Losing weight

Question
QUESTION: Hi Arkady,

I have a question for you concerning weight loss & diet. I'm a very athletic girl, 22, about 5'6 and 165. I have some muscle on me from playing college sports and I joined a gym yesterday and am ready to try again.

I want to lose at least 20lbs, but the thing is, it seems like I build muscle easily but cannot drop the weight! The summer before last I was running 3 miles six days a week and lifting at least four times a week if not more. I probably lost 10 pounds.

I think it must be my diet which isn't the best. It's not terrible, I try to eat healthy, do you have any suggestions? Motivation tends to be a problem. I've tried to keep a journal but it lasts about a week...

Thank you so much!!!

ANSWER: Hi, Julie. Thanks for your question. Before I an answer it I need to know a few things:

1. Please describe your diet in detail - what do you eat how often, how much, how many times per day and the times of your meals. Please be as detailed as possible.  

2. Tell me - how intense were your work-outs? How hard did you push yourself when you lost 10 lbs.  

3. What particular obstacles do you have when it comes to motivation in your opinion?  

Let me know, and I will follow up.

A.I.
www.practicalhappiness.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for your quick response! Sorry the last email was so jumbled.

Okay, in the morning (6:30-7:30) I either have a bowl of cereal (Special K or something like that) or an wheat English muffin or an instant breakfast and I always have a fruit--apple or banana, with a cup of coffee with 1% milk and 1 splenda. Then at about 9:30 I snack on some trail mix, right now it's an Asian one with rice crackers and kinda salty. At 12 I eat like a Smart Ones meal or Weight Watchers meal with a Diet Coke. And after I get back from the gym at 3:15ish I eat a bran bar. Then dinner is usually a Boca Chi'ken patty with flavored rice & a vegetable. I cut back on my alcohol intake DRASTICALLY since college I drink 1 to 2 nights a week consuming a total of maybe about four drinks a night--I stick with vodka or rum & soda water with lime.

It was a pretty intense three mile run outside and then once the Fall soccer season started I had sprint ladders on a treadmill. I would run at 4.5 for 2 minutes then push it up to 6.5 and run like that for 8 minutes. Then I would go up to 8.0-8.5 for two minutes then back down to 6.5 for two minutes than 8.0 for five minutes. Then a minute walk at 2.3 then 6.5 for seven minutes and then 8.0 for five then walk for two for a cool down. Then I would lift. Mostly upper body.

I think the biggest obstacle isn't getting myself out there but pushing myself through pain, or not letting myself rationalize my way out of it. I've never really gotten into the zone running, I feel like my mind is always working and thinking about what I'm doing and how boring/hard it is. When it comes to eating, it's weird, I'll be doing really well and then I'll just walk into the kitchen and grab a brownie or something but not even let myself think about it before hand so I don't even have to ruminate over it.

Thanks for your help!  

Answer
Hey, Julie. Your question is very important, and it inspired me to write an article that will be also responsive to your question.

You can read it here:
http://powerfulweightloss.blogspot.com/2007/10/are-you-undereating.html   

Thanks, and please follow up.

A.I.
powerfulweightloss.blogspot.com

1. Prev:average weight for a 15 year old
2. Next:Help.