weight loss, fasting, good foods,

Question
Hello again, thanks for getting back to me so quickly, I have been reccomended a fruit/veggie only diet and 30 minutes of requirse exersice a week to tire out each mussle group one at a time, I was wodnering do you think this would work? should I eat at certin times in the day? how many times a day? what fruits/veggies are the best for dieitng?


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Followup To
Question -
Hi, I am about 20 pounds over weight for my age/height and I'd like to loss the extra weight, now going to a gym isnt psosible I can't afford it nor can I afford home exercise equitment, I was wondering how many calories should be in my daily diet while I'm dieting? also I do sit up/stumick crunches for a few minutes several times daily and go for a walk every evening the walk is ussaly at lest 20 minutes long as I walk with my dog then go to the stores near by and walk around for a bit before returning. I am also intrested in possible fasting every now and then for two/three days as I've heard of people doing this... I was wondering thou how long can someone go with just a bowl of ceral in the morning? and just water all day? as that would be my one meal of choice and water is my perfered bevrage anyways. Would fasting on and off throught the month along with a low cal diet and the exercise I'm getting now reduce my weight at all? I'd like to lose all 20 extra pounds. also what does a good diet consist of? what can I and can I not eat? please let me know if you can help me thanks in advance.
Answer -

You ask many questions that people pay dieticians & nutritionists, doctors and personal trainers to answer.  Honestly, there are no black and white answers to many of your questions.

I'll do my best to answer what I can and then point you in the right direction to attain your goals.

First, fasting and skipping meals is a BAD IDEA.  When you skip meals, you body is more likely to slow its metabolism and hold on to calories.  This not only impedes weight loss, but will encourage weight gain when you stop the "diet".  Also, studies show that people who skip meals are more likely to over-eat later in the day and actually eat more calories than if they did not skip the meal.  Skipping meals is not a lifestyle that you could or should want to sustain, therefore, failure in long-term weight is high.

Daily walking at a somewhat challenging pace (don't let the dog stop you a dozen times during your walk) is an excellent tool for weight loss.  The vast majority of people who lose significant weight and keep it off in the long-term will exercise up to 60 minutes every day.

The American Heart Association has a new book called "No-Fad Diet".  I highly suggest you look into this book.  One of the keys to keeping a diet simple, healthy and effective is to try to eat healthier foods more often and unhealthy foods less often.  Also, a simple tool is to eat 70% of what you typically would eat at each meal.  Go here to learn more:
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3031323

Healthier foods are:
fruits & vegetables (not fruit juice)
lean dairy products (skim milk and cheeses, etc.)
lean meats (lean red meat, chicken, lean pork, etc.)
fish (at least twice a week, not fired!)- just plain healthy
WHOLE grain and high fiber grains (bread, cereal, etc.)

Less healthy foods:
fatty meats
fried foods
processed grain foods - low fiber (cookies, cakes, etc.)
high-sugar foods (candy, soda pop, etc.)
whole milk dairy products

This is just a start.  You need to do a lot of reading and learning.  Healthy weight, helthy diet and regular exercise must go hand-in-hand-in-hand for sucess to occur.  Learn more here:
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1200009

Best wishes.

Todd

Answer

"I have been reccomended a fruit/veggie only diet"
This is crazy.  Stop listening to this person.  You cannot get all the vital nutirents your body needs from a fruit & veggie only diet.  Thirty minutes a day is a good start and what I would consider the MINIMUM you will need to do to lose, and keep off, weight.

"should I eat at certin times in the day?"
Most experts recommend eating three main meals (breakfast, lunch & dinner) and keeping them reasonable, say, 70% of your normal.  Also, add two small, healthy snacks for between meals.

As I said before, "This is just a start. You need to do a lot of reading and learning. Healthy weight, helthy diet and regular exercise must go hand-in-hand-in-hand for sucess to occur." !

Good luck.

Read & learn!
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3031323

Todd

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