My girlfriend wants to lose weight

[niveQ]

Hey friends.

 

My girlfriend is a sweet, sweet person. But, she can get pretty down on herself. She is so beautiful and so adorable.

 

I think she is beautiful the way she is. She does not, to say the least.

 

She is 5'3 and about 130 lbs. She is worried about her excess fat around her stomach, thighs, butt and hips.

 

She hula-hoops, but has never been that active, so she gets discouraged when she has difficulty with an exercise. She finds it hard, then thinks to herself "How do I know this is working anyways?"

 

She has expressed interest in a workout plan and a diet. She said that if she had some sort of plan, she could stick to it and would feel better about the potential results.

 

A little bit of background:

 

She is half Italian, half Mexican. She is a B-positive blood type. As stated, she is 5'3 130 lbs. We live in the Midwest, United States. She was born in Arizona and lived a good portion of her early life in Texas. She is a Taurus and her moon sign is Virgo. She has a bit of a sweet tooth and is attracted to starchy foods. She knows that she'd have to reduce those things. She is also a very picky eater.

 

 

She really wants to be healthier and be in better shape. It would be very, very much appreciated if I could get some workout plan and diet ideas, or any other suggestions for her. It pains me to see her so down on herself.

 

 

Thank you.

Edited January 24, 2014 by niveQ

[Marblehead]

Italian women are very hard-headed. Mexican women are very hard-headed. You have double trouble.

 

But, beside that,

 

From what you said I would guess that the only thing she needs do to begin with is serious walking, whether outside or maybe on a treadmill if y'all have access to one.

 

It would be rather hard right away to try to reduce the sweets. Diets can be demoralizing. But if she sweats from exercising her mid-section she will burn off the sugars from the sweets before they can turn to fat.

 

I imagine that 120 - 115 pounds would be a good weight for a mature female. Your encouragement will mean a lot here.

 

If she/you have the money a gym would be excellent as she could tell the trainer what she wants to accomplish and they could set up a program for her.

 

Dieting takes a lot of will power. Most fail sooner or later. If she gets into a good exercise program and she sees progress the food input will take a healthy natural course.

 

Best wishes.

[adept]

Here's a few tips I would give her.

Cut down on starchy carbs and sugar, gradually, until they are all but eliminated from your diet.

Water and green tea for liquids. Green tea is great for beating food cravings.

Get out into natural surroundings (woods, parks, countryside) and do plenty of walking. Try to incorporate some hills and do this a few times a week.

The golden rule for weight loss is eat less, move more.

Good luck.

[Stosh]

Just a consideration worth keeping in mind,, one can always eat more than they can exercise away.

[soaring crane]

Learn that skinny is actually kind of unhealthy and unattractive?

[SaiyaMan]

High intensity interval training my friend! She can use the concept to even the simplest exercise such as walking, or even hula hooping. After gentle warmup, walk/hula hoop for a minute, then rest for 30 seconds. Do this repeatedly for up to 20 minutes of exertion ( the 20 minutes does not include the rest times).

 

Find out the healthy stuff she does like, and eat those during the week. Make sure to have 1 cheat day throughout the week to look forward to. And try to avoid eating after 6pm.

 

Drink plenty of water, so that when peeing its clear, not yellow (apart from first waking up)

 

Will add more info later. Good luck to your girlfriend!

[Wells]

Learn that skinny is actually kind of unhealthy and unattractive?

 

Yep, and we all are already enlightened!

[dee]

It's really simple. Make her track her baseline for calories per day. If she's roughly around 2000 a day, then go less. Be in a calorie deficit. That's it. You don't even need to workout if you don't like it. But don't do a drastic drop; just week by week cut around 50-100 calories until it's something that she is comfortable with.

The simplest exercise that burns 200-400+ calories per 1/2-1 hour is skipping. So if she wants to keep her diet; just make her skip daily.

That's it; it's really simple.

[Wells]

Calorie restriction

 

 

[Wells]

Calorie restriction & stem cell activity

 

[mYTHmAKER]

diets do not work.

one always feels stressed counting calories not allowed to eat this or that

sooner or later one is off the diet.

THE SECRET IS: find a healthier substitute that tastes good and don't restrict yourself.

For instance instead of cake eat fruit.

keep a low salt intake

store bought salad dressings are loaded with calories

don't add sugar

[RiverSnake]

In the very short periods of time that I have been slightly chunky I would just fast for a day. You can fast for a day and also workout at the same time....but that's a bit hardcore. But fasting regularly will help cut down on some pounds and is also very healthy.

 

My 2 cents, Peace

[mike 134]

 

Learn that skinny is actually kind of unhealthy and unattractive?

 

??????????????????????????

 

+1 for HIIT (high intensity interval training). Do it EVERY SINGLE DAY, on a machine (treadmill, bike, or elliptical). It will kick her ass, but she has to go ALL OUT.

 

Also no refined carbs.

 

I'm assuming she's an endomorph (big boned), so she'll have to keep at it. If she lapses the weight will come back.

[Wells]

diets do not work.

one always feels stressed counting calories not allowed to eat this or that

sooner or later one is off the diet.

THE SECRET IS: find a healthier substitute that tastes good and don't restrict yourself.

For instance instead of cake eat fruit.

keep a low salt intake

store bought salad dressings are loaded with calories

don't add sugar

 

Diets work fine IF you have willpower and a strong personality!

[idquest]

Look at the issue in perspective. If she is 120 now, she'll likely be 150 after child birth. And now ask yourself whether you'll like it or not.

[gendao]

+1 for HIIT (high intensity interval training). Do it EVERY SINGLE DAY, on a machine (treadmill, bike, or elliptical). It will kick her ass, but she has to go ALL OUT.

 

Also no refined carbs.

Stair climbing is an excellent low-impact, VERTICAL workout that combines cardio, strength and flexibility. The steeper the stairs, the better. It burns off calories fast and will also build up your large leg mover muscle mass, consuming even more calories even when resting..

But do this on real stairs too, not gym stairclimbers, because the key is actually moving your entire body weight up elevation.

Edited January 24, 2014 by vortex

[dee]

-

Edited February 15, 2014 by dee

[BaguaKicksAss]

Hey friends.

 

My girlfriend is a sweet, sweet person. But, she can get pretty down on herself. She is so beautiful and so adorable.

 

I think she is beautiful the way she is. She does not, to say the least.

 

She is 5'3 and about 130 lbs. She is worried about her excess fat around her stomach, thighs, butt and hips.

 

She hula-hoops, but has never been that active, so she gets discouraged when she has difficulty with an exercise. She finds it hard, then thinks to herself "How do I know this is working anyways?"

 

She has expressed interest in a workout plan and a diet. She said that if she had some sort of plan, she could stick to it and would feel better about the potential results.

 

A little bit of background:

 

She is half Italian, half Mexican. She is a B-positive blood type. As stated, she is 5'3 130 lbs. We live in the Midwest, United States. She was born in Arizona and lived a good portion of her early life in Texas. She is a Taurus and her moon sign is Virgo. She has a bit of a sweet tooth and is attracted to starchy foods. She knows that she'd have to reduce those things. She is also a very picky eater.

 

 

She really wants to be healthier and be in better shape. It would be very, very much appreciated if I could get some workout plan and diet ideas, or any other suggestions for her. It pains me to see her so down on herself.

 

 

Thank you.

 

Cardio, good for the heart too.

 

Since she isn't really overweight I don't recommend dieting, perhaps different exercises to shape up the bits she isn't happy with. Though also scrapping processed foods is good for everyone and "trying to lose weight" is always a good excuse to do so .

 

I would say anything that is in a package or can is not food and is not good for you, but apparently that is a bit strict for most people (considering there are grocery stores which still sell this stuff).

Edited January 24, 2014 by BaguaKicksAss

[BaguaKicksAss]

Changing my answer slightly... find some activity, exercise, sports, swimming, bikeriding, hiking or whatever that she really loves. Because if she doesn't love it, she won't keep at it. Then just go have really active fun a LOT. Oh and keep at it the rest of her life.

 

PS works better if you join her too, to help motivate, and hey your heart will love you for it .

[Apech]

If she says does my bottom look big in this ... say no without hesitation or looking to check.

[Cookie Monster]

.

Edited May 5, 2021 by Ocean Form

[Aeran]

It doesn't sound like she's massively overweight, so just cutting a few of the really obvious problem foods from her diet and adding a small routine of exercise every day should be enough to have her burning off more calories than she's taking in.

 

Cut off the obvious stuff - soft drink, takeaway, swap white bread for brown, full milk for skim (or just stick to water when possible). Start doing 20 or 30 minutes of cardio every day, and she should start losing a pound or two a week with no problem. There's no need to hugely overcomplicate the process like a lot of people do, with crazy fad diets or soul grinding workout routines, just have her start making the obvious choices about stuff she eats and increase her exercise. Like everything else, start small and work up from there, too many people go out and buy a book about the latest diet and a gym membership, put all their energy into it for 3 weeks then lose their drive, say 'fuck it' and go back to old habits.

 

Slow and steady wins the race

[Songtsan]

low carb diet using 40% carbs, 30% fats, 30% protein (% by amount of calories)

 

Cardio - moderate endurance level, often

 

I'd estimate her basal metabolic rate at approximately 1400 calories a day - take this number, and, depending how active she is, you can determine her daily caloric needs - probably around 1600 or so...so have her try to eat between 1300-1400 calories a day to lose weight gradually - aiming for 1-2 lbs a week weight loss.

[eye_of_the_storm]

haha...hmm

I would recommend high carb, low fat ... no animal products, no processed food and no calorie restrictions. eat as much as you desire...of the good stuff, ideally.

[eye_of_the_storm]

http://www.thechinastudy.com/

http://www.wellandgoodnyc.com/2011/09/23/china-study-cheat-sheet-10-things-you-need-to-know/

China Study cheat sheet: 10 things you need to know

 

With so little time, how will you ever get around to reading The China Study?

 

The China Study is one of those weighty, groundbreaking books that is perhaps more talked about than actually read.

 

We understand why: At 417 pages, with lots of nutrition facts and stats, it’s a lot to digest.

 

So we read it cover-to-cover for you, taking notes along the way. Understanding the book’s thesis has incredible implications for your health—like meat and dairy are way worse for you than you or your doctor could have known.

 

Here is your 10-step cheat sheet to everything in The China Study you need to know, plus a summary.

 

And if you’ve read it yourself, please add to our Cliff’s Notes in the Comments section below!

 

Summary: What is The China Study? It’s the largest comprehensive study of human nutrition ever conducted. It was launched via a partnership between Cornell University, Oxford University, and the Chinese Academy of Preventative Medicine. The groundbreaking results from the study (and other influential nutrition research) recommend the best diet for long-term health.

 

1. American health statistics are scary. You may feel fit as a fiddle, but the country is unwell. Almost a third of adults over 20 are obese; one out of thirteen people have diabetes; and heart disease kills one out of every three Americans. We also pay more for our health care than any other country, and we don’t have better health to show for it.

 

2. Animal protein promotes the growth of cancer. The book author T. Colin Campbell, PhD., grew up on a dairy farm, so he regularly enjoyed a wholesome glass of milk. Not anymore. In multiple, peer-reviewed animal studies, researchers discovered that they could actually turn the growth of cancer cells on and off by raising and lowering doses of casein, the main protein found in cow’s milk.

 

3. Pesticides are gross, but none switch on cancer like poor nutrition. The food you eat affects the way your cells interact with carcinogens, making them more or less dangerous. “The results of these, and many other studies, showed nutrition to be far more important in controlling cancer promotion than the dose of the initiating carcinogen.”

 

4. The study findings are bulletproof. After years of controversial lab results on animals, the researchers had to see how they played out in humans. The study they created included 367 variables, 65 counties in China, and 6,500 adults (who completed questionnaires, blood tests, etc.). “When we were done, we had more than 8,000 statistically significant associations between lifestyle, diet, and disease variables.” In other words, there’s no arguing with the findings, Meat Council of America. Sorry.

 

5. The results are simple: Eat plants for health. “People who ate the most animal-based foods got the most chronic disease. People who ate the most plant-based foods were the healthiest.”

 

6. Heart disease can be reversed through nutrition. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., M.D., a physician and researcher at the best cardiac center in the country, The Cleveland Clinic, treated 18 patients with established coronary disease with a whole foods, plant-based diet. Not only did the intervention stop the progression of the disease, but 70 percent of the patients saw an opening of their clogged arteries. Dr. Dean Ornish, a graduate of Harvard Medical School, completed a similar study with consistent results.

 

7. Carbs are not the enemy. Highly-processed, refined carbohydrates are bad for you. But plant foods are full of healthy carbs. Research shows that diets like the Atkins or South Beach can actually cause dangerous side effects. While they may result in short-term weight loss, you’ll be sacrificing long-term health.

 

8. Plants are powerful. It’s not just cancer and heart disease that respond to a whole foods, plant-based diet. It may also help protect you from diabetes, obesity, autoimmune diseases, bone, kidney, eye, and brain diseases.

 

9. You don’t have to tailor your diet for specific health benefits. Eating healthy can seem segmented—broccoli will prevent breast cancer, carrots are good for eyes, did you get enough vitamin C today? “Nutrition that is truly beneficial for one chronic disease will support health across the board.”

 

10. Plants do it better. “There are virtually no nutrients in animal-based foods that are not better provided by plants.” Protein (YES, PROTEIN!), fiber, vitamins, minerals—you name it, they’ve got it, and the health benefits. —Lisa Elaine Held

Edited January 25, 2014 by White Wolf Running On Air