Well, I need some advice on how to lose weight and keep it off. I do work out some, but not as much as I should. I ride horses a lot and walk several miles a day. I've been losing a little weight, but not as much as I need to.

I was reading some of the fitness articles on military.com and saw that in the diets that had been laid out, slim fast bars were included. Is slim fast healthy to add to a diet? Does it help take of the weight and keep it off or is it just a quick fix and when you stop eating the stuff you put on the weight again?

Also, my grandpa, an ex-navy seal, was telling me about this HydroxyCut stuff. I'm not sure I like the idea of adding any kind of diet pill to my body. I was just wondering if anyone has tried either of these things and if they work/worked for you.

Please let me know. Thank you.

Watch what you eat. I've lost a lot of weight just by watching my diet and I still splurge occassionally. You want to keep your fiber, protein, fat, and calories all in control. Without knowing how tall you are, how much you need to lose, your body shape, etc it is difficult to give advice. I'm NOT a trained medical professional so the best bet is to try and find stuff online that looks good for you.

I'm a pear shape. I found that I need to do a lot of cardio to get my lower body slimmed down and do weight training to strengthen my upper body.

Thanks for the advice. I am 5'4 and weigh approximately 175 lbs or so. Someone told me I need to be at like 145 or something like that, so I need to lose around 30 lbs.

I'm not quite sure what my shape is... I don't really know how to classify that either.

Thanks again for the advice, I appreciate it.

Shapes:

Edited URL

This is a pretty good description of the female body shapes.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: pipedreamsandbabies,

stay away from the snake oil diet remedies such as hyroxy cut. these are not proven to do anything except raise your blood pressure. i've know plenty of folks who took the stuff, lost the weight, quit taking it and gained the weight back. also, stay away from anything like slim fast because you will not have access to it in basic training.

if you want a program, do something like weight watchers where you learn how to eat properly, everything is on the menu, and you don't need to buy any special foods.

start off with exercise and diet and the weight will come off.

eliminate the white starches such as white rice, white bread and potatoes and replace them with brown rice and low fat wheat bread for your starches.

drink lots of water, and watch your sodium intake.

write down everything you eat to make yourself accountable.

have 5 or more servings of fresh fruits and vegatables every day.

eat more chicken breasts and less red meat. baked cod is a good alternative if you like fish.

walking, biking, and swimming are great for exercise, but also as a way to build up your heart & lungs as well as your hips, knees and ankles for the stress of running. i'd shoot for an hour of activity from these daily. it can be in combination (ie 30 min walking and 30 min biking, or 45 walking 15 min biking etc)

start off slowly with any kind of running. run a mile and then start adding 1/4 mile (about a lap around a track) to your run.

don't neglect your abs and upper body. make sure you get some kind of activity to stregthen and tome. remember low weight + high reps = tone and fat burning while high weight + low reps = muscle building (and weight gain)

good luck to you.

Thank you Caesar. I'm already losing weight with just working out more and watching what I eat. I've cut back my calorie intake by a lot. I drink like a fish and do a lot of horseback riding and walking.

I do need to start running more, but I hate running alone and my horse tries to kill me when I try to get him to run with me.... He's lazy lol.

Concur with a lot of the advice seen here.

Most importantly, see your doctor and discuss your weight removal goals with them. Otherwise, you may set yourself up for other issues.

Stay away from the supplements. A lot of them were the subject of somewhat dubious research, especially on long-term side effects. If you join the military, some of them could cause a positive result on a urinalysis, which then opens up a can of worms better left closed.

Learn to make smarter choices, both in what and how much you eat. If you elect to use a commercial program, choose one that doesn't require you to get their prepacked meals - learn to eat what's available wherever you go.

Keep up the exercise, gradually increasing both duration and intensity. Taking care of the stable should give you some good strength training.

There are lots of little things you can do to help.

Such as using lemon juice instead of salad dressing, using whole wheat flour, and even using egg whites instead of the whole egg. These are all natural ideas that can help give you a healthier diet.

Other things that will help also follow a more mental rather than tangible approach.

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Remember, whether you think you can or think you can't - you're 100% right. Believe in yourself that you can eat healthy and stay that way and you'll be rewarded.

All the best,

H.G.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Dave_M,

For me the weight and waistline were also a concern, until I began following the Bloodtype diet. I am 5' 10" weighed 238-240 depending on the day. I have maintained 200-205 daily for three years since dicovering this diet. My muscles are not as sore as previously, my allergies are under control to a prescription works as advertised. (Nasonex and Clariton D daily) I have an improved sense of smell and taste.
To follow this diet in the field, the MRE has only peanut butter and some of the fruit, the chicken and rice and chinese veggies would be all I could eat and maintain the weight. for breakfast oatmeal, pineapple, honey, soy milk
Type A blood. No beef, pork, wheat, bananas, oranges, sugar, dairy products, milk cottage cheese, any other cheeses. More information, Eat Right 4 Your Type, Dr Peter J. D'Adamo with Katherine Whitney. These two have several years studying diet related to blood type. A doctor and a Nutristonist.

30 days, 4 inches off my waist, 45 lbs off my body. did not go hungry, if anything ate more as I had been on the smaller portion to cut calories type diet previously (with actually gaining weight the whole time) quite unsucessful

I had run and lifted weights for years, which always seemed to work until about 3 years ago. My body changed and adapted to the exercise. I started packing on pounds and had a difficult time losing weight. While TDY I saw a commercial for the P90X program, and after 50 days I've lost 13 lbs, 4% BF, and am in the best shape I've been in for years...and I still have 40 days to go. A solid nutrition plan, cross-training with weights, plyometrics, cardio..all focused on muscle confusion. TO find out more go to my site (link below). This is not a solicitation...I'm so happy with the results that I became a coach, but all commissions earned through the site for program purchases go to the Disabled American Veterans Organization. I'm just trying to help others...

TOS#6 Violation- No advertising in the forums!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: pipedreamsandbabies,

Yes, I agree. Stay away from the snake oil sales you see on TV. You'll spend a ton of money on something you could have done yourself. Plus, if you're taking medications, drug interactions could make you end up in the hospital ER.
But here are some easy things any one can do without spending a ton of money or buying fancy equipment. They're more geared for the military spouse, but it's stuff that works for everyone.

It helps if you schedule your exercise routine for the same time every day. Whether it's walking the dog, walking the neighborhood or going to the gym, think of a certain hour of the day as your time to exercise. If you live close enough to the stores and banks, consider buying a small fold up cart and walking instead.

Don't let yourself go hungry. It's during those times you'll reach for the high sugar, carb and fat convenience foods. Make sure you eat breakfast, lunch and dinner --with lunch being the bigger meal. But do "graze" --I tend to keep apples nearby --something to crunch.

Also, watch your salt and sugar intake. Stay away from microwave meals (high in sodium and sugar) and fast food (high in fat and sodium). Go through what you're snacking on. Chips? Cookies? Cake? Sure you can have them once in awhile, but think of them as a treat not as a food group!

At restaurants, think: do you really need that combination plate? Think about buying things a la carte, or getting the smaller option. Also, scan the menu: eliminate things with rich creamy sauces, which are high in fat and sodium. Do order lean choices such as broiled or bbq'd meats, chicken or fish. If you get a salad, order the dressing on the side. Put just enough on to add a taste, but don't slather the ranch dressing on there. Don't order sodas. If you must, order iced tea with lemon but skip the sugar. Remember, you can socialize and eat well!

If a person is in the habit of going to STARBUCK's, do NOT order the fancy drinks! Those are about 500 calories with all the whipped cream and stuff they throw in.

Also... get used to drinking coffee without sugar. 1 tsp of sugar = 100 calories. Start by cutting this out and you'll lose your sugar craving very quickly.

In addition, there are local groups like TOPS (Take off pounds sensibly) that offer group support, as well as PE classes just for this purpose at local community colleges.

Hope this helps. Remember, the reason we do these things isn't because they're easy, it's because we're worth it.

The whole less weight more reps makes you toner and burns fat while more weight less reps makes you bulkier is a myth.

If you do lift more weight with less reps you are working more muscle groups and burning more calories as you do it. For example, if you curl a 20 LB. dumbell, it is pretty easy right. If lift a 40 LB. dumbell, you are working harder to lift that dumbell. The harder it is the more you burn. Muscle burns fat and helps you burn more calories through out the day.

Lifting lighter and doing more reps doesn't really do anything for you except you might feel a slight burn, but it takes longer to do it than lifting heavier weight at less reps. You don't get bulky by lifting heavy weights either. Yes, you do if you eat a lot of protein and you increase your weight lifting weekly or bi-weekly then you will. But if you stay consistent with the weight and don't increase but every month to 2-months then your not going to get bulky. Besides if you keep doing cardio it is going to decrease your bulkiness also.