An intro...

[Sateri]

Hi, I've never been so great at introductions, but here I am going to give it a try. ;D

My name's Katie, I'm 17 and from Minnesota. I love DDR and have had it for a couple of months now (just DDR Max 2, but I'm planning on buying DDR Max and DDR Extreme as soon as I have the money to). It's one of the only forms of exercise I don't actually mind doing, so I can actually get about 45 minutes of exercise a day without too much trouble.

Anyway, the point is, I'm 5'2" and weigh 140 pounds. My doctor told me I should be around 120 or so, so here I am, hoping I can use DDR to lose that weight. I read a few topics and read some of the tips, so I guess I don't have any questions at the moment. I'm just hoping that by joining and posting I'll actually accomplish something. It's so much harder to stay on track when I feel I'm alone in trying to lose weight.

ETA: Wait, never mind, I have a couple questions. How do I know how many calories and fat I'm supposed to be eating to lose weight? I've looked around online, but different sites all have different methods, and I've gotten anywhere from 1200 to 2100 calories. I'm confused.

And also: Which is more important? Doing DDR for a set amount of time (say 45 minutes), or burning a specific number of calories? And is DDR alone enough exercise, or do I have to do something else too?

I'll add more questions if I think of 'em. Thanks in advance.

[Laura Moncur]

I follow the Weight Watchers plan, so I look at the time I spend dancing at an intense level for me. They don't use calories, they gauge food with what they call Points, which take into account the calories, fat and fiber content of food. It's actually a really good plan. If you would like to know the points for food, Dotties Weight Loss Zone has a lot of information:

www.dwlz.com/

Her site is kind of hokey, but she has a lot of good info on it that is really helpful, especially if you eat out a lot.

[Pyrochaos]

yeah, someone else from minnesota. Seriously though, I lost 60 lbs this last summer, and I only played for about 30 min a day (4 or 5 times a week). And changed what I ate quite a bit. As long as you keep consistancy within working out and diet, you should lose weight. (who really cares what the doctor says anyways, its really about how you feel about yourself)

[Sateri]

So I've been here a week. I haven't exactly posted much, but ... I weighed myself a week ago today and I was 139. Now I'm 135. ;D Four pounds in one week! Yeah!

I realize that weight loss is always more rapid in the beginning, but still, I've never lost a pound in my life before as far as I know. This is really exciting! For me, anyway.

And the thing that's great is, I haven't even changed all that much. I've just been playing DDR 30-45 minutes every day and watching my calorie intake, cutting out the coffee, pop and chocolate I used to guzzle (almost entirely, though I do have a bit here and there so I don't go into withdrawal or something). Maybe this isn't as hard as I always thought it would be, huh? That's a cool thought.

Sorry, just had to update, because I'm proud of myself. These boards help a lot, just knowing others are doing the same thing ... ::grins:: Will continue to update in future.