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Can I lose weight just by exercising 5 days a week and cutting calories?


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I've tried almost every "diet" out there. The only one that worked for me was the HCG one. I did it last year and lost 40 lbs, I was pre-diabetic and I needed to shed some weight FAST. I tried doing it again but it's not good. It's only 500 calories a day and I feel so weak on it. I want to get the rest of the weight off (about 50 lbs) the right way. Just working out and eating better. I want to change my lifestyle! It's hard because I love sweets and I tend to over-eat after only about 3 days of eating better. How can I stick to this? Any tips? What foods should I eat? How often should I work out? I am 21 years old, about 5'5, and female (obviously) Right now I weight 217.2, I've been this weigh for about a month, I am stuck! I used to be almost 250 before I did the HCG diet but I can't do that again. Like I said...I need to do this the right way!

 

HELP please!

 

sincerely,

sick of being fat!

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Any weight you lose fast will come back fast, that is the definition of yo-yo dieting. Eat healthy, work-out (in a healthy way, don't kill yourself 5 days a week). You should only be losing about 2lbs a week if you are being healthy.

 

Talk to your doctor also, s/he will be able to give you a lot of good information.

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The best way to lose weight is to exercise and by watching your diet.

 

The most effective exercises to do- which you will notice an almost immediate difference, is cardio (meaning the tread mill), and soon after the run on the treadmill, weight training. Do those two together and you will see a dramatic effect.

 

With diet - don't eat out at the fast foods - like McDonalds, KFC, etc - but at your local restaurants. Most of these places like taco bell and McDonalds use meat that has been injected with hormones. Hormones can plump you up even without your wanting to. 'The reason why fast foods corporations arrange to inject hormones into their meat products is because they want to speed up the growth of chickens and red meat so that they can sell quickly and make a profit. What most people dont' realize is that once they eat this meat, they also ingest the hormones and it not only makes one "get older", but it makes one plump and may eventually cause cancer in some people.

 

So once again - two ways to really lose weight - cardio and strength training - and avoidance of fast food restaurants. Oh, also, if you drink fruit juices and soda, I would strongly suggest you stop. The amount of sugar in these drinks is the equivalent of not only eating one, but two meals!

 

Finally, verify everything with your doctor. Don't start an exercise program unless you've gotten the checkup.

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I have work 5 days a week. I am on my feet 6 hours a day working as a housekeeper. Also, I am allowed to use the gym at my work so after my shift I usually do 30 mins on the treadmill, and 15 on the bike or elliptical. I also do Zumba for the Wii at home, and I just started Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. The thing is, I have a lot of weight to lose. I've been overweight my entire life. Most of my weight is in my stomach...gross. I've been to my doctor. He says to workout with what I am comfortable with and keep my calories under 1200. It's just hard to know exactly what to eat and all this stuff...I've already cut out soda and I drink hot green tea every night. I love juice though. Like orange juice and apple juice....

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I find that sticking to an exercise program motivates me to eat better for several reasons -first because I don't want to mess up the results of the exercise, second because it makes me more in tune with my body and what I'm putting in my body, third because it motivates me to drink more water (which helps me stay full) and helped get me back to noticing my actual hunger/full cues not the emotional ones. And who wants to feel overly full when you know you have to exercise? I do a cardio "power walk" every day (about 2.5 miles) and walk fast at least a few extra miles a day. I don't do weight training unless carrying around a 30 pound toddler counts (hope it does!).

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You are carrying nearly 100 extra pounds. With that amount of weight to lose, I suggest you contact a nutritionist, doctor and personal trainer. It's just too much weight for people to be able to advise you on a forum board on. When losing that kind of weight, you really need to be monitored by professionals.

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Thanks everybody.

 

I cannot afford a personal trainer. I've seen a nutritionist and my doctor, more than once. I came here for just advice on foods and workouts from other people who are losing weight. If I lost 100 lbs, I would be 117. Way too thin. My goal weight is between 140-150. I love fruits, veggies, and I drink TONS of water. Nothing but, almost. If anyone has any good recipes for meals, let me know!

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1200 calories seems quite extreme, although of course your doctor should be one of the best sources. I don't see why you can't lose weight on about 1800 calories. Say 1500 on days when you don't exercise and 1800 on days when you do. But then, you're on your feet doing housekeeping for several hours, so that alone should require about 1800.

 

Here's what I eat:

 

Breakfast - cottage cheese with fruit or porridge with skim milk or almond milk (no sugar, butter or salt)

 

Snack - nuts, salad, carrots or fruit

 

Lunch - low fat, low sodium soup or left-overs from supper

 

Another snack (see above)

 

Supper - Supper usually consists of 4 things:

 

1. Meat or fish (cooked in a way that lets most of the fat off, including BBQ, baking or boiling in onions and spices) or, alternatively, beans/lentils

2. About 3/4 cup of Whole grains (brown rice, cracked wheat, quinoa, hulled barley or whole grain couscous)

3. Steamed veggies

4. Salad - No lettuce, only nutritious veggies such as broccoli, tomatoes, spinach, cabbage, etc. Seasoned with red onions, vinegar (balsamic, red wine, rice vinegar or fresh lemon juice) and olive oil. Can add sesame seeds, goat cheese, feta cheese or nuts.

 

The salad is what brings flavor to the entire meal, with the onions and vinegar. Can also add fresh parsley, cilantro or basil for more flavor. The meat and grains are very small and the rest of the plate is piled up with the steamed veggies and salad. If I'm still hungry, I only take seconds of the veggies and salad.

 

Using that supper combination, you can get lots of variety and flavor and really fill yourself up and be satisfied but the calories are still super low.

 

If you're still hungry after supper, have tea and fruit. Plain popcorn is another evening snack that takes some getting used to (boring), but it's filling and low cal.

 

I used to be overweight but have stayed thin (even lost 60 lbs from pregnancy) for close to a decade now without ever going hungry, putting the weight back on, obsessing over calories, etc. and this eating plan has worked well for me.

 

Personally, I love to walk. I take my ipod and I could just walk for hours if I had the time. I walk over my lunch break at work, walk after work, in the evenings... It's a part of my life that I just can't do without and it makes me so happy.

 

If you want the quickest results, running will burn more calories than anything else. Skipping rope also burns intense calories, and it's something you can do for 15 minutes every morning at home.

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Here are some of my favorite salad recipes:

 

1. broccoli, feta cheese, red onions and salted cashews. Balsamic vinegar and olive oil

 

2. spring greens, goat cheese, roasted sesame seeds, seasoned rice vinegar and olive oil.

 

3. cabbage, red onions, seasoned rice vinegar and olive oil. (even better with a bit of hard ramen noodles, but not so healthy)

 

4. tomatoes, red peppers, feta cheese, red onions, red wine vinegar and olive oil.

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One hour's worth of cardio, at least 3 times a week. Work out at a gym for all five days if you want. Be aware that it takes time, usually a good couple months, to shed that kind of weight.

 

Remember, don't starve yourself. You'll only pack on weight that way. For foods, all the food groups, but cut out fats and excess sugars. Keep to about 2000 calories a day, and if you want to cheat, make sure you understand how much exercise it takes to get rid of the extra carbs.

 

As for recipes, you should try the kind of pasta which gives you a whole serving of veggies as well as grain and the recipes that come with it, they're delicious. (Talking about the orange and green colored pasta, not sure what it's called since I haven't bought it in awhile.) Oh, and cracker chips. So yummy

 

I kind of have a habit of eating my mother's diet foods... I don't really need them since I somehow magically lost all the fat that I had as a kid, but she gets the good stuff which is expensive and doesn't taste like cardboard.

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2000 cal is a nice daily diet once you get down to where you want to be - but it will only keep you where you are, and you want to go down. So 1500 isn't too extreme, especially considering your daily routine. If you're sitting on a computer for most of the day, you don't need to be eating like a firefighter!!

 

Now a gram of body fat has about 7 calories of energy. You say you have about 60 extra lbs, and there's roughly 454 grams in a lb, so multiplied out, you have about 191,000 calories to burn off!! If you went onto the +1200 calorie per day diet, and your routine uses 2000 calories per day, you will have a daily deficite of -800 calories. with this deficit, it will take 238 days to reach your goal. At that rate, you're looking at losing 1/4 lb a day, or 1.75 lbs a week. Anyone else is free to check my math!! This is very doable, and I do believe you could do it without being unhealthy in the process of doing it. What it will require, though is a high amount of will power, self motivation, and strong commitment to remaining educated about your food, what you eat and don't eat, and what you can and can't eat.

A diet which cuts out the things you like entirely is a diet that will end in fialure - you WILL want to eat those things. So find ways to incorporate that treat into your diet without it upsetting your progress.

 

The greatest issue is balance, and understanding what kind of calories you are giving yourself. Fat is a great source of energy - about 9 calories per gram. Your body needs some fat on the upside, as it is the only way your body will absorb those vitamins and minerals that are only soluable in fat - things like Vitamin A, D, E and K, for instance. Your body can store them, but it needs some fat to remain balanced. So do consider keeping some fats in your diets - just be mindful of which fats you allow in. Saturated fats are generally less beneficial. Diets which aim at completely eliminate all of one type of any resource are generally not good diets int eh long term, and often times lead to an over eating of the wrong stuff and no balance.

 

One thing I cut out was these Chicken nuggets at the kitchen, I looked them up one day and discovered they have over 600 caloires per serving! Of course, here a serving is 10 pieces - that 60 calories per piece!! No more of them for me! If I get nuggets, I eat one and let my buddies have the rest. I savor the flavor and the moment of that one nugget, and that holds me over - I've had that one, more is just more of that same sensation. and I have the mental memory to remember that experience longer than that one nugget, so holding that alone, I am happy with just one nugget, and then I go about the rest of my lunch, which is typically more beneficial than that one nugget.

 

There's another thing. You can eat VERY healthy, but at the end of the day, if you take in X amount of calories, you have to burn off X+Y in order to continue losing weight. So ultimately it will come down to portion management and being strict about it. You DON'T have to clear your plate. If anything, don't make it so big to start out with!

 

If you need something to munch on, there's nothing better than celery with nothing on it. It's good for your lower digestive tract and is literally a zero calorie food - you burn more calories chewing it than you'll ever get back! When that gets boring, throw in a carrot stick, and when that's too much, an apple slice. If you get tired of munching, then it's time to stop eating altogether!!

 

My ex's diet consisted of a lot of sushi. I think it was successful because she stuck to a portion size, if anything, and sushi - sashimi in particular - is typically served in a very gourmetish manner. And in your case, you want quality, not quantity!

 

Good luck!

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I have work 5 days a week. I am on my feet 6 hours a day working as a housekeeper. Also, I am allowed to use the gym at my work so after my shift I usually do 30 mins on the treadmill, and 15 on the bike or elliptical. I also do Zumba for the Wii at home, and I just started Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. The thing is, I have a lot of weight to lose. I've been overweight my entire life. Most of my weight is in my stomach...gross. I've been to my doctor. He says to workout with what I am comfortable with and keep my calories under 1200. It's just hard to know exactly what to eat and all this stuff...I've already cut out soda and I drink hot green tea every night. I love juice though. Like orange juice and apple juice....

 

I use link removed to track my calories and it works like a bomb! They have a lot of common name brand foods and you can make your own dishes up by adding the calories of each ingredient. They've also got success stories to help you stay motivated, recipes (haven't tried any yet though), and give you calories burnt for different workouts (I'm really not sure how accurate these are, but it's better than nothing). I have it on my phone and I enter most of my meals and workouts to get my net calories for the day, nutrient intake, etc... so I can see what I need to change (ie. am I taking in too much sodium, not enough vit. A, etc...). It also gives you a weekly view which is cool because I would always end up going over my calories on Tuesdays-now I pay more attention to what I eat on that day. I'm sure there are many other similar websites, so I would suggest signing up for one of them (most are free). Know what you're eating is half the battle!

 

I would also suggest taking it easy when you first start working out. Don't expect to run an 8-min. mile after 2 weeks on the treadmill-that's a surefire way to get an injury (which will probably lead to more weight gain as you'll have to take a break). And please remember you didn't get to 200lbs over night and you won't get down to 150lbs overnight either. The worst thing is to see someone working out, doing good, but thinking they're not losing the weight fast enough and giving up (then gaining all the weight back or more). Stay positive and good luck!

 

And green tea is delicious!

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I would also suggest taking it easy when you first start working out. Don't expect to run an 8-min. mile after 2 weeks on the treadmill-that's a surefire way to get an injury (which will probably lead to more weight gain as you'll have to take a break). And please remember you didn't get to 200lbs over night and you won't get down to 150lbs overnight either. The worst thing is to see someone working out, doing good, but thinking they're not losing the weight fast enough and giving up (then gaining all the weight back or more). Stay positive and good luck!

 

And green tea is delicious!

 

Or worse - as you mentioned, getting an injury - and once injured, gaining even more weight because of the complete lack of exercise.

 

I run, but before I run, I jog. And before I jog, I walk. I may walk a quarter mile before I pick up the pace, but it feels good. A good pair of running shoes are paramount to doing any sort of running - $50-$100 well spent when you consider the various injuries that can result from having the incorrect footwear. There is the 'Freefoot' philosophy going around right now about running almsot barefoot, but the way they put it in our healthclasses here is, there simply is no data to support their conclusion that barefeet is either in the positive or the negative direction. Much about sports fitness seems to be more akin to religion than science - which unfortunately means you have to sort through the information and figure out what works well for you and what isn't going to do anything for you.

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If you burn more calories than you eat on a daily basis you will lose weight. That is a simple and short answer.

 

I would not work out every day either as your muscles need to repair after a good workout. Try working out every other day or every 2-3 days instead.

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If you burn more calories than you eat on a daily basis you will lose weight. That is a simple and short answer.

 

I would not work out every day either as your muscles need to repair after a good workout. Try working out every other day or every 2-3 days instead.

 

IMO, there's 2 choices. You work out every second day and a full body high intensity workout. Or (which is what I've been doing) is workout 5 days in a row isolating certain muscle groups on different days. Works great and I gain strength and muscle pretty well, even though I have a slim body type. It's not a limitation, as I've weighed 180 before after a solid summer of eating super well and working out like a beast.

 

I wouldn't recommend most people start out very intense though, especially if you haven't worked out before. Build your way up.

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  • 3 months later...

i found when i started on my weightloss journey, i did a colon cleanse fast, nothing expensive, and had meself a few home enemas

 

this kick started my body into utilising the healthy food i ingested, whilst getting rid of all that built up toxic waste. i felt great afterwards

 

a myth is that when loosing the weight with fasting you put it back on. not if you continue with healthy eating....if you eat crap then yes of course you will

 

the body does slow down its metabolism whilst fasting, but as soon as you start eating again, the body aint daft, it goes back up again. i know from experience from doin the odd fast this is the case. another myth is that its all water we loose, well yes, for the first 3 days, after that the body turns to fat stores. besides, 10lbs of excess water retention still makes us look fatter and wobbly and heavier, making exercise more labourous

 

theres a fab site 'fitness through fasting dot com' with info on there

 

good luck on your journey, dont berate youreself, jus get back on that wagon, and watch your Birth Control...many hormones put weight on us and in my case, send me into depressed like state (hence why im now on a copper IUD)

 

ive managed to loose 3.5stone or 49lbs in total...another 7-14lbs be great ;D ...so hang in there

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