# loosing weight/getting fit if you don't have adequate resources



## AddictiveMuse (Nov 14, 2013)

Ok seriously, you gotta understand my situation here..I would like to weigh a little less and look and feel healthy.
But, I have basically no way to achieve it, no car, no money, and am kind of a minor (under 18 years of age) 
As lovely as it would be to get help from family members sadly they all appear to be fat, lazy, slo..*clears throat* I shall say no more.

How exactly would someone go about loosing some weight with only using the most basic of techniques?
Like go back to caveman weight loss techniques...ok maybe not that far back..I got a blender and frozen berries that's like 1800s? Right? Point is I have no access to a gym, or a car to buy healthy food (and Easter was literally yesterday..do you know how much chocolate we have around the house? Too fucking much!) My main motivation in doing this is because of the serious lack of self confidence and the fact that I'm seriously unfit...

I know some of you are gonna give me bullshit like *sweet voice* _'But it doesn't matter that you're fat! All girls are beautiful! It shouldn't be because you want to look hot it should be because you want to feel healthy!'_
Well whoever says that it's a bit of both..it'd be nice to fit in that beautiful dress at that store filled with clothes two sizes too small! But it'd be even nicer to look in the mirror and feel good knowing that I'm not on the verge of a fucking heart attack..(exaggeration)

I would absolutely love some help, anything, stories, plans..(Oi! Te users) motivation...
I guess I should tell you what I actually have to work with here...
I got a treadmill in the garage, and I think we have one of those punching bags too, the garage is a mess so that'd be a while..
I guess there's the good old outdoors for the moment..
And a personal chauffeur (kidding mum) 
A kitchen
And the will to do it

Now you wonderful people of PerC got any ideas? Any stories, willing to help me out..fitness gurus share your wisdom! Anything at all I'd really appreciate it, you have no idea. Thank you


----------



## Grandmaster Yoda (Jan 18, 2014)

If I have to get advice on how to gain weight. Eat more than you feel like eating. Take advantage of carbs because they don't fill you up.
Reverse this for loosing weight. Eat less than you feel like eating. Don't eat as many carbs because they don't fill you up.


----------



## birdsintrees (Aug 20, 2012)

Losing some weight comes down to what works for you individually but in general it means getting more exercise and changing food habits.

No car: that's great, means you get to walk to places or ride a bicycle
No money: You don't need money to go for a hike/walk/run/ride. 
You also don't need money to do sit-ups, push-ups, squats and lunges
Garage is a mess? Cleaning up is great physical exercise. That punching bag and that treadmill are great for when you can't exercise outside.

The food part can be a bit tricky when you don't have full control of the shopping and meal plans. 

A: talk to your parents. Let them know that it is important to you to start eating a little healthier and maybe ask for 2 nights a week where you get to decide the family dinner and cook it. This way you can start learning to cook some healthy recipes (resources are all over the internet). Cooking is a great way to learn what actually goes in your meal and that awareness is a great motivator to make diet changes.
B: If your parents aren't of the supportive kind and you can't influence what's on your plate> You can influence how much of it you eat. Start eating smaller portions. Eat enough, but not too much.
C: Snacks. Some people swear by 3 meals a day. Some people eat 6 smaller meals a day. Figure out what works for you. Would you rather have a larger, healthy breakfast and then wait until lunch until you eat next or would you rather have a smaller breakfast and then a 10AM healthy snack? Same goes for the afternoon. 
D: Fruit. Put fruit on the groceries list. Apples & bananas generally aren't that expensive and they are great snackfood.
E: Stop adding sugar to anything. Try and live without it. The 'natural' substitutes aren't really all that good for you either.
F: Skip soda and limit fruit juice intake. Sugars. Lots of sugars. Instead, drink plenty of fresh water during the day and/or green tea.


There are so many things you can do that don't require money. Losing weight isn't about wearing yourself out in the gym every single day for the rest of your life, it isn't about restricting your diet to an apple a day. It is about finding healthier ways to go about everyday life and to increase your activity. Have fun with it, learn how to say no to yourself and learn how to push yourself beyond your limits a little more every time.


----------



## Countryboy (Nov 29, 2013)

Eat your calories. Don't drink them.

I lost 10 pounds when I quit drinking soda pop and started drinking water instead.

Eat 2 spoonfuls of honey before bed every night. Your body processes the sugars in honey slower than processed sugar. The honey before bedtime increases your metabolism while you sleep.

Get a notepad and start writing down everything you eat, and the calorie content. Studies have shown that people lose more weight when they actually count calories.

Drink a glass of water before meals. It makes you feel fuller so you don't eat as much.

Try to avoid high calorie snacks. I eat a lot of baby carrots or radishes as snacks. It's low calorie.

Go on a diet of hardboiled eggs. Eat one egg every 4 hours and drink plenty of water. You will see the pounds start dropping.

Don't eat bread, ice cream, potato chips, deep fried foods, fast food, etc. Try to eat more salads.

Start getting regular exercise for at least 30 minutes at a time. It doesn't have to be hard exercise. Walk the dog, or go for a walk around the neighborhood. It's amazing how good you feel when you get a little exercise and get the blood flowing after you have been sitting at the computer for way too long.

Get a friend to help you. It's easy to cheat on your diet if no one is holding you accountable. Make sure your friend will ask you what you ate, calories for the day, etc. And it is nice to have a friend to go on walks with. 

Try to eat many smaller meals, rather than a few big meals. This helps increase your metabolism.

Muscles burn more calories than fat. Do exercises to build or tone muscles. Crunches, situps, pushups, leg lifts, etc. There are lots of exercises you can do at home.

The most important thing - remember that exercise alone will not make much difference. Changing your diet and eating habits is the one thing that will help you lose weight.


----------



## the_natrix (Aug 10, 2011)

You probably have enough calories, but I'm guessing protein and nutrients are lacking. Also a lack of equipment...

Protein sources:
Lentils- very cheap protein and fiber, quick to cook
Chicken - relatively cheap lean meat, season many different ways.
Eggs - good protein and nutrients, but about 50% fat and has cholesterol
Tuna in water - relatively cheap lean meat, don't overdo it, 2-3 can per week so you don't get too much mercury
Sardines in water - same as tuna, but less mercury. might be less palatable 
Low fat string cheese - easy protein snack, saturated fat = main drawback
Chicken liver- if you can handle it its uber cheap, nutrient dense protein you could have once or twice per week. Cholesterol and saturated fat are an issue if you over-do it

Low cal/high nutrient foods:
Leafy greens: spinach, kale, collard greens, mustard greens, others - spinach and kale are more complete
Broccoli - good all around, almost have a crush on it
Carrots - mainly just vitamin A, but quick and easy

Honorable mentions: 
Oatmeal - Awesome good carbs, also cheap
Oranges - Best fruit I know off, last longer on the counter too
Variety in and off itself is great too for a couple of reasons.

As far as equipment and workouts goes...
Your workout at the start might be cleaning the garage lol. Treadmill is good for when its raining, but it's so much better if you can find a nature trail. It's good to get your vitamin D too, too little of it and you could get depressed like a northerner in a cabin =P
Resistance is king for long term change- no weights? Use a backpack or even a plastic sack stuffed with heavy books, cans etc. Use it for rows and presses and anything where you would use a dumbbell 
Iv'e seen body weight workouts on youtube, see them for ideas. Tony Horton has a youtube channel now too.
For an easy all around diy workout I like a structure of upper, lower, core, cardio, repeat.
Find a workout buddy if you need motivation, and maybe pump up the music.

So yeah... wall of text, hopefully a great wall of help.


----------



## AddictiveMuse (Nov 14, 2013)

thank you all for your great responses roud:


----------



## Lemxn (Aug 17, 2013)

> But it doesn't matter that you're fat! All girls are beautiful! It shouldn't be because you want to look hot it should be because you want to feel healthy!'


I was not going to say that. I bet you are in fact beautiful, but you are not feeling good with your body, and if this is a problem for you, of course we can help you.

Try to find out diets in internet, there's a lot of health side that can help you, I am sure you will have acces to some of that healthy food. Try to make your own diet if you want. You can always work out by your own. Go and run or walk, listening to music, everyday. If you want to start calmy, 30 minutes is fine.

Drink water, a lot of water, it would help you the world. Believe me.

And don't be hard on yourself, you have to be patient with this, but it can work.:wink:


----------



## Children Of The Bad Revolution (Oct 8, 2013)

I've lost 20 pounds by limiting my calories to 1200 a day. This took about 3/4 months. Without much exercise at all. Also raspberry ketones do work for suppressing appetite - I was skeptical but after taking them and seeing it's affect I was very impressed.


----------



## 2eng (Mar 5, 2012)

I would suggest as some others have of watching your calorie intake and tracking that daily. You want to have a calorie deficit at the end of the day, and there are apps out there that are designed to do this and are very helpful. I would suggest looking at the app called myfitnesspal, as it tracks calorie intake as well as exercise. 

As far as not being able to travel to a gym or having equipment at home, that's ok, you dont need that stuff. I would suggest going on YouTube and searching body weight workouts and calisthenics. There a lot of good tutorials and motivation there, and most of the exercises can be done in your bedroom or back yard.


----------



## Promethea (Aug 24, 2009)

With your young metabolism, it won't be that hard.

If you want help finding out how many calories you need in a day, I can help you with that. Unless you are insulin resistant or have some other complication with your metabolism, you can eat regular foods as long as you don't go over that caloric limit. People with insulin resistance do better cutting carbs, for example - but you probably don't need to worry about that.

I read an article a while back where a guy went on a twinkies and dorito diet, but kept his calories at a deficit, and he still shed pounds. lol..

PM me if you want and I will ask you a question then walk you though the process of figuring out caloric needs. 

Other than that, exercise, sure - if you can find something you actually enjoy, that would be best. Bicycle? 
(People tend to stick to it more if its enjoyable, naturally..)

As for the exercises that are just for the sake of getting exercise - motivation with those can be tricky if you don't enjoy it in itself, but I have some ideas. 

Decide upon monday being the first day, no matter what, that you start your new program.. you just decide that its a responsibility that you can't get out of.. just like work or school. There is a really amazing fitness blogger who had a brilliant idea. She had a rule for herself, to just put on the exercise clothes no matter how unmotivated and crappy she felt that day, and *just show up* at the gym. Thats all. Some days she would show up and do nothing but hang around and talk, but eventually she found herself actually wanting to use the equipment. I know in your case you said that paying for the gym right now is out, but this can apply to whatever it is that you choose to do.. feeling unmotivated/lethargic? Rule is that you put on the clothing and get out there anyway.. you can leisurely walk for a few minutes, or run a mile, eventually you will get closer to whatever goal you set as long as you get out there. Its the toughest part, trust me. XD


----------



## bluekitdon (Dec 19, 2012)

AddictiveMuse said:


> How exactly would someone go about loosing some weight with only using the most basic of techniques?


1. Eat less.
2. Walk daily
3. Do some basic exercises like pushups, situps, etc - youtube has tons of things you can do just your bodyweight with no equipment


----------



## Children Of The Bad Revolution (Oct 8, 2013)

bluekitdon said:


> 1. Eat less.
> 2. Walk daily
> 3. Do some basic exercises like pushups, situps, etc - youtube has tons of things you can do just your bodyweight with no equipment


Oh I recommend Blogilates!


----------



## ISTPish (Apr 4, 2014)

Everybody has given you some great advice here. Some simple suggestions I would add (because discipline is a must in this case):
- Honestly, we all KNOW what we are not supposed to be eating. So, if you are sure it is not nutritious, put it down.
- Running and as many burpees you can manage to do are a great way to sweat all those calories off (and it's for free). The harder the better.
- Set yourself a measurable and reachable goal. (How many miles will you run in a week? How much weight are you planning to lose? Etc.)
- Do not worry and give up if you do not see immediate results. Your body has to get used to your new habbits and it will eventually pay off. At the very least you will feel stronger 
- Try to find your physical activities fun. If you are not having fun it will br harder for you to continue.
- Set a routine. Try to exercise at the same hour every day whenrlever possible and make it an important part of your day. Don't put it off if you have something else to do and that that something else is not that important. 
- If you don't feel like running alone, invite someone. But don't forget that the running must be done anyways if your friend doesn't show up.
- Pain is GOOD (unless you pulled or broke something). You should push yourself as far as you can if you want real results.
- There are a lot of very very very overweight people out there who made it. And also very very very stupid people who made it too. So, if you are smart and somewhat healthy there is no way you can't do it. 
- If you have a little money spend it on good running shoes. 
- It is all about learning to enjoy your new habbits and to see them as necessary. So, if you see good food and exercise as necessary as taking a bath every day, you are doing it right.
- If you are sleepy or don't feel like exercising, it will wake you up.
- If you are sore, doesn't matter. 
- Oh, and a picture of your ex on the punching bag does make it easier and more fun!  (please, use gloves)
- Squat, squat, squat! Jumping squats, regular squats, weighted squats, arms up, behind the head, do them all! 

Good luck!


----------



## Purrfessor (Jul 30, 2013)

People seem to have covered it. Just keep in mind that to burn FAT you need your heart rate at ~100-140. Too high and you will burn sugar instead. So get a rhythm going when doing cardio, moreso than pushing yourself.


----------



## bluekitdon (Dec 19, 2012)

@AddictiveMuse one key thing to keep in mind is that you can't exercise yourself out of poor eating habits. Take a McDonald's medium fry example - that's 380 calories. It's going to take you about 45 minutes of jogging to burn that off. 

I'd suggest the free site Free Calorie Counter, Diet & Exercise Journal | MyFitnessPal.com to log your food intake without really making any changes right away and see what you're eating. They also have a great free android & iphone app that makes it super easy to keep an eye on things. Make sure to log sodas too, sugary drinks are a huge source of calories, a large Dr Pepper from McDonald's is another 270 calories from example. Also keep a close eye on portion sizes, it is easy to write things down as 1 portion when there are actually like 4 portions in the bag. You will likely find a few things that you eat that you could cut from your diet or reduce to shave a ton of calories each day without really even missing those. Work toward a lifestyle change, not a diet...short term diets never work long term.


----------



## Zombie Devil Duckie (Apr 11, 2012)

Pretty much this:



> I'd suggest the free site Free Calorie Counter, Diet & Exercise Journal | MyFitnessPal.com to log your food intake without really making any changes right away and see what you're eating. They also have a great free android & iphone app that makes it super easy to keep an eye on things. Make sure to log sodas too, sugary drinks are a huge source of calories, a large Dr Pepper from McDonald's is another 270 calories from example. Also keep a close eye on portion sizes, it is easy to write things down as 1 portion when there are actually like 4 portions in the bag. You will likely find a few things that you eat that you could cut from your diet or reduce to shave a ton of calories each day without really even missing those. Work toward a lifestyle change, not a diet...short term diets never work long term.


Plus:

1) Get quality sleep

2) Drink water, not pop (soda/pop is a treat, not a staple)

3) Actively move for 20 minutes per day, every day. If nothing else, walk for 10 minutes in one direction, turn around, go back. 


To be honest, the biggest problem I run into is that food is so calorie dense these days that it's hard to eat anything already prepared and stay within your calorie goals. It takes careful examination of what you are actually putting inside of your body to figure out where the problem is and portion size is a bitch....

I look at it like budgeting, which comes naturally for me. 

I can eat 2400 calories per day and not gain weight. If I want to lose 1 pound per week I have to cut my daily calorie budget back to 1900 calories (500 calories per day x 7 days = 3,500 calories or 1 pound of weight). If I eat more than 2400 calories per day I'll gain weight. 

Exercise (from a strictly calorie budgeting perspective) either lets me:

1) Eat more and have the same calorie deficit for my budget.

2) Eat the same amount and have a greater amount of negative calories in my budget (faster weight loss).


The calculator I used to determine my calorie (and nutrition) budget: Calorie Calculator - Scooby's Home Workouts



Regards,

-ZDD


----------



## Purrfessor (Jul 30, 2013)

Zombie Devil Duckie said:


> Pretty much this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


scoobysworkshop is what got me into working out initially!! I loved his myths section and his skateboard lol. Wow it's been awhile. Yes that site is good for low budget lifestyle changing. Building up knowledge takes zero money.


----------



## OutOfThisWorld (Nov 4, 2013)

AddictiveMuse said:


> I know some of you are gonna give me bullshit like *sweet voice* _'But it doesn't matter that you're fat! All girls are beautiful! It shouldn't be because you want to look hot it should be because you want to feel healthy!'_
> Well whoever says that it's a bit of both..it'd be nice to fit in that beautiful dress at that store filled with clothes two sizes too small! But it'd be even nicer to look in the mirror and feel good knowing that I'm not on the verge of a fucking heart attack..(exaggeration)


Well, the main motivation "should" be to be healthier because it would keep you from acquiring bad habits (like starving yourself), but also prevents falling off the wagon.

But I must say that looking hot and getting stares when you strut your sexy ass body on the sidewalk does feel pretty good. So I think losing weight should be a combination of not only for health reasons, but for aesthetic ones as well, with an emphasis on the former. 

One thing I learned is that you don't need fancy equipment to lose weight. Or the gym either. Find something you enjoy doing and do that on a regular basis. I did running on treadmills, elliptical machines, weight-lifting, and Zumba before. Personally, all of them were interesting in their own ways, but the thing I enjoyed most was walking. Currently, I'm spending about 20-30 minutes walking each day and I love it. Finding your niche makes it less painful to exercise. 

Another thing is: Losing weight is 20% exercise and 80% nutrition. No matter what exercise you do, you won't see much results unless you change the way you eat. 

Also, scooby's channel on YT may help you a bunch of exercises you can do at home: scooby1961 - YouTube


----------



## Grandmaster Yoda (Jan 18, 2014)

Avoid saying, "I'll just give myself a break" then eat a turkey. I think it's not going be most effective until you get rid of unhealthy eating fully.


----------

