How Do I Lose Weight?

I agree, it's lifestyle. So many of today's foods consist of preservatives and HFCS. Add to that many of them have sugar in one form or another. This is the diet I'm following and it does take a concerted effort. There are meal plans to follow as well as support if that's something that would interest you. Right now - if you like what you see in the 13-minute video - there is a special of 4 months for the price of 3 along with the wellness site for 3 months free - http://www.video.me/ViewVideo.aspx?vid=417658

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What are you height and weight? I only ask this because I have a friend who thinks she is fat unless she is under 130 lbs and constantly watching her weight. At 5 '6, she is not overweight at all. Sometimes the body knows where it wants to be and you have to work extra hard.

May be too little in the calorie count for you and your body is going into starvation mode. That happened to me when I did SparkPeople.com and I couldn't figure it out. People here finally mentioned the starvation thing. Then, I joined Weight Watchers, ate a lot more and suddenly the weight starting coming off. I reached my goal weight on WW last fall and have kept it off. Really think highly of that program if you want to follow a sensible plan that doesn't do anything extreme (no eliminating food groups, surviving on shakes, etc.) -- just teaches a healthy lifestyle.

Stop the slim fast! They are just processed junk! They are NOT good for you. You should stick to around 1600 calories. Especially, if those calories are coming from whole foods...fruits, veggies, and lean proteins. The previous post is right, your body is going into starvation mode. Your body is trying to protect itself and holding onto fat.

The main ingredients in the slim fast shakes are skim milk and sugar. These types of drinks have an interesting affect on our bodies. Let’s take a look at what happens……the sugar and unhealthy carbohydrates in these drinks cause your body to store fat. You might ask, how can this be true…..well read on.

"Unhealthy carbohydrates from refined foods like the slim fast shakes, cause your body’s insulin levels to rise, which causes fat storage in our bodies. Not only does this happen but the insulin also causes two important hormones to be blocked. This is very important because these hormones are responsible for burning fat and sugar.

There is no doubt that you can lose weight on the slim fast diet plan. Any calorie restricting weight loss plan will cause weight loss, but not sustainable weight loss. If you want permanent weight loss, you need a plan that doesn’t revolve around sugary protein drinks. "

It sounds to me like you are doing everything right! I started using myfitnesspal.com<----greatest site ever! And that plus 6 days a week of cardio at the gym, I have lost 8 pounds. I know it will turn into 2 pounds a week or so once my initial weight comes off. I love slim fast and I do feel somewhat full until the next meal.

I wonder if you might be building muscle weight and inches really are lost, do your clothes feel better? The scale is the enemy. I am sure after a little while longer you will see it in the numbers. Good luck.

This is what I do for a living. Contact me if you would like a link to look at my plan.

Some studies show low vitamin D3 levels can make losing weight hard. You might consider having your D levels checked.

I would want to know exactly WHAT you are eating. NO WEIGHT lost? Just doesn't sound right. What are you eating on that 3rd meal? Also, for the poster who doesn't like protein drinks. IT DEPENDS ON THE PROTEIN DRINK. There is some sugar that occurs naturally in things life fruit and vegetables so you will often have some sugar in healthy products. What kind of protein are you getting, and how much? When do you drink these drinks? Before or after you workout?

Are you losing inches? Are you gaining muscle? In other words are your clothes getting too big? Maybe you are focusing too much on the weight.

I'd be happy to talk to you if you would like. You can message me or find my email through my profile.

I restrict calories every OTHER day. Then eat whatever I want and however much I feel like the next. It's called the Alternate Day Diet and it works for me. Because you only restrict your calories on alternate days, your body doesn't go into "starvation mode", and the calorie restriction (500 per alternate day for me) tends to average out to enough calorie restriction to drop weight.

I drink a lot of Vitamin Water Zero (no artificial sweeteners) and SmartWater on my restricting days. Low cal fruit and veggies (red bell pepper, apples, celery) supplement my morning coffee and cream and evening bowl of soup.
It reduces inflammation in the body as well. There is new research that supports calorie restriction every other day.
It's also a lot easier to stick to (for me anyway)... because I only need to have willpower for one day. The next day I eat whatever I was craving the day before... if I still want it. Often I don't.

I am in the midst of this too but I am losing a little weight, thank goodness. It sounds like you are doing the right things, but I had a few ideas (I did a lot of reading when I started my program).

Do you monitor your heart rate when you work out? For me the "fat burn" is around 132-142 bpm and the muscle building rate is more like 150-155. The higher rate tends to burn more calories over all, and I find I lose rate faster there even though I am adding muscle. Perhaps your heart rate is too low?? I use machines at the gym so I easily track my heart rate. Also, I know that I work much harder at the gym than I ever do with a video at home.

How do you track calories? Maybe your estimates are off? I use a cool tool called myfitnesspal.com and I can look up calories for meals. For exercise, I really don't really trust the calorie measure on the machines at the gym, but I figure as a ballpark they are okay. (I shed 200-300 calories in 30 minutes.)

On the site I mentioned, I was able to calculate my resting metabolic rate in terms of how many calories I ould burn in a day if I sat still. For me it is around 1600 but that is just an estimate based on age and weight. So if I eat 1600 calories and am sedintary, I shouldn't gain weight. If I exercise (200-300 calories), I will lose weight. However, it is important to remember that 1) women should hav eat least 1200 per day and 2) it takes 3500 calories to drop about a pound. So that is about a 500 difference per day. That is why it is so hard to lose more than about 1-2 punds per week.

My final thought is that maybe you are jsut eating the wrong foods for you. You probably should eat less fatty foods (cheese - and slimfast too I think - are all pretty fatty). Replace some of the fat with frutis and vegetables which have a lot of water and good carbs. Eat protein, but low fat cheeses, beans, lean meats.

Good luck. I feel your pain.

I would go to weight watchers studies have shown this is the only weight loss program that has long term results. Remember to add up Total calorie count, you cannot estimate it and be accurate, salad dressing counts, etc. Things like slimfast trick us into thinking we have "extra " bonus calories we can eat during the day as snacks... I think you can use it online??
If you can join a gym and take some classes usually they also have a free consultation? Are you checking your heart rate when u exercise? Are you feeling like on a scale of 1-10 you are at a 7 or 8?
If you can't go to weight watchers I would start doing a food log, don't forget to write down drinks and snacks. Be totally honest! I would eat regular food..not slimfast. Just because this should be a lifestyle change not a do for a few months thing - like slim fast...
I would also take a second look at the exercise I am doing- you should be doing weight training 2-3 times a week to build muscles and then some sort of Cardio work out at least 3 days a week more if you can. cardio should get your heart rate up for 30 - 40 minutes at a perceived rate of exertion of 7 or so on a scale of 1-10. keep at it girl! exercise is a way to stay healthy its important for you to do for life not just to lose weight, It keeps your bones healthy, keeps you heart healthy, lessens stress! find something you like and stick to it! ;)

But Bottom line is calories in must be less that calories burned to lose any weight..

I had to add
THE calorie counters on the machines at a gym are NOT ACCURATE If you want accuracy invest in a heart rate monitor I love mine!! It cost about $129 you put in your height weight and age and then you wear it and watch what it tells you over time you will notice trends and you will see results! I know the machine's calorie counters are not accurate b/c I tested vs my heart rate monitor and some (eliptical) over estimated my calories burned by 100% said i burned 800 calories in 45 mins when it was more like 375!!!

Please, please, please don't drink slim fast as a meal replacement. I know someone who got kidney stones and had to have surgery to remove them because of slim fast. If you want a meal replacement that is healthy for you and works, please let me know. I lost 10 pounds so far following Arbonne's 30 day Feeling Fit kit. Protein shakes, fiber booster, energy drinks, detox tea and appetite suppressant chews. All vegan certified, no artificial sweeteners or colors and taste amazing!!

I agree with the other posters who said Slim Fast is not the way. That stuff is all kinds of evil. It is junk food in disguise. Weight loss is hard work, dedication, determination, and hard work! :) It actually needs to be a combination of eating right, exercise, and changing your mindset. It's not a diet, it's a way of life. These are the steps I would recommend:

1. Set realistic goals - 1-2 pounds a week is realistic. Anything more than that is not safe, and you may be losing muscle.
2. Make sure you are eating enough calories. Find out what your metabolic rate is so you know how many calories you should eat to lose, and how many you should eat to maintain. Here is one site you can go to: http://walking.about.com/cs/calories/l/blcalcalc.htm I just did a quick Google search to get to this You should do your own research.
3. Add resistance training to your workouts. Cardio alone is not sufficient if you want to lose fat. Lifting weights 2-3 times per week for about 20 minutes a day should do it.
4. Make sure you are eating a healthy balance of foods. You need protein, healthy carbohydrates, and healthy fats to lose weight. Yes, fat. Healthy sources include nuts, flaxseed and fish oils, nut butters, etc. Cut your sugars and avoid high fructose corn syrup.
5. Get a skin caliper or a scale that measures body fat percentage. You need to make sure you are losing fat, not muscle. The number on the scale is not the only thing that matters. You can be 5'4" and weigh 130 pounds and think you are healthy - but if 40% of your weight is fat, you've got a problem. Think "fat loss", not "weight loss"

Finally, I'd just like to add to the person who said they've never seen a fat vegetarian...I want to know where you live! LOL! I have been a vegetarian my whole life, but even though I choose not to eat meat, and I eat a plant based diet, I still struggle with temptations just like meat eaters do. :)

Someone who gave me inspiration was a body builder named Tom Venuto. He has helped many people lose weight successfully, and helps you to look at diet as a lifestyle, not a quick fix. He has written two books, "Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle" and "The Body Fat Solution". It is not for everyone, but it helped me. Good luck!

I frown upon the slim fast shakes. Your body, believe me or not, needs fuel. You need to feed it. It sounds like you could be starving your body which causes your body to HOLD onto every calorie you ingest which in turn makes you gain weight, not lose weight. I'm not an expert or professional fitness person but I do know a little something about fitness because it is something very important to me. Sugar, not fat, makes people fat. You need to be watching your sugar intake. Yes, fat is something important to also consider but for example, if you buy a lower fat peanut butter, compare the labels between regular peanut butter and the lower fat variety. You will see that indeed the fat is lower but look at the sugar. The low fat variety (on just about every low fat/no fat food) will have a higher sugar content. It's the sugar that is getting you so buy the regular variety, just eat less of it. I don't know how much sugar is in a slim fast shake...but I'm guessing it's not minimal. Breakfast is the biggest meal and healthiest meal you should be concentrating on. Lunch and dinner should be smaller and you should be eating healthy snacks during the day in between (almonds, fresh fruit, dry fruit, cottage cheese, plain yogurt). You do need to be working out at least an hour a day. You may not be able to do this, but then you will need to look at what your eating to make up for where you are not exercising. Yes, drinking plenty of water is very important and you should drink water before your lunch and dinner. Also, look at your portions. Are you eating out?? Are you cooking healthy meals for yourself? You don't mention how long you've been working out. You could have reached a plateau. I don't know much about the activia bars, but again, look at the sugar content. I'm assuming it's high. String cheese is a good snack but a 500 calorie dinner? Are you cooking it yourself or is it a store bought frozen food? I agree with adding more protein to your diet. Also, fiber is good for feeling fuller as well. Without knowing what you are actually eating throughout the day, none of us can really say for sure why you haven't lost the weight. I would keep a food diary to log every thing you put into your mouth. I mean everything...from 2 pieces of candy to a handful of chips. Sometimes we mindlessly eat without realizing how much we have eaten. At the end of the day, it all adds up to something.

CAWriterMom's advice was great but I would add this. I've never seen an overweight vegetarian. Have you?

Seriously, you may just want to consider doing this in addition to exercise: Stop counting calories. Increase your vegetable and fruit intake. Don't apply creamy or cheesy sauces to your veggies but increase your vegetable and fruit intake. Remember to eat both raw and cooked veggies and fruit as you decrease the portion of meat and starches. You can also substitute fish for meats. If you eat alot of fried foods, cut those out of your diet. Find new recipies and try new ways to prepare your favorite foods. Variety is the spice of life.

Make breakfast your biggest meal of the day, Lunch the next largest and Dinner should be light. Try to eat at least 5 times a day. Breakfast, Snack, Lunch, Snack, and Dinner. Try having your meals at the same time every day. Your body will love the discipline. It is hard to start but it is great once you get it going. Cut off your eating to at least 2 hours before you go to sleep.

Drop the Slim Fast and continue to exercise. Don't get frustrated because you didn't put on the weight overnight and it's not going to come off overnight. At some point in your transformation you will need to do an entirely different set of exercise routines as your muscles become familiar with that routine and to continue to develop them properly over time as you shed the pounds.

I hope this new lifestyle change will be one you will continue for a lifetime. One ounce of water per pound of weight seems to work. Drink room temperature water or warm water. This seems to help with the digestion and the

Are your clothes loose? Do you feel leaner? Have you measured yourself?

Sometimes you need to step off the scale and grab the tape measurer to see results.

Also, don't drink slim fast or eat activia bars. Eat real food - not processed junk. Breakfast can be high fiber wheat bread with a tablespoon of peanut butter, medium banana. Snacks can be fruit or cut up vegetables or a piece of string cheese with a slice of lowfat turkey lunchmeat.

Good luck!

Im 5,6" and i weigh 165 lbs(give or take), this puts me at a size 12........i recently lost 15 lbs, maybe more (i refuse to weigh myself) My point is,,,,Im overweight and i have been vegetarian since i was 12.....sorry i had to add that

Simply cutting out meat will not reduce the weight, even though it is much better for you....by miles!If i were you i would go to a doctor and discuss your thyroid,and metabolism. Then join a support group for weight loss. Like you, i am having a very hard time losing weight, i have to really struggle for every lb i lose. I have to barely eat and workout every day, once i lose like 5 lbs i have to up the intensity of my workouts because i plateau eerily fast.

Everybody has different reasons they cant lose weight, i reccomend you try real meals though, fresh fruit and fresh veggies being 50% of every one of those meals....i agree with the other ladies, skip the shakes, they are garbage. If you like to replace with a shake, make your own. skim or soy milk, flax seed, frozen fruit or bananas, wheat grass...etc,,,,

Like another poster mentioned, you have to have enough calories to sustain your workouts AND your basic daily function, or your body is just going to do its best to protect itself.

(And I say that as a person who is also not eating enough to support healthy weight loss/fitness!)

That seems like a lot of calories to me if you are replacing TWO meals. It sounds like you are doing the right thing by exercising, I would concentrate on your meal habits. Try and incorporate more protein into your diet. And be sure to have breakfast daily. You can eat something like lite yogurt or low sugar oat meal for breakfast. Soup, chili (Wendy's is great and has a good amount of fiber and protein) or Subway for lunch, and a small chicken breast with veggies or fish with veggies for dinner. Have a snack or 2 during the day of a banana, grapes, or carrots. And continue to drink the water. My guess is, your body is not getting what it needs food wise. I changed my diet (to what I have listed above) and started to notice a difference. Plus, when I eat, I feel full, so my urge to snack all the time (even if it's just on fruit) is almost non existent.

If you are working out and eating right, the numbers may not change all that much on the scale, but your clothes should start to feel different. I started working out in July 2010 and it took a good 3-4 months for me to really start noticing a difference.

Keep at it, but I would really consider changing your eating habits.

Try to have foods like whole grains, almonds, bell peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, grapes, spinach, blue berries, straw berries, olive oil which give you delicious taste and good enjoyment. This food provides you good stamina with low calorie.
http://www.womenhealthline.com/lose-weight-fast-with-the-...