New to dieting need some good advice!

jwaldner250129
jwaldner250129 Posts: 4
in Introduce Yourself
Hello guys my names Joe I'm 19 years old and recently have gained some unwanted weight. So far in about 3 weeks into my dieting and have lost roughly 8 pounds. As I continue on my diet I would like to keep losing this weight. I am staying in my guidelines that My FItness Pal has gave me, and have been running Monday-Wednesday burning about 200 calories on average. But I am starting to get to the point where I'm not losing the weight I want too. In the beginning it was great, but my weight loss has slowed down. Is that normal? I have never dieted before and do not know what to expect. Any advice for what to do for exercises because i have only been doing cardio. I would really also appreciate if someone could give me some healthy breakfast or lunch ideas other then oatmeal and Egg Whites & Turkey.

Replies

  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1105036-article-on-flexible-dieting-by-armi-legge?page=1#posts-17068746

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1122891-9-reasons-fat-loss-is-always-slower-than-you-d-like
  • OsricTheKnight
    OsricTheKnight Posts: 340 Member
    I'd highly recommend using a charting tool like the totally free trendweight.com to see if you've really slowed down or if you're just focusing too much on random scale fluctuations.

    Osric

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  • jwaldner250129
    jwaldner250129 Posts: 4
    To be honest I dont really care about the number. I care about how I look. At I haven't noticed any significant difference in my body. I know there could be water weight but could it be 8 pounds worth? I am just afraid im doing all this dieting for nothing.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    To be honest I dont really care about the number. I care about how I look. At I haven't noticed any significant difference in my body. I know there could be water weight but could it be 8 pounds worth? I am just afraid im doing all this dieting for nothing.

    If you are worried about body composition, you should be incorporating strength/resistance training. Try focusing on that rather than cardio (not saying don't do cardio, but dial back on it if need be to fit in the strength training)
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    Totally normal.
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
    To be honest I dont really care about the number. I care about how I look. At I haven't noticed any significant difference in my body. I know there could be water weight but could it be 8 pounds worth? I am just afraid im doing all this dieting for nothing.

    I run, I did couch 2 5k a few years ago.

    I lift. look into staring strength or strong lifts 5x5. Really you can just get on board with the heavy lifting and not do any cardio.

    My weight has been stagnant for months now. I'm ramping up my lifting and getting a lot stronger.
    I don't care much about my weight anymore. I'm more interested in training and becoming awesome. Way better than fretting over what I'm going to eat on thanksgiving. hint, its going to be all the food, because 1 day can't derail me.
  • bbesitos69
    bbesitos69 Posts: 2 Member
    This calorie tracker is great for holding you accountable for what you eat however, new scientific studies are proving that it's not just how much you eat, it's what you eat. For example, according to a basic calorie counter like this one, you could eat a hamburger and fries and nothing else and still "lose weight" in regards to the calorie-in-and-spent method, however, this is not so. When we eat, tons of chemical processes occur in the body that can raise or lower your metabolism. So make sure you're eating high quality, organic foods. A lot of people shy away from organic because it's expensive and they think it's a gimmick but please please don't-organic foods are closest to what our ancestors made and they help regulate your hormones and keep your metabolism and everything running smoothly. Food should be something you splurge wisely on because it is what essentially makes you, you! Organic foods also have sooo much more flavor.

    As for what you should eat for breakfast go for high fiber and protein breakfasts! So steel-cut oats and yogurt with some fruit. Toast and eggs, spinach and avocado (eggs are amazing for you, they have every essential nutrient except for Vitamin C!) Almond butter! Oh and protein pancakes. I'll share the link for protein pancakes below. They're incredible. I also recommend you google "Overnight Oats" They're perfect for breakfast on the go.



    In regards to your workout, add some weights in there. Weights=muscle gains. More muscle means increased metabolism which means more calories burned!! Plus they make you look good. Just make sure you don't overeat while your lifting weights. I recommend you get comfortable with them-so start slowly. Keep 30 minutes of cardio a day for lung and cardiovascular benefits. And if you eat meat, please make it organic. If you spent the time to educate yourself on what not only the living conditions of these animals in CAFOs is like but what they're fed, you'd see your doing yourself and they whole world a favor (they're terrrrible for the environment!). Right now, meats on the market aren't very high protein, they're high fat because of the cheap things they feed them (some times they feed them sawdust!)


    I'm also attaching a link to a website that has faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaboulous workouts that will help you lose weight and get stronger to much faster-and you can do these workouts in under 30 minutes in the comfort of your own home. (I do not work for them, but I do recommend them!)



    Hope I helped:)

    http://www.dailyhiit.com/
    http://www.blogilates.com/recipe-index/low-carb-high-protein-pancakes


    More good recipes:
    http://www.sugarfreemom.com/
    http://thefitbaldman.com/recipes.html
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    Weight training does not automatically = muscle gain. Strength gains, yes, but not muscle. To gain muscle you would need to be eating at a calorie surplus (aka bulking phase) or he could eat at maintenance and focus on strength training and work on recomping that way.

    As for organic foods having so much more flavor - I've found this to not be true at all. Pricier yes, tastier...eh. I suggest the OP stick to what he can budget wise.

    Also, do you have links to peer-reviewed studies (not Shape magazine articles or things like that) showing that these chemical processes raise or lower metabolisms? That's a new one.
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    To be honest I dont really care about the number. I care about how I look. At I haven't noticed any significant difference in my body. I know there could be water weight but could it be 8 pounds worth? I am just afraid im doing all this dieting for nothing.

    Eat at a deficit (whatever foods you like) and go lift some heavy weights.
  • jwaldner250129
    jwaldner250129 Posts: 4
    Thank you so much! A much better answer than what I expected!

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