im 21yrs old im 5'1 tall and i weight 180lbs. my biggest. i eat salad. id like to just loose 50lbs, help me.

Answer 1

Good for you for doing this! You’ve got some really good answers so far. If I may I’ll summarise and synthesise.

So, you want to lose the weight in a manner where it’s going to improve your health and you’re going to keep it off. Don’t think of it as a diet, and don’t try to lose the weight too fast. Think of this as a lifelong health plan that you’re going to implement in stages, so that you can get used to it and not feel too deprived.

First of all, the most important element is exercise. Start out easy, ideally after talking to your doctor, and keep ramping up your fitness level through different types of workouts. With a lot of extra weight, you’ll need to be a bit careful of high-impact exercise, so start out with 3-4 hours a week of moderate cardio (walking, swimming, cycling, machines at the gym and/or fitness classes) and up to 2-3 hours a week of weight training. Resistance work (weight training) is a very important part of fitness and weight loss, because a) muscle burns more calories than fat, and b) muscle takes up much less space than fat. As you get fitter, add more intense exercise to your workouts – which exercises are up to you, depending on your health and interest. But do lots of different things, for variety, and keep challenging yourself.

Second, your food. Now lots of people will give you different advice, follow this diet, follow that diet, and they’re not necessarily wrong. The thing is, different things work for different people. Not all people do well on high protein diets, not all people do well on low fat diets. Some people do great counting calories, some people do better on pre-packaged meals, some people do better managing ingredients. You have to experiment a bit to find out what works for you.

But in the meantime, this is important: Rather than fussing too much about a type of diet, work first on having an impeccably healthy eating plan, without worrying too much about calories, fat, carbs for now. Focus on completely cutting out sugar, simple carbs (white flour), junk food, fast food, and highly-processed convenience foods (like pizza pops, pop tarts, tater tots, etc). Drink 8-10 8oz glasses of water a day. Eat 7-10 servings of fruits and veggies a day. Keep a food diary to make SURE you’re really doing it.

Really, keep a food diary. Most of us lie to ourselves about how carefully we’re following a plan, and if we were doing it as well as we think we are, we’d be losing the weight. I had a friend who was always complaining about how she never lost weight, despite her healthy diet. Well… every single time I saw her she was eating KFC, onion rings, etc, and drinking pop, milkshakes, etc. Believe me, even if you don’t lose a pound, if you exercise 3-5 hours a week and eat only the healthiest foods for a year, you will be so much healthier, so much smaller, and so much fitter.

If totally cutting out junk etc is too much at first, start by doing just a couple of things, to get used to it. Say, make sure you eat all your fruits and veggies every day, and drink all your water every day. And/or, cut out high-calorie drinks (drink your tea and coffee black or w/skim milk, and try to eat your fruit rather than drinking it).

I allow myself a day of junk food approximately once a month; each time there’s a statutory holiday or special day (like Valentine’s day), that’s my junk food day. Try setting something up like that for yourself, and try to find things to reward yourself with that don’t involve food, so you can keep feeling good and enjoying your life without hurting your body. And for a treat, eat small portions of more healthy alternatives, like a date square instead of cake, corn chips and salsa instead of potato chips. But don’t overdo it! You’ll be amazed at how quickly you get used to eating healthy.

And make sure you eat nutrient dense foods. It’s not enough to be low calorie, low fat or low carb – you should be eating food that contains lots of nutrition, so that your body doesn’t make you eat all the time because it’s starved for nutrients. Take a multi-vitamin.

And finally, surround yourself with support. Make a list of your goals and what you plan to do to achieve them. Join support groups, online (through yahoogroups etc) and in real life, at a community centre or night school. Find magazines, books and videos that show people being healthy and fit, and achieving their goals. If money is an issue, you can get second hand magazines at big thrift stores like Valu Village and the Sally Ann, and there are lots of second hand bookstores and video stores. Weird as it sounds, I was eating more when I had The Simpsons playing on my video machine all day (I work at home). Now I play Fast Food Nation or SuperSize Me, and I’m more motivated to lift weights during work breaks etc, rather than chow down on junk food like Homer.

Good luck! I’m pulling for you!!!

PS I found some internet resources for you to check out.

Answer 2

Im in the same boat you are. I am 35, had 2 babies in 2 years and am at an all time high of 200lbs and am 5'6. I have just started to try to loose weight (again) over the last few weeks. I have always found it quite difficult to just do what others have said and just cut back (easier said than done). From past dieting experience and success, I have found that I really need prepackaged/premeasured foods for a while to get the ball rolling and to train myself about portion control. Like having one of those little boxes of cereal for breakfast (I know darn well that I will not get out a measuring cup to measure a portion and tend to eat way more cereal than I should) Having a piece of fruit for snacks, yougurt for lunch (both self contained and when it is gone it is gone) lean cuisine for dinner really helps me get the idea of what portions really are supposed to be. I see that you said you eat salad, but I have found that depending on what you put on it, salad can be one of the fattiest meals you can end up eating, so pay very close attention to dressing, cheese, croutons and such. The hardest part of all is trying to find some time to get some exercise in. I have heard that walking is one of the best exercises you can do and is free.

Answer 3

Hey - we are in the same boat - I am 10" taller and weigh more than you do - but I need to loose a good 80 lbs. About 4 months ago I needed to loose 100. I really fought and struggled - until I realized that more than wanting to be thin or beautiful - I wanted to be healthy. I wanted to run around and not get tired, I wanted to be able to play sports and take my dogs jogging. So I quit worrying about every molecule I put into my mouth and instead I am focusing on a goal - I want to be able to run a marathon with out A) throwing up B) passing out or C) coming in dead last and falling over dead! So instead of thinking - I will eat broccoli and lean taeless chicken for lunch, I think - I am intraining for a marathon - I need the fiber that is in the brocolli and the lean protein in the chicken to help me be a better runner. (I don't run at all now - but I'm going to!) If you don't have a dog, ask if you can borrow a neighbor's hyper dog and start walking it. The neighbor will love you (cause now they can sit at home), the dog will worship you and you'll have someone counting on you be active for at least an hour a day. (Plus I feel less conspicious when I am walking a dog - don't know why...) Good Luck - Also, whatever way you choose eat (diet wise) remember - cutting out a food group never works. (Except when it is sugar and simple sugars like white bread :)

Answer 4

I found the book to be very informative and easy to read.

I've lost 17 pounds in 12 days, I'm just concerned that I'm losing too much weight, too quickly. I will admit I haven't followed the guide exactly. I'm not sticking perfectly to the listed foods and meal plans (but mostly) and doing very little exercise, but the weight keeps flying off.

It clearly works and if I'd followed it exactly I think it would scare the living daylights out of me because of the amount that I'd lose. So thanks again for the information. I've never purchased anything like this before because they are usually full of trash, but 3WD has been a pleasant surprise.

Get started today!

Answer 5

All you have to do is diet and exercise. Simply eat healthy (all proper portions of all food group) and exercise (3-5 times a week, probably lots of cardio at first but introduce some weights later on).

It takes 3500 calories in 1 week tolose 1 lb. So as long as you are burning that much or more, you will lose weight. 1-3 lbs a week is healthy. Also, limit your calorie intake to around 1300 calories a day or so.

Answer 6

its definitly going to be a lot of work. and the fact that you eat salad doesnt mean anything- what do you put on it? there should be no cheese, low or no fat dressing, and lots of veggies if your going to consider a salad healthy. there are many other healthy foods that you should be incorperating into your diet. also you need to start (if you dont already) exercising on a regular basis- at least 4 times a week for a 1/2 hour. it will take a while but dont give up and stick with it and you'll see results

Answer 7

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 8

It all boils down to one thing. You have to burn more calories than you take in. That's it. Find a multi-vitamin mineral supplement that contains a high level of boitin. That chemical helps convert food into energy. Munch on vegies, or fruits and stay totally away from ANY fast food. Exercise as much as you can and eat as little as you can. You can do it if you really want to!!

Answer 9

Excercise, drink plenty of water, and excercise! :) Try not to eat alot after 6pm. Those night time snacks can keep you from losing weight. I'm sure you are still beautiful!!! Don't let these 50lb models make you feel that you are not good enough. You can do it if you put your mind to it. Nobody can do it but you!!! I have faith in you!! Good luck you can do it!!!

Answer 10

when out at a restaurant ask the server to hold the bread snack mix or chips and salsa that might come before the meal if you re hungry youll be tempted

Answer 11

a handful of unsalted pumpkin seeds make for a healthy mid day snack theyre rich in magnesium which helps lower blood pressure