Very serious about losin' weight?!
Question: im about,lets just say alot overweight,i admit ima fat a##. but im serious about losin' weight. what exercises should i do, how long a day,how many times a week. what should i eat,i know "healthy,less fat and calorie food" like salads but what specifacly, im goin' all out
Answers: im about,lets just say alot overweight,i admit ima fat a##. but im serious about losin' weight. what exercises should i do, how long a day,how many times a week. what should i eat,i know "healthy,less fat and calorie food" like salads but what specifacly, im goin' all out
Ok - watch out for so called 'low fat' options, as often they are filled with lots of other junk (like sugar or sodium) to make them tasty - if you're reading nutritional info look for food items that are low in saturated fat (polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are good in moderation, and come from thigns like avocado, some nuts, olive oil, some meat and oily fish - your body needs these fats.....the saturated ones are usually found in highly processed foods and they dont do anything beneficial for your body - maximum saturated fat should be 12% of your total daily intake....lower for weight loss.....). What you should focus on instead of buying items that say '99% fat free' is an overall healthy eating plan that is balanced and gets fats from good sources, and balancing your intake of fats, carbohydrates (preferably complex ones that are digested slowly by the body as these make you feel fuller for longer and are better for you - go for 'low GI' foods most of the time, except immediately after a hard workout, in which case you'll want to opt for a high GI, good carb/protein fix which will repair muscle and restore energy quickly.
Getting outside for exercise is really fun - but if you can't you can head to a gym, or if you prefer you can do at-home workouts. There's heaps of strength training exercises on the net, and if you buy some dumbells you'll be set! Also try pushups, squats, lunges, planks, crunches etc. A skipping rope is a FANTASTIC invention - I use one all the time, and it's great for your abs if you twist your lower body from side to side while you skip and squeeze your tummy in. This is a great way to get all sweaty! I also picked up an elliptical trainer (my absolute saviour), a rower and an exercise bike on ebay for a reasonable price. I love the elliptical - really strips fat off so fast you can feel it melting away!!!!!! I do my cardio before strength training as this tends to give the best energy burn....but shake it up - if you always do cardio first, swap it around for a while, then change back. If you change your workout regularly then your body won't get used to it (which slows down weight loss and results in a plateau....and weight loss aside it actually stops being so beneficial for your body as your body doesn't have to work as hard), and you won't get bored.
Weight loss is hard work, but it's also really, really fun and rewarding - and if you make the right changes, your weight loss and healthy lifestyle will be sustainable for life!
Healthy weight loss is simple and fun! You should aim for between half a kilo and a kilo a week as this is a healthy rate - however if you don't notice a change on the scales don't get discouraged as you may be gaining muscle but losing fat (muscle is heavier than fat but is much more dense so takes up less room - you'll appear to have lost weight and your clothes will be looser).
Basically you should aim to alter your diet and exercise in order to achieve healthy weight loss - you dont need diet pills, fad dieting or any expensive weight loss plan.
With relation to your diet, eat 5-6 small meals a day - breakfast is a MUST for weight loss (it kick starts your metabolism and it makes you less likely to over eat during the rest of the day) - try a healthy cereal (low in fat and sugar....watch the sugar!!!! so many are loaded with the stuff), low fat milk and fruit, or low fat yoghurt and fruit (i top low fat yoghurt with fruit salad and muesli - yum!), wholegrain toast etc. Go for lots of lean meats, veggies, fruit, grains, good carbs and good fats (remember those ones found in oily fish like salmon, and in nuts, avocados etc). Don't restrict yourself of anything though - if you feel like a treat , have it (make sure it's a darn good one too lol!) but remember that what you are eating is a 'sometimes' food that can fit into a healthy, balanced lifestyle but should not be your main source of nutrients. If you deny yourself every 'treat' then when you do finally crack and decide to indulge you are more likely to binge than to enjoy the food in moderation (eg. skip eating a cookie when you really feel like it, and then when you do have some you end up scoffing the packet...not goooooood!).
Some healthy snack ideas - fruit, veggies dipped in hommus, low fat yoghurt (topped with fruit salad and nuts or muesli), toast/english muffins, smoothies (made with low fat yoghurt, fruit, low fat milk), healthy home made muffins (alter your favourite recipe - eg. substitute the unhealthy ingreds like full fat butter with reduced fat marg/spread, sugar can be replaced with apple-sauce or apple puree, white flour with wholemeal, or use a mix of white and wholemeal...if you want a chocolate fix in your muffins go for some cocoa, or dark chocolate chips as opposed to milk or chite chocolate), wraps (using lavash or mountain rice bread), fruit toast (try bakers' delight - they have the apricot delight loaf and the cape fruit and nut loaf - both with no added fats or sugars!), wholegrain toast with peanut butter, half a sandwich, english muffins with a healthy topping. Try cooking yummy but healthy things to snack on - it will prevent you from getting bored, and you can develop your cooking skills!
With exercise, I would recommend doing at least 45 min of aerobic activity a day and combining this with strength and resistance training (to build muscle which will up your metabolism, making weight loss easier to maintain). Try joining a gym, or gym classes, yoga, walking and jogging, swimming, bike riding, weights, using a cross trainer (I do interval training on an elliptical machine as part of my daily routine - works wonders and burns loads of fat!). Just try to make activity a part of your daily life. If you work incredibly hard at exercise, or are working out for periods of 60 min or more a day, then definitely give yourself at least a day each week to rest your body and let it recover - otherwise you won't get results, and you'll be prone to injury - which really sabotages your whole exercise regime! On this day if you really want to do some exercise, do something that allows your body to recover from harder workouts, but still keeps you active - try a light swim, a moderate walk, a slow bike ride, some light yoga and stretching etc.
All the best with your goals - talk to your doctor about what is a healthy weight for you, and make this your goal. If you need extra assistance, a dietician may help you with the nutritional side of things, and booking a couple of sessions with a personal trainer could be a good idea just to show you how to correctly perform different exercises. Also - for additional info I recommend the australian institute of sport website - a lot of the nutritional info is targeted at athletes and very highly active individuals, but there are great articles on weight loss and some great (GREAT!) recipes complete with nutritional info so you know how many kilojoules/calories you're putting in, and how healthy the meal/snack is. Basically, if you outweigh what you're putting in (food/drink) with what you're expending through activity then you'll lose weight!
Happy eating and exercising!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you need help getting motivated to exercise.....
My trick to sticking to my routines (altho I'm a bit the opposite - need to cut back on exercising) is to write out little cards with workout plans on them that add up to a certain amount of minutes - I stick the cards in a hat and I pull one out each day. It's so much fun because you never know what your workout is going to be! Also helps you know how much exercise you're doing so that you don't slack off or go too overboard. Plus, at the bottom of each card I write something fun that I am going to do that day, like play with my puppy when I finish exercising, or play guitar, meet up with a friend, see a movie etc.
Also, make a few cds or ipod playlists so that you're entertained while you're exercising (just make sure you're concentrating more on technique and your exercise than on the music). You should also grab yourself some good exercise gear (doesn't have to be expensive - bonds are reasonably priced and good quality) - that way you'll feel great while you're exercising! Plus there's something about getting dressed to work out - kind of puts you in the mood for some hard (but fun) work.
Try to keep motivated by keeping things interesting - do a different workout every day (so make sure the exercise cards have heaps of different workouts on them), and try to eat something different every day!
Sample plan:
FOOD:
Breakfast -
bowl of high fibre, low sugar, low sodium cereal (I go for special K - love the stuff), topped with slices of banana, and low fat milk (I dont use milk but that's coz im weird about soggy cereal lol)....or a slice of wholegrain toast with some cooked tomato and a poached or boiled egg with a small glass of OJ....or and apple and a slice of wholegrain toast with peanut butter and a glass of low fat milk/orange juice/low fat yoghurt.
Snack
Pc of fruit or a small handful of almonds, or a low fat yoghurt, or some crackers with low fat cheese/cottage cheese, or a pc of toast, half a sandwich, fruit salad, veggies dipped in low fat hommus, healthy smoothie (try low fat milk, low fat yoghurt, some chopped fresh fruit.....I mix banana, peach, mango and strawberries, ice cubes and a dash of honey), low fat/sugar muffin, etc.....be creative!
Lunch
low fat yoghurt topped with fruit and muesli, or a wrap and side salad, or a wholegrain sandwich (with a nutritious filling) with some fruit or a yoghurt or a side salad, or a healthy salad with a grilled chicken breast/fish and a pc of fruit of low fat yoghurt.
Arvo snack
same as in the morning, or if you feel like a nice arvo tea treat make some healthy muffins (extra satisfying if you eat them hot!!!!!!!!!), or sometimes a skim hot chocolate does the trick
Dinner
lean meat or fish, veggies or salad, a carb like a potato or wholegrain bread, or pasta (just make sure the sauce is healthy!), stir fries with meat, rice and veggies
If hungry after dinner, go for something light - some fruit, a cup of tea (if ur having a major sweet craving go for a square of dark chocolate, or a skim hot chocolate - beats the hell out of a bowl of ice cream!).
EXERCISE - shoot for at least 45 mins daily......I do a workout each morning (about 120 mins - but I'm an exercise nut - and I have time to spare.....uni student life lol!) and I try to be as active as possible all day - walking rather than driving, going for walks, walking the dog, shooting some hoops, going for a swim or bike ride, yoga class etc.
Really, good luck - I hope you reach your goal and enjoy yourself in the process!
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Piece of meat the size of a deck of cards, steamed vegetables and rice
Dinner: Yoghurt and a fruit
Dry fruit is a good snack
Exercise about an hour each day
Good luck!
You should do whatever you feel comfortable with, don't strain yourself or starve yourself. Just cut out sweets and fast food or stuff high in calories. It's heathier and easier if you do it gradually.
P.S I think chubby guys are cute.
If you're big and fat, don't do it the salad way. People say salads are good for losing weight, it's not. Just slowly eat a meal less every month or so, exercise about 3-4 times a week for 30 minutes. Don't overdo it though. Once you get more lean, exercise more often, eat 3 times a day. For breakfast, I recommend cereal, lunch rice with fish, or the american way. For dinner, remember to eat before 7:00pm, have a bowl of soup or something.
I know it's possible to lose 10 pounds in 1 week. My friend took on the Reset Kit from USANA (bought it from another friend of his) and he lost 10 pounds from it along with exercise. The meal replacement shakes make you lose the cravings. It's a bit pricey, but hey, it really works.
Email me if you have any questions :)
EXERCISE!!! if you go to a gym and work out on everythng 3x about 3 days a week, that will cut down...then if food is the problem...cut down on breads, sweets, SODA,, and anythng else considered not good for you...my mom did this and lost 41 pounds in the last year....if you really buckled down then you could loose a lot more!!! hope this helps!!!