If you want to lose weight

[LeslieSS]

So I see post all the time asking how people lost weight or how to lose weight. So I thought that I would do a post on how I thought was the best way to lose weight. This is what I have learned over the years on my quest for fitness. Some of this stuff seems obvious to me, and others I'm sure. I know alot of you know plenty about losing weight, so if you see something I left out or that you think I have wrong, by all means post it! If you'd like to use this as a referance than bump it. I just wanted to share what I have learned.

If you feel this isn't the right way to do it, or that it won't or doesn't work for you, then don't do it.

OK so the first thing I want to say is that I don't look at this as a diet. Diets DO NOT WORK. You put all this time and energy into a diet to lose weight and once you go back to the way you ate before, you gain it back, and sometimes more. It should be a lifestyle choice.

Food:

First thing you want to do is make sure that your meals are balanced. Lean Protein, Complex Carb, Veggie.------Fruit is good too, but I'd limit it. Mainly because fruit has alot of natural sweetness to it, which can cause weight gain. For breakfast or snacks, its fine.

I personally do not worry about calories to much, for people that have a really hard time with losing weight, its not a bad idea to have an idea  of how many calories you need and are consuming. ------A good place to keep track is fitday .com. If you need to know how many calories your body needs there are calculators online...http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm. Keep in mind that when you lose weight your calorie needs change.

Try to have 3 meals and 2 snacks a day. These are not huge meals.--- The meals should be the basic three I mentioned above. Snacks can be all kinds of things. Cup of fruit, veggies, cottage cheese, yogurt, almonds(not a hole cup). I think you get the picture.

If you can do it try to eat every 4 hours or so.--- The reason why is that your body will go into starvation mode after a few hours without food.  Your brain sends a signal to your body that your not getting food for a while, so you hang onto the fat instead of losing it. This is why starving yourself doesn't work. Unless you do Surviver type starvation, in which case, looks gross.

Your body does need fat, so fat free is not allways best.--- fat contains essental nutrients. Your body uses fat to make tissue and manufacture biochemicals, such as hormones. Fats in your diet are sources of energy. There are good fats and bad fats.

Don't deprive yourself.--- if you stick strickly to this, your gunna go bonkers. If your love ice cream, have some, just not everyday. For me pizza is my thing, so we have pizza night once a week, I just make sure I do good the rest of the week,

Ok so I think thats food in a nut shell, I may be forgetting something, but I'm having brainfarts right now....

Good Proteins.....

Eggs,     Egg Whites,     Skinless Chicken Breats,    Ground Turkey,     Lean Ground Beef,     Top Round Steak,     Flounder,     Cod,     Tipilia,     Pollock,     Salmon,     Shrimp,     Tuna,    Turkey Bacon,     Cottage Cheese,     Yogurt

Bad Proteins.....

Breaded chicken,     Chicken with Skin,    Bacon (yes this sucks),     Farmed Fish,     Fatty Ground Beef,     Fatty Red Meats

Good Carbs....

Oatmeal,    Fruit,    Veggies,    Sweet Potatoes/Yams,    Brown Rice,     Whole Wheat Bread, Cream of Wheat,     Cream of Rice

Bad Carbs....

Cereal(Kashi is good and shreaded wheat),    Candy,     Chips,     Ice Cream,    Soda,    Juice

Good fats.....

Olive oil,    Almond Butter,    Peanut Butter,    Almonds,    Pecans,     Walnuts,    Cashews,   Avocados

Bad Fats.....

Fried Anything,    Butter or margarine,    Palm Oil or Coconut Oil,    Veggie Shortening

Bake instead of Fry food. Use I can't beleive its not butter spray, or spread. There are other spreads also, that just what I use.

continued below

[LeslieSS]

Drinks......

WATER WATER WATER...... you should know why this is good for you!

Sodas.... Try to stay away from these. If your like me, I'm totally addicted to Pepsi. I used to drink around 5 or 6 a day. I now drink 1 a day. I just can't give it up all the way. If your used to drinking tons of pop, then cuts down to 1 or 2 will help you lose weight.

Green Tea.... Green tea has lots of benefits, including helping aid in fat loss. Just don't add sugar. Add Honey if anything,

Coffee.... I LOVE coffee. It really helps keep you going through a workout. Again lay low on the sugar.

Exercise

I really don't want to get to into this, this post has allready taken me long enough, expessially considering most of you won't even look at it, lol.

Here are some basic things to know.

Try to exercise for at least 20 mins 3-5 days a week. Start off slow with this and build it up.

Cardio and Weight lifting are important. Weight lifting is important. Muscle burns more than fat, period. Just use light weights with high reps, if your worried about getting big.

Some good workout vidoes are the Biggest Loser ones, anything Jillian Micheals does. I really love Beachbody products, like Turbo Jam and P90X. Denise Austin has tons of good ones.

The trick to working out is finding something that you like, so you can stick to it.

*EDIT* Also wanted to add that the scale is almost your worst enemy.  I only check my weight once a month if that. What you should do is measure you waist, hips, rt thigh, rt bicep, and chest. Right this down once a week. This way you can see if you have lost inches, this is much more incouraging. Weight basically lies. As you work out you gain muscle and muscle weighs more than fat. So if you get on the scale and see that you have gained 2 lbs, it may be muscle not fat!!

Ok so, I was going to do more about exercise, but frankly I'm tired of typing and thinking. If this goes well then maybe I'll do a more detailed exercise post.

  

[momaloveof3]

Just like to add with all the search I have done (Trying to win my own battle), it says to eat every 2-3 hours.  But that maybe cuz I am on the larger size though.

And as for exercise 45-60min 4-6 days a week for weightloss.

[HeatherMae55]

Thank you for typing all this out... I need it -  I've been trying to lose another 10lbs or so, but for some reason it's tough to lose that last bit of weight.  *sigh*

I've been trying to work out every day, a bike ride, the elliptical, turbo jam or another workout video on Netflix..

I also eat a lot of eggs and peanut butter.. I've even started making my veggie side at dinner larger than the other sides..

[LeslieSS]

Yes 2-3 hours is better, but alot of people can't do this, thats why I said 4.

The exercise, if I didn't word it right, I meant 20min 3-5 days a week as a starting point and build up from there. That is just a starting point. But yes 45-60 min 4-6 days a week is where you want to get to:)

Quoting momaloveof3:

Just like to add with all the search I have done (Trying to win my own battle), it says to eat every 2-3 hours.  But that maybe cuz I am on the larger size though.

And as for exercise 45-60min 4-6 days a week for weightloss.

[LeslieSS]

I wouldn't eat tons of PB, because it does have tons of fat. Try to limit it to 3 tbs or less a day.

If your having trouble losing the last bit, you need to switch it up. Like for example do the same exercises for 3-4 weeks, then after that switch to a different routine.

Quoting HeatherMae55:

Thank you for typing all this out... I need it -  I've been trying to lose another 10lbs or so, but for some reason it's tough to lose that last bit of weight.  *sigh*

I've been trying to work out every day, a bike ride, the elliptical, turbo jam or another workout video on Netflix..

I also eat a lot of eggs and peanut butter.. I've even started making my veggie side at dinner larger than the other sides..

[Je_Jette_Poo]

Uggghhhh.

Thanks for posting this!

I'm still trying to lose the last bit of weight and get back to what I was pre-pregnancy. I've done really good so far I think, but for the past 4 months, I've hit like this "plateau" I guess and I can't seem to shake the last 11 lbs.

[LeslieSS]

Have you been doing the same exercises the whole time?

Quoting Je_Jette_Poo:

Uggghhhh.

Thanks for posting this!

I'm still trying to lose the last bit of weight and get back to what I was pre-pregnancy. I've done really good so far I think, but for the past 4 months, I've hit like this "plateau" I guess and I can't seem to shake the last 11 lbs.

[MyStErIoUsWiFe]

I know for me the hardest thing was to give up the stuff that I loved the most.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE fried food.  I have lost 12 pounds in 2 months. I have been doing it slowly.  I was walking 4-6 miles 6 days a week.  My husband bought me a treadmill because he saw that I was actually dedicated.  So now I walk/jog/run for 45-60min everyday 5 or 6 days a week. 

Breakfast: whole wheat english muffin or bagel

Snack: usually almonds or fruit

Lunch: Half a sandwich on fiber wheat bread and a salad

Snack: same thing as first snack

Dinner: Chicken, Ground Turkey, elk and some kind of veggies.  We also have whole wheat fiber pasta. 

I do count my calories and usually I eat 1400-1500 for now.  Currently I weigh 189 when I started I weighed 201.  Its a lot of work, but I feel great.  :)

[LeslieSS]

GOOD FOR YOU!!!!!

The only thing I would do is add a protein to your breakfast, maybe you could try to put peanut Butter on your bagel or muffin:)

Quoting MyStErIoUsWiFe:

I know for me the hardest thing was to give up the stuff that I loved the most.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE fried food.  I have lost 12 pounds in 2 months. I have been doing it slowly.  I was walking 4-6 miles 6 days a week.  My husband bought me a treadmill because he saw that I was actually dedicated.  So now I walk/jog/run for 45-60min everyday 5 or 6 days a week. 

Breakfast: whole wheat english muffin or bagel

Snack: usually almonds or fruit

Lunch: Half a sandwich on fiber wheat bread and a salad

Snack: same thing as first snack

Dinner: Chicken, Ground Turkey, elk and some kind of veggies.  We also have whole wheat fiber pasta. 

I do count my calories and usually I eat 1400-1500 for now.  Currently I weigh 189 when I started I weighed 201.  Its a lot of work, but I feel great.  :)

[MyStErIoUsWiFe]

I also have egg whites and regular eggs that I eat with the bagel or english muffin.  I sometimes eat peanut butter, but im not a big fan lol.  I don't like the way it sticks in my mouth. lol.  It was really hard for me to start eating breakfast in the first place.  B4 I started trying to lose weight I wouldnt eat until lunch and then just eat and eat and eat the rest of the day.

 

By the way great post and great advice

Quoting LeslieSS:

GOOD FOR YOU!!!!!

The only thing I would do is add a protein to your breakfast, maybe you could try to put peanut Butter on your bagel or muffin:)

Quoting MyStErIoUsWiFe:

I know for me the hardest thing was to give up the stuff that I loved the most.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE fried food.  I have lost 12 pounds in 2 months. I have been doing it slowly.  I was walking 4-6 miles 6 days a week.  My husband bought me a treadmill because he saw that I was actually dedicated.  So now I walk/jog/run for 45-60min everyday 5 or 6 days a week. 

Breakfast: whole wheat english muffin or bagel

Snack: usually almonds or fruit

Lunch: Half a sandwich on fiber wheat bread and a salad

Snack: same thing as first snack

Dinner: Chicken, Ground Turkey, elk and some kind of veggies.  We also have whole wheat fiber pasta. 

I do count my calories and usually I eat 1400-1500 for now.  Currently I weigh 189 when I started I weighed 201.  Its a lot of work, but I feel great.  :)