a guide to losing weight the healthy way Options

[iheartjohn]

Mmmhmmm.

Please note that the ONLY way you will lose weight if you burn more calories than you eat.

Example:

I ate 1200 calories today.
I burned 2400 calories. Thus, I lost 2 pounds.

--------------------------------------

Got it? Okay, onwards.


Step 1. Eat right.

Don't cut out your carbs, okay? You're young. Don't screw with your metabolism.

The essentials: vegetables (crrots, lettuce, broccoli); fruits (apples, oranges, bananas); grains (cereal, bread, pasta); dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese) and iron (meats, fish, nuts)

Here are some eating tips.


Instead of French Fries, consider baked potato chips.

Instead of sugar, try Splenda or brown sugar.

(more suggestions coming soon)



Cutting these out of your regular diet will cut MAJOR calories.

Eliminate ALL soda.
Eliminate anything salty.
Cut out junk food ALL TOGETHER.



9 Rules of Eating

1.Prepare a balanced meal plan and stick to it.

2.Try to stick to regular meal times the best you can.

3.Eat slowly and chew each bite completely to decrease your appetite.

4.Avoid eating while you're watching TV or preparing a meal. It is far too easy to overeat when you are distracted or surrounded by food.

5.Cutout a picture of someone whose figure you admire, to keep you motivated.

6.Eat the most filling, least fattening foods first (for example salad before the pizza, soup before the meal) so you fill up faster and consume fewer calories.

7.People that eat mostly fruits, vegetables and whole grains often find that they can eat as much as they want without gaining weight.

8.Drink four to six glasses of water each day, especially before meals. Water has no calories and it will help you to feel full.

9.Remember it takes your brain 20 minutes to realize that you are full, so eat slowly and chew your food as long as you can.


Boost your metabolism
Why? To keep your energy pulsating and your body in shape.

1.Drinking hot water as apposed to cold water can increase the speed of your metabolism and burn more calories.

2.Do not skip breakfast. A breakfast bowl of vegetables and brown rice is a great way to kick-start your metabolism for the day.

3.Avoid stress. Physical and emotional stress activates the release of cortisol, a steroid that slows metabolism.

4.Sleep. Research shows that people who don't sleep for seven to eight hours a night are more prone to weight gain.

5.Be positive! The more you feel good about yourself the easier and faster it is to lose weight.



Now on to being active.

Firstly, don't automatically run like hell everyday for the next two weeks to shed some weight. Start yourself off in moderation, so you don't get tired.

Start with a modest goal, like 15 to 20 minutes at a leisurely pace.

Gradually extend the duration and the speed.

Walk up one or two gentle slopes.

Your walk should be comprised of three segments: warm-up, exercise pace and cool-down.


How to walk:
That's right. You're probably doing it wrong.

Walk with your chin up and your shoulders held slightly back.

The heel of your foot should touch the ground first. Roll your weight forward.

Swing your arms as you walk.

To avoid stiff or sore muscles or joints, start gradually. Over several weeks, begin walking faster, going further, and walking for longer periods of time.

Walk on soft ground.

Rehydrate yourself -- drink 8-10 ounces of water for every 20 minutes of activity.


More information.

The more you walk, the better you will feel. You also use more calories.

Walking will give you more energy, make you feel good, help you to relax, reduce stress, help you sleep better, tone your muscles, help control your appetite, increase the number of calories your body uses.

To lose weight, it's more important to walk for time than speed.

Walking at a moderate pace yields longer workouts with less soreness - leading to more miles and more calories spent on a regular basis.

Make walking a daily habit or at least 3-5 times a week depending on your schedule.




If you want to add some tips of your own, you're very welcome to. I will add more of my own later.

[sw33t_rouge]

runrunrun! will lose lotsa weirght :] i swear!

[Nicolatofu]

Nicely said, Felicia! I hate when I see people on "all-fruit" diets or something stupid. You're depriving your body of nutrients it needs! and yeah.. good job

[*mipadi*]

It should be noted that you don't want to cut too many calories, because if you drastically cut calories, your body responds by slowing down your metabolism and storing fat. A good way to burn more calories is to increase muscle mass; muscle is metabolically active, meaning it requires energy to maintain itself (fat, of course, does not). Don't be fooled by the scale: replacing fat with muscle will probably make you gain weight, but you will be healthier and less flabby.

[*not_your_average*]

If you feel tempted to eat junk food, candy, etc, try eating fruit or drinking water. This will fill you up and again, you won't feel as hungry.

[demolished]

The essentials: vegetables (crrots, lettuce, broccoli); fruits (apples, oranges, bananas); grains (cereal, bread, pasta); dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese) and iron (meats, fish, nuts)

most of my diet come from diary products. Does this means, it's still good? i hardly eat much meat and almost everything else. i usually eay ham and waffles and drink milk for breakfast. Lunch are usually related to grain products such as bread, crust, and etc. i sometime eat 0-1 small cup of fruit a day.

Here are some eating tips.
Instead of French Fries, consider baked potato chips.

That's smart but it increase the risk of cancer from potatoes products.

Instead of sugar, try Splenda or brown sugar.

i never add sugar to anything.

(more suggestions coming soon)
Cutting these out of your regular diet will cut MAJOR calories.

Eliminate ALL soda.
Eliminate anything salty.
Cut out junk food ALL TOGETHER.

i always do . i hardly eat junk food
9 Rules of Eating

1.Prepare a balanced meal plan and stick to it.

i cant because there aint food in the house. my mom go shopping once two weeks.

2.Try to stick to regular meal times the best you can.

something i dont eat dinner or eat less dinner because i just ate about 2 hours ago before dinner starts at 6:25

3.Eat slowly and chew each bite completely to decrease your appetite.

That's true but my family always bitch at me for eating like a girl. lol

4.Avoid eating while you're watching TV or preparing a meal. It is far too easy to overeat when you are distracted or surrounded by food.

Sometime i do because i know how much i eat by knowing the amount of food i have in my bowl.

5.Cutout a picture of someone whose figure you admire, to keep you motivated.

that works well. 

6.Eat the most filling, least fattening foods first (for example salad before the pizza, soup before the meal) so you fill up faster and consume fewer calories.

that's smart. There is a words for that, it's "appietier" or whatever.

7.People that eat mostly fruits, vegetables and whole grains often find that they can eat as much as they want without gaining weight.

really? i never done that. That's amusing. i wear braces and i dont want to damage the bracket.

8.Drink four to six glasses of water each day, especially before meals. Water has no calories and it will help you to feel full.

How about 2% fat milk? Most of my liquid diet are from milk. i drink about 1 bottle of arrowhead water at school.

9.Remember it takes your brain 20 minutes to realize that you are full, so eat slowly and chew your food as long as you can.

Wow, i didnt know that. thats quite amusing. i'll stick that in mind for now on.

Boost your metabolism
Why? To keep your energy pulsating and your body in shape.

1.Drinking hot water as apposed to cold water can increase the speed of your metabolism and burn more calories.

Hot water takes horrible, what about hot chocolate? (warm)

2.Do not skip breakfast. A breakfast bowl of vegetables and brown rice is a great way to kick-start your metabolism for the day.

i eat 2 waffles and 2 piece of ham with a small bowl of milk. good enough? 

3.Avoid stress. Physical and emotional stress activates the release of cortisol, a steroid that slows metabolism.

i dont understand it? Can you break it into baby words ?

4.Sleep. Research shows that people who don't sleep for seven to eight hours a night are more prone to weight gain.

No wonder, i gained weight over night.

5.Be positive! The more you feel good about yourself the easier and faster it is to lose weight.

i hope so ..

Now on to being active.

Firstly, don't automatically run like hell everyday for the next two weeks to shed some weight. Start yourself off in moderation, so you don't get tired.

i dont run but i walk fast in an incorrect way.
i always have about 10-15 min. workout.
Does it means .. still good?

Gradually extend the duration and the speed.

Somehow, i'm slowing down on speed walking. i'm getting sick and tired of it.

Your walk should be comprised of three segments: warm-up, exercise pace and cool-down.

i use to do that but i stop.

Rehydrate yourself -- drink 8-10 ounces of water for every 20 minutes of activity.
How much is one bottle of arrowhead water? 

More information.

The more you walk, the better you will feel. You also use more calories.

Walking will give you more energy, make you feel good, help you to relax, reduce stress, help you sleep better, tone your muscles, help control your appetite, increase the number of calories your body uses.

Hell yeah but .. i sort of stop doing it.

[Trolling]

The essentials: vegetables (crrots, lettuce, broccoli); fruits (apples, oranges, bananas); grains (cereal, bread, pasta); dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese) and iron (meats, fish, nuts)

most of my diet come from diary products. Does this means, it's still good? i hardly eat much meat and almost everything else. i usually eay ham and waffles and drink milk for breakfast. Lunch are usually related to grain products such as bread, crust, and etc. i sometime eat 0-1 small cup of fruit a day.

Here are some eating tips.
Instead of French Fries, consider baked potato chips.

That's smart but it increase the risk of cancer from potatoes products.

Instead of sugar, try Splenda or brown sugar.

i never add sugar to anything. 

(more suggestions coming soon)
Cutting these out of your regular diet will cut MAJOR calories.

Eliminate ALL soda.
Eliminate anything salty.
Cut out junk food ALL TOGETHER.

i always do . i hardly eat junk food 
9 Rules of Eating

1.Prepare a balanced meal plan and stick to it.

i cant because there aint food in the house. my mom go shopping once two weeks.
i dont understand it? Can you break it into baby words ? 
No wonder, i gained weight over night.

i hope so  .. 
i dont run but i walk fast in an incorrect way.
i always have about 10-15 min. workout.
Does it means .. still good? 


Somehow, i'm slowing down on speed walking. i'm getting sick and tired of it.
i use to do that but i stop.

Hell yeah but .. i sort of stop doing it.

You know whats odd... I do the complete opposite of what a person trying to lose weight does and yet I still lose weight... well not weight but like bmi

[elmogurly]

this is awesome!

[SillyCourtney]

Very nicely said! Although I don't really need it because my body has a very high metabolism anyways. I can't gain weight amlost at all. (It's extremely hard for me to gain weight.. but I am pretty athletic and I eat healthy because I don't like a lot of junk food.)

[nerdxcore]

those are helpful tips.

[iheartjohn]

Thanks to the people who added something.

[aeyungg xd]

FINALLY.
EVERYONE should know that the way you lose weight is to burn more calories than you lose. Most people don't know that, unfortunately.

and with the whole "cutting carbs", i hate that. carbs are energy, but turn into fat if you don't use it. but people just associate "carbs" to "fat".

good job!

[shortiiex]

i read somewhere that there is a difference between Calories and calories so make sure that you put the right one

[*mipadi*]

i read somewhere that there is a difference between Calories and calories so make sure that you put the right one

Um...what?

I guess you might be thinking of calories vs. kilocalories. A food with, say, 100 calories actually contains 100 kilocalories (KCals) of energy; but when used in reference to food, the term "calorie" is generally used.

[waccoon]

You want to avoid oils and grease, as they slow down the digestive process.. and if you want to lose weight, you're never having anything from McDonalds or White Castle again. Thirty minutes of vigorous excercise daily is required to maintain your current weight.

[waccoon]

Also, working out shouldn't be just walking. If you're that serious about losing weight, join a gym or buy a home gym. If you don't see results after a while, keep in mind that infants that are heavier have an easier time gaining weight then losing weight, and vice versa. You don't want to lose weight, but fat content, and increased muscle mass means a faster metabolism. Your excercise should be a mix of cardiovascular excercises and weight training.

A rule to always remember is, if you're not hungry, don't eat. If you feel full, stop eating.

[shortiiex]

Um...what?

I guess you might be thinking of calories vs. kilocalories. A food with, say, 100 calories actually contains 100 kilocalories (KCals) of energy; but when used in reference to food, the term "calorie" is generally used.

Large Calories
The large "calorie" is the amount of energy, or heat, it takes to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram gram of water 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit). One large calorie is equal to 4,184 joules. It is commonly used in food energy measurement and appears on food labels as "kilocalories." It may also be referred to a a "food calorie."

Small Calories
The small "calorie" is the amount of energy, or heat, it takes to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit). One small calorie is equal to 4.184 joules. It may also be referred to as an "energy calorie."

[iheartjohn]

Thank you Shortiiex

[mai_z]

Yay! I love Felicia's guides! Yea the whole kilocalorie/calorie thing is confusing, but when referring to food, it's always just been Calorie (or even calorie) which is 1000 scientific calories.....whatever ol

Something i'd like to add:

DIETING MYTHS:

1." If I drastically cut calories, I'll lose weight faster."
When you take your caloric intake down too low, you are actually sending your body into "starvation mode". Your body wants to maintain your weight when it "thinks" you are starving; therefore, your metabolism will actually slow down and you may not lose weight. Take it slow

2. "I should get rid of my favorite less-than-healthful foods."
By treating yourself to your old favorites now and again, you'll stay motivated and you'll be less likely to give in to a binge. Just make sure you get back on track after your treat. Moderation is the key to successful, long-term weight loss. <<take this one in moderation, this isn't an excuse to just eat junk food

3. "I shouldn't eat between meals."
On the contrary, eating a small, healthful snack between meals will help keep your blood sugar at an even keel and keep your metabolism going strong. You'll also avoid getting too hungry so you don't over-eat at your next meal.

4. "Fat is bad."
Everybody needs to include some fat in their diet. We need it; plus, it makes dishes more satisfying and palatable. Some fats are even good for you, like omega-3 fatty acids, which are found predominantly in fish and shellfish.


5."Your metabolism is slower at night."
Contrary to popular belief, your metabolism doesn't slow down after a certain time. This legend probably stems from the fact that many of us eat a larger proportion of calories in the evening, for example, snacking in front of the TV. If that's you, making a general rule about not eating after a certain time may be effective. Just be clear about one thing: the bag of crisps you eat at 3pm will do the same amount of damage as the one you have at 9pm. It's the calories, not the time of day, that matters.


6. "Cold water burns calories."
There is no evidence to show that this actually works. However, drinking plenty of water, no matter how cold it is, will keep your metabolism on track. Also, hot water with a bit of lemon is good for digestion, metabolism, and for the skin

7. "Fat free = calorie free."
That low-fat label is by no means a license to eat all you want. Many low-fat products are loaded with extra sugar to make up for the missing fat, which means they can be just as high in calories as their full-fat counterparts. The bottom line is that keeping portion sizes in perspective is essential, even when there is no fat involved.


8. " [insert food name here] has negative calories"
nuh uh...not true. Nice try though. No food can burn calories, though some have less or are healthier than others. Eat everything in moderation and you'll be fine.

[StrwberriQT]

hm. i found two websites that might help.

Burn Fat!

Lose Weight the Healthy Way

Exercise more

The healthiest way to lose weight is neither crash diets and fad diets nor sudden bursts of exercise. The body likes slow changes in terms of food and exercise. For example, someone who has not exercised for years should not rush into running three miles every day. Exercise needs to be increased slowly.

People who eat a lot will experience problems if they suddenly start starving themselves. Introduce changes gradually. Even relatively light exercise such as a short walk may be beneficial if done frequently. The calories you eat minus what you use in exercise and maintaining your body will be stored as fat.

Someone that increases the amount they exercise, but maintains the same diet and calorie intake, will almost certainly lose weight.

Reduce calories

For many people it may be beneficial to reduce their calorie intake by eating less and eating more healthily. It is not necessary to crash diet. This usually ends up with the person concerned either getting weaker or giving up completely in desperation. This in turn can lead to a yo-yoing effect of the weight loss - weight gain cycle. Cut down on fatty foods and eat more bread, fruit and vegetables.

Eating 300 to 500 calories less per day, may lead to losing between one and two pounds per week. This is a realistic weight loss. It may seem slow, but would add up to a weight loss of more than three stone in a year.

Having a glass of water instead of juice, eating less lunch than usual and having smaller portions of the food you enjoy are all ways to reduce calorific intake without having to necessarily alter your diet significantly. Avoid a second helping at dinner and snacks between meals, which may have become a habit. Cut down on beer and alcohol. All these things will influence your health in a positive way.

Be patient and persevere

It might take a week or two before the results will show, but they will steadily appear. After the first month you will be able to both see the results and measure them.

Rewarding oneself with something nice for reaching certain targets can be beneficial. For example, going to the movies or getting a new CD to celebrate the progress - whatever suits you as an individual for all your hard work.

You must not forget to share your joy with your friends and relations. Explain to them how you are losing weight because other people's support is valuable.

Let's face it: if a person is really serious about fighting their weight problem, then they can no longer enjoy lots of food, cakes and sweets. This does not mean that they have to completely cut out everything unhealthy - that would be torture. But they can learn how to enjoy these foods in small quantities.

Every single time a person exercises more than usual, they burn calories and fat. Avoid being impatient and remind yourself that the results will slowly manifest themselves. Remember that there are no shortcuts to losing weight in a healthy and reasonable way.

[coconutter]

Thanks, I could sware I'm gaining weight, so I'm only going to drink water exercise and not eat as much.

[sadolakced acid]

6. "Cold water burns calories."
There is no evidence to show that this actually works. However, drinking plenty of water, no matter how cold it is, will keep your metabolism on track. Also, hot water with a bit of lemon is good for digestion, metabolism, and for the skin

water must be brought to body tempurature before it can be used. therefore, cold water will burn some calories. one kilogram of water 20 degrees below body tempurature will take 20 Calories to raise, so it's not exactly much.

2+2=5
i love big brother

[kill.t3h.r0cK]

Going vegeterian && vegan helps you lose a bit of wait && become more healthy as long as you still get your recommended nutrition from other foods instead of meat or animal by products...Yeah, I guess that seems a bit extreme, but it's not all that hard && it really works as long as you excersise && don't eat so much. I was vegan && I'm vegeterian now...I umm, I just get lonely walking by myself...y'know? Plus, I can't exactly play sports by myself...

[gOODpIRATE]

7.People that eat mostly fruits, vegetables and whole grains often find that they can eat as much as they want without gaining weight.

this is true, at least for me. i don't eat most meats though. i only eat chicken or fish occasionally. but i ony do that by choise though.

runrunrun! will lose lotsa weirght :] i swear!

TRUE! TRUE! TRUE! the best way. trust me!!!

[jo3]

ok sorry but some of your tips are killing me, so i have to reply

Step 1. Eat right.

Don't cut out your carbs, okay? You're young. Don't screw with your metabolism.

wrong. although you shouldn't go all out and completely eliminate your carb intake, you should limit your carbs. carbs are the fastest to digest, so you get hungry faster.

1.Prepare a balanced meal plan and stick to it.

i kind of agree. however, the key to sticking to a plan is variety. make sure you have plenty of options for each meal. otherwise, you'll give up and revert back to your old, nasty eating habits

2.Try to stick to regular meal times the best you can.

if you mean eating only breakfast, lunch, and dinner, then i disagree. it is beneficial to eat lots of small meals rather than 3 big meals. most health conscious people try to eat at least 4-6 meals a day. NOTE** these meals are smaller portions that what you'd normally eat if you only ate 3 meals a day

7.People that eat mostly fruits, vegetables and whole grains often find that they can eat as much as they want without gaining weight.

i hope this was supposed to be a "myth". anything in excess will get you fat, regardless of how healthy it is. food = calories, and the more food you eat, the more calories your body takes in.

8.Drink four to six glasses of water each day, especially before meals. Water has no calories and it will help you to feel full.

i agree, except you should actually drink about a gallon of water a day. that's sixten glasses of water.

9.Remember it takes your brain 20 minutes to realize that you are full, so eat slowly and chew your food as long as you can.

you really don't need to eat slowly. eat half of whats on your plate, and then take a little break. talk to the people you're eating with about your day and stuff. if you're eating alone, go do something for about 10 min. if you're still hungry, go ahead and eat more, but chances are you'll forget about what you were eating.

1.Drinking hot water as apposed to cold water can increase the speed of your metabolism and burn more calories.

i really don't know much about this topic, but i'd think that if it really did make a difference (and i doubt it does since it's really not enough), cold water would be beneficial since your body is kind of in shock and needs to make adjustments to regulate your body temp. but like i said, you're not drinking enough water to make that big of a difference

2.Do not skip breakfast. A breakfast bowl of vegetables and brown rice is a great way to kick-start your metabolism for the day.

i would die if i ate veggies and brown rice for breakfast. when you eat breakfast, make sure to include lots of carbs. your body hasn't had any nutrients for the past 8 hours or so, so it needs energy fast. carbs digest the fastest, so now would be a good time to eat them.

3.Avoid stress. Physical and emotional stress activates the release of cortisol, a steroid that slows metabolism.

work out or go out for a run. both of those reduce stress because they release endorphins, which are essentially the body's pain killers

To lose weight, it's more important to walk for time than speed.

Walking at a moderate pace yields longer workouts with less soreness - leading to more miles and more calories spent on a regular basis.

that's incorrect. maybe in the end you'll end up burning the same amount of calories (high intensity x short time, low intensity x long time), but since your body has been under a lot of stress when running, the aftereffects will last longer. your metabolism will stay up for a longer period of time than when you walked because you pushed your body to the limit. that's why it is highly encouraged to lift heavy weight and low reps as opposed to light weights and high reps. not only are higher intensities better, but they save you lots of time.

other than that, i agree with what you're saying haha.

other things i'd like to add:
- there are 3 main nutrients: proteins, fats, and carbs (there's more, but these are the one's that everyone pays attention to). whatever you do, make sure you NEVER EVER eat something with lots of fat and carbs. that's the worst possible combination you can have. in the morning (breakfast), eat a meal consisting of high protein and high carbs. your body is starving at this point and needs a quick boost of energy, which carbs will provide. as the day goes on, eat less and less carbs, and begin to eat the foods with fats (the healthy fats i might add). make sure you are constantly eating protein. no, eating lots of protein won't make you huge or super buff. the amino acids in protein are vital in creating and maintaining muscles, and they are vital for many other things. the reason to eat fats at night is because fats take the longest to digest, so while you're sleeping, your body is still digesting the fats. Essentially, you're trying to ensure that your body has something to work with at all times.

- if you wanna run to burn off fat, do it in the morning after waking up. make sure to do it on an empty stomach, as that will maximize your fat burning since your body will have to resort to fat to keep itself running.

- high intensity, low reps/time limit is what you should ALWAYS try to do. it will not turn into Arnold Schwarzeneggar or anything. Since girls lack testosterone, they pretty much have no chance of getting HUGE. that's why most of the female bodybuilders you see are hairy and have low voices (they take testosterone shots and/or pills).

- spot training will not get you the results you want. for example, you can't do millions of crunches and expect all the fat around your stomach to disappear and have a 6 pack appear. your ab muscles will get stronger, and you will burn calories, but your stomach fat will most likely be there. You need to do a full body workout AND incorporate cardio into your workouts. otherwise, you'll keep that 1 pack of yours

wow that took me forever to edit/write up. i hope someone actually reads it