Okay, so I just upgraded my glasses today, and my eyes went up 1.75 degrees! >_< I look in the mirror now, AND I'M FAT! :cry:
I've considered to go on a diet, but it's always so hard and I'm scared I'll do bad things to my body. :(
I've never dieted before, but since high school has totally expanded my waistline and cut off my vitality, I have to.
Any tips? What I should avoid and what I should do? How much is too much exercise, because I heard you could strain your body if you push yourself over the edge.
I know it's gonna be hard and long, but I want to be healthy and fit again, and I know it isn't by sticking my hand down my throat and puking it all out.
I want it to be right. :)
I'm not sure if this should be in this section. :unsure:

Well, my experience with dieting was that, it just plain out made me heavier. I did all the things that you were supposed to, but I still got heavier than I wanted to be. The only thing I can tell you is to stay away from anything that has starch in it. It'll also make you heavier. It shouldn't show, but you'll know it'll be there.

The only cardinal rule I know about dieting is NOT to starve yourself. If you do, whenever you DO eat, your body will only store more of the food because it thought it has just gone through a famine or something. You'll end up worse than before you started.

Other than that, there are too many myths and counter-myths out there to keep track of. :lol: I'd go the traditional route and suggest exercise. Nothing too exhaustive in the beginning, since you want to be able to function the next day. Take it slow at first--two rounds around a field or something like that, and slowly increase as you feel you can take on more.

Activities like brisk walking and swimming are great ways to exercise without the risk of injuring your knees (as jogging does). If brisk walking isn't your thing, remember to get good shoes and try jogging on softer surfaces like grass or a track field. Avoid jogging on roads/cement as much as you can.

My brother shed his weight like water simply by not eating past 6PM. Apparently, after a certain time, your metabolism slows down immensely. But he also played tons of sports, so that probably helped a lot. But he holds to the saying: eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a queen and dinner like a pauper.

Also, a good tip when exercising is if you're going to do it in the evening, make sure you do it BEFORE you eat, not after.

Drink lots of water as well, that'll help shed the pounds faster than any caffeine drink will, it'll flush out your system as well. Make sure to always keep yourself hydrated.

Before walking or any exercise, make sure to stretch yourself to warm your muscles. Nothing's worse than trying to do an exercise and ending up hurt because you didn't take the time to stretch. Do some cool-down exercises as well when you're finished, stretch out then too.

If you're going to exercise daily, make sure to try and keep the same regime, and dont skip. Often people that skip a day end up skipping for a long time afterwards. Dont be disappointed if you dont lose weight right away, it'll take some time, and patience.

You can do it. Make sure to keep us updated so that we know how you're doing, and we'll scold you if you skip out :P j/k

Good luck!

Hm. Many girls call themselves "fat" when they're really not, which is why I'm a tad skeptical. Trying to be healthier is fine, but don't freak out! :huggle:

I suggest simply drinking water rather than soda, and eating salads for lunch to start. Do NOT skip meals or starve yourself, that's the worst thing to do to your body. If you're hungry, then eat. If you feel like eating simply out of habit, that's when you have to stop yourself.

*bumps this topic because its kind of similiar*

I'm naturally thin, but I've got some puppy fat that I want to get rid of. So, I've thought of starting to take up exercise. Right now, I'm starting to do 20 push ups when I get up, when I come home from work (5PM) and right before I go to bed. I'm also going to go to the swimmng pool about two times a week to do lap because I enjoy it and its a nice way to keep fit. And of course I'm chucking those fizzy drinks and tea away and drinking lots of water, more than I do when I don't really drink a lot.

I eat a lot so that thing about not eating after 6PM sounds like a nice idea Lynn, I might try it out. I'm just wanting to know if you guys think that I'm doing the right thing?

Crackers and a glass of water before eating a meal. This will force you to eat less, because you'll feel full.

Exercise, just a walk around the neighborhood would suffice.

I suggest dividing your meals into different portions. For example, instead of having three main meals a day (breakfast, lunch, dinner), try changing it to four or five small meals a day. Maybe something like fruits for breakfast, a small sandwich or some crackers mid-morning, a wrap or salad for lunch, more fruits or crackers for tea and pasta for dinner or something like that. Eating less and often helps raise your metabolism as well as ensures you stay filled up and lessens the chance of binging on junk food or something.

And of course, exercise. A brisk walk or run in the morning or evening is enough for some people, but you could always hit the gym or earn some money walking dogs or distributing flyers. :) Good luck!

Thanks guys, I'm wanting to lose about half a stone or maybe a full one, it isn't much I want to lose. Maybe because I looked at my stomach after I ate I thought it was puppy fat but I still want to get fit.

That version sounds good Yin ^_^ I usually don't have big meals for breakfast and lunch but my dinner is usually huge so that opportunity should work. I'm going to take my bike out some more, and I walk to work aswell, and my swimming should help.

Oh, and did your plan work daydreamer? ^_^

You don't really have to eat less. Things that would help would be...

-Spreading out big meals into several small meals a day.
-Drink lots of water.
-Keeping your heartrate up will help. Just walking or anything active will do.
-Don't eat before going to bed. Try to keep your last meal about 2-3 hours before sleeping.
-And to tell you the truth, the main thing that burns fat is your muscles. The more muscle you have, the more fat you burn when your muscles are active. You don't really need to buff up, but doing weight training one week and cardio the next will see pretty good results.

Omg, I just had my first boxercise lesson today..... :phew: The personal trainer is so tough! He's like No pain, no gain!!! >_<
The whole hour was just running laps, punching each other's hands off, doing about a gazillion different kinds of sit-ups and push-ups, and he said he'll make us do more for not getting your gloves on in under 10 seconds!! :scream:

I've got this for another 10 weeks every Tuesday, then I can choose some other sport like swimming or tennis....
I was even too scared to get a Coke, because then all the torture would be for nothing. :cray: Wish my luck, I'm gonna be plenty sore tomorrow.

Yay.