Yo, for those that don't know already, I've lost 50 lbs, but I've got 50lbs more to go before I get into the Navy and 50 more than that to be at my absolute goal weight.
Though 50lbs lost is no small potatoes, I obviously still have a ways to go. I figured that people would like to know how I lost the original 50 lbs: what kind of diet I used, where/how do I excercise. Well It's All Revealled Here!!!!!
Very Important!!!!!!! I am not a Doctor, if you have any health problems or potential of health problems from following these guidelines TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR!!
1. DO NOT "EAT LESS"! Eating less is not the answere. By not eating much your body goes into starvation mode and whatever calories you do eat your body will want to make into more fat. Eat small meals and frequently.
2. Eat balanced healthy food! Don't say that'll you'll never eat chocolate or have some cheesy puffs again. Just have them (or whatever weakness food of yours) for 1 day a month or possibly once every 2 weeks. This'll appease your like for your forbidden food, but moderation is the key!
a. To know how many calories you need to eat/drink in a day for weight loss, multiply your current weight by 7. Don't go much over 2500 calories a day if your body is up there, and don't go under 1000. You need calories to burn calories. Again your body will go into starvation mode if your not eating enough, starvation mode is BAD!
b. Eat plenty of fruits and vegitables, if in doubt, eat more vegetables than fruits. Fruits are very good for you, the vitamins and minerals in the fruit help w/ not going into starvation mode as well because your body's getting the nutrients it needs.
c. Stay away from red meat! Though it's good to have red meat every ONCE in a while, red meat slows up your digestion and makes it harder for your body to process food. Again, red meat is ok to have every now and then, but don't have it every day, if you dearly love it, have it once a week at most.
d. Eat Chicken and Fish: Chicken has lots of protein and very little fat....enough said. Fish has Good fats called Omega-3 fatty acids. These acids help your body break down Proteins, Fats, and Carbs. They help your brain function and heart function. I recommend Salmon. You can find frozen salmon fillets for only $4-$6 (for 4 fillets) at Walmart. It's cheap and Easy to make. I'll be Writing some of my Fav recipies at the end of this blog. For you vegitarians out there, Soy protein is a biggy. I buy Soy protein shakes and mix it with powdered Ovalteen to help the flavor. Lots of vitamins and minerals and good energy to start your day.
e. Eat 5-6 small meals a day. By eating frequently and small portions throughout the day your blood sugar doesn't have the yo-yo effect that eating 2-3 times a day does(w/ vegies you can have as big of portions as you want as long as very little/no fat {like butter}is added). Plus if you eat frequently your body will think it's "summer" and a time of plenty and again "YOUR BODY WON'T GO INTO STARVATION MODE"
f. Fat and Saturated Fat: Even if you keep your calories down, you need to keep your Fat and Saturated count down as well. Saturated Fat is fat that is solid at room temp. It makes your heart work really hard to support it (high blood pressure). Again, fruits and vegies help in this area.
g. Sodium: keep your sodium count down. I've looked at different sites and books and have seen different counts for sodium intake and the average amount called for is 2400 mg as a max. I recomend 1500-2000. If you intake a lot of sodium it will cause your body to store extra water in your ankles, wrists and other joints, and it therefore adds weight and makes your joints hurt. So KEEP IT LOW! :D Yes keep it low, but not 0. Your body does need salt to function, so don't take it to an extreme in either direction.
3. Excersice: This is very important. Though it's also important to not over do your self. If all else fails I recommend walking. Walking 20-30 minutes 3-4 times a week helps a lot. I also recommend that you do your walk before you eat breakfast. You haven't eaten yet and in order to provide you w/ the energy for walking, it goes on your reserve powersource: Fat!
a. If walking isn't enough, try: jogging, walking up/down hills, join an aquacise class &/or a gym, find a dvd workout that you like, but make sure to get a couple different kinds because your body will eventually get used to the workout your doing and therefore burn less calories for the same activities. Changing it up helps things from becoming boring and your body burning more calories.
4. The way to get rid of excess water weight is by keeping down on the sodium, drink lots of water, and excersicing. The muscles being used in the excersicing uses up the excess water in your body. And since your body uses up water when excercising, you need to drink more water to make up for it. Water also helps your food digest easier, and helps you feel more full during the day.
Good foods I recommend:
Dannon Light and fit Yogurt; Jello sugar free pudding (mmm), 3 or 5lb bags frozen chicken breast, frozen salmon fillets, Herbs and spices-garlic's very nice-minced is great (you don't need salt for something to be seasoned)(look at the dollar store for cheap herbs and spices, for better quality though try growing your own indoors), low-fat apple cinnamin granola (available at safeway), Whole wheat bread, any fruits or veg you like.
My Resources: (I didn't come by this knowledge from a lightning bolt from God, but everything I've mentioned here is tried and true, hence 50 lbs lost.)
The Biggest Looser: www.thebiggestlooser.com
You are what you eat: http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/Y/yawye/
My Recipies: (though I've gotten the basics from other places, I've tweaked them to suit my own purpose. If I get a recipe from somewhere else I'll say so)
Easy Baked Chicken Breast:
Utensils: a microwave save dish w/ a top
Ingredients:
Frozen chicken breast;
Herbs and spices: I recomend chives, garlic, and pepper.
Olive Oil (optional)
Directions: Drizzle some olive oil on the bottom of the microwave safe dish, place the frozen chicken breast in the dish and drizzle some olive oil on that too. Season w/ spices and herbs.
Cover dish. (this is important because the steam created helps cook the chicken and keep it moist at the same time.) cook for 5 minutes on high. flip chicken over (beware of steam). If the chicken is still pink on the bottom cook for about 4 more minutes; if there's no pink on the bottom, cook for 2-3 more minutes. Let it rest for about 2 minutes.
Combo options: Chicken Salad, Sandwiches, Wraps, etc.
I will be adding more Recipies in the future (I gotta get ready for work).
Please feel free to leave some feedback as well as any lowfat recipies you like; as well as how you've tweaked what I've put here. These things aren't set in stone and everyone's tastes are different. Have fun!
P.S. I've taken a lot of time to put all this info in one place. If you copy it (which is ok) just put my profile as a reference please. thanx
Update 5/19/2008: I've now lost 75 lbs, and I still need to loose 30 more to join the navy. oy, oh well, I'll get there. | 
