Losing the pounds

[LT72884]

Well i have to lose 30 pounds in 5 months. I hope this is possible. When i busted me leg, i gained alot of pounds. Having a boot that raised my right hip up an additional 2 inches while walking, tweaked my back out of shape. Dr. gave me a paper for proper back health and it pretty much said i need to lose 30 pounds.

I have soft tissue damage and stretched tendons in me back form the break in my leg.

What do i have to do on a daily basis for food intake to help cut 5-6 pounds or more a month. I dont want to go on some crazy diet with nasty tasting food.

I ride my bike 6 miles every other day in the mountains and weight lift every other day. I think i need to do crunches but i am not sure how many to do each day

The bike ride takes me 32-36 minutes to complete. its a vigorous course to.


any suggestions would be appreciated. Must be healthier and have more self confidence.

 

[sattie]

You don't have to eat crud to lose weight. Eat the things you like, just eat less of it.

Cut down food portion sizes... to do this, I cook less food, so that way I can't go back for seconds or thirds. Also, snack in between meals. Eat fresh veggies or fruit, some nuts if you like.

Avoid soda pops if you drink them, replace with water and drink a glass of water before each meal. Keep sweets to a minimum. Sounds like you are doing alot of the right things already!

 

[bethzaring]

well, it is hard to improve on what sattie said, so I will just say it again!

Eat smaller portions, drink lots of water, and especially just before each meal. This will help fill you up with no additional calories. No desserts!! Try eating off a smaller plate than you are used to using. Eat less food and don't forget to drink water throughout the day. Good luck

 

[LT72884]

You don't have to eat crud to lose weight. Eat the things you like, just eat less of it.

Cut down food portion sizes... to do this, I cook less food, so that way I can't go back for seconds or thirds. Also, snack in between meals. Eat fresh veggies or fruit, some nuts if you like.

Avoid soda pops if you drink them, replace with water and drink a glass of water before each meal. Keep sweets to a minimum. Sounds like you are doing alot of the right things already!

I have not had soda for over a year. I only drink fruit juice. For some reason i cant seem to drink just plain water, tastes to nasty. I have to have some sorta of flavor. Not sugar, but flavor

What is the recommended amount of crunches a person should do each day?

is there a recommendation or is it playing by ear.

 

[bethzaring]

crunches are not going to help you lose the weight. Aerobic exercise and eating less will expediate weight loss.

 

[sattie]

Yea, agree with beth. Doing crunches will burn some calories, and tone your ab muscles up. But they wont show until you lose the pounds. Aerobic exercise, walking/running/bike riding/weights will all help to achieve that. Like I said, you are doing alot of the right things already in the exercise department.

As for the water, you can get sugar free - 0 calorie flavored water. I keep some around just for the purpose of having something different to drink. But I would try to learn to like water just as it is and make it a part of your daily diet. Not sure that this will help, but if you are not a fan of lemon in your water, try a slice of cucumber. The cucumber has diuretic properties that will help flush out your system and it gives your water a crisp fresh flavor.

Trust me, drink the water!

 

[LT72884]

Yea, agree with beth. Doing crunches will burn some calories, and tone your ab muscles up. But they wont show until you lose the pounds. Aerobic exercise, walking/running/bike riding/weights will all help to achieve that. Like I said, you are doing alot of the right things already in the exercise department.

As for the water, you can get sugar free - 0 calorie flavored water. I keep some around just for the purpose of having something different to drink. But I would try to learn to like water just as it is and make it a part of your daily diet. Not sure that this will help, but if you are not a fan of lemon in your water, try a slice of cucumber. The cucumber has diuretic properties that will help flush out your system and it gives your water a crisp fresh flavor.

Trust me, drink the water!

mmmm, i forgot about lemon in me water. Ok so stick with cardio stuff untill the weight has dropped. Here is my problem, i could lose alot of weight and still look big. I have twice the bone density as a normal person, according to my doctor, thats why my leg healed to the 75% threshold in 3 weeks.

its my stomach i need to get rid of. I hope i can lose 5-6 pounds a month

Thanx guys

 

[sattie]

Cardio, portion control, and lots of water. Water plays more of a key role in weight loss than anything.

 

[redkitty]

The only way to lose weight is to burn more calories than you eat. Start counting calories to get an idea of how much you are eating. You need to burn 3500 calories to lose 1lb of fat. Start burning those calories by getting your heart rate up with cardio!

Cut out everything white (pasta, rice, potatoes & bread) and replace them with whole grains. Also try to eat more veggies!

Fruit juice is loaded with calories, so how about you try half juice/water. My husband does this and it helps him drink more water.

 

[GotGarlic]

In general, we don't keep snacks like chips, cookies, cake, etc., in the house, to reduce temptation. Keep fruit and yogurt around for a quick, easy snack; hummus or tzatziki with baked pita chips are another tasty, healthy snack. Make sure you eat breakfast every day - people often think that if they skip breakfast, they will reduce their calorie intake, but studies show they usually eat more later in the day because they get so hungry.

redkitty is right - fruit juice has a lot of sugar. Tea or water with lemon or lime are better choices. re: pasta, rice, potatoes and bread: whole-grain pasta and bread, brown or wild rice, and sweet potatoes are options to consider. Pasta and rice are bases for so many healthy, low-calorie meals, I'd hesitate to cut them out completely. It's the toppings you have to be careful of: avoid lots of cheese, butter and sour cream, and use olive oil, tomato sauce, etc., instead. Have less red meat and more fish, chicken and lean pork.

Studies have also shown that eating soup before a meal reduces the amount of calories people eat during the meal. You could make a big pot of minestrone or lentil or split pea soup on Sunday and have a cup as an appetizer before dinner each night.

re: crunches - You might try starting with 10-15 and see how it feels. If it's comfortable, i.e., doesn't hurt your back, do that for a week or so, then add five more each week till you're doing 50 or so. I have a friend who does sit-ups every day; it hurts her back to do them on the floor, even with a mat, so she does them in bed in the morning before getting up.

Weigh yourself once a week, so you don't obsess over unimportant day-to-day fluctuations, and don't get discouraged if you hit a plateau. Just find another activity to add to work a different set of muscles. HTH.

 

[LT72884]

The only way to lose weight is to burn more calories than you eat. Start counting calories to get an idea of how much you are eating. You need to burn 3500 calories to lose 1lb of fat. Start burning those calories by getting your heart rate up with cardio!

Cut out everything white (pasta, rice, potatoes & bread) and replace them with whole grains. Also try to eat more veggies!

Fruit juice is loaded with calories, so how about you try half juice/water. My husband does this and it helps him drink more water.

OH MAN, but 100% grape and apple is the BEST. Especially when almost frozen right after a bike ride.

 

[LT72884]

what if im hungry at night, i have noticed that i eat every two hours becasue i am exercising more so my metabolic rate is getting higher.
Im trying to stay with in 1500-1700 cals a day. thats going to be hard, especially when OJ in the morning is 80 cals per 8 oz

 

[sattie]

Having a glass a juice a day is ok. Just make sure that what you drink the most is water. Have a glass of juice, try drinking less juice, more water.

 

[LT72884]

In general, we don't keep snacks like chips, cookies, cake, etc., in the house, to reduce temptation. Keep fruit and yogurt around for a quick, easy snack; hummus or tzatziki with baked pita chips are another tasty, healthy snack. Make sure you eat breakfast every day - people often think that if they skip breakfast, they will reduce their calorie intake, but studies show they usually eat more later in the day because they get so hungry.

redkitty is right - fruit juice has a lot of sugar. Tea or water with lemon or lime are better choices. re: pasta, rice, potatoes and bread: whole-grain pasta and bread, brown or wild rice, and sweet potatoes are options to consider. Pasta and rice are bases for so many healthy, low-calorie meals, I'd hesitate to cut them out completely. It's the toppings you have to be careful of: avoid lots of cheese, butter and sour cream, and use olive oil, tomato sauce, etc., instead. Have less red meat and more fish, chicken and lean pork.

Studies have also shown that eating soup before a meal reduces the amount of calories people eat during the meal. You could make a big pot of minestrone or lentil or split pea soup on Sunday and have a cup as an appetizer before dinner each night.

re: crunches - You might try starting with 10-15 and see how it feels. If it's comfortable, i.e., doesn't hurt your back, do that for a week or so, then add five more each week till you're doing 50 or so. I have a friend who does sit-ups every day; it hurts her back to do them on the floor, even with a mat, so she does them in bed in the morning before getting up.

Weigh yourself once a week, so you don't obsess over unimportant day-to-day fluctuations, and don't get discouraged if you hit a plateau. Just find another activity to add to work a different set of muscles. HTH.

Never thought of doing crunches in bed. Thats a great idea.

So it looks as if i will buy suger free kool aid stuff or protein water.

My only problem is when im hungry and i dont eat i get really dizzy, so i have to eat something and when im dizzy, i shoot for carbs like whole wheat toast or something with high protein.

I dont know how i am going to burn more cals than i take in. I would be doing nothing but exercise all day, i do have a life.

 

[LT72884]

Having a glass a juice a day is ok. Just make sure that what you drink the most is water. Have a glass of juice, try drinking less juice, more water.

LOL, here come the withdrawls.

my favorite snack is cheese, juice and fruit with some crackers.

No sacrifice; no victory

 

[GotGarlic]

Never thought of doing crunches in bed. Thats a great idea.

So it looks as if i will buy suger free kool aid stuff or protein water.

My only problem is when im hungry and i dont eat i get really dizzy, so i have to eat something and when im dizzy, i shoot for carbs like whole wheat toast or something with high protein.

I dont know how i am going to burn more cals than i take in. I would be doing nothing but exercise all day, i do have a life.

Whole-wheat toast with peanut butter is a good, healthy snack. There are lots of other low-calorie snacks you can keep on hand. I think we had a thread on that some time back. Yup, a couple:

• http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f26/i-need-healthy-snacks-44186.html
• http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f24/iso-snacks-35274.html

 

[LT72884]

Whole-wheat toast with peanut butter is a good, healthy snack. There are lots of other low-calorie snacks you can keep on hand. I think we had a thread on that some time back. Yup, a couple:

• http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f26/i-need-healthy-snacks-44186.html
• http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f24/iso-snacks-35274.html

dude, sweet action, thanx for all the great tips. Now i just need to stay in the habit. When it is -12*F here in the winter, i tend to stay indoors.

This week i plan to bike up south mountain. I should take the camera for you guys.

 

[jpmcgrew]

If you drink a lot of fruit juice it's not going to help with losing weight. The exercise should really help instead of juice eat whole fruit instead. As for the water your water just may not taste very good you could try a Brita water pitcher to filter the water just might make it taste better also ice cold water tastes better. The lemon water instead of juice will save tons of calories.

 

[CherryRed]

In addition to what everyone else has said, I would like to add that you shouldn't skip the crunches altogether. Although they won't help you magically lose weight from your midsection alone, they'll eventually help you slim down all over. Doing crunches will build up your abdominal muscles. Muscle burns more calories just being muscle than fat does. So the more muscle tone you have, the more calories you're going to burn day to day. Make sense?

 

[college_cook]

When working out, my judge of when to stop running/crunching/etc. is when I can't do anymore. I try to push myself to the limit when working out, because it helps you to build endurance and build muscle quicker.

As for diet, I've been testing out a theory I've been interested in for a long time, and it seems to be working. I try to eat food that I really love, because I feel like I eat less when the food is more satisfying. I'm also balancing my meals a lot better.

I used to be a no breakfast type of guy, and just ate large-ish lunch and dinner. The first thing I do when I get up, is eat some fruit. 1 orange, 1 banana, 1 mango, 1 pear, 1 w/e. I keep my lunches small, and I keep my dinners small and balanced.

I'm keeping my days filled as much as I can, and I noticed rather quickly that if I fill up my day with work and then a couple of hours of housework plus workout, I finish up the day very tired, but good because I accomplished a lot. I sleep better, and I find myself eating less because I'm more eager to go get stuff done. I'm not going hungry, but I'm just eating what I should be, and in the quantity I should be, and not really trying to do any sort of crazy diet... just moderation.

And it's worked out for me... 10 pounds this month, but that not the big success... the big success is that I'm down 2 belt sizes! I cannot eat nearly the amount of food I used to be, and if I try I find myself feeling like I've tried to eat 2 thanksgiving dinners.

Everything they say about working out regularly, eating in moderation appears to be true! Who knew? The thing I would suggest is to stay off the scales. If you check them too often, you can get discouraged. I check my scale one a week, and am always delighted to see that I've lost 2-3 pounds without really feeling like I've done any particularly difficult dieting or working out.