# Want to lose weight



## starfire (Dec 21, 2010)

So I stepped on the scale today and I have found that I have put on more weight than I would like. I really want to lose not only the weight I've gained, but more. Last year I put on A TON of weight, and I was right on the borderline of looking "fat," even though I was technically at a healthy weight. So I lost that weight and since then have been very paranoid about going back to my old ways. That's why I want to lose these pounds NOW, because I know that if I don't I'll just gain even more. 

What can I do? I have a job and work about 3-4 days a week, 4 hours on 2 of those days and 6 on the others. I do a lot of walking around there but wondered what else I can do. I try to eat healthy but eat more than my fair share of foods full of sugar, fat etc. I also wondered if eating a lot of microwavable meals could also be adding to weight gain. 

I'm hoping to lose 6 pounds for now. What can I do? are there any specific foods/ingredients in foods I should really avoid? Any advice would be great!


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## CopadoMexicano (Aug 21, 2004)

diets dont work. I know it can be difficult to watch what you eat when at work. you dont really have to avoid foods you love its how much of it you eat. imo. I try to watch what i eat by eating whole grains, dairy, yogurt which is very good as a snack and promote fat loss.) Whey protein, fruits, lean meats, almonds, oatmeal, etc. foods that basically burn fat and keep you full and healhty. its really a lifestyle change you have to change to if you want to lose weight.


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## Neptunus (Oct 29, 2007)

Avoid bread, white rice, potatoes, pasta and things high in sugar/ high fructose corn syrup. IOW, a low-carb diet. http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarb101/a/gettingstarted.htm

I'm doing one right now to combat my paxil fat, and have lost 8lbs in 3 weeks. I feel great, too! No more mood swings from sugar spikes, and I'm eating healthier than I ever have! I also don't feel like I'm on a diet, either -- I eat until I'm satiated. Bread and sugar, well, I don't miss 'em!

Lifting weights is another must, especially for women. You need to increase your muscle mass to raise your metabolism and maintain bone density. You don't need fancy equipment, just your body, a few minutes a day, and discipline. I recommend this program for starters: www.hundredpushups.com. It's easy and (I think) fun. Be sure to check out the other options, like sit-ups and squats.

Good luck!


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## Jessie203 (Feb 20, 2008)

Count calories. drink water a lot to fill you .
Have green tea to boost metabolism
eat between 1200 to 1500 cal a day. (I think thsats the healthy recommendation)
Exercise vigorously until u sweat a ton and feel it.

Im doing the same thing right now btw so go us lol
goodluck


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## daniel1989 (Feb 14, 2011)

Weightloss is 10% hard exercise and 90% diet you wont lose weight unless you eat right. Foods to avoid are those with high fat and sugar content.


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## starfire (Dec 21, 2010)

Thanks for the advice everyone.  I was also wondering if eating microwavable foods could result in weight gain. Should I stay away from those?

BTW, is sodium unhealthy in foods? I ask a ton of questions, I know LOL but I really want to find out what might be triggering my weight gain.


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## LALoner (Dec 3, 2008)

Low Carbing works.


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## i just want luv (Feb 13, 2011)

Drink nothing but water. pending on your height ex: if your 5'4 your motabalism rate would be around 1,700 (motabalism is the amount of calories your body burns each day by living) . 

You would consume around 2,200 calories a day to maintain weight.

3,500 calories = 1 pound of fat. So you need to cut 500 calories from your daily consuming. 500 - 2,200 = 1,700....... 500 x 7 = 3,500 
1 pound loss per week.

Punch, orange juice, soda contain from 150-400 calories per cup. water has no calories, in fact cold water helps you burn cals. Cake, ice cream and stuff have from 300-800 cals per slice.

Also by walking you lose about 100 cals per mile I think. So just cut 500 cals out a day. Sweets can really hurt you because they dont really get you full and they contain so much. 
Dont starve yourself because you'll slow down your motabolism rate making it harder to lose weight.


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## Medicine Man X (Feb 3, 2011)

starfire said:


> Thanks for the advice everyone.  I was also wondering if eating microwavable foods could result in weight gain. Should I stay away from those?
> 
> BTW, is sodium unhealthy in foods? I ask a ton of questions, I know LOL but I really want to find out what might be triggering my weight gain.


Microwavable foods often (not always) have a high sodium content. Excess sodium can cause you to retain water and cause some edema and temporary water weight gain. Check the packaging for sodium content.


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## alte (Sep 4, 2010)

daniel1989 said:


> Weightloss is 10% hard exercise and 90% diet you wont lose weight unless you eat right.


I agree. Diet is more important than exercise when trying to lose weight.

For example, a small burger gives 300 calories. It will take a 3 mile run to burn off this amount. A few extra burgers a day and you won't have time to run the miles required to maintain a negative energy balance.


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## starfire (Dec 21, 2010)

Well, I'm 5 feet 8 inches, and I yo-yo from 128-135. Right now I'm at 134 and want to get back down to 128 or 129 at least. Is that a reasonable goal for me to have? Is it healthy?


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## Jessie203 (Feb 20, 2008)

That would make your bmi 19.5.... over 18.5 its considered "normal weight" 
If it makes u happy do it
Im bmi of 22 or 21 right now i forgot but i feel fat as **** despite the "normal" weight range it says lol.... bmi of 19 is what i want too, is healthy do what u wanna do


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## She (Jun 30, 2010)

I don't have that much to add but just wanted to say that http://www.sparkpeople.com/ is an awesome resource for losing weight. Tracking what I was eating helped me lose a couple of kilos, and you can also track exercise etc. Also if you put how much you want to lose, and in what time frame, it will tell you roughly how much you need to eat etc each day (in terms of calories). Good luck!


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## SolitudeGabriel (Feb 24, 2011)

hi starfire!
weight loss combine daily exercise and healthy eating choices.
Food such as (lean meat, skinless chicken, skinless turkey, fish, soybean and fruits etc) are the healthy choices 
NO FRIED FOOD
Within one or two hours after workout is the best times for you to eat. Because your metabolism is very high then. Do not skip breakfast. Your metabolism is highest in the morning. Watch your food timing best is small portion to help reduce hunger and metabolism. Also do not go more then five hours without eating. Avoid trans fat and sugary foods .

do over 20min cardiovascular training most days of the week .


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## JayDontCareEh (Jul 16, 2007)

I wouldn't pay any mind to that BMI stuff. You sound healthy enough.

Maybe try eliminating, or at least cutting back, on the amount of refined sugar you consume if you want to try and lose weight.


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## emptybottle2 (Jan 18, 2009)

starfire said:


> Well, I'm 5 feet 8 inches, and I yo-yo from 128-135. Right now I'm at 134 and want to get back down to 128 or 129 at least. Is that a reasonable goal for me to have? Is it healthy?


Your current weight is pretty slender already, so you don't have to get hardcore about diet and exercise. Replace soda with water, replace salty and sugary snacks with fruit, have soup for dinner a few times a week, and cut out bread and processed foods, and you'll probably lose 6 pounds in less than 3 weeks. Happened to me and I never exercised; just walked an extra 20 minutes or so a day instead of taking public transportation.


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## Neptunus (Oct 29, 2007)

JayDontCareEh said:


> I wouldn't pay any mind to that BMI stuff. You sound healthy enough.
> 
> Maybe try eliminating, or at least cutting back, on the amount of refined sugar you consume if you want to try and lose weight.


This.

You don't need to go to dieting extremes -- just cut down on processed foods.


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## Smokin87 (Feb 28, 2010)

Any website which mentions BMI is automatically completely useless. I don't know why doctors, dietitians, advisors and so on, insist on using BMI as a way of calculating how healthy or overweight you are. Someone who is 5'10" and over 200lbs is probably considered overweight but then someone like Mike Tyson, who was in amazing shape, is that size. Tyson, if he had his BMI tested, would be considered overweight.

So BMI's are completely useless and you shouldn't pay attention to them. Some people literally can't get their "BMI" low because of their bone structure, amount of muscle or how much water weight they carry.

As far as metabolism goes, everyone is different. That all depends on genetics, which is why it's ridiculous they are ever mentioned. If you look at a bar of chocolate, for example, you'll see on the back what % of your calorie intake the bar has. The number varies, but let's say that number is 2000. Are we then to assume that a 100lb girl needs as many calories as a 300lb man? And the rate you burn those calories depends entirely on genetics. People don't burn calories at the same rate.

If I was to give a few tips, I'd say:

- Eat healthily, obviously, but don't eat too much. Calories are calories.
- Walk for 30 minutes each day. Walking is the best exercise for losing fat.
- Split meals up into two, so instead of three meals, have six to increase metabolism.
- Don't eat late at night

There are other things you could then go into, such as drinking coffee before any food in the morning to boost metabolism, walking before eating and so on, but they are all additional. If you follow the four rules above, you will lose fat, there's no question about that.


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## Jessie203 (Feb 20, 2008)

I hope your diet is going well


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## Haydsmom2007 (Oct 16, 2009)

you sound really thin to me. I'm 145-150 and I'm 5'10. 

The times I've lost weight I didn't worry too much about what I was eating, I just controlled my portions. Drink a big glass of water before your meals so you don't eat as much. Stop eating once you start to feel full. And just get a little more activity... talk walks, or run... I have a kinect and we just bought the dance central game and I played that for like 2 hours last night lol!


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## Implicate (Feb 1, 2011)

Do you drink soda? Stop

Do you prepare your food with fresh ingredients? Start. There is a ton of super easy recipes, many for one or two people that are both cheap and easy to prepare (We are talking can be made in a half hour max, usually much less). 

Do you drink a lot of beverages with sugar and tons of calories (juice, etc) Stop, starting drinking teas and sugar free juices like Crystal Light

Do you eat a lot of bread and empty unhealthy carbs? Replace them with something better. Hell, there is a really good tasting lower carb whole grain light bread I buy. Available everywhere, under 100 calories for two pieces and I think 13g of carb that is less than two bucks a loaf.

Are you active? You don't have to go to a gym, but find stuff around the house or take walks occasionally. If you have a difficult time going out in public, as odd as it sounds, clean. I bust my butt washing walls and mopping and vacuuming and dusting and moving furniture, not as exercise, but as a hobby I guess.

None of these are major changes and I promise if you try to be just a little more conscious of what you eat and how you choose it you will drop some weight with hardly any effort.

I try to eat like a diabetic, not too much sugar, not a huge amount of carbs, but I still cheat enough to stay focused. 

I managed to lose about 30lbs over maybe, 3 months and keep it off with minimal effort following my strange "diet" philosophy, and I started that probably 8 months ago.


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## starfire (Dec 21, 2010)

Implicate said:


> Do you drink soda? Stop
> 
> QUOTE]
> 
> ...


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## starfire (Dec 21, 2010)

Haydsmom2007 said:


> you sound really thin to me. I'm 145-150 and I'm 5'10.


Haha, I know technically I'm healthy and everyone says I look fine but I just personally don't like how I look at this weight. I hate how much my thighs bulge out when I sit and just overall hate the "feeling" of all this extra weight on. I'm also not fitting into my jeans quite as well as I want, and don't want to wind up actually stretching them out because I'm too big for them. The main reason I'm trying to lose weight is not because I am "fat," it's because I FEEL fat, if you get what I mean.


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