Weight Loss

[rodgerdodger]

So, I was going to post this under the health/fitness category but it was empty so I figured general discussion would be best.
I'm 19, 5'7" and 220 pounds. I have been this weight since I was around 16. It's one of those things where I truly am okay with my body, but I can't picture myself with any attractive/good guy while I am at this weight or can see myself being successful in any shape or form.
I have tried to lose weight in the past, and I am lucky because my college does have a gym on campus that is free to use. Each semester I tell myself that I will take advantage of it but I never do. Or, I go for a week and then "feel sick" and never go in again.
Each time I try to lose weight I try and track what I eat, cut out fried/sugary things and keep a food journal. But when it comes to exercise I am totally lost. When I go to the gym I flip flop around from the treadmill to the ab machine and end up leaving after 20 minutes.
I guess I don't know where to start. My goal is to lose 50 pounds by the end of this semester (semester starts Jan. 25th, and it ends May 12th).
Really, any advice at all would be fantastic from you lovely ladies.

[h3llo]

Get meals that are preplanned you can use sites like eatthismuch or make your own. That way you already know what to eat for the day and you can't use not knowing to binge. I wouldn't really work out too much unless you want to be athletic just start with what's cozy such as a mile a day or every other day. Honestly if you eat around 1500 you can lose weight without working out all the time

[fossilfinger]

You are losing weight for the wrong reasons, which is why you aren't motivated. You will not be successful with men or otherwise in life simply by losing weight. Your weight has no effect on these areas of your life at all. Besides, why would you want a man who only wants you back if you look a certain way? If you are okay with your body, make healthy choices and exercise, but don't try to starve yourself down to a certain weight because of what others think.

Also, exercise has almost no effect on weight loss. You should exercise to keep yourself healthy, but it will not result in you losing weight unless you are climbing Mt. Everest or an Olympic athlete. Find the exercise that works for you. It may be walking around the block, doing jumping jacks, or buying a set up weights and lifting in your room. Don't force yourself to go to the gym if you hate going there. You will again set yourself up to fail.

[fortwendy]

The key to losing weight is to burn more calories than you eat. If you eat 1500, burn 1700. If you eat 2000 calories, burn 2500. If you eat 200, burn 500 (this is dumb but it's to prevent the excuse of "Well I don't eat a lot."). Every body burns calories even if you do NOTHING all day. At your height and weight, you burn 1837 calories a day doing nothing, so if you decide that you DON'T want to exercise AT ALL, then don't eat more than 1800 calories a day.That easy.

Your goal of 50lbs in roughly 4 months = 12.5lbs/month. I've done the math (more than happy to explain how) and you wouldn't be able to eat more than 350 calories a day. If you want to lose 50lbs in 4 months you will need to ONLY eat 350 calories a day, and if you eat more you need to work it off.

I think you have some confused ideas about your body, what you want, what you assume all attractive men want, and what a realistic goal is - but in the event that I'm wrong, the above should be helpful.

[fossilfinger]

fortwendy, your math is way off. 12.5 lbs. in a month is a realistic goal if someone starts off overweight. That is only about 3 lbs. a week. There are 3,500 calories in a pound, which means to lose 3 lbs., you need to burn 10,500 more calories per week than you eat, or 1500 excess calories per day. This site is helpful in determining how to calculate how many calories you burn per day and how many you would need to eat to lose a certain number of pounds per week: http://www.wikihow.com/Calculate-How-Ma ... ose-Weight

It is really irresponsible to even tell someone to only eat 350 calories per day, as that is starvation. In order to successfully lose weight, you need to eat the maximum amount possible while still burning more than you eat, so you avoid malnutrition. Please don't just take advice from people off the internet (even me) - research it yourself first, and never, ever let yourself starve!

[kiki]

I could write a bible here.... But to really over simplify the matter: don't worry too much about calories. Sugar, fat and sodium are what you need to pay attention to. As long as you are eating a normal amount of food each day, you WILL burn off those calories. There are so many "100 calorie" snack packs that seem so healthy but have double your daily recommended dose of sugar and a lot of fat. Not healthy. look at the % of daily fat/sodium intake on the nutrition label. As a general guideline, ive read you should try to keep each at 15% or lower. The average person should not have more than 25g of sugar per day, and mosdt people have double this! Sugar is actually a huge culprit of fat gain! I see you cut out fatty and sugary foods, so good for you!

For exercise, start out slow. Walk 15 mins a day, and gradually increase. The best best best way to lose weight, get the shape you want ad have a good metabolism is to LIFT. and I don't mean 5lb weights. I mean lift HEAVY. You will NOT get bulky!!!! Lifting helps you lose inches, it tightens and "tones" and it will help your metabolism. A mix of heavy lifting with a little cardio will change your body and your life!

I started lifting almost two years ago and have read a lot of books on the subject, as well as advice from personal trainers, etc so while I'm no expert, I do know a thing or two about losing weight and shaping your body through exercise. I started out just like you, not knowing a THING about the gym, way too intimidated to go at all, and now I'm in the weight room with the boys 5 days a week, with hardly any cardio, and i can assure you, I do not look 'bulky' or like a man, contrary to what the general population will tell you about women lifting. Anyway if you ever want any ideas or advice about anything gym related, message me! Its a passion of mine so if I can be of any help I'd love to!

[HeavenOnlyKnows]

Just wanted to bump and see how OP's weight loss is going Any updates?

Just to add something meaningful, I highly recommend MyFitnessPal. You can plug in your weight and goals and it will automatically recommend how many calories you should be eating a day, and you can track it right there to make sure you don't go over. You can also track your exercise and water intake. What I like about MFP is that it adjusts your daily intake based on what exercise you do, so if you exercise more you can eat more. So like let's say your daily goal for weight loss is 1500 calories a day, but one day you go to the gym, walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes, and burn 200 calories. If you enter in the exercise you did, MFP will then readjust your calorie goal to 1700 that day, allowing you to eat back what you burned and still be at a deficit. It's kind of cool to teach you the relationship between eating and exercise, it makes you really think about whether or not cheating is worth having to burn it off, and it personally helps me not feel bad about "cheating" as long as I exercise enough to stay in the green.

[deviswolowitz]

1. Drink Water, Especially Before Meals
2. Eat Eggs For Breakfast
3. Drink Coffee (Preferably Black)
4. Drink Green Tea
5. Cook With Coconut Oil
6. Take a Glucomannan Supplement
7. Cut Back on Added Sugar
8. Eat Less Refined Carbs
9. Go on a Low Carb Diet
10. Exercise Portion Control or Count Calories
11. Do Aerobic Exercise
12. Eat More Vegetables and Fruits
13. Get Good Sleep
14. Don’t Drink Calories, Including Sugary Soda and Fruit Juices

[Nina James]

1. Drink Water, Especially Before Meals
2. Eat Eggs For Breakfast
3. Drink Coffee (Preferably Black)
4. Drink Green Tea
5. Cook With Coconut Oil
6. Take a Glucomannan Supplement
7. Cut Back on Added Sugar
8. Eat Less Refined Carbs
9. Go on a Low Carb Diet
10. Exercise Portion Control or Count Calories
11. Do Aerobic Exercise
12. Eat More Vegetables and Fruits
13. Get Good Sleep
14. Don’t Drink Calories, Including Sugary Soda and Fruit Juices

That was really good. Thanks for sharing

[nelliettapp]

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[rick5]

Hello there, weight loss does happen but only with a structured diet and proper workout regime. You also need to understand your fat parentage and ideal BMR range and the key is to have your calorie intake in about your BMR. Also make sure you never skip your exercises and do necessary physical activity.

[Ella george]

Nowadays everyone is focusing on weight loss as people become a fitness freak. weight loss can only happen if you follow a proper diet and do work out.