Trying to lose 15 pounds, help?

[Anonymous]

I'm trying to lose 15 pounds. I'm not fat, nor am I skinny. But I have some cellulite and I want to tone my thighs.

I am dieting and exercising:

I do 30 minutes of cardio, 5x a week.

I eat only brown rice, broiled chicken, Yoplait yogurt, pickles, raw carrots, raw celery, raw apples, mozzarella cheese sticks.

My question is, how long should should it take me to lose the 15 pounds?

I am currently 5'6" and 130 pounds.

[Anonymous]

First of all, you don't need to lose any weight. Second of all, you are NOT eating enough calories. Eat more whole grains and protein. If you dont, your body will go into starvation mode and hold onto any fat it can. When you return to normal habits (not exercising as much and/or eating so little) you will gain weight which won't be muscle...it will be fat.

[Asker]

I thought that the brown rice counted for whole grains and the chicken and cheese counted for protein?

What else would you suggest I eat? My goal is to lose weight, not maintain my weight.

[Opinion Owner]

They do count but you definitely need more. There are many whole grain cereals out there such as cheerios, kashi, even cinnamon toast crunch. And you definitely need more protein. Try having red meat once a week. Chicken and fish are great. I would suggest eating eggs too. They are a great source of protein and can help you lose weight. I would also suggest eating protein shakes made with berries ad soy/whey protein. Peanut butter is an excellent source of protein and healthy fats as well.

[Asker]

Okay, thanks. I don't like any meat besides chicken though. But I will definitely add whole grain cereal and low fat milk into my diet as well as hard-boiled eggs.

I hate protein shakes, bleh.

[Jarett]

You have a great start hun. But maybe do 30 min of cardio, and then 30 min of weight training and machines. Because when you do the weight and machine training, you do more of the toning. Do sets of 10-12 reps which do more of the toning. And don't forget, it doesn't matter how much you weigh, it's how you look naked :)