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i know its possible and i just wanted to know some good food suggestions and mild excersize suggestions. i might get a gym membership and wanted to know which is the best way to shed pounds on which piece of equipment? (i do not enjoy running lol)

thanks!

18/f

It is certainly possible... but it wont be just fat. This is the problem with speed diets.

You always have people that share their amazing stories but in reality 40% of the weight they lost was probably muscle. At the end of the day they are smaller, but their metabolism is not running optimally, they no longer have the same energy level, and the chance of re-gaining the lost weight is sky high.

Extremely obese adults should sometimes come close to the sort of weight loss you are talking about, not an 18 year old girl.


Anyway, here is some weight loss advice.

Exercise:

The most important thing is cardio. The best machine at the gym is the stair machine (assuming it is an independent action stair climber- but they mostly all are these days). You can do it almost every day, but you dont have to. Health wise doing about 4 cardios a week of at least 20 mins is very good. They should be done at a steady and moderate pace.

Weight lifting is very good for preservation of muscle mass during a diet. One of the best things for weight loss is a weight lifting- cardio combo. If you end up doing this, get someone who really knows what they are doing to help you with a program.

Sports can also be extremely good and so can interval training. Sports like soccer are particularly effective and I have read several studies where soccer was shown to be better than cardio for weight loss (do note that cardio has many other health benefits though).


Food tips (cut pasted from a previous answer to make life a bit easier for me):

- Create a calories deficit, i.e. eat about 500 calories a day less than you burn (this is of course too little for the goal you set). Practically this should leave you feeling a bit hungry, not starving.
- Eliminate empty calories from junk foods, anything with sugar added to it, etc.
- Stick to wholesome non processed foods. This means that you should make the food yourself whenever possible and avoid pre-made meals.
- Eat carbs moderately in general. Also do not eat many/ any carbs before periods of inactivity- typically late in the day.
- Minimise saturated fats. These are found in animal products. Whenever possible stick to low/ no fat animal products and lean meats.
- Include small daily sources of essential fatty acids, particularly omega 3. Good sources include oily fish, flax, canola, walnuts, etc (a quick search online will give you more detailed info). The amount needed is quite small (e.g. a serving of fish or a handful of walnuts usually covers your daily requirements). Supplements are also ok here.
- Eat several portions of vegetables and fruit throughout the day.
- So, a sample meal might be something like skinless chicken breast (lean protein), 50g whole wheat pasta (good carb source- moderate amount), and a salad made with canola (very light carb source high on vitamins etc & a good source of essential fatty acids).

Thats pretty much it. Good luck.

Alin 34/m

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