My name is Jaz, I'm twenty two years old, I'm 5 6, I weigh 199 lbs, and I'm having SRS sometime in February. I'm not required to, but I want to be as healthy as possible. I exercise a couple times a week, basketball, jump rope with baby sister,forty minutes of walking etc. Any advice?

Diet was a big one with me. I switched to a small salad and fruit cup in the morning. For lunch it was a larger salad alone. Dinner was a medium salad and 8 ounces of lean beef or chicken. I lost around 50 pounds in a little over four months. I did do a six mile walk every day as well. I feel much better now. 

If I keep my current rate (7 lbs per year) then I'll be 154 lbs by the time I'm your age... Sounds unrealistic, but a girl can dream, eh? <3

Quote from: Jessica Merriman on August 28, 2014, 06:34:00 PM
Diet was a big one with me. I switched to a small salad and fruit cup in the morning. For lunch it was a larger salad alone. Dinner was a medium salad and 8 ounces of lean beef or chicken. I lost around 50 pounds in a little over four months. I did do a six mile walk every day as well. I feel much better now. 

6 miles a DAY?! What are you, training for the Olympics or something? That seems like a lot...

Quote from: iiMTF on August 28, 2014, 08:15:07 PM
6 miles a DAY?! What are you, training for the Olympics or something? That seems like a lot...

Just a part of my rehab routine. I was seriously injured in the line of duty and forcibly retired. The more I sit around, the worse things hurt. I learned how to walk again in only two years. I push myself very hard and try to keep the good parts of me strong. Continual movement keeps the pain bearable.

Quote from: Jessica Merriman on August 28, 2014, 08:19:04 PM
Just a part of my rehab routine. I was seriously injured in the line of duty and forcibly retired. The more I sit around, the worse things hurt. I learned how to walk again in only two years. I push myself very hard and try to keep the good parts of me strong. Continual movement keeps the pain bearable.

Ohh. Okay. I tend to take 1/4 mile walks a lot. Helps me think clearly. It's also during one of those walks when I came out to my dog if you remember that thread lol

Quote from: Jessica Merriman on August 28, 2014, 06:34:00 PM
Diet was a big one with me. I switched to a small salad and fruit cup in the morning. For lunch it was a larger salad alone. Dinner was a medium salad and 8 ounces of lean beef or chicken. I lost around 50 pounds in a little over four months. I did do a six mile walk every day as well. I feel much better now. 

50 lbs in 4 months?  that's absolutely incredible.  are you at your "natural weight" right now then?

I dropped 100 pounds in less than a year. I cut out all fried foods, most cheese (fat free only), and limited carbs (I also went from heavy drinker to alcohol free). That meant salads all the time time, eating a lot of broccoli and grilled chicken and lean steak, and modifying my favorite recipes. It wasn't that bad, as I came up with something such as egg beaters with seasoning mixed in with homefried potatoes (made in a pan with butter flavored cooking spray), fat free shredded cheddar, and either turkey sausage or turkey bacon with a slice of toast. I even came with oven fried onion rings that were crispy, tasty, and had very little fat to them. Eating out was torture at times, though- if you look at the nutritional information at restaurants, its usually very unhealthy.

Combine healthy eating with lots of exercise, and when I really tried I could lose 5+ pounds a week. By lots of exercise, I'm talking 20+ mile bike rides (pop in tunes, ride, and enjoy the views), walking everywhere, hour+ on an elliptical (watch a movie on a phone/tablet as a distraction) and having a physically demanding job (I unloaded trucks at a warehouse by hand).

Cardio cardio cardio. It is the best way to drop pounds, but also throw some sort of weight in there- even if its body weight. Squats, planks, crunches, whatever muscles you want to work, muscle burns fat. Even yoga will help with that. The fitness games for the kinect are kinda fun and can also help.

The major thing is to be active, but to have fun. Basketball is a great way to shed pounds- 2 on 2 is supposed to be more cardio intensive than running, but also change it up. Eating healthy doesn't mean eating bland.

I'm getting back into getting in shape again, I've put 40 pounds back on, but its important to stay positive. I had a job to look forward to for dropping the weight before, that was my goal, and it kept me focused. Now, I have a dress that I intentionally bought too small that I want to fit into. Just remember, every step you take is one less than you didn't. Every time you get up and move, is less time spent on a couch. No matter how long it takes, as long as you reach your goal, you succeeded. And since I'm a bit competitive- every thing you do puts you past those that don't/didn't.

edit- I did not realize I wrote that much

i lost 10lbs in the last few weeks with no cardio, while eating ice cream, mac n cheese, steak dinners, pizza, drinking beers, etc.

things like cardio and eating healthy definitely helps and is a good thing, but not totally necessary for the sole purpose of losing weight and fat.

tho limited carbs and being alcohol free is something i would say is not totally necessary to eating healthy.

and muscle doesn't burn fat.  having more of it means your body will use more energy, which will tip the daily calorie scale in favour of fat burning but the differences will not be significant unless you compare an untrained person to a high level strength athlete.  probably should not depend on this factor for burning too much fat lol

altho strength training is definitely effective.  big compound movements like squat, dead lift, overhead press, bench press, and barbell rows.

Just, whatever sort of exercise you choose, just make sure it's something you enjoy. That makes it so much easier to maintain it as a habit.

I have the most success taking a few sports conditioning classes a week. I find being in a class with other people strangely motivating. Yes, it's odd to be sweating right next to strangers but those feelings go away as soon as the workout starts.