It's hard to stick to dieting and exercising plans. Any helpful ideas? I want something easy to stick to.?

Question

Can I please get tips on quick to do, easy to do,and different types of exercises and food that will help me quickly loose weight and get healthy. Something original and different please, or just simple tips. And lots of detailed ideas and plans too!!! Thanks.

Answer 1

I started running a mile a day/seven days a week. It took me about 20 minutes to complete when I first started to get into shape. As I kept to my routine, I was able to complete the mile running the entire time, and I began to lose fat mass and replace that with toned muscle. Now I'm running 15+ miles a week, and I'm eating healthy. I DON'T starve myself though. Doing that will get you nowhere.

The average caloric intake for a person is normally around 1,500 (healthy) but the idea is to burn more calories than you take in each day. To make it easier on myself, I only eat 1,400 or less calories a day. But I keep the meals healthy, with the occasional snack. You don't have to stop eating foods you like unless it's McDonalds or something like that. Burgers and fries EASILY add up to about 1,300 calories.

Eat three times a day. More protein and fruits will help your body replace the fat with muscle mass. You might not lose a lot of numbers on the scale, but you will lower your body fat percentage.

Working out is NOT easy. If you're not going to stick to a routine and eat healthy, you might as well not even try to begin it. It wasn't easy for me when I first started - I had shin splints and I ran out of breath, but that was because I wasn't in proper shape. Don't expect your body to be perfect after a weeks worth of excercise and healthy food habits. You won't really see results until about three weeks into it. The more effort you put into working out, the better your results will be. And let me just say that from experience, they are simply AMAZING!

Eventually working out will be something you look forward to. The first few weeks will be tough, but keep at it - you'll pull through, and once you see the transformation of your body you'll absolutely love it and keep on it.

Here's an example of what I try to eat on different days of the week:

For breakfast I have something that will get me up and going and keep me until lunch (I eat lunch around 12:00).. 2-3 eggs (eggs are high in protein and help with weight loss and muscle gain), Activia yogurt, and a glass of milk or orange juice with pulp.

For lunch I have a salad with chicken, water chestnuts, mushrooms, and a small amount of dressing. I might have a soda (diet Pepsi or Coke) too.

For a mid afternoon snack I pick fruit: grapes, bananas, oranges, strawberries, watermelon, etc. Fruit is very good for you and it doesn't have a lot of "carbs" in it.

For dinner I have a baked potato, spinach, chicken/steak.

This plan fits perfectly with me because I run at least 2-3 miles a day at a fast pace, and I run seven days a week. You can change the foods you use, but keep them down to small amounts so that by the end of the day, you've eaten at most 1,450 calories and you've burned a quarter of that or more for the beginning of your plan.

*Always make sure you're taking in a lot of water throughout the day as well. It will keep you hydrated and it will also fill you up so that you don't keep looking for snacks throughout the day.

** When I'm running I listen to music because it keeps your mind busy. Sometimes I go without it though so I can have good concentration when I'm running for a long long distance.

Feel free to e-mail me if you'd like.

Here are my stats:

I started running a year ago - I weighed 145 lbs after I went through my depression. I was a size seven, and I'm five four - that was BAD!

About a month into my working out, I lost 6 lbs.

I've been running for a year now and I'm a size 3/5 depending on the brand of jeans, and I weigh 127 lbs.

The results are amazing. Stick to it :) You'll love it.

Answer 2

well, u could do the LA Weight Loss program! thats seems 2 work 4 alot of ppl! the main thing 2 do and remember is 2 establish healthy eating habits. once u loose the weight by eating healthy or what ever, don't go back 2 your old eating habbits b cuz u'll juz put on all the weight u juz lost! Make up your own plan 2 how 2 loose weight and stick 2 it. maybe u could go 2 a gym and work out 4 like 2 ours every other day or go on a cardio machine and burn like 500 calories and then go play bball 4 an hour. u could go swimming mab twice a week on the every other days u arn't going 2 the gym. also, there is this person i know who eats all her sweets only on Sunday. !nce a wk. and its working pretty well 4 her i think. idk. but, there r some ideas u could try. in fact, i might even try doing what i juz typed! but, i don't need 2 loose wait. i'm the perfect wait b cuz my mom cooks healthy and only buys a few candy bars like every few weeks! we've got marshmellows,sprinkles,some chocolat, and about 5-7b boxes of cake mix in our cubords but thats it. i have meat and fruit with almost every meal. definately fruit though. and i eat meat, vegetables, potatoes, and fruit 4 dinner alot. mayb u could change your diet 2 something like that. u know, u r suppose 2 have like 7 servings of fruit and about 3 servings of vegetables every day or something like that. oh, also, DO NOT DRINK POP ANY MORE THAN A FEW TIMES A WEEK. POP WILL MAKE U FAT IN NO TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! well, there some ideas. hope this helps!

Answer 3

Hi. Im on a diet too right now. I've been using this strategy for about a month now and I lose about 6 lbs. Im a busy person and I dont have time to go to gym. I work night shift. So, for me this is the best diet strategy I got from internet.

What I regularly do:
1. Eat breakfast always. Do not and never skip breakfast.
2. Eat every 3 hours. Eat light. I eat half of what I usually eat before.
3. Do 20 sit ups in the morning and another 20 in the evening.

Do's
1. Less fatty and hi-caloric foods.
2. Eat less carbohydrates, more protein.
3. Eat nuts. Best is almonds.
4. Dont starve yourself.

The point of this diet:

Metabolism is the one who burns your fats while at rest. If you starve yourself, this will stop metabolism to burn fats. To keep eat going, eat every three (3) hours. But eat about half of what you usually eat. Do not eat too much because you will eat again after 3 hours.

To get rid off your fats efficiently and effectively, do this strategy and have time to go to gym at least 3x a week.

This is very effective and very easy too.


Good luck!

Answer 4

Have a large breakfast and filter down to a smaller dinner.

You don't need the largest chunk of calories to be at dinner. It makes sense to have it at breakfast.

Also, don't deny yourself of food you love. Do you love chocolate? Moderate your chocolate but don't just take it out. You'll end up binging if you do.

Allow yourself something sweet each day--in moderation.

Beyond that, snack IN MODERATION on popcorn (high in fiber), fruits, or veggies.

You aren't going to lose weight quickly. Healthy weightloss is a lifetime commitment to your body.

As for exercising, do things you enjoy. Do you enjoy swimming? Try water aerobics (I like deep water jogging). Do you like walking/running? Train for your first marathon.

Find what you love and go from that. Just keep it up. You won't see results for 4-6 weeks. Then you will see the inches just fly off!

Unless you're on a diet directed by a doctor, don't cut your calories to under 1000. Don't even cut them under 1200. It's not safe.

Answer 5

Get a diet buddy. You can either lose weight together, or they can simply keep encouraging you to keep on your diet/exercise plan. That way, when you cheat on your diet, you feel like you're letting down your buddy as well.

Another trick is to write down everything you eat each day. You'll think twice about snacking if you have to write it down.

As far as exercise, force yourself into a routine for at least two weeks. After that, it should become a habit.

Answer 6

yes -- I have the same problem. And well heres a breakdown of my approach. This has worked for me because its quick, easy, and positive. All the things you need to reinforce habits into a behavior:

As a first step, I went through my kitchen to see what things I shouldnt be eating that are high in bad calories ( I didnt really find anything) -- when I go shopping I buy whole foods that I have to make, usually something simple.. eggs, cheese, apples, bread.. This helps keep calories down. I try not to pig out any more, and what has really been helpful is for me to throw together a bag of goodies in the morning for breakfast at work.

Heres what might be in typical goodie bag:
+ Instant Oatmeal
+ a banana or apple or another fruit
+ Yogart
+ Granola Bar or cereal
+ Cheese stick
+ tea

I eat about one of these things each every hour until lunch, so
I don't get overly hungry or starving by lunch time. At lunch I'm not as hungry so when my department goes out to get something I won't eat as much. I used to get deli sandwhich chips and drink. Now I get, white rice, chicken and maybe an ice tea. Not as many calories and just as filling.

Then I'll have tea or water through the afternoon, and eat a granola bar or something with carbs to get over the afternoon slump. By the time im home for dinner, I usually have been good with my calories for the day and can make almost anything I want -- still I try to not over do it, and eat before 8pm. I'll drink water and tea at night, and if I'm hungry at bedtime, have a quick snack.

My biggest problem is that I love sugar, so I've found ways to replace refined sugar in my diet, with fruit (I love fruit), or Splenda. (I love splenda), the only other problem is i love candy too! So I try to get some every now and then just to make me happy.

Some important things
+ Never let yourself feel hungry -- this makes you want to eat a lot more than you normally should

+ Try to have protein at every meal -- this makes you feel fuller.

+ Avoid empty calories. Why do those hostess pies have 500 calories each? You eat four of those and thats your calories for the day, but ask me if you are still hungry (yes)

+ Always have something to drink nearby. Your first initial urge when you are hungry is to eat obviously, but if you drink instead, you will tame this wild beast!

Now the breakfast thing has done wonders for me I've lost about 10 lbs already. Still the hard part is actual exercise.

So far, I dont have a gym membership and I just have some simple weights at home. So for the losing weight part I rely on the good old jogging and stretching:

Jogging:

First, I love music, so I have my Ipod strapped and ready to go jogging whenever I want to. Maybe you have some device to listen to music on too?

The lucky thing for me is that I live by the beach, so I like to go out and walk usually at nite, to see the stars, moon over the ocean, shooting starts, views from the cliff. Its awesome, and theraputic.

If you can find a place you like to go to, and is convenient, spending about 30-45 min jogging, walking, stretching becomes something you look forward to!

Answer 7

There's possibility that you may be doing something wrong and I don't have a clue as to what it might be. When I tried weight watchers, I had fun at it because I was losing. There is no easy way to losing weight particularly for women. If you're still a young woman, then you're definitely going to have problems for about a week, which just happens to coincide with your monthlies.

Answer 8

Without eating healthy and incorporating regular exercise into your lifestyle, it's very difficult to suggest any "quick" changes that are going to help you lose weight and get healthy.

It's just not possible, as care of your body takes effort. I continue to suggest getting on to the South Beach Diet (as it has a reasonable medical basis, you don't ever feel starved, and it WORKS), and weekly exercise (I bicycle) on a lot of these questions.

But I know of no way to lose weight and get healthy without eating right and getting out and exercising. Sorry, wish it was easier too. But I CAN guarantee that these two suggestions have worked for me, and I've lost a tremendous amount of weight on them without a lot of trouble.

Answer 9

1. When you buy food at the grocery store, check the ingredients. If it has "corn syrup" or "high fructose corn syrup", don't buy it.

2. Crystal Light makes these little packets you can buy. You can keep them in your purse. Then when you buy a bottle of water, you pour in the powder and shake it up - instant tea/fruit punch/juice. It's almost no calories and helps keep you hydrated (and feeling full). Drink 64 oz. of water every day!

3. Don't eat after 8 or 9 PM.

4. Make yourself a mix CD of songs to listen to while you exercise. Pick high energy tunes. I especially like songs from when I was in high school - I can't help but sing along and the nostalgia kick totally overcomes my fatigue. I don't even realize I'm working out.

Answer 10

The eating plan that I am on is very simple. I eat a snack/small meal every three hours. For example, I eat every day at 8am, 11am, 2pm, and 5pm. I never eat past 6pm any day. I also avoid all sweets and drink lots of water. Even without exercising, this has helped me to lose over 100 pounds in the past year!

Keep in mind that if you have any detailed questions about eating plans or exercise, you should consult your physician!