Hey everyone! I am new to this site and would really like some help jump starting my weight loss! I am currently weighing in at 135 lbs and would like to return to my original weight of 115 lbs. (I put on 20 lbs about a year ago, this only took me about two months once i switched birth controls). Needless to say, I am very lost.. and would just love any help on the right way to eat... and how much exercise I should do a day!

I am having a hard time deciding whether to do a fad-type diet or just ... old fashioned eating right.. lol. Feedback would be great. Suggestions. Stories. Anything!!!!

Thanks :]

LMP, welcome! It's nice to have you here. You're right, there are so many choices.

If it interests you, the link in my signature to Eat Fat and Grow Slim is a wonderful primer in what low carb eating is, why and how it works. It was written in 1958 by a very kind doctor, Richard MacKarness. He explains the way fats, proteins and carbohydrates are used in the body, after you've swallowed your food.

Many are having great success with the South Beach Diet. There is a sub-forum here for it.

Those would give you a general idea, and a basis for further questions.

I wish you all the best!

If you have an iPhone or a smartphone I would suggest getting an app that tracks both what you eat and what you burn.

I have MyNetDiary, and say you want to lose 1.5 lbs per week it will recommend how much you eat per day depending on how active you are. It also has a really big database of foods, both for eating out/pre packaged and fresh.

A lot of people use and recommend Lose It! on here, but it's not currently available in the UK.

Also if you don't have a smart phone, I think FitDay and similar food diary websites offer the same services.

I'd recommend a week of just monitoring what you are eating by checking that way. And make small gradual changes to your diet and exercise. There's no point (and certainly no fun) going to extremes when you don't need to.

Best of luck, you are in a similar position to where I was 3/4 months ago. I'm just under 5'5 and was 135. I lost the majority of mine pretty quickly so don't let the 3 months bit put you off! Any more questions feel free to ask

I don't follow a particular diet: I just try to avoid refined and artificial sugar and too much saturated fat. I eat lots of good carbs and lean protein, and also good fats. This, along with treats from time to time, is something that is sustainable for me. I don't want to follow any plan that I can't commit to for life.

LMP!

I vote for good ol' fashioned eating right any day. I guess I've never done a fad diet, so maybe it's not fair of me to write them off, but I think you need to find something you can do, well, forever. If you poke around the Maintainers forum, you'll see that maintenance looks a lot like losing, just with a couple hundred more calories. If you make big changes to lose, but then go back to your old ways, the weight will be back on before you can say, "I'll take two pairs of skinny jeans, please!"

I've never looked into the South Beach Diet, but I think it is similar to what I do anyway. "Good" carbs (whole wheat flour instead of white, brown rice instead of white), lots of veggies, lots of lean protein. And in reality, I have cut back on bread, rice and pasta quite a bit in the last few months -- when I do have them, they take up only a small part of my plate.

I highly recommend tracking what you normally eat in either a phone app or online (I use myplate at www.livestrong.com and I've also used fitday.com). Even if you aren't inclined to use calorie counting as a weight loss method, I think it's a great way to see what you're actually eating every day. I did this about 3 weeks into my weight loss efforts, I DID NOT want to count calories -- I just thought it would be interesting to see how much I was eating and what my carb/protein/fat balance was when I simply tried to "eat healthy, eat smaller portions, and snack less."

Well, I think it lasted about 1.5 days. When I realized how much I was eating, and that it was about 90% carbs, I started calorie counting. It works for me because I like numbers and measuring and adding and breaking stuff down, and also because by controlling my calories for a day or a couple of days, I can have treats, like ice cream cake on my daughter's birthday (and for two days after -- hooray for leftovers!).

This entire site is such an incredible resource -- take some time to poke around all the different forums and see what people are doing. Don't neglect the maintainers forum -- I found it so helpful to read there (especially the stickies) to prepare myself for maintenance. Cause I am not going back!

Thanks everyone!!

So I have taken the advice of many of you to start counting my calories... I signed up for MyNetDiary and have put in my current weight and my goal. I also used a date of October, 15th just for experimental purposes.. This is what it told me...
Your body mass index (BMI) is 23.2, which means normal weight.

To achieve your goal of 115lb you should consume about 986 fewer calories per day than the personalized DRI of 1956 calories per day needed for your current weight maintenance.

By losing 986 calories daily you will be losing about 4ľoz daily, about 2.0lb each week, or about 8.5lb monthly.

To lose calories you can reduce daily calorie consumption and/or burn more calories with exercise.


Let me know if I am on the right track... I am going to log my intake everyday and aim for 1200 calories a day.. also, I am going to work out 5 times for at least 30 minutes and on 3 days an hour. Just, cutting calories to 1200 gives me a deficit of 756 a day and I am hoping that my daily work out will help put me up to a deficit of 1000. What you do think?

Also, any tips on how to remind yourself to eat more times a day. I understand the benefits I just cant seem to make myself snack throughout the day. I find myself going until the late afternoon before eating anything. Then once I get hungry I will eat a protein bar or a rice cake and then wait until dinner, where I know I am eating too large of a portion.

Thanks again everyone! I really want to do this right!!!

This is just my opinion, but I think at your height and weight, 2 lbs / week is a lot to ask for. How much do you exercise now? Is your new exercise plan a dramatic increase? Will you burn out? Same on calories. 1200 is very low -- will you feel too deprived?

One of the discussions you see surfacing again and again on 3FC is how people fall into the trap of thinking that losing weight is an "all or nothing" situation. You have to eat the minimum and work out the maximum, or just forget it all. I personally think that finding something sustainable, that you can do from here on out, will be more successful in the long run.

Again, that's just my opinion, and if you are already exercising a lot and find you're happy on 1200, it may be just the ticket for you.

One other thought -- since 1200 is so low, nutrition-wise you need to make every calorie count. Make sure you plan to get enough veggies, calcium, protein, etc!

Amy,

Where can I get calcium? I know from milk and cheese but I just dont like the taste of milk and I would rather get my carbs from a slice of whole grain toast

Since I was younger my mom has been trying to drill in my sisters and my head that we NEED to get our calcium. Once your 30, its too late. She always emphasizes the importance of calcium for women. The thing is, I dont like cottage cheese or milk and those seem to be the best source of calcium. Are there any other good sources? I am almost calcium deficient!

Yogurt is a very good source of calcium, as is soy. Leafy green vegetables, oranges, beans and peas, certain kinds of nuts, and fish are other sources.

Overdoing protein and caffeine can work counter to your efforts, because these things result in calcium excretion. In addition, calcium absorption decreases as the calcium content of a meal increases. Generally, you should consume 500 mg or less of calcium per serving—so "they" say—and you only need about 1,000 mg, unless pregnant/breastfeeding or over the age of 50.

In terms of staving off osteoporosis, weight lifting and weight-bearing exercises like the StairMaster are an excellent deterrent. In addition to building muscle, they help you to retain calcium and even build bone mass. It is true that little bone mass is added after 30 without these efforts. But with them? Even the elderly benefit in this way from weight lifting. People can build bone mass at any age this way; it is definitely not too late after 30 from this perspective.

thesame7lbs: Thanks for your input and advice. I do not however feel deprived on 1200 calories a day. For me it is more in choosing what is better to eat rather than eating less. I don't regularly over eat, I just eat what I like. I am giving myself one cheat day, however I plan to do it a little differently. On my cheat day I will allow myself to indulge in my favorite foods or whatever it may be that I have been craving for the past week. But, I still am going to watch my calories on my cheat day and make sure they don't go above 1,600. I really don't see it as being much of a problem... hopefully.

Also, I have been logging my calories on MyNetDiary for the past two days and yesterday I ate a total of 957 calories and worked out for 30 minutes. I did not feel deprived although, I want to try and eat a little bit more... I am having a hard time with snacking between meals.. I will try and get it figured out.

As for today I have had about 240 calories. But, I am going to get a snack here in a few minutes in order to boost my calorie intake... Then will have dinner. When I recorded last nights dinner it said a grilled pork chop was about 800 calories 5 oz.. is this true?

Anyways, thank you all for your support! I know its a little soon but I weighed myself today and lost a lb.... haha (i will just keep telling myself that until my next weigh in next week....)