I need some diet/workout/fitness advice/info

[gibella]

So, I want/NEED to lose at least, minimum, 25 pounds in 3/3&a half/4 (max) months. Not because I wanna wear a bikini and stuff because I don't wear them anyways. Just because I wanna be more healthy.

I don't have a lot of time to go to the gym because I can't drive yet, and my mom can't drive. And we don't have a car at home. I sometimes do the small daily workout routines that you can do in your own living room and I've also thought about getting a Wii and getting the workout things that they made because I think for me, they'd work well. But we don't have a lot of money to spend on that kind of stuff.

So, I'm thinking of going vegetarian for those 3 months. Not fully vegetarian because I couldn't ever go meatless. I need chicken to breathe. But, maybe only have meat every two weeks, only one day a that week.

Do y'all think that would be a good idea? Doing that and adding in the small exercises that I can do at home?

Let me know what y'all think as soon as you can. I'd really appreciate it. <3

Updates

+1 y

Today, my mom's friend and I walked around downtown for about 4/4& a half hours. It was great. It was cooler during the morning, and then got real hot in the early afternoon.

I think I burned off my entire body weight! Just kidding. But, it was nice.

[Anonymous]

Dos

- Eat lots of vegetables. 4+ servings. French fries don't count. Leafy greens.

- Get more protein. Highests sources are beans, seeds, fish, meat, eggs, lentils, nuts, cheese.

- Eat healthy fats such as saturated and monounsaturated. But use sparingly because because of their high calorie density. Butter on vegetables, coconut oil for cooking, olive oil on salad. If you believe the myths about saturated fat, do some research. It's actually not that bad.

- Eat frequently, 3-4 meals/day, with one snack in between them. Also helps increase metabolism. Starving yourself tells your body to store fat.

- Drink 6-8 glasses of water a day

- Lift weights and build muscle (girls don't worry, estrogen stops you from being buff). Do some cardio, but not as much as lifting weights. Less than 30 minutes every 2 days. Muscle is better because it continues to burn callories even after you workout, while cardio only burns when it's being done.

- Sleep properly, take a multivitamin, increase nutrients, decrease toxins.

- Variety is the key to health. So many people eat the same thing for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. Or only one type of fruit, vegetable, meat, and nut. This lacks micro nutrients.

Donts

- Don't eat much sugar. Don't eat candy, pops, juices, packaged snack foods, popular cereals, etc with added sugar. (IF YOU MUST, have very little not often, and be mindfull of it. Enjoy it. Sitting in front of TV chowing down on chips is not being mindfull, that's how people overeat.)

- Don't eat most "Sugar free" labeled foods if they have aspartame, it's a poison. Don't eat any foods with "High Fructose Corn Syrup", that's even worse than sugar.

- Don't eat foods with processed flours like "enriched wheat flour". It has no vitamins and just turns into sugar in the body. Basically almost all packaged grain based foods like cookies, crackers, etc. Eat 100% whole grains.

- Eat less starchy carbohydrates like white breads, fries, potatos, rice.

- Don't eat "low fat" labeled foods, they are higher in sugar, and sugar is what makes you fat. Eating fat does NOT make you fat. You need fat, your cells and brain is made up of of fat. Excess fat is what you don't want, and that comes from calories, and bad fats like in vegetable oils.

- Don't eat vegetables oils such as canola oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated oils, margarine, shortening. They are NOT healthy like the food companies want you to believe. They are highly processed, oxidized, high in omega 6, and low in omega 3 (the good ones). When you have a high 6/3 ratio, you get inflammation. Inflammation and OXIDIZED cholesterol is a major cause of heart disease and others.

You might also find this site and videos informative helpful for weight loss: link and link

[kheserthorpe]

Cutting meat is a bad idea. Chicken is an ideal diet food. You actually need more protein when dieting hard, and chicken breast is like ... excellent protein/calorie ratio. You cannot find vegetarian equivalents as effective as chicken Do NOT cut the chicken to lose weight. Chicken is not making you fat. The other sh*t you eat is.

Up your lean protein, fibrous vegetables. Have a moderate but controlled amount of whole carbs. Slash sugars, keep fat moderately low.

Find workouts you can do at home. You do not need equipment. If you are going to get anything, I'd get a relatively heavy kettlebell and do kettlebell work. Statistically, diet + strength work is associated with more weight loss then diet + cardio, which is barely better then diet + nothing.

Have a cheat meal once per week. Doesn't mean gorging yourself, it means you have a reasonable amount of whatever you want. Doing this helps psychologically, since you are never foregoing food you want forever, you have a craving, you say 'that's what I'm gonna have for my cheat meal!'

[gibella]

This was great. Thank you!

I know that cutting meat is a bad thing. I don't eat beef, pork or fish a lot. Maybe once a month? I eat chicken as much as I breathe. I know that the chicken isn't what is making me "fat," I know that it's all the other s**t I eat. (By the way, I love the way you said that)

I like the idea of having a cheat meal once a week, because mine would probably cereal because I eat it everyday, pretty much.

I love veggies, and fruit. I think I can do it.

[gibella]

Continued...

I don't get a lot of time to exercise because I can't drive myself to the gym. And I always get home late, due to the bus. And by then, I'm so exhausted. But I am now so motivated, that I will try and not let anything get in the way.

[kheserthorpe]

30-40 minutes at home work 3 or 4 times per week can be a useful complement to what you're doing food wise.

Out more focus on strength work as opposed to just aerobics. Aerobics are also great but work your muscles.

[Alonso14]

Don't worry too much about the gym, you don't need a gym for losing weight. Do bodyweight exercises (push ups, sit ups, squats, ect) a couple of times a week and go running on the other days, keep at least one day for rest. Reduce you caloric intake by about 500 from what it is now and try to cut out most of the junk food and drink from your diet. I would suggest not going vegetarian as if you don't eat enough protein you will lose muscle rather than fat. Its hard to say how much weight you will lose and how long that will take, a lot of it is down to your genetics.

[gibella]

Thanks!

[Michaelmwm19]

Well, start off your day with, lemon water, 2 lemons cut in half and squeezed into the water. Lemon water is full of vitimen c, it regulates your digestive system, which means it helps you digest your foods better. Drink lots of water, short burts of running for 15-20 minutes, has been proven to be more effective than walking. Eat foods like fruits, and don't eat an excessive amount of fats, proteins or at least not a lot of proteins, without working out.

You need a good nights sleep also, it will relief stress which can cause weight gain, it also lowers your blood preasure. I know other ways to help lose weight, but can't for the life of me think of them, off the top of my head right now.

[gibella]

Thanks!

[Michaelmwm19]

Your welcome.

[martyfellow]

Running is the best way to lose weight.

Start out with short distances,and do intervals at different speeds. Run a 5K if you can get transportation there..Even if it hurts!

Use DVDs of workout and aerobics classes. Libraries have them to check out. Get some light weights,up to 10 lbs,not more, and follow along with the workouts at home.

Set limits on your calories; vegetarian is fine, but you need to monitor the overall quantity as well as the quality of what you take in.

Your goal is reasonable and if you are serious about it, you'll make the 25 lbs.