I put this in IMHO because I expect different opinions on the matter but if I am in the wrong place please move it to where it belongs.
I am planning on losing some unwanted pounds this summer.
No really, I seriously plan on doing it. Really.
I am moving away from all of my bad habits. Right now the most convenient food is the pizza place in my building that has the best pizza ever, and my desk a work is 28 steps away from my favorite bar with the best nachos. In two weeks I will be in a place that the most convenient food is a fresh made sandwich from the coffee shop next door. There isn’t a bar there that I like, and anyway all of my bar friends will be three provinces over. The town is famous for seep friend Perch, but I am not a fan of white fish, so all is well on the restaurant front. Last summer I discovered that I couldn’t get good poutine, and so this summer I won’t have any of that wonderful gooeyness to tempt me.
Now I am not obese but I would like to lose 20 pounds or so and I was wondering what a reasonable weight loss goal for four months would be.
I am not a fan of the dreaded “D” word and my plan is just to change my lifestyle.
There is a gym on my way to work and I plan on getting a membership for the summer. My job requires a lot of movement as well so I think I am covered on the exercise side of things, and I will be walking to and from work as well. I think it will be about a fifteen minute walk to work.
For the food side my plan is to cut out the greasy fatty stuff, pay more attention to my snacking, and start to plan ahead more. There are times when I am at work 12+ hours a day and I am famous for just running and grabbing food rather than bring my own.
So what kind of goals should I set? I am not expecting to need a new wardrobe at the end of the summer, but I am new at this whole weight loss thing and don’t know what to expect.
Well this sounds promising, now all I have to do is stick to it.
My biggest downfall will be the drive there. Fours days in a car with fast food all the way is not the best start, but hey I am up for a challange!
It has to be fast food because I am driving with a dog that does NOT like to be left alone in a car, and she shows it with little presents on the seats
Also, be very careful of sugars – they can be a bigger impedement to weight loss than fats, so long as you’re getting the right kind of fats. For instance, it’s way better to have a balsamic vinaigrette dressing on your salad (homemade with good quality extra virgin olive oil) than the lower fat, but higher sugar alternative of honey mustard (homemade with low fat mayo, honey and mustard). Having a serving of low fat yogurt mixed with protein powder for added protein and sweetness is better than the lowest fat milk poured over cereal. Watch out for “hidden” sugars in things like ketchup or pickle relish, too. I started losing weight much faster after taking this advice from a nutritionist I hired. You’ve got just the right attitude to make it work for you. Best of luck!
Oh, and stay away from fruit juice. Instead of orange or apple juice, have an actual orange or an apple. You get less sugar and more of the beneficial vitamins and fiber. Also, try not to let yourself get hungry, by eating 3 regular meals and having snacks in between. Alternate your mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack between fruit and protein.
if you really do go through a “change of lifestyle” and don’t even think about the “D word”, you might not get 20 pounds off until a year from now, but I bet you have a better chance of still being down that 20 pounds 3 years from now than someone who just would have just dieted for the next 4 months.
You’ve been overweight for however long. . .who cares if it takes 4 months or 10 months to lose it. Do it right, and it will be more effective and easier in the long run.
I am trying to loose 15 kilograms (about 13% of my body weight).
I have stopped drinking alcohol and eating things containing sugar.
I am drinking 2 to 3 liters of water a day.
I have also started doing some exercising and will join a gym.
I am thinking about starting doing some cardio first, followed by aerobics later on.
I am loosing weight like crazy.
I have lost more than 2% body-fat in less then a week.
I agree with this. Twenty pounds in four months is an agressive plan. I’m not saying it can’t be done, but it is agressive and it’s going to take more than just subtle changes.
Make the lifestyle change and stick with it. I think if you shift your goal to overall weight loss and increased healthy habits, you’ll be more successful. Setting and maintaining realistic expectations will decrease the likelihood of you backsliding.
One way around this is to get a little cooler, ideally the soft cover kind with the removable ice pack. Go buy healthy things to munch on, stuff them in your cooler then you can eat healthy in the car. I have done this for work, rather than snacking on bagels, donuts, and candy which are ever present. I take lean turkey, reduced fat string cheese, celery with light cream cheese (not fat free, see above about corn syrups and maltodextrin, lots of bad stuff) pistachios, hard boiled eggs. Grapes are convenient driving snacks too.
This way you can nibble guiltlessly while you drive, stave off hunger, and avoid nasty fast food joints.
