working out

[NewClassic_v1legacy]

Stop eating. I'm serious. Eat maybe 1 meal a day, and you'll lose weight.

This is bad advice. Getting used to lower meals a day will train your body to do two things:
1. Store all of the fat it can from any meal you give it, almost guaranteeing any light exercise like walking or daily tasks won't burn any fat at all unless you do it for very extended periods. Essentially, it's training your body to store more fat and prevent it from being burned unless it absolutely has to.
2. Lower it's natural metabolism. People don't believe me when I say I eat like a cow, and it's because I'm so skinny. The reason I eat like that is because I have a metabolism that's made for it. If I keep eating, but stop exercising. I'll get flabby instead of muscular, but continue to burn the calories. If you want to go the starvation route, the Atkins "works," but is a really bad kinda diet to get used to. High fats and proteins could do some bad stuff to you if you do it for too long, but it will make you skinny.

Instead, here's how I keep my metabolism up and maintain the weight I have.
1. Eat many smaller meals. Don't pig out on any meal, but eat several times a day. At first, you'll naturally gain weight, but if you work at this, you'll build a metabolism, which you can stabilize by eating larger, fewer meals. It means you'll be hungry when you want to eat, and that your body will make efforts to burn the fat you take in.
2. Exercise. It doesn't have to be power gyming for an hour a day, just do more exercise. Make little decisions, like taking stairs instead of elevators, a light jog/power-walk instead of a slow pace, or even just devoting some time to a gym if that's what you feel up to. A lot of changes come from the small decisions. Make your body work harder, even when slightly idle, and the natural result is the burning of calories increased compared to a more idle lifestyle.
3. Minimize stress. Stress can play havoc on your body, largely psychologically. But you get tired more easily, feel less hungry, and generally are of a more unpleasant disposition. Essentially, take steps to relax every day, even if it's just settling down for a 15 minute power-nap during your lunch break, so you can some guaranteed relax-time in the middle of your day.
4. Like ninjablu said, pay attention. Your body sends all kinds of signals. Pay attention to them. Health is a natural thing, which is why it feels good to sleep a certain amount of time, or eat when you're hungry. If you listen to your body, it will help regulate you naturally, you just have to pay attention. (Although this is more general health, it also applies to body weight.)

EDIT

i'm a personal trainer, so here's a few pointers.

start off each morning with at least 20-30 grams of protein in the morning. eat 5 to 6 small meals a day. make your diet consists of 60% protein 20% fat 20% carbs. imagine your body as a fat burning furnace, if you feed a furnace only once a day the fire will go out. the continuing healthy feeding of it will keep it burning at full speed. you can take caffeine supplements to help with fat loss, along with green tea for the egcg. do cardio in the morning when your body burns fat faster, then lift or do isometric exercises(if not going to a gym) lifting/exercising in the afternoon keeps your metabolic rate up. ofcourse the most important is to create a calorie deficit, start by making the small changes at first, it will make a full transition in a healthy lifestyle much easier.

Having never gone to a personal trainer or researched my methods, I'm surprised I'm so close to what a professional has to say on the subject. So, take it as a word from two guys who have some luck in what they do, and practice good judgment.

 

[crimson5pheonix]

I should actually say this, I don't starve myself. I cycle between not eating and eating everything in the house. My metabolism is whacked out and I don't know why. But for me at least, going through either cycle my weight never changes.

 

[geddydisciple]

Diet wise you should eat about 6 SMALL meals a day, it keeps your metbolism running throughout the day and you store less fat.
Excersise wise you should get your heart rate up for at least 20 min a day 3 days a week. but you will see better results if you excercise alot more often than only 3 times a week. if i remember the equation your optimal heart rate while excercising will be 60%-80% of 200 minus your age. remember cooldowns and stretching are very important! I like to alternate between biking,running, and swimming so i don't get bored.
Muscle also helps to burn fat so if you want to look toned but can't go to the gym try body weight excercises like pushups, situps/crunches, squats, lunges, and diamond pushups.

 

[crimsondynamics]

There are a few good recommendations here but it normally boils down a combination of exercise, controlling what you eat, the frequency in which you eat, and the amount that you eat. These are all lifestyle changes you have to make before you will see any results.

Losing weight is easy, and there is no secret to it - just the knowledge that you have to burn more calories than what you ingest.

 

[Milford Cubicle]

Since my girlfriend gave birth to our son, I've had to stop drinking. Since I stopped drinking I have lost almost a stone and a half (20lbs). Like crimsondynamics said, it's just a matter of burning more calories than you take in. In my case, I already did a lot of exercise, but because I drank a bit more than I should, I found it difficult to shed any weight.

 

[PatientGrasshopper]

Eat several small meals throughout the day rather than 3 large ones, it will get your metabolism going. Do some running, or lift some boxes.

 

[tijuanatim]

Eat healthier and move more it's the tried and true system.

You win this thread

Seriously though, Jeigan has given you the best advice I've seen so far...

 

[Lord George]

Just do the occasional bit of light exercise like going for a swim or a light jog occasionally a drink a lot of water during the day which will keep you from snacking as much good way to get fit

 

[Milford Cubicle]

For getting rid of a stomach, I reccomend crunches and push-ups, both of which can be done in your bedroom. Then again, with you going into your room for an hour, followed by a lot of grunting, and coming out sweaty and red-faced, you might want to try to explain yourself first.

Doing crunches and push-ups won't get rid of your flabby stomach on their own. It will just build your muscles underneath your flab. You'll still need to eat properly and exercise.

 

[bkd69]

start off each morning with at least 20-30 grams of protein in the morning. eat 5 to 6 small meals a day. make your diet consists of 60% protein 20% fat 20% carbs. imagine your body as a fat burning furnace, if you feed a furnace only once a day the fire will go out. the continuing healthy feeding of it will keep it burning at full speed. you can take caffeine supplements to help with fat loss, along with green tea for the egcg. do cardio in the morning when your body burns fat faster, then lift or do isometric exercises(if not going to a gym) lifting/exercising in the afternoon keeps your metabolic rate up. ofcourse the most important is to create a calorie deficit, start by making the small changes at first, it will make a full transition in a healthy lifestyle much easier.

Wow. That's far more work than I put into my meal planning.

There are a few good recommendations here but it normally boils down a combination of exercise, controlling what you eat, the frequency in which you eat, and the amount that you eat. These are all lifestyle changes you have to make before you will see any results.

Losing weight is easy, and there is no secret to it - just the knowledge that you have to burn more calories than what you ingest.

Umm, what he said.
It all comes down to calories in and calories out.

The US government recommendations are based on a 2,000 calorie/day diet.
MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) are budgeted at 2,500 calories, and the Army budgets 2/day as well as a hot breakfast for soldiers in the field, which is more than 5,000 calories/day.
The life extension by calorie restriction people maintain a 600-700 calorie/day budget.

Here's the way I figure calorie budgets:
600-800: life extension extremists
1200-1500: your average chairbound american
2000-3000: Moderately active labor, soldiers in garrison
3000-5000: Heavy labor, pro low calorie athletes, pro high calorie athletes in the off season, soldiers in the field
5000+: high calorie athletes

I'm 5'8", 175lbs, down from 225lbs, and I budget myself at 1200-1500 calories/day.

First off is knowing what you're burning, and what you're eating. A site like fitday:
http://www.fitday.com/
will help you keep track of things.

Let's start with the eating side of the equation, since that's where we spend most of our time. Start reading the labels on the food you buy. Note the nutritional content as well as calorie count, and especially the serving size. Obey the serving size. Use measuring cups and measuring spoons. It's not about quantity, as much as precision. It also works in the macro, as well as the micro. One of my favorite foods is peanut butter, and gourmet foodie that I am, I of course prefer the all natural style over the processed style. Now, the all natural peanut butters all come in a one pound jar, the serving size is two tablespoons, and there are ten servings per jar. That means one jar should last me two weeks (M-F). If I finish it before two weeks, well, so be it, I have to wait till the end of the second week to replace it.

All the big national restaurant chains have pamphlets with the calorie counts of their menus. Get them, read them. The information is also usually on their websites, and often posted on the wall in the restaurants. Biggest surprise? Dunkin' Donuts. The doughnuts range from 250-325 calories. The croissant, 350. Munchkins, 60-80. But the french cruller is only 150 calories, what with it being mostly air and all. Oh, and the whipped cream on your fat coffee from Starbucks or whatever your java joint of choice? +100 calories.

Breakfast cereal? If that's your bag, there's only about a 50 calorie difference between the 'good' cereal and the sweet stuff. That being said, there's no reason to take that 50 calorie hit until you've been active for at least 6 months, and have upped your daily calorie burn to something a bit higher than at present. The serving size for cereal (except granola and muesli, which are a half cup) is 1 cup, use the measuring cup to measure it. Also, while absolutely worthless in coffee, skim milk is just fine over cereal, as are soy milk or rice milk, if you're so inclined. Read the nutritional labels on the side to see if the calorie count and nutritional load fit your diet.

Soda bad. Soda Bad. SODA BAD. Unsweetened iced tea is better. Seltzer is groovy too. If you really want soda, drink diet. I know it doesn't taste the same, but really, is that natural lemon lime flavor of Mountain Dew really that dependent on the high fructose corn syrup? You can also make KoolAid with bulk Splenda, or other low calorie sweetener of choice, and there are now singles packs, which are tiny envelopes of low calorie beverage powders which have just enough powder for a bottle of water.

Use smaller plates. No, really. The 9 inch dinner plate is insane. Try a six inch cake plate instead. And if you want seconds, wait 20 minutes. Eat vegetables first, then meat, then starchy side. No seconds on starches. Yet.

Later on, after you're employed, you might want to think about a kitchen scale

Now to the other side of equation, calories burned.

First, get yourself a pedometer with calorie counter. They're dirt cheap. Occasionally woot! has a heart rate monitor available for cheap, but if they don't, it can wait until after you're employed. Calorie counting is going to be the main way you keep score. And there's always the pause and take your pulse method. But certainly the pedometer is cheap and available enough for immediate acquisition.

Now, what to do to get your burn rate up without a gym.

Well, as mentioned, there's DDR, as well as Kinetics. Also check out wout DVDs. Even moreso than pornos, exercise DVDs have really leveraged the features available in the format, so you can do things like make custom workouts, and turn the talking on and off. The key is variety. If you do the same thing day after day, you'll quit.

Another thing you can do is shovelglove:
http://www.shovelglove.com/

Further advice from cracked.com:
http://www.cracked.com/article_16708_6-your-favorite-things-that-are-secretly-making-you-fat.html

Some links:
http://delicious.com/bkd69/fitness
http://delicious.com/bkd69/exercise

 

[Murrah]

I used to be really fat. I used to weight about 13 stones and after 8 months or maybe a year I lost 3 stones and now I'm aiming for 9 stones. All I did was to eat healthy foods, however, sometimes I do naughty things. Not in a sexual way So yeah, I'm not pretty proud of myself.

 

[cleverlymadeup]

if you want to get in a bit better shape for the gym, do situps and push ups

there tons of good exercises you can find on the web, look for stretching and muscle gaining exercises