Eating/weight loss

[speak]

Hey everyone. I am on a mission to try and lose 20 lbs. and I was wondering what ways of eating could help me accomplish that....

 

Like, what types of diets work for you?

 

Today, this is what I have eaten so far -

 

BREAKFAST-

A 70 calorie fruit cup and half of a bagel.

 

LUNCH

A salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, cheese and onions

 

And for SUPPER I plan on eating this Frozen dinner that is 270 calories.

 

Is that good to lose weight?

 

 

Thanks for ANY advice!

[metrogirl]

While it is good that you are eating less calories, you still need to exercise.

 

Exercise is key to losing and keeping off weight.

[morgane]

Hey everyone. I am on a mission to try and lose 20 lbs. and I was wonder what ways of eating could help me accomplish that....

 

Like, what types of diets work for you?

 

Today, this is what I have eaten so far -

 

BREAKFAST-

A 70 calorie fruit cup and half of a bagel.

 

LUNCH

A salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, cheese and onions

 

And for SUPPER I plan on eating this Frozen dinner that is 270 calories.

 

Is that good to lose weight?

 

 

Thanks for ANY advice!

 

 

the key to loosing weights is burning more calories than you take in, try under 500 cal aday, good luck!

[metrogirl]

the key to loosing weights is burning more calories than you take in, try under 500 cal aday, good luck!

 

500 calories a day? That doesn't sound healthy at all. I don't think she want to starve herself.

[speak]

Well what about walking? Whenever I try to lose weight - I walk 30 minutes a day.

[morgane]

Well what about walking? Whenever I try to lose weight - I walk 30 minutes a day.

 

oh yes, dont do lift weights, it'make you gain muscles, yes but don't walk up hill either, you'll get manly legs, just walk for 1 hour or 2 everyday walking normally. good luck!

[metrogirl]

Well what about walking? Whenever I try to lose weight - I walk 30 minutes a day.

 

Walking is always good for you, but you need to keep your heart rate up a bit. Try more cardio, you need to burn more calories than you take in and please don't think that starving yourself will help.......IT WON'T

[majord23]

Start eating 5 smaller meals a day. The diet that you have outlined contains too few calories. Aim for between around 1000 - 1200 calories a day with about 30-40 minutes of exercise 3 times a week (more often if you feel motivated).

 

If you restrict your caloric intake too much, you're body will go into starvation mode, your metabolism will slow down and your body will actually start storing fat (as it prepares itself for a lean time).

 

You'll also be more inclined to put the weight back on.

 

Under 500 calories a day is far too few.

[majord23]

oh yes, dont do lift weights, it'make you gain muscles, yes but don't walk up hill either, you'll get manly legs, just walk for 1 hour or 2 everyday walking normally. good luck!

 

I'm not sure where you're getting that from

 

Walking uphill works the gluteals and will give you that so-desired firm butt.

[morgane]

Start eating 5 smaller meals a day. The diet that you have outlined contains too few calories. Aim for between around 1000 - 1200 calories a day with about 30-40 minutes of exercise 3 times a week (more often if you feel motivated).

 

If you restrict your caloric intake too much, you're body will go into starvation mode, your metabolism will slow down and your body will actually start storing fat (as it prepares itself for a lean time).

 

You'll also be more inclined to put the weight back on.

 

Under 500 calories a day is far too few.

 

well i do agree with you, it's very true, don't starve yourself but i've been doing my own kind of diet with celery, yogurt and fruits/veg since i was 14 and i've gown down from 117 to 95 and i am able to maintain my weight ever since. i guess i'm just used to it, show control, determination and will power darling!

[Perfection]

processed food is a big no no...stay away from saturated fats, sugar, high fructose items. that means no french fries, no soda, no juice unless you squeezed it yourself, no bread (only grain), no pasta, no pizza. start reading labels on EVERYTHING. eat 4-6 small meals a day with some sort of protein at every meal. and exercise of course, but make sure you do cardio everyday. any form. run, swim, aerobics...a good one imo is spinning. if you are a member at a gym and they offer a spinning class, give it a shot.

[Perfection]

I'm not sure where you're getting that from

 

Walking uphill works the gluteals and will give you that so-desired firm butt.

 

i agree...

[speak]

I also only munch on carrots for snacks and for a dessert I eat a 40 calorie pack that has apple slices and grapes in it.

[ghost69]

oh yes, dont do lift weights, it'make you gain muscles, yes but don't walk up hill either, you'll get manly legs, just walk for 1 hour or 2 everyday walking normally. good luck!

 

no way. it takes a lot of lifting and supplements for women to gain muscle. getting toned, sure, but not gaining much muscle.

[morgane]

I'm not sure where you're getting that from

 

Walking uphill works the gluteals and will give you that so-desired firm butt.

 

well i'm just giving my opinion, i don't really want to be firm/muscular i like THIN. That's all, i don't know what she wants so i'm just throwing options out there

[morgane]

I also only munch on carrots for snacks and for a dessert I eat a 40 calorie pack that has apple slices and grapes in it.

 

yes that's the way to go! keep it up

[Perfection]

your body will not function the same way when you get older as it is doing now. you might get away with starving yourself for now, but later on it might lead to other problems. starving yourself is a very unhealthy way of losing weight. your metabolism will slow down because your body assumes that something is wrong and it's not getting energy like it used to. so it goes into a defensive mode and stops burning energy that is already in your system. your metabolism is not like a car ignition that you can just crank up and get it up and running again. once you are off your "diet" and once you start to eat like normal, your body will start accumulating weight since your metabolism will not kick in to burn the added energy.

 

hope it makes sense.

[rosephase]

Here is a website that is free that helps you track what you eat and how much you work out. It really helped me for awhile.

 

link removed

[Supa_gurl]

I found the Wu-Long tea diet helpful. I lost about 15lbs on it in 2 months. All you do is drink two 6oz cups of tea a day and it curbs your appetite. Then of course eat healthy meals as well.

[Ellie2006]

 

Today, this is what I have eaten so far -

 

BREAKFAST-

A 70 calorie fruit cup and half of a bagel.

 

LUNCH

A salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, cheese and onions

 

And for SUPPER I plan on eating this Frozen dinner that is 270 calories.

 

Is that good to lose weight?

 

I think, today, you actually ate too little.

[As a rule, try to avoid bagels -- I read somewhere that one bagel is equivalent to six slices of bread or something.]

 

I think you may be more likely to break your diet if you eat too little and deprive yourself too much. I'd add a bit more protein.

 

And like others have said, exercise is important -- not just to lose weight but to maintain your overall sense of well-being.

 

Good luck!

[Balbina]

Majord seems to know what he's talking about.

 

In order to lose weight, you need to eat a balanced diet of proteins, carbs and healthy fats and eat smaller meals (5-6) more frequently throughout the day. Starving yourself, or eating less than 1200 calories a day is very unhealthy. The "500 calories" tip is uneducated advice. That would be disaster to your body.

 

A good point to mention now is that you burn calories throughout the day as you digest food and just go on through life. When you eat more frequent meals (smaller ones) your metabolic rate increases and you burn off the food you eat faster.

 

The trick to losing weight is burning more calories than you eat, but more succintly, in burning off the calories. Weight loss can be achevied through eating less alone, but it will give your body the unhealthy appearance of "thin fat"...basically depleted muscle all over your body and pudginess. You'll fit into your smaller jeans, but as soon as you're naked, it'll look gross. Many people who try for "quick fixes" get stuck in this rut and some discover that in order to look great you need to work at it.

 

Cardio is relatively straight forward. You don't need to run a marathon to lose weight. Infact, it's actually less beneficial if you go all out and exert yourself if you want to burn the fat. Sometimes doing cardio too hard will counteract your efforts and stunt fat loss. You want to get smaller by tightening up and you tighten up by burning fat, which is not dependant on how many calories you burn but what type of calories. Think of the body of a long distance runner compared to a sprinter.

 

The key is keeping your heart rate in you target fat burning zone (this can be googled) and sticking to it. Eliptical and speed walking can accomplish this. As can doing something called High Intensity Interval Training (also google-able) Basically going all out for a couple of minutes and then back to a steady pace to rest, repeat.

 

Another poster said to avoid strength training or lifting weights to avoid getting built. This is completely wrong. Women do not have the natural capability to get built - unless you're on steroids or doing heavy body building. Strength training not only aids in toning up as you shed the pounds, but in increase overall (you got it) strength to maximize your potential. Some cardio can also be beneficial to toning up (walking uphill, stairmaster and the eliptical can help build buns of steel, not masses growing out of your backside)

 

Many easy workouts can be found online to cater to your specific needs.

[Alezia]

Add some chicken, beans, egg whites, turkey or fish. Don't eat the half bagel. Instead replace that by 1 or 2 brown toasts. You get get some breads that are normal sized breads (none of that mini Weight Watchers bread) for 2 slices for 110 calories.

I would definetly increase your portions, sounds like they are way to small for me. I am a big eater, so when I diet I still have big meals just healthy foods that are low in calories.

 

Try having a turkey sandwhich with mustard for lunch. Pack as many veggies you can in it.

Don't restrict yourself too much ex: no-carbs if you don't have a lot of will power. I know I don't.

 

I also don't suggest going under 1200 calories a day.

[Stella Sleepwalks]

I lost 60lbs in one year, and I didn't do it the sensible way. Now my metabolism is screwed up!

 

You will find the less you have to lose (20lbs isn't really that much), the slower it takes to burn.

 

Set yourself targets, sensible ones like 1 - 2lbs a week, or betteryet, sod the scales and measure your weight loss in inches. The scales are never a true reflextion on how fit, healthy and lean you are. I am 126lbs and I look about 115lbs!

 

I would suggest you take up activities you enjoy, rather than the gym. Take up a dance class, go jogging, do yoga - have FUN! All these activities are great cardio and will definitely tone you up! You could even buy a few exercise DVDs. If you want to join a gym, see if they can do a free trial before you commit to a year long membership.

 

As for diet, well I am on the GI diet. Although I don't need to lose weight, (I am on maintanace), I am not counting calories on it which can completely take over your life. No counting fat or carbs either. It simply shows you how to combine the right sorts of foods, into 3 meals and 2 snacks a day, in the correct portion sizes.

 

Remember slow and steady wins the race. Change your lifestyle and don't do anything silly.

 

Good Luck xxx

[Aviatormy]

A perfect example that I can give you on how 500 calories is not only bad advice but absurd when it come to losing weight is as follows.

 

I have always been into heavy weight training thereforee my calorie intake has always been very high (4,000+) a day. Of course I do not reccomend this for you but this is a story so bare with me .

 

I had a 2 year period where I was practically living on crutches so any weight lifting was out of the question for me.

 

For the first year and after 3 surgeries on my knee, I was still eating 4,000+ calories and 90-100grams of fat (more-less my body building intake). I blew up from a very healthy 190lbs @12% body fat to 227lbs @33% body fat.

 

Needless to say I freaked out because I was unable to work out to balance my diet out so I came to a screetching hault on the food I ate and I am sure I was at 800 calories or less per day. Not only did this diet help me lose weight, it made my body look like a 200lb tub of mush! I looked horrible. So I would have to say that Morganes advice is terrible for you to try and go off of. Now here is what I did to correct it...

 

I went to a nutritionist and told her what foods I really like to eat and what my goal was. (my goal was to drop 20lbs and tone up since I could still not lift weights).

 

Her suggestion was for me to take in 1,800 calories for the first 2 weeks and just really concentrate on my motions with my crutches to tone up. In the first 2 weeks of taking in those HIGHLY needed calories and flexing my arms while on my crutches, I actually LOST fat and gained muscle. I was eating a lot more and just working out with minimal weight. I did not look like a bodybuilder from doing that so the advice about not walking uphill is also way off mark as well.

 

So my suggestion to you (and this is from my personal trainer as well) is to multiply your weight by 10 and then subtract 150 from that number to get the amount of calories that you should intake and then add 100 calories to that number for each hour that you plan to work out that day. Try to only take in monosaturated fats and like everyone else said... minimal sugars!

 

Try this diet for a few weeks and see how that helps you. remember.... TUNA and other types of baked or grilled fish are your best friend!

 

P.S. I am not on that diet anymore obviously lol. I am well back into my body building phase, at a healthy 199lbs and at 13% body fat.

 

You can definitely do this but unless you want to weigh an unhealthy 95lbs (unless you are 4'10" I would not take the advice to eat 500 calories a day and NEVER work out. That is very bad for your body.

[avman]

I would not take the advice to eat 500 calories a day and NEVER work out. That is very bad for your body

 

I will lend additional support to this statement. My wife is a dietitian and she would never, ever suggest a 500 calorie diet to anyone. That puts your body into starvation mode and will cause severe damage.