Diet/exercise question...?

Question

For the last approx. 3 1/2 weeks, I have been reguarly walking/speed walking on the treadmill. I haven't been focusing on speed too much, just timing the walk (30 minutes). I have been watching what I eat... cutting out a lot of sugar (even switched to Equal in my coffee) and trying to avoid saturated fats.

My question is this... how long should it take of this committed exercise routine before I start to see results? My impatience has caused quite a few failed diets and I don't want that to happen this time... I'm looking to tone up my thighs and burn a bit of fat... Any suggestions that will help me are greatly appreciated. =)

Answer 1

I don't have a really good answer to this, but I would say two weeks. I know that most of the diet books I have read say that on diet alone, one should start feeling better in 2 weeks, so at least that soon should work for a change of diet coupled with exercise.

Suggestions though: Be sure you are drinking approximately 64 ounces of water a day (2 liters approximately) as this will help flush the stuff out of your system.

Also, look as results being your clothes fitting looser and your body firming, in addition to losing weight, because sometimes inches happen faster than weight. Also, thighs are about the last place that weight comes off, with tummy being about the last, especially if you are over 40.

Answer 2

Your dedication should be applauded. Here's the deal, 1 pound of body weight equals roughly 3500 calories. Therefore, on paper at any rate, you'd have to burn 3500 calories to lose 1 pound.

You can do this by walking / running 3500 calories worth or consuming slightly less calories daily. if you drank a 150 can of cola every day and suddenly stopped, you could expect to lose (on paper) 1 pound every 23 days with no further effort.

The body is rarely this simple though.

My recommendation is to use a tool such as http://www.fitday.com to monitor your calories. This will keep you honest in your food consumption and your workout habits. It looks like you are making some good changes to your diet (for this you should be applauded for). But fitday.com will tell you whether you are overconsuming. It is free and I've never been spammed by them.

Finally, I'd urge your to continue working out. This includes upping the intensity of your workout. Get into doing some running on the treadmill. You'll suddenly see your calorie burn go through the roof with running. I run 20 - 30 miles a week and I can eat just about whatever I want and remain trim.

Also be PATIENT. You've got a better understanding of what weight loss is about (3500= 1 pound), so now you know what it's going to take. You didn't put all the weight on over night, so don't expect it to come off over night either. You should see fitness and health eating as a lifelong habit -- one that is going to allow you to live a healthy and full life.

Feel free to drop me a line if you have any other questions.

Good luck.

Answer 3

Here is what you need to do, if you are serious about losing weight and keeping it off. Eat 6 small meals a day about every 4 hours. Here what that will do for you, your metabolism will increase (i.e. Loose weight) and you will have more engry. If you go on a diet and eat less, your metabolism will slow down and store to fat. That is why diets dont work. Only the size of your fist, carbs (examples:baked potato, pasta, oatmeal, beans, corn, melon, apples, fat free yogurt, whole wheat breads)in one and protien (examples:chicken breast, swordfish, shrimp, turkey breast) in the other. You can also eat vegetables and salads with any meal, they dont have none or little fat). 30min cardo exercise every day. Any of these(examples: walking, jogging, swimming,running, biking, ect), Monday cardo, tues upper body (arms: curls, tricep extensions,pull ups, front press)(abdominals: leg pull crunch, leg raises), (chest: bench press, butterfly, pullover)(shoulders: front press, arm pullover, cross county skier machine)(back:seated row, lat pull downs, back extension)(YOU DONT HAVE TO DO IN ONE DAY, mix it up) wed cardo, thurs lower body (legs: leg pull,leg press, squats, lounges) fri cardo, sat upper. Sunday eat anything you want and dont exercising, you do this on sunday so your body doesnt go into starvation mode. YOU NEED TO TAKE SUNDAY OFF. If you stilck with this you will have a great body. also drink aleast 8oz of water daily! Stay away from Mcdonals, Wendys, ect because there is nothing good for you on the menu's even the salads are bad (beaon bits, cheeze, dressing, ect) Good Luck :)

Answer 4

The secret to a successful diet or exercise plan is LOVE IT. Do something that burns calories that for you is fun. If you don't have fun, it's not going to work. Make it fun, make it your hobby, and the pounds will fall off. You will look great. It might take you a while, but you won't care. You'll keep doing it until you get there, and after, because it's fun!

Answer 5

walking thirty minutes a day is a good start but it takes more then that to lose weight. One of the most important things to understand while trying to lose weight is that dieting doesn't exist. If you go back to your old eating habits after you lose the weight, you will gain it back faster.This is why its important to understand that the changes you make to lose weight are life long changes. Be your own trainer and nutritionist, the basic rules to losing weight are no soda, no fast food, lots of chicken, fish, fresh (not canned that’s bad) fruits and vegies, whole wheat stuff, yogurt. Not so many cakes and donuts and cookies. Basic common sense for eating, you just need to enforce it. Get all the bad stuff out of the house right away, just toss it or give it away while your still motivated. No alcohol if that applies. Some juice but make sure its all natural, because the ones that aren't are loaded with sugar and a leading cause in diabetes in children and adults. Lots of water, 3-4 liters a day, not all at once, but spread it out. Its really easy to down a liter or two while your watching tv or on the computer. Also drink some after you eat the bigger meals of the day, it helps your body pick out the nutrients in food when your food is more spread apart. You also need to stay away from any sports drinks unless you’ve just had a long workout and then you need to limit yourself. Coffee also isn't good for you because the caffeine that is in coffee requires more water to be digested then is in the coffee itself, so it dehydrates you. You probably want to drink an extra half liter for every cup of coffee you drink. Most atheletes mix Gatorade with water because its two complex for your body to get all the nutrients out of. It needs to be diluted. These rules may be hard to adapt to at first so start with cutting out the things you know you can live without. Then work from there. Remember these are perfect eating habits, it can take you a while to work into it. If you know you can’t live without your one treat a day, don’t fight it by trying to eat something else, just eat it and make sure that’s the only one you cheat on a day. Otherwise you’ll get depressed and quit. Another important point is getting the right amount of sleep every night. You need 8-9 hours of sleep each night for your body to function correctly. This is an important factor of losing weight. Set up a routine for yourself and go to bed at about the same time each night.
As for exercise, lots of cardio. Find something you like. If you have never exercised much before, start with walking 30 minutes a day at a brisk pace. Move on to different terrains that include hills and increase the time spent. After a week or two, try jogging the route. No matter what find an activity you enjoy. Walking to jogging is just an example, try hiking, rollerblading, biking. Once you get into a regular routine, if your not happy with the level of difficulty, try signing up with a gym. Spinning, pilates or kickboxing classes are great. It will also introduce you to working with weights. Talk to a trainer for instruction before using any weights. A cheap investment is a balance ball, it works you stomach while your just sitting on it, like at your computer and its great for posture. There are hundreds of exercises you can use it for for your entire body. I can give you some ideas if you want, just email me. Also for more info on the benefits of water go to www.watercure.com Good Luck! Honestly if you need anything else don't hesitate to IM me, krista_girl86 even if you don't pick me as best answer, i'd be happy to help

Answer 6

Quit consuming sodas, quit consuming dinner out at speedy meals, begin consuming salads , nor consume some thing after daylight is going down. Start coaching push-ups, abs, and dealing (Couch to 5K), fall asleep hungry and get up hungry as good because the kilos will soften off and you can get more potent for realistic. Source: ?????? ??????? , ????? ?????? , ?????

Answer 7

Excercise is important... but even more important is to eat more vegetables and less grains. Fruits are ok, but they still have a lot of sugar.

Answer 8

I second everything Krista said. She probably can type faster than me, too.