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So, we have all been in this situation. I just moved from the UK to the US and I am a vegetarian but unfortunately eat fast food (Pizza's for instance) a lot more than what I should.
I want to, and need to, lose weight. I don't exercise much but planning on doing so however I need to build up the physical strength first to do so and my work schedule is just crazy and involves sitting down for most of the day!
What can you recommend (Americans here) to start losing that belly fat?
Earlier this year I lost a bunch of weight (not healthy though) due to a traumatic and emotional life event and I lost a good 3-4 inches off my belly.
But now, I have gained weight in the recent couple of months and still getting used to the types of foods that are around here in the US.
So, I am asking you - what should I eat? What foods should I make to help me lose weight? Also what basic exercises can I start with to start losing weight, particularly the "love handles" and belly part?
First understand that you cannot target where your body will lose weight so getting rid of belly fat may or may not happen when or the way you want it to. No exercise will allow you to lose weight in one place over another.
Losing weight is very simple on paper but hard to execute. It is simply a matter of burning more calories than you consume. You should focus on eating fresh whole foods from all the food groups concentrating on lean proteins (tofu for vegetarians), lots of fresh veggies of all colors, whole grains such as oats, quinoa, farow, etc..., some fruits, some dairy. Stay away from processed foods, fast foods, baked goods, sugar as much as you can. Eat good fats - nuts, avocado, olive oil, salmon...
Exercise is personal so find something you enjoy doing and give it your all. But your best bet is resistance training, weights, cardio where you concentrate on intervals.
It's all about what you eat. Whole foods. I'm trying the 16/8 intermittent fasting, but it's really all about what works for you. I only eat between 12 pm and 8 pm. The narrower window allows me to eat when I most want to, but not to overeat.
That fast food will go straight to the belly, and cutting it out or down dramatically should make a big difference. Fast food should be the treat not the norm. I agree with the other posters who said to give up the processed stuff and start cooking. Take lunch to work rather than eating out. If you must eat out, research the places beforehand via their website to find the healthiest options. Homemade pizza tastes so fresh and wonderful compared to the store-bought stuff and you can control how much fat, calories, and sodium it has.
Since work is busy right now, prepare your food on the weekend and refrigerate/freeze it for when you need it. I make a huge salad every few days and refrigerate. Then when I come home tired, I can take it out and put some in a bowl for an instant healthy meal. If the veggies have already been cleaned and are ready to eat, chances are you won't be as tempted to pick up something unhealthy.
As for exercise, you might consider trying to get in a lot more walking to start. It's easy, can be done anywhere, and is free. If I don't get enough walking in for the day, I'll walk/jog around the room at night while watching TV. Sounds silly, but it works.
There are also many good DVDs you can get to help. I like Leslie Sansone's Walk DVDs because they're easy to modify. If she starts to jog and you can't, just keep walking until you build yourself up. For quick results, I'd recommend "Walk it Off in 30 Days" because it has two 30-minute workouts. One is cardio and the other is strength training light. I call it strength training light because it's not heavy lifting, but it really works to firm and tone if you do it regularly. Just 30 minutes a day alternating the workouts with one day off, and you'll see improvement.
Stepping away from fast foods, fresh foods you make yourself, and a little exercise should do the trick. Good luck!
I limit my sodium to 1,000-1,500 mg a day due to an inner ear/migraine condition. This level is recommended for all healthy adults for optimal heart health, but somehow is a "low" sodium diet here in America.
Anyway, I am dropping weight steadily and more importantly, I feel good.
It's almost impossible to overeat on this plan. The bad side is you can't eat out hardly ever. The good news you hardly eat out ever, because eating out is what makes Americans eat unhealthily IMO.
Anyway, counting sodium is a very easy way to make sure you aren't eating garbage.
So long as you hit your daily numbers (In order to lose fat, you need to give your body less energy (food) than it burns every day, as measured in calories.), What you eat doesn’t matter when it comes to weight loss: HOW MUCH is the key. Meal timing and frequency is completely up to you. Eating more or fewer meals per day isn’t going to help or hinder your weight loss. You can also loose weight eating garbage. Old study but still actual:http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08...iet.professor/
Cheers.
So, we have all been in this situation. I just moved from the UK to the US and I am a vegetarian but unfortunately eat fast food (Pizza's for instance) a lot more than what I should.
I want to, and need to, lose weight. I don't exercise much but planning on doing so however I need to build up the physical strength first to do so and my work schedule is just crazy and involves sitting down for most of the day!
Sounds like you are already making excuses for not doing what you should be doing. What exactly do you mean by your saying "I need to build up the physical strength first" before you start exercising? You do know that exercising itself builds on this. You need to stop making excuses and just START WITH YOUR EXERCISE PROGRAM.
As far as food goes, just pick up a couple of books at your local bookstore on NUTRITION. Dont get "diet" books, and dont get "weight loss" books. Look for "NUTRITION" then read, study and apply what is in there into your everyday life.
AS far as the exercise goes, there is nothing out there better than Crossfit. Between the awesome motivation of it being group exercise (dont knock it until you try it), and the totally scaleable workouts that range from extreme beginners to elite athletes, nothing out there today compares to it. ESPECIALLY for those who are totally new to working out. Ive seen some AMAZING life transforming cases with people who never worked out in their lives after they started crossfit.
Another very very good exercise program that requires little no equipment or even gym membership is bodyweight exercises. Kaisafit has some very very good routines on her website and Facebook page:
Bread and cheese from your pizzas is the last thing you should be consuming if you want to lose weight, along with the soft drinks that usually come along with fast food. Those should be rare treats at best, not staples in your diet.
Exercising is a must. Even if you had the perfect diet fed to you in a lab, our metabolisms still slow down as we age. So the same diet every year without exercise will still result in increased fat and decreased muscle. Muscle cells are active cells, and active cells burn fat for you while you sleep. So why not engage in activities that will help you tone up? It's infinitely easier than eating perfectly, which isn't enough anyway.
Eat as natural as you can and work out a few days per week. 60 minute walks, dancing, swimming, yoga, or even just light dumbbell and floor work at home are all you need. Good luck!
In order to lose fat, you need to give your body less energy (food) than it burns every day, as measured in calories.
This is known is creating a “calorie deficit.” No calorie deficit, no losing fat, period.You can create it by excercises, less eating or both. So exercise is not must to loosing weight! And even if you;re 90years old you can create calorie deficit.
Now, many “rapid weight loss” solutions call for severe calorie restrictions (eating very little every day and excercise too much) all do a tons of exercices. This is not the way to go, and can lead to metabolic damage. Instead, you want to put your body in a mild calorie deficit.
Specifically, you want to feed it about 20% less calories than it burns every day. By doing this, a you should be able to lose upwards of around 2 pounds per week while preserving your metabolic health, energy levels, mental balance, and mood.
When your goal is to loose weight and build some muscles progressive overload (heave weight lifting) is crucial!
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