I want to lose weight, what now?

Question

Someone has made the decision to start losing weight today. The person should choose a diet program and a sport maybe.

• How to choose the best diet program for ourselves?
• Are there other things one should consider?

Answer 1

I decided to loose weight about 3 months ago as I had put on about 8 kgs over the past three years. In that period, I started working from home and was very time poor and highly stressed, the results of which was that I started snacking a lot and doing no exercise.

My strategy was simply:

• to minimise the snacks
• reduce junk food to a minimum required to keep my sanity
• reduce alcohol consumption
• start running

I chose running as an exercise as I am still very time poor and it seems to offer the best bang for buck. I can now do a 12K run in about 1:15 and burn about 1100 calories.

I started with short runs (6Ks) and have built up to longer runs. I now try to run between 30 and 40 Ks a week, usually three 12K runs though sometimes a mix in shorter or longer runs to build speed or endurance.

Before each run, I record my weight in an Excel spreadsheet so that I can track my progress. In the past two months, I have dropped 4 kgs at a fairly consistent rate.

My wife also started trying to lose weight at the same time. She uses a similar strategy but also tracks her calorie intake, attempting to limit herself to 1200 calories a day. If she does the same run as me at the same speed, she burns about 60% of the calories so she has to compensate by running further. She uses a Ipod+Nike thing to track her progress.

I could not be bothered counting calories but I do take notice of which foods seem unusably high. Croissants, for example, are way high in calories so I tend to avoid them now.

We did not really change our diet much, but I think we had a fairly healthy diet anyway.

At this rate, I should be able to attain my weight loss gains by the end of summer, then drop down the runs over winter to maintain the same weight.

Answer 2

You'd need two things more than others:

• Diet : Choose a diet which meets your needs the most. I found an interesting article on "Choosing a diet that's right for you", here's a summary of it:

• [...]Think about these factors:
  Past diets. Think about diets you may have tried before. What did you like or dislike about them? Were you able to follow the diet? What worked or didn't work for you on this diet? How did you feel physically and emotionally while on the diet?
  Personality. Do you prefer to diet on your own, or do you like getting support from a group? If you like group support, do you prefer online support or in-person meetings?
  Budget. Some weight-loss programs require you to buy supplements or meals, or to visit weight-loss clinics or attend support meetings. Does the cost of such programs fit your budget?
  Special needs. Do you have a health condition, such as diabetes, heart disease or allergies? Do you have specific cultural or ethnic requirements or preferences when it comes to food? These are important factors that should help determine which diet you choose.

• For a safe and effective weight-loss approach, look for these features:
  Flexibility. Look for a plan that doesn't forbid certain foods or food groups but instead includes a variety of foods from all the major food groups. A healthy diet includes vegetables and fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, lean protein sources, and nuts and seeds — and even an occasional sweet indulgence.
  Balanced nutrition. A weight-loss plan should include proper amounts of nutrients and calories for your individual situation. Diets that direct you to eat large quantities of certain foods, such as grapefruit or meat, that drastically cut calories, or that eliminate entire food groups, such as carbohydrates, may result in nutritional problems, even if you take vitamins or supplements.
  Enjoyment. A diet should include foods you like and that you would enjoy eating for the rest of your life — not just for several weeks or months. If you don't like the diet, if it's overly restrictive or if it becomes boring, you're probably not going to stick to it. Availability. If a diet plan doesn't feature foods that you can easily find in your local grocery store, it may be harder to follow.
  Physical activity. Every weight-loss program should include recommendations to increase physical activity. Exercise plus calorie restriction can help give you the weight-loss edge. Exercise also offers numerous health benefits, including boosting your mood, strengthening your cardiovascular system and reducing your blood pressure. And exercise is the most important factor in maintaining weight loss. Studies show that people who maintain their weight loss over the long term get regular physical activity. Steady pace. A slow and steady approach is easier to maintain and usually beats out fast weight loss for the long term. A weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds a week is the typical recommendation. In some situations, faster weight loss can be safe if it's done the right way — such as a very low calorie diet with medical supervision, or during a brief quick-start phase of a healthy-eating plan that offers lots of healthy and safe strategies at once.

Here's a list of latest diets: The latest diets and diet plan reviews

• Daily exercise: Adding 15 minutes of moderate exercise, say walking one mile, to your daily schedule, for example. ^{source: Exercise and weight control}

That's it. The thing is, you need to make the decision. And keep in mind:

A weight loss plan only works if you stay with it.

Answer 3

With my full heart I recommend the "Tao of balanced diet, secrets of a thin and healthy body" by Dr. Stephen T. Chang.

This book not only shows you how to prepare simple and yet well balanced, nutritious and tasty dishes (treats, actually) but it revelas an entirely new look on nutritionism.

There are also exercises in the book that are not usual weight-loss exercises. Rather, they strengthen the body's function to balance itself (being fat is one way of being imbalanced). These exercises are deceptively easy, and yet so effective.

I've lost 7.3kg in 3 weeks. I don't know how. I never lacked good food or had a drop of sweat fall :)

This is my top recommendation! :)

you can check it out on thegreattao.com, and also read some interesting articles.