Weight loss questions?

I need serious dieting help. What do you think? I just turned 21 years old and I am fat and getting fatter. Every week I weigh myself and my weight seems to be going up. I am short (5'3) and very very fat. I weigh 145 pounds and I look huge. My belly is my main problem though..it is so big I look pregnant. I weighed 133 pounds 5 months ago. I was not happy with that weight either. I have a small fram and I believe I should weigh around 125. I would love to be 125 pounds by September. Is that a realistic goal? How many calories should I eat each day? It is so hard for me to diet because I am always out and my friends who always eat fast food. Any help would be helpful.thanks. I have a tredmil and was just going to start off by running maybe a hour a day...I'm not really sure what to do.

Public Comments

  1. Well, your goal of 125lbs by september is realistic because in my case I have already lost 15 lbs and I used to be 175 and now I am down to 160lbs and I have been dieting for more than 3 weeks now. What I do is run for 35 minutes about 4.5 speed then I do some sit ups and crunches...and I limit my calorie intake to 1500 a day! Even you are with your friends, you can still eat healthy by choosing the right food on the menu. Good Luck to yoU!
  2. To begin with, good for you for wanting to start a diet/exercise program...it is a tough thing to be exposed to all kinds of greasy, fattening foods and be able to find the willpower to say, "NO!". Running on the treadmill is a great idea. A full hour may be a little too much at first, however. It depends on how your body reacts. Take it in stride and see how it goes. Make it interesting by changing the speed and the incline so that you don't get bored and it does not become monotonous. Food-wise, you should cut your calories to between 1300 and 1500 a day (I would ask your doctor if he has a specific health concern, though). When you eat out, you CAN stick to a diet plan! You need to do the research, though. I will put a few websites at the bottom of the page that you can use to guide you. Remember a few tips: 1) When you are eating out and ordering a salad, BE CAREFUL. There can be so many hidden calories in those so called "healthy" salads at restaurants. You can look up the restaurant's website before you go out, because many places are posting their nutritional information online these days. See what has the least amount of calories (that is the most appealling to you, of course) and order that when you arrive. 2) Portion control. The meat or pasta portion should only take up 1/3 of your plate (about the size of your fist). Fill the rest of the plate with veggies. 3) Drink a LOT of water. It is important to drink a lot because those occasional hunger pangs will actually be your body telling you it is thirsty instead. Make sure to drink a glass or two of water before every meal so that you will be fuller faster. 4) Take your time when you eat a meal. Your body takes about 20 minutes to tell the brain that it is full. 5) Eat foods with a lot of FIBER and PROTEIN. These will also help you feel fuller faster. I eat a lot of egg whites, spinach, berries, broccoli, oatmeal, Fiber One cereal and bars, Dannon Crave Control Yogurt, and Kashi products that contain a lot of fiber. 6) Eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full. If you are thinking, "Hmm, I want some chocolate," wait for at least 10 minutes and ask yourself this question - "Am I really HUNGRY, or do I just want to experience the TASTE?" I am addicted to sweets, so I keep Jolly Ranchers or suckers handy. These are a great alternative because they stay in your mouth for a long time and are relatively low-cal...at least compared to the alternative, which is eating candy out of a bag! Good luck with this lifestyle change. It is possible for you to lose 20 pounds by September, but only if you stick with this plan. I hope you have great success!
  3. Well, I certainly feel for you because I'm rather fat myself and very short. As for exercise I suggest you start out walking first. Anybody who is overweight shouldn't start jogging or running, because their joints are already carrying around extra weight and the jarring that they will receive with running will make them worse. Same thing with jogging. Walking is the best weight bearing exercise there is and it IS free. Get a couple of dumbbells and use them to increase your upper body strength and when used properly with lower body exercises they will do the same. So walking, stretching, and strength training along with low-impact aerobics is a well-balanced exercise regime. Since you're only 21 the calories per day probably should be from 1200 to 1500. From what you've told us it sounds like 125 is a good goal to set for yourself. Having a high-fiber, low-fat and high carbohydrate(complex carbs) would be best, but just lowering the amounts of everything you eat especially the fats and proteins will help you lose. A lot of fast food places have salads now that claim to be healthy so when you go out with your friends take those into consideration and you can still have fun. Hamburgers, not the best, but if you really feel the need then have the smallest one and the smallest amount of fries. Don't even try to eat all of it. When you look at the food you haven't eaten that should give you the feeling that you have control over what goes into your mouth. Because that is what weight loss is about. It's learning to control what and how you eat and learning to eat properly. I don't know if you believe in God or not, but I'll be praying for you, because I know how hard it is to lose weight. I've been there and done that.
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