TheGodfather

Hey guys,

I've become greatly concerned with my weight lately, namely because i find it a bit harder to breathe. I really don't know if it's just anxiety or my weight problem but i have really become concerned about it.

Now, it's not that i don't exercise enough, i walk every day and my usual route is about 9 km (5,625 miles) and some days i walk double that route. I have gained about 12 kg lately and i managed, with a 2 week fast, to reduce my weight by 2 kg (now i weight 75kg).

Now, I'm trying to find a good but not to strict diet to go on, just to drop those extra 10 kg (22 lb).

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks a bunch in advance since i know i'll be getting good answers...

TheGodfather

Perception is reality

LynnM

Maybe you should check with a doctor for any other causes of breathlessness, or if you have anxiety then try relaxation techniques. You are right to say you don't want go on a strict diet - because then your body will try and store fat. Losing about 2 pounds a week is the sensible way to do it, and the way the weight will keep off.

There are lots of healthy eating plans out there, you may need to try more than one to see if it works for you. Go for the sensible ones, not fad diets.


Lynn

John Piteo

A good diet is one that fits into your lifestyle. Don't make any drastic changes or you won't stick with it. I can't recommend a specific diet because there is no specific diet that works for everyone.

Don't ever go hungry or starve yourself. That will cause you to lose muscle. You don't want to do that because muscle burns fat. Any type of starvation diet will cause you to gain more weight than you lost when you start to eat normally again. Just substitute good foods for bad ones.

You'll have to do a little research to see what good foods are. On the physical side, try to find physical activity that is fun for you. Maybe swimming, cycling, dancing, walking with a friend, yard work etc.

Instead of drastic short term changes, make several small lifestyle changes that will keep you in great shape for a lifetime.

Disclaimer: Always consult a physician before making any diet or lifestyle changes.

Hope that gives you some ideas.

John P
Former Certified Personal Trainer & Lifestyle and Weight Management Consultant.

CDarklock

There are two major reasons the human body stores fat.

1. You are putting too damn many calories in your body, and it doesn't know WTF to do with all of it. That's why eating fewer calories works.

2. You are taking too damn long to put calories in your body, and it's making sure it has sufficient stores to keep operating. That's why eating fewer calories DOESN'T work.

The solution to your problem is portion control, coupled with frequent feeding. You should be eating six to eight meals a day. You still reduce your calorie intake, but you divide it up into lots of much smaller meals instead of trying to starve yourself.

Also pay attention to nutrient timing. Your early-morning meal (which should come AFTER an early-morning cardio workout... nothing burns fat faster and better than fasted-state cardio) should be mostly low-GI carbohydrates. Oatmeal is great. Steel-cut and unsweetened, if you can. McCann's Irish is a great brand, but get the can, not the box.

Oatmeal is awesome. Learn to think of oats like a variety of rice. White rice is very easily digested, and may as well be sugar. Oats are much higher-quality in terms of fibre and glycemic properties. Try some steel-cut oats with tuna, baby spinach, and balsamic vinegar - it's not just for breakfast anymore.

Speaking of tuna, that's another mainstay. Mercury content of tuna is not an issue. There's a big scare around it, there are FDA recommendations, and there's not a shred of real scientific evidence that you can't eat all the damn tuna you want - even the white albacore. Hey, is it just a coincidence that white albacore has the highest-quality protein and the best EFA profile? I don't think so.

Baby spinach, too. Ever sit and eat chips? Cut that out. Buy a bag of baby spinach leaves. It takes some getting used to, but grow up and give it a chance - they're small, they crunch, and they're good for you. Seriously, honestly good for you. Great protein profile.

The other big one is chicken breast. In fact, if you want the most dead-simple diet for anyone and everyone, here it is: chicken breast and oatmeal every two hours. You know that "deck of cards"-sized piece of meat they always show you? Cut that in half. Throw a little salt and pepper on it, chuck it in your mouth, and eat a half-cup of oatmeal. (Half-cup after cooking, that is.)

But if you're serious, you want to gradually move from carbs to protein as the day wears on. In your last meal of the day, just before bed, drop ALL the carbs - ALL! Everything! Not even a sprig of parsley! - and throw some olive and fish oil into the mix. If you're a "real man" like those of us who lift heavy weights in the gym, mix them half and half in a shot glass.

If not... well, take fish oil capsules if you must. Keep them in the freezer. Frozen fish oil capsules will not give you fish burps (and worse) all night long. Trust me, your family will be grateful for this.

Oh, and for those who are freaked out by the "5,625 miles" - Eastern Europe uses a comma like we use a decimal point: 5.625 miles. Not five thousand miles.

Greg guitar

Hi Godfather,

First, I would second what Lynn said about checking with your doctor to see if there are any serious health issues causing your breathing to be difficult, and using relaxation, deep breathing, yoga, etc is a great idea if anxiety is the issue.

For eating there are 4 main principles I can offer as an overall guide to eating healthy and well.

1) Eat whole foods, and try to avoid anything else as much as possible. Avoid fast food, or eating out too much, even in good restaurants; I'm not saying never do it, but generally speaking, preparing food at home is healthier.

Avoid pre-packaged foods as much as possible. If you must use prepared foods, always go for frozen over canned; it's closer to fresh and not so overcooked. Avoid too many ingredients, or anything you can't pronounce and don't recognize. Many of the items sold as food are not actual food at all.

2) Eat as much raw food as possible; fruits and vegis. A large salad and several pieces of raw fruit every day is an excellent boost to overall health. Raw foods take longer to eat, fill you up more for the same amount of calories, and give you more energy.

3) Consider moving in the direction of vegetarianism; many of the common health problems in modern industrialized nations, such as cancer and obesity are quite rare amoung vegetarians. Tony Robbins recommends a vegetarian diet, if that sways you.

4) Try for a good balance between carbs, healthy fats, and protein, as in the "Zone" diet.


I hope this helps; it's been good for me. If you do find it helpful, don't forget about the thanks button.

Greg

Loren Woirhaye

If your habits run to eating late at night that can really
contribute to excess weight. Try moving your last meal
to before it gets dark.

Night-time eating is a tough habit to break for a lot of
people but it's really worth testing for yourself. You'll
probably wake-up feeling better-rested too.

TheGodfather

Ok lemme make some things clear so to reduce some type of answers.

1. I eat good quality food i.e. the healthy fats (flax seed oil etc)

2. when i ate 5-6 times a day i started to gain weight, my metabolism just couldn't keep up with the pace, and i did eat smaller portions

3. I almost never eat junk food, sometimes i do if i'm out clubbing and i get hungry or i'm drunk and i need something to eat to sober me down.

4. I admit that i have been eating later at night and this might be the case. Also i have been eating a bit bigger portions lately but that mainly because i have classes at the university and i don't get to eat for the time i have classes.

Darklok what you are saying has sense except for splitting my meals, that, for some reason, just can't work with my schedule and my body.

I used to do bodybuilding but after a month or several months i have to stop exercising because my wrists get all F...ed up.

Anyway i just took a walk to a market that is a few miles away from my home and when i returned back i could breathe a bit better, it might be a nervous thing after all.

Thanks guys for your answers, you've helped tremendously.

TheGodfather

Perception is reality

TheGodfather

I just had to quote this and leave a comment on this:

If i don't eat meat, and my blood type must consume meat, i get extremely aggressive, and i'm talking about explode-in-your-face type of aggressive.

I fast from time to time but that's merely to cleanse my body and strengthen my spirit, it's more of a esoteric thing then a diet thing.

TheGodfather

Perception is reality

YourProfessional

It's really not about dieting. It's about a life-style change, to be honest. You need to eat healthier not less.

I think the biggest trick for my mom (I, personally, was never over-weight) is that she started eating about 70% of her food raw. So, raw veggie salad, raw veggies with a cup of pasta.

It's delicious and nutricious! The options are truly limitless. Good luck!

jennifermL

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tjmiller

This only makes sense if you are the kind of person who goes to bed early. If you are like me, and are often awake until 3:00 am, then having your last meal of the day before dark would not work! The idea is not to go to bed full, but not to go to bed starving either!

~~Teresa~~

Loren Woirhaye

You might be surprised, actually, Teresa.

The late-night eating thing has to do with liver metabolism. There
are ways to ease into eating less at night and particularly avoiding
the heavy, starchy and fattening foods a lot of folks consume when
they eat late.

Anybody can test this with a little self-discipline. I'm not saying it's
easy to maintain a habit of not eating after dark, but the awareness
that going to sleep with food in your stomach tends to lead to getting
fat and sick can help a person make healthier choices.

DavidMeade

Hi,

for me it's everything in moderation. Try to stay away from processed foods (as much as possible).

Eat your greens/veggies .
Don't eat just before going to bed.
Remove junk food from your diet.
Get some exercise in when I can.

I know some people are great at routines and doing their workout x amout of times a week at y time. But that's hard to do all the time (at least for me). My plan consists of getting exercise whenever I have a chance. I found that when I tried to create a rigid routine and broke it that I would end up doing nothing for a few weeks.

Eat healthy and walk every day and take it from there.

You might want to have a look at The Fat Burning Kitchen - Foods that Burn Fat, Foods that Make You Fat

It's not at the discount price anymore but has really great information/advice.

It's Mike Geary's product the author of The Truth About Abs. He offers a package deal at that link but you're only interested in the 'Fat Burning Kitchen' product.

Mike's gives solid info and gives great advice.

I know it's a bit of money but you're getting info from a recognised expert in the nutrition area.

He has a refund policy too it you're not happy with what you get you can always claim it back.

hth,

Dave

Mark-Dickenson

Yes.

The Eat. Stop. Eat course

Although it is a clickbank course, it is based on sound principles as is the easiest diet(more of a lifesyle) that I have ever found

I have followed similiar plans and they have always worked. This makes it more of a lifestyle.

I am actually doing it right now. I need to start a blog on it...but I very much believe in this plan and I have been involved in health and fitness for yrs

-Mark

Oh yeah, as for exercise, try Kettlebells...they are extremely effective...and addicting as can be!

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achivement84

I agree that you have to consider your life style and the energy that you need every day.You should understand this factors:-

Lifestyle factors: Sedentary work, little or no physical activity and indulgence all combine to increase your weight. In addition, eating out with an emphasis on high fat and high sugar meals and snacks, alcohol and rich cream based desserts also contribute to your weight. Forcing a child to eat too much food results in childhood obesity and such children tend to be obese adults.
Metabolic factors: Your basic metabolism is the energy required by the body to perform its various involuntary functions. Your activities decide your metabolism. If the metabolism is high, it means you are burning more calories and hence you do not gain weight. But if due to your activity pattern, your metabolism slows down but your intake remains the same then you tend to put on weight. Metabolism is also affected by the hormonal effect such as in pregnancy. Low thyroid hormone levels can result in weight gain but these factors are beyond your control and require medical supervision.

Emotional factors: Your weight is also affected by your emotions. You tend to overeat or under eat when you are emotionally affected. You eat more when you are happy or if you are under depression or vice versa. Both the situations, however, affect your weight. If you overeat, you tend to gain weight and if you under eat you tend to lose weight.

Age factors: As you age, your metabolism slows down. So if you do not reduce your diet slightly, you tend to put on weight. Also as you age your muscle mass decreases and fat increases. Since the muscle decreases we burn less calories. As a result of these two factors you tend to gain weight as you approach the age of 40. Menopausal changes in women are also responsible for weight gain due to hormonal changes.


Wish that may help you.

B.Regards

Loren Woirhaye

I've been vegetarian for a long time and my research indicates that
anybody can thrive on a vegetal diet if they choose to do so.

You would do well to examine how the process works within yourself
whereby you blame your own aggressiveness on a plant diet. Is it
possible, perhaps, you are making excuses so you don't have to confront
issues of real inner change?

Most people are less stressed by dumping their spouse than changing
their diet. Attachment to carnism (meat eating) is deeply rooted in
many Western cultures. If you want (truly) to be liberated from
the status quo, diet must be handled with total authenticity and
without excuses (ie. "my body type doesn't allow me to do xyz")

You're also going out and getting drunk on liquor (sugar) and then
wondering why you are fat. Consider that too.

Do whatever the heck you want. But at least be honest with
yourself about the excuses you're making for not engaging in
a more healthful lifestyle.

As a note: I have encountered reactions to my vegetarian diet
(in the USA) ranging from bewilderment to hostility, especially
in the midwest where the idea of not feasting on animal bodies
is looked-on as bizzarre. In Croatia I imagine meat-eating as a
way of life is highly entrenched and you have little access to
positive role models who do not eat flesh. It's a cultural bias.

The aggression lives in you, not in vegetables. It is in you for you
to conquer and work to evolve as a fully realized human being.

Chris Faraday

Health is all that really matters

Healthy body, healthy relationships with others then with money

Mercola.com

Body Ecology.com

Whatever you can do to cut down acid & toxic foods.

Dairy, Wheat & Yeast - tough to avoid - but silent killers in nearly all meals

Learn to Blend, Greens are great.

If you must drink milk & eat cheese (hyper acid & toxic)
Try to balance with greens & watery fruits.

Raw Dairy - if available is fine - just less

Cellery, Cucumber, grapefruit are super cleansing fat burners

Spend time learning from "good Sources" like above.

Good Luck

No Change No Better.

Super-Conscious Affiliate

CDarklock

That really depends on what "thrive" means to you.

Case in point: I can pick up a refrigerator.

Find me a vegetarian who can do that.

It's not that being vegetarian is right or wrong. It's that your diet largely determines your capabilities. You can live a long and healthy life on all kinds of diets, and a vegetarian one is certainly a viable option. But that life isn't going to involve a lot of heavy lifting or athletic performance, and you need to be okay with that.

int-mark

Its not what you are eating but its what you are thinking about food. If you keep focusing on losing weight then thats what you will get more of - HAVING TO LOSE WEIGHT! If you you keep thinking about your weight that you are unhappy about with a lot of negative emotion then you will then you will only put on weight. Read the Secret.

Best personal development blog on the internet!

Dankova

Good diet i s a healthy living, eating healthy food and exercising !

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JohnPal

Diet is for non-doers.

So far I haven't seen a person who is on a diet, and loses weight...

They'll lose some weight for that diet period, but they'll re-gain it right after they stop the diet.

That's how it been and that's how it'll be for all the 99.99% of the so called Dieters.

Besides those dieters are always looking to find a new diet in their life! Jumping from one diet to the other, and blaming the diet that never works!

The way it looks’ you're on the right track. Enjoy the food you're consuming and instead of eating too much, eat a little bit less, and that should do the trick!

My Grandma used to say:

"Eat less so you can eat always!"

I know, possibly this doesn't make sense to lots of individuals, especially for the so called dieters, but when you grasp the real meaning behind it, believe me it'll make lots of sense!

All the Best,

John

cathyanderson

Just keep a journal of everything you eat and the calories.
Each page for a new day.
You will start to lose weight within a few days because you will become extremely aware of what you are eating and how much you are eating.

Nik Karlil

I heard drinking lots of water can help in losing weight. While im not so sure whether it really works, I would say eat more veges, cut down on the portion, and don't eat after 9pm. But then again, I don't really have trouble with weight. So, I could be wrong.

I blog about Personal Development @ Personal Developmentp Pro [Dot] Net. A personal development blog for the making of an independent, strong, simple and happy individual.
How To Be Lucky
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alvin826

Hi everyone!

This is my first post :-)

I also started worrying about my weight 6 weeks ago. Most of my adult life I've been fighting to keep those pounds off but the last 2 years I gained a lot of weight.

I've tried every diet on the face of earth (seriously) and I never managed to loose more than a couple of pounds, so I decided to look for something else this time.

I found a diet on Tim Ferris' blog that looked good. The "eat six times per day / small meals" didn't worked for me, so I decided to give Tim's diet a try.

Well, it's been 6 weeks and I've lost 16 pounds I even didn't followed the diet so thoroughly as I should have.
I feel great and my motivation level is at an all time high.

So, TheGodfather (my fav movie of all times BTW) you might want to check it out. I can't post link since I'm new here, but if you google for it, you'll find it for sure:

The title of the post is "How to Lose 20 lbs. of Fat in 30 Days… Without Doing Any Exercise"

All the best and good luck!

zenmack

<personal trainer and instructor.

click here:

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jamestame

Try starting your day with fruit smoothies or a fruit salad, maybe with some wheat cereal, a healthy start to your day will help you feel energized. I follow this and works great for me!

samthor

organic, unrefined, mostly fruits and veggies. drink water.

graphicanatomy.com

keddy1

you know frankly speaking it depends entirely on your life style...your working ways...so dont go for every suggestion...they are correct in their own place..but to get a perfect diet plan for yourself consult a doctor or specialist...just a frank suggestion

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Nick.East

Well the short answer is eat less and move more ..However its the truth and its how you do it that counts.

4 months ago i was diagnosed with high blood pressure and my cholesterol was a bit high .Doctor said lose weight or take drugs for the rest of your life.
I was told to lose 3 stone. i have lost 2 stone so far 28 pounds .Not bad

How did i do it ?

I don't like drugs .so i decided i would walk every day (min 5 times a week ) for an hour minimum.

Most weeks i walk 5 days some weeks 6 some 7 .but i am consistent every week.

I also joined weightwatchers locally .I love it meet once a week for inspiration and tips and its great for goal setting.Basically you have an amount of daily points every day and its up to you how you spend them

You also get extra points for exercise .That you can eat.

I just like the simplicity of it .i will stay with it for life now .I have another stone to lose and then its just maintenance.
i hope this helps !

maksym

My short answer will be - Raw Food Diet.
I am on this diet already 1.6 year and i am feeling so great!!! I can't even go back and eat those food which i used before that.

mattlloyd

I think the key is to find a great sport that you're passionate about, and then get in shape not jsut for your health but also to get good at that sport. I used to struggle with my weight a bit, and I got teased about it in highschool. But I always felt that I'd never get in great shape, no matter what. that was jsut the way it would be.

then I started boxing. And if there's one thing you need to do well in boxing, it's fitness. if you're not fit, you'll get hurt. Having a coach helps to, because then you're accountable to someone.

As they say, the chains of habit are too light to be felt till they're too heavy to be broken. So the hardest part is breaking those old habits. Your first 2- 3 weeks will be the hardest. but if you can get past that, you'll find that it does get easier, and eventually it becomes part of your daily routine- just like brushing your teeth

ddistco

Hi there Godfather,

I applause you for taking steps to making a change in your life! I wanted to share with you a diet called the Rosedale Diet by Dr Rosedale located in Boulder Colorado. I heard about this doctor from a friend that I work with in my real estate business. My friend has had 2 heart attacks and started this diet that allowed him to lose weight and fell better. My friend did play tennis and was encouraged to do so right after his heart attacks to strengthen the heart muscle faster. He is now 58 years old and doing just fine and is very active again.

When you have a moment I would recommend to read the Rosedale Diet book that Dr Rosedale wrote to learn about the storage of fat and sugar that the body has learned to store and not burn because the level of a thing called leptin. If you're body creates higher than normal leptin levels your body is trained to burn sugar and not fat. The book shares a diet that recommends eating more good fats then anything else.

Dr Rosedale specializes in working with people that have heart disease and have suffered from heart attacks and diabetes clients. I think that you will not only learn more about how your body processes fat and sugar, but how to take a systematic and helpful approach to eating the right types of food without starving yourself.

Here is the ISBN #978-0-06-056573-2 or visit his website just search "rosedale metabolics" on Google and you should see it there.

I hope this infomration is helpful for you...

Mark

Mark Coble
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antiquenh

The best weight loss diet for me is never depriving yourself of the foods that you want to eat. You should never feel hungry nor starve yourself because this can result to binge eating. But if you have trouble breathing, you better consult with a doctor first and find out what might be wrong.

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cherry enders

You can lose weight by drinking less soda's. Eating more vegetables and less sweets are the way to go

Learn to lykd.it

tdpubs

PM me and I'll send you a free course on fat loss. My buddy put it together and it comes with a free website membership with online tools to help you establish your goals and determine your proper BMR, exercise and fat loss potential. I lost 30 pounds of fat from following Danny Morales' program.

Dennis Francis

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Alex Nash

The atkins Diet is pretty good if you do it correct. Be strict and don't cheat . Eat about 25-30g carbohydrates per day and eat a lot of protein. 25g-30g is very strict and hard, I know. But it is a very fast and effective way.

If you combine it with going out and walk an hour you will loose weight very fast!

Good luck :-)


Regards,
A.N

jemmachris

Ok so I'm assuming because you fast that when you say you eat well you really mean you eat well. And by eat well I mean you rarely eat anything that comes from the supermarket.....?
Mostly these foods are high in artificial poisons and low in nutritional value.
I find the easiest way to lose weight is to make sure you're feeding your body the food it needs, not just feeding your tongue. Try and avoid foods that are empty calories and have no nutritional value (i.e. will leave you still feeling hungry), white breads, pasta, biscuits, cakes, sweets, processed meats etc, so basically anything that comes in a package. And don't eat anything with sugar in it, that's by far the easiest way to lose weight. Even avoid fruits high in sugar.

I find this the easiest way to lose weight because it's an easy lifestyle choice, and still lets you eat all the meat you love.

And remember exercise always helps!

Good luck

Trent English

I love it, 90% of the people in this forum have probably written in the Weight Loss Niche at one point or another so everyone has good advice!

My 2 cents.....I found this a long time before I learned about IM so this isn't an affiliate link and I am in no way affiliated with them at all but:

http://www.precisionnutrition.com

Without a doubt one of the most helpful resources I have ever found as far as health/nutrition/weight loss is concerned.

Multiple forums that are free to browse if you create a membership, and tons of free information. They also sell their product on the website, and I recommend it if you do decide to buy something...but the site on its own its an incredible resource.

Richgirl

Hi there, has anyone apart from me noticed that nearly all the long posts could easily be turned into an article?! See, helping others = helping yourself!!

As for the diet suggestions, a couple of things occurred to me -

Have you always had a weight issue or is this recent? If its fairly new, (say in the last couple of years) then for some reason your metabolism has changed - the first thing that springs to mind is to get your thyroid gland tested, because of the following -

Overactive Thyroid - usually (but not always) makes you lose weight, gives you palpitations (heart thumping in chest, breathlessness) and makes you hot and sweaty. It also makes you hyper and very aggressive.... might be worth checking out....

Underactive Thyroid - will (usually, not always) make you gain weight (but average only about 10lb a year), makes your skin and hair dry, you will be sluggish, depressed and cold to your bones. Not fun. Tired as hell too.

If either of the above apply to you, ask the Dr for a blood test, he/she will prob laugh and say your too young (I was 32 and told 'you can't have it, its an old ladies disease'! which is crap and insulting!). Insist anyway. The other point is to insist they do both tests (they will only tell you about one), you need the test for thyroid anti-bodies too, as you can be ill for years (I was) before it shows up on the more basic test.

Another possibility is diabetes (can cause huge mood swings and there are various types of it), you will probably be thirsty and tired a lot too, or also possibly hypoglycemia, which is your blood sugar level yo-yoing around the place, this will often make you crave sugar and alcohol (its very common in alcoholics), and you need to fix this with little (size of your clenched fist) sized meals 6 times a day, spaced evenly. By the way, this is also a symptom of diabetes. I had a friend who was very mild mannered who suddenly started exploding all over the place with rage, and it turned out he was diabetic and his blood sugar was up and down all over the place...

Think I just wrote an article myself!! (My copyright!)
Hope this helps, don't give up looking for the solution, but take good care of yourself too!

On a totally different subject, I am thinking of offering a package of say 10 articles as a WSO, but don't know which niche subject would be most popular, obviously health and fitness is one of my passions, do you all think anyone would be interested in articles written in this niche? May as well ask whilst im here!?

All the best everyone, and take care of yourselves!

Shell

juancito

Hey there,
There's a lot to look into from all the above posts.
Some of the best resources I can point you to have already been mentioned:

Precision Nutrition,
Eat Stop Eat,
The Warrior Diet.

I have two of the above (PN and WD), both are excellent. Intermittent fasting is powerfully effective, and that's the basis of both Eat Stop Eat and the Warrior Diet. You could look up intermittent fasting on good ole google and find some free resources as well if you want to go that route.

Bottom line is, eat good foods, but not too much, and get rid of the crap.

eriman

Keep it basic, just drink water, smaller meals, and get some form of exercise each day

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ExtraCashOnline

A good diet that you could try is the Body For Life diet. It will really change your life. The book is called Body for Life by Bill Phillips. It would require you doing some weight training and change your diet. You would have to eat 6 small meals per day. But you will not get hungry.

Also you will lose body fat and build muscle. And the program has shakes that you can drink that is filled with all the nutrition that you'll need. Look at their website and you'll be amazed by the transformation of people in just 12 weeks. Just seeing it is inspiring enough to get started.

It will really change your thoughts about food, exercise and your body.

Hope this helps

DiamondDealer

The secret is staying away from carbs. That means eat lots of protein - chicken, meat, tuna, regular fish, etc. Red meat may not be ideal for your cholesterol, but eating protein instead of carbs in general will drop your weight fast which is critical. You can eat bread, but go really light on it. Bread is the most fattening thing there is. Also try to stay away from pure fat, like butter, peanut butter and coconut products!

John M Kane

A list of famous Vegetarian athletes
International Vegetarian Union - Famous Vegetarians - Sports Personalities
and some more
Famous vegetarian athletes | Almost Vegetarian
also
Ricky Williams is a vegetarian professional NFL football player
Bill Pearl is probably the most well-known of vegetarian bodybuilders.
also
Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness
here's some before and afters of a all Raw diet
The Living & Raw Food Diet - Alissa Cohen

For exercise in addition to walking add "bodyweight" exercises
to work EVERY muscle group.
here is a HOT HOT HOT trainer showing exercise routines for free.
You do NOT need to use weights nor exercise to a point of pain.
Workout Body, Workout Routine, Nutrition Information | BodyRock.tv

Good luck and yeah get your breathing checked asap

John Cabral

Yes first step should be to have a checkup with your doc to make sure you are OK to workout.

Secondly you don't need a diet, you need a lifestyle change. 99% of diets fail not becuase they don't work but because people don't stick to them or after losing teh weight they don't go into a maintenance program.

Losing weight is simple. Calories in minus calories out. If there is more calories comeing in then going out (expended) you gain weight. If your are at a deficit, meaning that you burned more than you consumed you will lose weight.

It should be a two prong attack: Diet and exercise. One without the other is not as effective.

Forgot the traditional cardio crap.

First you will need to determine your BMR which is the amount of calories your body burns at rest. Once you have that number you multiply by your activity level.

You can find this out by using the Harris Benedict equation. You can download a my Calorie Calculator in my sig. It will do that for you.

Starving yourself is also not good and will result in you gaining weight due to your body storing calories as fat.

Women should not go below 1200 calories and men 1700.

Using my stats, my daily maintenance calories to maintain my current weight of 186 lbs is around 3100 calories and if I want to lose weight I would reduce that by 500-700 calories per day or 2400-2600 calories. These numbers are being active and working out 6-7 times per week.

Eat 5-6 meals a day and drink at least 50% of you body weight in onces.

You can see all of this using the calculator. You can reduce it either by reducing calories, working out or best is a combo.

I am an avid P90X fan and have done it twice. Its not easy and will kick your butt but if you stick to it you will see results. You can check out my site www.fitbodynews.com which has a forum that I used to track my progress during round 2 but I did not keep site up. Lost focus but hoping to do round 3.

Hope this helps.

John

If you need help getting back in shape the contact me for personal fitness and nutrition coaching!

John Cabral

Yes in the initial state but your body needs carbs and fats. You should focus on 40/40/20 or 40/30/30 Proteins/Carbs/Fats.

You should make sure your fats are good fats such as, nuts, olive oil and coconut oil.

If you need help getting back in shape the contact me for personal fitness and nutrition coaching!

John Cabral

Here is an article I wrote for the BeachBody forum. If you use it make sure my name and site stays on it.

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Throw away your scales right now!!!

Ok I don’t really want you to actually throw them away but to read how you should not rely on them for your progress.

Too many times I have read posts where someone has been working out for a few weeks and their weight is the same as when they started.

They are pushing hard and watching what they eat and they know that you can lose 1-2 lbs a week and they are like, well I have worked hard so they go and multiply 3 weeks at 2 lbs a week they should have lost 6 lbs at end of those 3 weeks right?

I mean after all 2 lbs a week is a very obtainable goal for most of us yet why is the scale saying that they have not lost one darn pound…

Let’s see why I don’t like scales for this, lets say that during those 3 weeks you did lose 2 lbs a week and 6 lbs after 3 weeks but at the same time you also gained 6 lbs of lean muscle the scale will still say you lost nothing.

You lost 6 lbs of yucky fat and put on 6 lbs of lean muscle so net affect was zero affect as far as scale weight but in affect you did an awesome job. You want to gain lean muscle which in turn burns more calories and more body fat.

On the other side you weight yourself and oh no you gained 2 lbs. Now talk about being discouraged and wanting to quit.

Again you could of simply lost 4 lbs of fat and gained 6 lbs of muscle which is still very good.


Here is an example:

Subject A weighs 180 lbs and has a body fat of 25% so their breakdown is Fat 45 lbs and Muscle 135 lbs.

Now 3 weeks later they still weigh 180 but now body fat is 20% so now Fat is 36 lbs and Muscle is 144.

They lost 9 lbs of fat and gained 9 lbs of muscle. Now this make way more sense and you would not be so discouraged if you knew this would you?

If you have one of those newer scales that can also tell you your body fat then those are very useful regardless if they are not 100% accurate.

A better way to measure your progress in my book is:

A. How you feel – energy etc
B. How you look in mirror
C. How your clothes fit

I suggest taking pictures every 30 days and taking measurements every 2 weeks. You should also be taking your body fat either using a formula which uses your waist to hip ratio or a body fat caliper. I suggest getting the Accu-Measure 3000 which only requires measuring one site and is pretty darn accurate and costs about $17 at GNC.

It’s a very good investment in your health. A good heart rate monitor that tells you how many calories you burn is another tool I suggest getting. I got a SportsLine model at Wal-Mart for under $50.

You should if you are not already doing track your daily food intake to see not only how many calories you are eating but the ratios of Proteins, Carbs and Fats. Diet to me is 80% of the battle.

I don’t care how much you work out and how hard if your diet is not good you will see no progress or very little progress. This is from personal experience during my first round of P90X.

Make you know what your TDEE(Caloric Maintenance Value) is. This is your BMR (what you burn just laying in bed doing nothing) + Daily Activity which is usually 20% of your BMR + what you burn working out.

So for me my BRM is 1800 my daily activity would be 360 and my workouts average about 700 so my TDEE is 2860 calories per day to stay at my weight. If I eat less or burn more calories I will lose weight and if I eat more I will gain.

I will say that no one particular diet plan will work for everyone and you have to test and test and test to see what works for your body which is why tracking what you eat and ratios become very important.


In regards to the scenario where the person gained I se people say that the reason is that muscle weight more than fat. That is a misconception and wrong.

A lb of fat weighs the same as a lb of muscle or anything else. What is different is the volume it occupies and its density. Muscle is denser than fat and fat occupies more space but they weight the same.

It like the old saying, “What ways more a lb of steel or a lb of feathers.” guess what they are the same, you will just need a lot more feathers to make a lb.


I assume you are here at the BeachBody message boards because you have decided to make a change in your life and I most starting out will have a lot of question and this is the place to get answers but I would suggest asking your assigned coach and if he/she can not give you the support or help you need then by all means feel free to change to one that will.

Coaches are like everyone else and come from all different walks of life, some have background and nutrition and working out and other don’t so don’t be afraid to change to one that is really interested in helping you reach your goals.

It was because of a great coach and other here that I was able to finish my first round of P90X after not having worked out for 11 years and also becoming a coach.

I am not an nutritionist or an expert on working out but I do have a background in bodybuilding and am always reading up on diet and nutrition.

Again there is not one way of doing things and you have to experiment.

Hopefully this article has shed some light and helped you in reaching your goals and not looking at the scale. As Tony would say, “Scale Bad” working out hard and eating clean good.

If I can be of any help feel free to contact me either at my email address or my site and I will do my best to answer your question but I do not claim to have all the answers.

If you need help figuring out your TDEE etc I am here for everyone regardless of who your coach is but please ask your coach first.

Feel free to add me as a buddy.

Till next time….

To our success.

John Cabral 2009
'www.fitbodynews.com'
Welcome to FitBodyNews Cafe.

If you need help getting back in shape the contact me for personal fitness and nutrition coaching!

John Cabral

You should also be concerned as to what you are losing. Is it fat or muscle? There are a lot of skinny fat people. Those who are skinny but have a high ratio of bodyfat.

Most diets were you lose a lot of weight fats are mostly water and muscle. Muscle burns calories thats why its important to incorporate some form of weight training to help build muscle which in turn helps burn more calories.

If you need help getting back in shape the contact me for personal fitness and nutrition coaching!

thedogtreatjar

Wow, what an outpouring! I hope you appreciate all this attention.

Personally, I do the paleo/caveman diet. It sounds like you are on the right path though with eating right and walking. I would concur that maybe you should check with your docter about something else going on.

The biggest change for me - due to the paleo lifestyle - was to see food as fuel not comfort. You seem like you already have a good view of food.

Okay, okay - I really wanted to chime in here and not just a puff post but geesh... there are just too many smart people in here!

Smiles,
Amie

John Cabral

Another thing which will help you but can be a pain is to track what you eat, Doing so you will be surprised at how many calories you are consuming... You can use sites like myfitnesspal.com In my case I created a spreadsheet for it.

If you need help getting back in shape the contact me for personal fitness and nutrition coaching!