Am I doing this right?

[tinnyb]

Hi everyone, recently i've decided that I want to lose weight, for good! I'm a 21, 5'9, female, and currently weigh 245 lbs (my highest being 273 lbs). I know that I have a lot of weight to lose and am sick of yo-yo dieting, this is why I have implented a complete lifestyle change beginning May 2012. As a result of this I've lost about 15 "pounds". My ultimate goal is to lose over 100lbs and finish off around 130-135 lbs.


Now, of course I want to do this the "healthy" way, but obviously as fast as I can aswell. I'm really, really worried about mounds of loose skin/losing all my muscle mass which is why I'd love some imput on my current "plan". This is an average day for me:


Breakfast: 3/4 cup vanilla fat free greek yogurt w/strawberries and a handful of crushed almonds, 1 large green tea.


Lunch: A medium sized bowl of salad w/ veggies, feta cheese, & italian dressing, can of tuna w/fat free mayo, & a some fruit. (apple, banana, grapes).


Snack(somtimes): More Fruit/Nuts


Dinner: Chicken breast(or fish filets/shrimp), medium sized bowl of salad, feta cheese, & italian dressing, slice of bread(sometimes), or a 3 egg omelette w/veggies.


I try not to eat anything after 7:30 - 8 o'clock & drink about 2L of water per day.


As for my workout routine, I currently do not go the gym. I do however have a few cardio machines (elyptical, bike, treadmill) which I do one for about 30 mins per day. Occasionally, I will do a few sets of squats and crunches after my cardio. In addition I have free weights & a bench, but do not know what types of excercises I should be doing? My biggest problem areas are my stomach(major), arms & thighs.


Sorry for such a long post but I'm just hoping to optimize my diet/workout plan. Any feedback is welcomed and appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[tinnyb]

Thank you for the pointers!! I will definitly take them into consideration.

 

[fortyfour]

Originally Posted by tinnyb


Hi everyone, recently i've decided that I want to lose weight, for good! I'm a 21, 5'9, female, and currently weigh 245 lbs (my highest being 273 lbs). I know that I have a lot of weight to lose and am sick of yo-yo dieting, this is why I have implented a complete lifestyle change beginning May 2012. As a result of this I've lost about 15 "pounds". My ultimate goal is to lose over 100lbs and finish off around 130-135 lbs.



Now, of course I want to do this the "healthy" way, but obviously as fast as I can aswell. I'm really, really worried about mounds of loose skin/losing all my muscle mass which is why I'd love some imput on my current "plan". This is an average day for me:



Breakfast: 3/4 cup vanilla fat free greek yogurt w/strawberries and a handful of crushed almonds, 1 large green tea.



Lunch: A medium sized bowl of salad w/ veggies, feta cheese, & italian dressing, can of tuna w/fat free mayo, & a some fruit. (apple, banana, grapes).



Snack(somtimes): More Fruit/Nuts



Dinner: Chicken breast(or fish filets/shrimp), medium sized bowl of salad, feta cheese, & italian dressing, slice of bread(sometimes), or a 3 egg omelette w/veggies.



I try not to eat anything after 7:30 - 8 o'clock & drink about 2L of water per day.



As for my workout routine, I currently do not go the gym. I do however have a few cardio machines (elyptical, bike, treadmill) which I do one for about 30 mins per day. Occasionally, I will do a few sets of squats and crunches after my cardio. In addition I have free weights & a bench, but do not know what types of excercises I should be doing? My biggest problem areas are my stomach(major), arms & thighs.



Sorry for such a long post but I'm just hoping to optimize my diet/workout plan. Any feedback is welcomed and appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Hi Tinny


As i am used to metric measurements, i can't really picture your weight in pounds but nevermind. You diet looks good.


The main worry here is that you think you cna do this fast and keep it off forever. The evidence is gathering that slow is best for long lasting weight loss. An article i read about it earlier this suggested that when we get down below 10% the body fights back hard. I know from experience that this is true. Last year i got down to about 55kg and now i am back at 76kg. I have been up and down a lot of over the years. Every time i get down to a nice low weight, i can maintain it for a few months and then it either slowly or rapidly comes back.


So now my idea is to try go down in stages. With each stage of say 5% reduction, try to hold the weight there for a while before going less. I know its not what you want to hear.


Otherwise you diet looks quite good. However, i would suggest if you eat meat, you don't need to eat cheese as well. instead eat some more low calorie carbs such as basmati rice, or pasta or bread without all the butter and goup that actually makes you fat. Carbs are not bad. Only over processed carbs are. Try adding beans and legumes into your diet as well. They are high in protein as well as complex carbs. And they are vegetables with lots of fibre. Very good for all your insides. You can mix can or beans through your salads. Or make casserole with less meat than usual. the meat just makes it tastier. As your weight goes down, you will have to cut down on nuts. They are high in fat and being so moreish its easy to over indulge in them. You are better off having a piece of plain wholegrain bread or a salad sandwich if you get really hungry.


Middle easterners and mediterraneans cook that way and their food is delicious. Indians do great things with beans so long as they keep the chilli down.


Also re your problem areas. There's nothing you can do about them. Your shape is your shape. You can tone up or not. Being toned will make you look better but its better to work on your whole body. YOu can't perfect what's not perfect. I've got a huge arse. Even when i am skinny its not perfect but at least its smaller.


Just get used to your imperfections and keep it real.


Best of luck.