Tips for weightloss

Hi Im just posting to get some advice on tips for weightloss. My gf really wants to loose 25-30 and has been using the treadmill everyday for 4 weeks. I have always been there to help encourage her and tell her that she is doing good. She has only lost little bit a weight and is more rational with her meals. Is there any good exercises she could do daily to trim off fat and get in good shape? Running isnt really enough theres gotta be some type of workout that really works.

No matter what, to lose weight, calories in must be less than calories out. Even if she thinks that she's eating reasonably, an extra 200-300 calories here or there will really keep the weight on.

The other possibility is that she has gained muscle. Has she slimmed down a bit, but the scale has stayed the same?

I think she should consult with a personal trainer and design a workout routine that is right for her and her goals. good luck

Running is the best cardio for weight loss because it burns the most calories. She should continue the running, but exercise alone won't do it. Diet is very important whern trying to lose weight, you basically need to burn more than you are consuming EVERY day or it won't come off. Some people make the mistake of thinking, "Well, I ran so I can now eat a huge dinner" or desert, or whatever. Also, I notice that some women's idea of working out at the gym is not really what I consider a "work out" - you should be sweating and your heart rate should be up or you aren't working out hard enough. For the treadmill, she can try increasing the incline or speed (or both), or going for longer (time or distance) than she is currently doing.

I have worked out for nearly three years, but started runnning a few months ago and have lost that last toughest 5 pounds and am down to a size 1! So it does work, but I also eat very well. Lots of lean meats like chicken, eggs (whites - yolks have cholesterol and fat), and fish with a lot of vegetables and fruit. You don't have to go "no carb" crazy, but you should limit them. I eat sweet potatoes instead of regular, whole wheat pasta instead of plain, use "I can't believe it's not butter" spray, drink lots of water, skim milk, egg beaters.. All of which are either fat free or low fat. I do eat desert on occasion but it's like one tiny scoop or icecream instead of a whole bowl - portion size matters ALOT. Another thing that makes a huge difference is eating small "meals" throughout the day - more like three meals and three snacks. You should aim to be eating a meal, then a snack, then a meal, then snack every 3 hours to keep your body burning calories at it's maximum rate. For snacks in a hurry I like Pria bars (110 calories - men's protein bars typically have lots of calories, around 300 usually), or a piece of fruit.

Additionally, I would add some weight training as building muscle will naturally boost your metabolism and get your body burning more calories even when you aren't working out.

My mom swore she just couldn't lose weight no matter what she did, and I had her exercising daily and following my advice, she lost like 20 pounds. She didn't believe it would work for her, but it did. At first it's hard to get used to not eating anything fried, cutting out fast food, and ordering grilled chicken salads (fat free dressing on the side) at restaurants but amazingly your body gets used to it. Now if I eat fast food, it makes me sick to my stomach afterwards and that keeps me from wanting it.

I hope this helps, I would also recommend maybe you work out and try eating healthier together as well, it will make it easier for your girlfriend and will encourage her.

I agree with Annie - she should consult a trainer and nutritionist to help.

She may be eating well, but it comes down to taking in less calories then you expend. To lose 1 lb a week (which is healthy) she needs a deficit of 3500 calories a week...or 500 calories a day. Best way to do this is to cut out 250 calories from diet, and burn an extra 250 calories. She should aim for healthy options - veggies, fruit, lean meats, low fat dairy, whole grains, healthy fats (olive oil), no/limit processed foods, limit sugars, etc.

If she tries to lose too much too soon, she can regain it back or screw up her metabolism - 1-2 lbs a week is best.

There are many exercises she can do - a blend of cardio and calisthenics/strength training is ideal, as muscle burns more fat and tones you up (and no, she won't get bulky..women don't have enough testosterone to do so).

Also, she should not be running EVERYDAY as it does not give her body time to recover from the stress...if she does not eat ENOUGH either, her body will actually STORE more fat to survive as her metabolism will slow. She should alternate running days with strengthening, yoga, pilates, cycling, whatever. And also realize it's a LIFESTYLE change...it will take time, but it will be forever if she does it right.

Running is great as it burns a lot in a shorter time, but she should also learn to work out at a high enough rate to burn..do sprint intervals and so forth. If she could also alternate with swimming (great calorie burner) and cycling (not as much as running, but you can ride for longer than you can run).

Personally, I do cycling 4-5 days a week (I compete in cycling too), running once a week, yoga 4-5 times a week, and weight training 3 days a week. I take one day completely off. I am in great shape - best of my life, but it did not come overnight..it's a lifestyle, and I balance it in my life. I have always been active and healthy as its important to me. Eating well is just as important as exercising well.

Eating one yogurt a day can aid in weightloss. They are low cal and fat and tasty. The calcium helps loose more weight.

MaxPayne,

Your gf must decide if she wants to become thinner temporarily or lastingly. To stay thinner, she must keep up her exercise habits forever. To do the habits forever, she must enjoy doing them. Like RayKay writes, it is a change of lifestyle and lifestyle changes take time. So be patient.

If your gf went from sedentary to immediately running everyday, something tells me that she does it because the payoff is getting thinner. In that case, she does not enjoy running in itself and thereforeeee she is not likely to continue forever.

If your gf would enjoy running in itself, she would probably already been running all along. I love running but it took me a while for my feelings towards running to warm up when I first started. Running with a friend kept me going in the beginning. Even I can easily control my enthusiasm for running when I run everyday. On the other hand, when only running every other day, I feel very frustrated on the resting days and cannot wait to put my running shoes on again. The point I am attempting to make is that distributing resting days (or doing another exercise) will boost the motivation. And without motivation, no motion.

If she cuts down to running only every other day and perhaps lifting weights every other day, then I believe she will be more successful in the long term.

The most important thing is that your gf does the exercise she enjoys doing whatever it happens to be.

And do not avoid egg yolks totally. The yolks also contain omega-3 fatty acids that counteract the bad colesterole.

Thank you all for your replies, didn't know i would hear back from anyone so quickly hehe. I will encourage her to expand onto other exercises that she enjoys doing and I will probably even participate with her. Thanks again!

Its important to find a diet that works best for her and the foods she likes to eat.

I consider that your girl should follow the diet and make exercises every day. Just running will not solve her problem!

here is the article that can help her get in good shape:

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I found that keeping a running pace that is enjoyable makes running more fun again: slower in the 1st third and as fast or faster in the end when I know the ordeal will soon be over.

So I do not decide in advance how fast I will be running but instead am continuously asking myself whether I like the present speed.

Not to burst your balloon or your girlfriend's but this depends on a lot of things. If she is running 4km a day, and running not shuffling or jogging - she should be seeing results... unless she is already quite thin. In this case, or even if she is a heatlhy weight she should at least be seeing muscle tone and perhaps weight gain even though she is losing fat. If she really wants to lose weight, she should be running like 8km a day. I did it for a while and I'm quite small and the weight just dropped ridiculously fast. Failing that, I don't know where you're from - but in Australia we have this program that is run at almost every gym called Body Pump by Les Mills. It's an awesome program and when I did it for two weeks I went from an 8 to a 6 without really losing much weight, it just pulls all your muslces in tight and tones you.