I'm trying to lose weight, but dont have money for a gym. What are some easy ways to shed pounds?

Question

I want to lose weight in my lower body. Legs, thighs, hips, etc. Someone told me to walk a lot, but what are some other techniques? Are there any diets that may help me? Not like the South Beach Diet or No Carb Diet. Something that is reasonable! My doctor says I need to keep my metabolism up by eating small meals every 3 hours, but most of the time I'm not hungry. So what can I do? Any who's tried to diet or knows what I'm dealing with please give me some info.

Answer 1

Here are some "rules" of weight loss:

1.) starving yourself is NOT the answer. why? because not only will you lose all muscle tone and look like a blob of skin and bones...not only because it will make you sick and weak...but because your metabolism will bottom out and the minute you DO eat something it will cling to you like white on rice. people who starve themselves will either end up fatter than they are now or in the hospital or dead. Not a good option.

2.) eating 6 small (key word SMALL!) meals a day will raise your metabolism (meaning help you burn more fat)

3.) muscle mass increases your metabolism and helps you burn fat - this is why weight lifting is good for you!

4.) protein helps you build lean muscle - you should eat about 30% protein to help you build muscle.

5.) protein also make your feel "full"

6.) sugars are bad. not only is white sugar as addictive as cocaine (yes, it is) but eating it will increase your insulin levels making you HUNGRIER!

7.) most carbs are bad. what kind of carbs are bad? breads, chips, cake, etc. they will make you bloated...and will break down and store themselves as fat. which carbs are good? carbs found in veggies, like sweet potatoes!

8.) water is ESSENTIAL to losing weight. it flushes out all the salts and "bad things" which make you bloated and make you fat. Try to drink a gallon of water a day. Water also makes you feel full in between meals!

9.) if you forget everything else I told you...then remember this: stick with clean foods. Nothing processed! This means meats and veggies!

10.) Finally, the ONLY way to lose weight permanently is to diet and exercise. Fad diets will help you lose weight temporarily but you will definitely gain all the weight back (and usually more). Besides, why suffer through a horrendous fad diet of eating crap like cabbage for a week or nothing but liquids only to gain the weight back when you can be eating grilled chicken and veggies and exercising and PERMANENTLY lose the weight?!

Here is a good diet to follow if you want to lose weight:

Meals
You will eat 5 or 6 meals a day every couple hours. It is critical that you do NOT skip meals or push them off. These meals will NOT fill you to the gills. They will, however, take away the hunger. You will need to keep on hand some whey protein powder which you can get at any GNC (get Designer Protein brand) and some protein bars (get Clif Peanut Butter Builder Bar if you can). You can switch or duplicate any meals except breakfast (ie eat two salads instead of one salad and one protein bar). You cannot deviate otherwise (ie, no snacking or taste testing between meals). You will follow this meal plan 6 days a week and on the 7th day you can eat whatever you want (within reason and without binging). You can have as many spices as you want, but limit condiments. Absolutely no fried or breaded food. All meat/seafood is to be grilled or baked. Try to work up to drinking a gallon of water a day. Room temperature water is best as it doesn’t shock the system and is easier to drink. You can have as much green or white tea as you want (hot or cold)…but use Stevia as your sweetener. You can have diet cola, but try to limit to one a day if any. No coffee.

(8:30) Meal 1 - Omelet made with egg whites with veggies and 1 slice cheese, ¼ cup OJ w/seltzer water or one fresh orange, and 1 slice whole wheat bread w/ calorie free butter spray.
OR
Meal 1 Option - One bowl oatmeal (1/2 cup dry), ¼ cup OJ w/seltzer water or one fresh orange
(10:30) Meal 2 – 1 scoop of protein powder mixed in 1 cup of rice milk, soy milk, or plain yoghurt.
(1:00) Meal 3 - 3 oz tuna, turkey, or chicken w/ 1 tbsp light miracle whip or vinegar with a big vegetable salad.
(3:30) Meal 4 - 3 oz of turkey breast (deli meat) and a small apple
OR
Meal 4 Option - 1 protein bar
(6:00) Meal 5 - 3-4 oz of lean meat (steak, chicken, fish, pork loin, and turkey), 3oz sweet potato, and serving of vegetables.
(8:00) Meal 6 – If still hungry, protein shake mixed with 1 cup of rice or soy milk or plain yoghurt.

Here is a decent exercise plan to follow (you can do the cardio at home...for weight training, go to some yard sales and pick up some dumbbells and start there):

Exercise
3 days of cardio per week (for 30 minutes each)
3 days of weight training per week (for 30-45 min each)

Just remember...you can do it!!! Anything worth having is worth working for!!!

Answer 2

I've lost a bunch of weight in my lifetime, without a gym.

For exercise: walk briskly, jog, rollerblade, dance, get some aerobics and other types of workouts videos and DVDs, swimming, trikking, bicycling, follow along with some workout shows on TV if you have cable, stationary bike or other home workout equipment, yoga, and the list could go on.

Instead of a "diet" you simply need to make a lifestyle change and eat healthy. Focus on lean meats, fruits and veggies, complex carbs, healthy fats, and drink LOTS of water. Save junk foods and such for the occasional treat, and keep alcohol to a minimum (lots of calories can be found there).

When I'm trying to lose, I put my calorie intake at around 1500 max a day...go no lower than 1200 a day without a docs advice.

More small meals a day are better to keep the metabolism running high, than a few large meals...eat something small even if you aren't hungry (a piece of fruit or something). Your body will adjust to the new eating schedule...it'll serve you better than eating all your calories in 3 or less meals a day.

Good luck!

Answer 3

+ Only eat when you're hungry.
+ Walk about 30 mins-45 mins each day, walking fast for 2 mins and then walking moderate for 2 mins then repeating
+ Jogging for 15-30 mins in the park every 2 days
+ Doing yoga 2-3 times a week
+ Swimming 4-5 days a week
+ Walking your dog [if you have one]..
+ Do 10-20 sit ups every day
+ Get 1litre water bottle and fill it HALF WAY with water, and put your arm straight down so it's beside your waist. Then Bring it up like you would with a weight, then bring it down. Do this 15 times on each arm twice a day!!
+ Ride your bike to&from work [if you go to work]
+ Do Pilates. Lie down on the ground facing a wall. Lift your leg up [make sure it's straight] move it high up against the wall until you feel a slight stretch [DON'T do it too high otherwise you'll cause injury] hold for 4-5 seconds and do the same with the other foot. Repeat 5 times, twice a day
+ Eat healthily. If you do all these exercises then munch on bars of chocolate or McDonald's, you'll never succeed. Allow yourself one small bar of chocolate every Sunday, after Sunday Lunch and don't give into temptation!

Answer 4

first of all, don't be lazy try atleast 2 or 3 times a week for the gym. if u want it fast don't go anorexic. thats 1 of the worst ways to lose weight. try eating fruits while watching tv or veggies with ur fave dressing but watch the calories on the dressing.excersise if u have a treadmill then run on that at about 3-5 miles an hour for a start then go adding little by little but be sure u can handle it. or, if u don't run around town for a while or walk or ride ur bike.stop drinking the soda not even diet.drink nutritional juice and lots of water. watch ur meals lyk breakfast,lunch,dinner even snacks try eating a nutritonal granola bar or fruits or veggies.enroll in an activity. after ur satisfied don't stop doing this just slow it down a bit thats all. oh and don't overdo it. :)

Answer 5

I've tried many diets and couldn't make anything work. Since having my first child, I've been carrying around an extra 30 pounds. This diet just made sense and showed me that everything I was doing before was wrong and a waste of my time.

The plan was so refreshing and so simple to follow. I did everything plan said and lost 23 pounds in the first three weeks. I'm now starting the diet again to lose 7 more pounds. This plan has changed my life.

Get started today!

Answer 6

Legs Bums ad Tums.
Ask someone you know who attends such a gym session what it is that they do. You'll find it's along the lines of stretch - sit up/crunches with variations (lean one way, lean the other, one leg out, etc) - crab stands - stretch out, over the course of an hour or so.
Grab a dvd from your local library and it'll take you through it. Add to that some walking (at speed, not chilled like normal or it'll have NO effect) and you'll tart to notice a difference.
Another move: kneel down like a dog. Lift your leg back'n'up straight. Hold. Bring it back but DON'T let it touch the floor. Repeat. Repeat for the other leg.
Lie down on your side. Lift up a leg. Move it in small circles based around the foot. Repeat for the other leg.

Answer 7

Actually the South Beach Diet is reasonable. I would start reading Prevention Magazine because they give good advice on nutrition & exercise. Biking, walking, weight lifting will all burn calories, as well as swimming. Dancing would be good if you love music. You the Diet by Dr. Oz gives great tips about what's healthy and how to get there. Lots of fruit and veggies for fiber & vitamins is a safe choice too.

Answer 8

In addition to walking, try making even smaller changes that will add up over time: taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking further away from the building instead of up close, ride your bike instead of taking your car for a short trip, etc. Also, i think that eating smaller meals more frequently is a good thing - it keeps your energy levels constant and you will not feel overly hungry or be tempted to overeat that way. I don't recommend fad diets, but rather adopt a healthy lifestyle with a well balanced diet. Drink more water and incorporate more fruits and veggies into your daily diet.

Answer 9

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 10

Eat small meals just when you start to get a little hungry, focusing on fruits and vegetables and non-processed carbs (like oatmeal and whole grain wheat bread). Get walking to get your metabolism up and do some simple leg exercises like shallow squats without weights. As long as you can manage your diet somewhat, you next biggest step, the one that will help you most is to get your body moving. That's what it's built for.

Answer 11

Over the last 2 years I have lost 40lbs (not amazing but I didn't kill myself to do it) I used alot of Patience and concentrated on doing a little at a time . But you do have to be consistant. I walk every night and dont over eat. Try to lose a pound a week its not that hard but like I said be consistant...good luck