Weight loss questions...

[babyblob]

So over the past couple of years due to illness, stress, and laziness I let my health go. I am now up to 274 pounds. I am starting a weight loss program. I talked with my doctor and came up with a program. I am going to start with 20 minutes of cardio and 25 crunches/sit ups 3 times a week. He doesnt want me to over do it when starting out.

I am also giving up Soda, ice cream, candy, and snack cakes. And am drinking a lot more water.

My questions are, am I doing enough to start? I feel like this is not enough. I did my exercises today and am a little tired but not super beat.

How can I deal with cravings for sweets?

Are those fat burner pills a good idea or are they unsafe?

Thanks in advance for answering.

[PaulBullion]

Fat burner pills are usually a rip off. L-Carnitine is said to have a small effect, but they also can have side effects like damaging your blood vessels, and you don't want that.

I had some good results with 16-8 interval fasting. I didn't eat between 8 pm and noon. Lost about 2 lbs per week. Not very fast, but I found it easy to stick to. Those cravings for sweets are easier to stand when you know you can have the sweet in a few hours. By then you might not even want it anymore.

[icctrombone]

You are on the right road with restricting Sugar. I've done the Keto diet and it's the fastest way to shed pounds. Essentially It's no sugar no bread.

[TriggerWarning]

So over the past couple of years due to illness, stress, and laziness I let my health go. I am now up to 274 pounds. I am starting a weight loss program. I talked with my doctor and came up with a program. I am going to start with 20 minutes of cardio and 25 crunches/sit ups 3 times a week. He doesnt want me to over do it when starting out.

I am also giving up Soda, ice cream, candy, and snack cakes. And am drinking a lot more water.

My questions are, am I doing enough to start? I feel like this is not enough. I did my exercises today and am a little tired but not super beat.

How can I deal with cravings for sweets?

Are those fat burner pills a good idea or are they unsafe?

Thanks in advance for answering.

Unless your training for a marathon you can't exercise your way into losing weight because exercise can actually make you hungrier.

Its all about diet and what you eat. So you can work out all you want but you won't lose weight if you just go eat crap food not longer after.

[Zauriel]

Try drinking apple cider vinegar or green tea. Both can burn your fat away.

[GOLGO 13]

Bro, you gotta LIFT!

Seriously, lift weights & you'll be astonished at how quickly you'll see results. At 274 pounds your already plenty strong from dragging that much weight around everyday. Big people are just naturally strong. First, you'll notice how quickly the strength comes from lifting. Then you'll notice how your stamina will become improved.

However, the fat loss will be done mostly in the kitchen. Keto is your ticket to being reborn hard in a hurry. Lift, eat protein, lift some more. You'll need smaller pants in just a few months.

[Starter Set]

3 meals a day, nothing between them. Morning eat like a king, at noon eat like a prince, for supper eat like a beggar.

Walk a bit every day and you should be just fine.

Nothing fancy or complicated about that.

[CSTowle]

Like to echo a few things, like cutting sugar is key, lifting and building muscle does burn fat, pills and fad diets might drop a few pounds immediately but do nothing after. Those same pounds will be shed by eating right and moderate exercise.

Would add 2 things, calorie intake tracking is a good thing. Ask your doctor for an appropriate amount but you can also find calorie macro calculators online to give you an idea.

Also, don't be discouraged when you see an immediate drop in weight but then plateau. It happens to everyone. It's easy to shed a few pounds, but working down from there takes work and consistency. Also, allow yourself cheat days (maybe 1/week to start). If you can stay in your calorie range and still have pizza/ice cream all the better.

For me soda was the hardest to give up. It's not great for you, but switching to diet soda or using flavor drop thingies like Mios in water can help. Over time try having plain water with some meals, work your way off of snack drinks (or only on cheat days).

Also, don't underestimate walking. Just a little more every day helps. Or, if you're watching TV, take a minute to get up and do something every hour or so. Nothing strenuous, but again every little bit helps.

[Moon Ronin]

So over the past couple of years due to illness, stress, and laziness I let my health go. I am now up to 274 pounds. I am starting a weight loss program. I talked with my doctor and came up with a program. I am going to start with 20 minutes of cardio and 25 crunches/sit ups 3 times a week. He doesnt want me to over do it when starting out.

It's best to start out slow and work your way up, your body is most likely not used to working out and you don't want to injure your self and stall the process. You should get you a heart rate monitor, most smart watches and fitness trackers such as Fit Bit have one. It is a good way to keep track of your cardio while your are doing it. You will want to evolve your work out every few week by adding more days and you will really need to incorporate lifting weights in to it. Muscle consumes calories so the more muscle mass you have the more you burn.

I am also giving up Soda, ice cream, candy, and snack cakes. And am drinking a lot more water.

Great! I hate the word "diet" in context to losing weight because most associate it with start and an end and end up gaining all the weight they lose soon after the "diet" has ended. You really want to go for a change in life and how you consume food. What and how much is the most importing thing but, its OK to have an indulgence now and again as long as you stay on track. The idea of a "cheat day" has to be handled with care. One: its not the whole day more like part of a meal. Two: is you still need to be aware of portion control.

My questions are, am I doing enough to start? I feel like this is not enough. I did my exercises today and am a little tired but not super beat.

To start? Yes. You said it has been years so your body is not ready to jump off the couch and run a 5K. You don't want to ware your self out or injure yourself at the start gate. Just be consistent and try not to skip any work outs and you will add more when you and your doctor fell comfortable.

How can I deal with cravings for sweets?

Find alternatives like carrots, celery, or even just drinking water can help. Over time the cravings will go away just be careful after workouts your body will be searching for fuel so that will most likely be when your cravings hit the most because that is the fuel that it is used to getting. Night time is also a refueling time for the body its good to have a cut off time and not eat any thing after that. Keeping your self hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the day can help curb your cravings.

Are those fat burner pills a good idea or are they unsafe?

Fat burner pills are at best a temporary fix but most likely a rip off from people trying to get a buck from some one trying to find a short cut. You also mention that you had a history of illness and stress so these pills may not be the safest thing for you. You may want to look into vitamins and simple supplements like fish oil your doctor should be able to help you there

Thanks in advance for answering.

Any time. When I was in the Army I destroyed my knee and over time I gained an excessive amount of weight. It took some time and and encouragement but I was able to get the weight off and now run half marathons. I know how tough and frustrating the journey can be but it is well worth it.

[cable guy]

You are on the right road with restricting Sugar. I've done the Keto diet and it's the fastest way to shed pounds. Essentially It's no sugar no bread.

Yeah I just lost 22 pounds cutting out sweets and bread. And just walking for exercise.

[babyblob]

I did start after I posted on losing the weight. And after a few months I did lose some pounds. But sadly I went through a bad bout of mental heath and lost the motivation to work out. My dad got sick and I got very depressed. So I gained the weight back. Then I just got lazy. So I put the weight back on. I did start last week after talking to my doctor and set up a new exercise and diet program. As of Yesterday I was back up to 295. I am hoping that I can stick to what my doctor and I have worked out.

[babyblob]

Yeah I just lost 22 pounds cutting out sweets and bread. And just walking for exercise.

That is really great. How did you handle cravings?

[MyriVerse]

Restricting sugar/carbs (starting at near zero is best) and portion control are the keys. That's how I dropped 80lbs, and it's been off for 7 years now.

As for cravings, all I can tell you is you do have the ability to control those, regardless of what you think. Maybe get a close friend to help you. Rethink the things you like and dislike. If you don't already, learn to love veggies. You can probably find substitutes for the "bad" things.

Best of luck!

[Kirby101]

Exercise is a key part of this. Without it you probably won't succeed.

[Zelena]

It’s a long-distance race…

I don’t think that anything you do is bad but, in my opinion, to be efficient, a program to lose weight mustn’t feel like a punishment you inflict on your body (your meals must be a pleasure). Anything that induces a frustration will backfire.

Food is a comfort, it’s a habit ingrained in your brain. You will need to trade that for something else, anything that feels like a sustenance. So, I think that having support from your family and friends is important.

I have the impression that you want to loose weight quickly, because you feel you don’t do enough, but it won’t be quick…

For your weight loss to be lasting, your food habits (and physical exercises) must be lasting and definitively accepted by yourself, in a way that feels completely satisfying.