weight loss

just keep doing what youre doing, you say you've lost some weight so its working for you.

weight loss isn't dramatic you can't expect to lose a stone in 2 weeks.
healthy weight loss is anywhere from 2-4 pounds a week with some exceptions. that way it doesn't pile back on.

if youre having dinner have more veggies than carbs, things like that would help.

 

If you can share what your diet consists of I may be able to give some suggestions. I'm sure there are many others here who have a background in nutrition as well. Either way, good luck and if you feel like you need some friendly support don't be afraid to let us know. I came to school not knowing too much about any of it, but have learned a great deal about how the body works and reacts to what we put in it. I actually went from 190 to my current weight of 153 in about 9 months without being very dedicated to a gym routine. I'm sure that I could have had quicker results if I had put more effort into it. If its your priority you will make it happen. I recommend the apps MyFitness Pal for calorie and meal tracking and JeFit for my gym routines. Both should be available for Iphone and Android devices as well as web based. I stay away from processed foods and only drink water and almond milk (I cut out all dairy) with the occasional alcoholic binge of course, lol. There are tons of diets, but the main rule is calories in versus calories out while still getting the nutrients and energy needed to keep the metabolism burning. Divide your daily caloric intake by 6 and each of those will be the 6 meals you should spread throughout your day. I also don't eat after 7 and go to bed at 10. Most importantly make sure you get the proper sleep that your body needs and drink water when you first get up and regularly throughout the day. You can find lots of peer reviewed material on these subjects using a simple internet search. Just don't get fooled by the fad diets. There are routines for cutting as well when you are about 4-6 weeks out from your special event or whatever you may be wanting to look spectacular for. Just looking around for popular routines on that JEFIT app I suggested. They also have a website with a community that is really good about support and information. Again good luck. Keep us posted on your progress.

 

I'm afraid I don't have much advice on the "what to eat" side of things... my general motto is eat more veggies, fruits, and whole grains and less food overall, but for me at least, that has led to the slow weight loss you already seem to be rocking.

As for exercise, your dad is right in that exercise doesn't always help people lose weight, because many people often consume more calories after they exercise. That doesn't mean exercise is a bad thing, though! Exercising is important for health, and if one of your primary motivations for losing the weight is to be able to walk around Disney comfortably, developing (at least) a walking routine could be really beneficial. And if you're careful to keep any additional calories you consume below the number of calories you burn from your additional exercise, it CAN help you lose weight. Good luck, and enjoy Disney in October

 

This. Exercise isn't bad unless you're eating more, which people often do because they figure the exercise will make up for it. Another thing I'd like to mention is that if you do decide to go on an exercise plan, you most likely will gain some weight at first, as your body adjusts to the change and you gain muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat. Just because you're not losing pounds doesn't mean anything. If you were to lose 30lbs and not exercise one bit, you probably would still find it difficult to walk than if you lost 15lbs, but were fit. Skinny =/= healthy. If you do decide to exercise, which I would recommend considering your goal, it'd be best to start it about 2 weeks after you've begun a healthy diet.

1) If dinner time is particularly troublesome for you, I would recommend splitting the meal and eating the other half 2-3 hours later. Sometimes, it will trick your body into thinking you're eating more than you actually are, so you'll feel full. Some people find it helpful to eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day. If you're not feeling full, you can also add some fiber.

2) When you take your medication at night, yoghurt and fruit is good. Try to go for plain Greek yoghurt with no fat, and let the fruit sweeten it naturally. If it's possible, take your medication a few hours before bed, which will give your body the chance to digest your snack. You burn fat during sleep as well, so make sure you're getting adequate rest.

3) Cereal and milk are fine, but try to use 1% or skim milk and stay away from sugary cereal that doesn't have much fiber.

4) Don't ever go overboard and starve yourself. If you'd like to know how many calories you should be eating a day (it's not the same for everyone), go to a nutritionist or doctor if you can afford it. Not getting enough calories can cause you to gain weight, and just feel like you have no energy.

Good luck.

 

My biggest suggestion would be to stay away from fad diets and don't try anything that makes you lose a ton of weight in a short period of time. Those will never work and you're damaging your health.

If you want long lasting health and actual fitness, you gotta find the right diet/exercise plan for your goal and stick to it while waiting patiently for it to gradually change you for the better. If you don't have the patience, if you don't want to work hard or if you aren't dedicated, you don't have a chance.

Since you're like 275, you can probably lose weight pretty fast initially and that can be done just by watching your diet. Eat a balanced diet and cut your calories and carbs. Eat the majority of your food earlier in the day and cut back in the evenings. Don't over eat during dinner, especially too many fatty/starchy foods. Eat a good breakfast, drink lots of water, cut your salt, take walks, do some light resistance training, no Krispy Kremes and don't over eat fruits.

If you have any specific questions, I'll be glad to answer if I can.

- Former high school and college athlete plus I've worked at the gym on campus for 2 years

 

Awesome You'll get there.. you can do it

 

I'm glad to see you are continuing on with your goal. Just remember the reasons for what you are doing. If a big part of it is wanting to be able to last all day at an amusement park, some exercise will likely be good. Doesn't even need to be strenuous exercise, just moving around. Go for walks. Many areas have beautiful parks with hiking trails. If you have the choice between standing and sitting, stand. Walk or bike iknstead of driving if you are going somewhere, especially if it's within 2 miles. Biggest thing, though, DO NOT obsess about what the scale says. As mentioned above, muscle weighs more than fat, and although I understand that with the weights mentioned above there may be a significant amount of fat, if you aren't in shape enough to handle several hours on your feet, you need to build muscle.

 

One other piece of advice I would have is to carry a water bottle. Sometimes when you are mildly dehydrated it can be difficult to tell the difference between hunger and thirst. Secondly, when you are hungry, drinking water can make you feel a bit fuller and at least delay your need to eat until you have access to more healthy food. Dehydration is the number one cause of daytime fatigue, so you might be more inclined to be active during the day if you are well hydrated. Finally, when you are dehydrated you liver takes over some of the function of your kidneys in cleaning your blood. The liver also helps breakdown fat, so the more your liver has to do the job of your kidneys the less it can devote to breaking down fat.

One other strategy I have found is letting your stomach shrink. If you tend to overeat, you stomach stretches to allow your more, and the less food you eat the smaller your stomach is. This makes sense on a biological level. The amount you eat is correlated to the type an availability of food. The fullness of your stomach tells your brain when to stop eating. Thus, if there is little food, or it is only available occasionally, your stomach will shrink so you are not hungry all the time. If there is a lot of food, or you only get large meals once in a while, your stomach will expand to accommodate this. (why feel full when there is still more calories to consume). Of course this biological instinct doesn't make sense when food is so easily available.

There are two ways to do this. One is to cut your food consumption by a lot. IN the course of a week or two, this will cause your stomach to shrink, and so in the following weeks your will get full faster. Unless you are willing to be really careful getting enough nutrition, then I would not suggest this to you. A second easier method, is trying to smooth over your food consumption. Like others have suggested, if you spread your meals out to be smaller, then your average meal will shrink and with it your stomach. Thus, you will be less inclined to over eat. This also is beneficial because you are less likely to eat rich foods as part of a small meal, than if you are eating a big meal.