Weight loss suggestions

[reviewer]

As we're heading into the holiday trouble season, let's all share our suggestions for diet changes for losing weight. I've hit a plateau in my efforts and any help would be welcome!

[sirdarksol]

The biggest change that I've made is to try to minimize heavily processed sugars and fats (such as high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils). The sugars, especially, are easy calories for the body, and have no redeeming qualities.

[disgruntled]

my biggest thing is not buying bad things..... i am imcapable of having cookies/candies in my apartment and not eating them all in a very short time. so because i have no self control when it come to food, i just try to keep it out of my home. i have more self control when it comes to shopping.

the killers to avoid right now are: left over holloween candies, (thanks giving treats.... i think that is coming up soon for americans), and christmas treats.

the other thing is if you have to go out and do a lot of shopping for christmas, go prepared. bring snacks so that the food court is less tempting. a bag of almonds work well for me. and i use to always have (healthy-ish) crackers at my desk so that i am not tempted by the treat others bring in, or the take out they get. i find that if you maintain your blood sugar level you get less cravings.

[cancersurvivor]

Hi friends, my brother is now 21 years old and he is so fatty than his age. His present weight is nearly 280 pounds. Being so fatty he always feels a horrible uncomforted. He would like to loose at least 100 pounds. So he is looking for any good diet plan. He can’t exercise due to his overweight. He feels too much hungry around the day. What daily food routine should he follow? And for how many weeks should he follow the routine diet? Or should he take diet pills?

[disgruntled]

don't take diet pills.

it might be hard for him to exercise, but i garentee that he can work out. he should do low impact things like walking (a really good under rated exercise) and swimming. as he looses weight he will find it easier and easier to add more things to his routine.

for diet, the trick is not to eat less, it is to eat right. if you are eating good, you do not feel hungy and will not over eat. and you will feel full longer. and as your body sugars balance out you also should not be craving bad foods all the time.

he will want to eat things that take longer for the body to break down (with some exceptions like red meats which can get blocked up). think of things like fiberous fruits and veggies. (easily digestable fruits are not the best, it is not as bad as candy, but it is up there). whole grain breads, brown rice. do not buy breads that are enriched with vitamins. they sell white bread that is "enriched" with all the good nutrients of brown bread, but that bread is actually worse for you than normal white bread. the bread is broke down too quick and is a quick sugar spike for the body and the "enriched" stuff makes the spike worse.

the trick is that he cannot think of this as a diet, or quick fix. it has to be a change in life style. it is not about getting thin, it is about getting healthy, the rest will follow. so i can not tell you how long the routine should be followed because it should never end, just increase with intensity as his body allows it.

[sirdarksol]

There are a few things that, if they're in the top five ingredients of a type of food, you should avoid, particularly if you want to lose weight;
Enriched flour (any type); for the reasons that disgruntled said above.
High Fructose Corn Syrup; This stuff is instant energy. It takes nearly no energy or time for the body to turn HFCS into energy, and, therefore, fat.
Hydrogenated/Partially-Hydrogenated Oil (any type); Not so much for weight loss, this stuff stays in the bloodstream for years, making it a severe heart risk.

Keep cookies, chips, soda, and other junk food out of the house. Instead of cookies, healthy muffins (or, if one is inclined to cook, cookies may be made out of healthy things like soy flour and flax seed. My mom has gotten really good at making healthy sweets), instead of chips, a good grainy cracker like triscuits (they make some great flavors, like garlic herb), instead of soda, bottles of tea (either unsweetened or sweetened with crystalline fructose), or Smartwater (I love this stuff) or unsweetened flavored water (my favorite brand is called Twist, I think).
Do not try to deny cravings, just make sure you're eating healthy when giving in to them

It is important to note that there are more and more studies coming out that suggest that artificial sweeteners do not lower fat gain or speed weight loss. These sweeteners technically do have calories, and it is believed that they put the body into energy-storage mode just like regular sugar.

And, as disgruntled said, activity is a must. Start small, like parking at the back of a parking lot. If you work in a cubicle, stand as much as you can while talking on the phone. It may look odd, but it's good for you.

Edit: I would personally stay away from diet pills, as disgruntled said. If you are going to go the medicine route, talk to a physician about it. There is only one OTC med that is actually verified by the FDA (US, of course, unsure of other countries) to safely aid in weight loss. There are other, prescription drugs, as well. Please do not go on any of these without talking to a physician.

[disgruntled]

sirdarksol, could you post some of your mom's recipies please?

[sirdarksol]

Yeah. Just give me some time to get my hands on them.

[jastina]

Hey, I am 25 years old and I am little overweight. But I don’t want to be overweight. I need to loose some of pounds. I'm going on a diet this summer, but it’s not a regular diet. I’m just going to try to eat healthier and not so much junk food, also to get good exercise. Do you have any good food/exercise suggestions? Thanks a lot.

[disgruntled]

welcome to the forum

i could give you some advice... i too am currently revamping my diet to get ready for bathing suit season

tell us a bit about what you are doing right now so that we have a starting point. what kind of healthy things do you eat? if you cheat on your diet, what do you eat? and are you working out as well, and if so what are you doing? also where do you gain your weight?

i gain all my weight threw my middle section just under the skin, which kinda sucks, because although it is the least dangerous fat to have, it is the hardest to loose