Hello, my name is Amy. What can I do to lose 50 pounds? I have a few specific questions about my fitness. I was hoping you could address my questions with an answer suggesting what kind of things I should be doing in order to lose weight in my situations. I am 18 years old, about 5′8” and weigh about 180 pounds, I tend to carry weight in my stomach and love handles area. My goal weight would be around 130 pounds. I have a physical limitation because I had surgery on June 1 of this year on my foot and just got off crutches a few days ago and I have gained a lot of weight since I couldn’t walk for a while. I am supposed to take it easy on my foot, I cannot run until I am fully recovered which should be in about a month but I can walk and I want to start losing weight as soon and as fast as possible. My main concern is losing weight but I would also like to tone my body. I also having trouble getting motivated and going to the gym. I usually go late at night because then nobody is there because I like to exercise by myself. Could you please suggest the certain exercises I should be doing, how long I should exercise, how many days a week, and how to get motivated. Also, how many calories should I be burning and how many calories I should be eating a day. Thanks so much for your help. [via Ask Questions]

First of all, have you gotten a clearance from your doctor to lose weight? If you have not, you need to do that. Tell your doctor that you are going to change your diet and that you are going to start exercising. Do not do anything until your doctor gives you a permission to start dieting and exercising.

Second, I think all your questions about how to lose 50 pounds have already been answered. Take a look at the following posts: How to Lose 50 Pounds or How to Lose 60 Pounds.

Third, because of your surgery, you need to take things slow, especially with exercise. Walking is one of the best exercises for weight loss (especially for people that need to lose more than 20 pounds), but I think you should wait until you are completely healed.