.



If you have a backyard, use it. If you're in an apartment complex, try finding a place for runners. I would suggest going to the appropriate state forum and asking people from your locale where a good place to run and such is. You could also ask about gym membership prices there as well.



Why kind of "healthy" things do you feel you cannot buy? Chicken is a family favorite. Tuna *in moderation* is good. Fruit is always great for families to have on hand. A small bag of pre-made salad shouldn't be too much of a hassle if you don't have the space for individual ingredients.



I'm sure if you went out and bought a loaf of Oatnut or 15 Grain Bread - they might even find that they like it much better than processed white bread (which has zero taste to me). I never buy straight "wheat" bread. As for soy, never was to my liking.



Moving around more is a great start to get a sedentary lifestyle back on track. Keyword on that is: start.



If we're talking Skippy Peanut Butter on White bread - I'd just eat a small portion of that Take-Out. Shrimp and Lobster Egg Foo Yung? Ohh ya. Try ordering a salad or even making one.

The ice water thing, never heard of.



It's never easy to change lifelong habits.



I never really cared for all that carb counting malarkey. Here's an easy mathematical way of looking at it:

1 lb of fat is approximately 3500 calories. For every 3500 calorie deficit between how much you eat and how much you use, you will lose a pound. Somebody here recommended it before and I checked it out, but as far as the food thing, check out Spark People. They give you all the tools you need - even providing a list of home exercises to do on a schedule.



A body fat calculator is what you should look at. For me, I've always used the Navy Method.

And finally, saying that you have no means to lose weight is a ploy you are putting upon yourself - and probably why you are not losing weight. Instead of finding every reason you cannot, find a reason to lose the weight.
agreed...the ideas/tips you recomended are definitly true. What I have come to learn throughout my profession as a PT is that ppl respond much better to positive reactions....it allows them to feel "welcomed" into the lifestyle so I always try to turn their negativity around and inspire them with positivity
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Old 01-07-2009, 09:13 AM
 
7,099 posts, read 27,098,242 times
Reputation: 7452
It sounds simple, but it can be hard to do. Cut your intake. control the portion size. That will change your lifetime eating patterns. Cut way back on the potatoes, macaroni or other pasta and bread. Forget the big steaks and hamburger patties. Add more vegetables and fruit. The saying, "white ain't right", has a lot of truth in it. Those are easily digested carbs and it doesn't take much energy to digest them. Meat with a lot of fat is another problem. Leave the fat on your plate. Use less butter, sugar, and cream. It will take time to change your eating habits, but it needs to be done. The weight will come off.

Skip the peanut butter sandwiches. Two tablespoons of P/B is 190 calories (which isn't enough for a decent sandwich)...add two slices of bread and you have more calories than you need for lunch unless you are going to cut more at dinner. There are lunch meats made from turkey that have a lot less calories. Use a little lo-cal mayo, with lettuce.

You gain weight because you eat too much. To lose, you must cut back on how much you put into your mouth. Exercise wouldn't work unless you watched your intake. Oh, a gym would work some off, but as soon as you quit going to the gym and working out, you would gain it all back again if you didn't change your eating habits. You don't need soy or other fancy stuff. Just smaller portions.
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Old 01-07-2009, 09:39 AM
 
Location: Sugar Grove, IL
3,131 posts, read 11,607,060 times
Reputation: 1640
I would recommend that you start journalizing your food. pick up a book with calorie listings etc. or use the sparkspeople website. you can find out what your calorie intake should be and start there. You can check out the various channels on tv etc for work outs(I get the fit tv channel). there are also videos online at the discovery channel website. start small with food consumption and add the exercise.
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Old 01-07-2009, 11:07 AM
 
Location: Land of Thought and Flow
8,323 posts, read 15,118,472 times
Reputation: 4956
Quote:
Originally Posted by Padgett2 View Post
Use a little lo-cal mayo, with lettuce.
Speaking of lo-cal mayo, I have found light miracle whip to be more flavorful and has even less in terms of calories.
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Old 01-07-2009, 01:14 PM
 
8,411 posts, read 39,162,521 times
Reputation: 6366
Sounds like you need total guidance. I would google up the "spark people" diet plan. Its free, you can journal your food, it makes meal suggestions.

Dont pass your junk habits onto your kids so they have problems later. EVERYONE should try to be more healthy in the house. Healthy doesnt have to taste like crap either. Any junky foods people like you can make a healthier version of it that doesnt taste like cardboard. The secret to that is using spice and HEALTHY fats in small amounts to bring out flavor. Low carb can be hard to do if everyone else is eating some other way. Change the way the family eats and watch your personal portions. Any type of food healthy or not can make you fat if you eat too much of it.

Needing a gym to get in shape is a myth. You just dont. Spark people gives you workouts you can do at home without equipment. The main goal of weightloss is just to take in less than you actually need.
You needs are based on weight and movement.

I really think spark people will give you the information to make you feel more confident in your commitment.
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Old 01-07-2009, 01:34 PM
 
1,292 posts, read 4,687,723 times
Reputation: 433
Thank you all. I look forward to trying the suggestions mentioned here!
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Old 01-07-2009, 02:08 PM
 
3,027 posts, read 7,885,628 times
Reputation: 3911
Quote:
Originally Posted by RonMaverick804 View Post
Hello i do not have the money for a gym but I want to lose weight. I am usually very busy at day but not so much at late night. My neighborhood is not very safe for jogging or outside activities, for one the crime and we live right off a busy highway. I still live with my family of 4 so I can't go out and buy the healthiest things, it has to appeal to everyone for the most part. Not saying I eat junk food but we can't just buy wheat this and soy that and have everything with 0 taste.. I hope you understand what I mean by this.

I have tried simple things like moving around more than I normally would (ex: up and down the stairs doing favors), I try to eat things like peanut butter sandwiches over take out and drinking ice water because the body burns energy to lower the temp. I'm a guy so I thought this would be easy but it is not. I've tried reading carbs and all of that, it just does not make any sense to me because I later found out BMI indexes are inaccurate!? I am 20 and I want to lose weight but I don't have any means to do so at all. Do you all have any suggestions?
Smaller portions,limited sweets,in other words push the plate away.I eat 2 times a day and dropped from 199 to 175 by eating healthy and NO SALT,read labels.
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