Aa
overweight
Im 35 and im very overweight 264 at 5'9 any suggestion on how to drop 90 pounds in 4 years? Im really confused on the right pattern to try.Any help here would be hot.
I dropped 102 pounds in 4 months about 11 years ago and it never returned.
I did it by completely restricting my caloric intake.
For the first month, I ate only 1 meal per day (lunch usually).
I excluded the following from my diet: bread and refined sugars, and I avoided mixing carbohydrates and proteins - though to be honest I don't think this matters too much if you are being careful.
At any rate, in addition to eating 1 meal (lunch) per day, I also took 2 hour walks in the evening (amounting to about 10 km).
I lost 10 kg, or 22 pounds in the first month like that.
For the next 3 months I ate 2 meals per day (breakfast and later lunch).
Breakfast was usually relatively light containing mainly fruits and some yogurt.
Lunch was similar in terms to the first month... I avoided mixing carbohydrates with proteins - but again, I don't think this really matters that much if you eat a balanced meal.
The key is reducing your caloric intake while expending much more.
I resumed with 2 hour walks in the evening, but I also started various body exercises at home and jogging.
At first, I was dead tired from running on the spot for just a few minutes (also saw red stars in front of my eyes)... but the next day it was fine.
On the third day, I increased the jogging to about 5 mins and kept it at that for 48 hours.
Basically, I was increasing the duration of the jogging every 5 mins after 2 days.
When I reached 15 mins, I kept it there for about 4 or 5 days before I began increasing it by 5 mins after 48 hours until reaching 30 mins in total.
I kept this level for about 2 weeks and then resumed raising it until I reached 45 mins, and finally 60 mins.
In the final month of diet/exercising, I walked 2 hours every day, doing 1 hour of various body exercises, and 1 hour of jogging on the spot (meals were unchanged - 2 per day - usually breakfast and lunch).
I never consulted with a doctor and I was fine for the most part... though I did drop even more weight later on which reduced my Iron levels in the blood (signaling me it was time to stop with the weight loss)
At any rate, I still exercise to this day... but its mainly contained to about 1 hour of jogging and about 15 to 30 mins of body exercises for the muscles (every other day - 3 days per week or maybe 4 days per week depending on my mood).
Even to this day I have some fits of only eating 1 meal per day - which is good for the body.
If you find yourself peckish... AVOID eating in the evening.
Supplement with some fruits and veggies.
Once you lose the weight, you CAN eat something very light in the evening, but make sure to exercise on a regular basis, or eat less the following day.
I still avoid processed sugars, though I do eat bread - although I have periods when I eliminate it from my diet (my situation is a bit different and since I don't have control over the things the household eats, I try to make due with what is available).
If you want to eat something sweet... then get dark chocolate for cooking or organic honey.
Those are basically the only things I would recommend you can have for the sweet tooth (if you have one), under the condition you only take them on rare occasions.
The honey isn't really so bad since it can actually be beneficial... but definitely avoid bread like mad.
How fast you lose the weight, depends entirely on you.
Since I had time to spare back then, I had no major worries... but if you cannot exercise 4 hours per day... then mainly focus on 2 hours daily (walking of course).
I did it by completely restricting my caloric intake.
For the first month, I ate only 1 meal per day (lunch usually).
I excluded the following from my diet: bread and refined sugars, and I avoided mixing carbohydrates and proteins - though to be honest I don't think this matters too much if you are being careful.
At any rate, in addition to eating 1 meal (lunch) per day, I also took 2 hour walks in the evening (amounting to about 10 km).
I lost 10 kg, or 22 pounds in the first month like that.
For the next 3 months I ate 2 meals per day (breakfast and later lunch).
Breakfast was usually relatively light containing mainly fruits and some yogurt.
Lunch was similar in terms to the first month... I avoided mixing carbohydrates with proteins - but again, I don't think this really matters that much if you eat a balanced meal.
The key is reducing your caloric intake while expending much more.
I resumed with 2 hour walks in the evening, but I also started various body exercises at home and jogging.
At first, I was dead tired from running on the spot for just a few minutes (also saw red stars in front of my eyes)... but the next day it was fine.
On the third day, I increased the jogging to about 5 mins and kept it at that for 48 hours.
Basically, I was increasing the duration of the jogging every 5 mins after 2 days.
When I reached 15 mins, I kept it there for about 4 or 5 days before I began increasing it by 5 mins after 48 hours until reaching 30 mins in total.
I kept this level for about 2 weeks and then resumed raising it until I reached 45 mins, and finally 60 mins.
In the final month of diet/exercising, I walked 2 hours every day, doing 1 hour of various body exercises, and 1 hour of jogging on the spot (meals were unchanged - 2 per day - usually breakfast and lunch).
I never consulted with a doctor and I was fine for the most part... though I did drop even more weight later on which reduced my Iron levels in the blood (signaling me it was time to stop with the weight loss)
At any rate, I still exercise to this day... but its mainly contained to about 1 hour of jogging and about 15 to 30 mins of body exercises for the muscles (every other day - 3 days per week or maybe 4 days per week depending on my mood).
Even to this day I have some fits of only eating 1 meal per day - which is good for the body.
If you find yourself peckish... AVOID eating in the evening.
Supplement with some fruits and veggies.
Once you lose the weight, you CAN eat something very light in the evening, but make sure to exercise on a regular basis, or eat less the following day.
I still avoid processed sugars, though I do eat bread - although I have periods when I eliminate it from my diet (my situation is a bit different and since I don't have control over the things the household eats, I try to make due with what is available).
If you want to eat something sweet... then get dark chocolate for cooking or organic honey.
Those are basically the only things I would recommend you can have for the sweet tooth (if you have one), under the condition you only take them on rare occasions.
The honey isn't really so bad since it can actually be beneficial... but definitely avoid bread like mad.
How fast you lose the weight, depends entirely on you.
Since I had time to spare back then, I had no major worries... but if you cannot exercise 4 hours per day... then mainly focus on 2 hours daily (walking of course).
First step would be to talk to your doctor if you haven't already. You may have underlying health concerns that influence how you should approach your weight loss.
Second, get your head in the right place. Start thinking in terms of permanent lifestyle changes rather than quick fixes or diets. This way you won't end up gaining all the weight back after all the hard work it takes to lose it. (I learned this step the hard way.)
Step three, change your diet. There are standardized calculators on the web that can guesstimate how many calories per day a person of your height, weight, and activity level needs to consume per day to maintain your weight before additional exercise. You want to consume fewer calories than that #. How many fewer depends on how quickly you aim to lose the weight. 1200 cal is often considered the lowest a person should eat while still remaining healthy and an overall average of about 2 lbs a week is often a reasonable expectation for weight loss. Increasing the amt of whole grains, low-fat dairy, and lean proteins you eat will help you feel full longer. You should avoid foods that are high in refined sugar and flour. They often make you hungry again quickly and are high in calories. Keeping a food journal and measuring your portions are key. Eating many small snacks is better than big meals.
Step four, increase your activity. Find a way to exercise daily, and increase your routine as you grow stronger. There are fantastic exercise programs available, but something as simple as a 30 min walk 3-5 times a week is a good place to start.
Last, but not least, track your progress, but not too often. Weigh yourself every week or two so you can celebrate your progress. Taking your measurements is a good idea as well since you'll often see your progress in your changing sharp rather than the number on the scale. Set goals, both small and large, and when you achieve them reward yourself with something other than food.
I hope this helped :) good luck!
Second, get your head in the right place. Start thinking in terms of permanent lifestyle changes rather than quick fixes or diets. This way you won't end up gaining all the weight back after all the hard work it takes to lose it. (I learned this step the hard way.)
Step three, change your diet. There are standardized calculators on the web that can guesstimate how many calories per day a person of your height, weight, and activity level needs to consume per day to maintain your weight before additional exercise. You want to consume fewer calories than that #. How many fewer depends on how quickly you aim to lose the weight. 1200 cal is often considered the lowest a person should eat while still remaining healthy and an overall average of about 2 lbs a week is often a reasonable expectation for weight loss. Increasing the amt of whole grains, low-fat dairy, and lean proteins you eat will help you feel full longer. You should avoid foods that are high in refined sugar and flour. They often make you hungry again quickly and are high in calories. Keeping a food journal and measuring your portions are key. Eating many small snacks is better than big meals.
Step four, increase your activity. Find a way to exercise daily, and increase your routine as you grow stronger. There are fantastic exercise programs available, but something as simple as a 30 min walk 3-5 times a week is a good place to start.
Last, but not least, track your progress, but not too often. Weigh yourself every week or two so you can celebrate your progress. Taking your measurements is a good idea as well since you'll often see your progress in your changing sharp rather than the number on the scale. Set goals, both small and large, and when you achieve them reward yourself with something other than food.
I hope this helped :) good luck!
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