HELP!!! I wanna lose weight!

[DableST_1]

Hello Ladies,

I noticed that someone had mention earlier to make sure you clean your colon, well my question is HOW DO YOU CLEAN YOU COLON??? I have been having this problem ALL of my life (I am happy if I go every three/four dayz NO KIDDING) Do you one know of any safe herbs that I need to take to become regular??? (I hope I'm not grossing any one out) But I really Need Help!!! My friend told me to eat lot of oatmeal b/c it has a lot of fiber! Does any one have any suggestions? Please Help!!!

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Da' Assassin
Epsilon Xi
#2
Spring 2000

[DST Love]

Originally posted by SweetestDiva:
Anybody tried that Subway diet? I eat them pretty much everyday.. not for the diet, but because I just like them. And to this broke college student, it doesn't hurt that for almost every 4 sandwiches you buy, you can get one for about $.96 (or however much chips cost with tax). Anyway, the guy on the commercials that lost all the weight said he always ate a sandwich with just vegetables for lunch and turkey for dinner... I'll never be a vegetarian, and ham kicks turkey anyday. Just curious to know if anybody's doing it.

Now you know that he ate only vegetable sandwiches and turkey sandwiches. No cheese or mayo. I read about it a few months ago since Subway has been airing those new commercials about people losing weight. Of course those people have probably increased their exercise as well.

I've found out for myself that I lose weight when I watch my calorie and fat intake, excersice a lot, and drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. I'm telling you the water thing works. You'd be surprised. It flushes your system constantly if you do so. I try not to eat more than 1500 calories a day Monday through Friday. And on the weekend, I can eat some foods I enjoy (but not overindulge). I log in the amount of calories I eat everyday in an Excel spreadsheet. I find that actually seeing the total number every day makes me more aware of what I eat before I eat it. I excercise at least 30 minutes a day, five-six days a week. Now the 1500 calories pertains to me and my body and depends on how much you excercise.

Here is a website that I enjoy: www.self.com

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#10 Sigma (Clark Atlanta University) Spring 1999
Currently: MAL, Southern Region

[This message has been edited by DST Love (edited June 28, 2001).]

[DELTAQTE]

Ok, my post is gonna come off wrong to some folks, but it's only because I have been through the same things you guys have been through. This is coming from someone who has a personal trainer, aerobics instructor, doctor, etc who are my good friends.

1. if you want to lost weight, PLEASE do NOT start hitting the gym, you want to lose weight, not turn your fat into muscle. Wait at least a month or two when you are good into your diet and then hit the gym(slowly!)

2. As a person who tried to lose some pounds in the past, I became VERY frustrated that it took 2 months(or more) for me to see results. That is the main reason folks get off the diet, you think, why am I doing all this and I still haven't seen a dent in my behind? yes you want to change your lifestyle, but you want results also. The Atkins diet is not only a diet, it is a lifestyle change! I cannot speak enough about this man and his method. It changed my entire life.

Lowering your calorie intake DOES NOT WORK. Lowering your carb DOES! Almost 90% of us are not fat cause we EAT A LOT(Fat people do not eat more than skinny people, if you are hungry, you should listen to your body and EAT, simple as that) we are fat because we are taking in more sugar and carbs than our body can handle. Which means

Cut the bread! Black folks love them some bread, and it's in almost everything. Eat a salad, YES! with crutons? NO!

Cut the sugar! This means sugar in your coffee, even a stick a gum, trust me.

The atkins diet is not for everyone(I only heard one person say she was on it) and even if you get off of it, you don't gain weight back. I pigged out for 2 months and just got back on the diet, no weight gain.

I truly encourage all of you to get Dr.Atkins book, and see if this diet is for you, this is from someone that has tried the points system, all of that. This is the last diet I will ever be on.

Let me get off my soap box, but I feel very strongly about Dr.Atkins and the gift he has given me.

QTE

[DST Love]

Originally posted by DELTAQTE:
Ok, my post is gonna come off wrong to some folks, but it's only because I have been through the same things you guys have been through. This is coming from someone who has a personal trainer, aerobics instructor, doctor, etc who are my good friends.

1. if you want to lost weight, PLEASE do NOT start hitting the gym, you want to lose weight, not turn your fat into muscle. Wait at least a month or two when you are good into your diet and then hit the gym(slowly!)

2. As a person who tried to lose some pounds in the past, I became VERY frustrated that it took 2 months(or more) for me to see results. That is the main reason folks get off the diet, you think, why am I doing all this and I still haven't seen a dent in my behind? yes you want to change your lifestyle, but you want results also. The Atkins diet is not only a diet, it is a lifestyle change! I cannot speak enough about this man and his method. It changed my entire life.

Lowering your calorie intake DOES NOT WORK. Lowering your carb DOES! Almost 90% of us are not fat cause we EAT A LOT(Fat people do not eat more than skinny people, if you are hungry, you should listen to your body and EAT, simple as that) we are fat because we are taking in more sugar and carbs than our body can handle. Which means

Cut the bread! Black folks love them some bread, and it's in almost everything. Eat a salad, YES! with crutons? NO!

Cut the sugar! This means sugar in your coffee, even a stick a gum, trust me.

The atkins diet is not for everyone(I only heard one person say she was on it) and even if you get off of it, you don't gain weight back. I pigged out for 2 months and just got back on the diet, no weight gain.

I truly encourage all of you to get Dr.Atkins book, and see if this diet is for you, this is from someone that has tried the points system, all of that. This is the last diet I will ever be on.

Let me get off my soap box, but I feel very strongly about Dr.Atkins and the gift he has given me.

QTE

Well I guess it depends because a guy I work with was on the Atkins diet for quite some time at the end of last year and he quit for a while and gained that and then some back.

While I'm not overweight, in the past when I have picked up an extra 5-10 pound, I have lost it very quickly in a minimal amount of time by lowering my calorie intake, watching fat grams, drinking lots of water and exercising 4-5 days a week for at least 30 minutes per day. I maintained my weight for a few years. The last few months of last year, I started eating more calories and fat grams but was still excersing as much but I gained the 10 pounds back. So in January I did what I stated I had done before and the weight came right off and as I continue doing so, I have been maintaing this weight for the past few months (which pleases me). This has become my lifestyle. I have never been seriously overweight but I had picked up a few 'unwanted' pounds from time to time. So maybe what I do works when you just want to lose a few pounds and maintain.

If anyone knows who Denise Austin is, then you know that she is a 44 year old woman, who has two kids and the most awesome body. As she states on her workout show on Lifetime, which comes on for an hour in the morning during the week, she has studied health and physical fitness for over 25 years. She emphasizes healthy eating, exercising and drinking lots of water. But she also talks about calorie intake and calorie expenditure through exercising. One thing she says is that 80% of the time she eats healthy and the other 20% she will enjoy some of her favorite foods (but not overindulge). So in addition to lowering my overall calorie intake, watching fat grams, drinking lots of water and exercising 4-5 days a week for at least 30 minutes per day, Monday through Friday I don't eat more than 1500 calories per day (which is for someone my height and age who works out) and on the weekend I enjoy my favorites. I can say that since I have been paying attention to my calorie intake, I definitely used to eat at least 2500 calories a day and was still exercising a lot. While I wasn't "fat", I wasn't comfortable with my body/weight either. But now due to my new lifestyle (watching calories, etc), my boyfriend is so impressed at how quickly my body as sprung back (not that it was that far gone ). I'm a litte smaller and a little toner.

So again, I guess different things work for different people.

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#10 Sigma (Clark Atlanta University) Spring 1999
Currently: MAL, Southern Region

[This message has been edited by DST Love (edited June 29, 2001).]

[naturalbeauty08]

I feel everyone on the want to lose weight. I had been there about 4 years ago. When I pledged I lost weight but picked up horrible on the go eating habits that stuck with me after I crossed and made me ballon to a size 12... almost a 14. I felt huge and decided to do something about it. I started with gym sessions at least 3x/wk. Cardio for a half hour and some weights. In a year I had dropped 15 pounds. Years later I have lost an additional 12 pounds.
What helped me with those stubborn last five was adding more weights to my workout regimen and giving up on Soda and sugary drinks. Diet soda aint so bad once you're used to it. Plus I learned that no matter how low fat our food is we will pack on pounds if we don't watch our caloric intake. It can be frustrating to count calories but make sure you are aware of how many calories you take in as opposed to how many you burn.
I now wear a size 6 and stick to a consistent work out. I also try to focus on how I feel and look and not on the scale. That will REALLY drive you crazy.



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...Taking control of my beauty... loving me for me...

[DST Love]

Originally posted by naturalbeauty08:

What helped me with those stubborn last five was adding more weights to my workout regimen and giving up on Soda and sugary drinks. Diet soda aint so bad once you're used to it. Plus I learned that no matter how low fat our food is we will pack on pounds if we don't watch our caloric intake. It can be frustrating to count calories but make sure you are aware of how many calories you take in as opposed to how many you burn.
I now wear a size 6 and stick to a consistent work out. I also try to focus on how I feel and look and not on the scale. That will REALLY drive you crazy.

Yeah, I agree. I've cut out a lot of sugar drinks. When I'm not drinking water, I drink diet coke. I think people don't think about the calories in their drinks. Diet Coke as zero calories. Also, I'm not much of a drinker but alcoholic beverages are very high in calories.

You're right, at first, it was frustrating counting calories but since I've been doing it so long it now feels natural. I too wear a size 6 and had worn that or smaller until my sophomore and junior year in college. Senior year (98-99) I lost a lot of weight from doing the things I previously posted about and then lost more weight when pledging (Spr. 99). The first year after graduating I maintained that weight. From about April through December 2000, I started picking up weight again when I wasn't watching my calorie intake. I was between size 8 and 10 which was not comfortable for me. But since I've been fully ready to maintain the lifestyle of doing everything I previously posted, I think I can stay at a size 6 for quite a while.

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#10 Sigma (Clark Atlanta University) Spring 1999
Currently: MAL, Southern Region

[volgirl2376]

i saw this topic and thought i would share what has worked for me...when nothing else has.

its as simple as slowing down when you eat. its proven that if you eat super slow...you lose weight because your body will tell itself its full. for example if you take a sandwhich, chips, drink, and an apple for lunch...eat half the sandwhich, half the chips slow...then take a 10 min break. by the time you start eating again, your body is already full and its tough to eat the rest of your lunch. now im not just bs'ing - because i LOVE to eat! changing how you eat....before you change what you eat is important. i still eat basically what i want to, but so much slower...and ive lost almost 20 pounds in just a few months. but maybe thats just people who need to lose alot of weight, lose a lot fast

[Exquisite5]

Well tomorrow I start...1/5/02..I'm a 5 klub in the first sorority so I guess this is my day. I'm nervous and excited, but determined. Any other sister friends in this quest please feel free to email me, having a virtual friend to support and support me would be awesome. So here is my before-I-start report. I am 5'3'', 137 lbs and hoping to get down to 120. I was 125 at the start of college, but I was an athlete.

HERE I GO!!!

And here a few words of wisdom for others on the cruise to lose!

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:11

And for those well on their way and almost there,

"Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anyting." James1:4

[PKTSU01]

A few words of advice for you Gcers out there in diet land.

I've done the diet/weight/aero/trying to get ripped thing since i was a junior in high school, so I've pretty much gotten this down to simple math, which is all it is really. So, a few tips to dropping a few lbs.

First. THROW OUT THE SCALE!

I know once we start dieting, the numbers on that thing can motivate us or make us crash. The problem is, if you start doing weights, the number will actually go UP for a bit as you start gaining muscle. This normally crashes motivation and has 90% of people quit a diet and training program in less than a few weeks. Only weigh yourself every 2 or 3 weeks to get a general range. You'd be surprised, but liquid consumption and sodium retention can easily make you gain or drop 5 lbs in a day.

Second. More specifically for the ladies.

if you want to develop shape and curves instead of just looking thin and scrawny, weights are a MUST. Please don't make the mistake that most girls do in thinking that weights will bulk you up.

For reference sake. Next time you go to the gym, take a quick look in the aerobic equipment section, where 90% of the girls in the gym will be. Then go to the weight section and look at the girls training there. I'm willing to bet that you will find the girls with the better bodies actually using the weights, not avoiding them.

Seeing as some of ya'll are concerned with the overdevelopment of the booty, stay away from machines and excersizes that will develop it. So, don't go heavy on squats or ballistic on the stairmaster. You may very well become bootylicious, but your butt might also pop the seams on your jeans if you know what I'm saying. Good exercises for the legs are lunges, stiff legged deadlifts, and light high rep squats. Oh, and if you have one in your gym, go for the nautilus machine, its an ass blaster as well.

Oh and, another frequent thing i hear ladies wondering about in the gym is chest excersizes. Let me dispel another myth. NO, your chest will NOT transform into flat slabs of muscle. However, toning the muscle underneath the fatty tissue WILL errr...pick them up and push them out a bit. Visualize it and you'll know what I mean.

With aero, don't go overboard or you'll burn out physically and mentally. Aim for 30-40 minutes 5 or 6 days a week. Preferably pre breakfast so all your body has to burn is fat, seeing as the glycogen (essentially bloodsugar) from your liver is dissapated by the time you wake up. Don't worry if you can't hit 5 or 6 days, 3 is better than most people will do anyways and besides, aerobics won't condition you up as much as...

The third and most important element, the diet.

The problem with a diet is that most people view it as a bad thing. All a diet is is modification and replanning of caloric intake. it's that simple. There's no magic to it, it's all discipline and breaking bad eating habits by replacing them with good ones. General guidelines. Eat at least .5 gram protein per pound of bodyweight. So, you're 150, take in 75 grams a day. And even that is pretty low. Personally I stick to 1 gram per pound. its easier to keep track of.

Carbs are not bad, just eat them early and immediately post workout so your body can actually use the sugar to create energy for your body to carry the amino acids from the protein to your broken down muscle tissue. Also, get at least 30 -40 grams of protein within an hour of working out. Working out is pointless if you don't give your body fuel to repair with afterwards. Also, try to cut down on carbs as the day goes on. Especially don't load up on them for dinner, unless you're hitting the gym afterwards. This can KILL your efforts, even if the carbs are low fat, they'll still equivilate to unused sugar, which will accumulate the lbs.

if your'e counting calories. DON'T. Just go by percentages. According to most "experts" in the field, the ideal ratio of carb/protein/fat is 40/30/30. That's decent, but I shoot for a 45/35/20, especially when dieting down. These are total percentages of daily calories. If you eat 2,000 calories a day for example, you would apply the percentage to those calories when trying to figure out what to eat. if ya don't know how many calories you need, figure around 12 per pund to maintain weight and 10 per pound if you want to lose weight. But never ever go below the 1400 threshold, even if your'e like 100 lbs cause first... you won't even have enough calories to function properly and will go catabolic (bad situation). Second, if your'e 100 lbs, your ass doesn't need to be on a diet anyway!

Hmm, lets see, what else...oh yeah. Invest in a decent multivitamin. Drink 1 oz. of water per pound you weigh and 8 oz. per 15 minutes you work out. Xenadrine and pretty much every other caffiene/ephedra supplement thats out there are effective, just don't overdo it. Guys should also stay away from the androstenione (sp?) or any other anabolic steroid, but, I don't even need to tell ya that.

In general though, with the dieting. Realize that you are not going to be perfect with it, and you will mess up and have cookie once in a while, but thats fine, because your body responds to weeks and weeks of training and good care, not the 2 minutes in which you down a few snacks, it doens't work like that.

And hell, i'm bored typing, so you must be blasted from reading this far. i hope it was helpful. Good luck everyone!

[lovelyivy84]

I was going to post something on the subject, but damn you said it all.

I guess I'll just co-sign! I agree with almost everything you said, although I will point out that the ideal time to work out is....

whenever you can!

If you can fit it in at night after the kids go to bed, coo
If you can fit it in at 6 am before work, coo
If you fit it in on your lunch hour, coo

and also don't underestimate the importance of drinking water! 64 oz a day!

And MOST IMPORTANT

love yourself! Do this because you care about your body and what you put in it. Do it because you love the inner self and want to see it reflected outwardly, WHATEVER that image of self may be. Don't do it because you think that guys will like you more, or your relatives will stop talking about you (you know damn well they'll just find something else to say bout you "oh now she all skinny, that heffa think she cute").

Originally posted by PKTSU01
A few words of advice for you Gcers out there in diet land.

I've done the diet/weight/aero/trying to get ripped thing since i was a junior in high school, so I've pretty much gotten this down to simple math, which is all it is really. So, a few tips to dropping a few lbs.

First. THROW OUT THE SCALE!

I know once we start dieting, the numbers on that thing can motivate us or make us crash. The problem is, if you start doing weights, the number will actually go UP for a bit as you start gaining muscle. This normally crashes motivation and has 90% of people quit a diet and training program in less than a few weeks. Only weigh yourself every 2 or 3 weeks to get a general range. You'd be surprised, but liquid consumption and sodium retention can easily make you gain or drop 5 lbs in a day.

Second. More specifically for the ladies.

if you want to develop shape and curves instead of just looking thin and scrawny, weights are a MUST. Please don't make the mistake that most girls do in thinking that weights will bulk you up.

For reference sake. Next time you go to the gym, take a quick look in the aerobic equipment section, where 90% of the girls in the gym will be. Then go to the weight section and look at the girls training there. I'm willing to bet that you will find the girls with the better bodies actually using the weights, not avoiding them.

Seeing as some of ya'll are concerned with the overdevelopment of the booty, stay away from machines and excersizes that will develop it. So, don't go heavy on squats or ballistic on the stairmaster. You may very well become bootylicious, but your butt might also pop the seams on your jeans if you know what I'm saying. Good exercises for the legs are lunges, stiff legged deadlifts, and light high rep squats. Oh, and if you have one in your gym, go for the nautilus machine, its an ass blaster as well.

Oh and, another frequent thing i hear ladies wondering about in the gym is chest excersizes. Let me dispel another myth. NO, your chest will NOT transform into flat slabs of muscle. However, toning the muscle underneath the fatty tissue WILL errr...pick them up and push them out a bit. Visualize it and you'll know what I mean.

With aero, don't go overboard or you'll burn out physically and mentally. Aim for 30-40 minutes 5 or 6 days a week. Preferably pre breakfast so all your body has to burn is fat, seeing as the glycogen (essentially bloodsugar) from your liver is dissapated by the time you wake up. Don't worry if you can't hit 5 or 6 days, 3 is better than most people will do anyways and besides, aerobics won't condition you up as much as...

The third and most important element, the diet.

The problem with a diet is that most people view it as a bad thing. All a diet is is modification and replanning of caloric intake. it's that simple. There's no magic to it, it's all discipline and breaking bad eating habits by replacing them with good ones. General guidelines. Eat at least .5 gram protein per pound of bodyweight. So, you're 150, take in 75 grams a day. And even that is pretty low. Personally I stick to 1 gram per pound. its easier to keep track of.

Carbs are not bad, just eat them early and immediately post workout so your body can actually use the sugar to create energy for your body to carry the amino acids from the protein to your broken down muscle tissue. Also, get at least 30 -40 grams of protein within an hour of working out. Working out is pointless if you don't give your body fuel to repair with afterwards. Also, try to cut down on carbs as the day goes on. Especially don't load up on them for dinner, unless you're hitting the gym afterwards. This can KILL your efforts, even if the carbs are low fat, they'll still equivilate to unused sugar, which will accumulate the lbs.

if your'e counting calories. DON'T. Just go by percentages. According to most "experts" in the field, the ideal ratio of carb/protein/fat is 40/30/30. That's decent, but I shoot for a 45/35/20, especially when dieting down. These are total percentages of daily calories. If you eat 2,000 calories a day for example, you would apply the percentage to those calories when trying to figure out what to eat. if ya don't know how many calories you need, figure around 12 per pund to maintain weight and 10 per pound if you want to lose weight. But never ever go below the 1400 threshold, even if your'e like 100 lbs cause first... you won't even have enough calories to function properly and will go catabolic (bad situation). Second, if your'e 100 lbs, your ass doesn't need to be on a diet anyway!

Hmm, lets see, what else...oh yeah. Invest in a decent multivitamin. Drink 1 oz. of water per pound you weigh and 8 oz. per 15 minutes you work out. Xenadrine and pretty much every other caffiene/ephedra supplement thats out there are effective, just don't overdo it. Guys should also stay away from the androstenione (sp?) or any other anabolic steroid, but, I don't even need to tell ya that.

In general though, with the dieting. Realize that you are not going to be perfect with it, and you will mess up and have cookie once in a while, but thats fine, because your body responds to weeks and weeks of training and good care, not the 2 minutes in which you down a few snacks, it doens't work like that.

And hell, i'm bored typing, so you must be blasted from reading this far. i hope it was helpful. Good luck everyone!

[thesweetestone]

I really need to lose the fat around my stomach. Can anyone recommend some ab videos.

[Honeykiss1974]

Originally posted by PKTSU01
Drink 1 oz. of water per pound you weigh and 8 oz. per 15 minutes you work out.

DAGGGGG!!!!!!!!!! 1 oz. per pound you weigh??? I guess I will be drinking water 24/7!!
Seriously, though thanks for the tips!
i have been eating healthy and losing weight. One thing that has helped me was finding "alternatives" to someof my favorite foods. For example, I have switched to soy products (milk, cheese, meat, etc.). Not only do I get a boost of calcium, but they also contain way less fat, carbs, and sodium. And they taste really good. For example, on those days when I just HAVE to have a cheeseburger, I can (thanks to the soy burgers and soy cheese) without feeling too guilty. And before anyone belives thinks that soy meat will taste nasty, you've probably already had it and just didn't know.

McDonalds uses soy meat in their burgers.

[lovelyivy84]

Originally posted by thesweetestone
I really need to lose the fat around my stomach. Can anyone recommend some ab videos.

Spot toning (specifically toning one area) doesn't work unless you are really skinny to begin with. If you want to lose fat around the middle then you will have to increase your cardiovascular exercise first, then worry about doing ab exercises.

[lovelyivy84]

Originally posted by Honeykiss1974


DAGGGGG!!!!!!!!!! 1 oz. per pound you weigh??? I guess I will be drinking water 24/7!!
Seriously, though thanks for the tips!
i have been eating healthy and losing weight. One thing that has helped me was finding "alternatives" to someof my favorite foods. For example, I have switched to soy products (milk, cheese, meat, etc.). Not only do I get a boost of calcium, but they also contain way less fat, carbs, and sodium. And they taste really good. For example, on those days when I just HAVE to have a cheeseburger, I can (thanks to the soy burgers and soy cheese) without feeling too guilty. And before anyone belives thinks that soy meat will taste nasty, you've probably already had it and just didn't know.

McDonalds uses soy meat in their burgers.

I just let it go at 10 glasses of water a day. More than that and I would start floatin, lol.

I eat a lot of soy products too, and people really don't understand how much you can do with it! My mother is vegan and has found AMAZING ways to cook tofu and gluten, not to mention tempeh that have my mouth watering.

But to be honest, when I want a cheeseburger, I go to Mickey D's and have a small one plain. It's like 300 calories for Pete's sake! Just work around it- don't have fries maybe, have a salad with it instead. You can work almost anything into your diet if you control your portions.

[thesweetestone]

I heard Apple Cider Vinegar can you lose weight. Does anyone know?