Help please

[dantheman]

Hello everyone Im Dan...obviously by the username...

sorry for the long post

Anyway Im 17 almost 18year old male (172cm tall) and used to be 15kgs over weight and just under 2 years ago i lost 10kgs but since then I've platued and lost all motivation to lose the last 5(i want to, but im not doing anything about it)[just letting you know i know all about portion size and cardio and stuff ive trawled ever weight/fat loss sight and reading and doing are 2 incredably differnent things for me]
I hate the way i look and im dissapointed when i eat what i shouldn't, but cant seem to stop myself(self control-ive successfully completed the 40hour famine twice so i dont know why i cant stop myself)
I generally eat healthy, not having hungry jacks, KFC or Maccas in over 1.5 years. its probably more quantity thats my issue... im ALWAYS hungry i try to eat slow and i drink at LEAST a litre of water daily
the main problem for me is the fact between year 12, work and Homework i have no spare energy left to exercise.

BTW i have Asthma

I HATE exercising unless its in a gym where i seem to enjoy it ALOT(my asthma isnt as bad when in the gym) but since i cant get there most of the time i was wondering whether just a 5-10 minute routine that i could build on would help

My thought of a routine would be 30skips on skipping rope(fast) then 40metre sprint(length of my backyard x2) a few times ie 3-4 with 10second breaks inbetween and build on that if i can.
Also i found then when i tried jogging around the block, the more times i did it the harder it was for me to complete the same length. not easier as people say
another thing is when i dont do an exercise routine for one day i seem to lose any motivation to continue with it later.

I really want to be able to lose the weight and i believe it will be easier when i get my P's because i can go back to the gym but im still a few weeks possibly months away and i think my weight issue is causing confidence issues and i hate the fact im almost 18 and haven't had a relationship since primary school(which can hardly be called a relationship) I really want to the last 4-5kg of bellyfat(just assuming the 5kg is only on my chest and stomach) before my year 12 formal cause i would like a tight fitting suit (also a good looking girl to take[preferably my girlfriend if i can find one])where i dont need to worry about manboobs which i have been embarrassed about since i started putting on weight when i was about 10.

once again sorry for the long post just to ask one question to be honest i wanted other people to know what i was thinking/feeling...my parents know but they just keeps saying obvious stuff that i already know

Thankyou

Kind regards Dan
BTW would it be possible to the 4-6kg of fat in 3-4months? doing the skip sprint thing i mentioned earlier?

[dantheman]

sorry i proof read it like 3times, yet only once i had posted it is when i noticed all the mistakes

[Blitz]

Dan

The fact that you have lost 10kg in the past shows me that you know what is required to lose the rest. There are no short cuts.

It is true that We do the things that we want to do- it is as simple as that. Those who will - will...those who won't - won't! The biggest thing for successful weight loss is getting your head right. Once you have your head in the right mindset then exercise and portion control will follow. How bad do you want weight loss? Everything has a price, are you prepared to pay the cost of weight loss?

Your suggested exercise isn't enough. It is reckoned that 20 minutes is the minimum required for beneficial exercise (incidental exercise isn't intense enough for good results). I would recommend at least an hour of exercise per day. It doesn't have to be in one block (ie 3 x 20 minutes). You can find an hour in your day if you really wanted to. Get up an hour early, find the dead time in your day that you are wasting (it is there!), give up something that is less important than your weight loss or find a way to incorporate in your day (ie walk to school/shops etc).

I had chronic asthma which has greatly lessened since I've lost the weight. Rather than using it as a excuse, it is actually one more good reason to be at a healthy weight and one more reason to get fit. If you asthma is causing you trouble then see your doctor - there are very good preventive medications that will aid you. I did...and now I'm so fit I don't need them any more. Swimming is very good for asthma. All exercise should be built up. No one does a marathon before they are fit enough to walk around the block! If running is hard - then start with a good paced walk and build from there.

Regards
Kim

[dantheman]

the first time i lost the 10kg it was a whole family effort we all needed to lose the weight and i obviosly needed to lose more.
and i dont use my asthma as an excuse i merely wanted to mention it for cause it can prohibit me doing prolonged amounts of exercise

[Blitz]

Dan

If you don't like the advice you are free to ignore it. But understand that I offer it as a person who has been in your shoes (and fatter shoes at that!)

The point I was making about the 10 kilos was that during that loss you would have learnt all the required skills needed to help you lose the rest of the weight. You don't just have head knowledge but "rubber meets the road" skills that you can use.

I did read that you were using asthma as an excuse for exercise. I still believe that the case. It may not be the conscious but it certainly is playing in your head. How do I know? Because that is what human nature is like...and it was the game I played for a great many years longer than you have been alive - so take it from an expert. I used my asthma as an excuse for everything...that way I opted out of doing anything about my weight.

Dan if you applied yourself honestly to weight loss I believe it is very probably that you could lose that weight comfortably in TWO MONTHS! I'm willing to help. I believe you can (if I can lose 87 kilos with all the medicinal issues I had - anyone can do the same!)...Do you dare to believe in yourself and make all those wishes for yourself become a reality?

Grab that better future Dan!
Kim

[dantheman]

I really appreciate your help Kim
I hope i can do it too
I think that is definiatly my problem...mindset...its the fact i want to have the body(ever so badly) but i guess i dont want to go through the hard yards...again...and just to let you know ive tried everything and ive never been able to stick to it... such as running around an oval i eventually got up to 4 laps but then i got sick and stopped... for a while i swam with my dad every day after school at the local pool (saw results) but eventually his hours at work stopped him from being able to do it and well, we stopped. then i tried walking with my mother in the morning and once again results were seen but i was unable to stay awake in school and my grades fell... i was going to sleep at like 8pm...
I think i just need to find a routine that is right for me and ive tried alot also i have no idea how to stop being so hungry im sure part of its being a teenager, part boredem, maybe not enough water, sometimes i just never even think about it i just grabb something from the fridge then beat myself up after i eat it....
I loved the feeling that i get from losing weight its the BEST feeling ever and I think starting is the hardest second only to commitment...

[Blitz]

If you undertake weight loss as an exercise in will power...you will end up in failing.

Part of the process of getting the right mindset is understanding that weight loss is a lifestyle not a program. It is developing a healthy lifestyle that works for YOU. To stick to this healthy lifestyle means that you have to change who you are. It is about develop yourself as a person (your character).

Developing character...character is who you are when nobody is looking. It is the core of your being. So that instead of being tempted to slack off (will power fading and failing), you say to yourself stuff like: "That's not what I do", "I'm only cheating myself", "If I want the outcome - I have to do the work" and et al. The good news is that as you develop your lifestyle and your character it becames a way of life. I hated exercise too - all forms of it...but now if I miss some of it I actually pine after it!

I think what may be some of your problem with exercise is that you go to hard at it at the beginning and burn yourself out. My guiding principles of weight loss are: 1) Listen to your body and 2) Do no harm. When I was losing weight I was nursing a belly hernia the size of my fist, had a bad back and mainlining on Ventolin just living normally with asthma so it was essential that I followed these rules or I would sideline myself out of the game of life.

Pace yourself and build yourself up. It was ages before I could even think about running. When I started all I could manage was a ten minute walk but I built from that to at the end I was jogging for an hour, swimming for an hour and on the exercise bike for an hour! Even in maintainance I will still do about 90 minutes daily. This is something you build to...Rome wasn't built in a day nor was my lifestyle - or yours.

You are young...your whole life is before you - time to get your life right and build a better future!
Kim

[Blundys_Gurl]

Sorry for crashing your thread Dan.

I just wanted to say thankyou to Kim for the tips especially the one about exercising. I always thought that you had to do 30 minutes exercise a day in one chunk. Now that I know it should be an hour and it can be split up I am a lot more comfortable with the idea of exercising.

[dantheman]

im aiming for about 5-6gk in 3months...started friday been exercising more(not much,by end of the night im seriously pooped and have no energy left so i use what i got left+ its very friggen hot where i em) and eating less +healthier lets see how i do

[Blitz]

I do a lot of my exercising at night. I hate jogging in the day because of the sun but love jogging at night. No one around, just you and the stars...and cats!

Wearing yourself out before you go to sleep is great. I always knew that if I went to bed tired and hungry I'd have a great weigh in the next morning. When I got fit I discovered the additional benefits of exercising before breakfast - but that will come for you...one leg at a time! Even a morning jog has its own beauty.

Kim

[dantheman]

Im sorry to say that i have stopped losing weight begun to be putting more on...
This is due to recent unfortunate events in my family. My dog( who was basically be best friend) past away and the way i seem to be dealing with it is by engulfing all the food i can and not exercising.( this has taken place over 2 weeks)
But you will be glad to know that i have begun to reverse my wicked ways and hav already begun to eat less and healthier and now that the holidays are apon me maybe i can get an hour gym session in at least 8-10 times in 15 days.
Also im soon to get my P's and a car so i can access the gym after school everyday!
I fear i will not be as thin as i want for the gym but i shall try my best

[dantheman]

at end by gym i obviously ment school formal.....

[Blitz]

You have to change your habits. Sadness and bad things happen to everyone. Eating at these times is an excuse. You can gain the same comfort (and without the guilt) through exercise! It is time to change your approach to life and not use events to justify your overeating.

My father was an alcoholic. Everytime something went wrong in his life he would hit the bottle. Often it was the bottle that was the source of his problems in the first place. Strangely enough...everytime things were going great - he would hit the bottle then as well! In the end he never faced the truth that it was bad choices that was ruining his life. His last years were spent with dementia directly caused by his alcoholism.

We all have choices how we deal with the things that happen around us. We can give in and fall into old ways or we can change and face the issues with real character.

You still have time to lose all the weight you want but you have to get your mind right. Stop the excuses. Your dog or whether you go to the gym or not are not the cause of you remaining overweight. While I was losing weight I was dealing with all sorts of issues about my father (ie hospitals, aged care residency, dealing with all sorts of red tape, constantly visiting him, getting guardenship over his affairs etc), soon after reaching goal weight I had to deal with his death and funeral arrangements (didn't use that as an excuse for a food binge) and while I lost weight I NEVER used a gym (you don't need one to lose weight).

I repeat...there is still plenty of time to reach your goal. You just have to get real and serious to do it. No excuses.

Kim

[dantheman]

I don't think i explained myself really well... I didn't want to eat but after what happened i become hungry no matter how much i ate i would still be hungry after eating everything. I would like to saya that you and me are different people so and the death of your family may have been under different circumstances and that is why you were able to continue exercise.
And about the gym its the only place that i have FUN exercising everywhere else and its a complete chore. and whereas at the gym i get 1 to 1.5 hours full on exercise in 1 session. at home i can do like 15mins (unless walking)
And you say i need to change my habits and i mentioned in the last one i already had and ive begun to eat less and healthier and exercise again

[Blitz]

You seem to have a lot of reasons why you don't lose weight...what I'm saying is you have to find reasons for losing weight. Things in your life are what they are...but you can't use them to duck responsiblity for the choices you make.

We are not that different. Examples from my life were used to illustrate that it is possible to continue to lose weight and make good choices even when things go wrong. Even so, in most people's book a life of a man beats the life of a pet (I've had pets die and certainly know the difference).

The only difference between us is that I took responsiblity for my actions - you haven't. Do you think for one moment I don't know about eating everything and still being hungry? I was 87 kilos overweight...every part of my body to this day trying to get back to being 153.7 kilos. I'm hungry all the time even after over a year of achieving my weight loss. If I don't exercise for one day I WILL put on a kilo of weight at least. I know all about all that far better than you do.

I too have my preferences for exercise but I'm mature enough to know that if I can't do the exercise that I enjoy for whatever reason then I'll have to make it up with something else. Losing weight is like a job. Sometimes there are things that we don't like doing but we have to do it because that is part of the job. At the moment the weather hasn't been great for jogging which i enjoy but still each day I do 90 minutes on the exercise bike because it has to be done. No excuses.

I applaude your return to exercise and eating healthy...when I write about changing your habits I'm talking about making changes that will help you falling over and lapsing in the first place. If you hadn't lapsed in the first place you would have been so much closer to your goal today!

Kim