I’m 5’2" (157cm), and i weigh 150 pounds (68). What is the best way for me to lose about 45 pounds (about 20kgs), being a vegetarian who eats indian food at home everyday??
My original answer was absurdly long – actually, it’ still pretty long – so I’ll point you in the right direction and give you some links.
1.) I’m a first generation Indian, so I know what it’s like to grow up with an Indian family; generally speaking, they don’t help much with weight loss. Change your diet, wean yourself off of their habits, or you won’t lose anything but time. Trust me on this one; it took me three years to get myself off of my family’s cooking, but five months later, I’m down 34 pounds and am now at 13% body fat. (Woot!)
2.) Research stuff. My links will help with that, but you need to know what you’re doing so you don’t waste time like I did, or screw up your health like my sister did.
3.) Don’t listen to bull. Mainly, ignore people who preach spot-reduction, the myth that you can (for example) burn belly fat by doing crunches, or lose fat on your thighs by doing squats. Weight lifting is a must, but that’s not why.
4.) Stick to a low-fat diet. High-fat diets have worked for some, but as a fellow Indian who grew up on ridiculous amounts of carbs, it probably won’t work for you.
Oh, and eat brown rice instead of white. It’ll make a huge difference.
5.) You’ll understand this better once you read up, so don’t worry about being confused, but I’ll post this now because it’s important and you might not find it for a while yourself.
If you burn 500 calories a day, you will lose one pound a week. The way I burned two pounds a week was by eating 500 calories less than my regular daily requirement, then burning the other five hundred off through some sort of physical activity. You should, under no circumstances, try to restrict your diet by 1000 calories and exclude exercise.
And jumping rope is amazing. Do it.
6.) Use Fit Day. Seriously. This thing is an organizational God-send, it’s easy to use, and it’s actually free.
Fit Day:
http://www.fitday.com
Cardio:
http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
Calorie Calculator: http://www.stevenscreek.com/goodies/calories.shtml
Vegetarian Diet: (this is what you were looking for)
http://stronglifts.com/how-to-get-your-daily-protein-when-youre-vegetarian-or-vegan/
Exercise/Lifestyle:
http://stronglifts.com/blog/ (the E-Book is free)
That last site, Stronglifts, is critically important. Follow it, join the forum, and ask for advice.
I hope I’ve helped you out. Just remember to convince your family that you know what you’re doing; they can be a pain in the neck.
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