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Good points made re weight loss. Yes, eating in moderation works for some. If portion control works for them. Which it sometimes does, sometimes doesn't.
Me, I have little self-control over certain foods (like chips and ice cream) -- so I've learned not to have them in the house.
Don't get me wrong about exercise. I'm something of a gym rat and feel good and sleep well when I exercise. But at my gym there are more than a handful of folks I've seen over the years who are quite large (50 plus pounds and more over a healthy weight)--and they have stayed large -- despite their exercising. I've not seen any weight loss. I give them a world of credit for exercising and I wish them the best. But it seems not to impact their weight -- even though it could be doing great things for their hearts so I hope they keep coming.
After I do a half hour on the treadmill, walking briskly at 3.4 mph and at a 5 degree incline, I've only burned 140 calories. That's equal to about 12 potato chips. Or a small candy bar. I cannot exercise my excess pounds away. To do that, I've got to cut back on portions, avoid the high caloric foods that I enjoy, and eat other lower calorie foods that I also enjoy.
I'm lucky that a favorite meal is a big salad and a piece of wild salmon or a piece of grilled skinless chicken.
But I also love pizza and a good burger which are now monthly treats.
Guess each of us has to do what works best for us, eh? After trial and error, I know not to let the food temptations in my door. Cannot eat them in moderation. Cannot control their portion size.
The thing is people unfortunately don't exercise correctly. You're supposed to crank up the intensity when it becomes so easy that you're chatting with your friend. When I'm in the zone, I can't look at my ipad or chat with the person next to me. If you're a beginner, strolling along with no incline or the treadmill (or using the least resistance on other machines) is fine. But after a while, your body will adapt and you'll need to challenge it more. Many of the people you're talking about are "moving" but don't want to really do anything more. They definitely don't want to get the winded because then it'll be "hard".
Working out, while enjoyable, is physical work. When done right, it taxes your system. Think about it, when you're exercising, you start to feel your core temperature rise, your heart accelerate. your lungs are heaving air. "feel the burn" as lame as cliche as that sounds is kinda appropriate...
you are right, you cannot outrun your fork. I burn about 500 calories per day, which is probably the same as a big mac. but in conjunction with a sensible diet, exercise and diet is a one two punch when it comes to weight loss.
i won't lie, because I exercise, I don't need to be as strict with tracking calories anymore. I innately know how much to eat, but technically I can eat 2000 with no issue. (That doesn't really work for me since I still employ the cheat day system, so I eat 1600 6 days per week, and over 3000 on the cheat day, it averages out though).
good for you though to give yourself a monthly treat. whatever makes you go on.
I’m finally done sitting back and not doing anything about my weight. My goal is to lose 30 - 40lbs. I will be going to the gym at least 5 days a week. However, when it comes to nutrition, I’m so lost. I Google what type of foods (low calorie) I should be eating and calculating how many calories I need to burn so I can lose weight. I’m overwhelmed with all the online articles....
For those that lost significant amount of weight, what did you do as far as nutrition? Did you see a dietician, buy books, download apps?
Any advice is much appreciated!
Go buy a pedometer at a big box store or online. It does not have to be a pricey one, but make certain it counts steps.
Stop drinking ALL sodas, immediately, and be done with the withdrawal that comes with doing so in about a month or more. Do NOT just cut down on them or you will be right back ON them and that sugar is bad for you long-term.
Now, begin to walk at YOUR OWN pace...just as long as you walk every day, indoor/outdoor. You are young so 1000 steps per day is not a hard goal to start with. IF it is EZ then go to 2000 steps per day. Your ultimate goal is 4000 steps per day, which is about 4 miles. It will allow you to eat pretty much what you want, except SUGAR and you won't feel like you are dieting or deprived. I lost 160 lbs on it. Have kept it off x 20 yrs. Walking is low impact and good for your health, and a no-brainer to do. The soda MUST go. Be a label reader...1 gram of sugar = 4 tsp of sugar in yogurt or any food. You will lose 10 lbs in a month just stopping them and nothing more. They are as difficult to stop drinking as I would think getting off drugs would be, but once you drink water, and get used to it, you are on the way to life-long health and happiness!
Go buy a pedometer at a big box store or online. It does not have to be a pricey one, but make certain it counts steps.
Stop drinking ALL sodas, immediately, and be done with the withdrawal that comes with doing so in about a month or more. Do NOT just cut down on them or you will be right back ON them and that sugar is bad for you long-term.
Now, begin to walk at YOUR OWN pace...just as long as you walk every day, indoor/outdoor. You are young so 1000 steps per day is not a hard goal to start with. IF it is EZ then go to 2000 steps per day. Your ultimate goal is 4000 steps per day, which is about 4 miles. It will allow you to eat pretty much what you want, except SUGAR and you won't feel like you are dieting or deprived. I lost 160 lbs on it. Have kept it off x 20 yrs. Walking is low impact and good for your health, and a no-brainer to do. The soda MUST go. Be a label reader...1 gram of sugar = 4 tsp of sugar in yogurt or any food. You will lose 10 lbs in a month just stopping them and nothing more. They are as difficult to stop drinking as I would think getting off drugs would be, but once you drink water, and get used to it, you are on the way to life-long health and happiness!
Yes! This^^^
And no high calorie snacking anymore, either.
Think big salad or big bunch of steamed vegetables+ a small amount (4 oz each portion--or less) of fish/poultry/lean meat/beans as your core meals.
--Just eat lots of vegetables,
--Protein from beans and legumes rather than from meat,
--Eliminate all the "white" processed carbs.
--Eat as little sugar as humanly possible.
Soups (not cream-based) and huge salads are your best friends. But without gloppy commercial salad dressings -- make your own dressings. Olive oil and red wine vinegar. Or just plain Balsamic Vinegar.
Read "Eat to Live" by Joel Fuhrman, M.D. One of the most helpful health & weight control books I've ever read...
It's not too complicated....
I like olive oil and lemon for salad dressing. I have lost my taste for commercial dressings. Many contain sugar, which I am avoiding.
When I first started and the weight was not moving, my daughter said, "Try just a ****ton of vegetables for a few days."
While I didn't exactly do that, I did make some meals all vegetables, and not just salads, but cooked vegetables. I had a huge plate of food, I was full, but the calorie content was not high. It was easy for me to do because I work in Manhattan where there are by-the-pound food bars in delis on every street and you can get cooked brussels sprouts and broccoli, and sweet potatoes and other things already cooked, If you're a person who has a lot of time to cook, it's cheaper to do that, but I splurge sometimes because I don't always have the energy or the time to waste cooking at night.
Weight Watchers. Slow, steady loss resulting from a lifestyle / thought shift. Encouragement to be more active. You're young; you should be able to do this relatively quickly.
Go buy a pedometer at a big box store or online. It does not have to be a pricey one, but make certain it counts steps.
Stop drinking ALL sodas, immediately, and be done with the withdrawal that comes with doing so in about a month or more. Do NOT just cut down on them or you will be right back ON them and that sugar is bad for you long-term.
Now, begin to walk at YOUR OWN pace...just as long as you walk every day, indoor/outdoor. You are young so 1000 steps per day is not a hard goal to start with. IF it is EZ then go to 2000 steps per day. Your ultimate goal is 4000 steps per day, which is about 4 miles. It will allow you to eat pretty much what you want, except SUGAR and you won't feel like you are dieting or deprived. I lost 160 lbs on it. Have kept it off x 20 yrs. Walking is low impact and good for your health, and a no-brainer to do. The soda MUST go. Be a label reader...1 gram of sugar = 4 tsp of sugar in yogurt or any food. You will lose 10 lbs in a month just stopping them and nothing more. They are as difficult to stop drinking as I would think getting off drugs would be, but once you drink water, and get used to it, you are on the way to life-long health and happiness!
With my pedometer, 2500 steps = a mile. Unless you have a very long stride, I doubt 1000 steps will equal a mile.
Also, One teaspoon of granulated sugar equals 4 grams of sugar.
other than that, I agree, switch to water or unsweetened coffee or tea for drinks. Pretty soon you'll be saying Yeccch to sodas.
With my pedometer, 2500 steps = a mile. Unless you have a very long stride, I doubt 1000 steps will equal a mile.
Also, One teaspoon of granulated sugar equals 4 grams of sugar.
other than that, I agree, switch to water or unsweetened coffee or tea for drinks. Pretty soon you'll be saying Yeccch to sodas.
I've never really been a soda fan but I did enjoy Snapples and other highly sweetened drinks. A while ago, I weaned myself off the sweetened drinks and today I mostly drink water, with La Croix/Sparkling Ice/Bai drinks thrown in for variety. They have few if any calories and are basically flavored carbonated water. They do contained non-nutritive sweeteners like Stevia and similar. I don't drink enough of them though to really concerned myself about the presence of such sweeteners.
So glad I got off that kick because the calorie counts in sweetened beverages is substantial, especially when thirst drives you to drink multiple beverages.
I know I'm late to the discussion here but I'll throw in what worked for me.
My go to weight loss food is Chicken and Veggies. I start my day with a protein shake made in 1% milk. For lunch I stick with nuts and some veggies. I carry these around in containers so they are always ready to eat. For dinner I have around 130 grams of grilled seasoned chicken breast, About 80 grams of brown rice and as much as I can stomach of pretty much any steamed green vegetable. Broccoli, Asparagus, Green beans etc.
I also prepare my meals twice a week so they are always ready to go. Simply throw them in the oven to warm them up and you are good to go in 10 mins.
As for exercise. You need to see what works for you. I myself saw NO results from intense cardio 4 times a week. Switched to lifting weighs and pounds and more importantly inches fell off. 50 lbs happened in less than a year.
I've never really been a soda fan but I did enjoy Snapples and other highly sweetened drinks. A while ago, I weaned myself off the sweetened drinks and today I mostly drink water, with La Croix/Sparkling Ice/Bai drinks thrown in for variety. They have few if any calories and are basically flavored carbonated water. They do contained non-nutritive sweeteners like Stevia and similar.
I can't speak for any other brands, but LaCroix doesn't contain artificial sweeteners.
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