Exercising/Food

[cymruambyth1]

I need to lose weight! I am 24, 14stone and 5"4. This is how I plan on doing it, and want to know if anyone thinks it going to work. I know people all lose weight differently but just want some advice.

1.I am doing between 20-35 mins on the treadmill
2.Having a handful of nuts a day, and plenty of fruit
3.Drinking loads of water (I never use to drink any)
4.Making my portion sizes smaller
5.Making sure I eat three meals

For lunch I am having left overs from the night before i.e. lasagne, or soup.

I am a veggie so I get plenty of vegetable. The only big concern I have is the pill. I believe it is aiding the weight gain. I was a size 10 all through school then when I went on the pill at 17 I gradually started to put weight on. A couple of years ago I came off the pill, and instantly lost over a stone, since I went back on the pill, it all came back on again.

I am weighing myself once a week, and just hope all the effort is worth it. Has anyone had issues with being on the pill and no matter what you do, cant shift the weight?

Sorry for the long question!!!

[kira000]

The thing with the pill is, as told me by my gp and practice nurse when i went on the pill both times, is that it works by fooling your body into thinking you are pregnant.

And when you are pregnant, your body is programmed to make you eat more so that your baby is nourished.

So, as a result the pill can encourage an enlarged appetite, but without the baby to feed, so a gradual increase in weight is likely.

The two options are to be aware of this, and conciously keep an eye on it so you dont eat more than you need to for one, or do more exercise to burn the excess off. Or do a bit of each!

The other thing that the pill can do, is change your body shape. Your hips are more like to fill out, and your breasts enlarge- both things that can happen during pregnancy due to hormones. So even if you dont gain weight your shape can change to make you feel larger.
You may also experience some water retention from being on the pill, which can make you feel bulkier.

You could discuss your problem with your GP, as there are various pills which have slightly different side effects, and he/she may be able to find one which has less weight side effects.

Otherwise, just keep that eye on portion sizes and snacks. Nuts are good for you, but can be fattening if you eat too many.
I would also alter your exercise routine to include some muscle building and toning, not just cardio, as muscle will burn more energy, and toning will improve your shape.

[Velvetee]

You need to do resistance training too, either using weights or your own body weight. I say this over and over on here. The more lean muscle your body carries, the more bodyfat will be used as fuel. Doing weight training will also help speed up your metabolism and you will continue to burn calories for a period of time after exercising.

Diet wise, I think a low GI diet works well. Instead of 3 meals per day have 5-6. A meal can consist of a portion of fruit or a small portion of wholewheat pasta salad. You should be eating at least every 4 hours to keep energy levels up and to stop your body storing fat.

Eating Lasagne and nuts regularly wont help you. Lasagne is high in refined carbs, unless it's made with wholewheat pasta, plus there is all that cheese too. Whilst nuts are good in moderation, they are still very fatty and shouldn't be consumed everyday.

I would agree the pill may make some women's appetites increase and weight gain may occur.

[johnk]

You may be better with a body composition scale which measures % fat rather than watch your weight. If you go in for weights etc, they will build muscle and reduce fat % but not your weight but as muscle is much more dense than fat you will look slimmer. I agree with the answers on diet you've had so far and would also say don't be too impatient, get rid of the fat slowly and educate your body into a new lifestyle and the fat will stay off..
John

[cymruambyth1]

Thank you for all your answers, and although I am already doing some parts of it i.e. resistance training, weights etc..

As for the food side, I do struggle sometimes because I dont eat meat or fish, so have to keep the protein up, I am also allergic to bread, so i find it difficult to find healthy things to eat for work. Money is a bit low at the moment, so cant necessarily afford to buy things just for lunch, hence using left overs. I love cheese but I try not to use too much of it and make all of my meals, rather than have ready meals etc..

I wont eat as many nuts, I have a handful a day at the moment, but they include seeds and dried fruit.

Thanks for all your help though! Let's hope it works!

[kira000]

Hi Cymru..

Just another thought, that i found really helped me with keeping portions down- try and find strong tasting items to eat. The stronger the flavour, the less you will end to eat of it.

So, if you eat cheese, get a strong cheddar, or a good low fat feta. You will want much less of that, than if you have a very mild tasting one.

I also think of things i like that taste strongly when i am trying to eat more sensibly. So i will have marinated anchovies on a salad, as the vinegary taste is nice and strong, or bovril on my toast- marmite would do the same.

Likewise if you want chocolate as a treat, most people find that they will eat less dark chocolate at once, than they would milk. Walnuts are also good, as they are highly flavoured.

Just thoughts, hope it helps you!

[madmaggot]

Bore da, cymru. As a fellow dieter I just want to wish you luck with the weight loss regime. Just don't get too fixated on weight, the way you look and eating heathily is the most important thing.

[cymruambyth1]

Thanks Mad and Kira.

I know I wont become fixated on my weight, but I just hope I can stick to this regime.

My partner's sister is getting married in July, and my partner is the photographer for the day! So I want to look my best!

All the advice has helped greatly, and I am sure if I start seeing results then I will instantly feel better in myself. I dont want to lose stones and stones of weight. Some peoples bodies arent built to be size 10's and I dont want to be nearly killing myself for the rest of my life to try and stay a size 10!!

Well good luck to you too Mad!