Diet and Exercise advice - Diet & Nutrition Message Board

a-friend · 03-13-2006, 09:03 AM

Im trying to lose 30-35 lbs in 94 days! I know its possible i just need advice on how to do it. I started walking on a treadmill everyday about a 1 1/2 to 2 hours. I cut out fried foods and junk food also pork and beef. I started this last week and lost 4lbs. It seems to good to be true but thats what the scale says. It just doesnt seem like its going to work! Its hard being on this diet because i love junk and fried foods. Im 5"6.5 and weight 191 trying to get to 160-165.Also my mother and grandfather try to make me eat fried and high fat foods and say one meal wont hurt so i ate it and they keep saying the same thing EVERYDAY! I think they support me but are not helping in anyway because everything in the house is junk or fried foods. I have nothing else to eat but whats there, get me? I dont want to starve myself to lose weight want to do it the healthy way no pills etc. Ive been overweight for a very long time and never been MORE determined in my life to lose this weight by june 14. Can anybody give me advice on what to do. I want to lose weight NOT water weight FAT! Pleeeeaaaasssseee someone help me!!!!

YorkieLuvr · 03-14-2006, 07:49 AM

Hi,

I am not an expert on diet, but I can share my recent experience.

I started eating a healthy diet on Jan 15th of this year. 5 meals a day. Measuring your portions and eating a balanced diet is very important.

Grocery shopping takes much longer as I am now reading labels (which are very deceptive). Just because it says low fat, doesn't mean it is good for you. I've learned to take calories, carbs and sodium all into account before buying a product.

For the first time the "dieting" has been so easy for me. A typical day of meals for me: cereal and low fat milk with a few blueberries (Breakfast) : Low Fat Yogurt (snack) : brown rice w/chicken and veggies (lunch) : Low fat/low sodium crackers and dried fruit (snack) : spinach salad for dinner (low fat dressing, no eggs, with extra veggies added. I allow myself one coffee a day and drink a minimum of 36 oz of water a day.

I'm never hungry and I have lost 36 pounds in 60 days.

My lesson - there are no secrets to a healthy diet. Gimmicks do not work. Just watch your portions and what it is you are putting in your body. You will lose weight and your energy level will increase and your overall health will improve.

Regarding your family: Sit down and speak with them. Explain how important their support is to you right now. That you know they only want the best for you but when they offer fried food, etc., it is hurting you in your goal of becoming more healthy.

bluejbirdie · 03-14-2006, 12:36 PM

You are not likely to lose that much fat in that time but you can come close. When you lose more then 2lbs in a week it is usually Water or Lean Muscle mass

Eat 5-6 small meals a day and eat protein with every meal.

Keep track of your calories. and stay away from Fried foods.....once a week at most...they add way to many Calories. you cant have a really good handle on how you are doing unless you know how much you are actually eating.

Add Strength training to your exercise. A Mixture of Strength training and cardio will minimize any Lean muscle Loss.

mandabear · 03-14-2006, 04:28 PM

i'm recovering from an eating disorder, so i'm seeing a dietician. and i noticed that when i ate more often, i felt like i was always hungry. i found out that this was because all i was eating was basically carbs and no protein. So little by little, I've been adding healthy protein. Peanut butter, soy milk, tofu, etc. Soy products tend to have lower amounts of saturated or trans fats. The good thing about peanut butter is it has both protein and fat. The fats in peanut butter are mostly polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats, which are the healthy variety and very good for you.

Instead of having a snack with only carbs, I've added protein to them. For example, having some peanut butter on graham crackers. I've noticed that I'm fuller longer and I've lost weight because of the added protein (with the same amount of calories). So make sure you aren't only eating carbs, but dont cut them out either. Proteins and healthy fats keep you fuller longer, and your skin starts looking nicer too.

Your exercise is good, maybe change it up once and a while, like lift weights instead of walking one day. I would also sit your mother and grandfather down and explain to them that you are trying to get healthy because of whatever reason. Getting healthy can be a reason all it's own. But I wouldn't set a goal weight in X amount of days. Set a goal weight, and start eating healthy and exercising. If you feel like you have to lose a certain amount of weight in a certain time period, if you don't get to that weight in time you may feel like a failure, as opposed to being happy about all the positive changes that you've made. Don't set yourself up for failure by setting too high of goals.

And congrats on your 4 lbs loss, you tend to lose a lot the first week, and it might slow down, and then another week you could lose a lot again. But don't focus on the number so much as all the healthy changes you are making. Good luck. :-)