What do you do...

agape1cor813

... when you try to lose weight and look pretty, but it just never works? What do you do when it seems there is no way for your outward appearance to improve?

cukimerrydoll

Focus on your health rather than your looks.  If you can do pull ups or run a mile, build confidence that way.  Think about what your body can do and now just how it looks.

A Mercedes has a very pretty body, but it's not going to run without the engine (I love analogies).  Think about how you feel! 

...And switching to that mentality helped me lose weight anyway - I started setting fitness goals instead of weight goals, and now I'm below my initial target. 

I feel more accomplished when I hit a fitness goal than a weight goal, because the fitness goals are endless.  There is only so much weight a person can lose, but what the body can do is almost infinite!

Knottie_22386127

Work harder, eat less...

missysue_q

I take a good look at what I am eating (or what I am not eating). You will see on a lot of PP that weight loss is 80% due to your daily diet.

jonchrissy

I think it would also help if you didn't equate weight loss with looking pretty. If you keep that mentality, I think it will really hurt not only your weight loss but your mental health as well. There are plenty of skinny people out there who aren't "pretty" and there are a lot of bigger women who are absolutely beautiful. It has a lot to do with not just physical shape, but your mental "shape" including confidence in yourself.

raynes

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_what-do-you-do-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:ba09cbf0-444a-49d7-a0e5-99a9f3bbdef7Post:07d36f03-ec35-4f46-9c66-f123acc50f31">Re: What do you do...</a>:
[QUOTE]Work harder, eat less...
Posted by abcly147[/QUOTE]

Really?  That's your advice?  I've actually seen a lot of people stall out in their weight loss because they weren't eating enough.

<span class="username_knot">agape1cor813 </span>, what are you doing now?  If you let us know the kinds of things you're eating, and the kinds of exercise you're doing, we can definitely offer suggestions for places to improve.

As for the feeling pretty thing, that one's mostly mental.  Instead of focusing on the part of yourself that you don't like, or that you think are ugly, focus on what you love.  Maybe you don't like your upper arms, but I bet you have awesome hair, or a killer arse.  Stop bringing yourself down.  I think that a big part of becoming a heathier person is to learn to love yourself at whatever size.  Learn to love the things you can do with your body.

msange727

if i feel like i'm getting nowhere doing what i've been doing, i try to make big changes - say i'll switch my workouts entirely, and do them at a different time of day. or sign up for a new class. after a while, your body gets used to your routine, and it gets desensitized. making changes is what will keep your body guessing, and you'll lose weight easier and break through plateaus.

i usually hit a plateau when i get complacent about my diet too - are you keeping a food journal or tracking your diet online? that may help, because sometimes we aren't always aware of what we're really eating, and you could be surprised.

don't get down about it - pretty comes from inside, and hard work will make you feel so much better!

grrrace

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_what-do-you-do-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:ba09cbf0-444a-49d7-a0e5-99a9f3bbdef7Post:865f253b-55da-4e13-b1c7-b5480d148c03">Re: What do you do...</a>:
[QUOTE] after a while, your body gets used to your routine, and it gets desensitized. making changes is what will keep your body guessing, and you'll lose weight easier and break through plateaus. [/QUOTE]

<div>
</div><div>How quickly does your body get used to your routine? And how extreme do you have to switch it up? </div><div>This is something I am getting nervous about- I have only been working out for 3 weeks and I try to switch it up between recumbent and elliptical with HIIT, do you think that's enough?</div><div>I was thinking of doing swimming once a week instead of elliptical. </div><div>
</div><div>Sorry to make this about me- I am just curious :) </div>

raynes

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_what-do-you-do-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:ba09cbf0-444a-49d7-a0e5-99a9f3bbdef7Post:554d7df8-585f-469d-bd0c-0a93c99279fd">Re: What do you do...</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: What do you do... : How quickly does your body get used to your routine? And how extreme do you have to switch it up?  This is something I am getting nervous about- I have only been working out for 3 weeks and I try to switch it up between recumbent and elliptical with HIIT, do you think that's enough? I was thinking of doing swimming once a week instead of elliptical.  Sorry to make this about me- I am just curious :) 
Posted by grrrace[/QUOTE]

The things I've read suggest that you should be altering your routine every 4 weeks.  But, that's for weight training.  I have no idea with cardio.  Probably along the same lines.  If you're constantly changing your HIIT schedule (increasing your sprint speed/resistance, adding an extra sprint, etc) you should be ok.  But adding in different means would help.

iamjoesgurl

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_what-do-you-do-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:238Discussion:ba09cbf0-444a-49d7-a0e5-99a9f3bbdef7Post:e7be2f5d-c72e-4fcf-8991-2a3970a7164f">Re: What do you do...</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: What do you do... : Really?  That's your advice?  Posted by raynes[/QUOTE]

In her defense, the question was "what do you do", not "what should I do".  Not saying that you didn't provide great advice, but I didn't read her post as advice, just an answer to a question.

msange727

ditto raynes - i would say no more than a month if you're not doing a varied or  strenuous workout like hiit (i think hiit would be an exception because it's intense and designed to throw your body off). but running, walking, lifting, swimming, biking - switch them about each month. a good time would be when you can feel your body "adjusting" - granted, you don't want to kill yourself, but you will want to feel like your workout is taking a lot out of you while you're doing it.

i used to do the same thing, everyday, week in and week out, and would get so frustrated that i was wasting my time. even if you're not sure of other workouts you could be doing, or say you only have access to a treadmill and a bike, swapping them irregularly will do the trick. hope this helps!