Aa
Weight loss
I am 19 yrs old.and I weigh 140lbs I currently want to lose 15lbs, whats the best way to do so
Thanks for the compliment! I think it's easier to lose the weight now for Jackie than if she waited to try to achieve some weight loss in later decades when the metabolism slows making the task more difficult. It's great to be a healthy weight for so many things, lowering risk factors for serious health problems!
WOW livinghope you got that down very well said, much better then I could have said
First, be sure of what a healthy weight is for your particular bone structure- for example, someone with larger bone circumference would not be expected to weigh the same as someone with small bones even if they are the same height.
Secondly, in the morning, if you skip breakfast now, don't skip breakfast, because skipping breakfast actually causes your body to go into starvation mode, which means your metabolism slows down, which in the long run will not help you lose weight. If you do eat breakfast with juice, stop drinking the juice, and eat a piece of fruit or some grapes instead. You get less sugar, which can pack more calories, and get fiber that way.
Don't eat high calorie carbohydrate breakfasts. You might be surprised how much calories are in some bagels and muffins, for example. If you are eating cereal- note how many calories are listed for a serving size and limit your serving size to the measurement they say on the side of the box rather than pouring more for yourself. Give yourself a perception boost by using a smaller bowl when you measure your cereal so it looks like a nice amount versus looking like there's hardly anything in there. Oatmeal, if you can deal with hot cereal in the morning, tends to make a person feel more full than some other cereals. If you like a different kind of breakfast, try to make one that has a minimum of carbohydrates- maybe have some eggs, fruit mixed into some plain yogurt, and a piece of multi grain toast with - that sort of thing. Note- the flavored yogurts that aren't lite have lots of sugar in them and watch out if you don't like artificial sweeteners for what lite varieties have if you want flavored.
Third, before you have your next meal, eat a couple tablespoons of nuts, which I heard is supposed to curb your appetite. Make them healthy nuts, like pistachios, almonds, walnuts, or even macadamia nuts. Then eat your meal. Remember to drink plenty of water with your meal, which can help fill you up. Know that vegetables, without the caloric add-ons, tend to have not much in the way of calories, and some fruit has a lot of water in it, like watermelon, so you can eat a lot vegetables and some fruit to help fill you up. Avoid a lot of pasta, and cut back on your desserts- for example, if now you eat two desserts a day, cut back to one a day or split the amount of what you currently eat per dessert in half. If you drink non-diet soda, sweet tea, and drinks other than water- look at the calories on them- either cut back or eliminate all those extra calories by switching some or all of those to water instead.
Be sure you get a balanced diet, so you don't run out of energy. So when the energy runs out form simple sugar, like your fruit in your body, your low carbohydrates part of your diet kicks in and when the energy runs out from that, your protein intake kicks in so you are not out of energy and when that runs out, your fat intake kicks in (as far as your fat intake- you don't want too much in the way of saturated fat).
And exercise- getting a cardio/heart workout, whether it be brisk walking a half hour a day (if you're really de-conditioned, start out splitting up your 30 minutes a day to three 10 minute increments) or water aerobics, swimming, etc., this not only helps you burn calories, it helps your body release endorphines, which can help you feel better. Be sure you have eaten something not too close to when you exercise, but close enough so that you don't feel ravenously hungry afterward.
Wait a while before you weigh yourself so you don't get disheartened if progress is slow. And you might measure how you're doing by how much looser your clothes feel on you too. And generally, avoid restaurants (including fast food and sit down) because a person can tend to add pounds back really fast that way.
Hope this helps!
Secondly, in the morning, if you skip breakfast now, don't skip breakfast, because skipping breakfast actually causes your body to go into starvation mode, which means your metabolism slows down, which in the long run will not help you lose weight. If you do eat breakfast with juice, stop drinking the juice, and eat a piece of fruit or some grapes instead. You get less sugar, which can pack more calories, and get fiber that way.
Don't eat high calorie carbohydrate breakfasts. You might be surprised how much calories are in some bagels and muffins, for example. If you are eating cereal- note how many calories are listed for a serving size and limit your serving size to the measurement they say on the side of the box rather than pouring more for yourself. Give yourself a perception boost by using a smaller bowl when you measure your cereal so it looks like a nice amount versus looking like there's hardly anything in there. Oatmeal, if you can deal with hot cereal in the morning, tends to make a person feel more full than some other cereals. If you like a different kind of breakfast, try to make one that has a minimum of carbohydrates- maybe have some eggs, fruit mixed into some plain yogurt, and a piece of multi grain toast with - that sort of thing. Note- the flavored yogurts that aren't lite have lots of sugar in them and watch out if you don't like artificial sweeteners for what lite varieties have if you want flavored.
Third, before you have your next meal, eat a couple tablespoons of nuts, which I heard is supposed to curb your appetite. Make them healthy nuts, like pistachios, almonds, walnuts, or even macadamia nuts. Then eat your meal. Remember to drink plenty of water with your meal, which can help fill you up. Know that vegetables, without the caloric add-ons, tend to have not much in the way of calories, and some fruit has a lot of water in it, like watermelon, so you can eat a lot vegetables and some fruit to help fill you up. Avoid a lot of pasta, and cut back on your desserts- for example, if now you eat two desserts a day, cut back to one a day or split the amount of what you currently eat per dessert in half. If you drink non-diet soda, sweet tea, and drinks other than water- look at the calories on them- either cut back or eliminate all those extra calories by switching some or all of those to water instead.
Be sure you get a balanced diet, so you don't run out of energy. So when the energy runs out form simple sugar, like your fruit in your body, your low carbohydrates part of your diet kicks in and when the energy runs out from that, your protein intake kicks in so you are not out of energy and when that runs out, your fat intake kicks in (as far as your fat intake- you don't want too much in the way of saturated fat).
And exercise- getting a cardio/heart workout, whether it be brisk walking a half hour a day (if you're really de-conditioned, start out splitting up your 30 minutes a day to three 10 minute increments) or water aerobics, swimming, etc., this not only helps you burn calories, it helps your body release endorphines, which can help you feel better. Be sure you have eaten something not too close to when you exercise, but close enough so that you don't feel ravenously hungry afterward.
Wait a while before you weigh yourself so you don't get disheartened if progress is slow. And you might measure how you're doing by how much looser your clothes feel on you too. And generally, avoid restaurants (including fast food and sit down) because a person can tend to add pounds back really fast that way.
Hope this helps!
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