leonajo

try to walk every day. find a tread mill or find a road around school thats a mile. try to walk 2 miles aday. u can walk a mile on a thread mill in 20 min. just change the incline a little steeper each month or two. u can walk when ever u want. change out the soda for iced tea. unsweetned , use sweet n low or some other sweetener if needed. soda has a lot of salt and makes u retain water. good luck! keep us updated on ur progress.

hperttula123

I had a problem losing weight after my third kid. I had 40 lbs to lose after I had him. And I refuse to diet. He's three now and I lost 25 of it. I started with using smaller plates....sounds crazy, but you can't put as much food on a smaller plate and when I am comfortably full I stop, I used to eat everything that was on the plate so I didn't waste it. I snack throughout the day(not alot, just a little to keep me going inbetween meals. We don't eat out very much anymore.
I had some neck issues for a while and went to a chiropractor, and they gave me some simple exercises. One is doing crunches...and if it hurts to do crunches(I couldn't I was in too much pain)you can lay on your back and just imagine your are on a beach and push your lower back into the sand to make an impression. It works the same as a crunch and super easy. Little exercises like that should be done twice a day.
Slowly incorporate little things into your life.

Alu_Rathbone

Thank you! I will try those things out.

We do have a gym on campus, but I'm afraid that people will judge me. I know thats a really stupid thought, but it's a paranoia that I've had a long time, I had a rough child hood when it came to school. So if there are things that I can do in my room for now I'm good... until I'm ready to go to the gym.

lab fairy

Here's my household advice for what it is worth. Cut the carbs, up the veggies and don't eat after 6 p.m. Walk at least 5 days a week for 45 minutes to start and work on your abs daily. Make sure your ab exercises are done correctly. Most people do them wrong (use back muscles instead) and they are very ineffectual. A partner can really help here. My training partner actually used to "feel" my abs to make sure they were contracting. You will need to work all areas of your abs (upper, lower and obliques). You will be able to tell you've done it when you're a little sore for a couple days.

After a couple weeks, you need to walk for 30 minutes and add resistance training. A set of light weights can help. You might try tai chi or pilates (bellydancing is a good workout) to give you some variety. Check with the campus rec center (local YMCA maybe?). You might be surprised to find a community ed class or two. Water aerobics is a great workout if your school offers it.

Alu_Rathbone

Did you map out my school? *eyes warily* haha Just Kidding! There is a YMCA with in two blocks of school. I'm not even sure my school has a pool. I know we have a gym, which when it snows it where I'll probably go for the treadmill... as for belly dancing, in the privacy of my own room with the bollywood music blasting it perfectly fine! There are a few DVD's I can get. There is a community center near by that I can take Zumba classes at (another dancing work out, they say you can lose up to a dress size in two weeks... but thats if you go every day, and I can't afford that... so I'll party it up in my room!)

I will say this, I'd love to go swimming... but I'm not a very good swimmer! Not in the least!

Lady Shivesa

There are tons of nifty little exercises you can do right in your own home without any equipment. For awhile I was on a 30 minute workout routine about three or four days a week.

Like someone else mentioned, crunches definitely help (not full on sit ups, just the crunches). The other thing to help tone your stomach area is focusing on the obliques (on your sides, between the bust and hip area). Hold two light weights in your hands (5-10 lbs) and take turns holding your hips still and leaning to the right, then the left. Then twist and turn. It doesn't sound like much, but coupled with the crunches it has a definite affect. Sounds like you're doing great already though!!! :)

Alu_Rathbone

Thanks!

cathyvv

"...only places its been noticeable has been my neck/collarbone area, face, legs and a bit in the arms."

The 'only places'? You're doing great! Are your jeans just a bit loose? That doesn't always 'show' when you look in the mirror, but you can feel that.

Keep dancing around your dorm room every night. Get an exercise dvd, one that's not too hard, and do it. My daughter, who has struggled with her weight all her life, swears by yoga.

Drink water before you eat. You'll eat less.

Does your dorm have stairs? If so, use them. Excellent for toning the legs, hips and belly - and free. Once or twice a day is fine to start with as stairs can be hard on the knees. Build up the number of 'repetitions' over time.

Eat foods that are 'fiber dense' - carrots, celery, vegetables, lettuce, etc., not 'calorie dense' - chips, desserts, fries, etc. Fiber dense fills you up. Calorie dense fill you out.

Eat fruit. It's better for you than fruit juice. Generally lower calorie and higher fiber density. If the price of fruit scares you, think of how much nutrition you get from a piece of fruit compared to chips and desserts.

Allow yourself a treat at least once a week. Small portions, of course.

Congrats on the 3.1 gpa!

Alu_Rathbone

My jeans are a bit looser, but I don't wear jeans too often, I'm not a huge fan but that has to do more with them fitting only in the waist and being baggy every where else... especially in the legs which are mostly muscle to begin with. (what can I say, I have a weird body) I'm big boned... I know this... my ankles are huge as are my wrists. I know this due to them being all bone and what not, if that makes sense. Though my legs are starting to take on a more lean appearance.

My dorm building does not have an elevator... just a ton of stairs... which I've thought about running up and down them for the cardio work out I could get from it.

I work out my hands about an hour each day... playing piano! I'm getting a flute in February possibly too, so that will help with fingers and breathing. I haven't played flute in YEARS! It's also a change in the finger positioning too, so that helps with that too.

To be honest I'm not even sure what triggered the weight loss either, it's possible that it's cause I'm now on a schedule with eating, but I'm not sure... hmmm

Rainy Day

Alu, what an achievement! A 3.1 GPA.
And the weightloss :)
What about a bike? I started on one when I was 90 kg ( I think that is about 180 lb) and I am 5'4. I rode to work 3 times a week, as we only have one car. Lost 20 kg in 3 months. Still have to work at it, but it was less of an issue for me than the gym. I now ride a lot, and it helps keep it off. I also enjoy the time alone.
Enjoy your studies x