Weight loss help!

Best thing that helped me was doing it with someone else (a few people actually) and having measurable goals and progress (ie, charting heart rates, calories burned, calories consumed, daily weigh-ins).  I never paid a cent besides the $240 my elliptical cost.

 Unfortunately I lack the friends to work out with. Hmm I must buy a scale thou. Lol.

I found a site that helps me track the daily calories so hopefully that will help.  How would I chart heart rates? Is that when I'm working out? 

oranges81

I found a site that helps me track the daily calories so hopefully that will help.  How would I chart heart rates? Is that when I'm working out? 

I do it the old fashioned way - find my pulse and then count it for one minute.  I have some sites I used that tell me what rates I should fall between depending on what my goals are.  I started checking my heart rate when the display panel on my elliptical died and I was too lazy to take it apart to replace the battery.  I take my heart rate about halfway into the work out to see if I'm working hard enough.  You can buy heart rate monitors, even ones that upload data to a computer program.

Kewl! Thanks!  I might buy a monitor later on but for now I'll just do it the old fashioned way. I finally had to take a first aid course to find the proper spots cuz no one could find my pulse so they all thought I was dead.  

oranges81

Hmm I must buy a scale thou. Lol.

NNOOOOOOOO!!!!!!  Not a SCALE!!!  Argh!!

Horrible things.  I wish to burn every last one of them.  

Seriously, don't weigh yourself every day.  Weekly max.  Your weight fluctuates all the time.  Just something as simple as weighing yourself before you've *ahem* "been" that day will get you all depressed. 

Yes scales are EVIL!

Infact I don't even own one at all so I can't even weigh in weekly. Lol.  I'm thinking of just buying a basic one from the drugstore and keeping it in the bathroom closet until "Weigh In" day. Lol. Out of sight, Out of mind I guess.

I just signed up for WW, trying to lose 41lbs.
I just write EVERYTHING I put in my mouth down, and try to exercise more, even it it just means walking 30 minutes longer than I normally would.

I would do weekly weigh-ins, so you can see your progress, exercise, and write EVERYTHING you eat down (even "bites" of other peoples foods- you'd be surprised how that adds up!). You can join the WW forum for free, too, just so you can get tips and great recipes.

I'm the total opposite of Chuffy.  I weigh myself 3 times a day, no joke.  I don't stress about it either, I just need to know *exactly* where I am.  There's no bad/good, just numbers that I record and analyze.  Knowing exactly where I am helps me learn what foods have what affect, not so much calorie-wise, but sometimes I eat something and feel very bloated and instantly gain 3 lbs.  Also certain times of the month my weight really fluctuates.  I like to know these things, so if I ever switched to weekly weigh-ins, weighed myself the day my period starts and somehow weighed 3lbs MORE I would know not to panic (b/c I'm already sensitive and emotional on that day, lol!).

 I guess it depends on the person I think for my self, I'd have to weigh every couple days but I'm not sure. Just got back from an hour long walk with Maze. So now she's cuddled up with her giant octopus asleep on the bed. Lol .Must remember to get batteries.

I was able to get ahold of a pedometer so I can start tracking that. I am curious how much I walk during a day.   

 I've found the FitDay website extremely helpful (www.fitday.com).  You can track exactly what you eat, and it creates all these charts that break down your food habits for you.  It also tracks your exercise, and you can make goals and plans on it.  Plus it's free!

Seeing what you're eating in black and white is pretty motivating.  The charts on FitDay have actually helped me immensely in watching what I eat, because I loathe adding ingredients that tip the Fats side of the charts.   It's also useful, because you have to view the caloric content of each food if you add it.  It's how I learned which fruits and veggies were better than others.

As for weighing yourself, I bet the rec center you're thinking about going to might have a scale in the locker room...then weigh-ins could be free, if you wanted.  I too, am an advocate of weighing yourself at most every couple days, but that's mostly a personal preference.  I get absolutely manic if I weigh myself every day, which can sometimes hinder my self-esteem in the progress of weight loss.  But to each her own.

Good luck! 

I found a site called SparkPeople.com and it's kinda neat. It states daily and weekly goals so I can see how much over I am or under.

I'm not sure about the scale in the rec center. I'll have to take a look.