HELP desperate to loose weight and stay fit....

ab5382

I will try and keep my story as short as possible. My family is all fit and athletic no one really overweight. I have always seemed to be the black sheep sort of struggling with weight loss. From 5th-middle school I was somewhat overweight, but by high school
I had really slimmed down and maintained a weight of 135-140 and being 5'6-7". I was a lot more active then. Throughout college and then my early working years I really slimmed down to 128-130 and maintained that for several years. In 06 I met my now husband and from 08 til now I have steadily become complacent and lazy, I work jobs now that only require me to lightly be on my feet and spending most days at my desk or computer. In 08 I moved up to 200lbs and by 09 I was at the 240-250 range. Today I am in the mid 260s and 5'7". This past year I started having gallbladder issues which lead to the removale of it. During this time I really HAD to crack down on my eating habits and lost 10lbs. After the surgery I slowly went back to my old ways. I would definitely say in the past several years I have just eaten whatever I wanted basically. Sometimes even eating when I wasn't even hungry. Like a lot of people food was a comfort thing for me, or something I did when I was bored. After a few ups and downs in life and such, I want to go back to the confident, sexy girl I once viewed myself as. So this leads me to here.....
I need some tips on what I can do to really get this weight loss going. I would ideally like to loose 5lbs a week and I know it could be possible due to my current weight. What are things to stay away from food wise? Exercise? Any help would be great!!

nomeejerome

Calorie deficit for weight loss.
Exercise for fitness.
Set reasonable goals.
Be patient.
You do not have to eliminate any foods, unless you have a medical reason for doing so.

Greenrun99

There are tons of posts on here that will give you advice (search feature up top).. but to start

Pick a calorie number that isn't too restrictive for you (1200 calories a day is probably not it)
Buy a digital food scale and use it
Stick to your numbers
Start exercising (and if your comfortable lift some weights)
5 lbs a week is ok at the start.. but this isn't a tv show that is a huge goal.. Set Realistic Goals (1-2 lbs a week)
Don't Drink your calories

ab5382

By foods to limit I mean what are foods I should stay away from period? Should I limit myself only to salads, subway, no carbs, etc? My weakness is definitely carbs. I crave breads....lol. Also I have switched from drinking a LOT of diet cokes to only water.
At home I have weights and an exercise bike. How long and much should I work out? Would it be beneficial to join a gym?

I just want to see some progress and keep myself motivated.

psuLemon

By foods to limit I mean what are foods I should stay away from period? Should I limit myself only to salads, subway, no carbs, etc? My weakness is definitely carbs. I crave breads....lol. Also I have switched from drinking a LOT of diet cokes to only water.
At home I have weights and an exercise bike. How long and much should I work out? Would it be beneficial to join a gym?

I just want to see some progress and keep myself motivated.

You don't need to stay away from any foods. I would suggest trying to get about 1g of protein and .35g of fat per lb of lean body mass..


Set a moderate goal (1.5lbper week) and if you exercise, add another 200-400 calories. Eating more protein will increase satiety and increase muscle retention. Also, aim for 3-4 days of weight training 30-60 minutes and 2-3 days of cardio. Time depends on your schedule. More exercise = more calories able to be eaten.

You can either workout at home or the gym, which ever you find yourself more committed to. I work out at home because I don't like driving to a gym and the young kids in my gym drive me nuts.

cwolfman13

By foods to limit I mean what are foods I should stay away from period? Should I limit myself only to salads, subway, no carbs, etc? My weakness is definitely carbs. I crave breads....lol. Also I have switched from drinking a LOT of diet cokes to only water.
At home I have weights and an exercise bike. How long and much should I work out? Would it be beneficial to join a gym?

I just want to see some progress and keep myself motivated.

I've lost 40 Lbs and rarely eat salad. You don't have to limit or restrict anything unless you have a medical reason for doing so. Carbs aren't the devil...they're just the latest and greatest of dietary boogie man. Controlling your weight...whether losing, maintaining, or gaining is all about energy (calorie) balance. If you take in fewer calories than your body needs to maintain weight, you lose weight...when you eat a balance of energy, you maintain weight...when you eat a surplus of energy you gain weight.

There is no particular food or macro-nutirient that causes you to get fat...it's over consumption of food in general that causes you to get fat. Just eat a balanced diet that is rich in nutrient dense foods...get you fruit and veg and lean proteins, healthy fats, and some whole grains and enjoy your sweet breads on occasion...no biggie.

As exercise goes, it's great for your overall health and well being...and it can broaden your calorie deficit (but you don't want to broaden it too much)...but really, diet for weight control; exercise for fitness. I personally like belonging to a gym but it certainly isn't necessary. I go to mine because I don't have a fully stocked weight room in my home...I just use it for the weights and the pool in the summer.

TavistockToad

By foods to limit I mean what are foods I should stay away from period? Should I limit myself only to salads, subway, no carbs, etc? My weakness is definitely carbs. I crave breads....lol. Also I have switched from drinking a LOT of diet cokes to only water.
At home I have weights and an exercise bike. How long and much should I work out? Would it be beneficial to join a gym?

I just want to see some progress and keep myself motivated.

You don't need to stay away from any foods. I would suggest trying to get about 1g of protein and .35g of fat per lb of lean body mass..


Set a moderate goal (1.5lbper week) and if you exercise, add another 200-400 calories. Eating more protein will increase satiety and increase muscle retention. Also, aim for 3-4 days of weight training 30-60 minutes and 2-3 days of cardio. Time depends on your schedule. More exercise = more calories able to be eaten.

You can either workout at home or the gym, which ever you find yourself more committed to. I work out at home because I don't like driving to a gym and the young kids in my gym drive me nuts.

All of this is great advice.

Forget thoughts of 5lb per week and aim for healthy habits you can keep