What’s this week’s question? Let’s dive straight in…
I eat 1400 calories a day and I try to do 10 minutes of cardio 5 times per week. (Im just starting out so its all i can handle for now)
I have lost 8lbs so far! (started out at 195lbs)
My question to you is - What else can I do? What exercises do you recommend? — do NOT tell me to run. I have bad knees so running is out of the question.
ALSO- I purchased my wedding dress and it is a size 14 (my current size) I knew I would have to get it altered anyways, but how many sizes can they alter the dress without it looking bad? please help!!!
the dress is a ball gown style dress
As a person who has successfully lost weight, I will answer your first question: How to lose weight.
Here are my rules: Drink enough water to pee clear by noon. Never eat while you are standing or driving or watching television. Shop only for healthy foods so there is no junk food to nibble on. Have fresh fruits and vegetables always available. Sometimes just being thirsty tricks you into thinking you are hungry…..so, drink a glass of water if you feel hungry between meals and you will see that in about ten minutes that you really are not hungry after all. Walk. You say you have bad knees, but if you can walk, you are using every major muscle group and it is by far the easiest way to exercise other than the low impact of swimming. Do not eat anything white. No white flour, no white pasta (eat whole wheat pasta instead), no crackers, no potatoes, and only a couple eggs a week and I know it is hard, but no cheese either. The only white thing you should eat is cauliflower. Cut out the salt, too. White food is bad food. Use olive oil for cooking and vinegar for your salads. Vinegar is a great fat burner and wonderful for your digestive system.
Think of good food as good medicine. Dieting is not about starving yourself, it is about selecting the right foods to put into your body. Actually, after you condition your system with good and healthy foods, you will no longer crave the crappy foods. Really, you’ll see. I can’t stand fatty and salty processed foods any more and think they are gross.
try yoga or swimming this website might help also I think about 2 sizes is what they generally recommended for altering a dress but it depends on the style of the dress
Comment by thedreamweaverwolf — August 10, 2010 @ 12:13 pm
I work as a bridal consultant in a bridal salon. First of all, I’m so glad you bought your dress the size you are now! So many brides buy their dress in the size they want to be, and then their wedding comes up, they haven’t lost as much weight as they hoped to, and they’re stuck with a dress that is too small. That’s a much harder fix. I’ve seen seamstresses insert panels into the sides of the gown in order to make it fit. Yes, it’s noticeable as well.
As far as altering your dress, I’d honestly have to see it to make a good answer, but I’ve seen dresses altered down as much as 2 dress sizes with minimal problems. It really depends on the dress. If there’s a significant amount of beading and/or embroidery detailing on the bodice, then the more you have to alter it down, the more of the design you could possibly lose. The designs are designed to fit the bodice of the gown–on larger gowns they’ll be wider and on smaller gowns they’ll be narrower, if that makes any sense. Take your dress to a good seamstress who handles bridal gowns when you’re ready to alter it.
As far as exercises, I like to swim or do water aerobics. It’s great if you have bad knees, because there’s no pressure on them, plus you get the added resistance of the water. Many community centers have pools that are open year round. Concentrate on getting healthy though, not on a specific weight goal. I’ve been overweight my entire adult life, and every time I’ve said to myself that I’m going to lose X # of lbs, it’s backfired on me. Just concentrate on exercising, eating healthy, and drinking lots of water. The rest will happen on it’s own. Remember also, planning a wedding is stressful, and stress helps you hold onto weight like nobody’s business!
Congrats on your weight loss so far, and congrats on your upcoming wedding!
Comment by basketcase88 — August 10, 2010 @ 12:53 pm
Maybe you could go swimming for an hour every day or go bowling when you need to relax and get away from the stress of the wedding. And your 18 so you could go dancing on the weekends. If you can do one or all of these then it will add up and you should be able to loose the weight that you need to loose.
Now about the dress i would say no more than two dress sizes if that. During the time of the wedding its best not to loose or gain any weight so that the dress that you have will fit comfortably.
Comment by country girl — August 10, 2010 @ 1:37 pm
Sounds to me like you’re doing great with the excercise/dieting…keep up the good work and congrats!
As for the alterations, don’t worry…the seamstresses can do virtually anything with a wedding dress. When I got married, the dress I bought was a size 10, and they were able to beautifully alter it down to a size 6, it fit perfectly…even the bust area…that of which I distinctly lacked…lol
Comment by Get in line — August 10, 2010 @ 1:49 pm
Good for you, girl! I’m no size 2, myself.
I like to ride a stationary bike because I can read a book while I’m riding. Low impact, my knees aren’t super either.
Is your dress a zip-up or lace-up? If you need a little extra room (probably not, though because you’re doing so much exercise) you can change a zip-up to a lace-up.
Good luck!
Comment by tripvangogh0 — August 10, 2010 @ 2:21 pm
walking is as good as running and much easier to do on your own. so try to do 30 minutes a day. even walking to the store.
Comment by dourdan — August 10, 2010 @ 3:13 pm
Life is pretty simple: You do some stuff. Most fails. Some works. You do more of what works. If it works big, others quickly copy it. Then you do something else. The trick is the doing something else.
Comment by Controlled Enthusiasm? . — August 10, 2010 @ 3:36 pm
10 minutes of cardio isn’t very much. If you’re doing high-powered cardio, then slow down. It’s not speed that matters with cardio, it’s distance, and you’re going to burn roughly the same number of calories over 5 miles whether you walk or run. If running 5 miles is too hard on your knees, then walk it, perhaps adding jogging later on.
Also add strength training, because cardio by itself won’t be enough. See if you can do a body fat test at your gym (they sometimes charge a small amount for it) and use that as a barometer to see how you’re doing. As you built muscle and lower body fat, you’ll be burning more calories overall both actively and at rest. Building strength and flexibility (such as through yoga) while losing weight will also help your knees and prevent injury.
If you’re worried about building muscle because you think it will make you bulky or make you want to eat more, stop worrying. You may temporarily look a tad bulky because fat will be laying on top of muscle, but the fat will go away if you keep it up. And you’ll only be hungry if you’re eating too little right now. 1400 calories is a bit low for a woman your size (or rather, the size you want to be), but 1600 is good. So if strength training makes you feel hungry, eat a piece of fruit and a yogurt or some nuts for a snack, and you’ll be fine.
Comment by Libby — August 10, 2010 @ 4:15 pm