Help me lose weight

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What is a good way to remove excess fat? I'm a 21 year old male who I'd consider as being borderline obese. My body looks less fat than it should since I am of a bigger build than most obese people (I am big boned and I have more muscle than most obese people). The only part of my body that looks fat is (unfortunately) my face. I have extremely large cheeks and I get teased about it sometimes. What is the best way to target unwanted fat? Please tell me some exercises/diets that would combat this unwanted fat.

Thank you,

Patrick

Last edited by patrick6 on 05 May 2008, 5:35 am, edited 2 times in total.

dear, dear pat666rick
there are no diets to target excess fat on your face
of course, you could always simply work out and eat less fat, classics like these make you lose fat all over your body including your face until you'll be nothing but a big lump of muscles all over

Ignore that.


What are you eating, for a start? You can't just 'cut out the fat' because you need fat, and the low-fat diet simply means high-carb, which is half the problem to begin with. It isn't that simple.

Basically, to lose weight from the face you need to lose it all over. Which means a combination of fixing the diet (not necessarily going on a diet, just changing what you eat and perhaps how much), and getting a good exercise routine on the go. For the exercise I'm not a lot of help, so I'd suggest going to a gym and seeing a trainer - often they do consultations for free - and getting them to put together a workout for you.

As for the diet, if you're not comfortable discussing here feel free to PM me and I can see what I can do.

If anybody can list some new (or classic) proven exercise programs (that don't require you to buy exercise equipment) let me know. You can also list some good proven diets.

BTW I unfortunately don't have a gym anywhere in my area (I live in a small town) so going to the gym isn't an option for me. The only exercise equipment I have is a stationary bike. My weight is about 235 pounds or so and I'm 5 '11. I'm big boned though so that might add a little bit to my total mass.

Thanks

Just walking is good! That's all I do, pretty much. Just walk everywhere, or go specially on walks, as fast as you like. It's better than running. Or is there a swimming pool nearby? That's a great workout and uses all the muscle groups, plus you can do it in your own time on your own and work at your own pace.

Diet is the most important one though.

I would walk but due to my Aspergers I have great difficulty leaving my house. This is one reason why I have gained so much weight in the past 3 years (the amount of time I've been living in isolation). I eat excessive amounts of fatty foods. My food usually gets eaten late at night before going to bed. You say that diet is the most important thing though. Is it possible to go on a good diet and lose weight without exercising?

Possibly... the most important thing really is to cut out the processed food, as hard as they may sound. All the preservatives, additives, etc don't help. Sugar makes you gain weight. Fatty foods obviously aren't good, but you do need some fats, for example butter is much better than margerine, which you should never eat. And sugar is still better than any artificial sweetener, like aspartame, which makes you gain weight despite being in 'diet' foods, and is highly toxic.

Basically, just try and eat primarily fresh fruit and veges. Nuts and seeds are a good source of protein and will keep you a bit fuller, and have lots of good healthy oils in them. You don't necessarily need to cut out meat, but you don't need it all the time.

What sorts of foods do you find yourself wanting most? Carbs? Protein?


Also, have you considered yoga or pilates or something? (I know guys and girls who do it!). It's a good one because it's good exercise and gets you really strong, but you can do it in the comfort of your own home, just find a dvd workout thign or something!

if you don't like exercise, you could clean your house or any part of the house, i always work up a sweat after doing chores

If it was easy, everyone would maintain a healthy weight. Also, being "big boned" is a myth. And you can't target fat loss.

The most basic and understandable formula for weight loss is that you need to create a caloric deficit. This means that you need to burn off more than you take in. Period. Diets have a short-term effect in that they can help create the deficit, but A) diets don't create the necessary behavioral change to sustain weight loss (--diets actually create more bad habits) so you'll gain everything back, and more, and B) they cause your body to do everything in it's power to maintain it's current (unhealthy) weight. If you starve yourself too much, your body will slow down its metabolism and start retaining fat -- because it's convinced that it will starve otherwise.

The solution to this is: eat better and exercise.

If you're not able to go outside and walk, it isn't because of Aspergers. Not to be mean, but you need to get out of the house, and the only thing holding you back is yourself -- not a psych condition (unless your a card-carrying agoraphobic). I'm an Aspie, and I'm an ultrarunner -- that is, someone who runs distances longer than 26.2 miles -- and I do that largely because it give me an opportunity to avoid people for long periods of time. I can't stop to awkwardly chat because I'm running. I seldom have problems with small talk because I'm usually out running. What? No friends? No problem, I'm out running. Oh, and I'm a cyclist too. I can't be socially awkward because the wind is too loud to hold down a conversation.

And besides, you've got access to an exercise bike? Aspergers keeping you off that, too?


Apologies in advance for the rant.

Gobi,

Thank you for that...from me. Sometimes it needs to be put really plainly in order to get it.

Weak effort, Gobi.

I have put on some weight of late too. I played a lot of competitive sports when I was little younger and could eat pretty much whatever I wanted. I don't think I have adjusted well to a less active lifestyle combined with a tendency to eat emotionally. I have started to get more active again of late, but it is going to take a while to drop the 15-20 lbs I want.


Pat666rick, if you don't have the equipment and find it difficult to get outdoors, can you go to the library and get some exercise tapes/disks? Some of the dancing/aerobic ones can work up a good sweat nearly as well as running, and help you develop coordination/rhythm if that is an issue with you. You can also get good exercise by using your body weight. Simple stuff like pushups, crunches, and squats(leg bends) can give you good muscle tone. Look it up online to make sure you have good technique. Add height as you get stronger. Stretch to keep the muscles elongated. Make sure you are always in motion is a good way to burn a few extra calories.

Late night eating doesn't help you any. Give it up. Chew gum to overcome the need to eat. I usually like to eat a big breakfast and eat less as the day goes on. Drink more water. A rule of thumb I have is to try to eat more natural things. Stuff like fruits, oats, and a handful of nuts taste good without the extras of processed foods. Most people drop a few pounds right away before hitting a wall where they see no results for a few weeks, and will become discouraged. You will adapt and start to lose again. Feel free to PM if you want more specific advice.

Drink plenty of water. It really helps flush all the crap out of your system, and as it's 0 calories in and > 0 calories out it can help a little bit without any effort (urine contains a whole load of compounds based mainly on carbon, oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen, but essentially stuff that will be made from sugars, fats and carbohydrates in the body).

Diet is as much about putting the right things in, as taking the wrong things out. If you're not eating the right things your body can't make the enzymes to digest food properly, or the hormones that balance all your body's systems. That's why you need all those vitamins and minerals (fresh fruit+veg, nuts and seeds, and fish, although that one can be hard to do without a risk of heavy metal poisoning in some places).

Don't go jumping straigt into a diet. Your body has mechanisms that come into play if you do that. Essentially if you suddenly stop eating your body goes 'Argh! Famine!' and starts storing as much as possible. Gradually easing into a diet makes it easier for you to get used to it mentally too.

How so?

I do sports, work out and kendo to lose weight and to stay in shape. Also what you eat and limited certain foods helps as well.

The first and most important thing you should be doing is cutting out the processed food. That's all soda, and most things from packets - no additives, colours, preservatives, sweeteners (even though it's bad and needs to be limited, sugar is ALWAYS best unless you have stevia on hand), MSG, nitrates, etc.

Fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, pulses, and fish are your friends. They don't have to be boring either - for example, if you're not keen on fruit try doing smoothies or having them dried (but nitrate and sulfate free). Just be wary of not having tooo much fish as a lot contain high levels of mercury these days, which is obviously not good.

Get creative with the eating! But just cut out the crap for a start, and then start on some gentle exercise, even if it is just around the house. Even walking around the block a few times is better than nothing.

Try what I do: If you know it's a food that's bad for you and you're just going to eat it all until it's gone, simply don't buy it. I have a few things like that. If I get them, I'll eat the whole box in one day.