Exercise

[Jinx]

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[Jiro]

Aside from my track training, I only do bodyweight stuff like squats and pushups etc. I desperately need to get to a gym in order to further progress my training but I don't have the time nor the funds to do this effectively. I'm actually going to be absolutely no help when it comes to what to do for your goals though. I just know how to make you run faster.

[Pant Leg Eater from the Bad World]

Stop eating. Completely.
Run. Everywhere.

[Hollycat]

I just do a lot of lifting and walking, not much else.

My number one suggestion for losing weight is to drop any and all sodas and bagels, and replace them with water.
I know the bagel thing sounds kind of random, but trust me. I dropped ten pounds in a week and a half after dropping bagels and soda.

[Jinx]

I hardly ever eat bagels. x) But it's less random than you'd think--bagels are all carbs, basically, and carbs turn to sugar/glucose in your body.

I actually don't drink much soda. Maybe one soda a week. I drink almost all water.

[Bunny]

Take up krav maga.

[Hollycat]

Take up krav maga.

Best Suggestion right there.

[Futan]

It's not what you eat but how much you eat. American portions are absurd compared to most other countries. Just knowing when to call it quits actually will help you lose a lot.

[Cuchulainn]

losing weight it 70% diet. it's tricky as unhealthy food is all the nice food. smurf leafs and nuts and berries,

[Slothy]

I hardly ever eat bagels. x) But it's less random than you'd think--bagels are all carbs, basically, and carbs turn to sugar/glucose in your body.

Marry me?

But seriously, lose any breads or other grains, sugars and starches. Some people can handle stuff like rice or potatoes, but many can't and if you gained a bunch of weight then more likely than not you're in the latter category. You can try cutting one at a time if you'd like to see what has the biggest impact though.

Eat more meat, vegetables, some fruit (not too much for the same reasons you want to pass on sugar), nuts, seeds and oils. Get the carbs sub 100g a day. Go even lower if you can. It's not hard and you can actually eat a ridiculous amount of vegetables and stay under 100g of carbs, especially if you're going with the leafier green kind of vegetables mostly. Stuff like carrots are actually higher in sugar than you'd think and less ideal.

Protein and fat are your friends. Eat until you're full, but don't be afraid to have generous helpings of both of those to get there. They also have the side benefit of being tasty as all get out.

For workouts, anything that has you building strength and muscle will be beneficial. Generally more so than just cardio, though high intensity can decrease insulin resistance and help you lose weight more quickly. Stuff like swimming is good. Weight lifting as well. If you can find someone to teach you proper squat technique and spot you then you're golden. If you can't fix it with squats then you're probably going to die.

It's not what you eat but how much you eat. American portions are absurd compared to most other countries. Just knowing when to call it quits actually will help you lose a lot.

Couldn't disagree more. What you eat is vastly more important than how much. Sure, eating too much of anything is probably going to make you gain weight. But try over eating with a diet based on meat and veggies. Eating the wrong foods is just going to leave you tired and hungry two hours later so you'll eat more even if you don't want to, whereas someone eating the right foods can go hours in between meals of reasonable size. It's part of why people who simply eat the same trout but cut calories will almost inevitably crack and start eating more again. Not to mention if you don't eat enough of the right foods to actually fuel your body you're more likely to slow weight loss than encourage it.

[Lonely Paper Star]

A few years ago, I lost 20lbs by running 1-2 miles twice a week and eating better. It wasn't a rigorous diet or exercise regimen, so it took about four months. Well, I lost motivation in the end, so I gained some of that back. -____- ... but now I've been running some and eating less. I also got back into fencing.

And yeah, the portions here in the U.S. are huuuge. I usually skip combo meals and get smaller sizes. But I try not to eat out too often.

I'm having trouble dropping alcohol out of my diet, though. D;

[NorthernChaosGod]

Diet is obviously a large component, stick to what advice has already been given. I'd listen pretty damn closely to Vivi on that one.

As for actual exercise, I would say to minimize your steady cardio unless it's swimming and throw in some HIIT. For weight lifting the best thing to do would be as many heavy, compound lifts as you can manage. If you have access to the equipment of course. Starting Strength would be a good place to start since it's a few lifts to get you used to the forms and build up a good base level of muscle. And if you follow the advice for finding your starting weight, you shouldn't really need too much help from a spotter for a couple of weeks if you watch videos on how to do the lifts properly.

[Faris]

I barely had the money for it but I joined a gym and got a personal trainer. Having someone to report to really helped me change my diet (especially since the first one I had and I became good friends). Top diet advice: Eat breakfast including protein, replace soda for water, drink over 1L of water per day no matter how many extra trips to the bathroom you will have to make, and have about 5-6 small meals per day.

The other reason why I paid for a personal trainer was because I have no idea how to use weight lifting equipment or what kind of exercises to do and doing it wrong would make me even more prone to back injuries.

[Slothy]

and have about 5-6 small meals per day.

A lot of people recommend 5-6 meals a day, but as far as I'm concerned it's a matter of doing what works for you. I used to do this (2 of my 5 meals were more snacks than meals though), but honestly found eating that often a pain. I switched to three bigger meals and had no issues. Just eat until your satisfied and let the number of meals fall out of that is my take on it. Some people prefer more, others less. But there's no real reason to force yourself into one or the other. If you aren't hungry, you probably don't need to eat. That simple.

And I didn't explicitly say it before, but when I say focus on meat, veggies, nuts, seeds and oils (in other words, fats), have some of each at every meal. No exceptions. Although if you're going to skip one, carbs are the easiest to pass over without any adverse effects.

[NorthernChaosGod]

Yeah, that isn't even any solid evidence for eating more than three meals a day anyway. I'd say eat however many meals you want as long as you're getting your macros and meeting your caloric needs.