trying to lose wait, what do I need to do different?

Question

Hello, I am 27 years old. I am 5'3, and my weight is about 245. I try to work out at the gym three times a week. I do thirty minutes of weights. then I do two sets of treadmill work for twenty mintes as well. I do a slow jogg, fast walk and try to do that for the full twenty minutes. then I do a fast walk for twenty minutes. this time I have the treadmill set like I am walking up a hill. I try to eat four to five small meals a day, or I will drink a slimfast instead of eating one of the small meals. I try to drink water a lot of water as well. I can feel a change. My breathing is better, but I dont feel a change in my weight. what am I doing wrong? am I doing too much?

Answer 1

dont waste your money on slimfast.
find calorie/fitness calculator on the net, enter your stats and it will tell you how many calories a day you need to maintain your weight. take 300-400calories off that number and that's how much you need to lose weight.
eat 5-6 small meals a day instead of 3 big ones.
5-8 servings of fruit and vegetables a day.
8 glasses of water a day.
4-6 times a week cardio work out for 30-50min plus light weight training.
no junk food, no sodas, no white flour (white bread, pasta, cookies, cakes etc)

Answer 2

You say you are eating 5 small meals a day - how small is small? And what are they? Are they as small as, say, a single banana? Are you still eating any fats and oils (cheese, fatty meat, lots of nuts)? Or are you sticking to bowls of salad, grilled chicken, steamed veg etc. You are allowed a treat every now and again though! Otherwise your diet woudl be almost impossible.

And with the exercise, aim for at least half an hour every day of something like fast walking. If you want to lose weight more quickly, try half an hour twice a day. And when you feel hungry, drink water 15 minutes before you eat anything. I wouldn't worry too much about using weights, they will develop muscle by aerobic exercise whilst not burning much fat. You need steady periods of anaerobic exercise - like very fast walking - to burn the fat. Steadily increase the duration as you get fitter. Also, never use weighing scales! Always use a tape measure, as developing muscle will make it look like you haven't lost as much weight.

Answer 3

What I would suggest is do what you have been doing like 4-5 or even 6 small meals a day but really watch what type of calories you are putting in. Definitely make small changes like instead of white bread and refined flour products, use whole wheat, whole grain. That contains a lot of fiber and will fill you up. Look for other foods high in fiber. Drink lots of water like you have been. If you get sick of water, try green tea or a sugar free Kool-Aid or Crystal Light to spruce it up a bit.

What I did to lose the weight from my baby finally was I did these things along with getting Power 90. You can check it out at www.beachbody.com The programs they have on this site is AMAZING and they really do work. If you haven't heard of it, power 90 is a 90 day workout regime that is actually super doable. It is not complicated and it's led by Tony Horton, a renouned fitness guy. What it is is 6 days a week exercise, 30 minutes a day. You alternate between weights one day then the next day you will do the Cardio workout with an abs routine. It was absolutely wonderful for me and I lost 46 pounds and I'm the healthiest and fittest I've ever been. I had to go this route because I'm not a runner and I get bored on exercise equipement and I really don't have the time or money to go to a gym. It's a great program and IT WORKS! as do all the other workout programs they offer.

But yes along with exercise make sure you do cut your calories. They always say never go below 1200 calories. I stayed between 1200-1500 when i was dieting and doing this program, for the most part i still do try to stay in this range. Eat only the healthy foods like whole grain whole wheat, lots of proteins and water and stay away from sugars and bad carbs like white rice, white flour, anything processed or refined.

For my morning and afternoon snacks I would have yogurt, cheese sticks, a protein shake, granola bars, wheat thins or another multigrain type of cracker, peanut butter crackers, nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts)of some sort are excellent source of healthy fats that you need, bowl of healthier cereals, fruits and veggies of course would be essential but if you're like me and hate both, try drinking a glass of V8 Fusion, it's actually really good.

If you absolutely need to take a cheat day! You can eat what you want, in moderation of course, on that day. And make sure you take a multivitamin! If you're going out to eat at a restaraunt it's a good idea to automatically ask for a take home container and cut your food in 1/2 and save the rest for later. Those portions are huge that they give you!! And if you slip up on some days...DONT STRESS!!!! Just make sure you still work out!!! That is essential...Lifting weights and building strength I would say is essential too. When you build more muscle it takes up less space than fat does. And you will gain a bit before you lose so don't get frustrated. Take your time with it, it will come. One other tip.....TURKEY BURGER!! some may think it sounds gross...but i love it! The way I make spaghetti or lasagna is to use turkey burger instead of hamburger (if you really can't stand it then opt for the leanest beef) and i use low fat or part skim cheese and whole wheat pasta...and if you hate whole wheat pasta opt for a wheat blend pasta...my boyfriend hated the wheat pasta but is fine with the blended kind.

Hope this info. helps!!!! Good luck and take care! :)

Answer 4

OK my friend sounds like you got all the pieces you just don;t know how they fit together. Your eating the right things but you may not be eating the right amounts. Your exercising but by what you said I doubt your exercising correctly. In order to lose weight there is only one requirement: Be Honest With Yourself! Follow these simple instructions and I gaurentee you that you will lose.

Step 1: Find out what your basal metabolic rate is. Goto http://health.discovery.com/tools/calculators/basal/basal.html
This is the amount of calories you need to eat to maintain your current weight.

Step 2: Do you exercise? Do you exercise right? Exercising right means that you monitor your heart rate and make sure that you reach your target heart rate and maintain it for the longest period of time while exercising. Just walking/excising is a good start but if you want to get the most out of your work out find out what your target range is. If you don't belong to a gym then I recommend the
Polar Fitness F11 Heart Monitor Watch.

Step 3: You need to decrease your caloric intake or increase the amount of calories your body uses in a day by 500 calories a day for a week to lose 1 pound. So you can decrease that basal number you got in step 1 by 500 calories and exercise very little(yes you still need to exercise). Or you can decrease it by 250 and exercise off 250 calories or any other combination. Remember that your basal number is the amount of calories you body needs to live. If your number were 2400 then your body burn 100 calories per hour. So if you walk for half an hour and burn 300, 50 of that is your basal.

Step 4: Count your calories, it's not hard and you'll find out that you eat a lot of the same things on a daily basis so you won't have to research everything over and over again. Balance what you eat(equal parts carbs and protien whenever possible) . One of the best websites out there is one from the FDA. http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/
This database has almost every food on the planet counted and weighed. (Hint: they do a lot of their weights based on 100grams. If you put 0.28 in the serving size this equals 1 ounce). Get a reliable food scale, preferably digital. Weigh everything that you put in your mouth that is not prepackaged. You need to know what you’re eating and how much you’re eating. The number one mistake is "eating healthy". Everyone thinks because it's "healthy" the portion isn't that important. A handful of peanuts is "healthy" and has nearly 250 calories! Eat enough calories and it won’t matter how "healthy" it is your going to gain weight.

Step 5: Adjustments and Variety. If you are doing your best and losing weight but your starving, increase the amount of calories your giving yourself by 100-200 calories a day. Losing weight and starving are not good bedfellows. If you starve eventually you will crack and lose the battle. The more types of exercises you do the more weight you will lose. You will work more muscles and keep your body guessing.

Step 6(optional): If you belong to a gym or have some free weights at home. Use them! Muscle takes up less space in your body than fat (pound for pound). A pound of fat sits around and does nothing all day, while a pound of muscle, even at rest burns calories(increasing your basal metabolic rate).

Good luck!!!

Answer 5

As a physician that specializes in weight loss I think you are off to a fine start. I agree 100% your approach:
1) as you have stated, starvation is not the key, you have to eat. I like your approach of multiple smaller meals and meal replacement. replacement meals should be high protein and low carbs and fat.
2) weight lifting is essential keep it up. muscle burns more fat
3) push water, it maintains cellular processes and gives a feeling of fullness
4) High fiber intake no processed grains, all whole grains, learn to love em
5) no processed sugars!! pop cakes cookies are too high calorie
6) eventually you need to increase your aerobic workouts to at least 30 minutes to get maximum fat burn/mobilization but work up to that at your own pace
7) supplement wisely with a good multivitamin AND omega 3 fatty acids I have my favorites and if you have an interest look at the below site, I like the products there they have some safe weight loss supplements also, BUT as you have amply shown a lifestyle change with diet and exercise is by FAR more important than supplements

www.symmetrydirect.com/sservices
email me @ [e-mail] for more specific questions

Answer 6

All of us often expect too much too quick.

Watch the calories, I obtained a program named "Diet and Exercise Assistant" (for my palm pilot) and using this I am watching my calorie intake closely.

I am now generally eating better. I always ate good healthy food (I like to cook) but typically I would eat too much.

I set a goal to lose 1/2 lb per week, after a year you would be down 220, perhaps you can tweak up the goal a bit but the idea is to develop healthy sustainable eating & exercise patterns.

Answer 7

First, I want you to forget everything that has happened so far. Forget about your dieting failures, forget about any recent weight gain you might have experienced, forget about your fat tummy or thighs and give yourself a clean sheet. I know this is easier said than done, but it's very important if you want to lose weight and take back control of your life.


Second, I want you to stop trying to be the "perfect dieter". No one is perfect when it comes to dieting and losing weight - not me, not you - no one! So you are going to make mistakes. You may crash in the first week. You may go on a huge eating binge in the second week. You may not do a single minute of physical exercise in week 3. It doesn't matter. Why not? Because when (not if) these things happen, you are gonna start over. And eventually you will get it right and achieve all your weight loss goals. Trust me.


Third, don't "wait" to have a bad day or bad week on your diet. Instead, you are gonna plan for it. You are going to assume that your weight loss program goes up in smoke and you are going to have an "action-plan" to help you recover and start losing weight again. So sit down and plan what to do.

Maybe arrange to phone a close friend for support. Or decide to take a long walk. Or clean out your garden shed. It doesn't matter what you choose, as long as you have a program of action organised. Because when your diet plan flies out the window, you are gonna feel REAL guilty and start eating lots of calories. By having a specific plan to fall back on, you will overcome your temporary dieting problem and return to your weight loss plan.


Fourth, I want you to stop thinking that dieting is a pain in the butt. The truth is, a healthy weight loss diet is not boring, or painful or uncomfortable. It is your passport to a new life. It is going to open up wonderful opportunities for you. The only thing that is boring, painful and uncomfortable is staying overweight. But you are gonna change all this. You are going to follow a healthy diet and lose weight and enjoy every moment.

Above all, I want you to start believing that you can reduce weight. Don't forget - achieving starts with believing. So no matter how overweight you are, or how unfit you are, I want you to start believing in your ability to get rid of all your excess fat and start over on a brand new life. For extra weight loss support, keep reading...



Check this link http://www.d4z.co.uk/ppc/diet/weight_loss_food.php?ppc=google+d4z.co.uk&cpn=1+month+weight+loss+diet

Answer 8

How long have you been doing this diet? It probably won't work right away but eventually you will see results.
Are you watchign your calories? Though you may be eating 4-5 small meals a day they may add up to too many calories. You should probably be eating about 1200-1500 cals a day in order to lose weight.

Answer 9

Give it time.....You wont see results instantly!!! Keep up what you are doing....Also, maybe you should change your diet.....You know a 6 pack is "made in the Kitchen"

Eat healthy continue exercise