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Easiest and best diet for weight loss??


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I would feel so much better if I could lose 10-15 pounds! What is something that is simple enough that I can do it while homeschooling and homemaking without too much time planning menus for myself. Is that possible?

 

I can't do much exercise right now because I've injured both arches. It's such a bummer, and they don't seem to be healing (ups and downs, but currently bad again). I still want to do some upper body toning and think through what I can do for my lower body while sitting or on my knees or floor, without weight on my feet.

 

Anyway...this weight has been hanging on for too long, and I'd love to hear about your favorite diet! My regular diet is slightly better than the average American -- hardly any sugar, fried foods, no sodas, but it's not as healthy as it could be. I drink coffee with stevia in the morning and water the rest of the day. I do eat salty foods like chips, though.

 

Anyway...advice?? Sigh.

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I'm thinking along the same lines these days. I had great success with hcg and loved it. However, it's been many months now and since we returned from our very long vacation - stress, etc. has led me to lots and lots of horrible emotional eating. I can't go back on hcg right away. I hope to go back on in several months' time if necessary.

Until then, there are 3 plans that I'm thinking of trying. I need more structure. The NoS diet does not work for me. At. All.

So I'll post all 3 plans in 3 separate posts - the 3 plans I'm thinking of.

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This one is based on an article by Denise Austin in First magazine a few years ago

 

3 proteins

1 protein= 3-4 oz. lean meat or 1 egg, 1 cup dairy (yogurt, milk) or 1/2 cup legumes – space out your proteins throughout the day

3 veggies

1 serving veggies = 1-2 cups

3 fruits

1 fruit= 1 med fruit or 1 cup of cut up fruit

2 whole grains

Whole grains are WHOLE GRAINS, not just bread that is darker brown than the white bread, read the label; or whole grain cereals (a small bowl of Fiber One cereal, for example with milk is 1 grain and 1 protein)

1 healthy fat

Healthy fats= 1 tsp olive oil, 1-2 tbsp nut butter, 1/4 cup avocado

 

Try to eat about every 4 hours – breakfast at 8, lunch at 12, snack at 4, and dinner at 7.

 

Cut out all white food

 

Days 1-3 may be the worst. Your body might crave carbs and sugar, but after the first couple of days, you’ll likely be okay.

 

Make sure you drink all the water you can stand and then some!

 

The article recommends 12 minutes of exercise a day.

 

If you are starving, you can add in a tiny bit of healthy fat to each meal; although, the protein is the key to feeling satisfied for longer periods of time without going over the top.

For instance, just eating fruit for breakfast while be light in calories, is likely to make you ravenous by lunch. It is better to have a boiled egg with fruit, so you are not starving by lunchtime.

 

Someone I know lost 10 pounds in 2 weeks. :D

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Intermittent Fasting

I heard about this when I used to be on the Sonlight forums.

 

Many diets work. A good one is the one you can stay on for the long haul. The best one, however, is the one that is simplest. Intermittent fasting is a no-hassle, no-counting, no-measuring, no-eliminating-anything dietary lifestyle.

This is a very easy eating plan and it does not feel like a diet. :)

 

You fast for 16-18 hours and eat in a 6-8 hour window-as much as you are hungry for. For example, you can eat in the 11 AM to 7 PM window. You can set your own hours-it's basically eating in an 8 hour window. Others might eat in the 4 PM to 11 PM window, whatever works for you.

During the fasting hours, you can have water, tea, or coffee.

You will feel hungry on the first few days, but it usually stops after that. You should expect a period of adaptation, through which hunger should be managed until it diminishes. Give your body a chance to learn how to tap more efficiently into its fat storage for fuel to meet energy demand.

You’ll still need to eat responsibly when breaking the fast.

Eat mostly wholesome and real foods – vegetables, fresh fruits, nuts, meats, and eggs – whatever is near or in its natural state

Don’t worry about the amount of fats you eat, as long as they’re mostly from good sources — naturally from meat, nuts, avocados, etc. You can cook with duck fat, pork fat, beef fat, coconut oil, olive oil, and butter. Yes, these fats do add calories, but you do not need to be concerned because with intermittent fasting, there is typically a caloric deficit through time.

During your window of eating, don’t feel that you should eat more than you might be hungry for. It’s a unique opportunity to listen to your body’s signals. It also serves as a way to prove to your conscious brain that you can survive quite nicely on smaller amounts of food and that you don’t need to make up for those temporarily lost calories.

Workouts

Some say that their only workout has been walking and some sit-ups. Most keep formal exercise to a minimum. Just move around a lot and stay as active as you can.

You can do up to 3 days of formal exercise per week – 20-40 minutes of quick and intense exercise, if you wish, depending on whether you have the time or feel the need.

If you have to sit for long hours, get up frequently and do arm circles, trunk rotation, a couple of body-weight squats. Walk to the kitchen to get some water, maybe make another shot of espresso, because sitting is just plain bad.

In summary:

Eat mostly food close to its natural state. I fast intermittently. (But I still enjoy dessert, pizza, and wine.)

Stay active with daily living — walking around more, etc. I engage in as little formal exercises as I can, keeping them simple, intense, and quick.

 

http://theleansaloon.com/

 

http://theleansaloon.com/2009/10/06/my-diet-and-exercise/

 

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-intermittent-fasting/

 

"The IF is going very good. We end up fasting several times a week. My husband has lost 25 pounds (since June) but this really kick started it. He says he didn't realize how much he ate out of habit or that little voice that says, "the experts say you need to eat all the time.

 

I am losing inches more than weight. I've lost about 5 pounds total. I don't need to lose weight just get rid of some belly fat that's accumulated over the past several years. And I wouldn't mind having some more muscle tone. I've gone down a belt hole and some days 2 belt holes. My belly is noticeably smaller to me.

 

We have cut out most flour and sugar. And I don't really miss it or feel deprived. I bake some with almond meal and honey. We eat eggs, meat, nuts, vegis, fruit, beans and full fat dairy and we don't count calories. This is really sustainable for us. We like Mark's Daily Apple for encouragement, although he discourages dairy and beans and we eat both of those in moderation. ( you don't have to believe in evolution to enjoy his blog but it is written from that viewpoint)

 

I fill up the fridge weekly with coleslaw (uses a tiny bit of mayo) broccoli salad, roasted vegis, yogurt, cut up fruit, uncooked vegis, homemade ranch dip, etc. So we aren't deprived at all. We eat a gluten free granola for snacks, that I add a bunch of mixed chopped nuts to. We do not have celiac but I feel better without the wheat.

 

We take one day off a week and eat whatever we want-this works really well. And I find myself wanting the good food and not eating that much junk. I gain a pound or 2 this day but end up lower overall by the end of the week.

 

Even my teen son that lives at home does good with eating this way (although he doesn't fast on purpose-I don't worry if he misses a meal like I used to) and he says he feels full and he rarely snacks between meals.

 

The only other changes I have made is that we have been running some sprints. Just running as fast as you can. It feels really good to do this. I only run these about once a week-4 of them. We walk several times a week but we have been doing that for 4+ years and it's a leisurely walk at best. i don't love exercise.

 

Ps-We plan to add back in an occasional bready item once we are at prime weight but even then we can just eat them on the break day so it's not a big deal."

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Cheaper Version of Medifast

 

A friend posted this:

“My friend did Medifast and had fantastic results.

Since I couldn't afford to buy MF, I kept what I could of the program and made adjustments to come up with my own modified program.â€

 

Drink water all day long. Drink about 8 ounces of water before meals.

Eat 6 times a day. No skipping or forgetting allowed. Eat every 2.5- 3 hours.

Five meals are small:

• A bar with 17 grams or less of carbs per serving

• A shake with 17 or less grams of carbs per serving

• 1 cup cottage cheese

• 10 almonds

The 6th meal is "lean and green†– which is a protein and veggie OR salad- 7 ounces of chicken or other lean protein with a tomato, zucchini and mushroom mix OR a salad.

Eat within an hour of waking.

If you're feeling too hungry, you can have sliced cucumber.

Write down the times you eat.

Nibble and eat tiny, tiny bites to make your meal last longer. This really does help!

No more than 3 cups coffee - no sugar or cream allowed. You can drink tea instead.

No carrots allowed.

Each month, you are allowed ONE day that’s a special event where you can eat normal food – don’t stuff yourself, but you can enjoy anything on the table on a salad size plate.

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My recommendation is to read Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It. It is a very well-researched book, and more accessible to the non-scientist than the author's previous book (Good Calories Bad Calories).

 

Why We Get Fat does have a suggested eating plan in the appendix, and the author also suggests New Atkins for a New You. For similar approaches I'd also suggest these webpages: Primal Blueprint 101 (there's also a book), and the blog Archevore.

 

I consider low carb easy because you lose weight quickly, you don't ever have to be hungry, and I enjoy the foods you can eat on a low carb diet.

 

True, it can be difficult at first to give up bread, sweets, etc., but the cravings really do go away after a week or so. However, depending on how supportive your friends and family are, it can be hard being the only one skipping the bread, pasta, rice, etc.

 

Contrary to popular opinion, low carb eating is not intrinsically unhealthy. Yes, we grew up being told that dietary saturated fat is unhealthy. But a closer examination of the data fails to support that theory...really! Dietary saturated fat won't make you fat or give you heart disease.

Edited by jplain
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I can't do much exercise right now . . .

Don't feel too bad about this. Unless you are morbidly obese, exercise is not an effective way to lose weight, probably because it also stimulates appetite. Exercise has plenty of other benefits, for sure! But when you talk to women who have successfully lost weight and kept it off, many have discovered that weight loss depends almost entirely on what goes into their mouths.

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This sounds very similar to the old, old original WW program, which was based on the diabetic type exchanges.

 

This WW program actually worked some with me years ago. Once they went to points I stopped losing. It was too loosely structured for me (and yes I am aware I didn't HAVE to eat junk! :glare:)

 

Dawn

 

This one is based on an article by Denise Austin in First magazine a few years ago

 

3 proteins

1 protein= 3-4 oz. lean meat or 1 egg, 1 cup dairy (yogurt, milk) or 1/2 cup legumes – space out your proteins throughout the day

3 veggies

1 serving veggies = 1-2 cups

3 fruits

1 fruit= 1 med fruit or 1 cup of cut up fruit

2 whole grains

Whole grains are WHOLE GRAINS, not just bread that is darker brown than the white bread, read the label; or whole grain cereals (a small bowl of Fiber One cereal, for example with milk is 1 grain and 1 protein)

1 healthy fat

Healthy fats= 1 tsp olive oil, 1-2 tbsp nut butter, 1/4 cup avocado

 

Try to eat about every 4 hours – breakfast at 8, lunch at 12, snack at 4, and dinner at 7.

 

Cut out all white food

 

Days 1-3 may be the worst. Your body might crave carbs and sugar, but after the first couple of days, you’ll likely be okay.

 

Make sure you drink all the water you can stand and then some!

 

The article recommends 12 minutes of exercise a day.

 

If you are starving, you can add in a tiny bit of healthy fat to each meal; although, the protein is the key to feeling satisfied for longer periods of time without going over the top.

For instance, just eating fruit for breakfast while be light in calories, is likely to make you ravenous by lunch. It is better to have a boiled egg with fruit, so you are not starving by lunchtime.

 

Someone I know lost 10 pounds in 2 weeks. :D

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No S Diet - everything you need to know is there

 

from the website:

The No S Diet, also known as the "Grandma Diet," the "Why Didn't I Think of that Diet," and the "No $ Diet" is a program of systematic moderation I invented for myself that I imagine might work for similarly minded people.

No funny science or calorie accounting involved, just a few simple and mnemonic tricks for giving your willpower the upper hand.

 

 

There are just three rules and one exception:

  • No Snacks
  • No Sweets
  • No Seconds

Except (sometimes) on days that start with "S"

That's it.

 

Best wishes.

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Well right now, I'm on the pacreatitis diet - after experiencing the pain of it, I'm scared to eat anything! I wouldn't recommend it though. What I find works best for me is Weight Watchers. Their new one makes all fruits and most vegetables 0 points making it so much easier to make healthy choices. I was finding it impossible to lose weight any other way and finally went back to WW and it's working. Having to pay actually keeps me motivated to follow it so I can get back down to goal and not have to pay anymore. I also find the meetings and being accountable to someone very helpful for me. In the past I did have good results with Atkins and was able to keep it off for a year or two, but I really didn't like it even though I was eating quite healthy on it - lean meats and lots of low carb veggies. Since you don't have that much to lose, it could work well for you though.

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Weight watchers. Nothing is off limits. Taches you healthy habits if you do the program as advertised. Studies show it has the best long term results. I've lost 60 pounds so far and while it hasn't been "easy" it certainly is something I can do for a very, very long term. I have 15 pounds to goal and I am still losing. I love it!!

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I think that people can lose weight on many different diets. The trick is finding what works for you. Atkins is what works for me. I weighed 205 July 31 today I was 168.2 ! I eat meat,eggs,and non starch veggies. I try to limit dairy to 2-3 servings a day. If I liked fruit I would eat one serving a day. I don't like fruit besides berries and just don't have the money for them right now. I have a planned cheat day once a month. I am 5'6 and want to get to 140 eventually. I do try to workout. I have back problems (keep tearing my disks) so I take it easy. Walking about 4 times a week. I plan to workout more as I lose weight (I should wake up early and workout but I'm not quite that motivated yet) good luck. You can do it!

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FWIW, Negin's "3 Protein" diet looks sensible to me if you want a formal plan. I like the emphasis on veggies and healthy proteins and fats.

 

Unless you are morbidly obese, exercise is not an effective way to lose weight, probably because it also stimulates appetite. Exercise has plenty of other benefits, for sure! But when you talk to women who have successfully lost weight and kept it off, many have discovered that weight loss depends almost entirely on what goes into their mouths.

 

I hate seeing this over and over. This is entirely untrue for many, many women, self included. The studies I have seen have stated that 60 min exercise daily is key to maintaining weight loss for most people.

 

FWIW, I, and MANY, MANY others find that exercise does NOT stimulate appetite. In fact, without fail, my appetite is suppressed for 2-3 hours after exercise, and the only things I am interested in are healthy and nourishing. Additionally, since most (self included) serious exercisers cannot eat substatial meals prior to a run/workout without inducing nausea, it is easy to refrain from a large meal for the few hours prior to the run.

 

E.g., in the winter I run during lunch hour when it is warmest. (Lunch time work outs is actually a known "trick" to weight loss for runners/etc.) In the morning, I'll eat 100 calories of something very light and healthy (generally 1/2 c of yogurt or half a banana) b/c that is the only thing I can eat w/o getting puke-y during the run. (A few puke-y runs and you're never tempted to eat much prior to a run!) I'll add 100 cal or so of watered down OJ or gatorade on the way to the and/or during run to keep my 'lytes up and give me some simple fuel (esp. if I am running over an hour). Then I'll be busy getting to/from the run and running and then showering for 2 - 2.5ish hours over lunch. Get home by 1ish, I am NOT hungry till 3, but I do choose 200-500 cal of healthy high protein food to nourish my muscles post-run -- so a healthy, simple lunch chosen as FUEL. By dinner, I will have a normal appetitie, but I have NEVER had a huge appetite related to running. If anything, my overall appetite decreases, and my motivation to eat WELL is dramatically increased when I am active. I have GOBS of running friends, and nearly all experience this appetite SUPPRESSION with strenuous exercise.

 

I've never been obese, just "overweight" by up to almost 20 lb.

 

I lost it via running. I've kept it off via running. I burn 700+ calories in an 80 min run. Three good runs a week is 2100+ calories a week. Add in a couple solid walks, and you're closing in on 3000. That is almost a pound (3500 calorie deficit), just in exercise.

 

Yes, going for a 30 min walk 3x a week isn't going to make a huge difference in weight loss, but serious sweaty exercise for longer periods can make a huge difference. It also muscles you up and makes you LOOK much slimmer at the same weight. (Not mentioning the obvious health benefits.)

 

OP, have you looked into biking or swimming?

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The best diet is the one you can live with long term and fits into your lifestyle without being disruptive. Any change will require time at the beginning, but once you get into the swing of it, the time investment will drop. You will figure out what you should and should not eat and it will become more automatic.

 

You don't even need a specific, named diet. You can use something like Lost It (free weight loss and exercise tracker) at https://secure.loseit.com/index.jsp. It works on your computer or on your smart phone. You enter your current weight info and your goal weight, and how many pounds you would like to lose per week. It gives you a number of calories per day to help you achieve that goal. If you exercise, you use the database to enter your workout info and it estimates how many calories you burned. It tracks it all for you. It tracks your nutritional info, too (calories, protein, carbs, fiber and fat) for the foods you eat. It also includes calorie and nutritional info for packaged foods from major brands and also foods from major restaurants. You can even enter your recipes and it will calculate the number of calories and other nutrition info per serving. You can eat anything you want, but obviously, if you eat candy and ice cream you will use all your calories and be quite hungry. It is very easy to use, and I have lost 17 pounds using it, and after the first few days of getting used to using it and entering everything I eat, it takes very little time. It helps you be accountable to yourself on portion sizes and food choices. And it is free.

 

Just pay attention to what you are eating. Cut back on or eliminate potatoes, pasta, rice, white flour products and sugary foods. Eat a lot of veggies and fruit. Have protein at every meal, and be reasonable about portion sizes. If you make spaghetti for your family, you can eat a big salad and skip the pasta. If your dc are eating potatoes with their chicken, you can steam a couple cups of broccoli to eat instead. Minimal changes can make a big difference. See what works best for you and gives you results, but also what fits your lifestyle long term.

 

As far as exercising, you may want to look into T-Tapp. There is a dvd exercise program for people who are not able to move well or must remain seated. https://store.t-tapp.com/products/T%252dTapp-MORE-Rehab-Program-DVD.html I have had amazing results from the regular T-Tapp exercise dvd, and it is only about 15 minutes per day for the basic workout. It sounds too good to be true, but it really works (personal experience). This might get you going while you heal.

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FWIW, Negin's "3 Protein" diet looks sensible to me if you want a formal plan. I like the emphasis on veggies and healthy proteins and fats.

 

 

 

I hate seeing this over and over. This is entirely untrue for many, many women, self included. The studies I have seen have stated that 60 min exercise daily is key to maintaining weight loss for most people.

 

FWIW, I, and MANY, MANY others find that exercise does NOT stimulate appetite. In fact, without fail, my appetite is suppressed for 2-3 hours after exercise, and the only things I am interested in are healthy and nourishing. Additionally, since most (self included) serious exercisers cannot eat substatial meals prior to a run/workout without inducing nausea, it is easy to refrain from a large meal for the few hours prior to the run.

 

I've never been obese, just "overweight" by up to almost 20 lb.

 

 

 

I think the highlighted area is why you don't find that it stimulates your appetite. You don't have a true weight problem, not in the sense of a life long issue with obesity. Those that do have an obesity problem, a life long issue, usually find that exercise increases appetite. I know I would be running hard on the treadmill and be fantasizing about a burger later, lol. The theory is that those that are obese store their energy as fat, leaving them less energy to run with. So the body says whoa...we need more fuel in here for this exercise! Making you hungry. In a normal person the calories go to fueling the run, so you are not extra hungry. But in the obese those calories are not available, they are tied up in fat storage, so we get extra hungry in an attempt to fuel the run.

 

I hope I explained that well. I'm tired :)

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The studies I have seen have stated that 60 min exercise daily is key to maintaining weight loss for most people.

Unfortunately, this is not backed up by solid evidence. It sure does sound reasonable, doesn't it? But it doesn't hold up under scientific scrutiny. This is when we've got to be grateful to the scientific method, because it helps us sift out the stuff that sounds perfectly logical, but isn't actually true.

 

The studies you mention show a correlation between exercise and maintenance of weight loss, but NOT causation. In other words, people who maintain weight loss tend to exercise a lot. However, exercising a lot has not been shown to cause anyone to maintain weight loss. This may seem like semantics, but distinguishing between correlation and causation is key when evaluating the evidence for a theory.

 

Again, that doesn't mean exercise isn't worthwhile as part of a healthy lifestyle. It just means that one shouldn't count on exercise as an effective tool for weight loss or weight loss maintenance.

 

There's a much longer discussion of this topic in Why We Get Fat, which also cites 19 other references. I was able to see all but 2 pages of the chapter using Amazon's Click to Look Inside feature. To find it, search the word "exercise" and then start reading on page 40.

 

Edited to add, I can think of several mechanisms by which exercise might correlate with but not cause weight loss maintenance. Here's one of them: some subset of those who change their eating habits and add activity will successfully lose weight. After weight loss, those who go back to being sedentary are also likely to go back to their old eating habits. However, those who choose to maintain their increased level of activity also happen to be more likely to choose to maintain their new eating habits. One could speculate that exercise is correlated with both weight loss maintenance and maintenance of new eating habits, but that it did not directly cause either result.

Edited by jplain
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Another vote for WW. I've lost 10 lbs and have 15-20 to go (we'll see when I hit 15 :-). Very easy to follow and no need to feel hungry -- fruits and most veggies are 0 points. It didn't work for me in the beginning because I didn't track my food intake. That is KEY. Now that I'm tracking, staying at my desginated points (I try not to use the weekly points) and exercising (again trying not to use those extra points), it is coming off easily. I want to be down to goal by Nov 30th as I'm leaving for our first Disney trip and want to look good in the pics :D.

 

Good luck with your goal!!

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As simple as it gets (and effective) -- eat less, move more. Eat only when you're physically hungry and stop before you're full. Wait until you're hungry to eat again. I know some people will say this doesn't work for them but it works fantastically well if you can do it (don't fear hunger). The moving more doesn't necessarily help with weight loss (as well as cutting how much you eat does), but it makes you feel better/more fit as you lose the weight.

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Unless you are morbidly obese, exercise is not an effective way to lose weight, probably because it also stimulates appetite. Exercise has plenty of other benefits, for sure! But when you talk to women who have successfully lost weight and kept it off, many have discovered that weight loss depends almost entirely on what goes into their mouths.

:iagree: :iagree: :iagree:

 

Some links and additional info - far too much info ;):

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/08/27/earlyshow/health/main5269114.shtml

 

Someone here, I think, posted this:

There’s a Gary Taubes video where he talks about how when we increase our exercise, our appetites naturally increase to adjust. Conversely, when we reduce our caloric intake, our bodies naturally reduce their energy output to adjust. The video is long, but definitely worth watching! He describes (in general layman's terms) the biochemistry of how weight gain and loss occurs, and it's very valuable information.

 

There’s a Gary Taubes video where he talks about how when we increase our exercise, our appetites naturally increase to adjust. Conversely, when we reduce our caloric intake, our bodies naturally reduce their energy output to adjust. The video is long, but definitely worth watching! He describes (in general layman's terms) the biochemistry of how weight gain and loss occurs, and it's very valuable information.

http://webcast.berkeley.edu/event_details.php?webcastid=21216

 

 

Weight loss begins in the kitchen. I need to remember this.

 

In order for me to lose, I need to eat MUCH, MUCH less ... which is really, really hard for me to do. :confused:

If I want to maintain, I need to eat about the same or slightly less and maintain the same level of workouts.

 

Someone here said this:

"Great bodies are made in the kitchen and improved in the gym."

 

http://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com/articles/aerobicexercise.htm

 

http://nymag.com/news/sports/38001/

 

This one, I think, looks really interesting.

 

thinking-about-exercise.jpg

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