I think I need to lose some weight. I need advice.

[Anonymous]

I got a little bit of a gut going, don't worry I not fat fat to where I can't see my shoes or anything, so I am not to the point of no return. If I cut out fast foods and junk food, however I still like beer and I don't know if I just quit drinking cold turkey.

what are some good foods that I can eat that are better for me. I am not a fat person to begin with so losing weight will be pretty easy, in college I survived off of ramen noodles and beer. And that kept me real skinny.

If you say exercise what kind of exercise, crunches, push ups what. I don't really go to the gym, I get my work outs from being out doors, building fences, and throwing hay bails, you know man work.

So I guess this is mainly for the guys who are pretty good shape what do you to keep up, I used to have a six pack and all that but I let it go, it was very difficult to maintain. My girlfriend says she doesn't care that I have a gut, but this isn't for her, it is for me, I want to get my abs back for myself. I'm an attractive person so why not have the body to go with it. Ladies feel free to answer to.

[jdcpa]

Well,

Physical health is like financial health:

Income - Expenses = Excess/Deficit

Income > Expenses = Excess/Savings = Good

Income Calories Burned = Excess/Fat Gain = Bad

Calorie Intake < Calories Burned = Deficit/Fat Burned = Good

The way to good physical health can come in two ways:

- Cut back on eating

- Increase the calories burned

Calories burned is like INCOME for your body. Calories taken in are like expenses. If you take in more calories than you can burn, you end up with fat, which with money (savings) would be good, but with your body, is bad. So it's okay to limit what you take in to what your body can afford (burn off in that day). But taking in less will make you not only gain fat in the long-run, but make it harder and harder for you to lose that fat.

Your muscles are assets. They allow you to burn calories. But they also need calories to exist. Cut their protien and energy, or simply don't use them; and you lose them. In other words, you will cut down on your ability to burn calories; so if you eat the same as you did before without gaining weight, now you will gain weight.

Moral of the story, don't over-eat, but don't cut down on food to lose weight. You're shooting yourself in the foot if you do.

So, what should you eat, and what should you do?

Eat:

- Foods rich in protein, to hold onto that valuable muscle (1g of protein per day for ever 2lbs that you weigh)

- Foods rich in complex (low glycemic index) carbs. Why? Because it helps control appetite to prevent over-eating, keeps energy levels stable, and reduces oxidative stress and inflamation so you enzymes and metabolism are not damaged by the rush in blood sugar.

- Foods rich in fat. What? Yes! FAT! You NEED fat to burn fat! Cholesterol is the building-block for all hormones in your body, including testosterone; fat's worst enemy and muscle's best friend. Also, Unsaturated fats and essential fatty acids improve lipid bilayers and cell membranes to foster a better metabolism.

Avoid: BEER & DAIRY. Why? Lactose, Barley, Wheat, and Rye cause estrogen production and have a high glycemic index. That will cause fat to build up and lower your metabolism.

Do:

- Running

- Walking

- Man-chores/jobs

- Heavy-lifting

It's that simple, really.

[Dimonik]

Drink less often, and do the exercise you mentioned. You could do some jogging in addition to this.