Hello lovely ladies,

I must say, I'm just a tad frustrated here. I have tried all difffent ways of losing weight
but whatever I seem to do, I can't get under that 300 pound mark. I have tried 1800 calories
a day with walking on the treadmill everyday for 30 mins. I have tried 2300 calories with working
on the elliptical trainer and treadmill for 45 mins. but nothing seems to work.

Could you please share with me what your magicial secret is? There must be a balance
that is key here because I know weight loss is possible.
Would you ladies share with me what works for you? Answering these questions would really help me out:


1. How many calories do you eat a day?

2. How many minutes do you workout and how many days per week?

3. What form of exercise do you do? (walking, biking, etc.)

4. What is your average weight loss per week?


If you guys could let me know this, I will so so so so so be grateful.
Thank you very much and keep up the good work!

I started a little higher than you in January 2011.
I try to stay around 1600-1800 calories - all of good, real food. Low carb, high lean protein, lots of veggies, fruits. etc.

I do the biggest loser challenge for wii 5 days a week for 40 minutes at the moderate setting. On top of that I walk everywhere I can - park the car farther away at the grocery store, park down the street from other stores etc.
Take the stairs whenever possible and just try to keep moving more in general.

I'm losing slow - little less than a pound a week total but I'm hoping that it will be permanent!

BTW - I'm in Manitoba too!

I also had a rough time getting under 300. My calorie target is around 1800 calories, but I have to watch carbs. I lose much more reliably on 1800 calories of low-carb than on 1800 calories of high carb.

My exercise depends on my pain levels (I have fibromyalgia, arthritis, and other health issues), and is higher in the warmer weather (when hubby and I go to the gym about 3 times a week and I walk on the treadmill or swim for 45 minutes to an hour.

My average weight loss is only a couple pounds per month (and when I started was less than one pound per month). I have insulin resistance which seems to mess with my metabolism something fierce. My doctor recommended low-carb dieting as he said research has found that folks with insulin resistance have better luck with low-carb. He warned me not to go too low (but didn't know what was too low) so I've been experimenting ever since.

Kristy, welcome and good luck. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but there is no magical secret. Sorry, I know how you feel , I always wanted to go to bed fat and wake up thin, it never happened ! I used to belong to a gym but because of a shoulder injury, not gym related, I pretty much limit my exercise to walking.
Weight loss will vary week to week.Usually you will lose more at the beginning and that will slow done as you lose.
I calorie count and plan all my meals ahead of time. I do not estimate calories but use the best information I can find.
I would think 1800 calories a day with exercise should show a loss. How long have you been dieting? Are you sure your calorie accounts are correct ? Are you counting everything ? Just a few things for you to think about.

My best success has come from eating lower carb, higher protein, and less processed foods. I have lost the most weight on the Primal Blueprint Diet plan, and it came off quickly too!

I seem to do better with higher protein and lower carb around 2000 calories. I believe this works for me because I metabolize carbs very efficiently and lack of them makes my body use the protein and also, I tend to not have as much processed food containing high amounts of sodium. As soon as I make my protein 50% of my diet, I am tinkling every 30 min!

One of the things I was shocked about was that one bad day of high salt high calorie intake can circumvent 6 days of being compliant and restrictive. The answer to that was for me not to restrict types of food, but have more portion control of the foods I feel like eating. It's still hard for me not to categorize foods and "good" or "bad".

Don't give up!!! That's where I'd say "F this stuff" and go on a few day binge. That's what got me to 350+ in the first place.

Hugs,
Ratkity

ive been eating under 1800 calories a day. but most importantly i dont eat after 7:30pm!! this is one of the things i hear is the most important. that way when i go to bed, i am burning calories and not storing fat.

i also walk outside. i do this because i will not go through with the whole workout if i am inside. if you walk outside, you have no choice but to walk back home, but if you workout at home, you can give up anytime. i have done 3 miles per night this way, and have already seen weight loss in 1 week

also keep hydrated! people forget how important it is to drink water

I don't count anything. I do very low carb, almost no dairy, no sugar or sugar substitutes (I use Stevia), no bread, cookies, rolls, etc., little fruit (berries & cherries ok), lots of low-starch vegetables, moderate lean meats and fish.

No fast food, no soda, no processed or fried food (yuk).

I make 75% of what I eat low-starch vegetables (avoid potatoes, corn, peas). I take additional fiber capsules daily which keeps things moving and helps with cholesterol and weight loss. I also drink a lot of Green Tea.

Oh, and I walk and do the treadmill for 60 minutes a day.

Self-discipline!!

I'm not over 300, but I was pretty darn close.

I've been on 1200 calories a day since I started and lost pretty quickly at first - maybe 5lbs a week the first month. Since then it fluctuates, but I'm still losing about 10lbs a month. I don't count carbs or fat or anything - just calories.

I don't exercise much - for a couple of weeks in march I walked a slow mile 3x a week. (while it was warm out!) but I didn't do anything these last two weeks.

I'm a pretty firm believer in low calorie diets although they are not for everyone, and can be difficult to maintain. Whether I can maintain it myself who knows.

I have been most successful in keeping track of everything I eat. I use Weight Watchers points as opposed to calories but a similar idea. However we do not count most vegetables or fruit. I do best eating several servings of veg and 2 servings of fruit per day. I also eat whole grains, drink lots of water, eat very little processed food and use portion control. I will have snacks that are treats but stay in points. I found though from previous experience I lost weight if I stayed in points. It did not matter if the food I ate was healthy or not, low carb or not, I lost as long as I stayed in my food limit. I exercise but moderately. I go to aquafitness twice per week and get out to walk everyday. I hope to increase this as I lose more weight and become more able to do more exercise.
For me this journey to health has to be realistic. I have to live it for the rest of my life.

1. How many calories do you eat a day?

-- 750 (seven hundred and fifty)

2. How many minutes do you workout and how many days per week?

-- just started last week: 1 - 2hrs of 3mph walking per day; every three days, i do 2 tabata sessions; on days i don't do tabata and aren't stiff and sore from it, i do rebounder exercise

3. What form of exercise do you do? (walking, biking, etc.)

-- tabata: alternating dumbbell rows in plank position with 10lb dumbbells; reverse lunge knee drives with arm extensions; rear leg raises in plank position

-- walking: 3mph with bursts of jumping on stuff like the curb or steps; i use music that's 150bpm or faster (check my youtube playlist - it's public under threenorns3)

-- rebounder: mostly health bounce but i get a lot of high-knee jogging in too

4. What is your average weight loss per week?

-- since march 1st, i've lost 20lbs, so call it 3lbs/wk but the week after i started my exercise regimen, i lost 4lbs.

1. How many calories do you eat a day?
I started out around 1600 calories. Right now (down 41 lbs) I have between 1200-1500 calories a day.
2. How many minutes do you workout and how many days per week?
I don't really keep up with minutes. I keep up with miles. I'm going for 1000 miles in 2012. It probably won't happen, but I'm trying. I walk on the treadmill mainly. My goal is just to get on the treadmill every.single.day. I want to make it 2 miles a day.. sometimes I just make it a mile and my highest was 4.25 miles. Generally it takes 20 minutes a mile at 3mph. I started out at 2.7 mph though and that took about 22 minutes a mile.
3. What form of exercise do you do? (walking, biking, etc.)
Mainly walk on the treadmill. I've done a few things at the gym and The Biggest Loser Workout videos too.
4. What is your average weight loss per week?
About 2 lbs a week is a good average for me.

that's a myth. the theory is that if you go to sleep with a stomach full of food, your body automatically converts it to fat - it doesn't work like that.

your body doesn't really care what you're eating on the spot - it's what you eat over time.

not eating after 730pm is still a good idea because after 730pm is when bingeing is more likely to occur. if one is prone to bingeing but can't eat after 730pm, one is more like to hit the sack earlier and get an actual proper night's sleep which is vital to successful weight loss.