Okay I am getting so frustrated. For the last few months I've cut out red meats entirely, reduced butter and fried foods, cut out sugar almost entirely, and don't drink any soda. I've introduced more fresh vegetables and fruits to my diet and eat several small meals a day. I exercise on my elliptical five days a week for twenty minutes and do strength training every other day.
Despite all of this.....I still cannot lose weight and to be honest I'm really getting annoyed with this. Not only have I not lost weight, but my clothes are actually fitting tighter!
I need help! I just don't know what to do. I need to lose weight to help my health problems, but I can't and I'm getting extremely frustrated.
I'd hate to resort to diet pills....but I'm thinking about considering them. I HAVE to lose some weight. My health is going to keep going downhill if I don't :/
Any advice is greatly appreciated....including reviews on diet pills.
OK... about a year and a half ago I decided i needed to lose weight...
I did a little reading and i put together my own diet plan and exercise schedule and i am down about 60lbs right now...
Something that really helped me was keeping a food journal so you kno what you're eating throughout the day and the calories you're taking in.
Also, if you havent exercised in a really long time you should graudually increase your workouts on your elliptical. 20min on the elliptical only burns the energy stored in your blood and liver. Your body wont burn fat until after 30min. of aerobic exercise. Im not sure if this seems like a lot to you but if so you can build on this gradually. Also, LOTS of water!!
Hope this was helpful..
Ashley
Keeping a food journal really helped me too. I wrote down every calorie, and it turned out to be a real eye-opener. I had no idea I was eating so many calories till I actually counted them.
Try walking everyday for about 40 minutes or longer. Do you drink any alcohol? If so, you will need to cut that out as well. Reducing butter and fried foods does not work. You will need to completely cut out fried foods and butter. Chicken, Fish, Salads and vegetables are what you should be eating. Drink lots of water or green tea. Watch your Carbs. Some vegetables are actually high in carbs like peas and corn. Try to stick with vegetables that are lower in carbs. Use Olive Oil and vinegar as salad dressing. Be careful of creamy dressings. I don't believe diet pills are the answer. I think they might just create more health problems. I am considering taking resveratrol. I have heard it might possibly help with weight loss also. You might want to check it out as well. I hope I have helped you some. These have helped me in my struggle with weight loss. Best wishes!
Keep in mind that you have to lose 3,500 calories to lose one pounds. And each pounds contains approx. 454 grams of Sugar and/or Fat.
It sounds to me you still need to fine tune your eating habits, but most importantly it also sounds like that because of those still yet-to-be tune eating habits, and the limited amount of exercise you are doing daily, you are just taking off each month the weight you gain from regular eating.
After months of figuring all this out, I cannot stress how important it is to realize Sugar and Fat are easy to eat, but it really hard to take off.
If you have time, I would suggested moving the exericising up to at least 1 and a half hours. And do it everyday, not just five. And fine tune the food.
While some would be right to point out how unhealthy it can be too eat too few calories each day, I can attest to nearly six months of eating from 300 to 500 calories a day, with less than 50 grams of Sugar AND Fat each day, not only works, but I have displayed no health problems -- so for the short term, it can work to take off that weight. In the long term after the weight loss, you can cut that daily exercising down toone hour each day. IF you find you still lose weight after that, than ... gosh darnnit, you'll just have to have a plate of cookies every other day.
A lot of people are overweight for the most simple of reasons -- because they are eating the wrong foods, the wrong types of calories per meal, and you're also eating meals in the wrong patterns each day.
FOOD is more powerful than any prescription weight loss pills, because the FOOD that you eat can either make you THIN or FAT. You don't get fat because of a lack of exercising, that's a myth. You get fat because you don't eat the right foods at the right intervals each day.
Also, the pattern that you choose to eat your meals each day is more powerful than any prescription weight loss pills. This is true because your body is like an "engine" and it only needs certain foods at certain intervals each day, and if you don't eat the right foods at the right times then it won't burn those calories -- and you'll wind up storing those calories as fat tissue.
I was/am in the same position. I was a serious athlete, then had a couple surgeries that left me unable to workout for 7 months. I put weight on that I could not get off. I recently had a couple tests done at a local fitness center (although some doctors perform these tests). The tests determined my RMR-Resting Metabolic Rate (what your body burns just by existing), and then another test determined the different heart rate zones. This was the most interesting and informative, as it basically told me my exercise had been at too high of a heart rate. Different people have different rates based on a number of factors. My body was used to my sprint sport, and always being at a high rate. Basically my body didnt/doesnt know how to burn fat, it instead uses carbs and the sugar in my muscles (in lamen's terms, not scientific wording). I was given suggestions on how I should be working out and how to "train" my body to learn to burn fat, by training in specific heart rate zones. My RMR also turned out to be really low, so I am meeting with a nutritionist just to get an idea on meal plans. I am very optimistic. It might be something to consider.
Look up, or speak to a doctor/trainer, about VO2 Max, RMR, heart rate zones, etc.
Cannot lose weight, need help 
