What do you do to lose weight?

Question

what do you eat, type of exercises etc.
i particularly want to lose my big tummy and fat arms. I've been exercising this summer but its really hard for me to lose weight and i get unmotivated. i get so insecure and depressed when i go to the gym because i see a lot of women in good shape and i feel like the fattest on in there. I am 21 years old, 165 lbs and i'm 5'2...very overweight!

Answer 1

Low Carb Dieting Tip
Your rate of metabolism dictates how many calories you burn. Heredity, gender, age, body size. diet and nutrition, activity level, and your overall health factor in on determining how high or low your metabolism is. It is normal for metabolism levels to lower as a person ages. Because of this it is important to begin stepping up your exercise routines in your thirties and forties.

Ways to Boost Your Metabolism

Eat Regularly - Eating 5-6 small meals throughout the day will give you energy throughout the day--helping you to burn calories. Whereas, calories eaten during larger meals tend to get stored as fat.
Maintain a Balanced Diet - Not only how often you eat is important, but your food choices are equally as important. Nurture you body with the appropriate balance of protein and carbs.

Eating whole foods rather than processed food gives your digestive system a workout that burns calories. For example: choose an apple over apple juice.
Workout with Weights - Building muscle mass will replace stored fat. As you build muscle tissue your metabolism increases.
Don't Forget Cardio - You need to get that heart rate up and breathe a little heavier. Twenty to thirty minutes of cardiovascular activity 5 days a week is recommended. Brisk walking or swimming are good. Or utilize exercise equipment (exercise bike, treadmill, or elliptical trainer)
Fruits and vegetables are clearly an important part of a good diet. Almost everyone can benefit from eating more of them, but variety is as important as quantity. No single fruit or vegetable provides all of the nutrients you need to be healthy. The key lies in the variety of different fruits and vegetables that you eat.
Some basic fruit and vegetable tips:
• Try to eat more fruits and vegetables. If you need 2,000 calories a day to maintain your weight and health, aim for at least nine servings (4½ cups) a day.
• Choose a variety of different fruits and vegetables. It's easy to get into a rut when it comes to the food you eat. Break out and try a wider variety - include dark-green, leafy vegetables; yellow, orange, and red fruits and vegetables; cooked tomatoes; and citrus fruits.

Answer 2

Ok... Stop looking at everyone at the gym! That is a big No, No! Half those people don't have lives and are there all the time...

Motivation starts with WANTING it... Really really wanting it... And yes it is possible to become unmotivated when you don't see results... Start slow... I am 5'2" and was up to 150lbs (very big for me but NOT fat or 'very overweight') You are on the heavy side for your height but that does not mean fat or obese... I am now down to 117lbs and still losing and gaining weight (the change from body fat to muscle mainly)...

I have NEVER been able to 'diet' in my life... and I mean NEVER... I decided I was going to do this... I was going to lose the weight... I joined a gym and worked with a trainer to find something I could afford... Not everyone can... I was lucky... But that doesn't mean it can't be done...

Cardio is key to starting out.. If you are out of shape you will need to build stamina first... Make sure you are doing something... Anything, even just for 1/2 hour to an hour a day (2-4 days a week)... And research at home or easy exercises to target your 'problem' areas... No free weights? Find something around the house that might work... I don't have a 15-20 lbs weight at home, but I have a full can of paint... Seriously... Lol... Check out if your gym offers the 1 Free Training session (which is a ploy to buy more... But is you can't afford it just say NO!)... Tell the trainer that you don't know much about the equipment and want to know which machines target which areas and how to use them... Make sure the stick to your request and call them on it if they aren't... Don't wait till the end of the session... Say, "Hey thats great thanks... But I want to target my thighs not my biceps..."

Change your diet, but don't consider it a diet... It is a lifestyle change... Once I got that through me head I was fantastic... I started slowly... I was strict for the 1st 1-2 weeks as I learned what I should be eating, how often, and how much... then I just made it my own... It took some looking at labels at the super market and googling everything for nutrition facts but after those 1-2 weeks... I was golden... I stopped drinking my Pepsi's (I was have 2-3 20 oz btls a day) I found I like flavored water, and even found these protein waters on the market now that taste awesome... I cut the soda by 1 bttle a day until I was able to cut it completely... I love chips and pretzels... I thought... Hmmm... Rice cakes... Nope like the flavors but too many carbs... Then I discovered Soy Crisps... Hard boiled eggs are easy to prep one night a week and grab on the go... A good filling snack or even breakfast running out the door...

Eat frequently... Small meals and smaller snacks will make you less hungry when you do eat and will increase your overall metabolism...

If you want some suggestions based on your preferences and lifesyle send me an email... I will be happy to help... I have lost 30+ lbs over the past several months and 4% body fat in the past 5 weeks... It doesn't happen overnight, but you will notice results quicker than you think... And that will be your motvation to keep going...

Answer 3

I eat whole grain breads and cereals. I don't drink soft drinks. I limit my sweets and I don't eat ice cream.
I work out 3-5 days/week for at least 30 min each time. I mostly use the elliptical machine due to its calorie burning efficiency. As for toning arms, hand weights are the way to go.
I could still stand to lose about ten pounds, but I'm almost 51 yrs old, so it ain't gonna be easy to do.
The main thing is don't get discouraged because other women are in better shape. There are lots of men in better shape than me but I'm doing the best I can. I just know that I feel better and have a more positive outlook when I exercise.

Answer 4

You don't need to go to a gym. The best exercises to use up stored fat are best done outside. Running (walking if necessary), cycling, swimming. If you think the gym is necessary, how do you get there? Is it possible to run, walk, or bike there instead of drive. Get more bang out of each day's workout. The Y is exactly 5k from my house. I run there for my swim workouts, then I don't have to get a run in later. Time saved.

Remember that burning fuel/fat/calories/food requires oxygen. Long aerobic sessions are by far the most effective.

First order of business in your exercise program is to get in good enough cardiovascular shape that you can burn a lot of calories.

As for eating, WHAT is less of an issue than HOW MUCH. Counting calories may seem trite and old-fashioned, but that's how it is. Even if you don't keep a log of every piddly thing, at least make a habit of reading the nutrition labels for everything you put in your mouth. Don't get seconds of anything, ever.

Lose the alcohol. Its bad not just because of the calories, but because it weakens your resistance to other munchies.

Be patient. Keep at it.

Answer 5

I'm 22 years old, 5'2 and 162 lbs. A year ago I bought a product called Isagenix, and I weighed 181 when I started, 2 months later I weighed 150. It worked so well and I couldn't believe the energy that it gave me. (I feel so fake saying this but it's my experience, haha.) I couldn't afford to keep buying the product and honestly I was happy with the results so I stopped. I have gained 11 lbs. back in a year since I went back to my bad eating habits and like not exercising at all, which is why I just started back on it yesterday (and yes you do need to exercise with this). Although it is kind of expensive, I would definately look into it if you think you could do it. It's hard to do but with some will power and help it works and I recommend it to everyone that I know. If you are interested contact me and we can do it together, I can get it to you for wholesale prices...
www.katherineaf.isagenix.com

Answer 6

With exercise, your target heart rate for burning fat is 207 beats per minute. (You get this calc by 60% of (220 minus your age)). It's surprisingly easy to get there, don't be discoraged by the gym, remember noone is there to look at other people. Always stretch well and try some different excerises to keep you interested. Is it safe to walk outside where you live? Everyone is different and should find the best situation for exercising in. Of course, confidence helps, but don't tell yourself that you'll only become more confident once you start to lose weight-- do yourself a favour and get out there now, start doing things to build your confidence, you don't have to be skinnier to be a better person. I can see by your question you're an honest, likeable person; focus on your good qualities, and the things you want to change might not seem so hard?
With food- you don't have to be a rabbit. Eat a variety of fruit (especially in the morning, because fruit metabolises quickly so doesn't clog you up when you go on to lunch). Drink at least 8 glasses of water per day (it keeps you awake more effectively than caffeine), 1 glass of juice per day, and look at tea also, the antioxidants are great for you. Any kind of tea, but green or white tea is best.
Eat lean cuts of meat, and trim off skin/fat. The oil you cook with is very important- trans fats like animal fats are very bad for you. Try using nut oils in cooking, like almond, peanut, sesame or even avocado and olive oil. Many butter substitutes made from these are available and can really help any cholesterol problem. Vegetables are of course really important- I love stir-frying as this is a way you can have really interesting meals full of flavour with lots of vegies. Mix it up and make meal times an important part of your day so you look forward to trying different things. It's a good idea to take meals to work, so you're not eating the wrong things on the run.
With your tummy- lots of people think doing heaps of sit-ups will burn the fat there and give them six-packs. Unfortunately it's not true- good news- everybody has those muscles there, they're just under a layer of fat for most people. The only way to get rid of this fat is to lower you're overall percentage of body fat. Sit-ups don't hurt though, they're good for core strength (the deep muscles inside your torso that keep you upright). Many exercises that help your core stability/strength will also help tone your arms, so talk to a personal trainer and get them to show you some you can do at home. They may suggest a fitball, which I think are great.
Finally, keep positive and don't give up- it's all about the way you think. Good luck!!!

Answer 7

Keep exercising! I love Denise Austin's exercise tapes. Personally I drink a lot of coffee (often instead of a meal.) NOT Starbucks -just plain coffee with a Little sugar and milk. I think the caffeine ups my metabolism (probably not a healthy suggestion but it works for me). Stay away from carbs !!!! Pasta, cookies, donuts etc. and alcohol! Beer puts weight on quick!

Answer 8

You need to watch your fat intake and reduce it until you reach your ideal weight. Eat lots of fresh veggies and fruit.
Don't worry about the gym. All the girls feel the same way at the gym - even the tiny ones. It is just the way we are programmed. Keep going to the gym and ignore your thoughts. Once you start to lose a bit you will feel better and better.

Answer 9

Reduce your calorie intake by eating healthier foods like fruit and vegetables. Try to cut out things like chocolate, cake, crisps, fast food, fizzy drinks and anything high in sugar, fat or carbs.
Eat 5 smaller meals in a day rather than 3 large ones. That way your metabolism will keep going and you wont be piling on lots of calories that you dont need in one go which will be harder to burn off.
Having a large breakfast is good because it will start your metabolism working for the day. Without eating breakfast your body stays in starvation mode (that it was in while you were sleeping) and doesnt come out until you first eat. This means it burns calories less effectively during exercise and your weight is likely to remain constant.
Try not to eat after 6/7pm either because any food you eat is likely to be stored as fat while you sleep as youre not needing it for energy.

If you find it really hard to stop snacking, then diet pills can be useful. Not all of them work. In fact i doubt that a lot of them do. However, Pure Hoodia pills have actually been proven to work, they surpress hunger so i would strongly recommend them. You can find lots of useful articles about the pills by typing them in to Google. If you do plan on buying, make sure youre buying pure hoodia though, because theyre not effective when other things have been added. (That made me sound like i was completly advertising them lol, sorry)

You'll need to try and exercise as well. 20 minutes of cardio (running etc..) and 10 minutes of strength exercise (push-ups etc..) a day is idea. The cardio exercise will help you to burn calories effectively while you work out. The strength exercise helps to build muscle. Muscle in your body burns calories without you having to be working, so this is very useful in weight loss.
Because you find it hard to go to the gym, why not try running in your local area. If you dont like that idea either, then you can buy a skipping rope and skip in your back garden. You could also buy a trampoline and jump up and down on that for 20 minutes a day. It will be fun, and is one of the best method of exercise (according to NASA!!). Going to a local swimming pool and doing lengths would also be useful.
As far as strength training goes, try doing 20 push-ups, 20 crunches, 20 squats and 20 bicep curls each day. You can increase/decrease these amounts to whatever you think youre up to doing. If you dont own weights, use a bottle of water or a tin of beans.

Good Luck!!!

Answer 10

im 25 and in the army and believe it or not there are many i see everyday with your struggles....my advise to the ones that ask me how i do it i say eat more....hear me out....in the army we get up at 5am we do a light work out til 6am shower eat a big breakfast then go to work at 9am work 2 hrs go to lunch at 1130am now you shouldnt be that hungry because you ate a big breakfast...then go back to work go to diner at 430pm or 5pm is good but as soon as you get off work then another small work out.....

monday wednesday and friday wake up at 5am and do 4reps of 10 pushups and situps thats it no more....do 10situps then 10push ups and sit ups and so on...40each

then shower eat a big breakfast and follow the schedule i have given you....that will be enough activity to shed those pounds...see lifting weights builds muscle thats more weight you dont want that you want tone so the more you do all day will be better than all day at the gym.....

as for the meals has to be balanced....so dont give up wat you like to eat just change the times you eat it......try it and let me know how it turns out,,,i see this work everyday....trust me!!! key is stay active and eat...
food = fuel
so fill up