have any weight loss suggestions?

Question

ok I eat healthy, but I weigh 200 lb and im 5'6". No one believes I weigh that much, but no matter what they say Im not happy with my weight. Not when jsut 2 years ago i was 118. Im not looking to be that small again, but maybe 140.
Heres my problem:

Im holding water really bad, and when ever I work out i seem to jsut gain muscle instead of just losing fat.
What should I do to get rid of the water, and what excersize should I do to lose the fat not gain muscle?
I already have a small appetite, but at times I completely lose my appetite. Thats when I know I need to eat but dont feel like it for a couple of days. Should I still eat?
I cant run, because I have shin splints. So I use an eliptical. Sometimes even jsut walking hurts....

If anybody can make some suggestions that would be great.

Answer 1

find calorie/fitness calculator on the net, enter all your stats and it will tell you how many calories you need a day to maintain, take off 300-400cal off that number and thats how much you need to lose.
eat 5-6 small meals a day (eat every 2-3 hours)
5-8 servings of fruit and veggies a day
8 glasses of water
have complex carbs for breakfast - they give you energy
have lean meat (protein) for dinner - repairs muscle
cardio exercise 4-6 times a week for 30-50min, light weight training
dont consume foods that are made of white flour (white bread, cakes, past etc.), sugar loaded foods (cookies, icecream, candy etc) and nothing fried, oily.
ofcourse you can spoil yourself once in a while with a little treat:)

Answer 2

Please don't listen to anyone who says lifting weights makes you gain weight. It is such a complete myth. UNLESS you have another health disorder (thyroid possibly), your loss of weight is based off of a simple formula. If you burn off more calories in a given day than you consume, you will lose weight. Know the caloric content of everything you eat and make yourself a goal not to exceed for the day that will allow you to have negative calories. Lifting weights creates lean muscle when combined with a healthy diet. Having lean muscle causes your resting metabolic rate to rise, in short, you burn more calories when you are doing absolutely nothing if you have more lean muscle. By eating no food because you have no appetite, you are actually slowing your body down even further. When your body doesn't have food to process, it slows down which, over a period of time, actually slows your resting metabolic rate. You will hear nutritionists say to eat small amounts many times a day. This is why. Your body is contantly trying to burn off the food you've eaten. Combine this diet philosophy with some daily exercise of weight training and some sort of aerobic exercise, and you will be sure to drop the lbs. Fad diets don't work over the long term so don't even consider that as an option. If Calories In minus Calories out is less than zero, you will lose weight. Roughly 4000 calories makes up a pound of fat.

Also, because you will likely be gaining lean muscle if you follow this, get yourself a hand-held body fat analyzer for about $40. It will tell you your percent body fat and use that as a measure on top of your actual weight.

Answer 3

Eating a healthy diet is important. Watch out for foods that are high in sodium and sugar and also those that will turn to sugar quickly once it has been eaten such as pasta, white bread, and carrots. My family began a year ago using a plan that included a fiber cleanse which also helped to get rid and flush out what you don't want in you. Here we are a year later, down a total of 100 pounds and still losing. This is something anyone can do. It just involves making the decision to live a healthier life.

Answer 4

Well for losing weight and not gaining muscle I would go on long walks or doing low intensity jogging. This will burn the fat you have instead of gaining to much muscle like with lifting weights or push ups, sit ups etc. As far as retaining water it should come out when you sweat. Start eating high fiber foods too. And dont think that losing your appetite is a good thing, you have to eat healthy foods to get energy (calories) to be able to work out. Eat lots of raw vegetables.

Answer 5

I feel your pain. I'm 5'7" and weigh about 170. I recently went on the atkins diet b/c all i do is work out and gain muscle weight. I'm not happy either. Anyway, since I started Atkins last monday i've lost about 10 lbs and my clothes already fit better. As far as workouts, do you lift weights at all? that should help maintain the muscle, which in turn burns more fat. Good Luck!

Answer 6

Have you been to the doctors to see if there are any underlying problems? If you have very little appetite that sometimes points to a heath concern such as stress or ulcer. If you work out with weights then you are going to gain muscle. Aerobics work well to lose the weight and excess water without gaining too much muscle. Also going to a sauna can help detox you and also helps rid your body of excess water.

Answer 7

I would suggest continue drinking plenty of water...eat NOT when it is time to eat but when your stomach ACTUALLY growls...this is a good sign that you have reduced your food intake....again listen to your stomach...and try eating more salads with say skinless boneless chicken...and EASY on the salad dressing....stick with a dressing that is low calorie so you can use more like...Italian (several varieties of this)....this is a good equation for weight loss...

eat 10# per desired weight...example...you desire to weight 120#...therefore you can eat ANYTHING you desire as long as your calorie intake (INCLUDE BEVERAGES) does not exceet 1200 calories per day--this is for weight loss

In an effort to maintain this new weight (and of course your goal must be reasonable) then eat 15# per desired weight...again...as in the example above...you have now reached your goal of 120# now you should eat 1800 of calories per day...This works exceptionally well...remember ANYTHING that goes into your mouth...cream for coffee...a piece of gum...count every calorie...and you will slim down incredible fast...works for me every time....

Answer 8

I've lost 5 kilos in my first week. It's my 10th day and I have included salad with some protein (eg. egg/ lean chicken) as you suggested. After 4 years of trying, the fat is finally coming off. It truly feels like magic!

Get started today!

Answer 9

Keep eating, but eat small meals spaced closer together. It keeps your metabolism up. Also, don't eat anything about three or four hours before you sleep.

Try swimming. The weightlessness should take the weight of your legs...maybe that would help excercise. Its all about keeping your heart rate up.

Answer 10

smoke some pot, after a while your body will start to get rid of your excess fat and feel good and your mind will too.
yeah I know, how could I say this?
but its a valid suggestion, you do lose body fat.