[Toni_no12002]

Hi in the new year im going to start a diet.I want to lose weight and tone up.

Ive read that you have to do things like aerobics and weight training.So you can build up lean muscle.

I cant afford to go to a gym id have to do things in my house.I have some weights and things but whats sorts of exercise should i do(i dont have any machines)Also how often should i do these things to see results?

Thankyou

[Outcast]

Start with how you eat. Banish junk food from your house and quit stopping off for burgers with fries. Avoid deep-fried things. Eat more veggies and fruit and stay away from fat.

You can buy videos that have training programs. You can also google 'exercising with weights' and find tons of exercises. Some even have animated illustrations.

[penkitten]

this is going to sound stupid i know
but heres how my fiance is losing weight and hes not exactly trying

1 add veggies to your diet
hes always drank skim milk and things like that but before we lived together he ate things at home that were convienent due to it just being him at home.
now he lives with us and i make balanced dinners. hes been eating lots of veggies that he hasnt had in years and i think it helps and so does his mom.
although he wont try cabbage or okra or squash, he will eat peas and corn and green beans and brocolli.

2 walk walk
we walk around our block after dinner with the kids if the weather is nice for fun. its great exercise. i also park the car far away from things where we must walk further to get to a store or back to the car.

3 eat at designated times.
snacking when hungry is ok i guess but if you set a certain time for breakfast lunch and dinner and stick to them your body gets in a routine. then you dont seem to want to snack that much either.
alot of folks say its great to eat five small meals a day, which is nice if you had time but some of us cant due to work. if you must snack, try to keep stuff around that is light like crackers, vegggies like carrots or celery, cheese, yogurt, cereal bars, and even popcorn rather than candy or chips.


4 stop getting on the scales, it doesnt seem to help looking at it everyday. i dont know why.

5. yoga! yoga is great for relaxation, exercise and personal growth. we arent doing yoga yet but i recently saw a ton of yoga material at walmart and i plan to start pretty soon .


as far as toning up, my best friend believes in sit ups and that taebo. she looks great but i am rather lazy and honestly i dont think i could do two sit ups in a row haha. but i remember when i was in high school that in gym we did sit ups and jumping jacks and leg lifts and we all looked really great because of it so it must work.

[fomerlyniceguy]

Ok. I think I can help you out a little, I have lost 40 pounds in the last 3.5 months. It is tough but you can do it. First of all it is a way to changing your lifestyle not just a temporary change. So yes people will say do this and that to your diet etc. You have to start slow and build up or you will not stick to it. First of all to lose one pound of weight you have to burn about 3500 calories. So you need to shoot for a a deficit of about 500 calories a day. Roughly speaking that might mean skipping a dessert, or cutting out soda, something that is not radically different but enough to make a difference. That maybe say 100 - 300 calories or so a day(It helps to write down what you normally eat for a few days). So to make that magic number you then increase your activity level. Cardio exercise is what you need to burn those extra calories. Luckily on a tight budget cardio is easy to get. Walking(very good to start off with), running, swimming, jumping rope, etc. Ideally you want to get your heart rate on the target zone of 65% - 85% of your max heart rate(Max heart rate is 220 - Your age). If you are say 20 years old then your max is 200 Your zone is 200 X .65 = 130, 200 X .85 = 170. So you would work to get your heart rate up above 130 for say 30 to 45 minutes, occasionally throwing in higher intensity to reach up closer to 170 for say 1 to 3 minutes intervals(This is actually for strengthing your heart).

Now weight training is also needed. The reason is lean muscle burns more calories that fat. A pound of muscle burns 50 more calories a day than fat. Doesn't sound like much but if after working out a while you gain 10 lbs of muscle that is 500 extra calories a day you burn. Not to mention that you aren't losing the weight just to be skinny looking you want the oppisite sex to uh.... notice. While it is much easier in the gym, mostly because of variety and being able to choose a different routine each time getting fit at home is totally doable. A good set of dumbbells that the weight can be adjusted on, also you can get resistance bands and physioballs fairly cheaply that often have videos that will give you a good workout. Also look online for workouts good old callestenics still work really well.

Things to watch out for. Yes don't weigh yourself everyday. Our weight fluctuates day to day. You might weigh one day and the next be heavier. About once a month is enough. Sooner or later you will plateau and it is frustrating. You seem to stop losing weight for weeks at a time. KEEP WORKING OUT, it is temporary and you will get through it. Somethings that help are varying your routine, time of day, exercises, intensity, etc. Don't fall for magic machines, pills, etc none of them work. Sustainable weight loss is hard work diet and exercise. Make sure you keep and eye on what you eat. After while things will creep back into your diet that shouldn't slowly increase vegetable consumption, leave off the cheese occasionally, drink lots of water etc. Do all this slowly and it will be part of your life, not something you are trying. I wish you good luck, and let me know if you have any questions.

Oh one other thing keep looking for activities another thing that can kill and exercise regimen is boredom keep trying new things. Also make sure you have someone to act as a cheerleader so when you say hey I lost another 1.5pounds this week they say "Go on with your bad self".

[bicyclejunk]

Can I just add, that it's HARD AS HELL to lose weight
and keep it off???

So you gotta set your goals and be strong. Be strong!
It's so easy to get sick of it in the first week or so
because you're not seeing an instant change in body
appearance, but just keep working at it...

Always remember, you're not only reconditioning your
Outside, you reconditioning your inside as well...and for us
humans, when we start exercising and eating better, were
basically improving ourselves from the inside out. So we'll be
feeling better before we'll be looking better, if we keep at it..

**I just started exercising and eating better this past monday..
It's been tough, and hell, it was tough to get started, but
i'm determined to get in shape and look good. I'm going to
cut out the sweets and sodas and junk food for a while
(because god knows you can't stay away from those things forever)
and work off some of this unhealthy weight i've acquired over the
past year. Then moderate exercise and sweet/sodas in moderation
won't be so bad, once i'm in better shape.

It's mental too...I believe in the Yoga/strectching/meditation thing
too...it helps get you in a good mental state and ready to
tackle the weight loss...

i'm rambling...okay...watch what you eat, sacrifice a few things
and start walking and/or jogging and lifting some light weights...
Stick with it and see a difference.

[Toni_no12002]

Hi thanks for ya comments one thing that gets me is that.I love carbs yea i know hat a bad thing but i eat brown bread,brown rice,pasta i love veggies!I even walk everywhere and quite alot.Do diets always work?

[slubberdegullion]

It's not rocket science.

Eat less.

Exercise more.

[fomerlyniceguy]

Originally Posted by bicyclejunk

Can I just add, that it's HARD AS HELL to lose weight
and keep it off???

Yes it is very hard. The first couple of weeks can be decieving because you lose weight pretty rapidly, mostly water weight. Not only that it is new so motivation is no problem. When I started I knew there was no way I would succeed unless I gave it my all the first few weeks I went to the Gym everyday just to make it a habit. Now I take a rest day once a week. I had to change my routine because of boredom though. I added a martial arts class and indoor rock climbing. After that intial rush of the first few weeks you have only your dedication and hopefully the routine has became a habit. If you miss a workout you will notice, you act and feel differently. When you go out to eat you instinctivly stat looking for the smartest choice on the menu. I had to lose weight I was was faced with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, impending diabetes and felt terrible. Keep it up even if you don't feel moivated that day, do at least a little something just to keep up the habit, most often that is the motivation you need to do a full workout. After you become aware of what you are eating you realize then a burger, fries and coke takes appoximately 2 hours of high intensity cardio on a treadmill to burn off, suddenly it not as appetizing.

[fomerlyniceguy]

Originally Posted by slubberdegullion

It's not rocket science.

Eat less.

Exercise more.

Yes in it's most simple form this is true, but if you have never had to lose a lot of weight then other things come in to the equation, like boredom motivation, etc. Losing a few vanity pounds is different than losing 100 pounds. People need to know how to start and stay with it. Right now I spend about 22 hours a week in gyms, it takes a lot of effort to stay motivated. Especially when you have a full time job and a life outside the gym you care about.

[newbby]

cut out the wheat. brown rice is great, eat more of that and less pasta. eat porridge instead of toast for breakfast. cut down on dairy. eat more beans and complex carbs like that. fish oil helps you lose weight. use honey instead of sugar. lots of fresh veg. salads make your own dressing with cider vinegar (also speeds up metabolism) and olive oil. drink lots of water. excercise alot. eat smaller amounts more frequently, rather than large meals infrequently.

[JS17]

If you don't have any medical problems that have caused you to gain weight then diet and exercise should work.

Different diets and different exercise regiments work for different people. The best thing you can do is try different things out to figure out what works best for you. The trial and error period could take months to years but any positive change in your diet and exercise routine will help.

If you're already eating a lot of starchy carbs try cutting back on them. If you're already doing a lot of cardio try some light weight lifting.

Good luck, hope it works for you

[Outcast]

I love carbs yea i know hat a bad thing but i eat brown bread,brown rice,pasta i love veggies!I even walk everywhere and quite alot.

Carbs are good for you. They run your brain - and it sounds like you're eating the better sorts of carbs.

Do diets always work?

No. They have a huge failure rate. What works is changing your lifestyle permanently. You can't exercise for a while and then quit - it has to be a longterm commitment. And you can't just lose the weight and then go back to pigging out on bad foods or you'll gain it all back.

[fomerlyniceguy]

Sounds like you are eating the right carbs, it might be how much you eat. Shoot for a 40\20\20 mix 40% of calories from whole grain carbs etc, 20% proteins the leaner the better(chicken turkey and fish) and 20% fats preferable the unsaturated variety olive oil is the best. Writing down what you eat the calories, proteins, carbs, and fats. Look online and find out how many calories you need daily for your weight, also find your basal metabolic rate(that is how much calories you burn just while sitting around). Once you have that you have the information you need to continue. The math would be something like this. (how much you eat now - basal metabolic rate) this tells you whether you are over eating(positive number), under eating(negative number), or maintaining(zero). Now remember if it is highly positive most people don't sit around doing nothing all day. Most of the sites that show basal metabolic rates also let you choose what kind of lifestyle you lead giving a more accurate count. Now that you have your number of calories you burn on a given day subtract 500(the amount needed to lose one pound per week). Now you may think a pound per week isn't much but is the way to best sustain your weight loss(Basically meaning you haven't done anything too radical that can't be continued for the rest of your life. Once you have capture what you eat for a few days or a week most people eat the same things on a fairly regular basis so knowing how many calories you ate that day is second nature you just need to work on shedding those extra calories. Also remember as you get closer to your goal weight losing weight gets harder. You don't burn as many calories so compensate by working a little harder.

[Toni_no12002]

Hi thanks for all you info.Ive come up with an eating plan.Do you reckon you can have a look and see if its suitable?Thanks

7.30am breakfast-porridge/shredded wheat and semi skimmed milk
8.00am workout-cardio 30-40 mins
10am-piece of fruit/carrot sticks if hungry
1pm lunch jacket potato with beans
3pm -snack if hungry ie carrot stick
6-6.30pm dinner-fish with veggies

i mean i know i cant eat that everyday but basically.Is that ok or should there be things i should change?

does everyone know about portion sizes?I read somewhere that you can compare food size portions to objects so its quick and easy to workout if your out or something.Thanks for ya help

oh yea and if i did cardio for 3 times a week and 2 days of weight training would that be ok?also what time of day should i work out?

sorry theres so many questions

[newbby]

my opinion is,
add some yoga to that, as it is good for both body and mind. as far as the rest of the excercise plan, i am sure someone else could help you better with that.
as for the diet, more complex carbs. you need brown rice, lentils, millet etc for amino acids to prevent you getting depressed. also keep nuts and seeds around to snack on, and if you are doing alot of excercise you will need alot of iron in your diet, since you are not eating red meat you will probably need a supplement. lentils are great for iron, but you would probably need even more than that.