On the road to a Weight loss goal :)

Karmarsi · **on:** October 20, 2011, 10:04:23 PM

I hang around here a lot don't I?

Hello my friends~ Someone on the forum knows this already but I'm on my way to making a healthier, fitter me. all my life I've been overweight ( originally not by much, a few pounds. but my Mother buying me my N64 and me sitting inside instead of going outside made me purse on a lot of extra weight. ). Sadly I weight about 205-210 now, it was higher as before my 5 pound weight loss but lets stay away from my weight. It's a baaaad number.

My goal weight is to be about 130. I'm 5'5 which would make that quite the healthy weight. I mean gosh the thoughts of shorts that don't slide up, or skirts and pretty dresses motivate me quite a a lot. but that won't do it by itself. I need the support of my friends. My love has given me his support, reminding me to exercise well every day and to eat well. I'm hoping that some of you will be around to help me reach my goal as well.
Sadly I'm not a whiz with healthy foods and could use a nice list or tips on low calorie / healthy foods.
So far I'm at:
- yogurt ( yum~ )
- Salad
- Carrots ( baby carrots, great for those nomming times when I graze around for a snack )
- Ranch Dressing 9 is this healthy? By the Great One it sure is good with those carrots )
- Bananas. I love me some Bananas~ / other fruit.
- Green Tea ( i hear this boosts metabolism )

I'd appreciate it all guys. I've given up so many times before and just would love to stick to this, even if it takes 10-12 months. Just gotta keep going, right?

Could a Mod move this if this is not the place? I can't seem to ever find the right place for these things!

Nick22 · **Reply #1 on:** October 20, 2011, 10:46:22 PM

well each person is different when it comes to metabolism, and getting a lot of exercising and cutting down on snacks helps

Kor · **Reply #2 on:** October 20, 2011, 11:16:35 PM

I read a healthy amount to try to loose is about a pound or 2 a week. Also it's best to pick an eating plan you can live with, letting yourself have maybe a meal or 2 a week, or something like that, when you can eat what you want, within reason. Also don't try to deprive yourself or certain things like don't cut out fat or carbs completely. Also don't totally look at weight, but waist size also, since if you loose say 1 point of fat but gain a pound or 2 of muscle it may look like you lost nothing, or gained a pound, but it being muscle means it's good. Try to pick a long term plan you can live with, and don't deprive yourself to much. And try not to fret to much.

As a doctor who's radio show I use to listen to years back said. If it took you 5 or 10 years to get to this state, don't be surprised if it takes you that long to get to where you want. Don't be in a hurry.

Also some folks are different to other folks. So a healthy weight may be different for one then for another.

Try to do it in small steps instead of a few large steps. Also if you have no idea where the calories come from I heard some folks keep an eating diary for a week or 2. Though for some folks this would be worthless since they don't need that.

MC CJ'S REVENGE · **Reply #3 on:** October 21, 2011, 02:41:12 AM

I'm also going to try to do the same. I weigh 275 pounds.

Petrie85 · **Reply #4 on:** October 21, 2011, 03:14:31 AM

Same here CJ I'm a bit over weight also. And right now I'm working on loose weight. I weight more the you CJ. Last time I Checked I was 285 pounds. But I've been eating more fruit now. And good luck loosing weight. Even tho 130 is wicked thin. I don't think you need to loose any weight. But exercise a bit more eat healthier foods and be more active outside. And I need to follow my own advice now. But good luck.

Justin1993 · **Reply #5 on:** October 21, 2011, 08:17:03 AM

oats (good source of fiber) but not instant oatmeal.
Celery (you burn the calories as you chew)
This one may not sound good, but it helps with digestion: honey, lemon, and warm water.
I don't know if you eat meat or not, but chicken would be your best source of protein as chickens have less body fat.
Eggs give you the essential amino acids you need while still being low calorie.
Now, by yogurt do you mean actual yogurt or like yoplait? I actually go for the plain yogurt since Yoplait and all that has too much sugar. However, Yopliat is still good with the calcium and it still has the probiotics of normal yogurt.
About Ranch Dressing, you can eat but dunk the fork. Dunk the fork in the dressing and then pick up some vegetables. Or you could try vinegar. It is a great salad dressing and not many calories.
Anything with B vitamins will up your energy, as long as it is a natural source. None of this energy drink stuff.
Eat breakfast. It makes all the difference. But eat a filling one. A source of protein will ensure that you aren't left hungry until lunch, along with a good source of fiber and some calcium.
Remember the Food Pyramid. Eat less from the top and more from the bottom.
So to add, pasta would be good, as long as it is not smothered in sauce. Add it to your salad.
Brown rice. It is more nutritious than white rice.
Whole grain foods.
Stay away from artificial sugars. This would include those so-called "diet" drinks.
Any kind of fish, as long as it is not fried. Baked foods are less of a health risk than fried.
These are all low-calorie or at least, contain a decent amount of calories, foods. I hope you reach your goal.

By the way, it is okay to cheat on your healthy diet, as long as you limit whatever it is you are cheating with. Just don't overdo it with the cheating. Again, good luck.

Karmarsi · **Reply #6 on:** October 21, 2011, 10:30:14 PM

Thank you for the words guys <3 I'm now officially eating smaller portions and getting my healthier food. *stares at bananas* You will be mine~
I've lost about another 2 pounds this week. It's definitely motivating <3
mmmm, honey~ I love putting honey in water to flavor it up. Always so delicious!
Do you think Juice would be a healthy substitute for coke / sometimes milk? Milk can really rack up the calories.
On a positive I've been drinking more water too~

Kor · **Reply #7 on:** October 21, 2011, 11:33:25 PM

Maybe if several want to try to loose weight they can try to support each other and such by posting on this thread.

As for milk you can try to gradually step down from full fat milk to 1% or skim milk. not all at once but in slow steps.

Not sure if juice has less calories then coke, but it is healthier. Honey and water? I've not tried that but it sounds tasty.

Weight is one thing to look at, but also waist size, pants or dress size, ect.

Cyberlizard · **Reply #8 on:** October 22, 2011, 12:55:13 AM

Honey in water... That's a rather interesting concept. As for juice, I recommend any that are certified organic. Many store-bought juices are loaded with too much refined sugar so check the ingredients to make sure there isn't any high fructose corn syrup. Water is definitely the best option, or green tea. Water helps you flush out any that your body has retained as well as excess salt in your body. It also helps balance your blood sugar. Personally, I don't really like drinking any of my calories. So sodas are a very rare occasion for me. ^..^;

I can definitely say that watching calorie intake is the best method for losing fat, at least from my experience. It takes a while, but you can speed things up by exercising and burning more calories than you eat. I don't go by weight, rather I go by appearance and what feels right to me. Don't try to starve yourself though, because then your body will cling to that extra fat around the waist. The easiest diet to maintain is 2000 calories in a day. It doesn't matter where you get these 2000 calories from, but it is recommended that they have at least some nutrition in them. In America the nutrition facts only gauge calories based on serving rather than what's in the package as a whole. Just look at the nutrition facts and multiply the number of calories a serving by the number of servings in a package. Because you're more likely to eat the whole package rather than the ridiculously small serving sizes. For instance:

A standard large bag of Potato Chips has a serving size marked with 160 calories. But, if there are 11 servings a bag, just multiply 160 by 11. More than likely, if you start eating those chips, you will go over this serving size. At 1760 calories a bag, you could probably eat half or a third of the bag as a whole meal since most people would become tired of the taste eventually.

As for the talk about always eating breakfast, skipping it usually does not affect a person's metabolism. At least from my standpoint and how my body works, I've skipped breakfast and I found that it actually helps me eat less. Then again, this is from the perspective of my body, so the best thing to do really is seek out the best methods you feel comfortable with. Look for a routine you will be able to stick to in the long term.

On a final note, I don't recommend watching out on total fat content other than trans fats. Fat is actually good for you, especially monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. As I stated above, the most basic method of losing body fat is keeping an eye on the amount of calories consumed. I've been doing that coupled with walking and biking everywhere and I'm really close to going down two notches on my belt from when I started upon arrival in Japan.

Karmarsi · **Reply #9 on:** October 22, 2011, 05:00:15 PM

I'm so surprised no one has tried honey in water. you crazy people <3
I know to watch my waist size and all too. It's not been a big loss of weight ( 7-8 pounds ), but I seem to be already slimming~ I notice it around my waist and thigh. Weird how even a little bit makes a difference!

Good thing I stay away from chips, that -much- in a bag? Goodness!

Petrie85 · **Reply #10 on:** October 22, 2011, 07:17:20 PM

That's awesome. And I've lost a few pounds I think as well. I can fit into a few of my old pants now. I stay away from scale's. And that is good that You're eating smaller size portions. The healthy way to loose weight is one to two pounds a week. That is the right amount of pounds to loose each week. And don't starve your self. That isn't a diet. That Is The Absent Of A Diet.

Karmarsi · **Reply #11 on:** October 23, 2011, 07:42:05 PM

I would never starve myself. If anything I'm just splitting meals in half. Save the other half for the next do or so~

I can say the same about my jeans. I can sit in them without them feeling tight around my belly.
I'm going to start exercising for close to 45 mins starting tomorrow. 30 just doesn't satisfy me for whatever reason. Weird o.o I did math on my eight loss and it turns out I lost nearly 2 pounds a week. I don't want to lose over 3 pounds a week as my body may suffer.

Congrats on your own weight loss, Petrie, it always feels good when weight is lost~

Littlefoot Fan · **Reply #12 on:** October 23, 2011, 09:37:28 PM

I don't know much about weight loss, but one thing that actually caused me to lose a lot of weight was not eating close to my bed time. So my last and final thing I eat is like 2-3 hours before I go to bed. My original intention was because I used to have trouble sleeping some nights with a full stomach, but it actually caused me to drop from 170 to about 124. In fact it was such a quick sudden drop in weight that I was blood tested numerous times for things like Anemia and Diabetes. But that's all that did it was not eating late at night. I'm not sure how well this would work for anybody else, but it did for me, even though it was completely unintentional.

Kor · **Reply #13 on:** October 23, 2011, 10:05:14 PM

Good luck with everyone's weight loss.

If you want to exercise there are many types you can do. No need to do ones so the whole process feels like work. Try to find at least some that may be fun. It may help you to continue with it.

Karmarsi · **Reply #14 on:** October 23, 2011, 10:45:06 PM

Quote from: Littlefoot Fan,Oct 23 2011 on 08:37 PM

I don't know much about weight loss, but one thing that actually caused me to lose a lot of weight was not eating close to my bed time. So my last and final thing I eat is like 2-3 hours before I go to bed. My original intention was because I used to have trouble sleeping some nights with a full stomach, but it actually caused me to drop from 170 to about 124. In fact it was such a quick sudden drop in weight that I was blood tested numerous times for things like Anemia and Diabetes. But that's all that did it was not eating late at night. I'm not sure how well this would work for anybody else, but it did for me, even though it was completely unintentional.

wow. just wow o.o I think I'll try that as more often than not I eat shortly before bed. That would be amazing if that happened to me~

@ Kor I do do things that i enjoy, usually cycling or using the exercise bike while reading or such ( REALLY passes the time ) I get so attached into my favorite books the time passes before I know it <3

Fun fact - I'm so determined on this I took the scale and hid it in my room so mom won't throw it away. Hehe, I'm so weird~

Kor · **Reply #15 on:** October 24, 2011, 12:09:13 AM

Sounds like a great idea you have there, on cycling. Good luck on things still going well for you.

jansenov · **Reply #16 on:** October 24, 2011, 09:14:22 AM

Exercise bikes are excellent things. With a good one you can incrementaly strenghten your legs, all the way to athletic levels. But I think your underusing your bicycle, Karmarsi. If you can read books while cycling, that means that the effort is not intense enough. You should increase the effort so that while cycling you feel warm and sweat all the time, but not so much that you feel your heart pounding or lactic acid building up in your lungs. If you feel nausea, you should stop immediately, rest, and decrease the level of effort. An ideal level of effort is the level you can sustain for half an hour of cycling. Once you can sustain that level of effort for an hour it's time to move on to the next level.

Karmarsi · **Reply #17 on:** October 24, 2011, 10:00:13 AM

Are you sure? Even with me reading, after getting off the bike I'm dripping with sweat. :blink: Maybe it's a weird multitask thing?

jansenov · **Reply #18 on:** October 24, 2011, 10:40:14 AM

I guess you're right. Good for you then.

Cyberlizard · **Reply #19 on:** October 24, 2011, 05:20:45 PM

Another thing I should add is any sudden gain or loss around the mid section is normally water retention. The best way to combat it is to drink more water. Sugar and salt retain water, and if there is not enough water in a diet then that can result in sudden subcutaneous bloating around the waist. Completely eliminating drinks with any sugar or sweetener is usually the best way to combat water retention. However, don't feel alarmed when you catch a bug like a cold or the flu and suddenly feel like you've gained a little mass around the middle. Your body naturally retains water to help flush out what's making you sick and you just need to keep drinking more water to help get it out of your system.