I need all your help!

Hi there,

I've also been at trying to lose weight for a while now. I too am struggling with it. And I feel guilty if I eat too much. But sleep is also very very important. You need to get 7-8ish hours a night. I underestimated a lot of aspects of losing weight and that's why I haven't been successful. I've also had to keep myself motivated, because I can be very good and then binge eat. I'm a very visual person, and I've started looking through 'fitspo' blogs. This has been the ultimate motivation for me. You need to figure of what keeps you motivated too. And mix up the exercise routine, maybe try a bit more cardio. A good way to burn fat is to do interval training instead of just cardio at a steady pace. Just see what you enjoy. But stay motivated and don't give up. If other people are capable of doing this, so are you and I.
Sam

calorie count is way low. Also, cut back on carbs, plus up your proteins, all fruit snacks before your dinner meal, and try not to eat after 8pm. with your exercise level, you are on HOLD in starvation mode at 1200 calories. You should be between 1500-1650 every day. I would suggest that you try to plan your meals a day ahead and 'roller-coaster' your calorie intake. In other words, go hard core one day and limit yourself to 1000, then go to 1600 on the spot, then to 1300, and then to 1700. All of these are less than what you need for BMR/RMR, but also keep your body guessing. Incidentally, if you can keep that flucuation to 200 calories, and keep your exercise calories consistent, you should see movement of 2-3 pounds per week.

Okay, read a few more answers, I have to ask, what are you calling a 30-45 minute workout? not being facetious, but I have been in gyms with people who get on a machine, push and pull, then wander 5 minutes, then a second set, wander, set 3, wander etc.

If you are working out, no more than 30 seconds of rest between sets. If you are walking, are you checking your pulse and pace?

If you can get access, one workout a week should be on a track. You should know exactly how fast you need to walk one lap in order to hit your target HR. And then from there, you can set goals for either walking faster, or a running program.

If you bike, do the same thing. Find a fixed route, use it as a measuring stick, normally a six mile loop is best. The goal is to start working to finish in less time than before, but not to exceed your target HR zone.

MIO makes a nifty little heart rate monitor (with a pedometer also) that isn't expensive. two fingers and it gives you your HR reading, and has a function to monitor your zone for you. it even takes your age, weight, etc and will set your goals based on them.

My whole point here is that to effectively exercise, you have to raise your heart rate into the TARGET ZONE (which is normally between 60-80% of your max heart rate). You can get those targets online. But, once you are in the ZONE, you need to keep it there for that 30 minutes a day. You can split it into 2 - 15 minute workouts, but 30 per day is what will keep your body burning calories.

Also, need to reiterate that you should eat all your SIMPLE carbs BEFORE dinner. Meaning you should avoid breads, pasta, etc at dinner and go for grains, proteins (fish, chicken, lean beef or pork), and complex carbs like broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, spinach, squash, etc.

If you workout two times a day, and you exercise more than 20 minutes at night, you can have a small glass of chocolate milk (or small protein shake with a chromium supplement) immediately following to help build muscle. Just don't make it a 16oz'er