RachelDingle's Journal, 06 December 2020

I hope you find an activity that you enjoy. Maybe it will be Zumba. I play pickleball for 2 hours each day and love it.  

The best I can offer is you should determine your daily caloric need using a few different online calculators, choose one that you feel best about. Don’t try to underestimate and think you can only eat 1000-1200 kcals per day at your current size. Second you need to weight, measure and log everything you eat, be brutally honest and be consistent even if you are going to exceed your allotment. Give it several weeks, you will fluctuate. Drink lots of water and don’t restrict yourself from everything “good”. Eat balanced, varied and tasty food. Just be sure you have enough calories, it’s kind of like budgeting your cash but you don’t have credit cards to use when you spent all your cash in one place. The key is calories in and calories out, CICO. You need to burn more than you consume. Low carb works for some, some like more carbs. Protein keeps most of us full. There are no short cuts for long term success. You will hear and read many tips and suggestions. You need to figure out what form of calorie deficit works for you until you reach your goal and in the meanwhile you need to start crafting a maintenance plan or you will be back at square one plus 10lb. Yes, I’m a straight shooter. Lol. I wish you well, it’s not easy but you got this!  

I do Zumba with Letty on zoom. She’s lettygaylor on here. She adds weights to hers and I find that to be the best combo. It’s like a dance party with friends. 

I would recommend a combination of low, moderate, and high intensity exercises a few days a week. Nothing crazy. If it's Zumba, then great. Do whatever you enjoy. The most important thing is consistency. Getting your heart rate up and your blood flowing most days is what matters. Oh, and don't forget walking: walking is one of the best things you can do for weight loss and fat burning. 

I took a zumba class for awhile and had to quit it. The instructor never mixed it up. Same moves same songs every class for months. I was beginning to think we were secretly preparing for a dance show somewhere! Lol I don't know if all zumba is like that? Same everytime?  

Hi! Yes I teach Zumba Toning and Piloxing classes on Zoom. Zumba Toning incorporates light weights no heavier than 3 pounds, if you don't have light weights you can use stuff from around your house. I've had people use water bottles, cans of soup, bags of rice...etc. Or you can use your own body weight. All instructors are different. Some do more dance and some are more exercise focused. I try to mix it up. I also try to do both and do high intensity stuff as well as lower intense songs. I really do like to teach Zumba Toning because of the added upper body exercises. Using the light weights really makes a difference. I've been teaching Zumba Toning for about 3 years. People ask me if I lift heavy, no I just teach a lot of Zumba Toning classes 😁 Piloxing is pilates, boxing, and dance and we end the workout with floor work where we do booty then abs exercises. If you're ever interested in any of the Zoom classes you can email me hey_letty_1999@yahoo.com and I'll give you all the details 😁😁😁 

Hello love, I have tried everything and anything to lose weight........ For me: I have been successful now in steady weight loss or maintenance depending on time of year and level of time. I eat balanced and as little as possible processed foods (weekly food prep/planning is a must for me). I lift weights 3x weekly-never back to back days, it makes me too tired & hungry if I lift more than 3x weekly and I have a hard time controlling my appetite). I try to circuit my weightlifting that way I keep my heart rate up so it doubles as a cardio. I also get out on the trampoline or go to the park and play with the kids for at least 30 minutes most days. Zumba vis fun and that is how I started my exercise routine...... it was a real hoot!!! 

When I came back to FS I was only logging cals. I've always heard don't eat less than 1200 cals per day. I would just be starving on that and found that I could eat 1800 and still lose. I got that limit from doing the FS calculation. It was set for low active. I've adjusted down to 1700 cals now that I've lost 26lbs but again determined that by doing FS calorie recalc. I just tried to eat balanced a protein, high fiber carb, fruit/veggies at most meals and plan small snacks for times when I know I will be weak. I tried to get 30 min of activity 5-6 days a week. This worked great at first, then like any weightloss plan I hit a plateau. At this point I started watching macros. I believe I got the amounts from FS or Google. But I've also learned from others out here as LKL said that eating a bit more protein helped eliminate sugar cravings and make me feel full longer. I increased my protein intake from 16% of my daily caloric intake to 28%. I bumped up my cardio, and added weight lifting. I try to make sure I eat 500 cals less than what I burned for the day. I also bought a scale that tells my bodyfat. I learned from it that my BMR is 1417. This is how many calories my body needs to just function at rest. So, personally I try not to eat less than that many cals a day. Everyone is different so start with the basics and adjust as you need. Make sure to eat enough or your metabolism will become sluggish. Don't try to cut corners. It always backfires! Have patience because it does take time. You can do it!!! 

Wow. I did. Not expect that much feedback. I am thankful for all your suggestions and I truly appreciate the family here at FS. I will definitely try to fine what is good for me, and I feel that since I have suggestions it helps me pick and choose. Thanks again y’all.  

bearnoggin👍 lowkeylife you laid that out extremely well. Rachel, i hope you understand what was said. FS is a great place to be if you're looking to get healthy. FS💕 

Good luck I don't know much about ( IF ) but plenty of FS members do it and Zumba as well I'm sure they have videos on YouTube but I wouldn't know be blessed