Need HELP finding best diet to lose weight

[Munchkin77]

Hi, I'm 4ft 10in, 27 years old and weigh 198 lbs. Can anyone suggest a low-fat diet that works? I mean how many fat grams can I eat per day? Any suggestions, Just once I would like to shop in the NON plus size clothing. Very Unhappy!

[AlleyCat]

I suggest working on changing your attitude from finding a diet that works to making small lifestyle changes.

 

Figure out what your major problem areas are. Do you have a tendency to eat lots of "junk" food? Do you just eat too much overall? Once you figure out what your problem areas are, you can focus on those. For example, if you have a tendency to eat lots of junk food, try to limit yourself to just having a little, or if you eat too much, try to have smaller portions.

 

The best way to lose weight is a combination of watching what you eat and excercising. Start small... Maybe by going for a walk after dinner each night (if you have someone to work with, that's even better). If you normally have sausage and pepperoni on your pizza, have 2 slices of cheese pizza and a small salad instead. Make small changes that you can maintain. Don't deprive yourself completely from the foods you love, because that usually just leads to binging - just try to have them in moderation.

 

Unfortunately, you won't see major changes overnight, but you will see changes, and those changes will help motivate you to keep up with your "new" lifestyle.

 

I don't think it's a good idea to bother with a "diet." Maybe you'll lose some weight, but you'll probably just gain it back whenever you stop your diet (which you inevitably will).

 

Good luck!!! Have faith in yourself and your ability to lose weight AND become more healthy overall!!

[Prue]

I'm Australian, and I'm afraid I can't think in pounds at all I'm afraid. But I was a few months ago 60.6kg and I'm now 56.9kg and still steadily losing (I'm 5'4"). I didn't go on a diet at all and am going to the gym everyday instead. The way I eat has changed somewhat, I wasn't eating enough protein to keep up with what I was doing at the gym, so that had to change (basically just in the form of a protein bar after a workout on the days that I lift weights).

 

I am someone who has done it all by the way. Diets (both sensible and not), anorexia, bulimia, supplements, pills, shakes - you name it. I'm now doing the only thing that I believe really works. I actually have an illness that makes it difficult for me to keep my weight down (Insulin Resistant Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). Anyone in the same boat is going to find even more so that exercise id the way to go.

 

When I first started working out I was a little concerned about the fact that my appetite went through the roof. My trainer said that might happen. But after about a week, that went away. My appetite is now geared a bit toward healther foods, but I'm not on a "diet". For some reason a few of the things that I shouldn't have been eating just don't appeal to me now - fastfood and sugary breakfast cereals. Not sure why - the exercise or the fact that there's a bit more protein in my diet now.

 

But no matter what I do I'm still losing weight. I've been to a couple of functions where they served pizza so I went for it , occasionally I still crave chocolate. It's not all the time and I'm still losing weight - so I don't even need to think about it, which is a huge weight off my mind.

 

If you go to a gym and find the first couple off weeks really tough - don't worry, so did I. It gets SO much easier.

[DBL]

Yeah you are quite a bit over weight.

 

I have worked with heavy people and have had good results, in some cases too good of results where some boyfriends and husbands wanted to smack me around.

 

Diet and Exercise go hand in hand. You cannot diet and lose weight without resistance training. Resistance training burns more fat then areobic exercise. Bigger muslces burn more fat. With this said you need to consider a weight lifting program, a diet, and a little cardio as well. This is not about just losing weight to fit in smaller sizes, but this is about a lifestyle change.

 

If you are ready to make a life time commitment then I will be willing to help and guide you through this. Diet alone will not help you, dieting without resistance training will burn fat, but it will also burn lean muscle tissue. So when you stop your diet, you will gain more weight back and more fat as well.

 

If you feel motivated just say the word

 

DBL

[ComputerGuy]

OK for all Aussies.....1pound = 0.45 Kilos so 198 pounds is just under 90Kg.

 

I lost about 20 Kg in 6 months by eating nothing but pasta and riding everyday. Before everyone jumps down my neck about pasta and low card diets, pasta contains complex carbohydrates...these are converted to energy more efficiently then simple carbs. Simple carbs, such as sugars, give you a rush and last very temporarily. Simple carbohydrates are also readinly converted by the body into fat, whereas complex ones are not.

 

The only way to lose weight is to put out more energy than you pput you in. This leaves you with t3 options....1) Cut down ur food intake ( not good, as there is that risk of anorexia and bulimia) 2) Up your excercise and 3) Compromise....basically a little of both. Cut down ur food intake a little and do more excercise.

 

Stick with fruit and veg and stay away from simple carbohydrates, and you should be able to work out a good diet for yourself without much effort

[DBL]

That is definitely a healty weight loss, thats less then 2 pounds a week.

 

You are right there is a misconception about some of the diet practices out there. Some carbs like bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, vegetables, cereals, beans and fruit and vegetables will not make you fat unless you go overboard indulging yourself. You should only eat them in portions no larger then your fist. Use moderation. Carbs like cakes and cookies are refined carbs that not only will put weight on but may also cause health problems. Do not forget what happens with unused carbs...whatever is not used as energy will be stored as fat!

 

I would not get into all the different types of diets, most are temporary solutions as I explained in another post. Most these diets have to put some fine print on their ads stating that most people will gain back more fat then they originally started with.

 

Some common mistakes people make to lose weight is:

 

1. eating less, our bodies were made to store fat in times where food sources are not available in abundance. So eating 5-6 meals a day will help prevent the storage of fat. So eating smaller meals throughout the day will be more beneficial and will help speed up your metabloism, and less likely to store as much fat.

 

2. Not enough water! This is something our body needs, by the time you are thirsty you are already dehydrated. During workouts you should drink consistantly to replace the fluids you are sweating out. Water has been known to help supress your appetite as well as help metabolize fats. Most people do not take in enough water. Most would be very surprised at how much more energy and how much better they would feel when completely hydrated. Plus water also helps flush out waste.

 

3. Not seeing resulsts fast enough. When working out and dieting, sometimes it appears as if you did not lose weight, but in reality you most likely have lost fat, but gained muscle. You should not fair this because you are still on the right track towards your goal. Most trainers recommend you having your body body fat measured so you can will get a real indication of the direction you are heading in.

 

4. Don't eat 2 hours prior to going to sleep, unless you are trying to gain weight!

 

I recommend that you take photos every couple of weeks. Weigh yourself once a week on the same day every time at the same time! Have your body fat checked by a trainer or a doctor every 2-4 weeks. Plus I also recommend you get a physical from your doctor before starting any serious training and dieting program, especially with conditions such as dietibietes, heart problems, kidney problems, etc.

 

DBL

[chris1]

Ok I have to add my two penneth as this is a little pet hate of mine!

 

 

The *only* way to lose weight is to use more calories than you consume on a regular basis.

 

 

In terms of losing weight, it doesn't matter whether you consume those calories in Mars bars, or in pasta or lettuce. You can eat 2000 calories of chocolate every day, and as long as you use 2100 every day, you will eventually end up very skinny. Conversely, if you could consume 2200 calories of lettuce per day you would end up very fat.

 

However, as well as calorific content, food also consists of other useful stuff such as vitamins, fibre, and protein etc. thereforeeee, I'd recommend that you don't live of Mars bars and you make sure you get your calories from food that provides these other benefits, such as vegetables, grains, fruit, meat etc.

 

So, all you have to do is to simply either cut down the number of calories you eat and/or increase the number of calories you use. As exercise is in general quite good for you I would suggest you start to do some exercise and reduce slightly the amount of food you are eating. There is no need to radically change your lifestyle and infact I would suggest that you don't because if you do you will probably find it hard to stick to the changes.

 

Eat a balanced diet, reduce your portions slightly and try to do around 20 mins exercise per day, such as walking, jogging, cycling (depending on your level of fitness).

 

If you buy some accurate scales and weigh yourself at the same time each day (usually when you get out of bed) then you will be able to track your progress and adjust your lifestyle accordingly. Give it a few months and you should make great progress.

[DBL]

Chris,

 

No offense but your post is way off. Some of the things you mention are completely wrong.

 

There is actually science behind losig weight. If you eat 2000 calories of lettuce, mars bars, or pasta....it will make a difference. A huge difference. These foods get utilized differently. Mars bars are full of sugar, which spikes your insulin levels, in turn forces the body to store fat. Pasta, if you 2000 calories of pasta, what ever is not used as calories will be stored as fat. Depending upon what lettuce you eat will depend on what nutrients it will put into the body. Also if you are on any blood thinning meds you would want to stay away from dark greens. Eating too much can make you sick. Some lettuces are also high in oxalic acids and goitrogens. 2000 calories of lettuce is a WHOLE lot of lettuce. I have a bag of turnip greens in my frige. 10 cups of turnip greens will only give you 200 calories 10 grams of protein, 300 carbs, and 300 mg of sodium.

 

For fat loss, the easy method of determining calorie intake is to figure 12-13 calories per pound of bodyweight. However this method does not take in account height and age. This is where BMR comes in. BMR is Basal Metabolic Rate. You use your height, weight, age, and gender along with a standard of activity level from sedentary to extremely active to provide you with your recommended caloric intake. This concept is a bit more complex, but seems to be pretty popular these days compared to the old wiegh of determining calories. I will do the math on an individual basis if anyone wants me to. You can PM info or post it here, but things you need to let me know is: age, gender, weight, height, and if your activity level is one of the following:

 

Sedentary = BMR X 1.2 (little or no exercise, desk job)

Lightly active = BMR X 1.375 (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk)

Mod. active = BMR X 1.55 (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)

Very active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)

Extr. active = BMR X 1.9 (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job

Or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.)

 

As far as saying people should start off by cutting their diets, I mentioned above...if you diet without a form of resistance training not only will you burn fat, but you will burn lean muscle tissue as well, which is not what you want to do. This type of wieght loss is the one that will make you fatter then what you already were. So to say the "only" way to lose weight is by using more calories then what you consume on a regular basis is not only unrealistic, but may also be damaging.

 

As far as exercising...resistance training burns more fat then aerobic training. This is a fact. Not to say aerobic training will not burn fat though. Any certified trainer, or atleast a good trainer will tell you this.

 

Also reason you weigh yourself once a week is because body weight can flucuate up to 5 pounds. Your daily readings may not come out the same and may discourage you into thinking this is not working.

 

Now what I write is backed by science. I am a certified personal trainer. I don't mean to disrespect anybody's opinions, but you may want to be a little bit more open minded and a bit less ignorant before making suggestions. Maybe you say what you say because you had failed success with other programs and equipment. I don't know. You state you have a pet peeve about this...i'm not sure why...maybe you can explain that so we can discuss your theory.

 

DBL

[chris1]

DBL

 

No offense taken. Don't get me wrong, I agree with most of what you say, and it wasn't really you I was taking issue with. I think you misunderstood my point. I wasn't saying that it doesn't matter which foods you eat, clearly it does. What I was trying to indicate is that the reason people are fat is because they are consuming more calories than they are using and these calories are being stored as fat, and that * in terms of weight gain/loss * it doesn't really matter whether these calories come from. If you don't use them, you will store them.

 

My pet hate is when people say that lowering fat and sugar in your diet will cause you to lose fat, because if you do this but still eat the same amount of calories (for example in pasta, or lettuce if you could stomach a whole one!) then you will not lose weight. High GI foods are useful for restoring glycogen levels in post exercise recovery, for example, and do not necessarily lead to weight gain.

 

You said: "So to say the "only" way to lose weight is by using more calories then what you consume on a regular basis is not only unrealistic, but may also be damaging"

 

Assuming that "weight" here actually refers to "fat", then how else is it possible?! The only other option is that you are consuming the same or more calories than you are using, and if excess calories are stored as fat then you cannot possibly lose fat. thereforeeee that statement must be true, not "unrealistic". There are of course various different methods of achieving this...

 

I don't think it's damaging to reduce slightly the amount you eat and do aerobic exercise. As far as I understand it the body will only break down significant amounts of muscle tissue for energy in the case that all glycogen stores have been depleted, for example in prolonged intense exercise (essentially overtraining). This may be an issue for pro athletes, but most novices wouldn't come anywhere near this.

 

I disagree that doing this can cause you to gain fat. As I understand it, this only happens if your body becomes starved of glycogen and enters a starvation state, but this would only happen if you "crash diet", which is not what I'm suggesting. You should be able to reduce your calorific intake to just below the amount you are using which avoids this starvation reaction yet depletes your fat stores.

 

I understood that aerobic training burns more calories at the time of training than resistance training because the lower intensity means that the exercise is far more prolonged than for resistance training, which results in an overall greater number of calories burned. However, as you said, increased muscle mass from resistance training increases the overall RMR resulting in more calories used when resting. It may be useful to combine both types of exercise?

 

Chris

[SexySadie7]

I can sympathize with the original poster as I had been struggling with a weight gain too over the past few years. I decided I have had enough though & started Weight Watchers about 3 months ago.

I have lost almost 13 lbs.. I know that doesn't sound like much but i can definitely see the difference & have gone from a size 14 pants to being able to get into some size 8's (although a little snug still). The size 14 pants are just swimming on me.. the size 12 also too big.

But now I want to start doing a weight lifting program to decrease my abs & build up my arms & whittle down my thighs.. I am not sure where to start but I have some 10 lb free weights in my house & also some 2 lbs. I was thinking too of buying a weight bench.

I also think my weight loss was due to the fact i've gone biking with my mountain bike about 2-3 times per week. I didn't even use the bike before I started Weight Watchers but now I crave going out with my bike at least a few times each week.

I really needed something where I had a support system & where I had to weigh in.

You don't have to eat the "weight watchers" food which is what i had thought for so long... otherwise i would have started the program long ago.

You just have to stick to a number of points or a core program.. which are just basic foods available anywhere.

I'm sure my weight problem contributed to my last bf not wanting to keep dating me.. I was really overweight. I'm still somewhat overweight but definitely thinner. I even had a neighbor I don't see much comment on my weight loss.

So.. there is help & hope out there for you. I have to go to weekly meetings which really holds me accountable. Any system that works for you go for, but i agree with DBL (who maybe could post a website for exercises for us or recommends some good core exercises for abs. arms & legs) that you really have to combine exercise with eating less.

Good luck.. you can do it!!! : )

[bill64]

What is Resistance training and can you explain how we can do it alone and at home?

[chris1]

Resistance training is just another name for weight training (the weight being the "resistance").

At home you can do calisthenics (press-ups, sit-ups, squats etc) and can use dumbells. However, generally you would want to be doing about 10 reps per set for a particular exercise which you would probably find too easy after a while just doing calisthenics. The only option then is to go to the gym where there are heavier weights available.

If you want any more specific advice, just ask...