Am i a lost cause?

Question

I am 20 stone in weight, don't like fruit and vegetables or salads, can't walk far because of a dicky ankle and i wont be seen dead in a swimming costume........

How can i lose weight/get fit and feel more confident.......

Answer 1

Get a cross trainer (see the link), it'll exercise every part of your body in a 'non impact' way.
You could also get an exercise bike (or a real one).

You could also consider getting an ankle support bandage and walking with a stick to aid your ankle.

You should also look at how you prepare your food, stop frying food and grill it instead (those George foreman grilling machines are very good). Cutting out snack food and alcohol would also help a lot.

You should also make sure that you drink plenty of water.

Answer 2

It is a catch 22 situation - you'd feel more confident if you could lose even a bit of weight, but you dont have the confidence to start. No matter what is someone wants to do, confidence is the key to most doors.

Would you consider Weight watchers or some other group? You'll find you're not the only one and the comraderie would be a boost to your self esteem and will power. You'll also find recipes for fruit and veg and that take it beyond just plain old fruit and veg.

Paul McKenna has a hypnosis CD that seems to get rave reviews. Half an hour every day of letting the subconscious take over might be a start to the mind over matter block.

As for swimming - it would be the best for you as there would be no pressure on your ankle. See if there a time with a local pool outwith public times. The pool beside me runs a ladies only time so less pressure about being seen. Once you do it a few times you will realise how little others are looking at you. Aqua aerobics are great for non weight bearing exercise. That's my opinion though - not professional! You should get to the doctor and explain your position. I am sure you will find lots of support out there.
Good luck.

Answer 3

You need to build up ur inner confidence about urself first and whilst doing this do gentle exercises on ur bad ankle - after about a week start by walking a short distance maybe a 5 - 10 minute walk 3 times a day then slowly build up to a power walk of 30 minutes a day, then after you have some more strength on your ankle try cycling and like some of the others said swimming. There are also loads of ways to disguise fruit like blending them together to make smoothies. But overall with the fruit and veg situation it is probably not that you dont like them just that you are so used to eat rubbish foods that you are not used to them anymore. Don't buy lunch when you go to work not only is it a waste of money but most food that you buy during a working day is a quick snack that is full of crap so find some recipes online and do it yourself at home at least then you will know what is going into your food.
I am finding it hard to lose a stone but i am pushing myself to go to the gym.
I hope all the above helps and let me know how u get on and remember every pound u lose towards ur target weight (which shouldnt be ridiculously low) is a big achievment as it shows you are building a foundation for the future.
Also sorry to harp on but remember low fat isn't always the best way to go as there is always a BIG load of carbohydrates to bite you in the *** - so be careful with that. x
Take care of urself. x x x

Answer 4

First of all, you are NEVER a lost cause!

Secondly you need to focus on you as a person rather than your weight. I am shocked that every answer here is focusing on how to lose weight rather than on you as an individual....has anyone ever watched Shallow Hal?!

You seem to have your priorities wrong...you are very negative in your question. The most important thing is to be positive in life no matter what problems you have. Your issues with your weight are most likely a side factor of an underlying problem and indicates that you are far from happy with yourself as a person, not just your weight.

I personally would recommend starting to build your self-esteem before anything else - after all you can still be depressed when you are size 10! Don't think that losing weight will solve your problems or neccessarily make you feel better about yourself! So get a hobby, get out and make friends, who cares really what you look like at the end of the day? When you are happy with yourself you will find that you lose weight naturally!

Regarding wearing a swimming costume....so what if you feel self-conscious, we all do!!! You have to stop focusing on the negative aspects! If you feel so bad, go swimming early in the morning or late at night when there are less people around. Going with a friend or relative also helps because you feel the focus is less on yourself.

If you have problems with your ankle, you don't need to walk far to get exercise. Just walk a small amount every day...walk to the shop, take the dog for a walk (if you have one!), a short, 20-30 minute walk every day will bring great benefits to you - even a little exercise is a great mood-booster as well as being good physically!

Finally, food. Don't drastically try and diet! Take things slowly. Reduce the size of your portions. Keep a note of what you eat to make yourself aware of what exactly you are eating. Don't banish 'goodies', just reduce the size or amount of them. For instance eat a 'snack-size' chocolate bar instead of a normal bar. Or have just one biscuit then stop...don't keep eating them!! It will also make you enjoy the ones you have better!!

There are other ways of taking in your 'five a day' than just eating fruit, vegetables or salads. Try fruit smoothies for instance, they are delicious, healthy and refreshing. Try your hand at cooking a few different dishes, have a stirfry, roast some vegetables 'medditeranean' style, make a soup (puree it if you don't like vegetable lumps in it!!), make a vegetarian lasagne - having friends around for dinner is always a good chance to experiment with different foods and makes for an enjoyable, relaxed time. Even drinking fruit juice can count as a portion of fruit or veg!!

Finally, in summing up....be happy in yourself! This is first and foremost the most important thing. Be grateful for what you do have compared to other people. Enjoy life....and the rest will follow!

Answer 5

First off, how did you get to 20 stone? Think about the reasons and start to get rid of those factors in your life. If it's depression, get some therapy. If you comfort eat, ask yourself why and what's more important, your health or hanging on to negative feelings forever? Get an exercise bike if you don't want to go out yet and do try swimming for the sake of your ankle. You obviously consume far more calories than you need. You don't have to go straight onto all fruit and veg and salads but you obviously need to cut down the number of calories you are consuming. Take a serious look at your diet and the reasons why you eat like that. Believe me, even if you lose a stone, you will feel so changed that you will feel much better about going to the bath. There's a woman at my gym that's 32 stone and everybody thinks well good for her, she's working harder than we are. Honestly, nobody could care less these days if you're big.

Answer 6

you need to train your taste buds to accept and like vegetables, fruit and salads. This is very important for your health. Also buy a gym ball you can do all sorts of exercises on these balls without having to worry about your ankle - which will probably become less dicky once you loose a bit of weight. you can do sit ups lunges, squats - buy the ball with a video and some light weights........

Try to eat a points based diet like weight watchers or slimming world. If you want to help your self you may have to eat foods you don't like so much. Think of the end result.

Good luck - and don't be food negative.

Answer 7

You gotta GIVE a bit to GET a bit. Put the swimming costume on. I'm a lifeguard, I see all sorts of shapes and sizes at my pool, and I think "Good on you, for taking some exercise". Cycling is low impact too remember.
As for not liking fruit, veg, salads, I don't believe you! How many varieties are there? Hundreds. Make it your mission to find the ones you like. Pursevere with the ones you're not keen on - they can be eaten in a variety of ways and that changes the taste. Boiled, raw, roasted, grilled....
Get very interested if food. Buy recipe books or look on the BBC Recipes website and plan what delicious things to eat every day. Losing weight is not about only eating salads, it's mostly about NOT eating takeaways, processed foods, and pre-packaged rubbish.
The world's your oyster. Get excited!! And good luck.

Answer 8

You probably have a dicky ankle because of all the extra weight it is having to bear. I'm sorry but you need to learn to like fruit and vegetables and salads if you want a healthy balanced diet, you can get even children to like them if you present them to them a number of times over a period so try putting something on your plate and trying it 3/4 times before you can really say you dislike it. Use spices and herbs to make food more interesting. If you have been eating junk food over a long period your palette will need retraining to appreciate natural and less sweet foods, don't expect it to happen over night, it requires effort and determination on your part. Make fruit smoothies or blend vegetables into soups and sauces if its the lumps you don't like- go buy a healthy eating cook book with lovely photos for inspiration and set yourself a task of trying one new recipe a week, and buying a new fruit or vegetable every time you visit the supermarket- search the internet for ways to use it if you are not sure. You do need exercise too, go see your doctor if your ankle is really painful, he will be able to advise and support you in the best programme to follow- I am sure he would be pleased to see you are seriously interested in losing weight. Don't beat yourself up if you mess up- you're trying to create a healthy lifestyle for yourself and this should include most things in moderation, although you might find you need to completely cut out particular 'trigger' foods of which you really can't get enough, at least for a while. This will require perseverence and will take time but I wish you the best of luck, and a healthy body and happy mind!

Answer 9

I was a bit overweight and lost a stone last year. No exercise. Forget about exercise, fancy diets, workout DVDs etc. they're only there for people to make money out of you. The solution is very simple, you want to loose weight, eat less (much less). Nothing will help if you overeat. Starving yourself is definitely not the answer but a mild feeling of hunger should be more enjoyable than eating a chocolate. Think about the result not the 2 minutes of sweet taste and only when you bring yourself to that state of mind you'll succeed.

Answer 10

You are not a lost cause. Don't get overly concerned about your weight. Think more about being healthy and looking good. Diet is extremely important. To slim your body you must:

Burn more calories than you eat.

Cut your fat intake.

Eat three cups of fat free low cal yogurt a day (make sure it has live cultures in it). This helps you break down your food.

Do 45-60 min. of aerobic exercise a day (preferably before you eat in the morning). This will attack the fat. Cycling or getting on a glider may be a good choice.

Do 20 min of weight training three times a week. This will build lean muscle which will in turn burn fat.

I lost 40 lbs in two months and have kept it off for two more months doing this. I also took my body fat % from 30% to 14%

Be Blessed

Answer 11

U need to change your attitude towards yourself .... u are putting obstacles in the way before u even make an effort .....
there is no quick fix ... its all about eating healthy and exercise .... u dont need to walk far to get some exercise just walk as much as u can ..... if u dont like fruit or veg u can still eat healthier ... no crips chocolate biscuits pastries etc .... go to your Dr's and ask to see a dietitian who can help u work out a plan ...
and as far as the swimming goes just put your costume on and go for it ... no one will be looking at u!
Life is for living go out there and do something to help yourself !!
Good Luck !