Dieting Suggestions?

[BlueDevil]

I don't have much of a healthy diet, and I'm looking to lose a bit of extra weight. Seriously. After what I've seen of others dieting, and procrastinating away from any kind of weight help or anything myself, I'd honestly like to change.

So! With that in mind...anyone have any diet plans they'd like to share? Just an average diet that cuts back on most of...everything? I'm already planning on dropping Soft Drinks.

Please and thanks ^^

 

[Meg]

Its really quite simple! ^_^ Cut down on sugars, get plenty of fruit, veggies, and proteins. Broccoli is a super food! Also be sure to take some vitamins like C and D and maybe even a multi. Exercise to. Doesn't have to be anything intense. Walking for a half hour every day is really good. Tis what I do and my doctor says I'm the healthiest person she's seen in a long time. ^_^ And I don't even try to lose weight! :lol:

Which leads me to an important point! Stress is bad. Don't stress about weight. It will make it harder to lose it.

 

[BlueDevil]

If I eat white bread, does that need to be changed to wheat?

Because in all honesty, if one of my meals has no kind of wheats, I die a little inside.

 

[Meg]

Hmm that's tough. Carbs effect different people in different ways, so its hard to say. I would say white bread is ok so long as most of your breads are whole wheat.

 

[BlueDevil]

Most are white...hrm hrm...as a matter of fact, the only time I don't eat white bread is when wheat is brought into the house (which is very seldom) and when they give us wheat rolls at school...which hasn't happened in a long time.

 

[Meg]

Like I said carbs effect different people in different ways, so its hard to say. I would suggest doing the other things I proposed for awhile and if they don't give you the desired results you might then want to cut back on the white bread.

 

[BlueDevil]

Coolness. Thanks a bunch for the help.

 

[Meg]

^ Sure thing. ^_^

 

[Dante's Stalker]

Meg has given you pretty sound advice ^_^
All I can really add to it is that if you're not a running/jogging person, then go swimming. It's the next best thing and guaranteed to get your heart pumping and your muscles working. Also, cut down on junk food - anything greasy/oily (McD's, KFC, for example), less sugar (so whatever you drink with your hot chocolate or anything, drink one spoon less sugar), no fizzy drinks. NO FIZZY DRINKS! That's the biggest sinner of all! It's so packed with sugar, it makes sugar seem tame!

And as contradictory as this sounds, eat more. Have your three main meals, and then snacks like fruits or raw veggies in between, and drink lots of water. Reason for this is that it will help kick-start your metabolism and your body will start to get rid of the fat-cells quicker. Also, don't eat anything for three hours prior to you going to bed. Whatever you eat after, say, 8pm, will store as fat in your body.

 

[aka958]

The advices is on how to eat your food. You shouldn't diet, you should excercise and eat correctly.

Alright. No fizzy drinks from here on then. :ninja:

 

[BlueDevil]

^Compared to now, 'regular' eating IS dieting.

And notes taken. I'm going to ask my mom to buy a big ass bag of apples and a few other things next time she goes to the store. Mostly dem apples though...

Thankies, guys.

 

[LordOfDarkness]

Some very good tips so far

Agree with M_V. Cut out fast food restaurants, they are bad for you. Trust me, nothing can be gained here. It's okay to indulge once in a blue moon, but not every day or every week. Also agree to cut soft drinks out. You don't have to stop drinking them forever, just not on a regular basis. Alternative option of drinks:

• Water
  Flavoured water
  Milk
  Orange Squash (Blackcurrant Squash etc.)
  Orange Juice (Apple Juice etc.)

Cereal - Always have a big bowl of cereal for breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But all the other meals are important also. Don't have cereal that is chocolatey or contains lots of sugar. And don't add sugar to your cereal. Milk and cereal should be sweet enough as it is. If you want a drink to accompany that, try any healthy fruit drink like Orange Juice or Apple Juice, or a glass of milk if you prefer.

Snacks - If you need to snack during the day, go for something healthy. Try an apple or a banana, or an orange (Or any fruit that is quick to eat) I'm not saying you have to buy something like a watermelon lol If fruit is not entirely your thing, go for something like nuts. Make sure they are unsalted though, it's more healthy. Pretty much everything has its own salt anyway.

Exercise - In between meals, perhaps go for a quick jog around your area. Or join a gym, or go swimming, or go cycling. Either of these things. For other such exercises, try sit-ups. They're not too stressful on the body. You can try press-ups also, or whatever you prefer.

Hope this helps a little more? =/

 

[V]

If you understand the way the body works, you can lose weight quite easily. =)

One way is to eat little things rather than big meals throughout the day. This works because the resting body burns an average of one calorie per minute. 60 an hour. So if you eat around 60-100 calories per hour, in little snacks througout the day (I find no more than 100 at a time, so eating things like a a yoghurt, a couple of apples, a piece of toast etc.) then the body will deal with this energy as it goes rather than getting an 'overdose' of calories and then storing them as fat. Which is what happens when you eat a large meal or lunch - of say 400 or 500 calories... the body only needs about a quarter of that, and all the rest gets stored and converted to fat which you then have to burn off! So if you eat small, the body will never have the chance to make any of that fat. And then while you rest at night, the body will have to burn around 60 x 8 (8 hours' worth of calories) while you feed it nothing, and so when you wake, you'll have lost some weight. This method definitely works.

Another method is to feed the body no carbs for a while (Atkins diet) and after 48 hours - if you stick religiously to this regime - the body will literally realise it's getting no sugar and switch to metabolising fat stored instead. This also definitely works. But it only works if you stick to no carbs, or else the body notices you're feeding it carbs again and switches back to carb metabolism, leaving the fat alone. You need to be disciplined to do it, but just a week of it and you can lose nearly a stone easily this way. I tried it a couple of years back and ate nothing but tinned tuna and salmon a couple of times a day, and 9 days later I was a stone lighter. It was difficult, but if you eat protein rather than vegetables it fills you up more and prevents you feeling as hungry. A balance of veg and protein is best for this diet - you don't have to do what Atkins advertisers tell you and eat dollops of mayonnaise on cheese for dinner (as if that's nice!?), just eat healithy without carbohydrates for several days. You will notice the difference. So, vegetables, meat and roughage without any added sugar will do. Avoid fruit, dairy products, sweets, chocolate/cakes/biscuits/crisps, bread, pasta, potatoes, cereals and rice.

 

[Meg]

Some very good tips so far

Agree with M_V. Cut out fast food restaurants, they are bad for you. Trust me, nothing can be gained here.

You can gain weight there.

 

[SpawnShooter]

^there's pun of the month! well done Meg rep+ and contrary to popular belief fruit is not that good for you losing weight, it contains the sugar Fructose which can only realy be used by your liver and seeing as your liver doesnt usual need it( cause it kinda produces its own energy) the fructose usualy gets turned into fat so something like a banana is terrible because not only is it fruit its a slow burning carb

one side note jelly/jello can be a god send its practicly just water so passes straight through you, has a lot of vitamins is sweet tasting for your "sweet tooth" and fills you up while your cutting down(i used to be classified as obese and jelly was EPIC! )

one more thing although the Atkins diet can be very effective it can also be very dangerous you should ask your doctor before you go on a new drastic diet, but to be honest unless your health is at risk i wouldnt worry about trying to do everything at once just cut out and change little things here and there, it is a LONG process so you might as well take your time and not hate it
and ther's my essay!

 

[Dante's Stalker]

+rep to all of the above! Very good advice Spawn added there. If you want to follow a strict diet, you need to be assessed by your doctor and directed to a professional dietician. I know someone who was incredibly obese and had health issues because of it, and she was put on the Atkins diet. It didn't turn out that well though. She didn't lose enough weight.

 

[Meg]

^there's pun of the month! well done Meg rep+ and contrary to popular belief fruit is not that good for you losing weight, it contains the sugar Fructose which can only realy be used by your liver and seeing as your liver doesnt usual need it( cause it kinda produces its own energy) the fructose usualy gets turned into fat so something like a banana is terrible because not only is it fruit its a slow burning carb

Fruit may contain sugar, but so long as you exercise its not that bad. Besides fruits have lots of good things for your body in them. Especially berries.

And thanks for bringing up talking to a doctor! I din't think of that, but its very true that you should always consult a doctor before trying a serious diet. Rep+

 

[Richtofen]

I'm in the same boat <_<...but since I live with my parents (I'm 18 so give me a break!) I can't really choose what I eat most of the time :\. Little things make a difference too, just cut back on butter/margarine, don't use as much salad dressing (switch it to a low fat dressing if you can) eat more veggies and have some fruit as snacks between the big 3 meals. Just eat in less amounts...but eat a big breakfast, I heard that it also improves how your body functions during the day. Also try not to indulge in excess amounts of chocolate or soda drinks (I'm trying so hard but...) Exercise doesn't have to be a daunting task either, go out for a 30-45min or w/e walk, if you live near a rec. centre you can go for a swim as well. (Maybe 5 out of the 7 days during the week?) Um...if you're into Tea it's full of vitamins as well, you can drink it with any meal and it's only flavoured water. (I use a steeper and tea leaves instead of ones already put into bags, I find their more packed with flavour and more vitamins.)

And like I said, I'm in the same situation so...I'm gradually making changes. I hope this helps!:$ And as others said before me...I couldn't say it better myself.

Edit: If you have to eat at a restaurant because you couldn't make lunch or supper before going somewhere in a rush...or if someone is treating you to breakfast-ask for a food fact menu if the restaurant offers one. You can see what the healthier choices are, or simply order soup and a garden salad.

 

[BlueDevil]

Thankies to everyone

Means a bunch

 

[LordOfDarkness]

Thankies to everyone

Means a bunch

A bunch of apples?

Another good pun, I thank you *Bows and leaves*

Just joking, some very sound advice from everyone so far ^_^