I've been on a diet for about 3 weeks, I eat very small portions of food once or twice a day.. without any exercise.. I was just wondering if I get to the desired weight i wanna be, and i stop my diet will all the weight come right back on..??

Just an update to my post from 2008. I now weigh 192lbs and still eat like a horse. I love the comments,"how the heck are you losing weight?? You eat a ton of food." Not really, I just eat constantly is all. Since about 199lbs (my first goal) I have taken up mountain biking and am planning on doing a race in May of 2010. I also bought a road bike and want to do a sprint triathlon in November of 2009. While these activities have sped up my weight loss a little, I make sure it doesn't speed up too much. I just eat more calories to compensate for the extra excercize.

ALSO, I have learned since my last post that the "fruit with cottage cheese" comment is outdated and not good for optimum health. So I retract the comment. I eat my fruit at least 30 minutes before other foods and at least 2.5-3 hours after other foods depending on the type. Fruit is unique and needs it's own time in your stomach to properly digest. Give it a shot. It has worked wonders for me.

I wish I had "before and after" pics to post here, but I don't. :( But lets just say this... when I started I had a pot belly that you could bounce a quarter off of, cottage cheese butt and was developing a double chin and sleep apnea. Now, my stomach is flat (not tight yet), my butt is something my wife pinches (or tries to) regularly and I don't stop breathing at night. Which cooincidentally has assisted my weight loss as well. Remember, 8 hours of sleep a night when possible or your weight loss will be severely hindered.

Know your body and regular eating habits. The best advice I can give anyone is to analyze what your regular eating habits are and think about what you can change to make it healthier for yourself. For example, switching from white pasta to whole wheat pasta. Do reasearch. If you have any doubts about certain things you're eating find alternatives! I lost 15 pounds just by switching foods in my diet I had doubts about.. I also cut out alcohol completley for a good 3 months, now I only drink in moderation. One type of Aerobic exercise I HIGHLY recommend is hot yoga, it helps shed those few extra pounds and literally works wonders for your body!

i am in the step as you guys i am 14 and really really fat. and then i wanted to do some ting about it. what i did was i would eat as many green things as possible. i ate less and exercised for 1 hr. exercised for at least 1 hr a day. if you get hungry while doing that, just grab a juicy fruit and fill your self up. keep doing that for at least 2 weeks and it will feel like having a whole new life!!!

I think exercising, beyond just keeping active, is idiotic. Far more important is diet and not just eating less, but eating healthy.

at 18 i was 5'4 120lbs thinkin i was overweight, then became pregnant gaining 50lbs a yr later i lost my weight by starving.... i slowly started eating again and gained the weight back rapidly i realize y now but it seems the only way for me 2 loose weight is 2 not eat then when i do i gain so much my weight is never consistant for long... its frustrating i dunno what to do i am now 139lbs and only wanna loose 20lbs i walk alot and dont eat 2 much but being 23 and having a body of a 40yr old is hard 2 deal with from gaining and loosing and breastfeeding my breasts r ruined ....im stuck please help....

i eat loads and when i go on a diet i just starve myself! help!!

i think you should eat less and eat healthy.i dont think you should exercise because if you do then you get hungry and you would want to eat.

Yes it's possible I was 240lbs now I'm 207 and still losing SLOWLY. You can't lose it quickly with no excercise and even with excercise, you STILL can't drop weight too fast or your body will rebel. 1lb or less a week is safe. Your body only gained weight that fast if not slower, so your body must lose it the same way. Wake after a full nights rest, drink water and pop SOME food into your mouth and chew for a long time. Anything, will work ANYTHING. This maximizes the time in the day that your metabolism is working and waiting to eat till later only jips your out of valuable time. Eat tiny meals all day. The more the better. Smaller the better. Don't eat to get full, just pop something in your mouth, chewing it a lot, then carry on with what you were doing. You'll be hungry in an hour or less, that's fine. Eat again. Drinking water helps you curb hunger if you drink it before or after the snack. If you MUST have a meal, (Like Lunch) Eat it VERY SLOWLY, taking small bites and chewing each one until it's mush and swallowing it in tiny pieces. You'll find that when you're 3/4 of the way done with that burger, you're actually feeling the "full signal" STOP! Don't be a puss. Take the rest with you and snack on it an hour later. Snack until you go to bed. Just before you go to bed, have a half piece of bread smothered in peanut butter (Natural if possible) and a big spoonful of cottage cheese with a small slice of pineapple or peach. Why? Because the Cassein protein in the peanut butter and cottage cheese will keep your metabolism going while you sleep (up to 3-5 hrs) As will the bread and fruit. Carbs are needed while you sleep for metabolism just as they are while you're awake. Just LESS. No carbs after 3pm or before bed claims are SCAMS. Your body needs a good balance of Carbs, Fats and protien ALL THE TIME. If you need specifics, Send an email masterwiper@gmail

Hi, I'm 23 years old and found out that I have hyperthyroidism. Ever since I started my medication I've been gaining weight. I am very athletic and have been the same weight since high school, now since my medication I gained 20 lbs! My doctor has since tripled my dosage and wants me to have radioactive iodine to stop my thyroid completely. This will mean gaining more weight as it will reverse to hypothyroidism. I can not diet and the gym has never been my strong point. I am an athlete but find it hard playing sports because I am always out of breath and my heart rate climbs too high. Is there a way to keep my weight under control without stopping my medication?
Thanks

I would like to say, first of all eat less calories every day. For example, if you need 1200 per day according to your body, eat at least 100 less every day. Secondly, the first thing in the morning, drink 4 glasses of water and if possible, mix some fresh lime juice in the water and water should be hot. Third, the last thing drink a hot glass of water before bed. Be vegetarian. Exercise about 5 days every week. Stop eating in the restaurants. Definitely, you will lose weight at least 10 pounds in 6 months. Good luck.
Baljit

I am female and 46 years old i have lost 20 pounds and now im stuck i have not budged in my weight for 2 weeks now i have eaten salads and cut out all carbs the 20 pounds took me a couple of months and some weeks and now i cant loose any more weight i exercise by jogging every evening for half an hour and walk for half an hour 1 hour in total, how can i lose more weight ? i am getting so dissapointed and sometimes feel like giving up. please help?

As time goes on we are all eventually learning more about health facts, from what I studied so far in the last 6 years is we need to watch what we are ingesting. I have not craved anything ever since. Write down everything you eat/drink and see for yourself where you are going wrong, you need some fruit, some vegetables/legumes, some lean meats,some whole grains every single day,ALSO over 8 cups of water between meals. I gaurantee you will never crave or be hungry, your body will love all the nutrients and vitamins it is getting, and in return you will feel emotionally balanced and energized as we all want to feel. Doing just 10 minutes of dumbells each day your metabolism will speed up and burn fat as your muscles strenghthen. Green tea burns 4 calories per cup as well, and watch what you are drinking, juices and milk and coffees are over 100 calories each cup, specialty coffees are over 300 calories. Just sitting we burn around 1400 calories. Never aim to have less than 1200 calories a day, your metabolism will slow down and you wont see results or atleast regain it all back. TIP: first 5 lbs are always water weight this is why weight loss slows down after, it is now burning fat. Go by your waist measurement, muscle weighs more than fat.Say good bye to fat forever if you are losing 1-2 lbs a week NO MORE! patients is a virtue... :)

I read everyones comments here just to get some examples if u cant lose weight keep looking online and asking doctorss and other people that r in shape how to get healthy and lose the chunks. I am 286 POUNDS and i am 5'9. I hait it i want to get down to 230 POUNDS it isnt as easy as it seems but u just gotta keep trying think of family and friends. If u dont live a healthy body and health u wont live that much longer dont u want to chill with friends and family more and be comfterable near crowds without worrying about every single pice of your body how it looks. I am happy with 230 POUNDS at 5'9 cause i am big bone i dont have a weight problem I AM JUST TO DAMN LAZY u need to look at you'r self in the mirror and say to your self do i really want to be this? *no* ....... Keep trying, try different thing's or even BETTER try everything TOGEATHER =-).

I have been suffering from obesity since youth. I am now 29 years old and I weigh about 53 kilograms, and my height is 154 centimeters.
I have tried all diet pills, gadgets, exercises you just name it and ended up huger and constantly ill. Finally, I found out that moderation is the key. It doesn't matter if I kill myself over a mill or cut the calories in food, the main point was I need to move around, start thinking positively and eat when I feel really hungry and watch my portions. This simple way made me maintain my weight for the past year and that was my greatest challenge! I am not trying to reach at least 45 kilogrmas in weight, but I am understood the caloric equation much more better.

Yara

To Tammy from Florida that was diagnosed with 'tachycardia'...I would love to get in contact with you. If you read this, could you please e-mail me at navybaby@shaw.ca
Thank-you,

5 years ago, I suffered tachycardia while pregnant with my 3rd child at the age of 30. I couldn't understand why my heart rate was up to 150+ beats a minute by just standing up. The doctors ran several tests and advised me to see an allergist. The allergist did several blood tests and found that I am allergic to wheat and eggs. Well, I said, hmmmmmmmmm..... This shouldn't be too hard to figure out (how to prepare a meal that is). After reading what the nutritionist gave me, I had to change my entire diet. By taking these items out of my diet and eating a very healthy diet, I lost 30 lbs. - PREGNANT TOO! Now, this took 4 months or so, but I did lose weight. A week after my healthy 8 lb., 6 oz. boy was born, I lost another 10 lbs. Now, that is taking every fast food restaurant, flour, bread, pasta, modified food starches, hydrolyzed food protiens, carmel color (gluten), SODAS, oats, malts, etc. out of your diet. I did eat alot of corn chips.... and still lost weight. It all goes back to the home cooked meal and reading labels. I would fix several meals on the weekends and freeze them for the week. It can be done and in a healthy way too.

Duh, exercise and diet are the only things that work in weight-loss. When I had anorexia, and I was eating just about no food per day, so when I was hospitalized to regain the weight, I gained it extremely fast because my metabolisim was so slow. So, obviously food restriction isn't the healthy answer.

If someone with knowledge could answer my question:
I am 5"1 and weigh 143lbs, the highest I ever weighed and I'm 43 yrs. old. I have been working out now for 7 weeks at 5-6 hrs. a week, doing 30 min. aerobics, walking 2.6 miles a day in 38 min. at least 5 days a week and on Sat. usually walk 2.6 again.I haven't lost a single lb. I am not a person who eats fatty foods, went to whole grains, fruits and veggies, I drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. I do consume on the weekends at least 8 cans of lite beer, but don't eat with doing that.I want to know what I'm doing wrong, that I'm not losing any weight, I even had my thyroid checked and it came back normal. I have a sister that is 1 yr. younger, and is my height and same body build,she only works out by doing only walking 6 days a week, that is only 7.8 miles and she even eats more then I do and she lost 23 lbs over 8 week period.Why is it I'm doing more then her, and she lost the weight and not me.I'm happy for her, but terribly upset and disgusted with myself, i'm getting very depressed and want to give up trying.If anybody can help me with these questions I would appreciate it.
Thank You,
Dana

I am on bedrest after surgery for 6 weeks. I would like to take off a few pounds while I am laying around. Is that possible without excerciese?

I am an exercise instructor and do some nutrition counselling as well.

This biggest problem I see in the fitness/ weight loss industry is the ignorance/ lack of knowledge surrounding muscle, and it's role in all of this.

Sarcopenia: Age related-muscle loss. On average a human being will lose ~1/2 lb of muscle per year, after the age of 25.

www.sarcopenia.com

Muscle is our most metabolically active tissue. If we are losing muscle, our metabolism is lower, meaning our body does not need as much food energy as it did last year. This is the main reason why we get fatter as we age, and why it is so hard to get it off in later years as well.

On top of this, a lot of activity can further promote muscle loss. If you are dieting alone, or dieting + aerobic based activity, some percentage of your weight loss will be muscle, and maybe connective tissues. In the case of eating disorders, we can also lose bone and organ tissue. Your body skims a bit from everything.

UNLESS, we have some kind of stimulus to maintain our existing muscle, and perhaps add a bit more of this fat burning tissue. Enter strength training.

People, if you are not strength training you are missing out. This is the only way to SAFELY maintain our lean tissue, and avoid the YO-YO weight loss plan. If your body has a stimulus to maintain this tissue, you are now on a FAT LOSS plan. Not a weight loss plan. Please distinguish between the two. You don't want to lose weight. You want to lose fat.

And please let go of the age old myth that weights will make you "bulky" This is totally bogus. Most men cannot grow large muscles. Plus, let's say your 35. Statistics say that have already lost 5lbs of muscle anyway!

Strength training: Full body, 2-3 times per week, 20 mins. This is a minimal investment for tremendous profit. For safety, I recommend slow-motion strength training.

The complexity of weight loss and weight gain. I am 46 years old ,female, mom of 4, moderately active, try to walk or ride bike 30 minutes a day and have weighed 122 to 135 at 5'6" pretty much since I was 20 years old. I do eat very healthy but enjoy treats now and then. I don't count calories but keep track of how much I'm comsuming in my head. I try to eat only when I'm hungry.If I had to guess how many calories tho it would be about 1500 on most days up to 2500 other days - weekend out to dinner - marqurita, chips and bean dip, faita salad. But my friend who eats just as healthy, exercises 3x's as much and weight trains, is 140lbs at 5'6 and only eats 1200 calories a day but she cannot lose weight. She is so frustrated.She has taken thyroid supplements for a year and even adrenal supplements. If any one has an answer that is not "eat less" or "eat healthy" which we have lots of books on, please let us know.

I have lost 135 pounds since June and have 25 more to go. I have done this by cutting my calorie intake to 1,500 calories a day and I work out 2-1/2 hours a day at the gym six to seven days a week. And this is from a woman whose idea of exercise was getting off the couch to open a bag of potato chips. If I can do it anyone can. Just start walking for 1/2 hour a day and build it up until you can walk an hour a day. I personally do 1/2 hour on the eliptical - an hour on the treadmill and an hour of weight training. And I have learned that I LOVE exercise - it makes you feel really good.

As for what kind of diet - I still eat carbs but I am eating a lot of protein and you can still loose weight and eat candy or cookies the key is portion control - you can have one piece not a whole bag. Once you get going and start loosing the weight it becomes addictive. I am no longer addicted to food - I am now addicted to working out.

My age 30 and i am married thing i gained lot of weight can stop eating what is the best way of reducing the weight. If you could help me in giving me some tips for the lossing weight that would great. I lost my confident due to over weight i feel i am not good looking get depressed when i see myself

im 14 years old and 102 pounds i wanna lose weight because im fat how do i do it without killing myself? help

I'm a fitness trainer, and counsel nutrition.
by doing your cardio in the morning hours, walkinging, jog, bicycle,anyone of these for at least 35 to 40 minutes each day, the results will be amazing.
Of course your diet is at least 75% of the program......give up any white foods sugar flour, ect... veggies, fruit,and protein are going to help your metabolism work to lose weight. Also snack three times a day with health snacks, protein bar low in sugar, or try a green apple (very low in sugar), almonds about 10 to 12. that is considered 6 meals a day with your snacks. the snacks help to keep the weight off by kicking in your metabolism.
Enjoy life by being healthy that is how our creator intended it to be.

I agree with those of you who say diet alone is not enough but for people like myself who have severe arthriris in all joints walking is not a great option.Eating less will be better than doing nothing.I take a medication that causes me to gain,ssssso i have a problem..

I eat like a pig. I rarely ever stand up. I lie down and watch tv all day to entertain myself. Yet, I have an incredibly flexible, strong and fat free body. I guess some people have to accept that they are genetically inferior to others, and that their bodies will never be healthy looking. Sorry.

This is true-I know from experience--just make sure you eat ENOUGH or you will stop the loss. You must eat at least 1200 a day. I tried less and my weightloss ground to a halt!

Thanks for this so called insprisation articles and comments.....
@ 210, i'm almost crying...
I stop going to the gym for 3 month...(body injury) and went from 180 to 210...+20, now what? I started back this week, doing 30-45min. cardio, and with the help of the 'SUBWAY' diet(foot-long Tuna), within 4 days I lost 4 lbs. This hole talk about less intake of calories and more burning calories, think it really does work...my goal is set and im on the path...THANKS YA'll....PS> is there a link that has a spread of most common foods, let it be junk,fast food or even vegi, that would show the amount of calories?? Thansk in advance.

I am another Sheila who lost quite a bit of weight over the course of a year, and did it without trying too hard. I gave up bad eating habits (those of my ex-husband) and replaced them with my natural eating habits - lots of fresh veggies and whole grains, nothing deep fried and no empty carbs, etc. As well, I am a strong believer in stress contributing to weight gain. Eat well and walk. I have gone from a size 18 to 8 in little ever a year.

I was on a diet: counting calories 1,000 a day + swimming/water fitness 3x a week and loss 20 pounds .
off the diet regained the 20 pounds + another 20pounds in 2 months.
Win some lose some !!
Exercising alone made me gain inches and it is harder to lose weight when you do go back on a diet.
Yes its true ,you are what you eat..FAT

Just as not all types of foods (and therefore calories) are the same, so it is with types of exercise. Weight loss can be accelerated according to the type of exercise, and time of the day. First of all, exercise not only burns calories during the activity, but also through a heightened metabolic rate that persists after exercise has ceased. So exercising first thing in the morning will create a higher metabolic rate through the day, thereby burning more calories afterward. This is a far better way to lose weight than exercising at night. Also, the more intensive the exercise is, the longer a heightened state of metabolism will persist. Therefore, jogging is better than walking, and sprinting is better than jogging. Try waking up a little earlier, have a glass or two of water, and then challenge yourself to an invigorating activity. It'll change your whole day! (Not to mention your weight).

You can eat anything you want, but just in moderation.
Do yourself a favour and get out there. Go for walks! Explore! You only live once.

I walk for one hour each morning, this is good for the heart, and all that fresh air, i have managed to control my weight with eating less but walking is good for you, dont stop walking,

Unfortunately - nothing is this simple. In any experiment you are assuming "ceteris parabus" (all other things remaining equal)Less calories in does not necessarily result in weight loss. Neither does increased exercise.

Quick example; It takes more energy for your body to convert proteins into a usable food than it does simple carbs (eg sugar) - therefore if you eat the same amount of calories of both foods, the way your body processes the food will determine how many calories you burn.

If your foods are affected by digestion - do a google search for glycemic index.

Simon

What you say is true, though I don't think it's good advice. While you will lose weight, there are many more benefits that exercise also provides that you have not mentioned. Not only does it make for a healthy heart but increased muscle mass and tone help with maintaining a healthy physique even when not exercising. The benefits to overall energy when completing other tasks should also be mentioned. Remember there are ludicrous amounts of people out there who are skinny but still in extremely poor health.

Everyone should know that the more active you are, the more calories you'll burn. A car that is driven 1000 km a day burns more fuel than the same car that is driven 100 km a day.

If you want to eat more, excercise more. If you want to lose weight, burn more calories than you consume. It burns me when people say they can't understand how to lose weight.

Sheila,

I would love to hear how you lost you 80 lbs in a year.

I have to agree with Charles from Ottawa. It's all good and fine to shed some of the extra pounds, but I believe that heart health is one of the most important things in our body to keep fit! We need to keep the old ticker healthy to carry us around!

This is not quite right - exercise boosts your metabolic rate at least temporarily, and therefore helps you burn calories even after you're done exercising.

Other than that - refreshingly frank. You can only gain what you put in your mouth.

I personnaly have lost a few pounds by watching the amount that I eat, BUT it has done nothing for my cardiovascular health.

It's like math: in = out. It can also be thought of as: diet = activity.

rule of thumb.

I say..we are what we eat..so take smaller portions and I defiently think exercise is the key to toning ones body up..walking is great..and get fresh air too...

This may be true to some degree - however, I have recently heard the results of another study which found that exercise is more beneficial than cutting calories. The reason being that cutting calories alone leads to bone and muscle loss, not just fat.

Four words: Eat less, do more.

Thank you for a refreshing breath of honesty on the subject of weight loss.

I think you would lose weight if you ate less and didn't exercise.

The downside, if a person normally exercises but decides to stop because of this report, is that part of the lost weight would be from a reduction in muscle mass.

Certainly calories in have to be less than calories out to loose weight...but I could take in a daily quota of nutrionally void food and still lose weight as long as it's less than i burn. That does nothing for my heart health nor my immune system...eating heart healthy foods and exercising is very important for complete health. BMI and weight is only one measure, skinny people can be unhealthy too.

I agree dieting alone works as well as combining with exercise. I lost 40+lbs mainly on diet + a bit of exercising, and started to live a more active life style. At age 44, Ive been above to keep my weight at the current level (BMI 23) for the past 6 years. Personally, I think dieting is great for loosing weight, but has little to do with maintaining our cardio health. The heart is the most important muscle in our body and it needs regular exercise to keep it healthy.

Agreed, wholeheartedly. However, there is one thing that does need to be considered.

Each person has their own indivdual metabolic rate. Some people burn far more calories while lying around than other people. Generally, it is muscular people who burn more calories relative to their weight. Muscle tissue simply takes more calories to maintain than fat. So, in terms of exercise, there is a obvious advantage. More muscle tissue = higher metabolic rate.

But it is so refreshing to see such an uncomplicated appraisal of weight loss with no mention of complex carbs versus simple carbs versus proteins etc.

Simple, huh? Burn more than you take in and you lose weight. Take in more than you burn and you gain weight.

But do exercise. It'll help you burn your calories and control your stress to boot!

I have lost 80lbs this past year. It is true, calories in verses calories out. However, I do believe exercise is important factor to weight loss.

thank you for this

Speaking from experience, Nuel, I would say yes. Again, it's a matter of calories in versus calories burned. Running took 30 pounds off my frame. It may well take more, if I practice portion control a little more often.

While I applaud this finding I wonder, how about excercising alone?
I mean excercising without dieting, does it also help in weight loss?

Thanks.

Nuel.