Newbie

[LuiiLuii]

Hi all, I’ve just signed up. And I’m not sure how to go about losing weight, what food to eat and avoid, effective exercise that I can do at home or for free because of budget. Advise would be greatly appreciated. I’m currently 14st 2lb and would like to lose 4 stones according to my bmi. Would like to lose that by the end of 2020. Please help

[MissisB 4 stone]

Hello and welcome LuiiLuii.

I am going to tag you in to our Welcome Newbies post which contains lots of information, not only on how this Forum works, but also on how to lose weight and keep healthy. Take time to read through things, and do come back and ask questions if there are things you are unclear about. You will find that if you join in with activities and chat here, you will learn and be supported, and will be able to help others too. And you have set yourself a very realistic target - slow and steady is the best way to lose weight and keep it off.

You will discover that a lot of weight loss will be about what you eat, rather than the amount of exercise you do - which isn't to say that it isn't important. The best thing about exercise is to do things you enjoy - and which you may not necessarily think of as exercise. A walk in the fresh air, putting some music on at home and having a dance around the room, doing some gardening, or energetic housework, taking the stairs rather than the lift whenever possible, parking a little further way when you at the supermarket - in some ways it is about all the little things that add up to extra movement, rather than thinking you need to spend money on "formal exercise".

Wishing you all the best.

[LuiiLuii in reply to MissisB]

Thank you so much, I’ll just pop over to the page you tagged me on and have a good read

[MissisB 4 stone in reply to LuiiLuii]

See you in a few hours.

[S11m]

Hi, LuiiLuii , welcome.

Weight loss is not all about motivation and masochism - if you "slim smart" it is not so hard!

The gym industry is a big con. What exercises (and stretches) are best for you will depend on you - You can walk or cycle, and do body-weight exercises at home. I do planks, alternating rocking crunchies, knee raises, spinal twists, piriformis stretches...

Some of us here find that what works is a combination of The Low Carbohydrate, High-Fat (LCHF) diet (see the forum here on Health Unlocked) and Not Snacking All Day AKA Intermittent Fasting (IF). See:

healthunlocked.com/fasting-...

[LuiiLuii in reply to S11m]

Thank you, I’ll just view some of the videos on that page now. So I can understand a little more about iF

[MissisB 4 stone in reply to S11m]

Sweeping statements there. And it certainly depends on your gym. There are those that take your money and do little for it, and those who listen, work with you and improve people's health, strength and fitness.

I know which sort of gym I belong to, researched fully before I joined, and I am most certainly not participating in a big con.

[S11m in reply to MissisB]

Yes, MissisB , a generalisation.

A friend of mine used the successful local Pilate Place.

I went there today for the half-hour free intro.

The exercises and stretches duplicated some of what I had worked out for myself and do at home.

[LuiiLuii]

I’m just getting ready to go for a jog. Lovely weather today. Thank you all for your kind words. I don’t feel alone and you have given me self esteem and confidence that I believe I can meet my 2020 goal. Onwards and upwards