Hello, I weigh 195 pounds and want to lose about 30 or so. I am about 5'7 but will probably grow because I am only 16 and went through late puberty . Anyways, I have started a treadmill exercise routine for the past month doing it 5 times a week for 30 minutes. I worked my way up to 2.5 miles in 30 minutes in which I have been jogging 1 mile then walking half a mile and jogging another mile. I'm not really seeing the results I want but have lost about 10 pounds so far. Alsoo, I have been trying to diet and was wondering if anyone would reccomend one to me, because atkins is something I'm considering but would hate never eating a sandwich or goldfish ever again :P.

Sorry if i made this read a little boring but if anyone could help me find a good/faster way to lose weight that would be great!

I have set a goal to get down to 180 pounds by July 28th. thats 15 pounds (taking a trip to Florida and want to be slimmer on teh beaches)

10 pounds in a month is really good; lose it any faster and you may wind up gaining it all back plus if you don't maintain. You're 16 so weight loss should be a breeze, just keep jogging 5 days a week and don't eat any junk (no soda) and the weight will continue to drop. Check on myfitnesspal.com under "tools" to see how many calories you need to be eating a day for your age and height.

Exercise helps you lose inches, but you need to control your calorie intake to lose pounds. 15 lbs in 3 weeks is pretty ambitious, since the general rule of thumb is that to lose a pound of fat, you need to create a calorie deficit of 3500 between watching your food and exercising. Try putting your stats into a calorie calculator to give you an idea of how many calories you should eat in a day, but since you don't have a huge amount of weight to lose, it will be hard to take off that much that quickly.

Also keep in mind that if you eat too few calories (I think under 1200?) your body will assume that you're starving and actually be MORE likely to store fat. Eat healthy, keep up with your exercises, and I'm sure you'll look great on the beach even if you don't manage 180.

well I know I could lose about 10 pounds in 2 weeks on just Atkins, do any of you think I should start it? (my twin brother started Atkins 2 months ago without any exercise and went from 240-190!)

I feel that atkins is a very unhealthy approach to weighloss (my opinion) and that you're better off using calorie control and exercise. Remember the faster you lose; it the more likely you are to gain it right back. If you just want a "quick fix" for this vacation then try it but it's not likely going to give you long term results especially if you drop the exercise. Good luck.

ETA: the reason I feel it's unhealthy is because I see people dropping carbs and eating nothing but high fat/cholesterol foods.

Pretty much everyone I've seen do Atkins has lost weight then gained it back with interest as soon as they went back to normal eating.

This is probably not what you want to hear, but just keep doing what you are doing! You are losing weight at an excellent, if not fast, pace! 15 more pounds in 3 weeks is not very healthy, especially since you are not extremely overweight!!! I know it's hard to be patient, but it will pay off in the long run! Keep at it, you are doing wonderfully!

Thanks for all the great comments! I think i'm just going to start jogging 7 days a week and try to eat right. I will definitely be posting what my weight is on the 28th

BTW, I quit calorie sodas and have only been drinking diet coke/fanta/snapple and stuff... are those just as bad for me?

No soda/juice, not even diet! Water and plain iced tea. If you get really desperate Subway has a 5 calorie lemonade.

Why no diet soda?

Granted I drink a good gallon of water a day when I workout, but I have diet soda sometimes. Obviously they aren't ideal, but I wouldn't tell someone not to have them at all, especially if they're coming off of having full sugar soda and using diet as a stepping stone. But that is just my personal opinion. I'm more about moderation.

I work in Dentistry; soda is horrible, sorry. I don't see anything wrong with an occasional but I'm under the impression Ryan is drinking diet soda daily..not going to help with weight loss. I never drink soda ever so I am biased I guess.

ETA: He asked if juice and diet soda is just as bad and my feelings are yes.

Dental issues notwithstanding... diet soda in and of itself will not contribute to weight gain... it has zero calories.
I think that generally speaking, someone who is JUST starting out should do simple things and gradually get more into the weeds of health and fitness. Starting out with a laundry list of your personal ideas generally does nothing but intimidate and overwhelm people.

OP: Continue your cardio routine, and add some weightlifting in there. Focus on eating a healthy balanced diet and use some of the online calculators to get a baseline of about how much you should be eating. Over time you can adjust carbs/fats/proteins and play with calorie amounts to find what works best for you, but for now, just focus on keeping it simple and making those small changes you have been up until now.

You've done a great job so far!

He asked for my (our) opinion of diet soda/juice and I gave it.

Ive found calorie counting to work the best, and would suggest that to you so that you don't feel restricted in what you eat (no sandwhich, no goldfish). Being 16 I'm pretty sure you'll need more than I'm doing (1200-1300), because you are still developing, and even at 12xx range I don't feel deprived at all. Het, it's been 100+ degrees every single day this week so Im NOT cooking, and I ate fast food nearly every day this week (McDonald's, no less). LOL. But I don't feel bad. I just make sure its not ridiculous. Big Mac, 550 calories. That's just fine for a dinner. I will bring a fruit salad with me, or a regular salad, and drink a diet coke. I've still lost 2lbs this week. My point in mentioning this is just that with calorie counting its possible to eat whatever you want really, and still lose weight. I also eat a sandwhich with soup and chips evnery other night.

I also drink diet coke daily, at least 3 cans or more a day. I'm just not a water drinker, unfortunately. I haven't noticed it effect my weight loss at all. I also drink homemade sweet tea that has very little sugar - 22 calorie per 1.5c, I hate unsweetened tea so it's just sweet enough that I like it. it's something like 1 gallon of tea to 1/2c sugar. maybe a little more tea. I don't know I make my fiancé make it for me haha.

Note that I drink soda and yes with a straw and have since I was about 8 years old. I haven't noticed an effect on my teeth, and I've never had a cavity before.

Just keep doing what you're doing and log your calories with something like myfitnesspal. the ap is really nice, and you can just scan the barcode to log your food. Make sure you are eating an adequate amount with all the exersize you are doing. (for example if you need 1400 calories a day to lose weight and you eat that much then burn 300 calories exercising, you'll want to eat those calories back, otherwise your intake for the day would only be 1100, which would not be healthy.) 10lbs in a month is a great pace and like its been mentioned 15lbs in e weeks is just too much, you will haveto crash diet for it, and that's just no good. You will gain it all back when you start eating normally again, and likely gain more, and you want to feel energetic and good on your vacation - not run down!

Hey!, im back and have started lifting weights along with cardio daily. I need some advice with whey protein shakes deciding if I should take it after my workout and if it will help me lose fat.

Thanks for the Advice! - Ryan