How can I lose 20 pounds?

Question

I would like to lose 20 pounds in about 4 months. and I would like to know how. I have a gym membership, but I need a healthy diet plan that is easy to follow, but stil gives me the nutrients needed for a growing girl. I am 5' 7" and weigh 175 pounds. I would also like to go from a size 10/12 to a size 6/8. Please help1

Answer 1

I wanted to lose weight the healthy way too. I have a little more to lose than you do, but I've been working out at least 30 min a day. I found this website that will generate a healthy menu plan and that has info on which foods to eat to help your body burn fat. I've lost over 20 pounds so far.
www.edietswork.com Good Luck!

Answer 2

Well, you're right in wanting to do it slowly, though five months would be better, as aiming for 4 per month is the best way to KEEP it off.

Except for one thing. You don't really want to lose WEIGHT, but FAT, right?

Since muscle weighs more, you can lose fat, gain muscle, and be the same weight.

Don't do a "diet" as such. Just eat a LOT of healthy food -- whole grains and other complex carbohydrates; fruits and veggies, some protein with not too much fat.

Cut back on the unhealthy stuff you eat. (Don't cut it out entirely, just have small portions -- putting things in smaller plates and bowls tricks you into eating less, for instance -- and not as often.)

And move around more. Walk, bike, swim (greatest exercise there is for toning up all over), dance around the house.

Avoid fat. But eat more food (just food without fat -- pretzels, for instance, instead of chips and crackers). Fat keeps you feeling full, so you want to eat more often every day, just stuff without fat in it.

And don't forget the moving around more aspect. Take stairs rather than elevators, where possible.

Have your bigger meals early in the day, and something lighter for dinner.

The most important nutritional principle there is is VARIETY.

And don't worry too much about what the scale says (as you add muscle, you'll be losing fat, but might even gain a little weight); look at what your clothes say. You can stay the same weight, but your clothes will become baggy and loose.

Answer 3

I lost 20 pounds in three months by simply eating whole, real foods. If I do eat processed foods, it's tofu, or veggie "meat" or things like that. I avoid products with the following ingredients: corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils, hydrogenated oils, artificial and natural flavorings and anything I cannot pronounce or it looks as though it was created in a lab by man, not in nature by God. I think about what is or isn't in the food and what it might or might not do to my body. I'm even more particular about this than what I was even a year ago. Last year, I had several of my mother-in-law's buckeyes (essentially, they're peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate) and sugar cookies and a dessert she makes with graham cracker crust, Cool Whip and cream cheese and a topping of either canned cherries, canned blueberries or chocolate pudding on Christmas Day. This year, I had nothing. I've heard that post-pregnancy weight is hard to lose, however, I'm only five pounds heavier than what I was at the very beginning of my pregnancy. I'm not in any major hurry to lose the weight, but it's nice that it's coming off the way it is. I would be much better if I was working out, but it's not as though I'm living on pure junk at least.

My sister-in-law constantly complains of being fat, but also constantly eats things that are not healthy.

Answer 4

The Easiest way to lose weight effectively is 2 eat healthy and exercise often even though it sound easier than it is, but it does actually work. Try and eat smaller portains. If i want something thts heavier I eat it earlier and have things like salads for my dinner. Being 5'7 and a size 10/12 sounds pretty gd 2 me.

Answer 5

Losing weight is a simple equation: if you burn more calories than you eat, the weight will come off. Start off by estimating how many calories you burn each day using the daily calorie needs calculator http://straighthealth.com/pages/tools/caloriecalclb.html This will give you an idea of how many calories to eat. Healthy weight loss is 1-2 pounds per week. To lose 1 pound per week you need to create a calorie deficit (burn more than you eat) of 500 calories per day. To lose 2 pounds a week, you have to double the deficit to 1000 calories per day. You can achieve this by eating less, exercising more or a combination of both.

Beginners Guide to Dieting - http://straighthealth.com/pages/guides/begdieting.html