I started at 230 on 6/18/03, now i am 185 as of today.


At 200 pounds, i exercised a lot!!, and saw my weight lose come to crawl, so i stopped exercising and havent exercised since.



Well, i definetly need to tone of up bad, but i am wondering if i should try to loose another 10-15 pounds and then work my ass off, or just start exercising now and hope i loose the excess fat that way.



*********warning, pic of my ugly ass*************

http://www.home.earthlink.net/~plugwires00/euw.jpg


constructive critisim? pointers? suggestions?

Dr. A said exercise is non negotiable so we should ALL be exercising. My advice is to start back now. Congratulations on your success so far. Way to go!

Hi CheM

Congratulations on your success so far. I would change your stats to reflect the loss by changing you middle and target figures.

I also would encourage you to get in your exercise programme now. The first time I went to the gym I put on 3 pounds. Some of this is fat being converted to muscle which is heavier and some is extra water. However, I now regularly exercise, see gym log, and am losing weight.

To tone up those muscles you need to do weight lifting exercises. These will really improve your body shape.

Continued success.

Definately exercise!!! I just posted this elsewhere, but the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism. Add some weight training and not only will you get the benefits of a faster metabolism, you will also be astounded at how your body shape changes and how toned you will look

L

when I did this and lost great I was working out 5 times a week once I lost my first 30lbs. Before that my doc said no heavy impact stuff cause he was worried about knee damage.
After I started the treadmill everyday and upper body one day and lower body weights the next my weight loss seemed to cut in half. At that point I hired a personal trainer. She explained to me that muscle weighs much much more than fat. And that with my intense workouts I was adding more muscle than the weight of the fat lost. At that time she started taking measurments and man they were fallling fast. I went from a 56 to a 52 inch waist in a matter of 2 months. From a 5x shirt to a 3 x shirt in the same amount of time. And I still weighed 350 at the time!! I had 6 straight weeks with no scale loss. Then a lb. 2 or 3 more weeks no scale loss the 3 lbs.
I cant wait to get to 350 again so I can hit that treadmill.

Exercising can help youlose weight, though the scale may not budge much. Upping the exercise will make you retain water for a period of time until your body is accustomed to it, just be sure to drink plenty of water. You will also gain muscle weight if you are eating adiquet protien. This means the scale might not move, but you will lose inches. That is why measuring is important. Benifits include

1. Muscle is more dense then fat, so a pound of muscle takes up less room then a pound of fat. This means two people who way the same could wear 2-3 sizes different.

2. Improved circulation. This means that you burn more calories even when sitting on your tush. It also helps improve the appearence of cellulite.

3. Increased bone density and strength. This can also lead to some added weight on the scale, though not a significant amount. What it can do though is help to prevent osteoprosis later in life, as well as help protect you from injury and broken bones.

5. Increased strength and endurance. It's nice to be able to jog to the bus stop in order to grab the bus and not feel out of breath, faint or dizzy.

6. Improved sleep. Exercise helps to get the body relaxed and can make sleep much easier.

7. Improved flexability. Again this really helps prevent your body from injuries. It also helps to take some of the stress off your joints in day to day life.

8. Improved mood and self confidence. Certain hormones and chemicals are released during exercise. This is why some people can become addicted to it. These hormones can help combat depression, and just give you a nice pick me up start to the day.

9. The one way to increase the number of carbs you will be able to handle on OWL and maintanance is through exercise. Someone who exercises regularly can have twice as many if not more carbs then someone who is sedentry. This means being able to add many more foods back into your menu, not having to watch every bite as closely, and be more able to handle the occasional treat once on maintanance.

CheM....

There is no doubt in my mind that EXERCISE is something that everyone needs to be doing. The best thing about exercise is that every pound of muscle you manage to add, requires 50 calories a day, just to be on your body, never mind to feed it if you use it! Since I've managed to gain about 12 pounds of muscle, that means 600 calories a day, to maintain that muscle.

When I started cycling this summer, I gained about 6 pounds without my clothing getting any tighter. At this point, the pounds are still there, but my clothing is actually looser than it was. What does this mean? It means that fat is going and muscles is increasing. Not just a theory...I can SEE the differences!

Marlaine

thanks a lot people, guess its time for me to start exercising, i hope i can still loose the extra pounds this way though.