Question
Ok, need some advice. I need to lose about 15 pounds. I don't have a whole lot to lose, I weigh about 115 lbs right now, but I am only 5' 2", So I should prob. only weight like 100 pounds. I would like to be like 98 pounds on my wedding day, but that's not going to happen. Anyway, I have done Atkins and South Beach before and although I was successful in losing a lot of weight fast, I burned out quickly--it's hard to do. No bread, potatoes,--all that good stuff! What is a resonable diet that I could try to just shed a few pounds--I have about 4 and a half months to do it. Let me know! Thanks

Answer
Sweetie, I just took the info you gave and stuck it in a BMI (body mass index) calculator. At 115, you're right in the normal range for your weight. Getting down to 98 pounds would put you underweight.

Your "normal" range is from 101-136.

I think 115 is perfect for you.... and I don't even need to see a picture.

Answer
No offense to you, but I am tired of people telling me that. I want to just lose a few pounds, I have a small frame, so I look a little flabby at my weight. I'm just asking for suggestions, not someone to tell me not to lose weight. So, once again, any suggestions? Anyone been on a HEALTHY diet, just to lose a few pounds?

Answer
Something I started doing last year was replacing whatever you eat for lunch with 2 or 3 hardboiled egg whites, and some carrot & celery sticks.
I know it doesn't sound fabulous, and it sounds like very little, but in reality, the egg whites contain so much good protien, that they make you feel fuller, adn you get the satisfaction of a crunch from the veggies. I usually put hot sauce on my veggies, because I can't stand the taste of celery, but salsa or any other low-no calorie topping/dip would be fine as well. I' stay away from putting ranch or peanut butter on the veggies, because this defeats the purpose of the meal.

Along with this I started walking at a good pace 2 miles a day.

I lost 20-25 lbs. from Easter to Thanksgiving.
I started out at about 185 and ended up at 160.
But also, 185 is overweight for my height of 5'11" I think.

If you're just worried about "flab" then you just need to tone, not lose weight. I reccommend buying a couple of cheap Pilates DVDs and doing them every other day or so. It should help one any flab you're worried about.

And now my disclaimer, I don't think you need to lose weight either, but I'm certainly not going to be able to stop you, I know, so that's my healthy advice about it

Answer
I honestly have no idea about diets, since they have never really worked for me. Instead of dieting, I just cut (most) snacking out of my diet and try to stick to (3) big meals a day or (4-5) smaller meals a day. I also don't buy any sweets (which I LOVE) at the grocery store, and that actually helps my snacking because I don't want to eat much of the healthy stuff around the house.

The thing that works the best for me (personally) is exercise. For my body, dieting doesn't work but I slim down pretty easily if I watch what I eat (not following a specific diet) and get some exercise a couple times a week.

I know how you feel about being within your normal weight but wanting to lose some pounds. I am within my normal weight range but when I gain weight, it is all around my midsection so it definitely is noticable, and I'm working on losing a few pounds too.

Good luck!

Answer
I would try to do what Maroki suggested. It sounds really reasonable. I have been on many diets, frankly they are all die with a "T". Since getting pregnant I have really started to eat better and drink more water.

Good luck!

Answer
Well, in July of 2004 I went to see a diet doctor here in our town and he weighed me and I was at 209 (i'm 5' 71/2") he said I should be at 150..he told me the diet plan (gave me a book with most resturants menu and the calories for all items on the menu) which included exercise and put me on a diet pill..I never knew that you count calories before I went to see him (I always counted fat grams, no wonder it didn't work)
Here is what I did....
ate breakfast 250 calories (usually just cereal and milk or a special K breakfast bar
Two hours after breakfast I took my pill
3 hours later I ate lunch (350 calories)
He suggested exercising 30 minutes a day, first thing in the morning, but I have to be @ work at 6 and there was no way I could do that, take a shower, get the kids ready and make it to work on time...I hate getting up in the morning period. I wanted to burn all the calories off that I have eaten that day so I mapped out a 4 mile path and walked it everyday (walking is better for you than running or jogging) It took me 1 hour 15 mins. I also bought a Gazelle and used it when the weather was bad (it has a timer, tells you how many miles you have went and how many calories you have burned. I wanted to drop the pounds so yes I did "over exercise"
I would eat dinner around 6:30pm (400 calories) baked Fish, rice,and peas was one of my favorite dinners.
I quit drinking regular coke and started drinking coke zero and alot of water
and no in between meal snacking
I went back a month later and had lost 19 pounds, I only went for about 4 months and its been 2 1/2 and I have not regained any weight and now I eat how I want and what I want, my stomach must have shrunk because now I can't even finish a big mac and med fri.
I went to my regular doctor today and she weighed me I am 161 I asked her when was the last time I had been there and she said December 2005 and I weighed 179, I have lost 48 pounds, went from a size 22/24 to a size 11/12

If you are wanting to try an over the counter product I recommend Hydroxycut , I used it 4 1/2 years ago after I had my son and lost the weight but after I stopped taking it I did not keep the weigh off

Answer
That's awesome that you lost all that weight! Good job. I have tried to take diet pills before and they make me feel loopy and weird--it scares me. So, I'm just going to try to eat less and more healthly and defintely exercise, it's just hard when I work sometimes 12 hours a day! I'm hoping things will slow down soon, and I can have more time to exercise. Walking, like you said, is defintley something I want to start doing! It's just sooo cold right now here!

Answer
I have also had a lot of success using one of those exercise balls. It might not give a sweating workout, but it really helps with muscles and all, I got into it with PT. But as far as diets go, a lower simple carb way of eating seems best (if its processed it's simple) and I am really getting into cutting out more of the bad transfats they have been talking about so much.

Good luck to you.

Answer
i am doing LA weight loss.

Answer
Definitely exercise and if you already are and still not losing weight, bump up your level of intensity (i.e. your mileage, your speed, your distance, etc.) As many diets and "quick-fixes" as there are out there, I still think watching what you eat and exercising is the best thing around. If you want a cookie, think of how many situps or how long of a jog you will need to do before it's burned off.

I think just toning up will give you the results that you want. It makes a huge difference and remember that muscle weighs more than fat so I would go with how your clothes fit as opposed to what the scale says.

Good luck!!

Answer
It sounds to me that what you really want to do is maybe lose a few pounds but gain some muscle and some shape. I'm not a very good dieter-I'll inevitably end up just going nuts after about a week or so, but I lost about 15-20 pounds last year by joining a gym that offered a class called "BodyPump." It's essentially aerobic weightlifting, but you start with small weights and build up as you get stronger. I fell off the wagon after the wedding and gained some holiday weight back. After being off for two months, I jumped back in at the end of last week and I've already lost 3 pounds again and my shape has literally changed dramatically, as flab firms back up. I HIGHLY recommend.

www.lesmills.com It will show if there are any gyms in your area that have the class. The same group also carries BodyCombat (think TaeBo), Body Assault (I did this once and thought I was going to die), BodyStep (step class) and BodyFlow (Pilates/yoga). They're amazing!

ETA: Here's the progression from March to November, 2006. I didn't change a thing about my eating habits-I have a weakness for mac n cheese and mashed potatoes...

Me in March 2006 (I can't believe I'm showing this picture)


Me in June 2006


Me in November 2006




Answer
mluvsk,

Ok I have got the diet for you, its an 8 week diet and that will leave you plenty of time prepare yourself or relax afterward.

Alright, first thing you need to do is go to http://www.dietnation.com/weight-loss/look-great.aspx this is called the 8 week challenge, if you scroll down and read the entire article, it will give you a good idea of what you are getting yourself into. At the end of the article there is a little button that reads "download now" don't be scared, this will send you to the page that allows you to download each week seperately as well as the grocery list! How spectacular is that!! Alright, so once you've downloaded everything, take a look at it, now wipe the drool off your chin

This is an increddible diet, i've been on it for only 3 weeks and already lost 10 pounds! as long as you follow it and do some excersise you will be set! Let me know what you think!

Answer
Originally Posted by mluvsk I have a small frame, so I look a little flabby at my weight.
How toned are you? If you just look a little flabby, it might be healthier for you to get toned then to try and lose weight. I'm also 5'2" but medium framed... and I looked TOO skinny at 125. I can't imagine being 98 pounds! I think no matter how you look, it is unhealthy to go below your "healthy weight". You might be surprised what a difference 5 pounds makes with...

I would suggest trying pilates and other dance-type exercises that will tone you but not bulk you up. You might not actually lose weight, but it will create the lean look you are going for.

And it's always a good idea to check with your doctor before beginning any diet or exercise program (though if she's anything like mine, she'll just suggest the latest diet pill and disregard you're ideas.... grrrr...)

Answer
Mrs. Ivey - That awesome! You say you went to a "diet doctor" did you go to a nutritionist?

Answer
Originally Posted by staylor mluvsk,

Ok I have got the diet for you, its an 8 week diet and that will leave you plenty of time prepare yourself or relax afterward.

Alright, first thing you need to do is go to http://www.dietnation.com/weight-loss/look-great.aspx this is called the 8 week challenge, if you scroll down and read the entire article, it will give you a good idea of what you are getting yourself into. At the end of the article there is a little button that reads "download now" don't be scared, this will send you to the page that allows you to download each week seperately as well as the grocery list! How spectacular is that!! Alright, so once you've downloaded everything, take a look at it, now wipe the drool off your chin

This is an increddible diet, i've been on it for only 3 weeks and already lost 10 pounds! as long as you follow it and do some excersise you will be set! Let me know what you think!
Hey, I went to that site and looked around for the recipes she uses in her program, and I can't find anything anywhere...

Answer
I'm 5'3 and would probably die if I weighed 98 pounds. Seriously. But I am also built to have a curvier figure. A good weight for me is around 125.

When my figure looked the best, I was walking a lot and doing strength training or Pilates a couple of times a week. An exercise ball works great too. This summer, I went to the gym like 6 times a week with kickboxing and step aerobics and heavy strength training. It was too much for my petite size--I was just bulking up and not looking better at all. I've figured out that lighter aerobic and strength activities is best for me. (WOO HOO!)

Answer
Ok, when I say flabby, I mean flabby to me. Like, with my clothes on you can't tell, but if I have any fat on my stomach I hate it. I probably need to get over that. I just need to look better with my clothes off.

Answer
The truth is that most of us on here probably think we need to look better with our clothes off. But the real truth is that we all probably look a lot better than we think we do! (I know I need to keep that in mind! )

Answer
Originally Posted by birdie The truth is that most of us on here probably think we need to look better with our clothes off. But the real truth is that we all probably look a lot better than we think we do! (I know I need to keep that in mind! )
I hope that's the case for me!