Losing weight...

tcstar83

I have about 14 months until my wedding. But I want to lose some weight. Maybe 20-30 lbs before looking for a dress. Any ideas? I've already started by getting a gym membership and go about 4 times a week. I do 45 minutes of cardio and 20 minutes of weight lifting. Its been three weeks now and no results.

kkaew816

This may be an obvious question...but are you dieting as well? Cutting calories is going to be a major factor in weight loss. When I was on a weight loss mission (lost about 20 lbs doing this) I did pretty much the workout routine you're doing, 3x/week I did cardio for about 20 min and weights for about 20 min and 2x/week I did cardio only for about 40 minutes. I also counted my caloires by using http://www.mypyramid.gov/ which has you input your food and exercise activity and tells you how much you need to eat a day to lose weight (there are other sites out there as well). I lost 20 lbs in about 3 months doing that and have maintained since (that was about 4 years ago). 

Good luck!

beka0404

I'm not much of a calorie counter - I'm doing Body For Life right now, and I'm getting great results. Basically, it's six small meals per day, with a portion of lean protein and a complex carbohydrate, with vegetables wherever/whenever you want them. Just cutting out unnecessary carbs gave me a 5lb loss. (I also drink green tea for an extra boost to my metabolism.) I lift 3x/wk and do cardio 3/x week, rotating days - it's doing quite a number on my body, but I'm looking to make a big transformation (3-4 dress sizes).

As for dress shopping, don't worry. I felt self-conscious and overly plump going into my appointment, but the dress I bought made me feel fabulous as-is. (It's the rest of my clothes that make me feel frumpalumpy.)

LolaBelle515

Sounds like your workouts are really regular--congrats on keeping the motivation, that's no easy task!

May I recommend LiveStrong's daily plate?  It's at http://www.livestrong.com/myplate/

It isn't really dieting, it's just a place to easily enter in what you eat in a day.  I was surprised when I started doing it how many calories I was really consuming in a day.  You can create a goal number of calories for yourself and then just see how you do each day.  Without feeling like I was sacrificing, it changed my eating habits because I suddenly realized that each little snack I'd have without thinking...counted in my calories for the day.  It's made a difference.

Just another tool to try--good luck! 

izzyjenni

I agree with everyone else about the calories. I jump started my diet with cutting out carbs and then slowly incorporated them back in.  I lost about 14-16 pounds depending on the time of the month I weigh myself. My dress is too big now that I ordered.  BUT I still want to loose about 10 more pounds.  I suggest a personal trainer for a short amount of time.  They can give you tips and ideas to focus in on those areas that you really want to loose. I am going to get one in the next few weeks to jump start mine again.  I know I also want to do a cleanse before the big day!  Good luck!

Bimbi284

I did weight watchers a few years ago and lost 33 lbs. I did it all only (cheaper than going to meetings, and super user friendly...think theknot for dieting! LOL). The great thing about it is that I really took it on as a lifestyle rather than just a temporary diet. Since then, and because of that, I have managed to keep it off! Its not for everyone, of course, but I recommend it!

Some tips I learned from WW: Get a food scale...portions are important! Eat your veggies!! They are good for you and have few calories. WATER WATER WATER (drink it...a lot). Most importantly though...I learned that completely restricting myself from foods I loved was not right for me. 

Enter Hungry Girl. Its a daily e-mail (they have cookbooks now too) focused on creating lower calorie versions of some "guilty" faves (think onion rings, desserts...pretty much anything!). They also feature low calorie things you can get ready made from most stores as well as guilt-free diet faves. Its not a "diet site" so to speak, but they offer ways to enjoy goodies without taking in all of the calories! Check it out at www.hungry-girl.com.

debbieupper

Another suggestion for counting calories -- I use the Lose it! app on my iphone (I don't think it works for other phones) and they have an online version as well. As PP stated, watching your calories with a tool like this makes you learn a LOT about what you're consuming. It also will calculate how many calories you can eat in a day according to how much you want to lose per week (max is 2 lbs/week for healthy loss). More exercise = more calories you can consume, which has been great for me because I LOVE FOOD.  

I lost about 18 lbs doing this without exercise, so diet really does make a difference. Now that I'm exercising, I haven't been tracking my calories as much, and surprise surprise ... I haven't lost much weight!

Good luck! 

libbyh123

I also am doing Weight Watchers and really like it.  It's pretty easy - I just do it online and I think it's $16.95 a month or something close.  I've lost 50 pounds in about a year, but I noticed results almost right away.  Good luck!

leggwilliams

Ditto Bimbi and Libbyh on Weight Watchers! I struggled the first couple of weeks to get used to it because I have never dieted or looked at calories in my life, but I ended up losing 25 lbs. in about 4 1/2 months! And like Bimbi said, I now rethink the way I look at food and I still treat myself....I just watch my portions and try and mix my "comfort food" with some healthy meals.

I'd recommend it to anyone!

libbyh123

It's crazy how cutting out the little things can really make a difference!  We used to put ranch dressing on EVERYTHING and now I don't even buy it.  I have it every once in a while, but it's more of a treat.  I found that Weight Watchers helped me develop good habits, like eating breakfast and healthy snacks throughout the day.

Steph0871

Ditto (x3) to WW! The U recently comped the cost for employees, so now it's free!  I've "only" lost about 6 pounds so far (in 6 weeks), but I feel like I'm learning how to eat healthier already.  One of those weeks was vacation and my bday was last weekend too (i.e. lots of cake and beer) so I'm happy so far!

The online stuff is really helpful too.  It works with my phone as well, so I really dont' have any excuses to not be able to track my food....

leggwilliams

That was a huge help with me too, Steph! I don't know if it would have been nearly as easy if I didn't have a tracker and points look up on my iPhone!

debbieupper

Ditto HungryGirl! Fantastic recipes on there. If you ever want to eat the best soup ever, google "Hungry Girl The Whole Enchilada Chicken Soup". So. so. good.

MichellePete

Another good resource is SparkPeople.  You can enter your food eaten and your activity.  The have messageboards for support and recipes and will even suggest meal plans and workout routines.