Need Help...

what my work for me may not work for you, but here goes I eat three times a day with fruit to snack on in between I balance my portions and make sure I have carbs at every meal and protein. So far in the past month I have lost 6 pounds. That is without exercise I started my workout program this week ran three times and tomorrow I will start lifting. With my carbs I eat the most at breakfast and decrease from there. I have not felt hungry throughout the day doing this so try it out and see what happens if you don't see results in a few weeks switch it up and try something else.

Hi there!

Well, there's a lot of myths out there to dispell, and I'm sure you'll find your way just fine, but there are so many people out there who don't really know the subject and keep passing on the same bad information, so very often, the most popular information isn't going to be the most correct.

Here is some correct information and some places to research on the web. I hope this helps! You'll do fine.

What to eat:
It helps to eat a low glycemic, high phytonutrient diet. Low glycemic will help even out your insulin throughout the day, and therefore you will not have wild hunger based on need for sugar. High phytonutrient is something I am just learning about. Here are some interesting and very knowledgable websites on what kinds of foods to eat. Obviously, how you FEEL will guide you the best (i.e., for me, I am a vegetarian and don't ever eat meat and I'm fine. You may NEED meat in order to feel fine. You may do bad with dairy, while I rely on low fat dairy, etc.) www.ultrametabolism.com, marksdailyapple.com, and the blogs at beachbody.com.

How much to eat:
Don't just pick a random number because someone told you, such as Jenny Craig or Slim Fast. Seriously, this is the biggest mistake you could make. If you eat too little, your body will hold on to its weight and it will be very hard to lose. If you eat too much (which almost none of us do if we are logging on fitnesspal.com everything we eat), then of course you gain weight. You have to find the range that your body feels safe and comfortable enough to let go of weight.

The best thing I EVER did was to go get my VO2 measured (volume of oxygen), my body fat measured (with the hydrostatic method) and my RMR tested (my resting metabolic rate, which means, how many calories do you burn just by being alive). With this knowledge, I know how much to eat each day. (You can get these done for $179 total. www.getdunked.com)

For me, I have a lot of muscle, and I burn a whopping 2400 calories per day just breathing and having my heart beat. For this reason, any diet under 1900 calories would be ridiculous. And, it was. I was trying to lose weight on 1800 calories and my body's metabolism was just slowing and slowing and slowing. I listened to everyone who just threw out the number "1500" calories. That's ridiculous. We all are different. If you eat too little, your body will slow itself down in order to survive. If you eat too much, you will gain weight. If you eat within this 500 calorie margin (for me, it is between 1900 and 2400) you drop weight no problem. I have dropped weight finally after figuring out how much to eat. It's just falling off of me. I am doing the same exact things I was doing before, except now I am eating the proper amount. I'm actually not even exercising much right now. I will again, but I have over exercised myself in vain, so I'm taking a small break.

If you dont' have that kind of money, then simply make sure you are riding the line between hungry and not hungry. Eat 5 or 6 small meals throughout the day, (Five 360 calorie meals would put you at 1800 calories). Maybe that's too much for you, maybe too little. Try this formula: Multiply your weight by 10, and figure that to be your RMR. So, if you weigh 180 lbs., your RMR might be 1800 (just a guess, but pretty close). If so, subtract a few hundred calories and start there for a total. If you are hungry, inch your way up. Until you find that you are NOT hungry. Tha'ts important. That is what tells you how much to eat.

When to eat:
Generally, don't eat a couple hours before cardio (but listen to your body... if you feel spacy after 2 hours, then try not eating 90 minutes before your workouts), and try not to eat a few hours before bed. Try to make your last meal of the day not very carb heavy.

What to work out:
Dont' over train. 4 or 5 days per week is good. 40 minutes per session. Of course you can do more. But, you run the risk of overtraining, and your body may sense that as a threat. Include some strenth training. Building muscle is good because the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest (Again, this is your RMR, resting metabolic rate -- it's what you burn just by being alive, and you want to increase that number. One way to increase it is to build muscle so your RMR is higher). Strenght training is fun and it's fun to go to the gym and learn how to lift weights (definitely learn from someone, though, or else you can hurt yourself with bad form).

What goal to have:
They now believe that it is better to have a healthy percentage of fat than it is to shoot for some number that you loved as a teenager. Don't shoot for 125lbs. unless it has been calculated by someone who knows how to calculate your Lean Body Mass and they told you that at 125lbs. you will have between 20 and 24% body fat (the generally accepted body fat amount for non-athletic women). You simply want to be in this healthy range, and you could weigh 185 lbs at 22% body fat, or 135lbs. at 22%, and both are completely healthy. Again, www.getdunked.com can help you with this.

Okay, good luck! I hope that I have piqued your interest in your new journey with all of this information. It can get very detailed, but it can be very fun, too.

Can you tell me what is the food for carbs,

Just by changing your eating habits and nothing else you will lose weight guaranteed. That is if you dont already eat well portioned meals, than I would just start to exercise by walking a mile or two a day and before you know it you'll be on your way to continued health and weightloss.