Weight loss
Hi everyone. This may seem like a silly thread but I am well overweight and I was wondering if anyone has any weight loss tips. Recipes, weight loss plans, excerices, or even just share your success stories. Thanks!
Missy0417 Hi! I am a certified personal trainer and would love to help get you started on an exercise plan. I’m running a special now which includes a free fitness assessment.
pm me if interested!
IRun Hi Missy,
I recently lost over forty lbs and my best piece of advice would be don’t fall for the scams. If it sounds too good to be true it probably is. Wraps won’t make you lose, neither will pills and essential oils. Hard work, eating well, and exercising are the only ways to do it. I highly recommend working with a personal trainer and a dietitian if possible to take some of the mental work out of the equation.
Good luck!
Katherine As a personal trainer, I have a background in nutrition and contrary to the quick fix scams, all food groups are necessary.
As a matter of fact, carbs are the preferred energy source for the brain and are the first energy source used during exercise.
First off, everyone loses weight differently. So going into any weight loss plan with an open mind is key. However, things that should work for everyone: water. Drink, drink, drink. I try to get in close to 100 oz. per day. I have a 24 oz. Contigo bottle and I refill it 4 times, sometimes more. It keeps water cold all day. Second, you need to cut the processed sugar. Stick with lean proteins (shrimp, chicken breast, turkey), fruits and veggies, whole grain/complex carbohydrates (brown rice, 100% whole wheat bread, sweet potatoes, oatmeal). Get rid of the soda, juice, and other sugary drinks. They are calorie bombs. I try to stay away from artificial sweeteners and fat free stuff. Usually to make something fat free they have to add a ton of chemicals and sugar. Full or low fat dairy products are better.
The main thing about weight loss is to not have to do it over and over again. Most of the restrictive "diets" (Atkins, South Beach) will work while you work the program, but in my opinion, they are too restrictive to maintain forever, and once you get burnt out of it, you'll put the weight all back on and more (true story).
I've always struggled with my weight and two months ago I said enough and I joined Weight Watchers. My head was finally in the right place to do it, and I've lost 20lbs. so far. I don't feel hungry (usually) and I don't feel deprived of things I enjoy. I make smarter choices about 90% of the time, and I have the flexibility to still live my life. It does take dedication to track and measure everything I eat, but I'm a natural planner, so I don't find that part too challenging.
One last word, it takes 3 weeks to get your body used to something. So whichever "diet" or weight loss plan you choose to try, stick with it for 3 weeks at least, and it's all downhill after that. Try not to weigh yourself more than once a week. It becomes an obsession for some people and it's not healthy. Weight fluctuates so much from day to day. Also, some weeks you may lose a lot, some a little, some not at all. Just keep doing it. Healthy weight loss is 1/2 to 2 lbs. per week. Weight loss is also about 80% in the kitchen, 20% exercise. So it's important to get your food right.
Sorry for writing a novel, but if you have any other questions, I'd be happy to answer them if I am able. Good luck!
Tracy Very low carbs intake can kick-start the process. First couple of weeks is tough, had headaches all the time while transitioning into ketosis. But once there the weight fell off and worked well for my body type. Gotta be careful though, read up on ketosis to understand the potential dangers to see if it's a good fit for you. It'll help if you have something to keep busy with too so boredom doesn't sabotage your efforts.
justintime But very low carbs is not sustainable, nor is putting your body in an unnatural state.
At least that's my opinion.
When it comes to weight loss and exercise, slow and steady wins the race.
I agree that going into ketosis isn't sustainable and I probably should have been clearer about that.
But losing weight and maintaining a weight are distinctly different actions, right? I think that ketosis works very well for dropping pounds for those with the right body type, but clearly once a target weight is achieved ketosis isn't sustainable and a well balanced diet is a necessity. If someone tried to stay in a ketosis diet past a healthy weight level then without a doubt it could (would) turn harmful.
Like anything, folks should educate themselves about it before making a decision.
strangerdanger Eat real food - cut out sugar, it's in everything. Limit the processed foods. No diet sodas, no juice, no skim milk. Nothing low fat.
You don't need to starve yourself, you need to change they way you eat. Fat is a good thing. Grass fed butter, good quality olive oil, eggs, bacon. Healthy fat fills you up. No grains at all! Wheat bread is no better than white bread because your liver processes the sugar the same way. There's no such thing as a heart healthy grain.
Protein, lots of veggies. Don't use vegetable oil, canola oil - it's garbage.
Google NSNG & Vinnie Tortorich.
ASfromBklyn Here's the most simple answer. Burn more calories than you eat in every 24 hour period.
3500 calories is 1 pound. Create a caloric deficit of 500 calories a day. So, take in about 1500 calories.
Start jogging or doing 30 minutes doing anything that elevates your heart rate. A heart rate monitor is the best way to see this. Hell, you could do jumping jacks for 30 minutes and lose tons of weight you just need to do it at least 5 days a week. Remember, no one ever got fat eating one burger and no one ever got skinny running one mile. Stick with it!
ConsigliereMissy0417, my sister lost weight by seeing a nutritionist and continuing to follow those food recommendations. She also takes 2 long, quick-paced walks every day, in case you prefer gentle exercise to earning a 6 pack.
maja2 I've been on this yoyo for years, up down up. Exercise of course, get your blood moving, build a little muscle and releasing endorphins all help. But don't hurt yourself by overdoing, because then you can't get out there at all.
I do best when I take sugar and white flour completely out of my diet. Support your microbiome by eating/drinking fermented foods and/or taking probiotics.
The trap I fall into is eating the same meals repeatedly that I know are good, until I get so tired of them I start to slip. I know what I need to do to fix this, just need to do it.
When things are going well one thing that really helps is taking care of yourself mind, body and spirit. If you focus all on the body and neglect the spirit it's so easy to gain it all back.
Inspirational reading helps, or a walk in the woods instead of on your favorite asphalt hill. Start a new non food related hobby, create something. Get a massage, treat yourself. Good Luck. Many of us are where you are!
hktownie What works for me is hard exercise as in sweating like crazy and elevating my heart rate. I did have to work my way up to that point and it is a lot of hard work.
For my diet it is little sugar as possible and pretty much the opposite of what ASfromBklyn wrote. I thrive quite well on low fat, avoid fatty meats like bacon and red meats. I like lots of tofu meals and lean chicken (no skin ) , fruits and veggies, cereal for breakfast with skim milk. NO YOGURT, most yogurts are like having ice cream for breakfast. I also avoid eating out. Home cooked meals are better than what is served at most restaurants and easier on the budget. AND I don't buy into the "who has time" nonsense.
Good luck deciphering all the conflicting advice.
CBGB CBGB, do you know what you get from skim milk? More sugar. Sugar in the fruit. Sugar in your cereal. There's nothing better for you than plain, whole milk yogurt. Your body functions better when you fuel it with fat. Animal fat, coconut oil, avocados, gras-fed butter & extra virgin olive oil - all good and more satisfying than grains.
I've been eating this way for quite some time and I've never felt better. I'm not deprived and I don't concern myself with counting calories. It's not a diet for me, it's just the way I eat.
Have you spoken with your General Practitioner on this? Most of them tell you if they feel your BMI is too high and will have handouts about healthy eating and exercise. If you haven't had an exam in quite a while it would be a good idea to see your G.P. to ensure that your baseline health is good enough to start an exercise and/or diet program. If you have chronic hypertension or various other issues you may have to move more slowly into a workout routine than someone in, shall we say, "normal" health.
A warning on the water. Firstly, yes, cold/ice water is good because it can help keep you from overheating during exercise and when not exercising your body expends calories while raising that cold water up to your body temperature. It's not a huge amount by any means, however, every little bit helps. Also beware of drinking TOO much water. YES, it is possible and you can be "drunk" from water as well as have serious issues, up to and including heart failure from continuous high amounts of water.
No, I am NOT kidding in that respect. The reason is normally due to electrolyte depletion. Your body needs a healthy balance of electrolytes for your nerves and muscles to function properly. If you drink too much and your K (Potassium) & Na (Sodium) balance goes too far out of whack or you flush too much of them out of your body through urination and sweating then serious consequences may ensue. I don't mean to scare you by any means, but yes, people have seriously injured themselves by doing just that. Most sports drinks will supply Sodium (nrmal type salt, but be deficient in what Potassium they give you. I really dislike traditional Gatorade for this reason. Look on the back of the drink and you'll see what % of RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) is in the drink.
One problem with replacing sugar with artificial sweetners are that when in a drink, they normally make you thirstier and a good number of newer studies have shown that they actually are likely to be worse for you than sugar itself and are likely to both psychologically spur you to eat more, thinking you can balance the lack of sugar calories drunk by additional food calories, but also they make your body physically crave more calories. Sorry I don't have any readily accesible links at the moment to document these things for you, but if you look it up on reputable websites you should be able to find them.
Above all please take care and do NOT fall for what is called a "pile of goop", which are celebrity weblogs that have hearsay, innuendo and falsehoods in order to try and sell you overpriced "healthier" products, saying that the "Industry" and/or the "Government" is suppressing truths that are known throughout the world. People iwho have studied these things around the world can tell you outright that the claims they make are just so much BS. The twitter account https://twitter.com/PileOfGoop calls this stuff out and debunks it, especially Gwyneth's "Goop" site. Real scientists and nutritionists bring attention to much of the BS out there. Obviously they don't know everything, but people knowing underlying studies that can tell you the actual facts that ARE measurable is a very good thing, rather than falling for a celebrity who happens to have good genes that touts all manner and variety of ways to spend your money on both their and their friends' expensive product lines.
Of course some of the "facts" presented may have some grain of truth, but unless there are scientific studies backing them up, be forewarned that info you read may not be true. One of the biggest lies a fraudster/con oerson/huckster will give their audience is they "they" don't want you to know these miraculous "facts".
All in all, best of luck, go into this easily as crash dieting, etc. only tends to make your body rebound to an even worse level than you started at. Too much physical exercise can leave you sore and/or injured and while you wait for the soreness to disappear, you're only putting your body back at point zero.
If you can afford it, see a nutritionist/ personal trainer after visiting your Dr.. If not, then check with the nutritionist at Shop-Rite, since I understand she is very welcoming and has been helpfull to a number of people on the forum.
By the way, as a footnote, you could also begin by using a balanced "meal replacement" drink to replace a meal during the day. In the past, I've found "Nutrament" which comes in various flavors and is usually (for some reason) in the Shop-Rite aisle above the chocolate drink mixes, to be a good well-balanced meal alternative that can often be found on sale for $1.39 per can or thereabouts.
Best wishes!
Phil D. You def don't need a gym, I lost 110 lbs a few years ago and all I did was watch my food intake and used the my fitness pal app (free) and walked outside every day maybe took a day or two off to rest my body but even if you have to start slow like walking 10 build it up, I started very slow as I was over 300 lbs and built up to being able to jog and switch between that and walking you can do this without spending money on a gym, trainer, or nutritionist. Also in the app you type what you eat or want to eat and shows all nutritional info and great recipes message me privately if you wanna chat or need to stay motivated
NCCoastalgirl 
ru It's not complicated. You have to watch what you eat and you have to move. The mental aspect is the hard part for me. I stress eat A LOT. So concentrating on reducing stress makes it much easier for me to watch what I eat. If you eat compulsively, that's a mental thing. A gym or personal trainer won't help that.
I've heard this place is good (2nd hand knowledge YMMV). http://renfrewcenter.com/services/treatment-tracks/emotional-eating
Good luck and God bless.
scottso good advice in here, esp from Katherine and Tracy and irun and Phil D, ,
steady as she goes is the word of the day, eat a little less, move a little more
no question that milk has a ton of sugar in it, so be sure to think about that one ,
too much water is a bad thing, but drink the water anyways and be sure to replace those electrolytes,
fruit is great natural nutrition, but as described above is loaded with fast acting sugar, so be aware of that in your food plan,
take something off the plate, use smaller portions, eat dinner earlier in the evening, get up and move,
running and jumping jacks are not for everyone, if someone is over 300 pounds and/or who are suffering with cardiac issues need other forms of exercise that don't pound the joints into bone dust or stress an already weak heart over it's capacity, but proper exercise is essential in all cases
it takes time to change you mindset , it takes time, effort and patience to establish new fundamental patterns, losing/maintaining weight and getting the right kinds of exercise is a lifestyle choice, and to make it a new habit for yourself takes time and dedication, so if you stumble a bit, or skip a week of exercise don't go down with the ship, don't give up the ghost, just start again, that's all, today is a new day and you can change what you are going to do today so, be gentle with yourselves and keep a wholesome discipline, you haven't failed, just pick yourself back up and soldier on
BrotherDog NCCoastalgirl --- I would be very interested to know how much weight you have lost and what exercise(s)/program worked best for you, if you don't want to reveal all that here, please feel free to pm me at anytime. thanks! (keep up the good work and good luck with your continuing program)
Exercise is wonderful for your body but keep in mind that weight loss is mostly driven by 80% of what you eat and 20% exercise. Also, one of the biggest misconceptions with regards to weight loss is healthy eating. Weight loss and health are two different subject matters entirely. You can combine them for an ultimate outcome, however, when it comes to weight loss, it is all about calories in versus calories out. Check your resting BMR (metabolic rate) and eat less than you naturally burn in a sedentary state. You can find many of these calculators online. My fitness pal is also a great app that is free and easy to use. As long as you are accurate with your food diary, it will easily keep you on the right track for success. Healthy eating is important for other bodily functions but it doesn’t always go hand-in-hand with weight. I know many overweight vegetarians. Unfortunately I am a prime example of that. I restrict what I eat and I exercise but I don’t eat extremely healthy. I have a horrible sugar addiction but look very slim and fit. I am trying to change my eating habits so that I can be healthy on the inside as well.
One method that I have tried that is working for me to control my cravings is intermittent fasting. This method of eating is not for everybody as it can be very difficult to abstain from food for hours on end. My eating window is from 5 PM to 9 PM from Monday through Friday. Because of social events, I allow myself regular eating time frames on the weekends. I tend to lose more weight eating this way. There are different types of fasting programs but as you well know, there is no one size fits all when it comes to weight loss. Choose something that works best for you. Good luck and I wish you much success.
Jazzykatt If your on social media, follow cartergood. He is a personal trainer/coach. He lost 170 pounds on his own, and now shares his tips and tricks mainly for healthy eating. He also includes some workout tips. I follow him on instagram.
Melissa DHEA + Coconut Oil - dropped weight like crazy for a few months but your body always adjusts and you get diminishing returns.
Just got into - Time Restricted Feeding - not what you eat but when you eat.
https://medium.com/the-mission/time-restricted-feeding-your-solution-to-longevity-and-shredding-fat-2e8359fe91d3
Ihatebees 
Really??? Brother dog, I was using jumping jacks as a way to illustrate that doing ANYTHING to raise you heart rate for 30 minutes is a good thing. Also to illustrate that joining a gym to lose weight is not necessary.
I know you were consigliere, i got what you're saying and i wasn't trying to criticize you because encouraging exercise is always a good thing,
I am very interested in knowing more about NCCoastalgirl's methods of success in her endeavors, but fully cognizant of her need for privacy if she is uncomfortable sharing details in public.
exercise is key to losing weight and is key to a happier and engaged life.
eat a little less, move a little more, do it today.
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