I am 39 years old, 5 feet 5 inches tall and I weigh 240 pounds. I desire to lose at least 60 pounds in the next 8 months—in time for my 40th birthday! I just started working out at 5 a.m. every day at LA Fitness, and I am changing my eating habits. I am eating smaller portions, cutting fats/sugars and most carbohydrates and I am also making sure that I eat at least 3 times daily. How should I eat if I want to lose 60 pounds in 8 months? – Shelly
Great goal planning! Take control of your weight loss by making the most of your meals, and pack emergency snacks to ward-off hunger. The worst thing you can do is deprive yourself of food to the point that you end up binge eating and dropping your eating plan altogether.
Try adding some new foods to keep things interesting. Recording what you eat the first week of every month may help you keep an eye on portions/calories so you can make adjustments accordingly. Plan a non-food reward every time you lose 10 pounds. You deserve it! – Debbie J., MS, RD
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I am 64 Female. I am overweight and just had my gallbladder removed. I want to be serious about getting healthy and losing weight. Besides common sense…. what should I avoid after this surgery?
Roxanne – I had mine removed about 5 years ago. The one thing you’re going to want to avoid is fats. You can still eat some, but greasy food is a killer. Since you’re focused on getting healthy, that part fits in nicely. Also make sure you eat smaller portions and focus on where your limit is. Eating more than your body is able to digest right away is very uncomfortable since you no longer have access to stored bile from the liver.
What will make your life easier is to eat yogurt that has probiotics, like Activia. I will usually eat a small yogurt in the morning and then take a probiotic pill around lunch or dinner. Also, fiber is your friend. Taking a fiber supplement like Metamucil or Citracel will help you feel better in general since your digestive system is now missing a fairly important component.
For exercise… it’s not uncommon to have some kind of minor herniation of the abdomen. This is due to the surgeon having to bloat the abdomen in order to work inside of it. Abdominal exercises can help this quite a bit.
Im a sixty year old women and I have been exercising since January of 2013 and I go every other day, I do watch what I eat, I drink a lot of water,I cannot seem to lose this fat!! Is this because of menopause?
I am a 54 year old female who took medication that had weight gain side affects. I need to lose 60 Lbs. I am 5″2 and 190 lbs. My joints always hurt and I can barely walk sometimes. What can I do?
Dear Renee: try DDP yoga.. he couldnt walk when he started either.. good luck !