what do you do to lose weight

[Shorty]

Over the last few years i have put on a few extra kilos, not much but enough that i feel uncomfortable. I cant go for a jog or any of those things as it just wrecks me. I thought about pilaties, what do you guys do for exercise to keep toned?

[lili2701]

i have the same problem! I've put on weight cos of hypothyroidism, candida and eating disorders. I notice that I lose weight the less carbs I eat, even if i eat high protein and fats (of good quality of course). exercises dont necessarily make u slimmer, I'd read a testimonial of a woman who had CFS but really wanted to slim down and forced a bit on the exercises, she hardly slimmed down and when stopped it, lost some weight. I guess we have to listen to our body. I do pilates, it's not easy, it depends on the level but it's the best gym to tone your deep muscles and it's more gentle than all the aerobic stuffs. Walking is really good too or swimming (probably best). We need gentle exercises and a bit everyday. Walking is good for breathing too, get some oxygen to ur brain.

[alicewoolf]

I've put on weight in the last couple of years- due to Trimipramine and not being able to exercise. used to be much much thinner(Lili I had bulimia interspersed with under-eating for 2 and a half yrs but managed to kick it for good two yrs ago). I hoped that this detox I'm doing would help me to get thinner. but I can't seem to get below 10 stone 10. I suspect it something to do with my adrenals so I'm tackling that now too. I can walk about but cant do any 'real' exercise b/c of the CFS. it sucks. SSRIs are good for weight loss as well as incresed energy levels but it can be overly stimulating for some. I found that but it might work for others.

[lili2701]

hello Alice,

How did u do to get rid of bulimia?
I've had eating disorders for years. I dunno when it started exactly but I know I used to eat loads when I came back from school. My mum was working late so we were left alone and I would empty the biscuit cupboard, after eating a lot at shcool already (biscuits, chocolate u know snacks during the breaks..) and we ate really late back then 8-9 pm so I was starving after school. I would also go to the grocery store and buy sweets, many times a week and then at around 12-13 I put on weight, I had my first stretch marks and at around 16 I had hangups about my bum and thighs although looking back now I think I was ok compared to now!! lol so I started dieting a bit later and panicked like hell when I would eat chocolate or anything like that, panick only made it worse because the more u fear to put on weight, the more u really put on weight so I had huge boulimia crisis although I never vomited because it didnt work (hopefully), I could eat a pack of crisps then a pack of biscuits then bread then sausages it was crazy. Then things calmed down, now it's much better but I still have cravings, i dunno if it's because of the candidas or because I use food to fill in the emptiness really.. I've put on weight recently and don't like it but I'm not that obsessed anymore. I've put on 4 pounds more or less (not sure cos here we measure in kg), I just hope they'll shift soon!!

[Shorty]

Thanks guys, I think just watching what I eat and the amount is probably my best bet and the pilaties to help tone. I dont know about you guys but because i am stuck home most of the time you tend to snack too much, so am going to try and stop that too.

Just another quick question, I am on Lexapro for my generalized anxiety disorder do you know if that puts on weight, I used to take zoloft and only just recently changed. Could it also be possible that the zoloft increased weight gain?

[lili2701]

well i know some meds can make u put on weight but I dunno about the one u take. And also, it's very personal, some people will while others wont and even if ur doc says u cant put on weight with that u wont be sure cos we're all different.
I tend to eat even more, the worse I feel because I need compensation or I think eating will help but then it's worse cos I feel guilty or bloated as I didnt feel really hungry.

I really think the best way to slim down is the oil pulling+ eating ONLY when hungry+limit carbs+no sugar at all except fruits+eat good unrefined cold pressed oils every day (it's said to reduce the cravings)-sthg to do with the brain)+also the more we eat carbs, especially if we start in the morning, the more we'll eat all day long. When i did the specific carb diet in october I lost so much weight although I eat eggs, bacon, avocado, almonds butters etc.. but it seems what makes u put on weight are carbs, not fat.+exercises if possible+relaxation cos when u relax u reduce the cravings too and EFT, again robert smith is wonderful for that
ex:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWyiXjLY6LY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knz-iO8j ... re=channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQxzGR0H ... re=channel

there are many more on the right hand side.

Good luck guys!!

[Shorty]

Thanks so much for that lili i really appreciate it

[lili2701]

also forgot to say that L-glutamine and L-tryptophan are good amino acids to help reduce cravings, among other things (insomnia, anxiety etc etc)

[lili2701]

you're welcome shorty! Im glad to know I can help others!

[Minaret]

There are some interesting posts here as everyone has fatigue issues connected with exercise and losing weight and each one seems to be quite personal.

For myself, having practiced yoga for over 20 years, I always turn to gentle hatha yoga stretches. Ive never gone for the hyperactive ashtanga yoga at all. I more or less practice every other day for about and hour sometimes longer. It calms my mind as well as stretches my muscles, so I get two things in one. Even when I am really fatigued, if I get on my yoga mat and do some deep breathing, my energy will go up a few points. I find it keeps my weight down because I am calmer, therefore I don't tend to reach for snacks. If I have visitors to stay they buy snacks like crisps and cakes and biscuits and my social inferiority gets the better of me, as I hate being the only one to not indulge, so I do eat them...and always regret it later. I also walk somewhere peaceful for an hour at least 3 times a week, (never in the hot sun which totally drains me) often more, depending on my energy.

I definitely put on weight when I visit the UK as I am mostly unable to find a space to practice yoga and everyone I visit eats quite unhealthily, in my opinion (loads of instant cook, high sugar and starchy foods), maybe that's because it's so cold for a lot of the year? Or habit? Or the supermarkets tempting offers and packaging that shows food on the packet that looks like real food? Wherever it is possible and so as not to offend my hosts, I will offer to buy and cook things I like too. As soon as I get back home or when my weight is getting unrealistic for whatever reason, I go on a soup diet for 3 days...high in vegetables and complex carbs like chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans etc...Then without all the weight loading foods, my weight gets back to normal after about 2 weeks.

[lili2701]

wow Minaret you seem to lead a really healthy life!
I did yoga once a week but then stopped because of the schedule that didn't suit me anymore, still I could do it at home but I have no discipline!
Im a bit angry at myself cos today i ate things I couldnt, i was looking after a kid and i felt tired and was craving for bread like hell, so i ate bread with honey and nutella for lunch, not just one slice but 6 big slices :-s and i cant cos im on a anti-candida diet!
i resisted for a while but it was stronger than me, i couldn't thing of anything else oh dear pfff
bread has always been my fav food, it's really hard not to be allowed to eat it anymore.

Also I've read reports about food and their meanings, why we like more certain food than others..
I could live on bread and fruit only! but the reason why i like bread so much is partly cos the candidas cry for it (that's what i've been told i dunno if it's true)

anyway i really have to stop eating like this! i feel so fat and dont like myself this way

[alicewoolf]

Lili you asked how I stopped the bulimia. Well I did try to stop many times (unlike you I DID purge after over-eating and it did seem to 'work' weight-wise as I was really thin) every time I did it i would say to myself 'that's the last time I ever do that' but of course I just carried on.
Then I went on holiday with a friend and I couldn't really do it as we were sharing a room and I didn't want her to find out. So when I went back to the UK I just suddenly didn't feel I could do it anymore so I didn't. If it sounds simple, it wasn't. But I think because I hadn't done it for 2 weeks I didn't feel the urge to do it as much and I tried to capitalize/build on that. I am quite surprised now looking back that I was able to stop because there were times when it was so out of control that I thought I would never get rid of it..
For a long time after every time I ate cetain 'trigger' foods like chocolate I felt this urge to get rid of it after but I stuck with it and two years on I don't get those thoughts anymore. With my CFS/fatigue as bad as it is now it simply isn't an option for me.

Shorty- I am not sure about Lexapro- think it causes a bit of weight gain but not a lot (but as Lili rightly points out it really varies from person to person), but I personally found that when I was taking Zoloft (sertraline) I had no appetite at all so lost weight!! best SSRI for weight loss I think is Prozac

You guys are great. Going through a tough period at the moment. The only people who understand what i am going through are people on this forum whom I've never actually met- crazy huh?

[neil25]

I am also having this problem after a year of having cfs. I always feel hungry for some reason i think its probably from all the vitamins i take. Like many others running on a treadmill is out of the question as it would just wreck me afterwards. So how do i get exercise? i do a bit of walking about half an hour a day but I can't do any proper physical exercise as I would not have the energy. I tried doing yoga but I wasnt disciplined in keeping it up wish i was though.

[annie]

same problem here, after spending a lifetime running around and taking being thin for granted, i am now usually horizontal, unable to take exercise and ..... fat, there is no other word for it. if a miracle happens and we all get cured, none of my 'best' clothes will fit me. still i think i would rather be big and well than thin and ill.

how are the anti-depressants going neil?

[annie]

sorry you are having a crap time, alice. me too, worst nights in months, worst pain, worst everything. very lowering. perhaps it's the change of season, (clutching at straws!). hope you feel better very soon.