[taby]

I am 160cm tall and weigh 78kg (way too much).

I have knee conditions that prevent me from doing a great deal of exercise (already had many operations and now have osteoarthritis) therefore cannot do any weight bearing excericses through the knee joint. Too much walking and it swells up.

Generally I am well otherwise but need to loose weight.

I have never been a huge exercise person (I guess that's why as I've had my knee trouble all 38 years of my life).

My question is what weight loss can you recommend from your personal experiences?

I have tried weight watchers about 8 years ago and it helped, maybe I should do it again.

Any suggestions as I really need some help and encouragement.

[Chelara]

Restrict your carbs, count calories and go to the pool. You can easily lose weight through diet alone and as you lose you may find you can exercise more easily. Just start saying no to sweets etc. no cereal, less bread, potatoes pasta etc (if you can do none at all for a week or two then introduce just a little back into your diet it can really help even out the blood sugars and prevent cravings.

[RealityBites]

My fitness pal is free, online and fantastic!

[taby]

Chelara,
Thanks for your reply - can I ask is there a calorie counting book or where can I get this info from?

I don't eat a lot of bread anyway but do eat cereal for breakfast. I love a good breakfast as it helps me start the day.

I am trying to give up Pepsi Max and have a cup of tea instead - man it's hard yackkaaaa!!

[taby]

is the my fitness pal app only available for iphone or blackberry as I have nokia C7 and cannot seem to download it?

This post has been edited by taby: 27/12/2012, 08:47 PM

[whale-woman]

I probably have a bit of a different take on this. But what works for me is;
1) being mindful. thinking about if I'm actually hungary before I eat. Often it's becase I'm tired/bored/stressed that I go to eat. In these cases I do something else to deal with the emotion eg sleep/go out etc rather than eating.
2) eat till I am no longer hungary, not till I feel full.(important difference)
3) Eat unhealthy food only because I really want that food, rather than opportunistically. Ie no food is forbidden if I really want it. Part of this is also I don't keep unhealthy foods in the house generally but will go out to a cafe/shop specifically to buy them if I really want some. I don't feel guilt or beat myself up for eating something unhealthy occasionally.
4) Eat breakfast
5). sleep enough.
6) I find exercise helps manage my appetite. Swimming sounds a good choice in your case, but really any exercise you'll actually do is good.
7) don't weigh yourself but go by belt notches/clothes size as weight can fluctuate lots and can paradoxically increase if you loose fat and gain muscle.

I was overweight up to size 14 and using this strategy have stayed a size 8-10 for 10 years or so.

ETA By healthy eating I really don't believe in restricting specific food groups eg carbs etc.I just mean eating a balanced diet ( healthy food pyramid) of preferably non processed food. I actually find that intellectualising my relationship with foid eg calorie counting isn't helpful as really your body should be able to tell you what and how much to eát.

This post has been edited by whale-woman: 27/12/2012, 09:04 PM

[Possum_gal]

Loosing weight is 70% diet, 30% exercise. So I would focus on getting your diet sorted first. My fitness pal is a great start. I would look at it as a lifestyle change, more than a diet. I eat a high protein, low carb diet. But I'd concentrate more on simply eating a diet high in a variety of fresh foods, cutting out processed foods as much as possible.

As for exercise, I'd stick to the pool for the moment. Walking in a hydro pool is great. Look into what groups they have running too. I know our local pool have an arthritis group couple if times doing the week.

Good luck and feel free to ask anything else.

[*Spikey*]

Calorie King is free, and online.