I lost 90 pounds in 2006 and have kept it off since then. It took my 9 months. I think it s almost easier to lose a lot of weight than a little, because when it s only a little, we keep playing games with ourselves that it won t hurt to cheat on a given day.In order to lose weight I found that the healthiest way was to eat small portions of Lean protein (usually chicken or fish...a servings is 3 oz...eat 2 servings per day), Whole grain carbs (a serving is ONE slice of bread (or two slices of the diet stuff), 1/2 c. of rice or a small potato...or the amount of cereal the box says is a serving. I try to keep my cereals to high fiber cereals, with less than 150 calories per serving). Eat 4 servings of carbs a day2 fruits, just about any fruit is good for you. Summer is a great time for fruit.VEGGIES...unlimited, with a few caveats. Avocado isn t really a veggie, and it s high in (good) fat...and calories, so take it easy on them if you re trying to lose. When you re maintaining, they are great. Corn and peas are veggies. Except pea pods...corn and peas are actually counted as carbs. Try to eat 5 servings of veggies a day or moreSKIM milk (have 2 servings a day...or you can have nonfat yogurt)Watch your fattty salad dressings. Try vinaigrette, and watch the calories. Some have a lot of calories. A serving should have about 50 calories or less. Be sure and measure. Stay away from butter, mayonnaise, and cheese. They are all high in fat. Stay away from crackers, chips, etc. They are high in calories.The other half is exercise. Start a strength training program. Building up lean muscle makes your metabolism speed up. Your body has to work harder to maintain muscle. Muscle also takes up less room than the same poundage of fat, so theoreticallly, you could weigh more and look slimmer (and fit into smaller clothes, which is all that counts, right?) Alternate strength training with cardio exercise every other day. I work out 6 days a week, taking one day off (usually Sunday, and sometimes even then, I go for a bike ride or walk my dog).
I m just going to make this simple for you, weight loss is a lifestyle change, not an instant fix. That is why people gain the weight back because they go back to their old habits. Some great tips to start would be drink lots of water and water only, don t eat sugar, no processed foods, eat less meat, eat around 5 or 6 SMALL meals a day, and 30 minutes of exercise a day would be best! The key to keeping it off would be to eat like this forever. Once you get used to eating right, the bad foods will not look appealing to you anymore. Slimmer belly and thinner thighs?? That s where the exercise part comes in. Only drinking water and no sugar will def help with that though!
Running is an AWESOME way to lose weight. Do it almost everyday and you ll see results quickly (if you watch your diet, too). You can also do easy exercises like lunges and leg lifts right at home. Also, just watch what you eat. There s no need to be super crazy about it, but instead of having let s say a full-fat Starbuck s drink with a ton of sugary syrups and whipped cream, go for a regular coffee instead. Or instead of having a heavy dessert, have a fruit salad with a little whipped cream (fat-free is even better).
If you don t already do cardio, you should add some at least 3-4 times per week for about a half hour. Jogging, swimming, brisk walk... these all work. Also try a little strength training. This really helped me. I eat about 5 small meals per day instead of three larger ones... and I have limited junk food to a rare treat, say once or twice on the weekend.With all of this combined I have managed to lose 30lbs and I look really toned.
Slim fast works if you stick with it.. FOR MONTHS
