Losing weight for health reasons?

[Anonymous]

I need to lose about 15-20 pounds for health reasons. My plan was to go to at least 3 aerobic classes a week. What else can I do to lose it effectively and swiftly. I am going to school so I don't have a lot of time during the week for more than 3 aerobic classes. Any tips for eating routine? I was thinking like eggs or a breakfast shake in the mornings and a little lunch (like a bar) and then just a regular well rounded dinner...will that work? Tips please :)

[Apple_Juice]

Well if you want to loose weight and that is your main focus then there are a couple things you can do. Aerobic classes are a good start but you need to fit in some other things. Weightlifting is one thing you can do. I know you're thinking it might build up muscle and you might be worried about that, but it isn't going to make you a body builder over night and it is has after burn which keeps burning calories even after you work out. Plus muscle helps you burn more calories at rest so it will help keep the weight off. This will make you gain weight though, but you will loose the fat, which is what I assume you wanted to do.

Now when we're talking about food, you want to maintain a well rounded diet. Calorie counting is not the key to loosing weight, but it is a good tool to use in the process. What you might want to do is start by eating less processed foods and getting organic food. Organic food might be expensive, but if we're talking about health, it's worth the extra bucks. Organic foods aren't grown with pesticides and won't have things that could clog your colon.

Some other ways you can loose the fat too is by eating some fat burning foods. Some of these are actually pretty fattening themselves. Salmon is a good example, it has a lot of fat; but the key is it's full of good fat. Good fat helps to balance the other fat in your diet and can help you loose weight.

Some other things you could eat are food full in protein. You might think protein is only for people who want to build muscle but it is also good in helping you keep off those pounds. When you eat protein it actually takes more time to digest than normal calories like carbs, fat, and alcohol. When your stomach is digesting protein it has to break it down into the amino acids and it takes extra effort to do so. The extra effort essentially burns calories so it helps ever so slightly.

There's plenty of things you can look up online about stuff like this. I go there to get my information on almost everything. But you can probably decide yourself on what's good and what isn't as you hear a lot about this stuff on the news and everything. Anyway I hope you achieve your goal, it is always nice seeing someone who wants to better themselves, good luck and I wish you the best :)

[EvanNassau]

Hey,

Losing weight is a challenge but it's a good thing to go about it in a healthy way - as you clearly are, which is great!

Of course the fundamental equation is input minus output. This is what leads some individuals to go about it in an unhealthy way by eating little to nothing. But, of course this isn't the answer. Rather, you want to be eating healthy and working out simultaneously.

In terms of working out, aerobics is good as cardio is important. It burns calories, etc. But I will recommend doing some weight training because the more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn during the day as well as the higher will be your metabolism. Also, not everyone knows this, but working out with weights actually burns more calories per minute than cardio exercises.

In terms of what to eat, for your metabolism the best thing is to be eating many small meals (7-8) throughout the day. For example, you can eat a banana here, a yogurt there, a protein shake after working out, whole-wheat toast in the morning, etc.

An important consideration is not only what you eat but when you eat. If you eat simple carbohydrates (anything that turns into sugar - white bread, fruit, etc.) you want to be careful not to eat them if you are not going to be immediately working out. What happens is these simple carbs get stored as fat if they aren't used. This is also why complex carbs are generally considered healthier - apple (anything low on the glycemic index), whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, etc.

Things that you'll want to eat include: lean protein (or whey protein powder), fruits and vegetables, complex carbs (whole-wheat bread, etc.). You'll want to drink lots of water, minimize consumption of alcohol, coffee, and tobacco. You can take omega-3 fish-oil as a supplement. Sleeping and stretching are also important, as is getting enough sunlight.

If you do these sort of things and have a healthy lifestyle, you should be heading in the direction you want to go in.

Best

- Eva

[xxxworldisminexxx]

It's best to eat 6 SMALL meals

Drink a lot of water .. I try to drink 2-3 liters a day

Also do free weights, because you also want to be toned (at least I assume you do)

Running is really really good for losing weight

Are there certain areas your trying to target?

[Asker]

Thighs and butt

[xxxworldisminexxx]

Oh wow well that's what I work out all the time

RUN!! seriously it works wonders

do squats and lunges too

[TheGoodTheBadTheHOT]

Okay I'll tell you now the whole "I go to school excuse" is bullsh*t, you are just being lazy! I go to school and I have time for 5 gym sessions, 2 jogs, homework and studying each week.

If you want to loose weight then the best way is cardiovascular exercise (running etc) along with a healthy diet. Firstly, if you're dead-set on having eggs then just have the whites, much healthier. However I'd suggest just going for special K with some chopped fruit and semi-skimmed milk, it works. Stay away from the bars and shakes, stick to simple things or else you'll just pump your body with well marketed crap. As for lunch, again less is bad. Just eat healthy (in other words school lunches are a big no-no). it's better to have the required resources in your system to burn off that fat than nothing.

When running, wear a sweatshirt, gloves etc to optimise sweat levels. I know it sounds revolting but it's effective. Also stay well hydrated.

More advice, get plenty of sleep. If you're sleep deprived then your body stops producing a hormone related to hunger and as a result you have a constant urge to snack.

[xxxworldisminexxx]

U seem to kno a lot ... how do you feel about diet pills?

[TheGoodTheBadTheHOT]

I think they're utter bull-sh*t that are just making some entrepreneur a very wealthy man

[Asker]

I get home at 4 and usually have 3 hours of hmwk so its not bs but thanks for the answer it helped :)

[TheGoodTheBadTheHOT]

Private schooled then? Or you maybe just go to bed early

[ThirtyThree]

Anything you eat or drink after 8 at night will be layed down as fat, so try and avoid that. Also, substitute every drink you have with plain water - eat only when you feel hunger. Have a good mental attitude to the weight loss! That is the most important thing.

[peace-love-couture]

Actually that's not true.Not all bodies are adjusted,it has to do with sleeping habits more than it does with the time on the clock