i could really use some direction please :)

[jordan6]

I've finally made an effort to lose weight. I've tried it in the past, I made progress but never stuck with it. Lately I've been putting a very good effort out into this.

I'm 21 and I'm 5'11. At one point over the summer I hit 220 lbs. I am now just about 200. I was pretty psyched when i saw i lost that much, it didn't take too long either. I hit 220 because I didn't care about what I ate. I really just ate a lot of crap. I work at an italian restaurant so you can imagine what I snacked on there. I would just eat very badly and I'd rarely exercise.

So lately my strategy is to just not eat nearly as crappy. And it's worked decently. Just simply not so nearly as crappy. I've watched what I eat and it's pretty hard to not eat too many calories but I am watching what I eat. It's just hard because I really need a good
amount of food to feel full. I hate starving myself. Sometimes, I'm trying hard not to, I fill up near the end of the night when I just
can't take it anymore. It won't be like a mac & cheese dinner. I'll make like a turkey sandwich, but that's still calories. I've tried
snacking on fruit but that just doesn't fill me up. I have however implemented fruits & veggies in my diet lately, by the way.

I've been going to the gym lately too. Mainly the treadmill. I keep track of the calories I burn and I try and burn about 600. It takes me about an hour and after that I'm pooped. I've been doing a lot better as I keep going, I don't get as tired as quickly. I just feel my
stamina getting better, it's been nice. I try to go at least 3 times a week. I've been trying to go more too.

So I don't know, I just really want this. I want to look better and I'm sure this happens a lot where people just want results quick.

So thanks for reading my whole explanation, I spilled out all of that because I guess what I'm here for is some pointers. What is a plan I should try and set up? What I'm doing right now feels pretty good, but it's loose. I'm not sure if I'm doing it all right and I could use a concrete-type plan. And are things like diet pills/supplements, appetite suppressants, or things of that nature legitimate?

I've been trying to do some research and everything in general but as you can imagine there's A LOT out there when it comes to weight loss topics on the web and I just get really lost.

 

[Ando3242]

So, are you still losing weight or have you plateaued at 200? If you are still losing weight I'd say keep doing what you are doing even if the weight loss is gradual. We all want to lose weight as fast as possible, but in the long term it is better to lose it gradually. I know all to well about starving myself- it just doesn't work. Slip-ups are bound to happen but you just have to get right back on track. Think that this isn't temporary it is something you must maintain for your entire life if you want to stay thin.

The turkey sandwich is a good compromise. Don't beat yourself up cause of the extra calories, as at those moments its common to say screw my diet and go to McDonald's or something. If you aren't already a good way to help calm your appetite is getting enough fiber and drinking a lot of water. Those are easy to do, but we often forget.

Although there is multitudes of pills, appetite suppressants and the like that make different claims,there is no magic pill. I wouldn't recommend any diet pills. I have tried it before, and it didn't seem to help me lose any weight. Worse yet is that it made me extremely jittery and angry all the time.

Good luck, and hope to hear about your progress.