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Heatheroe
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Thank you all so much for your advice! The advice about the BPW sounds good too. Are they usually available as a rental item? Again, thanks so much. Love scubaboard.com!
Want to get certified, trying to lose weight
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Another male here.
In addition to it being just plain good exercise, swimming was a good motivator for me. Because I felt I was swimming with the goal of improving my DIVE fitness as opposed to general fitness, I found myself feeling more motivated. Cruising through the pool I would daydream about being in the Caribbean cruising over coral reefs. I'd even think about marine life and dive equipment. Time (and laps) passed really quickly.
By the way, I've used the same mental gymnastics in resistance training. When I'm lifting a barbell, I envision lifting a couple of tanks!
In addition to it being just plain good exercise, swimming was a good motivator for me. Because I felt I was swimming with the goal of improving my DIVE fitness as opposed to general fitness, I found myself feeling more motivated. Cruising through the pool I would daydream about being in the Caribbean cruising over coral reefs. I'd even think about marine life and dive equipment. Time (and laps) passed really quickly.
By the way, I've used the same mental gymnastics in resistance training. When I'm lifting a barbell, I envision lifting a couple of tanks!
Jersey
Contributor
I lost about 60 lbs 7 yrs ago and have kept most of it off. For me, after 40 the weight started piling on. I started by walking, lots of hills, long distances and modified my diet to a less processed, fewer grains/starches, less alcohol, more veggies and fruits type. Lost weight, but didn't get the results I wanted until I added reisistance (weight) training. Started with a conventional program using typical machines at the gym, then moved into a Crossfit program about 2 years ago. Crossfit stresses functional fitness using your own body weight, kettlebells, Olympic lifting plus cardio and balance. It's a work at your own pace, accomodations made for those with problems, supportive community. The WOD (Workout Of the Day) mixes things up so it stays interesting and I've been happy. Plenty of material online about the philosophy behind Crossfit. Practically, on dive boat recently with 2 thin girls neither of whom could carry a tank, while I've got one in each hand and I'm twice their age. They were thin, but not fit. I'll take fit and healthy but a bit heavier everyday.
I can relate. I'm not certified yet, but my "reward" for getting to my goal weight (which is just to get in the healthy BMI range) is to take scuba lessons. I'm 5'5" and I started at 220 pounds, and my goal is to get under 150. I'm now at 162 pounds, which is 58 lost. I only have 12 and a bit to go, so I'm REALLY hoping to get there by this summer!
I'm doing it by plan old counting calories and exercising. The key is to figure out how many calories you would need to maintain your weight, then eat 500-1000 less then that a day. 500 less a day should get you a one pound a week loss, where 1000 will get you 2 pounds a week. But, you don't want to eat less than 1200 daily, regardless. I did a quick calculation of your BMR (I didn't know your age, so I used 35) and came up with 2208 to maintain your weight, if you do little or no exercise daily. But that may be different depending on your actual age and activity level.
Another idea is to join My Fitness Pal, which is the website/app I use to track my calories. That site will help you track what you eat, calories burned during exercise and how many calories to eat. I love it!
ETA: I eat somewhere between 1300 and 1700 calories and work out 1-2 hours (burning anywhere between 350-1000 calories according to my heart rate monitor) daily. My exercises include a weight lifting group fitness class, spin class and Zombies, Run! app. The app is a running/walking zombie game type thing.
I'm doing it by plan old counting calories and exercising. The key is to figure out how many calories you would need to maintain your weight, then eat 500-1000 less then that a day. 500 less a day should get you a one pound a week loss, where 1000 will get you 2 pounds a week. But, you don't want to eat less than 1200 daily, regardless. I did a quick calculation of your BMR (I didn't know your age, so I used 35) and came up with 2208 to maintain your weight, if you do little or no exercise daily. But that may be different depending on your actual age and activity level.
Another idea is to join My Fitness Pal, which is the website/app I use to track my calories. That site will help you track what you eat, calories burned during exercise and how many calories to eat. I love it!
ETA: I eat somewhere between 1300 and 1700 calories and work out 1-2 hours (burning anywhere between 350-1000 calories according to my heart rate monitor) daily. My exercises include a weight lifting group fitness class, spin class and Zombies, Run! app. The app is a running/walking zombie game type thing.
I lost about 40 lbs over 6 months once. I just started eating a salad for luch every day and swimming 2-3x a week: I think that translates to finding any physical activity/activities you can enjoy and doing that 2-3x a week. I also found that tieing up 2-3 evenings a week with physical activity simply didn't leave me time to snack so much.
After my weight went down a little bit I noticed that my appetite and sweet tooth had both diminished significantly all by themselves.
After my weight went down a little bit I noticed that my appetite and sweet tooth had both diminished significantly all by themselves.
ladyfishdvr
Contributor
Last June I was 210lbs. I am down to 175.
I started walking. One mile at first then two. Now I walk 3 to 5 miles every day I can. It took awhile for weight to start to come off
but I have dropped 35 lbs. Over the winter I maintained a 30 lb loss which I think is good. Just started walking again and lost 5 so far. This is what works for me. Last year I could not make a half mile without gasping for air and now I am walking 4.4 mph up hill and no gasping. Toning came before the weight loss did.
I use an iphone app called loseit to track my food which is very important! I use an iphone app called sports tracker to track my walks.
I also was B12 deficient and once I started getting shots was less hungry. By the way, scuba diving burns A LOT of calories. On advice from a friend/trainer I eat a protein bar after diving with a full glass of water to keep me from getting hungry and eating bad stuff.
You need to find what works for you and stick to it. Give it some time to work. Logging your food is important because you don't realize what you are eating until you have to write it down.
You will feel better. Good Luck!!
I started walking. One mile at first then two. Now I walk 3 to 5 miles every day I can. It took awhile for weight to start to come off
but I have dropped 35 lbs. Over the winter I maintained a 30 lb loss which I think is good. Just started walking again and lost 5 so far. This is what works for me. Last year I could not make a half mile without gasping for air and now I am walking 4.4 mph up hill and no gasping. Toning came before the weight loss did.
I use an iphone app called loseit to track my food which is very important! I use an iphone app called sports tracker to track my walks.
I also was B12 deficient and once I started getting shots was less hungry. By the way, scuba diving burns A LOT of calories. On advice from a friend/trainer I eat a protein bar after diving with a full glass of water to keep me from getting hungry and eating bad stuff.
You need to find what works for you and stick to it. Give it some time to work. Logging your food is important because you don't realize what you are eating until you have to write it down.
You will feel better. Good Luck!!
Fun idea: Buy yourself a weight belt right now and add weights for every couple pounds you lose. It's really neat to strap on that extra 10 lbs or so and realize how much you are no longer carrying with you everywhere.
It's silly, but I'm serious. It's amazing how heavy a few extra pounds really is.
It's silly, but I'm serious. It's amazing how heavy a few extra pounds really is.
kimbalabala
Contributor
I joke that every woman should be anorectic before hitting menopause because the average weight gain is 15 pounds! If you have a thyroid problem then all of your hormones may be out of whack. Have you considered seeing a gynecologist who specializes in bioidentical hormones? I wouldn't do it without speaking with your endocrinologist first - and it may actually be bad advice to take bioidenticals with a thyroid condition. I'm just wondering if you're hitting a weight loss wall because of the hormones. During this menopausal time I've noticed that even when I'm "good" I only manage to maintain my weight, not lose. I have to work really hard and use strict portion control for every lost ounce.
flots am
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Sure. They're two completely different things.
Go get a physical exam. If your hormones are out of whack (thyroid low, for example) losing weight is going to be extremely difficult. I'm not a woman but did have thyroid problems.
Next get certified You can get certified even if you're overweight.
At the same time you're getting certified, start working on losing weight. It requires a lifestyle change and SCUBA might just be it. A day spent on a dive boat is a day spent far away from the refrigerator.
Don't link the two as: "I'll get certified after I lose weight" because they'll both probably never happen.
flots.
karen_jenefer
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My tip is find an exercise routine that works for you and you enjoy doing. I tried going to the gym and using the cardio machines but I hated it and found it very difficult to stay motivated. Then I started going to Body Pump - a group workout lifting weights to music - I enjoy going and it has really improved my fitness. Stronger muscles burn more calories at rest, so you burn more calories doing nothing. Swimming is also good - or even get a snorkel and some pool fins it will help you practice breathing through your mouth and using fins. Good luck!
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