Diet and excercise of course. As for diet, completly cut out or significantly lower things like processed foods, gluten, sugars, salts, caffeine (yes, it can actually hinder weight loss by it's effect on the liver).... eat two servings of food a day and lots of fresh veggies and if you eat meat, eat lean meat. Oh, and getting some of the good fats help- salmon, fish oil, gla supplements, flax oil, things like that. And then, of course, excercise.
stay with it. Only expect to lose 1-3 pounds a week. I generally only lose 1 and a half now, but I think because I strength train too so I'm gaining muscle mass which weighs more (and uses up alot more fat than if I had weaker muscles). In 3 months I've lost almost 20 pounds, and am very glad I did It's been 3 months since I started going to the gym and it would feel like a long time if I did not get into it like a lifestyle, and not just a temporary change. You will NOT lose it unless you learn to LOVE working out. I feel so good now after I work out, and I have soooo much more energy for the day. So getting a nicer body is just a bonus. Do Cardio and weight training. I treadmill half an hour a day (start by walking but build up to jogging and even running), and then split my weight lifting up into 3 different days/categories. 1st day) upper body, back, shoulders, biceps, tricepts. 2nd day) legs, butt 3rd) chest. Upper, lower, and middle (i have fat deposits right under my boobs so this has totally toned that up!). 3) They say don't starve yourself but in the beginning I think you have to alittle. Especially at night before bed, you do not want to eat at then. I used to wake up hungry but now I don't get hungry until late in the afternoon, when I'm usually done with my workout, when I allow myslef to eat. At first it was like "starving" but now my body has adjusted and I get full quite easily, and eat alot less.
if you do lose weight make sure you do it the healthy way. diets are really good. try the "south beach" diet. it will be somewhere on the net. but my mum did it and she looks really great now.
Drink 1/2 ounce of water per day for every pound you weigh. Stay away from simple carbohydrates (bread, rice, cereal, anything with sugar, pasta, etc.) Stay away from sodas, cows milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, and fruit juice. Eat smaller portions about every 2 hours, eating more frequently speeds up your metabolic rate, stay away from meat and meat products as much as possible, if you do eat meat only eat very lean meats sporadically (1-3x a week) (chicken/fish) NO RED MEAT! Start a good fitness program that includes at least an hour of cardio every day, coupled with resistance training everyother day. After you've shed your water weight and started the resistance training in routine, you can slowly reintroduce some things into your diet in LIMITED quantities, if your a meat eater you can increase your lean meat intake (no red meat) to once a day, (twice if your working out more...), you can reintroduce some carbs because you will need them, but stay away from stuff that isn't made with whole grains (no white bread, white rice, white noodles), if you MUST you could also reintroduce some dairy products but do this with ALOT of moderation, they will only hinder your goals.
A friend of mine just lost 50 pounds in the past 6 months by switching to a vegetarian diet, eating more frequently but in smaller portions, increasing H20 intake, exercising 30 minutes a day, and cutting out sweets. Just make sure you take care of yourself as you lose weight. It's easy to miss out on things that should be in your diet when you're not eating as much. Good luck.
I haven't got a lot to add to everyone else's suggestions, Terrapin, but best of luck with it. If you're doing all the right things and can't get the weight to shift, it might be worth looking into whether there could be a health reason behind it. All sorts of things from diabetes/insulin resistance to gyno problems can seriously screw up your weight.
Don't pick and choose with dieting and exercise---you have to do both in order to lose weight, so cut your calories and go for walks (or whatever you like to do for exercise). Something I've found to be beneficial is taking a walk directly after supper. It's nice, because you can almost feel the calories burning. Also, don't starve yourself and skip meals... Eat full meals, but just watch your portion sizes. I've also heard that eating five or six tiny meals throughout the day is a good way to go. Good luck.
Please look at this thread as it gives essential info for people trying to lose weight. It's about the stealth role of a common food additive, MSG, put in food to jack up your appetite.
Hey Terrapin, I'm not going to say it's easy, but I am going to say it's simple. You're probably not going to feel like excersizing if your overweight, pushing yourself to would be beneficial, but most people have a hard time keeping up with it. In order to have the energy to excersize, you have to be healthy. Correct? So the key, would be nutrients. Try vitamin b complex as it has been found to give people more energy. As "dudenamedrob" has mentioned, stay away from glucose. The key is "green foods". Green beans, broccoli, asparagus, lettuce (romaine), and spinach leaves. Vegetables, fruits, poultry, salmon, and some grains should be included in your diet. Green tea for some reason also helps. Keep it natural, you'll feel healthy, when you feel healthy, you have enough energy to excersize. Then you'll probably go struttin.
well be happy with your nicely weighted body. cause i know the pain of a real nothing body. being underweighted is really a curse mann.
I've lost about 10 pounds in the last couple months. All I do is eat healthier, and excersize about 20-30 minutes a day. I don't strength train or go to the gym. I do sets of ab crunches, pushup, situps, etc. I stay away from fast food, soda, chips (which is hard), beer (liquor's quicker). Oh, I also take Vitamin C, calcium, a multivitamin, and a couple others, which I find make me feel tons better. You don't realize what your body's lacking sometimes, and vitamins can help alot. I took this survey, and it told me just what I needed to do. Maybe it will help you. http://www.realage.com/reg/regvar/st1.aspx?mod=LONGFORM It may help shed some light on what you need to work on. Good luck
I didn't change my diet a lick. I purchased a rowing machine and use it 15 to 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week. So far I've lost 9 pounds since mid - March. I love it as its one stop shopping. It offers both cardio and resistance training.
You've done incredible. You, Andy and Chris are huge inspirations for me and have lost unbelievable amounts of weight. It's so funny because the first time Andy and I met a few years back I was skinny and he was chubby and then the other week I was chubby and I was amazed at what great shape he was in. I need to cut out processed foods so bad. I am just addicted and it's hard especially this past week. My stomache's been so sour I have been just eating tons of plain bagels, kaluha and strawberries...but now my pants are getting tight...I need a plan I can stick with and I need a workout buddy but all of my friends run marathons or play soccer so they're in really great shape and it's hard for me to keep up with them. I'm just feeling sorry for myself today-blaaaaaaaaaaah I hate it when I get like this.
Best of luck with your weight loss journey. I think the key is regular exercise and of course watch what you eat. Once you get an exercise routine down it becomes part of your day. I actually really look forward to exercise each day. It also totally helps if you have a friend to exercise with to keep you company but also to be accountable to!