A
female
age
30-35,
anonymous
writes:I've always been average size but lately I'm gaining more weight than what I would like to. I'm about 30lbs. Over my ideal weight.. Its february now but by summer I would like to lose 30lbs so I can have energy, be active, and look healthy for this summer.. Are there any tips on what to eat, what not to eat, and what exercises to do that you guys can give me so I can get my life on track to a healthy lifestyle? Reply to this Question
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female
reader, k_c100  +, writes (28 February 2010):
 Its very simple - expend more energy than you put in! So basically burn more calories than you put into your body, which means you just need to make sure you are exercising frequently (aim for 30 mins every day) and eating healthy, and you will soon see some changes in your body.
There are lots of easy things you can do to make changes in your diet which will then mean you see changes in your body.
1. Drink lots of water - this flushes out toxins in your body, makes you feel full, clears your skin and also is very important to keep you hydrated if you are exercising more.
2. Cut out processed food and junk food - eating food that is all freshly prepared means you are not putting unnecessary chemicals and additives in your body, no extra salt, e-numbers....etc. So cook everything from scratch and try not to eat anything from tins, jars, packets etc - or anything that has been pre-cooked before you buy it. Junk food is pretty obvious - pizzas, burgers, curry, chinese food - all full of fat and high in calories!
3. Cut out white food (except dairy) - white bread, white pasta, white rice...all processed and refined carbohydrates which means they dont release energy slowly, hence you will be hungry again pretty quickly. Generally as a rule, if the food is white or a creamy yellow colour (chips, cheese...etc) then it has no nutritional benefit for you. Keep drinking milk though - you need the calcium and the protein. Yoghurt is also another good one to have as a dessert if you need something after a meal. Change all white versions of food like bread and pasta, to their natural brown versions as they release energy slowly, making you feel fuller and the brown versions are all good sources of wholegrain and fibre.
4. Dont cut out any food groups entirely - this is a common mistake many people make when dieting and it only leads to failure. Like if you cut out carbs - you will end up craving them then one day you will just binge on bread, crisps, potato....and then ruin your progress! Everything in moderation is a good rule to follow - you can have anything you like, just small portions of the bad stuff and dont eat it frequently!
5. Eat more carbs during the day rather than for your evening meal. So eating pasta at lunch is a much better idea than eating a big bowl of pasta for your evening meal at 6pm. Having a bigger meal at lunch will help you to keep going during the day, so when you get home at night you dont have a big meal as you are normally just relaxing at night so you dont need so many calories!
6. Exercise! As much as you can! I cant stress the importance of this enough, it really will make a huge difference to you! Any exercise is good - whether that is walking, playing tennis, swimming, jogging.....there are so many different forms of exercise so you just need to find one you enjoy, or mix it up and do something different each day. Giving yourself targets also helps - I for example have signed up to run a 10k race in March which is really motivating me to go out for a run even though a lot of the time I hate it!
7. Fill up on fruit and veg. Easy way to still eat and feel full whilst not taking in too many calories. So have some carrot sticks, celery, a banana before you exercise....lots of different options for you but it helps to stop you from feeling so hungry!
8. Dont deprive yourself! So if, for example, you really love chocolate then dont cut it out otherwise you will end up sticking to your diet for say a week, and then miss chocolate so much you will go out and buy a huge bar of it and eat it in one go! So have snack-size versions of your favourite chocolate, and eat only 1 a day as a little treat.
9. Dont eat less than 1200-1500 calories a day, depending on your height and current weight. If you eat less than this, your body will go into starvation mode and cling on to any calories it gets! Plus if you are increasing your exercising then you cannot eat much less then 1500 calories otherwise you will do more damage to your body than good.
Just be sensible about your weightloss - bear in mind that 30lbs is a lot of weight to lose and it might not be sensible (after all you have not mentioned your weight and height therefore I would never recommend anyone try and lose this amount of weight). Aiming for 14lbs would be more sensible, after all this would mean you drop 1 or 2 dress sizes and you would look very different to how you look now! Losing weight should be a slow and steady process, rapid weight loss only means there is a higher chance you will put it all back on again. 1-2lbs per week is a good rate for weight loss, I know it doesnt sound much but losing 1-2lbs per week means that per month you will be losing 4-8lbs, which is fantastic and will get you to your target by the summer.
I hope this helps and good luck!
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