I'm new here so I don't have much to offer as far as advice on the best plan for you, but I can tell you how I lost 12lbs in 4-months. (My plan may not work for everyone, but it's the ONLY plan that has EVER worked for me!)
In a nutshell - cardio, cardio and more cardio!
Like you, I was no stranger to gym. For two years I was working out 3-4x/week with 30-minutes on the elliptical and then weights for another 30-minutes. Years past and besides losing a few initial pounds, that plan did nothing for me but make me stronger and give me more endurance. I was discouraged and gave-up for 6-months before I decided to try something new.
My first plan was to cut my calories from 1400-1600 to 1200-1300. I made a promise to myself to enter EVERYTHING I ate into Fitday. EVERYTHING. I even purchased a food scale so that I could measure my foods to make sure that I had as accurate count of my caloires as possible.
I also stopped eating microwave lunches. All those Healthy Choice Steamer Bowls and soups were replaced with home prepared meals w/o any additional salt. My 100-calorie snack packs and “diet” cookes were replaced with carrot sticks and apples. I still go out to eat but I changed my way of eating by ordering fish w/o any butter or sauces with steamed veggies or salads w/o any dressing, cheese or breads. Make lean protien and raw veggies the staple of your all your meals. Raw fruits are my snacks and desserts! I also eat very slowly – taking one bit then putting down my fork to chew before I take another bite.
I went from maybe 4-glasses of water a day to over 100oz of water a day. I also gave up caffiene (surprisingly, this was easy with the amount of excerise I was/am doing).
I work out at least an 1-hour a day doing cardio. Since I did the elliptical for years, I decided to hit what I found to be the most challenging - running. Then I started using the treadclimber, treadmill, stairs and bike – switching up my exercises every few weeks.
After 3-months of doing this, I finally started to drop weight - and fast! My average has been 2lbs a week since March. I've know by body is getting more effiecant as I'm sweating a whole lot more than I use too.
Besides doing all the cardio, I lift weights on Saturdays. I do 30-minutes of cardio on Saturday and then a full body workout with weights. I do try to max out my weights. I went from 20lbs curls to 50lbs since January so I KNOW I am getting stronger!
I rest from the gym on Sundays but I do not rest of exercise. I usually walk, garden, or do some sort of outdoor activities with the kids. The new rule is NO TV on Sundays. Sunday’s use to be my binge day, so keeping busy keeps my mind of snacking non-stop in front of the tube.
I would also like to point out that it may take a few months before you start seeing a real change in your weight, so don't get discouraged! Keep up your routine and keep your goal in mind! It will take will-power of steel so you gotta *really* want it and be prepared to put in all the hard work, but it is worth it.
GO FOR IT!
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