Losing Weight the Healthy Way

[c8lin062]

I am currently unhappy about my physical appearance due to a recent weight gain. I am 5'4 and 140 pounds. I weighed 120 pounds this time last year. I'm looking for some tips to lose weight the healthy way. I have access to a rec center at my school, and I currently take zumba classes twice a week. What kinds of workout classes will help me most with weight loss? I am also looking for any dieting tips people have (although, as a college student, I am very bad about sticking to a healthy diet).

[Up and Down]

Diet is very important to reaching your weight loss goals. Probably more so than people realize, although there are some lucky people that get a little more leeway on diet. In any case I would focus on some form of resistance training that you enjoy and some form of cardio. I would say three times a week is a good time, maybe 30 minutes of resistance, then 30 minutes of cardio, would be a good start.

[alli]

I've found that my weight is directly related to my diet & not my exercise regimen much at all. In the past, I've worked out a ton more & been in way better shape than I am now, but I was 20-30lbs heavier then than I am now. However, I am on my feet a TON which probably makes me burn more calories than I did when I worked out an hour a day & sat on my butt the other 23 hours. My job requires standing/walking constantly at least 6 hours a day.

 

I didn't even intend to lose weight. I just moved in with my bf back to my home state, started a new job & got the depo shot (which makes most people gain weight, apparently).

 

Basically, I follow the Hara Hachi Bu principle, which means eating until you are 80% full. I rarely stuff myself until I feel like exploding. I normally eat fairly slowly (unless I'm pressed for time, such as a 10 minute lunch break in a 10 hour work day). When I do eat too fast & too much, it makes me feel sick. I rarely limit indulging in foods that I want, I just don't eat a LOT of it. Most of my desserts are 100-200 calories, and they satisfy my cravings. Such as those sara lee microwavable cakes. Only like 150calories each.

 

I eat a lot of chicken noodle soup, triscuits, string cheese, almonds, skim milk, gardenburgers (I love the fake chicken patties). Pasta with pest sauce, fresca soda. I drink a lot of water, at least a liter or more a day. That's pretty much what my diet consists of; it's pretty repetitive but I still love all those foods. I like fruit a lot too, but it's expensive & usually rots before I can eat it all.

 

The biggest thing I think is portion size. I don't know if I trained my body to get used to smaller portions or what, but it worked. I actually don't normally feel too incredibly hungry, even if I haven't eaten in a long time. It's hard to find the time to eat where I work. I know that I need to eat soon when I start feeling tired & lightheaded. I don't do that on purpose, I just can't go on a lunch break & get food whenever I want. It's not so much the hunger that bothers me as the feeling of having low blood sugar.

 

I also heard that having 2 cups of coffee with chile peppers can boost your metabolism & make you lose 4lbs per week. Not sure if it works, I'm not really looking into losing more weight. Plus it sounds disgusting, but if I wanted to lose weight I would probably try it. Lol, probably just gives you diarrhea!! Lol, you'd definitely lose some weight!

 

Oh also, my weight loss was a very slow process. So slow in fact that I barely even saw it happen. My family noticed because they saw me every few months, but I could not tell a bit on a day-to-day or even week-to-week basis. I lost about 30lbs in 18 months.

[diamond78]

 

I also heard that having 2 cups of coffee with chile peppers can boost your metabolism & make you lose 4lbs per week. Not sure if it works, I'm not really looking into losing more weight. Plus it sounds disgusting, but if I wanted to lose weight I would probably try it. Lol, probably just gives you diarrhea!! Lol, you'd definitely lose some weight!

 

 

Is this true?? I've never heard that before....Where did you get that diet tidbit? I don't drink coffee, but maybe I should start...hehe!

[sidehop]

Maybe if you're losing 4 lbs of water weight. One problem with caffeine, it's very bad if you're trying to keep hydrated especially working out. 8 oz of coffee may be okay but you should be drinking plenty of fluids so your body doesn't get dehydrated.

 

If someone can lose that much in fat loss a week, well I'd scared how that person is feeling at that point.

 

Food intake is 90% of how your body is going to look and feel. Working out and keeping active lifestyle they say only accounts for 10%.

[Lecturer]

A lot of good info already in this post, particularly Alli's portion size info and eating until you are 80% full (the point really being, don't stuff yourself).

 

I do want to say that ANY claim you see online with "Lose X pounds per week..." is pure crap. It's just a scam of someone wanting your money. Easy proof: if you weigh 100lbs, you can't lose 4lbs per week no matter what.. and if you weigh 400lbs, you can probably lose 8lbs a week just by the tiniest bit of effort.

 

As for exercise that will help you lose weight: 10 minutes of INTENSE activity is MUCH better than an hour of light activity. Intense meaning things that are a struggle just to keep doing... things that make you feel like you want to vomit from the pain and exhaustion (ok, not quite, but you get the picture). Do both, and tell me how you feel after each one... that is your indicator of how effective it has been.

 

Let's do some math for you...

 

At your current weight, with a sedentary lifestyle you can consume about 1750 calories per day (basal metabolism), and your weight won't change. You can remain sedentary (no exercise, slight amounts of walking), and cut your calories to about 1500 per day, and you'll probably hit your 120lbs goal in about a year (8 months if you are diligent, but more likely 12 with the inevitable 'cheat' days).

 

If you increase your activity (exercise), your basal metabolism rating increases, meaning you would need around 2000-2200 calories per day (depending on amount and intensity of exercise) just to maintain your 140lbs weight. So eating that 1750 calories per day you are likely eating now would result in you losing your 20lbs a little faster... say 6-8 months.

 

If you only do the diet side, part of the weight lost will be muscle mass.. you'll be lighter, but parts of you might not look that great. If you include exercise, and make sure a good portion of your calories is protein instead of carbs, you can maintain your muscle mass and more of your weight loss will be fat. Plus, doing the diet AND exercise will obviously result in the faster progress.

 

I recommend doing some INTENSE cardio workout, in cycles of 2-5 minutes, with 30-60 second rest between cycles. Do the cycles for a total of 10-15 minutes, and do it every day. After a week, I promise your metabolism will be jacked, and you will be a very hungry girl. Keep eating roughly the amount you normally eat (maybe a tiny bit less), but spread it out throughout the day to keep the hunger away. In 3 months, you will have lost 15-20 lbs.

[alli]

Is this true?? I've never heard that before....Where did you get that diet tidbit? I don't drink coffee, but maybe I should start...hehe!

 

I heard it on the radio last weekend. The ultimate source of reliable information Lol, I don't know where they got the info, it just caught my attention.

 

 

Maybe if you're losing 4 lbs of water weight. One problem with caffeine, it's very bad if you're trying to keep hydrated especially working out. 8 oz of coffee may be okay but you should be drinking plenty of fluids so your body doesn't get dehydrated.

 

If someone can lose that much in fat loss a week, well I'd scared how that person is feeling at that point.

 

Hey, I never said it was healthy!! Or permanent. It's just what I heard. On the radio, they said the combination of capsaicin in the peppers & caffiene together boost your metabolism where if you do it every day, you can lose 4lbs a week. So if the weight loss is due to your metabolism, it would be more than just water weight loss. I can't imagine it would dehydrate you much more than just drinking coffee alone, so if you're already drinking it anyway... But you have to do it at the same time. If you eat the peppers in the evening & coffee in the morning it won't work apparently.

[sidehop]

Hey, I never said it was healthy!! Or permanent. It's just what I heard. On the radio, they said the combination of capsaicin in the peppers & caffiene together boost your metabolism where if you do it every day, you can lose 4lbs a week. So if the weight loss is due to your metabolism, it would be more than just water weight loss. I can't imagine it would dehydrate you much more than just drinking coffee alone, so if you're already drinking it anyway... But you have to do it at the same time. If you eat the peppers in the evening & coffee in the morning it won't work apparently.

 

I'm just skeptical especially 4lbs of fat loss since first of all if it did work, well I'd do it haha and second most people when drinking coffee put at least some sugar and/or milk and consume at least couple cups or more without much other fluid intake in the morning.

 

There's a whole debate on it, whether caffeine in general is diuretic or not, etc etc. I always think it's about moderation...and see the same way about these diet tricks.

[diamond78]

 

I recommend doing some INTENSE cardio workout, in cycles of 2-5 minutes, with 30-60 second rest between cycles. Do the cycles for a total of 10-15 minutes, and do it every day. After a week, I promise your metabolism will be jacked, and you will be a very hungry girl. Keep eating roughly the amount you normally eat (maybe a tiny bit less), but spread it out throughout the day to keep the hunger away. In 3 months, you will have lost 15-20 lbs.

 

 

I just tried this tonight....i definitely feel a difference from doing 30 minutes of moderate cardio that I was doing...

 

I did 3 minute bursts 4 times on the exercise bike with a 1 minute break in between each cycle. Gonna do this for a week and see how I feel. Thanks for the tidbit....I do know that interval cardio training works.

 

Question though....do I have to do this everyday for the next 3 months? Or can I eventually reduce it to 3-4 times a week down the line??

[sidehop]

Lecturer is probably talking about the Insanity program. The program is designed for six days a week with one day off.

 

I guess it's what the person wants to accomplish, 3~4 times a week and putting other activities in between surely can't hurt.

[Lecturer]

Actually, sidehop, I was mostly just talking general intense interval training - but yes, Insanity workout is a good example of it... but you don't HAVE to go that .. insane. I read a medical study a couple years ago that showed participants in an HIIT program lost FAT at rate 11x higher than participants in a light cardio program, and the HIIT workout duration was about 60% that of the light cardio program so it consumed less time too.

 

By your 2nd week of an intense interval training regimen, you will almost certainly FEEL how your metabolism has changed.. you will be hungry much sooner after meals, which is why it is very important to change your eating habits to spread out your meals so that you aren't hungry, without having to eat more.

[alli]

I'm just skeptical especially 4lbs of fat loss since first of all if it did work, well I'd do it haha and second most people when drinking coffee put at least some sugar and/or milk and consume at least couple cups or more without much other fluid intake in the morning.

 

There's a whole debate on it, whether caffeine in general is diuretic or not, etc etc. I always think it's about moderation...and see the same way about these diet tricks.

 

I didn't really entirely believe it, either, but they did say up to 4lbs, and not "everyone will lose 4lbs". Or maybe it said 4lbs a month? That sounds a bit more believable. I don't remember, I wasn't really listening that closely (guess I'm not the most reliable source of information either, lol). But even a pound or half a pound a week would be worth it to me if I wanted to lose weight.

[c8lin062]

Thanks for all the advice!

 

Has anyone gotten any results from at home workouts using Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred or The Biggest Loser Cardio Max Workout dvds??

[Ginger1]

hey I am in college to and have a similar weight goal. Someone here suggested I do an online fitness diary. Try one of these, I'm using link removed the other is link removed which has more brand name foods to put down.

 

For me it's easier to eat less food to lose weight rather than increase my exercise. Usually if I exercise a lot I get super hungry and eat a lot, therefore defeating the purpose.

I am a very active person though and I am 'exercising' for at least an hour everyday doing stuff outside, and then I am on my feet a lot walking to class. But I can't do the gym, it just doesn't suit me.

I you want you can join the site I am using and we can 'cheer' each other on!