Weight Loss

[*JTM*Coco*pi*Caramel*]

Water water and more water! I swear it is the key!
I go to the gym 5 days a week for an hour, but the running or walking is what will help you lose the weight.
Stay away from fried foods and just eat sensible really.
It is safe to lose about 1-2 pounds a week to get to your goal/normal weight.
Best of luck to you!

[jackie]

I have been trying to lose weight for about a month and a half now. So far i have lost about 7 pounds just by walking more, and eating fish three times a week. My biggest vice is dairy. I am trying to really cut back on cheese, and eating low fat yogurt and skim milk instead.

You can safely lose about 2 pounds a week. How much you can lose in 4 months depends on your size and how much you need to lose.

Good Luck!

[finn's mom]

I have been eating much better the last couple months, and, reading up a lot on what types of food are good for helping you lose weight...for different reasons...this is a list of foods i remember reading about...they called them "super foods." keep in mind, though, different sources tell you different things, so, just create your own thing, and, it will be better than trying to be so strict. you set yourself up for failure if you try to do the right thing every second. i'm lucky in that i love veggies. anyway, here's what i can remember of the list that they called "super foods" - broccoli, spinach, bell peppers, tomatoes, almonds, olive oil, grapes, berries (blue- and straw-), etc...i can't remember any of the others right now. try to avoid sugar altogether. unless it's natural sugars, and, even with fruits, it's better to eat the ones lower in sugar. like strawberries. eat smaller meals. i eat every three or four hours. perfect example of eating six smaller meals instead of three large ones...the other day, i bought a turkey club with a side of coleslaw. i ate the coleslaw and an apple first. a few hours later, i ate half the sandwich (it was a big sandwich, though). a few hours later, i ate the other half. eating smaller portions like that will help your stomach to shrink and help you feel fuller faster. eat slower, too, so that your body has time to realize it's actually full. i have a tendency to eat really quickly, and, end up feeling over stuffed about ten minutes later, because i didn't take my time. but, then, that's also when my dad cooks dinner and i don't eat smaller portions like i should, either. drink tons of water. everyone is different, find what works for you - meaning, if i try to drink water from a cup or glass, i might drink one or two glasses a day. but, if i drink water from a bottle (doesn't matter if it's tap or bottled in the bottle), i'll drink at least four 20 oz bottles a day. i can chug a bottle of water, but, i find i can barely drink a glass of it with a meal. not sure why. eat wheat bread. and, look at the ingredients, make sure it's 100% wheat, not the enriched wheat or however they word it...where it's says wheat and then in parentheses it tells you what **that's** made of. i usually just buy bread that says on the package "100% wheat." i love bread too much to cut it completely out, but, i compromise by making sure it's at least the wheat. oh, and, make sure you eat breakfast. i swear by it. even if it's just a piece of toast with some peanut butter, and, an apple or other piece of fruit. doesn't have to be huge, again, i eat every three or four hours, so, my breakfasts are usually small, but, i eat a small meal again before lunch. like an apple cut up with peanut butter on it. i'm sorry this is so wordy, it's just something i've been trying to do, and, working at a gym, i get tons of help and advice.

as for working out, do cardio, but, lift weights, too. if you have leaner, stronger muscles, you will burn more fat. like at our gym, we have a circuit where the women do sixty seconds on a step for the cardio, then sixty seconds on a weight machine, then sixty seconds on a step, then sixty seconds on a different weight machine, etc...they go around to all the machines (there are about ten, i think), doing a step in between each one. but, it is better to incorporate some weight training in with cardio. good luck with everything. again, sorry for being so wordy. this is just what works for me.

but, i will say that i am not that strict on myself. you know yourself, though, if you think you can stick to a strict diet, go for it. i personally can't. i do better if i allow myself to screw up sometimes. i do better if i don't totally beat myself up for eating a bag of doritos right before bed. i just say, oh well, it's not the end of the world. but, i do snack mostly on veggies and fruits all day. and, with that, i just make sure i cut up my veggies at the beginning of the week or whatever, and, that makes it easier just to grab them as you run out the door. keep a bowl of fruit in plain sight, too, that helps. for me, it's got to be about convenience or i don't do it. i just grab a baggie of veggies i cut up the day before or a couple days before, throw them in my jacket pocket or purse or whatever, and, i snack on them. bell peppers are great for curbing cravings. ok, i'm really shutting up now.