Expert: Linda Erwin, M.S. - 5/22/2003

Question
Hello,
I weigh more or less about 137 lb which for my height is considered a lot overweight. My goal is to lose 25lb. I would like to accomplish that within approximately a month, and I know it would take a lot of work to do so, but I am willing to and would fully commit myself. Now my question is, how can I reach my goal within a month? What foods would be best to currently cut out of my diet and which ones would be the most beneficial? Also how much exercise would be appropriate to get daily? Since I do not own any exercise equipment, I get my exercise from walking/jogging mostly. How much would I have to walk do you think in terms of miles/kilometers? I know it is probably hard to accumulate these figures, but I would just like an approximation if that is alright. Like say I eat 3 regular sized food portions a day, of all sorts. I hope you can help me.
Thank you very much,
Stephanie

Answer
Hi Stephanie,
You didn't say how tall you were so it's difficult for me to determine how you can be 25 lbs overweight.  First of all, it is impossible to lose 25 lbs in one month unless you were over 100 lbs overweight.  It would be unsafe and you would lose muscle and end up looking terrible and feel terrible.  All research shows that people can safely lose 1-3 lbs per week if they combine exercise and good nutrition, plus drinking 8 plus glasses of water per day.  
If you try exercising all day and starving, you will end up burning out, injuring yourself and feeling weak.
My best advice is to first see a Dr. and see if you truly need to lose 25 lbs and to rule out any medical condition that might influence weight gain or other problems.  Then I would go to your local accredited gym and get your body fat tested and get a personal trainer to show you weight training.  It is imperative to do weight training and aerobic exercise to get the results you want.  I also don't know how old you are but as we get older, our metabolism slows down.  By lifting (light)weights, you can tone and build muscle so you burn more calories at rest.  The aerobic exercise like walking/jogging benefits your cardiovascular system and helps burn fat.
Your diet needs to be balanced by eating 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables, lean protein, and complex carbohydrates.  The key is to eat small meals every 2-3 hours so you are constantly giving your digestive system the ability to burn up the food.  You will actually lose more weight if you do that than eat 3 meals a day.
Stay away from sugar, white flour, and saturated fats.  I would exercise 4-6 times per week and make sure you hydrate appropriately.
Take your time and do it right.  Remember, this needs to be a lifestyle change, not a diet to lose weight quick and then gain it all back plus some when you go off it.  Believe me, I've been there and it screws you up as you get older.
Good luck and let me know how it goes with you.
Linda