Goal: 1st, be healthy and fit. 2nd, Lose no more than 20 pounds.

[Ginger]

Originally Posted by tazz

***the first 10 lbs are actually easy to lose cuz it's mostly water weight... the last 10 are hardest bcuz you are battling again fat/muscle at the same time. you want to lean out the body fat, yet maintain your muscle tone.

if you only need to lose 20. i always go for the lose 1-2 lbs of weight per week, meaning losing 5-10 lbs per month.
it's lots of lean protein, clean simple carbohydrates, lots of veggies and a little bit of fruit.
i did 5 hours of high intensity cardio per week. non-stop. from the treadmill to spin class.

manage your caloric intake...
4 grams of protein per 1 calorie; 6 grams of fat per calorie and so on.

right now i'm eating 1600 calories daily. when i'm trying to lean out, i only eat up to 1250 calories daily.

i Rarely go out to eat. i make 95% of my meals.

cheers!
~t

Tazz, the 1-2 pounds per week goal you recommend is very sensible and works for me.

I think for me I have to force myself to go to the gym whether I'm exhausted or not—once you start going regularly, it feels good to go and feels bad not to, so I need to push myself through the first reluctant stage.

I go out about twice a week. Not sure how to deal with that one. I really do need a "life."

Gotta run, but thanks again.
IslandScout