Weight Loss is hard work.

[HappyPanda]

Hi all. I am new to these forums. Beckhamsgirl is my sister and she posted a similar thread. We have both been having weight problems for some time now, and I cant remember the last time I was happy with my body. Well, here are my stats:

18 years old
5 feet 6 inches
~ 153 pounds
bmi 24%

Exercise (not regularly):
-treadmill, 30 mins - 45 mins, 4-5 mph
-play tennis, but not on a regular schedule. sometimes 4-6 hours a week, sometimes 0 hours.

Food:

Recently (past 6 weeks or so) I have been trying extra-hard to lose weight. I decided to only eat when I am hungry, not just because its time to eat. Well, this worked well for about 2 weeks. I lost 8 pounds in the first two weeks, exercised daily. But I noticed that my appetite increased a great deal. I eat more and felt more lethargic, thus no workouts anymore. Now I'm always too sleepy to workout and am always hungry. Also, I avoided ALL restaraunt food for about 3.5 weeks, and now I'm going back out to eat. My stomach cant even handle restaraunt food now..and it makes me sick. I dont know why.

What I eat:

breakfast -
milk tea with a piece of bread OR a nature valley bar

lunch -
1 100 calorie pack of wheat thins
4 C of strawberries or apples (thats too much...i think.)

also - i dont eat my lunch all together, i eat bits and pieces throughout the day..but i am constantly hungry.

dinner -
rice, pita bread and some type of curry (indian food )

About 6 months ago, I used to be able to run on the treadmill for 1 hour nonstop at about 4.5 mph. Now, I do 15 minutes at 4 mph and my shins burn, I have chest pains, and this strange pain near my appendix....so I do intervals.

I am willing to do what it takes, but I dont know what I am doing wrong. I have motivation and I know to stay away from fried/oily foods, but its hard for me to find healthy things that I can eat that arent very expensive...like those gourmet salads..

I dont eat at any fast food chains and seldom drink sodas.

Well thank you in advance for all your comments and advice.

 

[fas]

Don't eat too much at dinner time.

Eat a real meal at lunch

If you are going to eat bread, eat it with peanuts butter. But I'd say you should have Oatmeal for breakfast.

Whatever you do, think of it as a long term commitment.

 

[Fil]

Wonderful! Check out my post on your sister's thread. You two can be great gym buddies.

As far as only eating when you're hungry, not jsut when you want to eat, it's a noble attempt - but you should be eating for what you're going to do, not for what you just did (or didn't do).

Remember that eating is a way to give your body energy for the rest of the day -- you shouldn't eat just to replenish lost energy. So eat healthy in the mornings and throughout the day, and cut out meals later at night (no carbs less than 2 hours before bed).

Cooking is going to be very big in helping you get healthy. Those "gourmet salads" are extremely cheap when you make them at home. Buy large bottles of light caesar/italian dressing, a big bag of romaine lettuce, a big bag of croutons (and maybe some parmesan cheese to add some flavor), and shredded chicken and you can make a number of chicken salad meals for very little money.

Also look into cartons of egg whites (great healthy protein source, and tastes just like whole eggs) .

You'll also want to cut out sugar when you can.

When you work out regularly, you will be more hungry, and that's good. It means your body is using up energy. The best way to monitor weight loss is figure out how much energy (calories) you're consuming in a day and how much you're burning.

Once your total caloric defecit (calories burned - calories ingested) reaches 3500 calories you will have burned 1 lbs.

Again, read my posts on your sister's thread - it's thorough and I'd rather not retype it all

 

[spockafina]

Food:

Recently (past 6 weeks or so) I have been trying extra-hard to lose weight. I decided to only eat when I am hungry, not just because its time to eat. Well, this worked well for about 2 weeks. I lost 8 pounds in the first two weeks, exercised daily. But I noticed that my appetite increased a great deal. I eat more and felt more lethargic, thus no workouts anymore. Now I'm always too sleepy to workout and am always hungry. Also, I avoided ALL restaraunt food for about 3.5 weeks, and now I'm going back out to eat. My stomach cant even handle restaraunt food now..and it makes me sick. I dont know why.

What I eat:

breakfast -
milk tea with a piece of bread OR a nature valley bar

lunch -
1 100 calorie pack of wheat thins
4 C of strawberries or apples (thats too much...i think.)

also - i dont eat my lunch all together, i eat bits and pieces throughout the day..but i am constantly hungry.

dinner -
rice, pita bread and some type of curry (indian food )

About 6 months ago, I used to be able to run on the treadmill for 1 hour nonstop at about 4.5 mph. Now, I do 15 minutes at 4 mph and my shins burn, I have chest pains, and this strange pain near my appendix....so I do intervals.

and I know to stay away from fried/oily foods, but its hard for me to find healthy things that I can eat that arent very expensive...like those gourmet salads..

There are a few basic nutrition tips you should try to follow:
-eat 5-7 small meals per day, trying to include some sort of protein with each meal. Wheat Thins and fruit is not a meal. Wheat thins, fruit, and a turkey sandwich is a meal. Tea and a granola bar is not a meal. Tea, some oatmeal, and a few eggs is a meal. Etc.

-It's very helpful to plan your meals ahead of time.

-try keeping a food log to hold yourself accountable.

-a fat-loss diet is a diet that is well-balanced - enough protein (lean meats, eggs, canned tuna, etc.), good fats (like natural PB, raw nuts, avocado, vegetable oils, fatty fish) whole-grain carbs (oatmeal, brown rice, 100% whole wheat bread), and produce (lots of fruits & veggies).

-eat only clean, natural, unprocessed foods and try to avoid white flour, sugar, fried foods.

In my opinion, depending on how large your servings are at supper, you're not eating enough - which would explain the feelings of lethargy during your work-outs. Try taking the above advice in creating a meal plan with a minimum of 1800 calories per day, especially if you're exercising.

Don't feel badly about not being able to run anymore - it's something that you have to build up to, especially after not doing it for a period of time. And intervals (check out the HIIT forum here) are a super choice. Just try to be consistent - try to exercise at least a little bit (even if it's only 15 minutes on the treadmill) everyday - it will do wonders for your body and mind.

Keep us posted! Good luck

 

[spockafina]

Cooking is going to be very big in helping you get healthy. Those "gourmet salads" are extremely cheap when you make them at home. Buy large bottles of light caesar/italian dressing, a big bag of romaine lettuce, a big bag of croutons (and maybe some parmesan cheese to add some flavor), and shredded chicken and you can make a number of chicken salad meals for very little money.

Fil - i think we posted at the same time!

Anyways, cooking yourself is the best way to control what you're eating. Healthy food doesn't have to be expensive if you plan ahead.