Hi! I am 22 years old and weigh 175 pounds. I just recently had a baby (11 weeks ago) and am trying to lose some weight. My pre-pregnancy weight was 145. My goal is to lose 40 pounds by August of next year (for our anniversary trip). What is the best way to go about this? I have started trying to walk for 10 or 20 minutes a day and I take the stairs at work. What is the best thing to eat, not to eat to lose weight the fastest (and keep it off)?? And advice would be greatly appreciated!!! Tiffany. [via Ask Questions]
To lose 40 pounds in a year, you only need to lose less than 4 pounds a month, which is very doable. In fact, it should be very easy for you to lose 40 pounds in a year, because usually people can easily lose 2 pounds a week. In your case, as I have already mentioned, to lose 40 pounds in a year, you only need to lose about 3.5 pounds a month.
So, what can you do to accomplish this goal? First and foremost, you need to focus on what you eat. Diet to Lose 40 Pounds and Healthy Diet Tips Explained should get you started on this subject. For some people, it is easier to focus on what not to eat – others want to know what to eat. Personally, I think that knowing both is a plus.
In short, limit your regular consumption of simple carbs. There is nothing wrong with eating sweets, pasta, white bread, bagels, candies, ice cream, fast food, sugar, etc once or twice a week, but it is hard (and sometimes impossible) to lose weight if your daily carbohydrate intake is too high.
Do eat complex carbohydrates (if you cannot live without pasta, try low-carb pasta), eat vegetables, fruits (berries are the best), protein (any kind you want), healthy fats (avocado oil, extra virgin olive oil, canola oil).
As for exercise, you are already on the right track. Walking and taking the stairs is the way to go. Try walking for at least 30 minutes a day. If you cannot do it right now, that’s okay, gradually increase your walking time until you can easily walk for 30 minutes each day.
Once you can do that, try walking for 40 minutes three times a week for about two weeks, then go back to walking 30 minutes each day, etc. Play with different time intervals and adjust the intensity of your walk depending on your progress.