How to lose weight?

[Froogleyboy]

Okay, Swimsuit season is coming soon, and me and this girl are gonna be hanging out at the pool, and I don't wanna look fat. So, how can I loose weight fast? All the websites ask for money or e-mail addresses, etc.

[Dr. Bath]

Eat less.

Exercise.

Done and done.

[Frozen_Feet]

Note that the above necessarily doesn't make you weigh less - but you'll still look better.

Really, there isn't a really fast way - not one that will stick, anyway. If you put yourself on a starvation diet, you'll lose few pounds in no time... then you'll get a "what I am doing?" moment and gain them all back just as fast as you lost them.

I suggest just going to the gym once or twice a week and starting a martial art, if your schedule just allows. Unless you eat massive amounts, don't bother with food regulations too much - just lift iron bars or punch sandbags till you keel over from exhaustion.:smalltongue:

[Fay Graydon]

Eat less.

Exercise.

Done and done.

*smaps Dr. Bath with a loofah* Don't give the poor boy misinformation.

Eating less isn't always a good idea.
Eat a Balanced diet. Which isn't a burger in each hand -.-
But yeah, plenty of fruit, veg whilst still getting sugar and fat, but in moderation!

Bath's right for Exercise though, but thing the Chinese proverb:
"Fear not man who practice 1000 strikes once, fear man who practice 1 strike a thousand times".

Being able to do 100 push ups or bench 220lbs isn't gonna do much if you do it once.
Push yourself, but don't overdo it. Go to your limit and don't break yourself, just keep going and be persistent.
I'm sure you'll just shed those pounds ^^

[Innis Cabal]

Tape worms seem to do the trick. Get a few of those in you.

[Castaras]

Balanced diet, with less fatty foods + 2 hours on wiifit a day got my mum about 3 stone lost in a year.

But as far as I know, there isn't a really fast way without starving yourself for a week - and even then you'll look thin but awful.

[Fay Graydon]

Balanced diet, with less fatty foods + 2 hours on wiifit a day got my mum about 3 stone lost in a year.

But as far as I know, there isn't a really fast way without starving yourself for a week - and even then you'll look thin but awful.

1stly:
*shudders* WiiFit ¬.¬ bleh

2ndly:
No! nononononooooo -.- I starve myself constantly and it doesn't really do much and I end up feeling terrible and like crap :(

[Szilard]

If you lose more than a pound a week, you're doing it wrong.

[Force]

Eat less.

Exercise.

Done and done.

Not quite.

Figure out your BMR; there are a few ways to go about that.

Next, figure out how many pounds you have to lose.

Eat less than your BMR /without/ sacrificing nutrition; pay extra attention to proteins, vitamins, and minerals. That means don't eat out more than once or twice a week, stop buying snack foods, no ice cream, etc.

Don't just eat less; eat /balanced/ less.

Also, exercise, but start exercising before you drop $$$ on a gym membership so you know you can stick with it.

[Spiryt]

In pure theory, reduction will occur when you intake less calories than you burn.

Indeed, it shouldn't be big difference, because it can end badly.

Way to do it " mechanicaly" is to find out how much calories you burn everyday breathing, sleeping and exercising and intake about 90% (I think) of it. The rest will be taken from your fat tissue.

The details - balanced diet are of course very important, to stay healthy and in for example burn fat, without burning to much muscles.

There are a lot of sport etc forums and sites about it, you probably can find them easily.

Keep in mind that it's all whole science, and it's a lot to know about your body and body in general.

[Ichneumon]

If you lose more than a pound a week, you're doing it wrong.

Depending on how you look at things, he's already doing it wrong by having to lose weight to begin with.

Although I do agree it's better not to starve yourself to death and just begin living healthier.

[Eldan]

1stly:
*shudders* WiiFit ¬.¬ bleh

2ndly:
No! nononononooooo -.- I starve myself constantly and it doesn't really do much and I end up feeling terrible and like crap :(

Starving yourself for a week actually is just about the safest way never to lose any weight permanently.

[Paulus]

Oi...

Exercise really depends on preference. What part of your body are you trying to slim down compared to what types of exercises you need or want to do. I always suggest full body because anything else will cause imbalances in your system which can lead to long term pain. So, I would suggest you instead start very slowly with aerobic exercises. Walk, bike, swim, don't run or jog. That can come later. Go into it slowly and balance your diet on your needs. The food group was made just for this. Don't eat huge meals before bed, and don't load up on carbs -bread, starches, fats, meats. That sort of thing. Eat greens and vegetables but not always canned, to stay away from preservatives.

Have protein at every meal but only one serving, which is about the size of the palm of your hand. This include peanut butter, eggs, and nuts and not just the meats. Go for white meats instead of red, fish chicken turkey, and slow cook instead of fry. Go light on heavily fattened or greasy foods and drink PLENTY of water you should AT LEAST have a glass of water a day. And I would challenge you to have one glass of water for every one glass of soda/alcohol/coffee. You will feel MUCH better. Also adding at least one bowl of fiber, in cereal oatmeal or supplement will do you wonders.

Remember to stretch before and after walking, STOP if you feel pain, pain is not the goal. Repetition is. Walk for five minutes the first week, ten the next and so on until you reach at least 30 minutes a twice a week. For elevated hearth health. Consider taking Fish oil supplements (omega 3) for heart and cholesterol health, and get your levels checked (blood test at the doc). Lesser your sugar, caffeine intake. And above all be aware of your diet period.

For a tip, find out what is in what you eat each day, and write it down until you get the hang of it. This doesn't mean quit it all COLD it means balance it out slowly. Quitting or sudden switching will only give your system a shock and have some unpleasant results which will make you want to give up all that more.

The key is sustainability. Little by little. Even if you just do stretches, or five crunches in one day. DO whatever you can, even if it is just a little, it is better than nothing. And also, get good sleep. That is, not interrupted, nor hurried, nor rushed. Good. natural sleep.

That s'about all the general advice I can give you without going into the depth of knowledge it took for me to get on track, and believe me after winter is finally over I can start getting back to exercise too. Oh de bones, dey ache.

[Frozen_Feet]

Also, I reiterate: working out doesn't necessarily make you lose weight. It just moves that weight around. So depending on your starting point, making weight loss your end goal might not be worth it. Muscle is much denser than fat - it's possible to look either chubby or skinny as hell while weighing the same. Case in point, my weight increased ny 5 kg during army, and I still look skinny as hell.

[Dr. Bath]

He wanted to do it fast so I kept it concise.

[valadil]

Burn more calories than you consume. Eating less food will lower the number of calories consumed. Exercising will increase the number of calories burned. That's the three sentence answer anyway.

My only real advice is that if you go to a gym, skip the weight machines. They're worthless. Free weights are infinitely better. Don't skimp on cardio while you're there.

[Froogleyboy]

I really just want to lose the fat around my abdomen

[Icewalker]

Just exercise and eat reasonably. As to what is reasonably, healthy is better, I'm no expert on this, and other people in this thread know what they're talking about on that front. So go listen to them.

But, exercise. Now, personally, the easiest way I've found to do this, is to find a spot to work it into your daily routine. Do you, say, walk home from work or school? If so, find a spot on your route to stop and do some kind of exercise, maybe a track which you pass by to run on, or just a field to run, pushups, whatever. If you find a way to work it into something you already do every day, it's MUCH easier to keep at it, I find.

[Spiryt]

My only real advice is that if you go to a gym, skip the weight machines. They're worthless. Free weights are infinitely better. Don't skimp on cardio while you're there.

That's what most people who know something about it say anyway.

And without gym, exercises with your own body weight can be quite a bit effective too.

Anyway, found some english page that looks legit, and have http://www.exrx.net/Beginning.html. May have some info.

[Froogleyboy]

That's what most people who know something about it say anyway.

And without gym, exercises with your own body weight can be quite a bit effective too.

Anyway, found some english page that looks legit, and have beginners section (http://www.myarmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=2711&highlight=pavise). May have some info.

I don't believe a "My Armoury" forum will help me lose weight

[Spiryt]

I really just want to lose the fat around my abdomen

There are many theories about it, but general consensus if that burning fat form chosen locations is very hard at best.

It's very individual - every person have tendentions to store fat in different places, and also everyone burn it individually.

But generally fat generally stays mainly on belly.

My body fat is a bit below 10% which is quite low, and still I have quite visible bit of fat on my tummy. It's visible only when I sit and stuff but still.

I corrected link, also. :smallbiggrin::smallbiggrin:

EDIT: Because it still looks like a lot of text, I found some entries that might interest you:
http://www.exrx.net/Questions/BasicProgram.html

Some examples of exercises that can be performed with minimal/no equipment

http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Myths.html Some info on burning fat.

[Worira]

No, there are not many theories. You simply cannot burn fat selectively. Your body does not, on a fundamental physiological level, work that way. By focusing your training on certain muscles, you can have a greater degree of definition in certain areas, but you cannot burn fat in one area and not another.

[deuxhero]

Consume fewer calories than your burn rate.

[Spiryt]

No, there are not many theories. You simply cannot burn fat selectively. Your body does not, on a fundamental physiological level, work that way. By focusing your training on certain muscles, you can have a greater degree of definition in certain areas, but you cannot burn fat in one area and not another.

I believed that professional bodybuilders and stuff, have some more weird methods.

I can be very wrong though, and still for a guy who just want to loose some fat it of course doesn't matter anyway, so you are right.

[Liffguard]

Nutrition is immensely important for losing fat. Here's a few simple tips:

1) Cut out all processed food. Junk food, fast food, ready meals, it all has to go. This includes a lot of "healthy" stuff like cereal bars. Whenever possible, prepare your own meals from whole ingredients.
2) Related to above, cut down on sugar. This includes obvious things like sweets and fizzy drinks but also less obvious things like fruit. Try and eat vegetables instead of fruit.
3) Eat small, eat often. Try and have small regular meals spaced out evenly throughout the day. As a very rough guide, "small" is something that would fit on a side plate.
4) Eat balanced. Try to ensure each meal contains a roughly even split between
a) protein & fat
b) complex carbohydrates
c) vegetables
5) Maintain consistency but don't worry about cheating every now and again. Follow the 90% rule. Eat healthy 90% of the time.
6) Stay hydrated. Aim for between 2 - 4 litres of water a day.

As for exercise, when it comes to losing fat consistency is better than intensity. IMO the best way to maintain consistency is to play a sport you enjoy so exercise becomes a pleasure rather than a chore. At the least try and get a minimum of three exercise sessions a week, aiming for an hour in length.

[Frozen_Feet]

My vote for exercise still goes for martial arts. You can even try convincing your girl friend to join you, one the basis that it's almost like dancing.

[onthetown]

Smaller portion sizes is a big one. It works wonders if you're eating healthy and exercising. I was doing both but not the smaller potion sizes and I didn't lose weight until I cut back.

[ClockShock]

Go running.

Try to enjoy it.

[Froogleyboy]

Go running.

Try to enjoy it.

I hate running

[Innis Cabal]

I hate running

Then stay fat.

[Deth Muncher]

I hate running

I find that running with a purpose is often better than running just for exercise. How to fix this? Have a tri-weekly game of Humans vs. Zombies. It's a game being played on my campus right now, where the basic rules are:

-If you're a human, you get a Nerf Gun/Sword, and protect yourself from zombies.

-If you're a zombie, you go and hug people for five seconds to make them zombies too.

Point being, when you're running for your "life," it's a good time. I've been doing this the past few days, and it's so much win.

[Lioness]

I managed to lose weight in a couple of weeks simply by not eating junk food. I stopped myself buying any, I ate only what was given to me at home (meals) as well as a sandwich and a piece of fruit for lunch at school. I tried to walk rather than catching the bus to close places. I went from about 69kg to 67kg. It wasn't a big reduction, but it was a start, and it certainly made a difference.

[Froogleyboy]

Then stay fat.

If you've got nothing but negative comments, why comment?

[Lord of Syntax]

Zombification, that brain is weighing you down. :smallbiggrin:

[Spiryt]

If you hate running, that's not so bad, because generally all strength exercises are more efficient in fat reduction. But running is generally useful.

If it's going to help anyhow, I believe that this post:


Nutrition is immensely important for losing fat. Here's a few simple tips:

1) Cut out all processed food. Junk food, fast food, ready meals, it all has to go. This includes a lot of "healthy" stuff like cereal bars. Whenever possible, prepare your own meals from whole ingredients.
2) Related to above, cut down on sugar. This includes obvious things like sweets and fizzy drinks but also less obvious things like fruit. Try and eat vegetables instead of fruit.
3) Eat small, eat often. Try and have small regular meals spaced out evenly throughout the day. As a very rough guide, "small" is something that would fit on a side plate.
4) Eat balanced. Try to ensure each meal contains a roughly even split between
a) protein & fat
b) complex carbohydrates
c) vegetables
5) Maintain consistency but don't worry about cheating every now and again. Follow the 90% rule. Eat healthy 90% of the time.
6) Stay hydrated. Aim for between 2 - 4 litres of water a day.

As for exercise, when it comes to losing fat consistency is better than intensity. IMO the best way to maintain consistency is to play a sport you enjoy so exercise becomes a pleasure rather than a chore. At the least try and get a minimum of three exercise sessions a week, aiming for an hour in length.

is very correct.

Generally good idea, besides exercises, is to try to find some additional activities wherever you can.

Lioness


I tried to walk rather than catching the bus to close places

Is good example.

[Helanna]

Wow, all these answers are so much more complicated than I thought they would be. My original answer was the same as Dr. Bath's . . .

I've been trying to get healthier lately (I'm not setting a weight goal or anything, I figure that'll just follow, and I also want to build up some muscle) but all I've been doing is cutting back a lot on my junk food/overeating and trying to exercise a LOT more (for example, walking around the room or in place while I'm watching TV has done a lot).

So far it seems to be working well, and I've been told repeatedly that I look like I'm losing weight. I've been feeling way better lately too, so I figure I must be doing something right.

I find it helps me a lot to use an Excel document to keep track of the calories I take in and put out. I'm sure that it's not extremely accurate (using this site (http://www.caloriesperhour.com/index_burn.php) to judge output), but it does help to discourage me from eating random crap if I know that I'd have to write it down later.

[Serpentine]

What part of your body are you trying to slim down compared to what types of exercises you need or want to do.
I really just want to lose the fat around my abdomenYou cannot lose weight from specific areas. As you lose weight, it may go from certain areas first (e.g. I think women tend to lose it from their breasts early on), but you have no choice in the matter. I read long ago that having strong abdomen muscles can "pull in" your stomach, making you look a bit thinner. I'm not sure about the reliability of that.

Starving yourself does not work. In the short term, you put on weight. In the long term, well, you probably will lose weight, in an extremely unattractive way, as well as having all sorts of medical problems.

Basically:
Eat better.
Exercise more.
Do so most of the time.

Some bits and pieces I've picked up around the place:
- Try to eat things that fill you up. Fibre, protein and "bulky" foods seem to work best. You don't have to be hungry.
- Pay attention to what you eat.
- I find that, when I feel like eating something, if I put it off for 5 minutes I end up forgetting about it. If I don't, well, I guess I really want it.
- Chew more - makes you feel fuller faster.
- Forget weight and BMI - especially BMI. Your waist line, and waist-to-hip ratio is much more important.
- Don't just focus on losing weight/centimetres. Look at other things, too: heart rate, number of [exercise] repeats, that sort of thing. I'm up to 300 step-ups =3 I was up to 15km on the exercise bike, but it's broken... My "ab-work" has gone backwards since I discovered better (aka harder) exercises... (e.g. in sit-ups, you shouldn't go more than 45 degrees off the ground, and should hold it for a couple of seconds).
- It doesn't matter what you do on one day, it matters what you do every day.
- Getting into good habits and whole lifestyle changes are, while slower, more likely to result in long-term weight loss.
- Weights increase your muscle, muscle uses energy quicker. But it seems like cardio-vascular is still best for overall weight loss and health.
- Change it up a bit.
- Alternate between hard and soft. E.g., I go as fast as I can on the exercise bike for .25km, then ease off for .25. then hard, etc. It's not so much how much you can do in one burst that matters, as how much you do overall. Burning yourself out quickly means you don't do as much.
- Have smaller serves. So, have a piece of chocolate cake (or whatever) if you want to, just have half a slice instead of a full one.
- Reward yourself, but not with food, or with good-for-you food (I'd probably use a mango, for example).


I'm much better at theory than practice :smallwink:

edit @ v You reminded me of one.

[snoopy13a]

Best way is to create a calorie deficit of 500-1000 calories per day.

There are three ways to create a deficit:

1) Exercise while maintaining the same diet
2) Diet while not exercising
3) Exercise plus diet

Most people will either diet for a week or so and then give up or they will exercise but end up eating more food. For example, if you run two miles and then eat a 500 calories muffin as a reward, you are gaining more calories then you are losing. The key with exercise is not to overcompensate while eating.

[purple gelatinous cube o' Doom]

There is no quick easy fix to losing weight, and any that claim to be are usually not going to be healthy for you to take. Losing weight, even what you're talking about takes changes to your diet, exercise regime, and for many even your lifestyle. And, it means keeping at it. I recommend going out and getting a few books, yes that means spending some money, but really not a whole lot. I would suggest getting any of the eat this, not that book and Body For Life. Those are good places to start that will give you all you need to be able to succeed at losing weight. Some suggestions would be to eat smaller meals, but more frequently. Eating normal meals, but smaller portions (most stuff I've seen says no one portion of anything should be bigger than your fist), and three snacks throughout the day. Weight loss or protein shakes are a good idea too, but only if complimented with exercise. Doing some physical activity at least 3-5 times a week is going to have to be mandatory to lose weight as well as some weight lifting, pushups, situps, and other toning type things. The weight around your midsection is by far the toughest to lose/tone. Over the past 5 months, I was an on ice hockey official, and would routinely do 2-3 hours of skating at a time 2-3 days a week. I definitely lost about 10 pounds doing this, but not doing anything else, you could still easily tell that I had done something, but still have a quite a ways to go to lose the spare tire. But anyway, as I said before, there really is no quick way to lose the weight that's going to benefit you in the end. It takes a lot of work by watching what you eat, and exercising regularly.

[Don Julio Anejo]

I will not talk about eating, as everyone's already addressed it and better than I can hope to. I will only talk about exercise.

Now. Your goal is to look better for swimsuit season... Well, here's an alternative thing you can do: buff up. You won't lose very much weight around your belly, at least not in the short run, it simply doesn't work that way: energy to muscles comes from blood. Which chips away at fat around your body fairly evenly. Places that have little fat, like arms or legs, will lose it first, simply because there isn't much fat there so it's easy to see the change. Places that have a lot of fat, like the belly, will take a long time for you to see any noticeable difference. Spot weight loss (short of a liposuction) is a physiological impossibility, despite what anyone may tell you.

But! If you're buff, especially if you have large shoulders, some weight around your midsection won't look that bad when compared to someone skinny, with flabby arms, that also has a large belly. Plus, you'll get fit and look nice eventually (just not in the near future).

If you want specific advice, I can do up an exercise routine for you, but I would need to know where your starting point is (e.g. how much you weigh right now vs. your height, your strength and general fitness level, a picture would also be awesome, etc). Otherwise, go to any local gym and ask one of the trainers to show you upper body and leg exercises that use free weights. Your initial goal would be to work on form (that is, doing the exercises as perfectly as possible), and after you've got that, it would be to do strength training. 3 sets/5-8 reps (choose a number and stick to it) of as much weight as you can physically do for each exercise, with last rep in each set feeling almost impossible to do.

I could add that you should also increase the amount of weight you do in each exercise often, but unless you have weights experience or a personal trainer, this can be quite dangerous, so don't increase the weight until you're confident enough you can handle it and the current weight for each exercise feels around "not very difficult to do."

[TheThan]

I take it you don’t want to just loose weight, you want to look good.

Well generally speaking the best way to get a chest, and abs is to do tons of sit ups, crunches and pushups a few times a week. You might want to add pull-ups to help out your arms, back and chest, and some jogging for cardio and leg strengthening. All of these can be done at home, you don't need to go to a gym, but if you prefer to its your choice.

Naturally you might want to consider consulting a doctor before starting any exercise program.

Also eat a balanced diet, cut back on carbs a bit and you should be fine. Carbohydrates are what your body uses for fuel, (its basically sugar). When you eat food, your body converts the stored carbs in the food into energy and uses it to run your body, when you eat more carbs than your body needs in order to function, it stores it up as fat.
So if you cut back on the carbs you take in, and increase the amount of energy your body needs to function (exercise), you should start burning the fat stored up in your body. Eventually after you drop to your desired weight (or appearance) you should slowly add back in some more carbs, so you don’t starve your body of fuel and make yourself sick.

This is the basics of the adkins diet, and it works, the problem with diets is that most people can’t stay on them. The adkins diet is more than a simple diet; it changes your eating habits to balance America’s sedentary lifestyle and keep it healthy.

[Pyrian]

What worked for me was setting a minimum amount of exercise per week and a maximum number of calories per day and sticking to those numbers. Each week I'd reevaluate my progress and adjust my numbers as necessary. I lost up to about 1% of my bodyweight per week, typically (2 to 2.5 pounds). It was not always an easy regimen to stick to, but it got the job done.

I quickly found on a fixed calorie diet that fast food and junk food just aren't worth it in any significant quantities, as I can blow through my calorie allotment really quickly without actually satisfying my hunger.

[Sneak]

I don't think there's any magical way to quickly lose weight, aside from liposuction. Which isn't really recommended, I think. Unless you really need it.

Basically, just do what everyone else is telling you: exercise frequently. I recommend some form of cardio every day (i.e. bike, elliptical, treadmill, running), alternating days between planks and crunches+pushups, and then some lifting work if you want more strength.

EDIT: And yeah, you should probably eat well too. Balanced diet and all that.

I can't guarantee that this will work, because I have a freakish metabolism and pretty much stay skinny no matter what I do or eat, but I should at least be a start.

[cucchulainnn]

to lose weight there are no silver bullets that will do the work for you. the equation is simple but is can be difficult to implement. burn more calories then you take in. one pound of fat is about 3500 calories. the reason people keep mentioning running is because for a 190lb person it burns between 900 and 1500 calories depending on how vigorously you run per hour.

you don't have run but it is the most efficient method for humans to lose weight. the only activity that burns more are bike riding, stair climbing and cross country skiing. which are the same movements as running. basically pumping your legs. i too hate running so my advice is find an activity you enjoy and do it regularly. handball, tennis, hiking, fencing, martial arts, football, soccer, weightlifting, what ever, just pick some thing entertaining. if you enjoy the activity you will keep doing it with out having to force yourself.

all my life i have been chubby, right now i am 6 foot, 243 lbs with shoulder at 46 inches wide. i put on a lot of weight being out of work and blobing around the house. a few months ago i cut out carbs in the form of bread, tators, rice and pasta, kicked up my intake of veggies and fruit and kept my meat intake about the same. i too hate running so i fence, weight lift, lots and lots of squats and got my hands on plastic milk create. using it for step exorcising wile watching TV. i really should do sit-ups, but that is the one thing i hate more then running and have to draw the line someplace. guess what i am down from 255 and well on my way to my target of 210-220. here is an other key, don't eat stuff you don't like. i hate the taste of peas and beans so i don't eat any. instead i eat artichokes, carrots, and a whole host of others. i hate peppers but enjoy them with sausage, but i skip the bread. which is a shame i love bread and pasta. to avoid never eating it again once a week i allow myself to have some bread or pasta in a small portion.

a link for info on what exorcises burn how many calories.

http://www.nutristrategy.com/activitylist4.htm

a site for basic calories per food type.

http://www.caloriecountercharts.com/chart1a.htm

on a side note i am not sure why. it must be just in my head but i find that snacking on sunflower seeds one at a time wile siting in front of my computer (cracking the shell in my mouth as a speed break) takes the edge off my hunger and provides the hand to mouth activity that i seem to need. of course the down side is i now have the dam shells all over my desk. :)

[Serpentine]

Hey Pyrian, where's that link you posted a while ago? Something to do with exercises or something. It's where I got the stuff about sit-ups. Apparently one of/the best ab exercise is one where you lie on your back with your legs straight up in the air, and lift your bum just a couple of inches up. I don't know whether I do it right, but it feels pretty good...

[golentan]

Hey Pyrian, where's that link you posted a while ago? Something to do with exercises or something. It's where I got the stuff about sit-ups. Apparently one of/the best ab exercise is one where you lie on your back with your legs straight up in the air, and lift your bum just a couple of inches up. I don't know whether I do it right, but it feels pretty good...

I think I tried that with my ex, and yeah, it did feel pretty good...

Sorry, cheapshot.

I recommend working exercise into daily life. You'd be amazed how quickly it stacks up. Wear a wristweight and do lifting any time you're sitting with your hands free. Do crunches while watching TV. Pace a narrow area while reading (I can navigate a crowd while doing 500 WPM, so that might not be true for everyone, but it helps me). It stacks quickly, and if you do small things you can keep going without exhaustion setting in partway through the day.

As m'coach always told me "Big weights give big muscles. Little weights give strong muscles." For fat burning, either one works of course: muscles need calories desperately. But little exercises can be thrown in wherever and don't leave you deformed, just strong.

[Supagoof]

If you're looking for diet to help you loose weight....

Eat more protein. Protein helps boost your metabolism.

Eat less carbs. Carbs without exercise make your system that helps you asorb/burn foods work harder. Less carbs means mean that system can focus more on burning fat. Sugars are carbs in the pureset form. Avoid them.

Eat more vegetables - Vegetables are a way to fill yourself up without having to snack on unhealthy foods. If you have trouble with just eating plain veggies, try them with a fat free salad dressing.

Cut back on fats. Period. You want to get rid of fat, then get rid of fatty foods. Foods that are deep fried/cooked in oil/full of grease shouldn't be part of the diet.

Avoid un-natural foods. Foods that are pre-processed often impact the body weight wise. The body is not meant to have preservatives put into it. Keeping foods that are high in preservatives out of your body will allow it to run more natrually. Candies/fast food/frozen dinners - avoid.

Drink water. Lots of it. 80oz a day. Water helps keep your system flushed out and running naturally. Thinks like soda and alcohol are packed with carbs and preservatives. See notes above for reasons to avoid those. Put a slice of lemon in your water, as that helps boost your metabolism.

This is the diet my wife was on, and lost ~2 pounds a week using. She lost 55 pounds in all, and looks wonderful in a swimsuit. :smallsmile:

Good luck.

[Pyrian]

Hey Pyrian, where's that link you posted a while ago? Something to do with exercises or something.Hmm, given that I've been using Wii Fit for the past year and a half, I doubt that was me, sorry. :smallconfused:

[Kjata]

I'm guessing your not a fat guy, and that you want to lose that belly, correct? Do ab exercises. When I had a six pack, I had the same amount of fat on my belly, but instead of being round it was bumpy. Anyway, this thread inspired me to start doing an ab routine again.

However, if you are a fat guy (no offense) then I have no advice. But plenty has been offered.

[Serpentine]

Hmm, given that I've been using Wii Fit for the past year and a half, I doubt that was me, sorry. :smallconfused:Hm. Maybe it was Zeb... Now, if only I could remember the context to actually look for it...

[Worira]

As m'coach always told me "Big weights give big muscles. Little weights give strong muscles." For fat burning, either one works of course: muscles need calories desperately. But little exercises can be thrown in wherever and don't leave you deformed, just strong.

Your bad, wrong coach. Big weights build explosive strength, little weights build endurance.

[Don Julio Anejo]

Your bad, wrong coach. Big weights build explosive strength, little weights build endurance.
But if your goal is to buff up, big weights are the way to go. Big weights lifted a few times give you big muscles, little weights done a lot give you nice and toned muscles.

[golentan]

Your bad, wrong coach. Big weights build explosive strength, little weights build endurance.

Endurance does equal strength, and a more consistent strength than the ability to move something only once before needing a breather. And my coach's teachings have kept me alive these many years, whereas yours haven't, so I'll thank you not to insult him.

[Temotei]

Tape worms seem to do the trick. Get a few of those in you.

I laugh heartily. :smallamused:

[Serpentine]

http://momgrind.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/tape-worms-ad.jpg
Speaks for itself.

[Temotei]

This is why I love the playground. :smallcool:

[Solaris]

You don't like to run? Suck it up. Do it anyways. Running is just about the best thing for losing weight. It hurts? Of course it hurts. That's muscles you let atrophy waking up and telling you they don' wanna. There's a difference between the burn of working muscles and the sharper pain of doing real damage. Start off by running a quarter mile every other day. The days you aren't running, do two hundred push-ups, twenty pull-ups, and whatever else you need to round out the rest of the hour. Being that you're a male, you should be doing reps of thirty push-ups to start off with. If you can't do that, do what you can - just do them as quickly and as correctly as possible - keep your body straight, lock out your elbows when you come up, and bounce your chest off the ground when you come down.
Considering you seem to be a bit soggy around the mid-section, I'd say you want to do the seven-minute abs: One minute each of sit-ups, crunches, the supine bicycle, rocky sit-ups (twist your torso as you come up on the sit-up, touching the elbows to the opposite knee, alternating left-to-right and right-to-left), flutter-kicks, right obliques, and left obliques. Do this routine every day, twice a day. Swing me a PM if you have any questions. If it makes you feel better, I'm doing about twice that and started off about where you are.


I suggest just going to the gym once or twice a week and starting a martial art, if your schedule just allows. Unless you eat massive amounts, don't bother with food regulations too much - just lift iron bars or punch sandbags till you keel over from exhaustion.:smalltongue:

Only once or twice a week? Feh. Calisthenics for thirty minutes to an hour a day, every day except Sunday. Gyms cost money. Push-ups don't.
That's on top of the martial art, a'course.


Endurance does equal strength, and a more consistent strength than the ability to move something only once before needing a breather. And my coach's teachings have kept me alive these many years, whereas yours haven't, so I'll thank you not to insult him.

I think you guys are pretty much saying the same thing.

To reinforce the point, you need endurance to be able to do just about anything. The basic rule of thumb is that lots of light reps help endurance, while lots of heavy reps help burst strength. Power is a function of both, if I recall correctly. More important than upper-body endurance, though, is cardio. If you don't have a good foundation of cardio, you can't do jack. Take our combatives lessons for an example. I have pretty good endurance, relatively low burst strength (only a 200-lb bench press), and good cardio. Most artillerymen are the other way around. It's nothing for me to run through a half-dozen opponents (I almost said 'guys', but that would've sounded dirty) while playing defense and then clinch 'em when they're dead tired.

[Serpentine]

I can't do a single push-up v.v And I'm not inclined to run. I AM AM AM going to walk the 4km to uni more often though. AM. WILL. AM GOING TO. >kicks self up bum<

[Solaris]

I can't do a single push-up v.v And I'm not inclined to run.

Lots of people think that. Drill Sergeants know how to correct that kind of thinking. :smalltongue:

[Serpentine]

I think it might just be that I don't know exactly what I'm meant to be doing... But I use my Boy's weights, instead.
Hey, is there such a thing as a mini-bike pedals or walker or something, that can be put under your desk for at-computer exercise?

[Mando Knight]

I think it might just be that I don't know exactly what I'm meant to be doing... But I use my Boy's weights, instead.
Hey, is there such a thing as a mini-bike pedals or walker or something, that can be put under your desk for at-computer exercise?

Won't do you as much good as a full elliptical or treadmill without messing with your ability to use the computer.

If it did work, then there would be a famous company making millions of dollars off of it.

[Serpentine]

I know, I'm thinking as something to take to work to be doing something when otherwise I wouldn't be doing anything, as a supplement to not a replacement of other exercises. Though my Boy's exercise bike breaking has put a hold on things, a bit... Ah well, as soon as I get a bike pump I'll have an actual bicycle (assuming the tires don't need replacing :smallsigh:). But that will probably only be used when I would normally slack of walking to uni and catch the bus instead...

[Solaris]

I think it might just be that I don't know exactly what I'm meant to be doing...
A question I ask myself daily...

Your question about under-desk bicycling has given me ideas for doing engin33ring and banging on things. I think a regular pair of bike pedals, then rigging up a gearbox to provide resistance... Hmm.

[golentan]

Lots of people think that. Drill Sergeants know how to correct that kind of thinking. :smalltongue:

Death threats do tend to put muscle fatigue in perspective, yes*.

And Serp, group exercises and sports actually overcome a lot of the psychological blocks. Teamwork and/or competition give you something to measure against, work with, what have you and push yourself that extra bit.

*Joking, I've never met a drill sergeant who actually threatens death. Still scary, though.

[Zen Monkey]

Exercise:
Cardio:
To burn fat, cardio is best for most people. You need to significantly raise your heart rate into the fat-burning range (varies by age and size) for at least 30 minutes. This will raise your basal metabolic rate for roughly 48 hours. Therefore, you should be doing this level of cardio at least every other day, if not every day. Running/jogging on an eliptical is a good start, because you get the benefits of running without the strain and impact on your joints. If you have access to a pool where you can really do laps, swimming is great as well.
Weights:
If you want to use weights, do compound exercises instead of ones that isolate a particular muscle. Smaller sets of large weights will put on bulk. Larger sets (more reps) of smaller weights will do more toning.

Diet:
Protein: Proper intake is key for losing fat but retaining muscle. If you don't have enough, your body will eat the wrong parts of you. Aim for X grams per day, where X is 75-100% of your target body weight (in pounds). People aiming to put on muscle bulk will want more than that.
Calories: 2000 kilocalories is a normal day for most people. For a diet, you may drop down to 1500. Once you get down to 1000-1250 your body will actually start to store more food as fat, anticipating that there may be some sort of food crisis going on. You don't want this, so don't go too light on your eating.
Avoid: saturated fat, hydrogenated anything, high fructose corn syrup, and other common sense things.
Sodium: High sodium makes you retain water weight, which is not what you want.
Vitamins: Take a multi-vitamin every day. Some are even targeted toward weight loss, which usually means they add some green tea and chromium for a little more energy.
Meal Frequency: Try splitting your day into 4-5 meals instead of three, avoid carbs in the evenings and don't eat right before bed.
Water: Lots of it, at least a half gallon per day if not more.
Alcohol: None of this, lots of calories.
Diet pills: I'd generally avoid these. There are a lot of bad side effects and not much benefit. Some give you irregular heart beat, keep you from sleeping, make you jittery, or just plain sick. Do not, under any circumstances, buy or consume Alli.

I'll think of more, and maybe edit, but this is a start.

[Anuan]

If you've got nothing but negative comments, why comment?

Because you earned it. Exercise, or stay fat. This is your choice. There is no in-between.

Do not consume alcohol; most drinks = extraordinarily high in calories.
If you hate running, then start running until you no longer hate it. Alternatively, ride a bike, or swim. I suggest swimming, as that adds a little resistance.
Eat right, for God's sake. I'm sure your parents cook for you, so there's probably very little you can do about your main meals, but don't just grab snacks and soda with your buddies.

Take up a martial art. That'll also help with the problems you've mentioned repeatedly with being picked on by toe-rags at school.

Everything Solaris said.

Basically it comes down to this: Eat less. Eat right. Run more. All of a sudden, you've cast Banish on your tummy-fat. Okay, it's not that sudden. Should have started earlier. Now you're stuck being tubby at the pool. But if you continue an exercise regime and diet, you'll be healthier and more energetic and more able to maintain said exercise regime and diet. And then you'll look awesome at the pool next year.

[Serpentine]

Running isn't the only form of exercise, so no, he didn't earn it, because it's "exercise or stay fat", not "run or stay fat".

[Asta Kask]

You cannot lose weight from specific areas. As you lose weight, it may go from certain areas first (e.g. I think women tend to lose it from their breasts early on), but you have no choice in the matter. I read long ago that having strong abdomen muscles can "pull in" your stomach, making you look a bit thinner. I'm not sure about the reliability of that.

Don't do it ladies. It's not worth it.

[shadow_archmagi]

I find that running with a purpose is often better than running just for exercise.


This is true! Why, I used to be late for class every day in the winter, so I'd have to sprint across campus. I'm really bad at distance, but it was at least a hundred yards, maybe two.

Now I make a point of always being late because running has ceased to be painful and I know it's healthy.

I think that's a big thing in exercise is that it stops being painful after a bit. Stick with it, and eventually your brain gets around to releasing endorphins and then it can even become pleasant!



Starving yourself is the best way to avoid losing weight


Hmm, I'm not a super-biologist, but I bet this is true. If you make a habit of not giving your body any food, then your body will start to store EXTRA fat, because it knows it needs to conserve and be ready for scarcity.

The best way to lose fat is to provide a steady stream of nutrition balanced against frequent activity. Say to your body "Hey we have a lot to do but plenty of food to do it with so don't really worry about conserving or anything just burn the stuff ASAP"

The key word is "Eat right" not "eat less"

[Haruki-kun]

Don't do it ladies. It's not worth it.

It doesn't really matter, it doesn't work anyway. That stuff is all a myth.

The only way to really get thinner is a full lifestyle change.

[Serpentine]

It doesn't really matter, it doesn't work anyway. That stuff is all a myth.

The only way to really get thinner is a full lifestyle change.I think you rather missed the point of my post, which he was responding to... I was rebuking the "spot-thinning" myth, with my own (unsupported, but I'll see if I can find anything on it) understanding that some parts tend to lose fat first, but that this cannot be controlled.

[Haruki-kun]

I think you rather missed the point of my post,

I didn't, mostly because I was referring to the part that he was referring to, not the whole post.

Either way, it's not completely true that you lose fat from some parts first. You lose it uniformly, but it's more noticeable in some places, included stomach and breasts. Torso, mostly I guess.

But women tend to store more fat around their hips, while men tend to store it above the waist, so I'm not sure if this holds true for everyone.

[Serpentine]

A quick search suggests that I was only half-right: people tend to lose weight from certain places before other places, and it's determined by genetics and where it's gained, but this order varies from person to person.

[Threeshades]

If you've got nothing but negative comments, why comment?

If you dont want to work to lose weight why even ask?

Running can be quite awesome if done right. Just yesterday I spontaneously sprinted across an empty corn crop and felt great afterwards. And I'm a kind of person who usually is permanently inside moving almost not at all. I rarely do run and im overweight like nobody's business but im currently planning a training until I can go parkouring. Because running is awesome, and it's a great feeling to be able to go from A to B without walking all the way around an obstacle.

Also, fun ways to work out are games: if you don't like ball games and stuff like that, how about Juggering? It's basically beating the living crap out of each other with nerf sticks. The aforementioned humans vs zombies is nice too. Or how about LARP? Although that requires a lot of tedious organization or you have to find events for it.
Martial arts are also a fun way to work out.

[Pyrian]

Seriously, trying to lose weight via doing things you hate doing is pretty much guaranteed failure. The primary cause of weight loss failure - by a VAST margin - is not keeping with the regimen, rather than any fault of a given regimen.

So, whoever thinks he should try to lose weight by doing things he hates: you're wrong. It won't work. And being all insulting about it won't help, either.

[thorgrim29]

I started walking on the treadmill (six Km/h with medium inclination) while watching my Rome DVDs a few weeks ago, been doing it about 3 times a week, and I dunno if I'm loosing weight (seems like it but I don't weigh myself) but I'm feeling much better and my cardio is better. So I dunno if you have a treadmill but it might help you too. I also borrowed a pal's P90X videos a few months back and while I didn't follow through my brother did and he lost whatever small excess weight he had in a week and buffed up considerably within a month.

[Anuan]

I started walking on the treadmill (six Km/h with medium inclination) while watching my Rome DVDs a few weeks ago, been doing it about 3 times a week, and I dunno if I'm loosing weight (seems like it but I don't weigh myself) but I'm feeling much better and my cardio is better. So I dunno if you have a treadmill but it might help you too. I also borrowed a pal's P90X videos a few months back and while I didn't follow through my brother did and he lost whatever small excess weight he had in a week and buffed up considerably within a month.

I would kill for a treadmill. Stupid expensive machines.

[Deth Muncher]

Considering you seem to be a bit soggy around the mid-section, I'd say you want to do the seven-minute abs: One minute each of sit-ups, crunches, the supine bicycle, rocky sit-ups (twist your torso as you come up on the sit-up, touching the elbows to the opposite knee, alternating left-to-right and right-to-left), flutter-kicks, right obliques, and left obliques. Do this routine every day, twice a day. Swing me a PM if you have any questions. If it makes you feel better, I'm doing about twice that and started off about where you are.


This seven minute abs thing intrigues me, and makes me want to subscribe to your newsletter. :smalltongue: No really. Once I go figure out what the hell the supine bicycle and obliques are, I may start doing this. I too suffer from the stomach chubs, but not so much that it's irreversible. This may be just what I need to get me some supa-fine abs, along with cutting back on tasty sweets and such.

Which reminds me, keep a journal of what you eat over the week. I know you're mentally going to start changing what you eat, but try not to. It gives you a good basis for what you need to cut out. For example, if you find yourself eating fifty Snickers bars a week, well, that may be a problem. :P Likewise, and I know someone'll have something to say about this, but switch to diet soda, if soda's your thing. Diet soda has zero high fructose corn syrup, and thus zero calories. Be wary of what sodas you drink though, diet or not, as many tend to be high in sodium which makes you retain liquids - that's the "water weight" you often hear mentioned. But yeah, back on point, keep track of what you eat. That way, you'll know for sure what things can use trimming back, what can be cut out, and which you should eat more. Also, this gives you a way to check how many calories you're bringing in.

[Solaris]

Death threats do tend to put muscle fatigue in perspective, yes*.

They can't even give motivational beatings anymore. Stoopid New Army.


And Serp, group exercises and sports actually overcome a lot of the psychological blocks. Teamwork and/or competition give you something to measure against, work with, what have you and push yourself that extra bit.

Yes. I really won't do PT on my own, but if I'm with a group (particularly a group of weak-bodies that I don't like) I'll do it all day with a big ol' grin.


Seriously, trying to lose weight via doing things you hate doing is pretty much guaranteed failure. The primary cause of weight loss failure - by a VAST margin - is not keeping with the regimen, rather than any fault of a given regimen.

So, whoever thinks he should try to lose weight by doing things he hates: you're wrong. It won't work. And being all insulting about it won't help, either.

Agreed, in part. Losing weight isn't easy and does require work. There's plenty of things I don't like doing that I do anyways. There's no reason that, if he really wants to lose the weight, he shouldn't be able to pick up running - or biking, or some other cardiovascular exercise. Biking has the advantage of being low-impact, so it won't jack up your knees like running for miles a day did mine. Walking... is way too easy to sham out on. It's better than nothing, but it's still just a starting point. Honestly, if you're under the age of about thirty-forty and don't have any injuries/illnesses, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to go out and run two miles right now.

Humans are programmed to like running - if you do it right. There's something called the runner's high, where you get a release of endorphins after running. In my experience, I usually get the runner's high from running enough that I feel it, but not quite enough that I burn out. If you can maintain the discipline long enough to get up to being able to run a quarter-mile fairly easily (a lot less than you'd think), then it just gets easier and easier. The initial hump is the hardest part.
Maintaining it, on the other hand, is a lot easier if you have a buddy to run with. Dogs are good for this. Fuzzy li'l spazzes are always happy to go for a run.


This seven minute abs thing intrigues me, and makes me want to subscribe to your newsletter. :smalltongue: No really. Once I go figure out what the hell the supine bicycle and obliques are, I may start doing this. I too suffer from the stomach chubs, but not so much that it's irreversible. This may be just what I need to get me some supa-fine abs, along with cutting back on tasty sweets and such.

The supine bicycle is where you lay on your back (hands behind your head with the fingers interlocked and the elbows sticking out) and pump your legs in and out (alternating right and left), bringing the opposite elbow up to touch the knee. The leg movement almost looks like pedaling a bicycle. It takes some coordination - if I do it too fast, I look goofy as heck and wind up on my side.
Obliques are when you lay with the right knee bent at a right angle, foot on the ground, and the left foot placed on the right knee so that your left knee is pretty much at waist level. You have your right arm laid out flat on the ground, and your left hand tucked behind your head so that the elbow's sticking out. You bring it up to touch the knee - go past the knee if you can - making sure you just use your abs, don't cheat yourself and move the arm at the shoulder like I do when we do this one in PT.
There's also the thinking position, sometimes known as the plank. With that one, you keep your body straight while propping yourself up on your elbows and your feet. The, uh, 'more to love' types in my unit find that doing the thinking position on your side (with one arm up in the air, propping up on the other arm) gives a pretty good burn, too. I'd use that one if the obliques don't do anything for you.
The key to the seven-minute abs is to do each exercise as well as you can as fast as you can throughout the full minute of each exercise. Don't rest more than ten-fifteen seconds in between each.


Which reminds me, keep a journal of what you eat over the week. I know you're mentally going to start changing what you eat, but try not to. It gives you a good basis for what you need to cut out. For example, if you find yourself eating fifty Snickers bars a week, well, that may be a problem. :P Likewise, and I know someone'll have something to say about this, but switch to diet soda, if soda's your thing. Diet soda has zero high fructose corn syrup, and thus zero calories. Be wary of what sodas you drink though, diet or not, as many tend to be high in sodium which makes you retain liquids - that's the "water weight" you often hear mentioned. But yeah, back on point, keep track of what you eat. That way, you'll know for sure what things can use trimming back, what can be cut out, and which you should eat more. Also, this gives you a way to check how many calories you're bringing in.

That's a good idea. Be wary of sport drinks, too, as they still have a lot of sugar in them.

[pendell]

Gentles,

From 2003 to 2007 I lost 77 pounds (264 pounds to 187). I therefore know something of the subject.

My rules were simple:

Calories go in < calories go out.

Figuring out the calorie output came from a BMI indicator, as found online.

I wouldn't sweat the nutrition. Start with selecting a calorie target and sticking with it. In my case the good nutrition followed from the calorie target, not vice versa.

After all, I don't like feeling hungry any more than you do. A bag of baby carrots from 7-11 fills me right up and is only 35 calories. By contrast, a donut is 300 and doesn't fill up as much.

So if you stick with it, you'll find yourself drifting to foods that are high in bulk (which cuts down on the feeling of hunger) but low in calories. These tend to be fruits, vegetables, lettuce, etc. You'll feel full and still lose weight.

I'm a lazy person with asthma. So I walk for 1 hour every day. It seemed to help keep my muscles in tone and gives me an easy 300 calories per day burned, and I don't even have to change into my exercise clothes and warm up. Since I take this walk with my wife, it helps her exercise and helps build the relationship as well.

Fundamentally, there are hundreds of ways to lose weight and no "right" way. Nor do you need to eat right in order to lose weight -- I ate junk food my first year and lost 40 pounds.

So these are my recommendations:
1) Determine your burn rate from a BMI calculator.
2) Make a plan *that you can stick to* which has fewer calories than that rate.

This is the most important bit of advice I can give: The best diet/exercise plan you make is the one that you will *follow*. A mediocre plan with plenty of junk food that you'll actually obey is far better than a plan that has lots of leafy green vegetables that you ignore after one week.

Drill sergeants can impose discipline ... but you're not in the army. Any discipline has to come from within you. That means you have to have a plan you'll still stick to when no one's around and it's just you and your lonely self who knows the truth about what's going on.

So ... dont' be super-ambitious. Don't freak out about questions like 'is it nutritious enough' or 'am I getting enough exercise'. Pick some minimal goal that you can actually do. Then after a few months, once you've got the habit down rock-solid, you can think about changing those other things.

Just this year I significantly upped my vegetable intake. And I promptly gained 5 pounds, because I didn't know what I was doing. If I had done that my first year, I'd probably have just given up and quit. As it is, I already have weight-loss habits in place to fall back on.

This is not a one-time battle that you'll fight and win. This is going to be a long-term, management issue you'll be solving for the rest of your life. Be kind to yourself, make reasonable goals, and hold yourself to them. If the goals aren't working, change them.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[valadil]

But if your goal is to buff up, big weights are the way to go. Big weights lifted a few times give you big muscles, little weights done a lot give you nice and toned muscles.

Muscle tone is a myth. Tone just means there isn't much fat there, so the muscles are more visible. Nobody gets a 6 pack by building their stomach muscles - they get it by cutting away fat in that area.

I say lift big weights a lot. I've been going to the gym thrice a week for a little over a year now. I've tried all sorts of stuff and the best thing for me has been lifting lots of weight. What qualifies as lots of weight? If I can do more than 12 reps, I add weight. If I'm under 4 reps I remove weight. It's a very simple algorithm. I don't like running either, but it's really not that bad. I make myself do a mile before lifting. The fast I go, the less time I have to spend running. It's good motivation. When I started, I was struggling to do a 15 minute mile (pathetic, no?). Now I've got it under 7 minutes. Not fast by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm still happy with the progress.

[Syka]

A quick search suggests that I was only half-right: people tend to lose weight from certain places before other places, and it's determined by genetics and where it's gained, but this order varies from person to person.

This is very true. I tend to carry a lot of weight on my thighs/hips. When I lose weight, the first thing to go is my tummy, followed by thighs/hips. I rarely lose it from the chest area, and when I do it's microscopic (I'll change by about 2 pants sizes, and shirts will be baggy in the waist, but no new bras). I know people who never lose from their stomach, but always their chest.



Also, I lost about 20 pounds after high school (I've gained all but 5 pounds back :smallfrown:) by just not eating when I wasn't hungry. It can take some watching, but it works. I didn't exercise more or anything, just not eating if I wasn't hungry. I lost the 20 pounds over about 3 months and kept it off for about 3 years.

Darn you school, DARN YOU! (I'm trying again and failing miserably...looks like I need to change my methods...)

[Dr.Epic]

Okay, Swimsuit season is coming soon, and me and this girl are gonna be hanging out at the pool, and I don't wanna look fat. So, how can I loose weight fast? All the websites ask for money or e-mail addresses, etc.

so long as you're not in free fall, weight is proportional to mass so you must reduce mass to loose weight. get a chainsaw and decide which is your least favorite limb (or limbs if you're really desperate)

[Gitman00]

There are a few (read: infinite) theories on the subject, but this one is the most sensible to me. Increase your RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate). You burn more calories just maintaining your bodily functions than you do exercising.

To increase your RMR, do a couple things. First, control your eating, which doesn't necessarily mean eating less. Figure out how many calories you need to maintain your current weight without exercising, and eat about that much. Then when you exercise, you'll burn the extra. Your calories should be about 35% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% fats. Spread your meals out. Instead of eating 3 large meals, eat 5-7 small meals throughout the day. This will keep your RMR up all day long. Starving lowers your RMR, so that's a huge no-no.

Second, do anaerobic exercise like weight lifting 3-4 times per week. A good anaerobic workout will increase your RMR for a couple days afterwards, as opposed to aerobic workouts such as running, which only burn calories while you're doing them.

Eat your biggest meal within 20 minutes after you work out. The calories you get from that meal will go toward replenishing glycogen and rebuilding muscle, and won't get stored as fat.

If lifting is your thing, or if you'd like to try it, I recommend a book called The New Rules Of Lifting. It has some excellent programs for muscle-building, strength, and fat-burning, as well as a helpful section on diet.

The most important thing, as has been mentioned by others, is to find a program you can stick to, and stick to it. The much-touted Jared didn't lose a hundred pounds because he ate at Subway. He lost them because he decided on a diet plan that worked for him, and he stuck to it.

EDIT: Oh, and losing weight really fast is extremely unhealthy and screws up your metabolism. 2-3 pounds per week should be the max.

[chedicorn]

{scrubbed}

[Zeb The Troll]

Troll Patrol: Locked before the necromancy continues.