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I need to lose weight
Iam 21 years old and Iam about 5'2 and I weigh 186 pounds and I want to lose about 50 pounds and I want to weigh about 130 pounds which is how much I weighed when I was in highschool I just wnat to know would that be a health amount of weight to lose? How should I go about it?
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Maybe give some free advice about: Nutrition?
Go high carb, low fat, whole foods, plant-based VEGAN! It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change. I went vegan this year and have lost 40 pounds, with minimal exercise, and eating AS MUCH as I desire bringing down my BMI from 30 to 24. I weigh less now than I did throughout high school, as an overweight teenager, even when I exercised for hours while on Junior Varsity and Varsity sports teams. I went to my annual physical earlier this month, and even my doctor was in shock.
My goal for next year is to lose 30-40 more pounds, I just need to start exercising on a regular basis. Nothing crazy, just 30-60 minutes of jogging, Ballet Beautiful, bike riding.. things like that.
I think it's amazing what I've accomplished so far, just by changing my diet, though. It's a lot easier to go vegan than it seems. I was never vegetarian, I went from being able to eat an entire box of pizza or entire tub of ice cream in one sitting to a full-fledged vegan. I now spend a lot less money on groceries, have more energy (never need caffeine, and never feel lethargic like I used to on a regular basis), have more concentration, am learning to cook, and etc. Try it for a week, that's how I started, and I felt so good that I just kept going, and it's now been 5 months! You can get every nutrient from plant foods, including protein!
Where do you get your protein?! 10 comebacks from a Vegan.
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The only vitamin you need to supplement is B12, and one I personally recommend is Garden of Life's B12 spray (cause I personally hate swallowing pills, and methylcobalamin is better than cyanocobalamin). You can buy it at any health foods store (Whole Foods, Sprouts, Trader Joe's, etc.), or online.
More on vitamin B12
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These two movies turned me into a vegan overnight.
Forks Over Knives
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Processed People
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Cowspiracy
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Here are some good YouTube channels that have helped me, too.
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Good luck!
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Weight Watchers is awesome! I started 4 years ago and lost 75lbs. It took about a year. I've been off and on the program since then. When I gain, I go back and refresh myself, but basically I still follow it each day. Its almost like a lifestyle thing. What I like about it is that its not a diet. Diets fail because you're always depriving yourself of something, then you fall of the wagon and go nuts and you've ruined your hard work! WW teaches you how to eat in the world we live in. Making better choices, smaller portions, etc. I still eat whatever I want... i just don't eat as MUCH as I want. And this week they've unveiled their new program, which I haven't tried yet because I haven't attended my weekly meeting yet. But I'm pumped to see how it differs from the regular points system. I highly recommend it. Its $10/week and there's food in the grocery stores to buy if you want, but you dont' need their food. They teach you how to use the food you already like to be healthier. I think you'll like it. Good luck!
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Well, the answer below is very good. I just wanted to add a few things.
First off, in terms of how much to lose, its important not to be too focused on the numbers (height vs weight, BMI, etc). They are all good indicators, but they do not take build and muscle mass into account. E.g. my lean body weight (which I sadly am quite far from now) would classify an average person my height as overweight, because I am a weight lifter. So, use the numbers to help you track progress, but also rely on the mirror... it never lies.
Now, onto the process:
- Eat sensibly: You need a moderate calorie deficit, nothing too extreme - something that translates to 1 - 2 pounds per week. Eat balanced, healthy meals low on saturated fats and do not neglect protein (particularly if you do any form of resistance trainging). All this is particularly important for preserving muscle mass during weight loss. Poor diets dont do this and it negatively affects the metabolism.
- Eat for what you are about to do, not for what you have just done. Ask yourself what you will do in the next 3 or 4 hours and tweak your calories by controlling your carb intake accordingly. So, eat more of your daily carbs before periods of activity (and hence also more of your daily calories) and less/no carbs before periods of rest (and hence less calories). The other components, proteins and fats, should stay roughly the same. This way you fuel your workouts and perform better.
In terms of exercise, one can do it in many different ways. Whether losing weight or not, everyone should do at least 3 steady pace cardios per week, of at least 20 minutes (for their vast health benefits). This is what I would call the minimum.
The ideal routine would combine weights with cardio. A gym routine where one trains say 3 times a week with weights and does 3-5 weekly cardios is probably about as good as it gets. But again, its not mandatory.
Sports are also great, particulary those that resemble interval training (e.g. soccer is the most effective sport I know).
So, eat balanced, eat less than you need (but not a lot less), follow the advice in the answer below, and start exercising.
Take small steps, find the kind of exercise that suits you, and dont push yourself so hard that you burn out.
Good luck.
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Yes, 130 would be a healthy weight for a female at your height.
Over the last year I have lost 110 pounds WITHOUT the aide of weight loss drugs, extreme fad diets or extreme exercise. My goal for weight loss was for health reasons and not for aesthetic reasons.
A lot of your success will be dependent on your ability to go through an entire lifestyle change. Here are a few steps that I hope will help you get on your road to success, you have already taken the first step by addressing the issue and reaching out!
2. Go through your cupboards/fridge/pantry etc. and remove all sweets, processed foods and cream based condiments (mayonaise, salad dressings, ice cream to name a few).
3. Replace the foods you crave the most with healthy options. For example, instead of sugar, use natural sweetners like truvia or small amounts of honey. If you want carbs, make sure you have whole wheat bread and pasta. You can even get sprouted breads at your local health food stores in the refrigerated section. One lifestyle I embraced was the Raw Food lifestyle. You do not have to dedicate 100% for this to be successful, however, you can learn many low fat/low cal options to substitute. Remember, soda and all drinks with high fructose corn syrup are totally out! Lots and lots of water and natural fruit or veggie juices. And don't forget portion control.
4. Get up and move!!!! This is so important, you have to take in calories to burn calories and when you exercise 30-60 minutes per day you will burn calories, increase stamina, increase muscle and ultimately feel better overall.
I feel like this answer is getting long and will only get longer much longer if I don't stop now. Please let me know if you have any questions on food replacements, exercise routines (gym or home) etc.
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