What is a good diet regimen for trying to lose 40 pounds?

Question

I have a friend who is trying to lose 40 pounds by the end of this year. We were wondering what diet fads or supplements actually have worked out there.

Answer 1

My current diet fad which is working better this time around is the Slim Fast diet. The new Optima shakes are much better and satisfying for longer than the old ones.

Answer 2

Imo the best thing to do is permanently change eating habits. Fad diets may work temporarily but the weight usually comes back on. Its better to make changes you can live with, and lose weight slowly, than to go on a radical diet.

Exercise is very important and will help weight loss by amping up the metabolism. Anyone should pick an activity that is enjoyable to them so it will not feel like work. Even brisk walking everyday will help.

Here are some things to cut out [or cut down considerably, in the case of flours] of your diet, this might be all that's necessary;
Soda drinks, or any drinks with high-fructose corn syrup--read labels. Junk food and fast food, obviously. Refined sugars (white or brown). Refined flours and foods made from same--pasta, white bread, baked goods made from white flour. Use dairy products sparingly.

If you are a soda drinker, try mixing fruit juice with soda water to get over cravings. I know of one commercial soda--Blue Sky Organic--that is sweetened with sugar cane juice--that is ok. If you look for others, make sure its cane juice, not dehydrated cane juice--that is semi-processed, not a whole sugar any more.

The reason to avoid refined sugars is that they are full of empty calories that your body cannot process, it has to grab nutrients from other foods you eat or from your bodies stores to effect the digestion. If other nutrients are not available then the calories are stored as fat. [pretty much the same for refined flours, as they break down into sugar quickly]

Alternative sweeteners--raw honey, agave nectar, stevia.

There are plenty of whole grain breads and pastas available, made from rice, quinoa [primitive form of corn], and others.

Its not necessary to make radical changes that will leave a feeling of deprivation. Instead, make some small changes that are easy to live with, that can be maintained past the "diet" time period.

40 pounds in seven months is a very reasonable goal, about 6 pounds per month. If all junk is cut out, it could be achieved sooner.

Oh, don't avoid all fat--our bodies need it & removing it can shock the body and send it into "famine" mode, turning it into a calorie miser.

Answer 3

find daily calorie intake 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 - it optimizes your metabolism)
5-8 servings of fruit and veggies a day
8 glasses of water
have complex carbs for breakfast - they give you energy
have protein (lean meat, legumes etc) 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, pasta 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:)
if there was at least one diet pill/patch/drink/supplement that worked there would be no obese people.

Answer 4

I used the six week body makeover system by Michael Thurmond, you can buy it at the official website or at HSN, which is actually cheaper. I lost 29 lbs in the six weeks, it can be a bit difficult to keep to it, but just make sure you prepare your food ahead of time, it really worked for me. The only one that did exactly as promised. So far the weight has stayed off, and it's 2 months since I stopped.

Answer 5

There is only one way to lose weight and keep it off. Learn to eat correctly and the correct portions and then change your lifestyle. Exercise is the biggest help. I liked Dr. Phil's idea about figuring out why you eat too much. Sometimes you defeat yourself and figuring out why is important. I suggest his book and the Sear's one about eating balanced meals and eating smaller meals more often. It does make it easier on your body to lose that way. I always had an insulin imbalance and am now diabetic because I didn't understand. My body always told me I was hungry but I had eaten plenty but I always managed to eat more. The Sear's diet book will give you insight into this and keeping your sugar and insulin in balance. Insulin makes you gain weight so it's important. Good Luck!

Answer 6

I'm going to be ordering something from a website soon. I don't know if you're familar with fitness guru Richard Simmons. It's his site. If you choose to look into it, go to: richard simmons.com. I'm crossing my fingers that the things I will order sometime this next week will work for me.

Answer 7

I would not call it a diet, it's a matter of being conscious of what you decide to eat and how much. AND how much exercises you do. You should have your friend to plenty of cardio.

Answer 8

It will help if you cut out everything that's fried. Try grilling and broiling. Also, slow down your sugar intake and think smaller portions when eating. IDK. It helped me alot.