Weight Loss

[~Sunny~]

My brother is getting married in March and I am a bridesmaid. Unfortunatly I just gained some weight and it is not coming off. I need some help and advice. I need to lose about 20lbs before March. I will already be the biggest bridesmaid but I don't want to be huge. lol

[Jennifer in MI]

I don't know if I'm the person to ask about this as I'm also struggling to lose the last 10 pounds and it's just not budging! But, I would recommend an exercise regiment. Walking/running/biking/swimming - whatever suits you!

 

I was able to take off a quick 10 pounds with the Abs diet. It's a form of South Beach - high protein, and good carbs. I'm never hungry. I took an inch off my waist! It was nice to get immediate results!

 

Good luck! And, congrats to your brother!

[shell in SC]

If you've tried official "diets" and they haven't worked, you could try just modifying your fat or carb or calorie intake. . .you can't do all at once. . .or you wouldn't be able to eat anything. I've found that when I cut back my fat grams it helps me, but I have friends who cut back on calories and that works for them.

 

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!

[laylamcb]

First, check out some of the good advice in this thread:

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62118

 

Here are some of my best strategies:

 

1. Lift some weights. You won't lose weight quickly (off the scale) because of it, but you'll look great in your bridesmaid's dress! Shoulders and triceps tend to respond very quickly to muscle-building exercises, which works out perfectly for most dresses. The easiest and best all-around triceps kicker is the pushup. Learn to love it. For shoulders, start with the overhead press and upright row. You can find more great ideas here.

 

2. Eggs. I eat 2-3 eggs (via egg substitute; can't eat all that cholesterol) every morning. Combine that with a little bit of oatmeal, and WOW--you're full until lunch. Eggs are great protein, too.

 

3. Salad. Again, learn to love it. You can put nearly everything in your fridge into your salad, including fruits and veggies and beans. Make your own dressing to avoid all of the JUNK in prepared dressing.

 

4. Eat dessert every day--preferably twice a day. :D Allow me to clarify. I'm not one of these I'll-reward-myself-with-a-candy-bar-after-I've-lost-50-pounds kinda gals. I need to have a bite of chocolate twice a day. So I put the kids down for quiet time and have a small piece of dark chocolate. Then after they go down at night, I have a Healthy Choice fudge bar or another small piece of dark chocolate. I lost nearly 45 pounds that way. Forget delayed gratification: Reward yourself daily.

 

5. REMOVE from your house that which you cannot resist. For me this is ice cream. I simply can't eat a serving (1/2 cup: puh-LEEZ!), so I don't keep any at all. Instead, we'll go out once a month or so for ice cream at an ice cream parlor. There I order a kid's size serving, which is just about a 1/2 cup. It's small and it's expensive--which helps to keep it infrequent. Whatever that stumbling block is for you (another one for me: Nutella!), simply DON'T bring it in the house.

 

That should get you started. Good luck! :001_smile:

[mrsdash]

My advice:

3 meals, 2 snacks per day.

NEVER skip a meal.

Eat lean protein, lots of veggies and fruit and healthy fats.

Try to stay away from things that come from a box with more ingredients than you can pronounce. Stay as close to nature as you can.

Exercise at least 3 days per week.

Drink a lot of water. Aim for your 8 glasses per day.

Make sure you are getting enough calories and enough sleep.

[NevadaRabbit]

Sunny,

I lost a bunch of weight a few years ago and did not use any sort of diet book or plan. I ate less and walked daily. Leila's advice is spot-on; follow it closely.

 

Shop mostly in the produce section and around the outer perimeter of your grocery store. Most stuff in the aisles is processed/preserved/salted to death/laden with sugar.

 

Hunger is a good thing. Repeat after me. Hunger is a good thing. We Americans tend to eat before we're even hungry. Fast from solid food for a day (drink water or milk or tea) to remind yourself what hungry feels like. We also tend to eat until we are stuffed. Train yourself to eat slowly, put your fork down between every bite, chew and savor the food, and leave some food on your plate. To lose weight, you should eat only if your body is giving you hunger signals, and eat slowly so that your brain recognizes "tummy full" before you've overstuffed. You might be shocked at how little you need to consume and still be content. Content - not full - content.

 

Don't try to change everything about how you eat. Changes that make you miserable will not stick.

 

For me, a big dinner is the kiss of death. I saw this once: eat like a king at breakfast, like a prince at lunch, and like a pauper at dinner. GREAT advice. :)

[mrsdash]

Sunny,

I lost a bunch of weight a few years ago and did not use any sort of diet book or plan. I ate less and walked daily. Leila's advice is spot-on; follow it closely.

 

Shop mostly in the produce section and around the outer perimeter of your grocery store. Most stuff in the aisles is processed/preserved/salted to death/laden with sugar.

 

Hunger is a good thing. Repeat after me. Hunger is a good thing. We Americans tend to eat before we're even hungry. Fast from solid food for a day (drink water or milk or tea) to remind yourself what hungry feels like. We also tend to eat until we are stuffed. Train yourself to eat slowly, put your fork down between every bite, chew and savor the food, and leave some food on your plate. To lose weight, you should eat only if your body is giving you hunger signals, and eat slowly so that your brain recognizes "tummy full" before you've overstuffed. You might be shocked at how little you need to consume and still be content. Content - not full - content.

 

Don't try to change everything about how you eat. Changes that make you miserable will not stick.

 

For me, a big dinner is the kiss of death. I saw this once: eat like a king at breakfast, like a prince at lunch, and like a pauper at dinner. GREAT advice. :)

 

The only thing here is that if she waits until she is really hungry, she could binge eat or over eat. It's best to eat 5 times per day...3 meals and 2 snacks. It will regulate your metabolism and stave off hunger without wanting to overeat. If you wait too long to eat, your metabolism will begin to slow down and your body will use your muscle for energy.

[Philothea]

You might enjoy tracking your progress here:

http://www.extrapounds.com

[NevadaRabbit]

The only thing here is that if she waits until she is really hungry, she could binge eat or over eat. It's best to eat 5 times per day...3 meals and 2 snacks. It will regulate your metabolism and stave off hunger without wanting to overeat. If you wait too long to eat, your metabolism will begin to slow down and your body will use your muscle for energy.

 

Mrsdash, yes - I didn't mean to imply she should wait till she's famished. Our bodies give us subtle hints of hunger which gradually build up, and we should wait at least until we have some subtle hints.

 

Honestly, 3 meals and 2 snacks are far too much food for me unless we are talking meal = about 250 cal and snack = 3 pretzel sticks. It is a highly individual thing and I personally think that is why there are 3500 diet plans out there - what works for one might work for a few more, but not all. To lose weight I eat 2 meals (bkfst and lunch) and 1-2 snacks (afternoon and evening). One iota more --> gain. It's maddening, but it's reality.

 

The only across-the-board advice is to eat less and move more, and do so in a way that is regular and consistent. What that specifically looks like will vary. :)

[Kisa in CA]

I have enjoyed Weight Watchers. It is sensible, teaches good eating habits and provides tangible goals and accountability. Try it, you might like it.

 

HTH!

[mrsdash]

Mrsdash, yes - I didn't mean to imply she should wait till she's famished. Our bodies give us subtle hints of hunger which gradually build up, and we should wait at least until we have some subtle hints.

 

Honestly, 3 meals and 2 snacks are far too much food for me unless we are talking meal = about 250 cal and snack = 3 pretzel sticks. It is a highly individual thing and I personally think that is why there are 3500 diet plans out there - what works for one might work for a few more, but not all. To lose weight I eat 2 meals (bkfst and lunch) and 1-2 snacks (afternoon and evening). One iota more --> gain. It's maddening, but it's reality.

 

The only across-the-board advice is to eat less and move more, and do so in a way that is regular and consistent. What that specifically looks like will vary. :)

 

Yes, different ways for different people, I agree. I'm sorry if I sounded like I was saying "you're wrong!" I didn't mean for it to sound that way, I'm sorry.

I just wanted to stress that the hunger pangs are a sign that your body is running out of fuel and will use protein stores if you wait too much longer. And again, it will slow down your metabolism. It's good to try for a protein and a little bit of a healthy fat with eat meal because they take longer to digest and therefore keep you fuller longer. And nooo, no pretzel sticks for a snack. An apple with some almond butter would be good.

Honestly, it's not hard to get in 3 meals, 2 snacks.

I had 3 egg whites with mx'd veggies (I fill 3 silicone muffin cups and bake the eggs) , a small fruit salad and a few almonds for breakfast. Then I had an apple w. a small amount of almond butter for a snack. For lunch I'm having mixed vegetables and quinoa. I'm having left over tofu satay with vegetables for dinner. Sometime before or after dinner I'll either have some cottage cheese with fruit or a protein smoothie. I really understand what you're saying about it sounding like too much food but this is how I lost and now maintain my weight. I lost 40 lbs. this way.

[NevadaRabbit]

Yes, different ways for different people, I agree. I'm sorry if I sounded like I was saying "you're wrong!" I didn't mean for it to sound that way, I'm sorry.

I just wanted to stress that the hunger pangs are a sign that your body is running out of fuel and will use protein stores if you wait too much longer. And again, it will slow down your metabolism. It's good to try for a protein and a little bit of a healthy fat with eat meal because they take longer to digest and therefore keep you fuller longer. And nooo, no pretzel sticks for a snack. An apple with some almond butter would be good.

Honestly, it's not hard to get in 3 meals, 2 snacks.

I had 3 egg whites with mx'd veggies (I fill 3 silicone muffin cups and bake the eggs) , a small fruit salad and a few almonds for breakfast. Then I had an apple w. a small amount of almond butter for a snack. For lunch I'm having mixed vegetables and quinoa. I'm having left over tofu satay with vegetables for dinner. Sometime before or after dinner I'll either have some cottage cheese with fruit or a protein smoothie. I really understand what you're saying about it sounding like too much food but this is how I lost and now maintain my weight. I lost 40 lbs. this way.

 

No apology necessary! I think we're both trying to say the same thing. I had to break a years-engrained habit of eating because it was "time to eat", not because my body was suggesting it needed food. I think that's probably very common, and we lose all sense of our body's natural cues that are there well before protein-store consumption begins. Totally agree on the protein and healthy fat combo. Carbs are doom (to me) for weight loss.

 

The amount of food that brought you weight loss, seriously, would bring me gain. It's entirely possible I'm freakish :D ! A day's consumption for me might be (b) one egg scrambled, one whole peach; (l) 1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese, couple turkey slices, pile of baby carrots and a dab of Ranch for dippin'; (snack) a few cashews and wasabi peas; (d) small salad with chopped veggies and a bit of cheese, tossed in rice vinegar and a little squirt of Ranch. Couldn't tell ya calorie counts on all that, but it's less than what many "formulas" tell me should bring weight loss. I just wonder if that is a frequent problem that leads to unsuccessful weight loss - there is no successful diet where you (generic "you") can eat as much as you want, and at some point you have to deny yourself, control your hands and mouth, and not eat. It's about quality AND quantity.

 

To the OP: Forgot to mention what was a HUGE help to me - a food journal. Daily, write down what you eat and drink. Track your exercise and weight alongside. You'll see trends. You'll recognize how much you can eat and still lose. You'll recognize your body's hunger/satiety patterns. It's an invaluable way to tailor your eating to your body's needs.

[mrsdash]

Jill,

That day can't be more than 800 calories at best! Part of your lunch would be part of my breakfast, ha,ha.That is very low for me. In my experience, when I limit calories (whether on purpose or not), I gain weight shortly thereafter. My metabolism slows and then everything I eat seems to stay. My body wants fuel to burn. I eat pretty clean food and I exercise 3-5 days per week .If I skip a meal or lower my caloric intake for a little while, then eat anything passed that new amount, the weight creeps on. It's a yo-yo diet thing for me.I need to slow drip my food (fuel in my head because I'm odd, ha) throughout the day. If I get hungry, I am UGLY.:angry:

Anyway, good luck to the OP and I am sure you will get tons of good advice here. We all have our own method but one or two will hit a chord for you and work.

[Jean in Wisc]

I use Sparkpeople.com for my diet, Peggy Brill's Core Program for my strengthening/stretching, and I also use her book for my weight lifting (a variation since I don't have the equipment). I walk with some running added into the formula. Weight lifting has made a big difference in how I feel and look.

 

FWIW,

jean

[laylamcb]

I use Sparkpeople.com for my diet, Peggy Brill's Core Program for my strengthening/stretching, and I also use her book for my weight lifting (a variation since I don't have the equipment). I walk with some running added into the formula. Weight lifting has made a big difference in how I feel and look.

 

FWIW,

jean

 

Now that Jean brought up strength training books, can I shill for one?! :D I LOVE Lou Schuler's books The New Rules of Lifting and The New Rules of Lifting for Women. His Women book has an added bonus for women in that he has a beefed up nutrition section (no pun intended), whereas the original book doesn't really go beyond the basics on the nutrition angle. The weightlifting routines in these books, designed by Alwyn Cosgrove, are FANTASTIC--better than any I've seen in other books.

[~Sunny~]

Thanks for all the great tips!

[Jami]

Now that Jean brought up strength training books, can I shill for one?! :D I LOVE Lou Schuler's books The New Rules of Lifting and The New Rules of Lifting for Women. His Women book has an added bonus for women in that he has a beefed up nutrition section (no pun intended), whereas the original book doesn't really go beyond the basics on the nutrition angle. The weightlifting routines in these books, designed by Alwyn Cosgrove, are FANTASTIC--better than any I've seen in other books.

 

Ditto, Leila. These are really great books. More about burning fat than losing scale weight. I briefly started NROL4W before my pregnancy and look forward to getting it started up again sometime post-baby. :)

[hsmamainva]

Shameless plug here...but I started a Weight Loss Support social group here on the boards!!

 

To find it, go to "User Control Panel" and hit "Social Groups" and look for it!

 

I'm hoping we'll come up with weight loss strategies and support for those of us looking to take off some pounds!! (The suggestions in this thread are great!)