Hi. I am 18 and since i have been in college i have gained about 20 unwanted pounds. They are mostly in the stomache area. I need help on what i need to do to lose this extra weight. I workout and run about 5 times a week. What kinds of foods should i eat and stay away from? Also what else can i do to put off these extra pounds in about a month and a half? Thanks!

wiksta,

first off, congratulations on deciding to get control of your body. i have just joined DT this week and started dieting(by counting calories) about a week ago and i know that i made the right decision to start.

now onto your dilemma, i do not think that your question can be answered by fellow DT users. your diet will only work for you if it accomodates your lifestyle. i recommend looking at all the options out there and thinking about which ones you think you could handle. ill start you off by listing a few pros about different programs, but the deciding you have to do yourself. whatever you choose, you should definitely keep up your exercise and make it a routine.

calorie counting is a diet that is good for people who have nutritional information available to them and who have the time to go through it. if you cook for yourself, you can choose recipes online or from books that have specific information about calories and serving sizes. if you have a kitchen, but prefer to have pre-made meals, you can still count calories by picking pre-made meals that fit into your allotted calorie range. if you are at school like me, you can look online(assuming info is available from your school) and look ahead of time at dining hall info. the problem with that option is knowing what 3 oz of something looks like, you can learn a few sizes though(like 3oz of chicken is the size of a deck of cards). it is easy to keep track of the calories by either writing them down or using a free website counter(those also have nutritional averages for many items). again, this is only for those who have the time to look and count.

you can also choose one of the programs like Atkins based on your food preferences. if giving up carbohydrates(bread, beer, pasta, etc) is not a big issue for you, then this might work for you. i tried a semi-Atkins diet at a point, but i couldn't handle not having certain foods and then i freaked out and binged one day. but again, these kind of programs work depending on your preferences. keep in mind, low-carb or low-fat diets also include some sort of counting; they will give you info about what foods you can eat sparingly, which foods you have to eat in moderation, and which foods you should avoid at all costs. its ultimately a question of whether you can stay on it long enough to lose the weight and then modify it to just maintain your weight. you dont want to do a program and then stop when you've reached your goal weight and then gain it all(plus some) back.

along the idea of prepared meals, you could choose to do a program that ships you meals with the fat/calories/carbs already proportioned correctly. this kind of diet doesnt involve counting or cooking. programs like NutriSystem are what you would look at, but in general, they cost more than the other options. also, these kind of diets do not leave that much room for squeezing in your favorite gooey-carmel-dessert once a week, they have their own desserts and snacks that they ship. with these, its as easy as 1-2-3 as long as you don't add a 4th that's not supposed to be there.

if you're not looking for a too intense plan, you could just try to stay away from high fat and high carb foods, but keep in mind that your judgement is subjective. for example, you might not consider split pea soup a mostly carb item. also, if you are looking to lose 20 lbs in a month and a half, you would probably need a more strict diet.

whatever you choose, good luck! any plan takes some level of discipline. you can do it if you just keep looking toward your goal.

ps: i have not listed all dieting options, nor provided full detail about any one option. you will need to research online the exact plans. John has provided the links to many plans in the thread called "Sticky: Diet Plans" in the same forum this thread is in.

Thanks a lot, thats a big help. Now i have a couple more questions. I do not have a kitchen so i cant make much. I do have a buffet style dining place. I think im just going to cut down what i eat becuase i typically eat much more than i need just because it tastes good. Also im going to stay away from high calorie, high fat and high carb foods. What is considered high and what amount of each should i eat per serving/day? When i look at the nutritional info on foods i cant tell what is actually considered high and low. i will do further research into this but i just would like an idea. I beleive that with the exercise i do and the lower amount of food as well as the lower calories, carbs and fat i can achieve my goal or atleast start losing weight even if its not the 20 pounds in the month and a half. Thanks a lot Masha for your help!

Oh. Also, does drinking a lot of water help with losing weight? If so, how much daily? I know your suppose to drink 1 gallon a day. Thanks.

One more thing, what are some good foods that are low in carbs and fat that i can look for? Just a few works. Thanks again.

I do have a buffet style dining place.

The dorm dining hall is a curse in disguise! As was mentioned earlier, only you will know what works for you. But to get you started, here are a few tips from my college days, decades ago, on surviving the buffet:

-Try to eat meat and vegetables that have been baked, steamed, grilled or broiled. Stay away from anything that has been breaded, or deep fried, or leaves grease on your fingers or the plate (bacon, sausage, french fries, fried chicken, chicken tenders, fish sticks, chicken fried steak, etc).

-Minimize the "white" foods on your plate (mashed potatoes, white bread, pancakes, etc). Try to eat whole grain or wheat breads, and try sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes. Aim for a lot of color on your plates from vegetables and fruits.

-Try to eat at least one fresh fruit and vegetables with each meal. If you have salad, be careful how much dressing & cheese you put on it, these have a lot of fat calories).

-If you get soup, get ones made with broth, and stay away from creamy soups.

-Stay away from all regular sodas. These are EVIL! If you need caffeine, go for coffee or tea, or diet soda (if you can stand the taste).

You are very active. A few simple changes will probably do the trick for you. And drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day does help a lot (sometimes we think we are hungry when we are actually dehydrated).

If you want to learn more about what's in the food you are eating, try writing down everything you eat for three days--everything, even small bites or handfuls. Then you can look up the fat, fiber, and calorie contents of all the foods at www.calorieking.com for free. It will really shed some light on what you are eating, and help you come up with a plan that works for you. There are also a few good books on healthy eating if you are interested.

Any greasy or deep fried.. Stick to salads, lean chicken or even have fish plain.... Stay away from the french fries and prepared sandwiches as well. Unless you can request they make the sandwich for you without the fat...
I know it can be pretty hard at 18.. When I visited my sons university and they prepared the parents different foods in a buffet, the same things the kids would be eating I was appalled.. My son was fortunate enough that he didn't gain weight but my daughter did...

Another good source of calorie content is the US Department of Agriculture http://www.usda.gov

They have a database of thousands of food types, categorized by how they are cooked, which you can download as an application onto your PC for free.

Hope this helps

Richard
http://www.ewas.co.uk/dietadvice
The Density Diet - Tips and Advice