Hi everyone! My name is Jessica. I'm 20 years of age and currently weigh approximately 163 pounds. I am 5'4".

Last April, I hit my highest weight: a whopping 185 pounds. Since then, I've lost 22 pounds through diet and exercise. However, it is clear that I am still overweight (ideally, I'd like to lose about 28 more pounds).

Currently, I work out 5-6 days a week, either on the elliptical or the treadmill for 35 minutes. Before I began working out regularly, I couldn't even complete one mile on the treadmill- even though it's not much, as of now, I can run over two miles without stopping!

1. How quickly can I SAFELY lose 28 pounds?
2. Is one exercise better than another? Should I incorporate weight training into my exercise routine yet, or should I wait until I've lost a bit more weight?
3. Diet is the hardest part for me. It's not difficult to get the motivation to go to the gym anymore, but it's hard to say "no" to food. Any tips and/or diet plans you've got to share, especially for a college student such as myself?

Thank you! I look forward to your responses.

Hi, Jessica, welcome! I'm so glad you are here! Congratulations on your weight loss and the great job you've done to become fit! You are in much better health now!

I've never been any good at low-calorie diets myself, so I probably am a lousy person for advice. Right now I'm doing a low-carb diet (Atkins) that so far is easier for me, but I have no idea if that would be easier for you.

I think you've made a great choice by coming to these boards, because hard things aren't usually quite so hard if they are shared with others! And everyone here is really nice and helpful. So I know you will be glad you found this site!

The weight loss thing...I'd hate to see you aiming for more than one pound a week. I think much more than that is asking too much from your body, and asking too much from you in terms of sacrifices.

Thanks so much for welcoming me! I'm excited to be here, and I think this forum is only going to assist me more with my goals for a healthier and happier body.

I'm aiming for a 1-1.5 lb loss per week for now. As I get smaller, I think a 1 lb loss will be more reasonable. From past nutrionist appointments, I believe that this is a healthy goal.

Do you have to pay to access the Atkins diet, or is it available for free? I'm currently not in the position to be paying for a diet regime (hello, college loans!), so if it's not free, perhaps you could direct me to something that is low-carb in nature, but doesn't charge me. Also, I'm curious, how long have you been doing low-carb dieting, and has it worked for you?

Thanks!
Jessica

Hey Jessica!

You sound ALOT like me! I am 19, work out 5-6 days a week, I started at 164 lbs, I am now 156, and I would like to be around 130.

1. How quickly can I SAFELY lose 28 pounds? I have been losing 2 lbs. a week (for 3 weeks) but, Im sure that will slow down. Give yourself a realistic goal like, 4-6 months??
2. Is one exercise better than another? Should I incorporate weight training into my exercise routine yet, or should I wait until I've lost a bit more weight? I definitely think you should! I usually work out 5 days a week. 3 of the days I run or do elliptical for 30mins - 1hr. The other two days I do weight training with Jillian Michaels DVD's.
3. Diet is the hardest part for me. It's not difficult to get the motivation to go to the gym anymore, but it's hard to say "no" to food. Any tips and/or diet plans you've got to share, especially for a college student such as myself? I am a college student too! I am alway on the go (that was my main excuse before for eating fast food allll the time!) But now I am eating 1200 calories a day. It truly truly helps! I am losing 2 lbs a week! I'm not saying NO to food, I just say yes, but to healthy things that stay within my calorie budget. : )


I hope this helps!!

Congratulations on your weight loss!

This is probably going to sound ridiculous, but I am absolutely obsessed with Los Angeles! Lol, I'm going to be spending my summer doing research at one of the universities in LA, and it's my goal to get to 135 by the time I leave for CA in mid-June. Think it's possible?

What sort of foods do you eat frequently? I'd love to hear about what's working for you! I'm currently on a ~1400 calorie budget, but I'm also a bit heavier than you are. Eventually, I'll start decreasing my calorie intake as I loose the weight.

Is your elliptical workout closer to 30 minutes or 60? I'm usually on the treadmill or the elliptical for 35 minutes, but I'm concerned that it's not enough time for the weight loss I want.

Again, thanks so much for your response!!

Congrats on your progess and keep it up. I, too am doing cardio on an elliptical for 30mins 5 days a week and then every 2nd day I hit the gym or do a Jillian Michaels DVD or my Wii Active for strength training. I hired a trainer for a month and she recommended that rountine. At first, I didn't lose an weight, but she had to tell me a couple of times that muscle weighs more, but it will burn more calories and you don't want to lose muscle, you want fat. You don't need to do a lot of strength, I only do 30mins.

Good luck and be patient...I know that was the biggest thing for me, but now I am seeing 2lbs a week and this past week, I lost 5lbs!

I think both of you are eating too little.......but I've learned that you kind of have to learn that for yourself.

I recommend listing the the "fat2fit" radio podcast. It's really great, motivating, and you can listen to it while you're working out.