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Author: Laura
Date: 06-14-02 10:08
Hello all,
I'm not sure how to start this..but here goes. I have never really been on a diet before..I've never really felt the need. However, about a year and a half ago, I gained 40 pounds..and now am at around 165..and 5' 4" and I'm 24 years old. I have maintained this weight of 165 for a year..but I've gotted fed up and I'd like to lose some weight. I want to lose it for good, without losing just water weight or muscle..but I'm not sure how to go about it. I go the gym about once a week, but I know I should go more.
So...here's my question...where should I start? I've heard so much conflicing infomation..and I want to avoid "fad" diets. Your help would be greatly appreciated!!
Thank you!
Laura
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Author: Amanda
Date: 06-14-02 11:35
Laura--start out by eating more fruits and vegetables. Cut out your fats and sweets...and try and write down everything you eat. Also, write down everytime you exercise...even just small walks!
Serving size has got to be our biggest problems. I really pay attention to serving size, and I do not feel hungry after a meal even with a 3 oz peice of meat!
If you start with that, you will see how much you are eating...and exercising. I use www.fitday.com to record all of my information, including goals too! I love it. Try it out, play with it and see how it goes.
Good luck...YOU CAN DO IT!
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Author: Melanie
Date: 06-14-02 12:09
Hi Laura,
Welcome to this board! This is a very supportive place with great friendly people with a common goal of weight loss.
I understand how you feel. I haven't had a weight problem until I was about 21 years old. I was size 6 and weighed around 115-120 lbs.
Then I graduated from college, and started working full-time just sitting in front of the computer all day. I also moved out of parents' house, so there was nobody other then myself responsible for my meals, and I started eating out at restaurants a lot. A year later, I weighed 130 lbs, and I thought - oh well, I'm still not considered fat, I like to eat and I don't want to diet, so I'd rather be a size bigger then watch what I eat.
But another year later, I already weighed 140 lbs, and none of my old clothes fit me. I had to start buying new clothes, and I was barely fitting in a size 10.
So I realized that if I keep going at this rate, by the time I'm 30 I'm weigh over 200 lbs! And that was a wake-up call - I decided I needed to do something to lose weight, or at least STOP getting bigger!
Since I knew that I really like to eat and cannot be on a constant diet, I decided to take small steps to start eating healthier... not "diet", but "eat healthier". I bought some cookbooks with low-fat recipes, and started cooking most of my meals at home. I discovered a way to cook healthy meals that don't taste "low fat". My husband eats everything I cook with pleasure.
I also tend to avoid restaurants, but if I do have to eat there, I eat smaller portions and take the rest home. Portion control is crucial. You can eat anything you want, as long as you do it in moderation. One small piece of cake a week is not going to make you fat. But eating lots of fats and sweets on a regular basis will.
This year I've reached my ideal weight of 117 lbs and fit in all my old clothes. I'm 5'5" tall, and, like you, I'm 24 years old.
So to answer your question where to start - my answer would be to get a low-fat recipes cookbook. I recommend "1,000 Lowfat Recipes" by Terry Blonder Golson (you can find it in your local bookstore or Amazon.com). Cook your own meals so you can control what goes in there. Also, eat when you are hungry, not just because you are bored or upset. Control your portions - don't eat everything in front of you just because it's on your plate.
Regarding the exercise - I could not force myself to exercise. I only took small steps to increase my activity level such as parking my car at a far end of the parking lot, and taking the stairs instead of the elevator. I was able to lose weight without exercising, but if you CAN exercise, I certainly recommend it. If you exercise, you will lose weight faster, and are more likely to keep it off.
In fact, since march 1st this year, my husband and I started going to the gym every other day. I already reached my ideal weight without exercising, but I finally decided to make myself exercise just for the health benefits it provides.
Good luck!
Melanie
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Author: laura
Date: 06-14-02 14:22
Hey there!!
Thanks...I started gaining a lot of weight when I went on Depo-provera. I went off of that paticular BC and stopped gaining weight, but I didn't lose any. I'm sick of being tired all the time. I work as a vet tech, and I'm pretty active at work, but I want to gain more strength, and not be exhausted at the end of the day.
I too really like to eat, and get really grumpy if I don't eat regular meals...so the thought of not eating 'cause of a "diet" didn't sound smart or appealing.
I appreciate your advice!! I'll let you know how it goes!
Laura
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Author: Melanie
Date: 06-14-02 14:45
Laura,
You are very welcome!
And here's another tip I forgot to mention:
Stop drinking soft drinks, or at least cut down on them, and drink water instead. One can of coke has 150 calories. A large coke in a fast-food restaurant is 317 calories. Sodas don't make you full, so it is so easy to stop drinking them - it's the most easy way to save calories.
Another easy change that will get you started losing weight is cutting down on red meat, and eating skinless chicken breast instead.
Also, avoid snacking on things like potato chips, oreo cookies, M&M's, etc. - things that you know that once you open a package you won't stop eating until the package is empty :-) Just don't buy them so they don't sit there and tempt you. Instead, have lots of fruits in the house (or bring them to work) so when you want a snack you eat them. A large apple usually makes me not want to snack until my next meal.
Melanie
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Author: Michelle
Date: 06-14-02 17:08
Hi Laura -
I had exactly the same stats as you when I started getting serious about the weight loss - 5'4", 165 pounds (size 14) - although I'm a bit older at 32 years.
It was October last year when my husband and I finally got our act together and lose all our happy weight from our previous two years of courtship and marriage.
I only lost 10 pounds the first 6 months. But then afterwards, I'm losing about a pound a week on average. I'm around halfway point now being at 140 pounds (size 8-10), with a target of arounf 120 pounds (size 6).
The reason for the initial slower rate of loss is that, as a lot of the other wonderful ladies of this board suggested already, I took it slow. I did start with the gym, but only did cardio by walking on the threadmill for 30 minutes 3x a week. Now I exercise 6 days a week including all days with 30-60 minutes of cardio, and 3 days of weight training. As for the diet, I could never initially bring down my calorie requirement lower than 1800 calories per day, and even with that I was suffering. Now I thrive pretty well on 1300-1400 calories per day, and I've pretty much developed a whole arsenal of healthy recipes and tools in my kitchen. But even before I started figuring out my calories, I started with the simplest of steps I thought I could muster - 8 glasses of water a day, and limiting eating out to once a week (we used to eat out around 3 times a week).
Good luck! The key is to start slow and build up, as well as being patient and persistent. We're all in here for the long haul.
Michelle
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