Need advice on dieting/exercising

[Gamom3]

I need to lose 30 to 35lbs.

I just don't know what to eat!

I don't want to buy anything different, just want to know how to use what I have and lose weight. I don't eat a lot, but I think it's just to of the wrong stuff and to much starch.

 

I will get cravings and then say forget it, I don't know how to curb the cravings.

 

 

I know that exercise is definitely something that I need to do(just have to stick with it). I plan on starting tomorrow using the Firm..can't remember the one I want to use.

I plan on using it 3x a week and then add in (hopefully) walking 30mins 4x a week. I am not sure how to start this, since I am out of shape. I normally end up really sore and quit after a few days.

[Ohio12]

I try to fill up on proteins. If you eat a couple eggs for breakfast, cottage cheese or peanut putter toast at 3 or 4 in the afternoon and try not to eat after dinner, you will gradually lose weight. (this means you can keep the rest of your eating pretty much the same.)

[whitestavern]

It's SO hard I know...I keep gaining and losing the same 10-15 pounds. However, when I do lose, it's because I eat smaller amounts, but more often. I have to make sure I have a snack in the mid morning and mid afternoon. Also, writing down what I eat helps a lot to keep track and avoid overeating. I'm pretty good about exercising every day; try to do 30-60 minutes. Best of luck!

[HollyDay]

Okay, what worked for me is the only thing I can tell you about. I googled "BMI" and found a formula for figuring it out. That told me what my "ideal" weight should be. Then I googled "calories needed to lose/maintain weight". Based on my BMI, I needed 1700 calories to maintain and about 1500 to lose weight at a nice gentle pace. Then I googled "diabetic exchanges calories". THat told me how many carbs, meats, fruit, veggies, milk, fat I could have in that calorie range. Then, I made a meal plan that reads something like this:

breakfast:

1 starch 1 meat

snack:

1 fruit

lunch:

2 starch, 2 meat, 1 1/5 veggie

snack:

1 starch, 1 meat

dinner:

2 starch, 2 meat, 1 1/5 veggie, 1 fruit

 

I have an extra fruit left over in case I need a bigger snack in the afternoon or I am starving at lunch. I also left out milk -there are 2 milk exchanges. I dont drink it - I prefer Plain Soy and only in my coffee which I dont drink everyday. I left out fat. Again, I think it is 3 exchanges but I dont use that much - a drizzle of oil (with vinegar) over a salad, spoonful of mayo on a sandwich, pat of butter on toast that type of thing.

 

Once you get the hang of how much each exchange is worth, meal planning is super easy, you stay full and the weight comes off.

 

Now, having said that, there are times when only chocolate ice cream and brownies will do - they are not on the exchange list! So, it is only as good as your will power is. But, I feel so much better on this diet. I have more energy too.

[Beth in Central TX]

I was able to lose 10 pounds last fall by making 2 adjustments. First, I started walking 1/2 hour each day for 4 days a week, no excuses, and I even bumped it up to 5 days for a short period of time. Second, I stopped eating after 7pm. I made a few exceptions for a couple of date nights, but I stuck to this resolution, and the weight came off. I ate well, but most of my emotional and/or sweet cravings are at nighttime. This change eliminated most of the junk I ate each day. When the weather turned colder, I did allow myself a sugar-free hot chocolate before 9pm 2-3 times a week. Now that the weight is off, I've lightened up a bit on the 7pm rule, but when the scale starts moving, I go back.

 

I'm not saying this will work for you, but you may want to identify the craving time and see if there's something you can do to eliminate the temptation. When I'm really craving something sweet, I keep apples in the house to help curb the raiding of the chocolate bowl (which I still do every now and then).

[MtnMom]

Everybody's a little different in how they respond to various foods. About three years ago I lost around 25 pounds and have (more or less) been able to keep it off. For me, keeping it off has been more challenging than it was to lose the weight in the first place.

 

If you're not eating much, and it's lots of carbs, there may be a couple of different things going on. First, your caloric intake may be too low and thus your body has gone into starvation mode, meaning your metabolism has slowed down to make the most of what food it is getting. Secondly, if your body is sensitive to carbs (pre-diabetic, PCOS or insulin resistance are some conditions that go hand in hand with this) your body will convert the carbs into more fats. It can be really frustrating! (ask me how I know :001_smile:)

 

I'm fairly sensitive to carbs. It was aggravating because what I used to do was cut back on food but I would gain weight anyway because of what I was eating. So I have to be careful not to eat too many carbs, especially high-glycemic stuff. If I do I can tell pretty quickly by the way my clothes start fitting (or not!).

 

This is what worked for me: Eating protein at every meal, along with a carb and a fat. For breakfast that might look like eggs, a piece of toast or bowl of oatmeal. Or cottage cheese mixed with yogurt or fruit and nuts sprinkled on top. Ironically I was eating more food than before and was much more satisfied but started to lose weight. I found that eating every 3-4 hours helped eliminate any cravings I had.

 

And I give myself permission to eat other stuff (high glycemic stuff) every once in a while. If I totally denied myself, it wouldn't work as well for me. 'Cuz I still really like popcorn and chocolate and ice cream and stuff like that! :lurk5:

 

As far as exercising, definitely that will help give your metabolism a good kick-start. You might want to start out conservatively; it is easy to want to go full bore right away, but people tend to burn out more easily this way. Rather start out slowly and add a little more each week. Yeah, you might be sore for a couple of days, but it will pass. Remember, it's good kind of sore!

 

Again, everyone's different, but the following book was especially helpful to me as far as re-doing how I ate. It is titled The Formula by Gene and Joyce Daoust, based on 40-30-30 eating. The recipes and meal suggestions in the book are stuff "normal" people eat and are easy to prepare. I found I really didn't have to shop much differently.

 

Hope this helps!

[JennifersLost]

I have two suggestions.

 

One, is to get "The Supermarket Diet Cookbook". It sounds hokey, but it's not - it's fantastic. It has breakfasts, lunches and dinners all set up so that you get the exact right calories at each meal. And the meals are totally yummy.

 

Add to this (or even skip the cookbook and JUST do this): eating at least 3 cups of salad per meal (lunch and dinner). I guarantee you'll lose weight.

 

Here's the trick: eat a healthy breakfast - I eat Fiber1 cereal and milk.

 

At lunch eat 3 cups of salad with those new Salad Spritzers - the salad spritzer part is hugely important. Whereas regular salad dressing easily gives you 100 - 200+ calories per plate of salad, Salad Spritzers can soak a plate of salad with only 10 - 20 calories.

 

Eat the whole salad first! Then have a sandwich, a little thing of rice and stir-fry, soup - whatever you want. Think of that as your "dessert". In other words, stuff yourself with salad, then eat the yummy part of the meal.

 

At dinner do the exact same thing - huge amount of salad, little bit of meat/starch/etc.

 

Have one 160 calorie snack at about 4 pm. Have another after dinner - at the time you know you'll be craving something.

 

Try this for three weeks; I guarantee you'll lose weight!

[stephanie]

I need to lose 30 to 35lbs.

I just don't know what to eat!

I don't want to buy anything different, just want to know how to use what I have and lose weight. I don't eat a lot, but I think it's just to of the wrong stuff and to much starch.

 

I will get cravings and then say forget it, I don't know how to curb the cravings.

 

 

I know that exercise is definitely something that I need to do(just have to stick with it). I plan on starting tomorrow using the Firm..can't remember the one I want to use.

I plan on using it 3x a week and then add in (hopefully) walking 30mins 4x a week. I am not sure how to start this, since I am out of shape. I normally end up really sore and quit after a few days.

 

Get a journal started (if you can find time) to somewhat track what your taking in. You'd be surprised how many calories you take in in a day. Last year I got serious about getting my last bit of baby weight off (even though it was 5 years later) so I started running every AM before I schooled the dc, and significantly cut my calories. I really didn't have much to lose so I wasn't thinking that much would come off, but within 2 months I had lost 14 pounds. Just always keep in mind that in order to lose weight you cannot take in much more that your working out. I exercise still every AM ,and the big wheel called metabolism is in motion constantly. That allows me to splurge a little more. I usually burn around 500 cal/run and take in 1200 cal/day. That's a little low for most, but I'm barely 5' tall so calories add up quickly on me. You should definitely find what works best for you. I eat egg whites for breakfast and turkey bacon. We only cook with turkey now and chicken. I've also cut all cokes from my diet which was so very hard. One coke will cost you 20 minutes of running on the treadmill- it's just not worth it. I've moved to un-sweet tea, but it's not my fave. For lunch I usually eat tuna, salad, or a lean cuisine meal. Snacks are fruit or hard-boiled eggs and supper is usually chicken or turkey with veggies and a little starch. I do try to eat as "normal"as possible b/c I do love food, but there's always a pay-off. It really is hard to discipline yourself to stick with it. For me it is so worth it. I feel so much better, and it's so nice to find something you really want to wear and actually fit in it. KWIM? I wish you well on it- most of us feel the same struggles.

[Kris]

Fitday.com is a free online diet/exercise journal that will help keep you accountable and plan your goals.

 

The only other thing I would throw in is not to feel discouraged if you don't find that exercise seems to help with weight loss. Since inch for inch muscle weighs more than fat, you can be getting more fit and actually losing inches with diet and exercise, but not notice the scale moving for you. How your clothes fit or your tape measure -- and how you're feeling -- is a better indicator than the scale.

 

I've also noticed that there are a few studies lately indicating that exercise doesn't help much with weight loss -- and I think this is the reason. I know when I'm really working out, the scale doesn't move at all and it can be disheartening if that is your yardstick.

 

Good luck!

 

ETA: Exercise can also cause water retention, which can actually make it look like you're gaining weight, but it you stick with it, this shouldn't be an issue in the long run.