Need some support and advice to lose weight!

Hello I am new to all of this and I have really come to realize that I need to lose weight. I unfortunately have quite a slow metabolism and I pack on fat quite easily. I believe in a little over a year I have gained at least 20-25 lbs. Anyway I need some help to get motivated and stay motivated as I HATE running and it kills my feet when I do. Any other forms of exercise do you all recommend? Also I am a little impatient so any way to lose the fat fast would be helpful as well. Thank you all for any advice and support in advance. By the way I am 195-200lbs. and 5'5" I have approximately 29% body fat (56.6 lbs of fat) My goal is to reach 12% body fat as soon as possible!

Walking is the beat form of exercise for a 'lazy-ish' person (I'm referring to myself when I say that! LOL!) Running has NO attraction for me, and as I live in the middle of nowhere- the gym is also out, but theres nothing stopping me getting out for 20-30mins a day walking? I have an underactive thyroid so I know what its like to have a metabolims that wants to sabotage you! But any exercise- even a mild form will help boost it. Its working so far? I started at 186lbs and am down to 163lbs since January- not the quickest, but its steady and theres been no gain! Good luck.

I could be wrong on this one, but isnt diet (food) the most important aspect of weight loss?

Yes walking is great for you!  I love it and do it as much as I can.  What are you eating?  How much are you eating??  You could be eating HORRIBLE and the walking will have no impact.

~H~

Exercise portion control, be selective of the foods you eat (get good nutrition for the calories ingested), get moderate exercise for starters (walk for half an hour a day 5 days a week).

Measure your foods and log them.  This is the only way to really know what your caloric intake is.

Remember that there is no quick-fix, but think how rewarding it is to lose a pound slowly, but have it gone forever!

Original Post by haley_2008:

I could be wrong on this one, but isnt diet (food) the most important aspect of weight loss?

Yes walking is great for you!  I love it and do it as much as I can.  What are you eating?  How much are you eating??  You could be eating HORRIBLE and the walking will have no impact.

~H~

  I meant to walk as WELL as eating healthy- of course walking alone won't work! LOL! Sorry!

Also I echo gpm55 about the portion control- I had NO idea what a portion of rice or pasta was supposed to be- I was mortified when I found out- I was eating for 3!! And logging every bite (every nip of cheese, every 1/2 chicken nugget, every handful of chips- I have kids, LOL!)that goes into my mouth helped me realise just how much I was actually eating!

Hey, srawas89, and welcome to the best place to be to lose weight.

The best advice anyone can give you is use the tools of this site. Use the "what kind of eater are you" tool, then follow the suggestions for planning and logging your food. Log your food. Journal. and stay with the community, visiting forums, responding to threads, making friends, and reading the FAQs. This place is fantastic and free.

Please don't run! Running is not for girls IMHO. Walk, bike, spin for aerobics. But strength training, free weights, yoga, Tai-chi--learning to breath and making yourself strong is the goal. Muscle burns more energy than fat, it's heavier too, so you lose the fat (is 29% bad?) and tone your body at the same time.

Not fast, though. Fast is not good for you. ever hear of "yo-yo" dieting, take it off, put it on? What you want is a new eating plan that satisfies you and keeps you healthy. Go with God.

Original Post by earth_mom:

Please don't run! Running is not for girls IMHO.

 

uhhhhh are you implying that I am a girl? I am an 18 year old male. I hope that was just a simple mistake Anyway thank you everyone for the advice but I do have another question... If I were to diet in a way to lost fat fast but at the same time start to adjust my eating habits as I have started to do would I be eliminating the yo-yo dieting? Just trying to find the quickest and most beneficial way. I know that I may come off as extremely impatient or stubborn but I am that sick of carrying this weight around. I used to not get subtle remarks from friends and family but I was straight up told to lose weight in a harsh manner by a family member. I know he means well but it was just kind of like.....man I REALLY need to lose this weight.

Simple answer: If you resort to extreme measures to lose weight fast, as soon as you revert back to a more normal way of eating, even if that's a HEALTHIER more normal way of eating, you will pack back on the pounds because your metabolism will slow down. So no, it will not help with the yo-yo dieting problem. I understand your impatience, but really, this is your body and it is important to treat it with respect. If you eat sensibly and add exercise, and create a calorie deficit every day (burn more calories than you're consuming, but not in excess of 1000 calories more than you consume), you WILL lose weight, and will have a greater chance of keeping it off in the long run.

...And to earth_mom, you totally baffled me with 'Running is not for girls'. May I ask why? I'm honestly curious.

Impatiences can be the enemy as well as unrealistic goals.  Insensitive family members and friends should think twice.  Lose the weight at a sensible rate and it will stay off.  It is unrealistic to think you should be at 12% body weight since anything 18% is considered underweight (as in unhealthy)  I suggest that you take a look around this site at some articles that will help you with your weight loss goals.  There is so much information here and it is the best possible way to do it.  I hope you will find a healthy focus that will stay with you forever even after you lose your weight.  Here is a website with some calculators and formulas that will help you.  They have Body Mass Index Charts and calculators to with advise about how to help yourself achieve your goals. Hope it helps http://www.bmi-calculator.net/

Do you enjoy group activities or sports? I take classes at my gym and I love it. If you find a good teacher, they will really motivate you. Also, have you thought about playing sports on the weekend, like tennis or frisbee?

Exercise != running

I have a friend who's an orthapedic surgeon and he calls joggers "job security".  His words, not mine.  What about basketball?  Swimming? Rowing? Volleyball?

If that's too much, dial it back some more.  Yoga, community trash pick up, anything that gets you up and gets you moving.  Volunteer to take some needy kids to a park.