Extremely determined to make this work need help with plan!

MinyMinnie

Hello everyone!

I started this weight loss journey when I was about my freshmen year of college. I started this journey around 170lbs and am now 140. The thing that has extremely depressing has been that in my sophomore year I stayed 140lbs the entire time. Sure, I gained SOME muscle, but I don't see much difference(Honestly I'm not just saying that). I have ate healthier but I never know if I ate too much or too little. I keep listening to one person to the next and it discouraged me a lot. Some swear by 1200 and other are like "eat 1500!!" Some swear lifting is the only way while other claim cardio is the solution...

I need a solid plan that has worked for someone. I know everyone's different but I'd like to know what other people did in a 3 months time period. How much they ate, how much they exercised, ect. (Also, I don't know if this will be useful, but I love spinach and broccoli but HATE lettuce if someone was going to recommend a diet plan)

I'm planning to join either a gym, yoga class, and or zumba. (Hopefully it will be affordable...)

I just want to lose 12-15 pounds in 3 months time before my abroad trip. I will work hard, I just need guidance and support. I know some of you will say don't put a timer on it, but trust me, this means a tremendous amount to me and I wasted more time than I can afford.

I have no one that can help me so if you can take some of your time, I'd be so grateful.

I'm 5'3 and 140lbs, Korean, 20 yrs old.
I'd like to be ideally 130-125 by the time I go.

Happy_Niss

Daily running and zumba for cardio.
Yoga for flexibility.
Weights (or something similar) for strength training.

It takes a lot of time out of the day to do all of these things, but it is worth it to get results. And putting in 100% during these is a must!
Just what works for me, though!

MinyMinnie

That helps a lot!

How often and how many calories?

MinyMinnie

That helps a lot!

How often and how many calories?

Happy_Niss

It depends. I started out pretty small, but I know people that can do 10 miles a day running and burn a buttload of calories. Either way, doing even just some of this will get you some kind of results

Sharon_C

You have to do what's right for you. Not what worked for someone else. No one person is the same. We all lost weight by trial and error, trying different things for a while until we found what worked for us. For me it was eating at a deficit but still eating the foods I loved. I knew if I cut out my favorite foods that it would be instant failure.

If you like cardio, then do cardio. If you like weight lifting, then do weight lifting. I personally can't stand cardio but love lifting heavy things so I lift heavy and avoid the treadmill and elliptical. I discovered that since I'm doing something I really like then I look forward to doing it every day and I've stuck with it for a long time.

Briargrey

Stats:
5'1", age 44, female, sw: 291, cw: 174
Started my changes on February 23, 2013

Starting workout plan:
3x/week on treadmill at low mph, slowly increasing time to 30m and to faster speeds and varying inclines. A few months later, I added in elliptical and a couple months after that, I started weight machines. This January, I switched to free weights.

For about 4 months (Dec 13 - March 14), I didn't have to travel and could set up a more intense workout schedule. It looked like this:
Mondays and Wednesdays: 20 minutes elliptical or treadmill, 60 minutes yoga -- both in a.m.
Tuesdays and Thursdays: 20 minutes elliptical or treadmill in a.m. followed by my strength routine (Stronglifts 5x5), and in p.m. 60 minutes yoga
Fridays: 30 minutes elliptical or treadmill
Saturdays: same as Tue/Thu mornings (no yoga)

Once I had to move and be in temporary housing and such - I had to modify, but I still mix cardio and free weights and some just casual walking around the neighbourhood.

Calories: minimum of 1500 and I eat back exercise calories to about 1800.

I personally feel a blend of cardio and a good strength program is best for health, and I love how yoga feels for me, but I realize it's not for everyone.

I travel so I wind up eating out at restaurants or out of a hotel room microwave, but I track everything I put in my mouth, still try to get more fruits and vegetables than other stuff, and I aim to hit my calories daily plus exercise at least 4x/week, preferably 6. I'm also forgiving of being human, recognize a bad day for a bad day, and I no longer let it turn into a bad week.

It's much less about WHAT you do then it is about the attitude you do it with when it comes to being successful at this, I think. Yes, ultimately the goals get met by doing things, but you do them by feeling right about it

MinyMinnie

I know.

Just knowing there are people who have been there and did it motivates me. It also helps me try out ideas that work for me personally.