Is there a proper diet or food portions ..

[Anonymous]

I should follow, I am 5'2 and around 180. I really wanna lose weight before this year is up. I've began running/walking on the treadmill and I'm not sure what kind of food portions I should intake.

[ZebuZebra]

It depends a bit on how disciplined you can be. What really does help are these shakes you can buy: You have 3 every day, which means a defined calorie intake, which is below what your body uses, so you lose weight. Because you take the shakes and nothing else, it means it's very easy to control. "Eating more healthily" is of course the key to keeping your weight down, but really, in the beginning, you need to get a good feeling for food, so you need to count calories.

Or: Do you know Michael Mosley? Maybe you can find him on YouTube. He used to be a doctor and is now a journalist for the BBC. He did a great programme on if you can lose weight without pain, because he hates sports and loves to eat well. It gives you lots of tricks and it's all scientifically sound. Then he did another programme on ageing without age effects. So the thing that's all the rage in Britain (and it really helps) is the 5:2: 5 days of the week, you eat normally (no counting calories), but 2 days you only eat 1/3 of what you need. It turns out that people who follow this do not overeat on "normal" days and you can lose permanently weight. But it takes some time. I think it is realistic to lose about one kg in one week for ca. 2 weeks, but then it will become slower, like one kg in 10 days or even a month.

What also helps me is never have sweets in the home. So in the evenings, when you feel like relaxing with a little chocolate, there's nothing there! (Hope you don't have a 24/7 next to your place...)

Good luck!

[Asker]

Is there a specific name for the shakes or a brand?

[ZebuZebra]

Not sure about America. In Europe you get these things in pharmacies. Mine is called "Yokebe". It tastes a bit bland, but you can warm it up slightly and add a bit of cocoa and then it's quite OK. I have also seen "Almased", which tastes awful. But you can google it - the ingredients are all pretty much the same.

[Anonymous]

I've been limiting myself to 300-500 calories a meal, so less than 1500 calories a day. If I get hungry between meals, I eat rice cakes, they're surprisigly filling for the low amount of calories they have. I combined that with an hour a day of mixed walking and jogging. I've lost 40 pounds in 3 months so far.

[HungryJones]

5-6 small meals throught the day to keep your metabolism going, avoid eating to the point where you stuff yourself, eat enough to keep yourself satisfied. Drink water throughout the day, limit the amount of sugar you consume unless it's fruit. Cardio is going to be your best friend.

[Cromartie]

How much weight do you want to lose?

How many calories do you intake now?

Do you have any medical conditions?

[Asker]

I am around 180 and I at least want to get down to 140 being realistic.

Calories I try to keep it under 3,500 that's for sure so its not like overboard

Medical conditions none.