What do you think is the best method of losing weight for me?

Question

I'm 5'6, 130 lbs. I go to a gym everyday for a little over an hour each time. If I carry this on for a few months consistently, should I be able to lose a good 10 lbs or so? I'm not looking to be like 100 lbs...just want to lose a bit of flab and tone up a bit. I'm really bad at dieting though :( it's not like I eat crap all of the time, but I enjoy carbs a little too much..I've been watching my calorie intake for the last week or so though, and I'm only consuming about 1200-1500 a day. Do I need to be strict about my eating habits even though I'm pushing myself everyday physically? Any mature answers would be appreciated. Thanks everyone :)

Answer 1

Ok. The first thing I would ask if what exactly you are doing at the gym everyday? If it's basically aerobic activity then that is fine, you should be on the way to losing the weight. The only problem is though that you want to lose flab and tone up..the best way to do this is to do weight bearing exercise and increase your muscle mass. After you work your muscles you need time for them to recover and repair..this generally takes a day so it is best to do this kind of exercise every other day as oppose to every day. If you do it every day you may well lose weight but your muscle mass will not increase..ie. your will not tone up as quickly..as you would if you work out with weights every other day. I know it sounds a little kooky, but it is true. If you really want the low down on all of it ask one of the trainers at the gym..they should be able to answer a few quick questions without charging you for a session. If all else fails then research it on the internet.

As far as your calorie intake goes..1200-1500 a day is too few if you are working out everyday...your body will go into starvation mode if you don't eat enough and you won't be able to lose any weight. That makes it an uphill battle. You should be eating 1500 calories a day minimum..probably more. If you eat a sensible diet and plan on losing a maximum of 2lbs a week (which is safe) you should drop the 10lbs in 5 weeks. Just be careful that you keep good eating habits after this and that you stick to working out at the gym at least 3 times a week..then you aren't at much risk of putting the weight back on.

You probably don't need to be strict about your eating habits..i think the best idea is simply to avoid eating too much and most people know what is too much. Try to eat healthy foods mostly, occasionally junk food and sweets..don't deny yourself things..just listen to your body when it says it is satisfied..if you're getting that full feeling then you probably ate too much.

At 130lbs you are not overweight..but it certainly doesn't hurt to start eating healthy when you are young..that way the chances of you having a weight problem when you get older are far smaller.

Hope this helped!

Answer 2

I lost 105 pounds in 6 months. Here is how I did it.
1. Every morning get up and walk for 45 minutes. You can start with less time, but you want to get up to 45 minutes, and it must be fast walk. You want your heart rate to go up. It must be in the morning, it kick starts your metabolism.
2. I cut out Red Meat, and fatty foods. Boneless skinnless chicken breast, baked, or grilled, rice and vegetables (steamed).
3. Eat half. Just eat half of what you normally eat. Put 1/2 on your plate, and put the rest away. Cook less. When you go to fast food, get salads only. Or grilled chicken. No fries, only diet soda. Or water.

It will work, once you get into a routine, you will get hooked on the results, and you will keep the routine. It has been over a year for me.

Also start counting your calories. Write them down. You would be amazed as to how much more aware you are of your caloric intake, if you actually write it down. We recently discovered a site that offers a great program that counts calories, as well as keeps track of everything. It allows multiple users, so everyone in the family can keep track. They offer a free 7 day trial, and so far I am very impressed with the product. Try the 7 days and see. It allows you to add the exercise that you do during the day, which increases the amount of calories you can take in. Very Cool!!
http://www.calorieking.com

A sight with some really cool diet calculators and interesting calorie counting calculators is here. Check it out.
http://www.caloriesperhour.com/



Check out my before and after pic at my yahoo 360 page
http://profiles.yahoo.com/gorillamyke

Stay motivated, and get up and walk every day. I seriously lost all my weight starting off my day on my walk.

Good LUCK!

Answer 3

I tried this diet I heard about on a radio talk show. It was invented by a doctor. It is called the "23 hour fast diet". I tried it and lost 28 pounds in 30 days. Here's how it works. You pick your favorite meal, breakfast, lunch, or dinner. You pick one hour of the day and during that one hour you can have anything you want to eat and you can eat as much as you want. During the other 23 hours, you fast. You eat nothing. You can have water, coffee, or tea. No juices or water with flavorings, but you can put cream and sugar in your coffee. And you have to exercise even if it's only walking. This will lose you 1 pound per day with no side effects. Hope this helps.

Answer 4

My wife has subscribed to some sort of weight wachers program (it's not weight wachers, but it's the same concept).

She had our daughter last june, and she's lost all the weight she wanted. I think that only the fact of going there every week and getting weighted was enough for her.

The trick is really to wach what you eat.

PS: from what I can see from your picture and your weight/height you really don't need to worry ;- )

Answer 5

fresh herbs can really zing up a healthy meal try growing some in the kitchen using a strawberry pot preserve the flavor by adding fresh herbs at the end of the cooking process

Answer 6

15 minute minimum walk after each meal

Answer 7

Choose a whole-wheat wrap as opposed to two slices of wheat loaf of bread.

Answer 8

Add protein powder to fairly sweet recipes (like these Rice Krispies treats) to boost the nutrition.

Answer 9

Add protein powder to special recipes (like these Rice Krispies treats) to enhance the nutrition.

Answer 10

swap half of the avocado in a 1 2 cup of guacamole for zucchini