I need to loose 2 stone how can I do this sensibly?

Question

I have just had a baby so have no free time or spare cash to join a gym . I just want some dietry advice and home exersize ideas.

Answer 1

The healthiest way to lose weight is neither crash diets nor bursts of exercise. The body likes slow changes in terms of food and exercise.

For example, someone who has not exercised for years should not rush into running miles a day or pounding the treadmill. Not only will the struggle to do so leave you feeling disheartened and demotivated, you're also far more likely to injure yourself and set your fitness levels back further.

The same goes for people who suddenly start starving themselves. Diets that severely restrict calories or the types of food 'allowed' can lead you to be deficient in the nutrients and vitamins that your body needs.

So if you need to lose weight...

To lose weight, you need to get your body to use up these stores of fat. The most effective way to do this is to:


-reduce the amount of calories you eat....and


-increase your levels of activity.


This is why experts talk about weight loss in terms of diet and exercise.

There are lots of ways to increase the amount of activity you do. Team sports, racket sports, aerobics classes, running, walking, swimming and cycling will all improve your fitness levels.

Find something you enjoy that's easy for you to do in terms of location and cost. You are then more likely to build it into your routine and continue to exercise, despite inevitably missing the odd session through holidays, family commitments, etc.


-Get out and about at the weekend. Leave your car on the drive and walk to the shops. Try to incorporate longer walks into outings to the park, coast or countryside and take a picnic so you are in control of what you are going to eat that day.


-Every extra step you take helps. Always use the stairs instead of the lift, or get off the bus a stop before the usual one and walk the rest of the way.


-Use commercial breaks between TV-programmes to stand up and do exercise, or consider using an exercise bicycle in the living room while watching your favourite programme.

Below are ways to reduce calorie intake without having to alter your diet significantly.


-Replace fizzy drinks and fruit cordials with water.


-Swap whole milk for semi-skimmed, or semi-skimmed for skimmed.


-Eat less lunch than usual. For example, make your own sandwich and limit the use of margarine/butter and full-fat mayonnaise (store-bought sandwiches often contain both).


-Stop taking sugar in tea and coffee.


-Have smaller portions of the food you enjoy.


-Avoid having a second helping at dinner.


-Cut out unhealthy treats such as confectionary, sugary biscuits and crisps between meals.


-Cut down on beer and alcohol.


the most important thing....be patient and stick to it!! good luck xx

Answer 2

Righty-o. I'm on a diet at the moment. Cut out bread, potatoes and all the sweet things that you know are bad for you. I'm taking Holland & Barrett Apple Cidre Vinegar tablets (£4.99 for 40) which are on offer at the moment. They need to be taken 30 mins before a meal. These fill you up and supress your appetite. Also I'm drinking white tea 3 times a day as this speeds up your metabolisim. Running about after your child and walking will help shift some of the weight but do remember it took 9 months to put it on so take at least 9 months to lose it again.

Answer 3

I've lost almost 3 stone since the beginning of February with Slimming World, its a really good healthy eating plan with lots of choices and great for new mums too as your getting all the right things on it, have a nosey on www.slimmingworld.co.uk, they have a 7 day eating plan on their site plus tons of good but cheap recipes too, guess with you just having your baby money will be tight so have a nosey in the student section of the diet plan as they have some brilliant recipes for tight budgets which are still very healthy and gives you a good weight loss like the rest of the plan, all the best to you and your new baby.

Answer 4

I would need to know your current diet and exercise trends, and I think that may be too thin for your height as well ... If you don't exercise or watch what you eat or anything ... then pick up a 30 minute walk after dinner, don't eat after 7 pm, eat 5 or 6 small meals a day, focus on lean meat, fruits & veggies, avoid refined foods and caffeine after 3 pm, drink lots of water, avoid dairy, take a multivitamin & calcium suppliment, and then after a couple weeks of walking pick up kick-boxing and/or swimming and weight-lifting - build the weight-lifting up, I am sure you will be happier with your physique with the muscles and proportions weight-lifting will give you. Hope this helps!

Answer 5

Try weight-watchers. You can do it at home, and you can easily pick up a copy of the "getting started" booklets from e-bay.

I done this last year - and without attending any meetings - just following the guidelines in the book, I managed to lose a stone & keep it off. I did walk quite a bit as well, which helped me to lose, but in the first week I started, I lost 4lbs by simply cutting down what I was eating alone. Although exercise can either speed up the process of your weight loss, or you can use it to earn yourself more points - so that you can have an extra treat.

Answer 6

I found that I lost an average of 1lb a week by eating 400 calories for breakfast, the same at lunch time and 700 for evening meal. You soon get used to knowing what the calorie value of various foods is. I found that olives and dates were good nibbles if I felt like snacking.
As for exercise - I bet you feel like you are run off your feet with a wee one, but do the old-fashioned thing of pushing the pram out. You'll meet people, get exercise, the baby will sleep and its not soul-destroying like trying to stick to an exercise regime on your own at home.

Answer 7

Congratulations on the baby. I would advise you to eat sensibly ie. always eat breakfast. Oats release energy slowly so are a good thing to eat if you like them. If not, there is nothing wrong with egg on wholemeal toast or a sugar -free cereal. Cut out snacking and chocolate apart from the occasional treat and eat healthily. Don't starve yourself as you need all your energy looking after baby. You will probably find weight will fall off anyway. Good exercise is walking and it does work without overtaxing you and will give both you and baby fresh air.

Answer 8

to be honest the best way is not to go on a diet as ive tried them all and they dont work lol but just change your diet and go swimming 4-5 times a week for about an hour each time it tones your tummy and all your body up wonderful too ! i lost 2 stone since may its great and i eat loads too im just eating the right foods but instead of swimming try aqua arobics its great and really fun ! great question star for you and goodluck !

Answer 9

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 is the only fat burning exercise (running, jogging, cycling, swimming etc) 4-6 times a week for 30-50min (ideally 45min because the first 20-30min body burns carbs and only then starts burning fat), light weight training (more muscle=faster metabolism)
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:)

Answer 10

Go for protein instead of sugar to keep energy levels going strong as opposed to crashing. Edamame in pods will be the perfect snack since it takes time to eat and a one-cup providing offers 12 grams of proteins.