Weight Loss Exercising

Exercise will not do much if anything. That is if you do not change your type of food and how much you eat.

Plus if you are eating three meals a day, i would cut back to two meal a day without eating in between.

Find a diet that you can live with and stick with it. What works for me is low carb diets. As far as exercise, I also have a hard time with it. What helps me is an activity that I find enjoyable and that way it doesn't seem like exercise. For me that is hiking and Ping Pong. You will need to start cooking more and avoid fast foods. It will be cheaper too. Your cooking class idea sounds like a good plan.

Finding exercise that you enjoy is crucial. Few people manage to stick with something they hate.

Consider adding a second source of exercise. Even something you enjoy can get stale. Even just driving to somewhere different to walk can help keep it from getting stale. Or beachcombing, birdwatching or something else that adds something to walking.

On the cooking end think about things where you can make up enough for 3 or 4 meals and freeze or refrigerate what is left over. OK, I go wild in that sense and make up 20 plus servings of curry at once and occasionally smoke a ham and then freeze several meals worth in gallon bags. Having something you can do quickly can help a lot in resisting the temptation for fast food when you are just too tired.

Finally think about which fast foods are least bad. Grilled chicken is going to be a lot less bad for you than fried chicken. Some things in the frozzen food aisle at the supermarket are reasonably healthy.

I made a lengthy post recently you may find edifying.

In my experience sustainable weight loss is usually the result of painful experiences or resolution that brings the person to the breaking point. In both instances there's a sense of finality. An enough is enough that drives them. Something broke and the only way forward is change. There's no going back.

It's possible to lose weight without doing that. But keeping it off is difficult and the majority gain it back or spend their lives yo-yo-yoing. When the conscience is awakened and you confront the audacity of your condition. The alertness that forces you to see yourself and recognize the carnage. The scales fall way and the truth is jarring. What have I done?

Until you obliterate the mindset that permitted and sustained the sabotage you'll rely on gimmicks. Pills, surgeries, fad diets and so on. Because the problem isn't the belly. That's the end result of your warfare. It isn't the cause. You can't destroy yourself without corroboration. There must be a lulling to repress preservation. The will to live we possess.

The mind and heart are working in tandem to enable it. You don't wake up one day and decide to gain 200 pounds or more. Nor are you oblivious to its ascent. The diet isn't your enemy nor is the lack of exercise. It's the gatekeeper you have to destroy. That's the mastermind.

Food is the mechanism for your undoing. For another it's alcohol, drugs, sex, etc. It's all the same. The common denominator in all self-destructive acts is an absence of love. Why didn't I love myself enough to stop? Where was my fighting spirit?

When you pull back the layers and see the behavior for what it is. Not the psychobabble or medical nonsense that justifies your inaction. You'll get mad. You'll stir things up and reclaim yourself. The will to live will fuel you and exceed all aids. And you're back in the drivers seat.

The sway it once held will be no more. Because it's killing you. Robbing your vitality and liveliness. Why would you help?

Love is the key. I'm not referencing ego. It's genuine regard. The thing that makes you say this is hurting me. The push that helps you act in high and low moments. The knowledge of your worthiness and beauty. Without it in tow you're susceptible to the world's machinations.

Resolve and love work in tandem. That's how boundaries are formed. You hold yourself in check because excess is detrimental. And you want more. You're not done. There's lot to see and do. Defeat breeds resignation and the cessation of limits. The line keeps moving.

When life is worth living we make the most of it. We're no longer asleep. We're active participants.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Begin with prayer. Let the Lord heal and restore you and relinquish the hurt. Surrender your body to God and ask for His directives and do what He says.

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

~bella

HoneyBee said:

Hello everyone,

I'm diagnosed as being pre-diabetic and having Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). I'm also in the obese weight category, unfortunately so my doctor put me on this medication called Wegovy. It's expensive and something that I don't want to be on forever. The problem is that if I stop the Wegovy, I will end up getting my hunger back, so in order for this to work long-term, I'll need to make big lifestyle changes. This means I'll have to stop eating fast food so often, learn to cook for myself, and exercise more. My only problem? I get overwhelmed by the need to cook for myself and I hate exercising for the most part. For this reason, I've hardly lost any weight within the past two months. Well I want to change that because if I don't, my discouragement will end up leading to depression, which will mean an increase of my mental health medications and more of a likelihood that I will put on more weight.

So where do I begin? Well... one idea that I have is that I could take a cooking class at one of the local schools in town. Another idea is that I could start doing an easy and accessible exercise that I actually might enjoy. The idea I have for exercising is walking. Walking is affordable, easy, and accessible to do, plus it helps with cardiovascular health. I don't know why, but I specifically want to be "heart healthy" moving forward. So I'm going to do my best to start walking more. There's actually a "Lord of the Rings" themed walking program going on with my local library right now. The farther you walk, the more commemorative badges you get. I'm a sucker for turning chores into games in order to trick my brain into doing things, so I think I'm going to try and partake in this activity. I've got the time and the access to walking spaces. I just need to motivate myself to get off the couch and actually walk. It's the motivation that's the biggest hurdle, both with eating right and exercising. But if I exercise my willpower and motivation, I think that I might actually have an easier time getting things done. It could become a routine for me if I only give myself the chance.

Any thoughts on this? Or does anyone have any other ideas on things I could do to exercise or keep myself healthy? Mind you, I'm not looking for medical advice. Just general thoughts and opinions.

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I used to be pre-diabetic too but got healed with guidance from the Holy Spirit to do some lifestyle changes.

I'm already physically active and exercise everyday. However, I still needed to do more work on my diet. There are ways to control your hunger without Wegovy by switching to a diet of certain foods that help reduce hunger / keep you satiated for longer. These foods have one thing in common is they have low Glycemic Index. Meaning their carbs / calories are much harder to digest and takes longer to get to the blood. They won't spike your blood sugar or less likely to do so. Whole grain foods for example, breads and cakes baked with whole grain flour.

You can search and find out what other foods have low glycemic index. Avoid sweeteners. Sugars are at the top of glycemic index that that's bad. Use zero-calorie drinks between meals like tea or black coffee with no sweetener so you don't feel too hungry and reach for a snack. Maybe switch to decaf coffee to avoid too much caffeine. Or even drink salted water.

While exercise will always be part of healthy lifestyle, it can also increase your appetite this is why exercising for weight loss needs to be paired with dietary adjustments as well like eating low glycemic foods only, avoiding sweeteners / sugar, etc. You need to burn more calories in exercise than you get into your body.

What else...Even healthy foods can be bad if you overeat on them. Since you will be cooking your meals, try not to make your healthy foods too delicious! I'm not kidding! Delicious meals stimulate the pleasure-center of the brain and can give you cravings similar to hunger even if your brain is not getting any hunger signals.

Less delicious meals on the other-hand will make you satiated with less and suppress hunger for longer. It's one reason why obesity is a big problem in the western world and particularly in America. Not entirely the fault of fast food but in deliciously-prepared meals, fast food or not!. People are over-eating healthy foods and that's just as bad as eating fast food!

HoneyBee said:

Hello everyone,

I'm diagnosed as being pre-diabetic and having Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). I'm also in the obese weight category, unfortunately so my doctor put me on this medication called Wegovy. It's expensive and something that I don't want to be on forever. The problem is that if I stop the Wegovy, I will end up getting my hunger back, so in order for this to work long-term, I'll need to make big lifestyle changes. This means I'll have to stop eating fast food so often, learn to cook for myself, and exercise more. My only problem? I get overwhelmed by the need to cook for myself and I hate exercising for the most part. For this reason, I've hardly lost any weight within the past two months. Well I want to change that because if I don't, my discouragement will end up leading to depression, which will mean an increase of my mental health medications and more of a likelihood that I will put on more weight.

So where do I begin? Well... one idea that I have is that I could take a cooking class at one of the local schools in town. Another idea is that I could start doing an easy and accessible exercise that I actually might enjoy. The idea I have for exercising is walking. Walking is affordable, easy, and accessible to do, plus it helps with cardiovascular health. I don't know why, but I specifically want to be "heart healthy" moving forward. So I'm going to do my best to start walking more. There's actually a "Lord of the Rings" themed walking program going on with my local library right now. The farther you walk, the more commemorative badges you get. I'm a sucker for turning chores into games in order to trick my brain into doing things, so I think I'm going to try and partake in this activity. I've got the time and the access to walking spaces. I just need to motivate myself to get off the couch and actually walk. It's the motivation that's the biggest hurdle, both with eating right and exercising. But if I exercise my willpower and motivation, I think that I might actually have an easier time getting things done. It could become a routine for me if I only give myself the chance.

Any thoughts on this? Or does anyone have any other ideas on things I could do to exercise or keep myself healthy? Mind you, I'm not looking for medical advice. Just general thoughts and opinions.

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There is absolutely no way an exercise will make the excessive intake of calories even. Its needed to do hours of intensive physical activity (like running) to burn calories from one burger, juice or a cola drink.

Exercise is needed for cardiovascular health, strength, bone density and as anti-aging agent, but its not suitable for loosing weight.

Cooking should be simple and quick. Keep it as similar to "hunters and gatherers" diet as possible. If you need to be taught some complex cooking, its probably not healthy, anyway. Basically, you should not need anything more than simply boiling things in water.

Regarding obesity, try the circadian rhythm - eat and stop eating (eating window) in the same time every day. The eating window needs to be 12 hours or less. This will give chance to your body to set the inner clock of eating/repairing cycle and to finish all needed processes. Also, go to sleep and wake up every day in the same time. It will create order and balance in your body and will help with mental health, too.

Though what you eat is important, when you eat (and when you stop eating) seems to be even more important, according to current science.

You can message me for more details.

myst33 said:

There is absolutely no way an exercise will make the excessive intake of calories even. Its needed to do hours of intensive physical activity (like running) to burn calories from one burger, juice or a cola drink.

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Burger sandwich is 311 calories, Coke in can is 139 calories. I can burn about 1,700 calories in almost 3 hrs of bicycle ride at moderate intensity.

To burn just the calories of burger sandwich + Coke, I can do in only 48 minutes riding a bicycle (indoor, stationary bike or riding an actual bicycle outdoors on the road).

Additionally, you don't just burn extra calories during exercise but also during the few hours after the exercise sessions are over also called "EPOC" or "Afterburn". For long workout sessions like a 3 hr bicycle ride, you may benefit from EPOC up to 24 hrs of elevated calorie burn.

I was able to drop my weight to borderline underweight from exercise alone, without dieting. There maybe other factors involved but my point is, you can do it with exercise alone, especially with exercises that are of cardio workouts in nature like running, jogging, cycling, and brisk walking.

But for best results, you must also combine it with dieting.

Cooking should be simple and quick. Keep it as similar to "hunters and gatherers" diet as possible. If you need to be taught some complex cooking, its probably not healthy, anyway. Basically, you should not need anything more than simply boiling things in water.

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I agree. The problem with Western / American cooking is treating food like a recreational drug. Making meals as delicious and pleasurable to eat as possible. "Living to eat" mentality, instead of "eating to live". So they over eat and over eating on healthy foods is just as bad as eating fast food.

It's no longer hunger hormones driving you to eat but dopamine levels in the brain craving for more pleasure, than just satiating hunger.

timewerx said:

Burger sandwich is 311 calories, Coke in can is 139 calories. I can burn about 1,700 calories in almost 3 hrs of bicycle ride at moderate intensity.

To burn just the calories of burger sandwich + Coke, I can do in only 48 minutes riding a bicycle (indoor, stationary bike or riding an actual bicycle outdoors on the road).

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You will need 1 hour of hiking to burn just your tiny can coke and your very healthy version of a burger:

And circa 1 hour of a moderate physical activity a day is probably the most many people can sustainably do.

If you will regularly buy a fastfood version, together with enormous coke they sell together with it, you will have no chance to exercise it out in a sustainable way.

One thing is if you are slim and buy a tiny can of coke, another thing is that obese people drink several liters of coke daily, together with plenty of sweets, fried meal, sauces, cheese, pastry, rolls, pizzas etc. Exercise will not help them to even it, its impossible. Every one of these things would require to add more and more hours of physical activity, many more than there are hours in a day.

Another important thing to consider is that not all calories are created equal. If you will drink a coke with 50 grams of sugar in it, you will feel so sleepy and it will halt so many important processes in your body (because quick sugars are basically a poison) that there is no chance you will want to do a physical activity afterwards. It will be much different if you will get those calories from healthy fats, for example.

While I haven't read Wheat Belly I can confirm that removing modern wheat from your diet will result in weight loss. It's been modified and doesn't have the same nutritional value found in ancient grains like einkorn, spelt, rye, buckwheat, and so on.

We made the switch last year and my metabolism responded immediately. I started losing weight and burning fat and still am. But I didn't alter anything else. Now I'm making sourdough to heighten the benefit of bread and baked items.

What you eat is foremost. When you eat good food--and by good I mean well grown--the body requires less for satiation. It's more filling and healthier too. Giving up refined foods and flours will yield big results. The less processed food you eat the lower the caloric base.

Preparation wise, check out the homesteaders on YouTube. They follow the season and share simple dishes that are tasty and quick. Marinades are great for added flavor. Your pantry should reflect your lifestyle. Don't invest in a lot of ingredients you'll never use. Master the basics and make your favorite items at home. Like jams and condiments. They taste better and they're less fattening.

Learn how to meal prep and get an Instant Pot to speed things up. You can knock out a few meals easily with a little effort. Meal planning is your friend. There's some work initially. But the less you think about what's for dinner the less likely you'll turn to takeout.

This is a great read and you may want to check it out. I adopted a French approach years ago and I'm disease free. Much like them I focus on quality (whole foods), quantity (portion control) and seasonality. Food is at its best in its season and less expensive. You don't have to do a lot when you start with good ingredients.

~bella

myst33 said:

another thing is that obese people drink several liters of coke daily, together with plenty of sweets, fried meal, sauces, cheese, pastry, rolls, pizzas etc.

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Yeah that is bad. Eliminating sweets, including pastry and soda pop from diet would be good place to start. That's how I got started. Those foods will make you hungry all the time making you over eat.

I've never been overweight, not even close but I had to switch to healthier foods + exercise due to symptoms of hypertension, heart problems, and pre-diabetes. I lost 20% of my original body weight in the process even despite continuing to have other high Glycemic Index foods in my diet like white rice, sugar, and sometimes whole wheat bread. In fact, I'm now borderline underweight.

timewerx said:

Yeah that is bad. Eliminating sweets, including pastry and soda pop from diet would be good place to start. That's how I got started. Those foods will make you hungry all the time making you over eat.

I've never been overweight, not even close but I had to switch to healthier foods + exercise due to symptoms of hypertension, heart problems, and pre-diabetes. I lost 20% of my original body weight in the process even despite continuing to have other high Glycemic Index foods in my diet like white rice, sugar, and sometimes whole wheat bread. In fact, I'm now borderline underweight.

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More fruit can be a bit healthier way to gain some weight... Not from fruit as such, but fruit signals to our body that winter is coming, so it should make some reserves.
If you have enough of healthy fats and protein in your diet, it should work. But rice, sugar and wheat are not too healthy nor nutritious.

Remember to supplement protein (for example pea protein), collagen and similar things, if you exercise a lot. Exercising is damaging the body, so we must provide all that is needed for repairs.

You may also try to supplement creatine and TMG for gaining more muscle mass.

Another thing to remember is that after exercise, your body needs enough time for regeneration - rest days and good sleep. Without enough of nutrition, supplementation, rest days and good sleep, an intensive exercise will do more harm than good.

myst33 said:

More fruit can be a bit healthier way to gain some weight... Not from fruit as such, but fruit signals to our body that winter is coming, so it should make some reserves.
If you have enough of healthy fats and protein in your diet, it should work. But rice, sugar and wheat are not too healthy nor nutritious.

Remember to supplement protein (for example pea protein), collagen and similar things, if you exercise a lot. Exercising is damaging the body, so we must provide all that is needed for repairs.

You may also try to supplement creatine and TMG for gaining more muscle mass.

Another thing to remember is that after exercise, your body needs enough time for regeneration - rest days and good sleep. Without enough of nutrition, supplementation, rest days and good sleep, an intensive exercise will do more harm than good.

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I'm deliberately keeping underweight to keep cool and comfortable without using A/C nor using fan in the hot and humid temperatures and we're now getting 90 to 105 F heat index during the day.

I get optimal protein and calcium+Vit D in my diet from milk, veggies, meat, and raw cacao and daily exposure to the sun so no need for supplements. I carefully structure my weekly workouts to have enough recovery, sleep, and avoid loss of muscular strength and monitor my progress to see that I'm actually gaining strength, and not losing it.

The mass I'm losing is mostly from body fat and muscular glycogen-water. It's easy and quick for me to gain these back by 'carbo-loading'. I get underweight below 118.5 lbs. I sometimes drop down to 114 lbs but I can gain up to 8 lbs (7% of my weight) in just one day simply by eating more food to gain a bit of weight in body fat and more water retained by loading up on glycogen.

In colder seasons, I'll maintain weight of 121 lbs, well within normal weight range to avoid feeling too cold all the time.

Exercise have more contribution to weight loss than people give it credit. 'EPOC' increases calories burned even long after workouts. Glucose released into the bloodstream during exercise can kill hunger cravings.

Feeling hungry between meals? Doing moderate aerobic exercise can reduce or even eliminate hunger cravings. If you work from home, getting a stationary or elliptical bike is good investment or even just foot pedal if you work in an office to do some light aerobic exercise between meals and while working to help stave off hunger.

HoneyBee said:

Any thoughts on this? Or does anyone have any other ideas on things I could do to exercise or keep myself healthy? Mind you, I'm not looking for medical advice. Just general thoughts and opinions.

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Keep food diary for a week. Then swap out one portion of junk with a portion of healthy food. When you get used to that swap out another portion of junk food. Reduce as much alcohol as you can no sugary drinks.

Go fora 30 min walk every day. If you are currently obese the weight will fall off.

Larnievc said:

Reduce as much alcohol as you can no sugary drinks.

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I make a cheap post-workout recovery snack with 'dark brown sugar' (just like regular brown sugar but higher % of molasses) and small amount of red wine in it. The amount of red wine is small enough to remain sober even if you eat multiple servings. I estimate around 1/4 teaspoon of red wine per serving.

I also add dark brown sugar in my oatmeal and milk enough to make them taste sweet.

I can't say that is healthy. Dark brown sugar is nearly just as bad as refined white sugar if consumed at the same large quantities. But my daily cardio workouts make up for it and I only weigh 115 lbs.

timewerx said:

I make a cheap post-workout recovery snack with 'dark brown sugar' (just like regular brown sugar but higher % of molasses) and small amount of red wine in it. The amount of red wine is small enough to remain sober even if you eat multiple servings. I estimate around 1/4 teaspoon of red wine per serving.

I also add dark brown sugar in my oatmeal and milk enough to make them taste sweet.

I can't say that is healthy. Dark brown sugar is nearly just as bad as refined white sugar if consumed at the same large quantities. But my daily cardio workouts make up for it and I only weigh 115 lbs.

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Both sugar and alcohol hinder regeneration and good sleep, so it does not make any sense to use them as a post-workout snack.

Its not possible to "make up" for unhealthy food with exercise. I am not talking about weight now, but about health. Even if underweight, you can get various health problems with heart, brain, liver, gut, bones, muscles, hormones etc, if you eat bad food.

And the combination of intensive exercise and bad food will just make the body to break somewhere faster. It will not make up for it.

myst33 said:

Both sugar and alcohol hinder regeneration and good sleep, so it does not make any sense to use them as a post-workout snack.

Its not possible to "make up" for unhealthy food with exercise. I am not talking about weight now, but about health. Even if underweight, you can get various health problems with heart, brain, liver, gut, bones, muscles, hormones etc, if you eat bad food.

And the combination of intensive exercise and bad food will just make the body to break somewhere faster. It will not make up for it.

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Actually, I used to be pre-diabetic, I used to have food allergies, frequent migraines/headaches, frequent indigestion, poor sleep quality, weaker bones up until late last year.

But now, all my health problems are gone with the new and improved diet and exercise plan (I was guided to by the Holy Spirit), save for one. So I must be doing something very right.

I'm not saying, red wine and dark brown sugar is good but there are ways to blunt the negative effects of sugar, for example by mixing it with raw, unprocessed low glycemic index (GI), high fiber ingredients to avoid spiking your blood sugar.

Red wine in low enough amount has negligible effect in post-workout recovery. Between totally avoiding alcohol for many and now, consuming up to two teaspoons of red wine each day. I'm actually healthier, stronger, more alert, and sleeps better. However, it may be to other reasons as well like having nearly zero junk food in my diet now.

timewerx said:

But now, all my health problems are gone with the new and improved diet and exercise plan (I was guided to by the Holy Spirit), save for one. So I must be doing something very right.

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Or something less wrong...

But we can always level up in our knowledge and practice, so its like a journey up the hill of our well-being.

myst33 said:

Or something less wrong...

But we can always level up in our knowledge and practice, so its like a journey up the hill of our well-being.

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I tried getting off from red wine when we ran out of it but quality of post-exercise recovery got worse.

I get better sleep from red wine and that's probably why I regenerate better having a tiny bit of red wine in my diet.

I actually used to avoid any kind of alcoholic drink because it gives me headaches even with tiny amount, like only 1/8 cup. But after my metabolic health issues got resolved, I don't get headache from alcohol anymore as long as I drink alcohol in very modest amounts.

The Holy Spirit guided me to this path of physical healing. Guiding me to things I needed to do from diet to structured workout routines with effective recovery.

Absolutely no issues at all, even my bones are stronger and my resting heart rate is now as low as that of elite endurance athletes. It's crazy what you can learn from the Holy Spirit if you 'tune in'.

Ofc, except for the one heart pain issue I had since childhood but that one seems to be closely connected with stress levels because it goes away if I'm not stressed out for many days.

Sugar, yes, I know it's bad but I find it impossible to resist. So the Holy Spirit guided me how to blunt some of the negative effects by boiling with raw ground coconut meat with raw coconut milk so the hard to digest, high fiber coconut meat will absorb the sugar to slow down release of sugar and avoid spiking my blood sugar. It seems to work. Things I sweetened with this concoction is more filling.

timewerx said:

I tried getting off from red wine when we ran out of it but quality of post-exercise recovery got worse.

I get better sleep from red wine and that's probably why I regenerate better having a tiny bit of red wine in my diet.

I actually used to avoid any kind of alcoholic drink because it gives me headaches even with tiny amount, like only 1/8 cup. But after my metabolic health issues got resolved, I don't get headache from alcohol anymore as long as I drink alcohol in very modest amounts.

The Holy Spirit guided me to this path of physical healing. Guiding me to things I needed to do from diet to structured workout routines with effective recovery.

Absolutely no issues at all, even my bones are stronger and my resting heart rate is now as low as that of elite endurance athletes. It's crazy what you can learn from the Holy Spirit if you 'tune in'.

Ofc, except for the one heart pain issue I had since childhood but that one seems to be closely connected with stress levels because it goes away if I'm not stressed out for many days.

Sugar, yes, I know it's bad but I find it impossible to resist. So the Holy Spirit guided me how to blunt some of the negative effects by boiling with raw ground coconut meat with raw coconut milk so the hard to digest, high fiber coconut meat will absorb the sugar to slow down release of sugar and avoid spiking my blood sugar. It seems to work. Things I sweetened with this concoction is more filling.

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Sleep after alcohol may seem better because of its sedative effects, but in reality, the regeneration stops and the sleep is not as deep and healthy as it should be.





If your sleep is not good without alcohol, then I would first find out why, instead of using the alcohol sedation. My wild guess is that you exercise too much, this can also disrupts sleep. So you basically need to knock your system down, to be able to sleep. But who knows.