so i'm 5'4" 140lbs and 23.. i'm thin/average on my legs, arms, face, and am very top heavy (36DD).. i tried the whole exercising and eating healthy thing (took in about 1500 calories while burning about 2000 a day through cardio).. i tried a combo of diet pills, change in diet (watching calories, fat, and nutritional info- through fitday.com, which is a great site btw), and exercising.. as well as a multivitamin and b-12 to help out my metabolism.. and i still just maintain my weight.. is there anything i can do as a surefire way to lose 15 lbs? 5 years ago, i went on the atkins diet (i know there is a lot of controversy relating to its health issues now).. i lost 40 lbs.. and only gained 10 back since.. that seemed to be the only thing that worked for me.. but now i still have a lot of loose skin covering considerable less, but still noticable, amounts of fat.. i know people say to just tone it up, but how?? i'm one of those people with such little time to go work out because i'm a full time student and have a full time job. i just get so exhausted. if i knew something would work, i'd be willing to make time somehow though.. it just seems like a waste when nothing else in my past has worked.. any help would be greatly appreciated.. i have thought about body wraps, lipo, etc.. but i know its doable without that if i put the work into it.. so i want to try.. also, i have some back problems, so sometimes a lot of exercise really gets me sore.. anyone tried callanetics and get the amazing results they claim?thanks!ps. Helmsman- I have been on afraidtoask for a while now, and you always seem to have some good advice. i know you're somewhat of a healthnut when it comes to working out and all that.. why am i not losing weight? what can i do? i thought you'd have an answer..
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Frustrated!!
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(took in about 1500 calories while burning about 2000 a day through cardio)It's just physically not possible that you could do that and not lose weight. It is possible that your metabolism slowed down when you restricted your caloric intake, so you were burning fewer calories than you think you were. That's where exercise comes in: the number of calories you burn while working out is small (although every little bit helps), but the effect on your metabolism can be big. Aerobic exercise would be ideal, but I've found that even non-aerobic exercise can be helpful.Even walking a couple of miles a day is far, far better than not doing any exercise at all. It's something you really should make the time for. You can do it at lunch time, after you eat your healthy meal containing plenty of fruit and vegetables (which the Atkins diet does not stress enough; I'm not a big believer in low-carb diets, but there are healthier ones than Atkins).Forget about wraps and such. They won't have any effect on the fat cells in your body.As HelsmaN recently said here, "[T]o lose fat, you need to expend more calories than you consume. Simple [as that]."
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What does your diet look like exactly? Are you consuming carbs after 3pm? Do you eat saturated fats? If you're not losing weight, I'd suggest to continue what you're doing and gradually cut the number of calories your consuming by 100 each week until you start losing weight. Then stay on that amount till you reach the desired weight.Congradulations on losing the 40lb (well, 30lb now) by the way, that's a huge effort.
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Congradulations on losing the 40lb (well, 30lb now) by the way, that's a huge effort.Yes, absolutely.
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Body wraps, while expensive, do work. I've seen the results with my wife.To remove fat? No way. If they lead to (non-water) weight loss, then you've found something like a perpetual motion machine.
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something aobut impurities and toxins being drawn from the tissue after being wrapped in gauze (dipped in some solution)
Yeaaahhh, OK. I'm sure there was some magic pixie dust dissolved in the solution (or does she actually know what chemicals she was soaking in?)I presume she didn't lose any weight. And nothing you soak in will firm you up for any length of time. On the other hand, exercising for an hour might have some effect.
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first off, thank you for all the replies!! has anyone here heard of the "ddr diet" ?? its doesnt have anything to do with dieting per say, but its actually using an interactive video game for exercising.. it can get pretty intense if you are in the higher levels.. its like aerobics for the gamer.. when i had the time, i was doing ddr (dance dance revolution) on the second highest level for about 2 hours a day, and went running for 30 minutes every few days.. or i'd go to the gym and hit the ellipticals..anyway, my doctor said i should get to 125.. and i'd like to do it for myself anyway.. i'm not one of those girls who are into the whole "be a skinny model" type.. i like some meat on my bones.. but i'd just prefer for it to be more toned muscle than fat.. but i want to get down to and stay at about 125 lbs.. which will be hard if i want more muscle...at my thinnest, i was 128 with 18% body fat (i heard women should be 17-21%.. is that right?).. as far as diet goes, i would consume whatever food i wanted as long as i kept it around 1500 caolories a day, and would try to eat most of my carbs in the morning.. occasionally i did eat more at night, but i generally only did that if i was extremely low on calories in the earlier part of the day. i would also watch my cholesterol (my doc said it was just below being high) and keep fats as low as possible while still allowing them in my diet (although i love milk, i try to drink fatfree or at least 1%).. and i love fruits and veggies!! i made sure to abuse my favorites (broccoli, carrots, oranges, tomatoes, strawberries, and green beans)...maybe you're right, steve_a... think my metabolism could have slowed down a lot more bc i just randomly started this whole thing one day?? and i don't know if it matters, but what the hell- i usually only have bowel movements every 3 days or so.. and i heard body wraps don't do anything for the fat, just for the skin.. it makes it appear smoother and tighter while fighting water retention.. its usually recommended after losing weight..okay.. well i'm off to exercise now. im motivated. lol
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Quote:and i heard body wraps don't do anything for the fat, just for the skin.. it makes it appear smoother and tighter while fighting water retention.. its usually recommended after losing weight..I'll buy that.If you're thinking of trying an actual diet, it should be one that you can stay on for the rest of your life, without being miserable. It's good that you are into fruits and veggies.Exercise is the only way to tone your muscles, as you know. But exercise also has other good effects on your body and metabolism. It's just plain good for you.As far as your cholesterol level it concerned, the ratio between HDLs and LDLs is more important than the actual number. The higher the HDL, the better. (Triglyceride level is also important.) Eating monounsaturated fats, like olive oil, is helpful. Eating cookies and cakes is not.Good luck with the exercise plan. Once you start doing it, it kind of grows on you. Working out with someone else also helps with the motivation.