I need help!

[JasonsGurl66]

What is the best weight lose plan?! I want to lose at least 30lbs by my wedding day. I really have a lot of trouble sticking to diets so im really gonna need a lot of motivation!

[TangoWedding]

Well, everyone responds to weight loss programs differently...so it depends on what exactly works for you.

I did Weight Watchers and LOVED it. I lost 14 pounds in 2 months with no problem. I liked it so much because if I wanted tater tots and a burger from Sonic, I could have it...I just had to account for the points. And that was fine...you get plenty of points a day plus extra points per week.

South Beach diet also works well, but I hated it because I couldn't have any carbs - and carbs are my one true love...second only to my man. So I only lasted about 10 days on that one. Though I lost 7 pounds in those days!

If you have issues with being on a diet, I'd highly suggest you don't go on a diet! Just change a few small eating habits. Do one at a time if you have to...it will catch up.

The first thing I'd suggest is drink nothing but water. Staying away from soda is a MAJOR one. Then most (if not all) forms of caffiene. Fruit juices sound good, but are usually very high in sugar. Also check the ingredients...if it says "high fructose corn syrup" on it? Try to stay away from it.

Then maybe switch to using low carb breads and pastas. Choose baked over fried. Don't eat french fries unless you bake them at home....a medium fry at Wendy's, for example, has the same amount of calories and MORE fat than a fried chicken sammich from there.

If you want something sweet, eat it....but just eat a little bit. Deprivation is what makes people stop dieting and give up.

Things like that. The little changes are what will help you take it off and keep it off - and won't make you miserable. :)

[KMS]

You can totally lose that weight! I know from experience. I once weighed 50 pounds over what I weigh now. It is so empowering to gain control of your own life through creating a healthier body. It's about permament changes. If you want to lose weight and keep it off, that is.

One of the first big changes I made was to stop drinking my calories. No juice, soda, coffee drinks, cocktails, etc. I drink water w/ lemon 99% of the time. I also took all of my junky carbs and replaced them with whole grains. All of that extra fiber keeps you full longer. Brown rice, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat bread, whole grain cereals, etc. I've also added a variety of grains to my diet like spelt, quinoa, and barley. They are very filling and add some variety to your diet. I even have whole grain pancake mix. Carbs are really the backbone of a healthy diet - around 60% of your calorie intake each day should be from carbs. Your body needs that glucose to function. Especially for cognitive function. If you stick to complex carbs w/ lots of fiber then you don't need to fill guilty about carbing it up.

I snack on fruits & veggies. Lately I have been doing poorly in that aspect though. I keep my house stocked w/ healthy foods. Even if I'm busy and don't have time to cook, I make sure that I have some Amy's brand foods in the freezer or some cereal, fruit, and soy milk on hand. I don't see any of this as deprivation. I've found ways to healthfully replicate my favorite foods. I love eating a veggie burger w/ honey mustard on a whole wheat bun w/ baked sweet potato wedges and a salad. It tastes just as good, but I don't feel guilty.

I just try to balance and I don't see unhealthy foods as a reward anymore. Why should being unhealthy to myself be a "reward"? A few of us have been talking about cheesecake on here lately! If I feel like sharing a piece of cheesecake with somebody that's fine. A treat is good for the soul! But I don't see it as a reward for eating good the rest of the time.

Good luck w/ your weight loss. We're here to support you!

[TangoWedding]

A treat is good for the soul! But I don't see it as a reward for eating good the rest of the time.


This is so perfect.

I've heard this before and loved it....dessert shouldn't be something you work up to. It should be a treat for yourself when you want a treat.

We learn this as little kids and it sticks - and ruins our view of food. How many times do we hear "eat everything on your plate and THEN you can have dessert"? So...we have to stuff ourselves...just so we can eat something else? It doesn't make any sense. And it's so bad for you.

:frogg:

[KMS]

Exactly! I still fall into the trap every once in a while though. Mostly with alcohol! I've had a hard week so I "deserve" a drink. Then I remind myself that I don't deserve it, I just want it...

And then I get it. lol

:frogg:

Changing your mentality towards eating is the first step!

[twu]

On top of what the others are saying, you need to be committed to exercising as well. To maximize the amount of fat you burn while exercising, you should:


Do weights/reps first. Do several sets of reps, 10 in each rep, and make sure that you are using a challenging amount of weight in these. (Doing 100 easy reps doesn't have a significantly greater effect.) Another effect of increasing your muscle is that it also increasing your metabolism, making it harder to put on weight.
Then, do cardio. Low impact, such as on the elliptical trainer or swimming, is my favorite since it's better for your knees. You should be a little breathless while doing this, but still able to talk comfortably. Any more strenuous than that, and your body won't burn fat (it'll burn carbs or worse, protein).
To get more technical, your body burns energy in three ways: glycolysis, lipolysis, and gluconeogenesis. Glycolysis uses carbs for energy and is activated for bursts of energy. Lipolysis uses fat and is activated for low, prolonged energy. Gluconeogenesis uses protein and is activated when your body needs a lot of energy but has used up the available carbs.

When exercising, glycolysis accounts for the first ~30min of energy. After that point, lipolysis takes over, and you start to use up fat. Basically, if you don't exercise for more than 30min you will be at a stand-still in weight loss, only burning the carbs/sugars you consumed that day. If you're only doing cardio, then you should plan on doing at least 1hr to get any beneficial results. If you strain your body's energy needs after the bulk of your carbs have been burned (for instance, lifting weights after cardio) then your body enters gluconeogensis mode, which is detrimental.

(Of course, this is a simplified description of what really goes on. It would be more accurate to write this in terms of % energy gained from glycolysis and lipolysis and gluconeogenesis at any given time.)


And for general advice, don't count on losing that weight by your wedding day. Yes, you should definately try to lose it and live healthier, but be flexible and have a backup plan in case you can't squeeze into a size smaller than you want.

[twu]

More food/exercise tips:


Use smaller plates.
Drink lots of water.
Eat lots of fiber.
Don't overindulge on fruits. They're practically all sugar even if they have good vitamins in them.
(advice from a friend of mine who was a physical trainer) eating rice is better than noodles b/c it helps to reduce your water weight
(advice from a friend of mine who was a physical trainer) high impact exercise (such as running) are bad for women and can lead to celluliteThe first chunk of weight that you lose will be water weight. This will go very rapidly and could be something like 10-20pounds within a few weeks. After this point you'll feel like you've hit a wall in weight loss. That's pretty common. It's typical to only lose about 1 pound/week after the initial weight loss.

[heatherh321]

These ladies have given some great advice. The good-ole healthy eating and exercise is the way to go. If you want a "program", weight watchers is great. It's really easy to follow and you can have just about anything you want but you will learn to read labels and portion control. Try to cut out soda if you drink it, that helps alot! And try to incorperate exercise into your schedule somehow, even if it is just walking the dog it means you are not on the couch! You have almost a year-you can do it!

[JuneBride24]

Adding exercise is definitly important! Take walks, use the stairs, park far away... Classes at the gym can be really fun too. See if you can get a friend to go with you! Also, if you can- try swimming laps at the pool, I don't believe there is any better exercise than that!

Good Luck!

[StarCoveter]

high impact exercise (such as running) are bad for women and can lead to cellulite

Whoa! I had no idea!!! I like running, but it hurts my knees and gives me shin splints, so I do the elliptical instead!

[ryan_john]

Now these days in holiday seasons weight management problems are increasing and many people become over weight because they don’t have any idea about holiday health management. I was reading a great article few days ago about how can you control your weight in holiday season. Here I am writing some lines…. “The key to successfully navigating the holiday season for your family is to plan ahead by outlining a practical weight-management strategy that doesn’t leave you and your children feeling deprived, but will help kids and their parents to avoid weight gain during the next couple of months,” for more tips and idea about holiday weight management visit organicauthorityDOTcom/blog/?p=633%22

[Nekochanpurr]

Haha, wow, i was going to make a thread like this.. But here one is! i hope no one minds.. I have a problem with my weight. I need to lose a lot of it.. Like yesterday. >.< I weigh about 180LBs, and i'm about 5'5-5'6.. Its even worse because i can see how awful it looks.. My sister was happy when she got to 120LBs.. And shes my identical twin. So we are pretty much our own before and after picture.. HEH. The only reason she hasn't gained with me though, is because they took out some of her intestines and such when she was a new born (she almost died)...
Um.. I went to the gym for a couple years, but i ended up hurting my ankle pretty bad and had to wear a soft cast for two months. Since then i've been TERRIFIED of hurting my ankle again. I work standing up, so it would be financial death to get hurt again. Sometimes when i get up in the morning it just aches.. and i haven't even been on it yet! :( Needless to say, i don't know how to exercise without hurting myself again.. the said gym also gave me trouble financially and i have since canceled them (and might have to go to civil court because of them). So i'm scared of even thinking about getting involved in a gym again..
Personally, i believe my weight gain is because of stress and lack of exercise... LOTS of stress, lol.
omg, maybe i should have started my own journal.. >.< Sorry guys! And i didn't mean to hijack (again!).