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I can swear by this - I've lost almost forty pounds since New Year's by cutting out the danishes, making my own lunches, and going to the gym regularly for weig

I can swear by this - I've lost almost forty pounds since New Year's by cutting out the danishes, making my own lunches, and going to the gym regularly for weight lifting and cardio. The only thing I'd add - working out is time-consuming, and getting started at a gym is both hard and intimidating. Gyms themselves are counting on you to stop going - that's how they make their money. If you're having trouble getting started, consider saving up your money and getting a personal trainer for a few months. The personal trainer will teach you how to use the equipment properly, get you more comfortable around the gym, and, most importantly, will be so godawful expensive you won't shrug it off and not bother to go to the sessions - the pain of wasting all that money will be too much. Yes, I know this is silly - but I was getting chunkier and chunkier over the past couple of years and for me that was the only thing that worked. Personal willpower just wasn't getting it done.

jedc 16y ago
Well done! If personal willpower isn't getting it done, I'd suggest team sports. I got into rowing a few years ago, and it's been great. Basketball, soccer/football, tennis can be great sports for consistent quality workouts.
KirinDave 16y ago
40 lbs in less than 6 months represents a massive drop in your weight. Anytime you're losing more than 5lbs a month you're asking for trouble, especially when there isn't some kind of significant and readily identifiable reason for previous weight gain (e.g., hypothyroidism, limb injury, etc). While sudden drops of weightloss right at the start of a major lifestyle change are pretty normal, if you continue at this rate you should talk to your doctor.
- hugh3 16y ago
  I disagree. Anything up to 2 lb per week is a reasonably healthy rate of weight loss, especially if you're quite overweight to start with. Losing 40 lb in six months is both perfectly healthy and a damn good achievement.
  - KirinDave 16y ago
    I'm not saying it's not great, but it's not a sustainable rate of weight loss if your goal is to lose a lot of weight. When I cut soda from my diet I lost 10lbs in a month. In a month! And then it tailed off and I was depressed because I couldn't sustain it, I had unreasonable expectations. And if you're losing 2lbs a week for a very long period of time, it can be an indicator of underlying medical issues.
    - matwood 16y ago
      At some point though you shouldn't want to lose anymore weight. Unless you start out really overweight, simply losing weight shouldn't be the goal anyways. Lowering BF% is a much better goal that reflects your overall body composition. I'm 6' 1" and almost 200lbs and weight wise I could be considered overweight, but my BF% was 11% the last time I had it checked and I've since gotten leaner. In short, don't get depressed about the scale. Look in the mirror and keep making body composition changes.
    - unexpected 16y ago
      2 lbs is totally sustainable. I lost 80 lbs this way and have kept it off for two years. I would say 10 lbs a month is about average for someone who is motivated and losing weight.
    - greyboy 16y ago
      I have to disagree. Most doctors will agree that losing up to two pounds per week for a healthy adult is acceptable and normal during the course of intensive exercise. Much like matwood, I was ~205 at 6' with an athletic build. I wasn't overly fat, but hefty (ok, kinda fat). Running and working out six mornings/week and basketball in the evenings allowed me to drop 2 lbs/week, to a much leaner 165. Coincidentally, I had a doctor visit or two during that time and the doctors never expressed any concern over it. Fortunately, and I believe this generally for healthy adults, you will reach a plateau. I did so at 165 and never fell below that, even when I increased my running, lifting and other recreational activity.
    - jules 16y ago
- unperson 16y ago
  Are you a doctor or otherwise qualified to make the above assertion? Not trying to be confrontational, but very tired of continually seeing people spout information they read somewhere as if it was written-in-stone-fact, even though they have no expertise in the given field.
matwood 16y ago
First off, great job! Working out really doesn't take that long. Most studies have shown that a typical non-steroid using weight training session only needs to last 45 minutes to an hour. After that time period, unless you consuming calories during the session the results you can get drop off dramatically from diminishing returns. I agree that the biggest hurdle with people going to a gym is the intimidation factor. I'm in the gym 4 times/week and love seeing people who start and keep going. I want to tell them how awesome it is that they are doing it, but am never sure if that's the right thing to do some stranger lol. If you can afford it the personal trainer is a great idea. The only problem is that many PTs plain out suck. I would try to do a session with one before committing to anything long term with a particular person. There are personality and knowledge factors that as a client you want to find out early. Your story is also very common and is why a friend of mine is opening a gym that will cater to people who need a PT and are generally intimidated about the process. Obviously it will be a smaller niche gym, but I think it will work out pretty well.
- gyardley 16y ago
  Your advice here is good. You might want to quietly watch a few trainers in action, if you can do so unobtrusively - I did, and it helped. I picked a female trainer over a male trainer because I saw a few of the male trainers at my gym barking drill-sergeant-style, and I knew I'd react poorly to that. As for the complements to a stranger, I did have a couple of random people at the gym say 'you've been working your ass off' or 'you've lost a lot of weight' in a non-creepy way when I was in line at the juice bar and I definitely appreciated it. But everyone's different.
  - matwood 16y ago
    You picked a trainer the right way. If you know what you need to be pushed and motivated then look for that in a trainer. They each have their own styles and personalities just like anyone else. When it comes to random complements it's really me projecting my anti-social tendency while at the gym. I'm there for one reason and it's to work out. I put headphones and generally don't talk or interact with anyone the entire time I'm there. I guess if the opportunity presents itself I'll try and offer a complement in a non-creep way :)
rsheridan6 16y ago
I've taken to printing out something I was going to read anyway (like lecture notes) and reading it on the treadmill while brisk walking at 4.5 mph or so. Going to the gym isn't time consuming anymore - I just get two things done instead of one. Obviously that wouldn't work for real running or weightlifting, but it's better than no exercise (which is what I was doing).

jedc 16y ago

Well done! If personal willpower isn't getting it done, I'd suggest team sports. I got into rowing a few years ago, and it's been great. Basketball, soccer/football, tennis can be great sports for consistent quality workouts.

KirinDave 16y ago

40 lbs in less than 6 months represents a massive drop in your weight. Anytime you're losing more than 5lbs a month you're asking for trouble, especially when there isn't some kind of significant and readily identifiable reason for previous weight gain (e.g., hypothyroidism, limb injury, etc). While sudden drops of weightloss right at the start of a major lifestyle change are pretty normal, if you continue at this rate you should talk to your doctor.

hugh3 16y ago
I disagree. Anything up to 2 lb per week is a reasonably healthy rate of weight loss, especially if you're quite overweight to start with. Losing 40 lb in six months is both perfectly healthy and a damn good achievement.
- KirinDave 16y ago
  I'm not saying it's not great, but it's not a sustainable rate of weight loss if your goal is to lose a lot of weight. When I cut soda from my diet I lost 10lbs in a month. In a month! And then it tailed off and I was depressed because I couldn't sustain it, I had unreasonable expectations. And if you're losing 2lbs a week for a very long period of time, it can be an indicator of underlying medical issues.
  - matwood 16y ago
    At some point though you shouldn't want to lose anymore weight. Unless you start out really overweight, simply losing weight shouldn't be the goal anyways. Lowering BF% is a much better goal that reflects your overall body composition. I'm 6' 1" and almost 200lbs and weight wise I could be considered overweight, but my BF% was 11% the last time I had it checked and I've since gotten leaner. In short, don't get depressed about the scale. Look in the mirror and keep making body composition changes.
  - unexpected 16y ago
    2 lbs is totally sustainable. I lost 80 lbs this way and have kept it off for two years. I would say 10 lbs a month is about average for someone who is motivated and losing weight.
  - greyboy 16y ago
    I have to disagree. Most doctors will agree that losing up to two pounds per week for a healthy adult is acceptable and normal during the course of intensive exercise. Much like matwood, I was ~205 at 6' with an athletic build. I wasn't overly fat, but hefty (ok, kinda fat). Running and working out six mornings/week and basketball in the evenings allowed me to drop 2 lbs/week, to a much leaner 165. Coincidentally, I had a doctor visit or two during that time and the doctors never expressed any concern over it. Fortunately, and I believe this generally for healthy adults, you will reach a plateau. I did so at 165 and never fell below that, even when I increased my running, lifting and other recreational activity.
  - jules 16y ago
unperson 16y ago
Are you a doctor or otherwise qualified to make the above assertion? Not trying to be confrontational, but very tired of continually seeing people spout information they read somewhere as if it was written-in-stone-fact, even though they have no expertise in the given field.

matwood 16y ago

First off, great job! Working out really doesn't take that long. Most studies have shown that a typical non-steroid using weight training session only needs to last 45 minutes to an hour. After that time period, unless you consuming calories during the session the results you can get drop off dramatically from diminishing returns. I agree that the biggest hurdle with people going to a gym is the intimidation factor. I'm in the gym 4 times/week and love seeing people who start and keep going. I want to tell them how awesome it is that they are doing it, but am never sure if that's the right thing to do some stranger lol. If you can afford it the personal trainer is a great idea. The only problem is that many PTs plain out suck. I would try to do a session with one before committing to anything long term with a particular person. There are personality and knowledge factors that as a client you want to find out early. Your story is also very common and is why a friend of mine is opening a gym that will cater to people who need a PT and are generally intimidated about the process. Obviously it will be a smaller niche gym, but I think it will work out pretty well.

gyardley 16y ago
Your advice here is good. You might want to quietly watch a few trainers in action, if you can do so unobtrusively - I did, and it helped. I picked a female trainer over a male trainer because I saw a few of the male trainers at my gym barking drill-sergeant-style, and I knew I'd react poorly to that. As for the complements to a stranger, I did have a couple of random people at the gym say 'you've been working your ass off' or 'you've lost a lot of weight' in a non-creepy way when I was in line at the juice bar and I definitely appreciated it. But everyone's different.
- matwood 16y ago
  You picked a trainer the right way. If you know what you need to be pushed and motivated then look for that in a trainer. They each have their own styles and personalities just like anyone else. When it comes to random complements it's really me projecting my anti-social tendency while at the gym. I'm there for one reason and it's to work out. I put headphones and generally don't talk or interact with anyone the entire time I'm there. I guess if the opportunity presents itself I'll try and offer a complement in a non-creep way :)

rsheridan6 16y ago

I've taken to printing out something I was going to read anyway (like lecture notes) and reading it on the treadmill while brisk walking at 4.5 mph or so. Going to the gym isn't time consuming anymore - I just get two things done instead of one. Obviously that wouldn't work for real running or weightlifting, but it's better than no exercise (which is what I was doing).