Ideas on how to lose weight

[ClaireyCAKE]

I'm 17, 5 ft 5 and well, I don't know how many pounds but a lot. I am lose almost all of my self confidence, and I want to find a way to lose weight. I'm beginning to eat healthily, but because of my figure, I find myself too nervous to go outside and exercise. Does anyone have any tips for home exercising, or maybe ideas on good ways of keeping control on what I'm eating, without going on a proper diet, as members of my family have been on many diets, and they, from experience, seem to make things worse.
Thanks for reading.

[Jaquta]

Exercises using your own body weight (such as lunges, squats, press-ups, step-ups, etc) can be good.  Walking on the spot (lifting your knees up in front of you) could also be a good starting point depending on your current level of fitness.
If someone has shown you correct lifting techniques and exercises then using canned food at home as weights could be another option.  I'm not sure what age the doctor here would suggest would be an appropriate age for that.
Is walking around the block at home an option?  Too scary??  Too long??  (Our block is approx. 20 km).
If you have flights of stairs at home walking up and down them could be good exercise.

In my country (New Zealand) they sometimes have exercise dvd's in cereal packets.

You could try keeping a food diary.  The doctor here also has some useful tips on his blog.
Making a few small changes will help you to succeed long-term.
Many diets don't work because they're too restricting and people inevitably break them.  Doing things in moderation is definitely much better.

Good luck.
J

[James G Beckerman, M.D.]

A nice way to exercise at home and without any fancy equipment is to do a combination of yoga and plyometrics.  Yoga will help you build core strength and improve your flexibility (and can really make you sweat!), whereas plyometrics is a bit higher impact, and involves taking steps, doing lunges, and even jumping around.  Both are a lot of fun and are available in exercise DVD's that you can find online.  Take care!

[quietfeather]

I would love to try yoga to loose weight and get in shape but I am not able to do the proper moves and my balance is not exactly the best. I find myself starring at the screen more than doing the movements because I cannot get into the positions they are doing. Should I wait until I loose some weight and will this help with the balance issue?
Q