Losing Weight

[Iocked data]

Hey guys, I'm a 21 y/o girl in college and I weigh around 250lbs. I really want to lose weight but can't seem to find a good routine for working out. Any ideas on how I could set up a workout session? I live close to a gym but it has a very limited amount of workout materials, since it's so small, so anything I could do in my dorm room or on basic machines would be best. I need something that's easy on my heart but gets me going enough to keep making progress.

[Iocked data]

bump

[Iocked data]

bump

[Brian Kush Flowerchild]

Start with walking/jogging/biking. Take it as intense as you can reliably handle(be mindful of your heart rate). Do anything you help increase your daily activity, be it parking further away, taking more stairs, casual walks, etc etc etc. Everything counts at this point.

Do you know your BMR? You need to eat at a caloric loss of 500(lower is okay but loss will be slower) to no more than 1000 of your BMR. Consistency is key. Consistency is key.

Consistency
is
key.

That being said(consistency is key, I mean), you have to make small lifestyle changes that you will be able to keep. That means not going overboard and only trying to eat salad or some other "healthy" foods. Restricting certain foods can be helpful, like soda, excess alcohol, and fast food, but make your goals realistic and fitted to you. The only diet that will ever work is one you will stick to, and that means a lifestyle change. Enjoy your favorite dish every now and then. If you eat out just make sure not to eat too much. The biggest thing is calories in and calories out, worry about the types of foods when you are more comfortable with the changes and you become more knowledgeable. The only caveat is you want a good amount of protein to preserve lean tissue.

Also incorporate body weight exercises. This also falls under preserving lean body mass, but also helps to increase your caloric deficit. Don't forget to eat a little more(especially carbs) on days you workout. You may be eating at a deficit, but when you workout intensely, you will drop even further below your BMR which isn't necessarily good.

I got to the point where I lost the point of my message. If you have any questions or want me to clarify something, please let me know! I know a lot of fancy words but if I can't even keep track of my post I can't very well use them now can I?

[Iocked data]

Brian Kush Flowerchild

Start with walking/jogging/biking. Take it as intense as you can reliably handle(be mindful of your heart rate). Do anything you help increase your daily activity, be it parking further away, taking more stairs, casual walks, etc etc etc. Everything counts at this point.

Do you know your BMR? You need to eat at a caloric loss of 500(lower is okay but loss will be slower) to no more than 1000 of your BMR. Consistency is key. Consistency is key.

Consistency
is
key.

That being said(consistency is key, I mean), you have to make small lifestyle changes that you will be able to keep. That means not going overboard and only trying to eat salad or some other "healthy" foods. Restricting certain foods can be helpful, like soda, excess alcohol, and fast food, but make your goals realistic and fitted to you. The only diet that will ever work is one you will stick to, and that means a lifestyle change. Enjoy your favorite dish every now and then. If you eat out just make sure not to eat too much. The biggest thing is calories in and calories out, worry about the types of foods when you are more comfortable with the changes and you become more knowledgeable. The only caveat is you want a good amount of protein to preserve lean tissue.

Also incorporate body weight exercises. This also falls under preserving lean body mass, but also helps to increase your caloric deficit. Don't forget to eat a little more(especially carbs) on days you workout. You may be eating at a deficit, but when you workout intensely, you will drop even further below your BMR which isn't necessarily good.

I got to the point where I lost the point of my message. If you have any questions or want me to clarify something, please let me know! I know a lot of fancy words but if I can't even keep track of my post I can't very well use them now can I?

Thank you, I still have a lot to learn about calories and BMR, but I finally feel motivated to lose weight so I really am trying to learn how to watch calories. I used a BMR calculator and it says I have a BMR of 1954.

[Inkisitor Jester]

Iocked data

Brian Kush Flowerchild

Start with walking/jogging/biking. Take it as intense as you can reliably handle(be mindful of your heart rate). Do anything you help increase your daily activity, be it parking further away, taking more stairs, casual walks, etc etc etc. Everything counts at this point.

Do you know your BMR? You need to eat at a caloric loss of 500(lower is okay but loss will be slower) to no more than 1000 of your BMR. Consistency is key. Consistency is key.

Consistency
is
key.

That being said(consistency is key, I mean), you have to make small lifestyle changes that you will be able to keep. That means not going overboard and only trying to eat salad or some other "healthy" foods. Restricting certain foods can be helpful, like soda, excess alcohol, and fast food, but make your goals realistic and fitted to you. The only diet that will ever work is one you will stick to, and that means a lifestyle change. Enjoy your favorite dish every now and then. If you eat out just make sure not to eat too much. The biggest thing is calories in and calories out, worry about the types of foods when you are more comfortable with the changes and you become more knowledgeable. The only caveat is you want a good amount of protein to preserve lean tissue.

Also incorporate body weight exercises. This also falls under preserving lean body mass, but also helps to increase your caloric deficit. Don't forget to eat a little more(especially carbs) on days you workout. You may be eating at a deficit, but when you workout intensely, you will drop even further below your BMR which isn't necessarily good.

I got to the point where I lost the point of my message. If you have any questions or want me to clarify something, please let me know! I know a lot of fancy words but if I can't even keep track of my post I can't very well use them now can I?

Thank you, I still have a lot to learn about calories and BMR, but I finally feel motivated to lose weight so I really am trying to learn how to watch calories. I used a BMR calculator and it says I have a BMR of 1954.

just to add... is not necessarily eat "healthy" you just need to eat lean... more protein, carbs and low fat.
but if you just wanna lose weight the best think you can do is cardio, that will burn all the calories. if you dont know or get to know your BMR anorhter thing that you can do is eat well but reduce the calories intake (you can look for high protein/carb and low calories food). by reducing it you will start to use the bodies' energy reserves.
weight training WONT help you burn extra calories or burn fat as well as cardio. you will burn a bit cause you are using energy, but is not ideal to burn calories/fat; weight training is more to tone and make muscles grow

[Lonely Warrior22]

hm...tai chi could help

[Nemone]

I've heard jumping rope is not bad for brief spats of exercise. You can just do it for a bit and it gets your heart-rate up very fast. You can also do it alone with very little equipment in a small space. Just listen to some music while you do it so you don't get bored, or watch tv.

[m0c4a]

Brian Kush Flowerchild has the right idea! and to add on, I like to do my cardio workout in the morning. I wake up, drink half a bottle of water and get ready by putting on some comfy workout clothes and stretch for a good ten minutes or so.

I don't eat before I go out for a run since my stomach cramps if I do... But if you know that your body needs some sort of nutrition before a work out, then snack on something light.

I prefer doing my workouts in the morning because I get it done and I feel super awake throughout the rest of the day! annnnd if I wait until the afternoon, my motivation decreases by the minute haha redface

I also read something about working out first thing in the morning that helps you burn fat faster:
bloop

I just started trying this method out since I'm trying to get an awesome summer body for myself~

annnnd of course, start slow; it's better to take it slow at first so your body doesn't go into shock!
Hope this helps~

[Silverdream_Shadowcatcher]

My biggest advice is don't try to make yourself do something you don't like. If you find you like running, great. (I don't.) I prefer hiking. It works muscles differently, you get a pretty scene at the top of the hill/ mountain. It's almost always free.

Also, I cannot work out in the morning, or I sleep the rest of the day.

The biggest thing is to remember to make whatever changes you make sustainable. If you change your eating habits and you hate what you eat, then it is very unlikely to last. Also, remember to stretch if you are doing something like running, to help prevent injuries.

Swimming is really good, and not as bad on your joints.

Just some things to throw out there.

I do yoga in my house, practice Aikido a couple of times a week, and go for hikes at least once a week. And I have been seeing improvements because I have picked things I like to do, as opposed to things that people say I need to do. The results might be slower, but I enjoy my life and never dread working out.

Also, try to think of any changes in your diet as additions not subtractions. Don't say, "I'm cutting out bread rolls." Say, "I'm adding another serving of vegetables." It's not, "I have to give up soda." It is, "I'm going to drink more water."

Feeling like you are restricting yourself can cause you to rebel after a while and make things worse. Believe me, I know. 3nodding