Hiya, my name is Steph, i'm 22, 5ft and weigh 13 stone. The same as most, i had no idea how quickly my weight ballooned, althouh i have a big family, i never use that as an excuse. In fact I use that as an inspiration!
I was using the gym 5 days a week on a low fat/calorie diet for 6 straight months and i only lost 7lbs. It totally knocked me down!
So here i am with a box of Orlistat, i've been reading this forum every day and thank god i did, theres some great people on here.
My main questions are: How much and what kind of exercise is enough? I have an eliptical trainer and a wii fit.
How much fat is enough? I've seen the 5g, 10g, 15g thing, just looking for any advice on how people are manageing the fat content.
I used to be a chef, so this is going to be harder than i think i realise as im used to eating really good food!
its not as hard as it first seems, look at how u cook things and cut out things like oil and butter, look for low fat alternatives for everything and try and eat fresh food if possible as frozen is often higher in fat.
the best thing you can do is read old posts on the forum, lots of help on here and as for exercise it sounds like you do quite a bit, ideally you want to have a good sweaty session 3+ times a week but it does vary from person to person
the 5g, 10g's and 15g's is how some of us split out daily fat intake out over the day. No more than 30g's of full fat in any 24hrs.
As you don't normally hit those you then have the option for a couple of treats.
Drinking green tea, lots of nice options out there also seems to help most people so even though it can take a while to get used to I would say try and add that to your diet.
As for exercise that's up to you, remember some exercises will make you gain muscle which is heavier than fat.
Other people have measured area's of their bodies when they first start and keep a record. Some weeks you will find that you have not lost any weight but your body shape will have changed.
It may take some time to find the low fat options at shops but it is worth the time and effort so you don't get bored with just chicken all the time. Also remember weight watchers is not based on fat but on points. Some weight watchers foods are ok on this diet but be aware that some are not. Rule of thumb do not buy anything that has more than 5g of full fat per 100g's.
Hope it's going ok so far. I trained as a cook originally, and tend to use fresh foods not pre-packed. I've got a fat spray (refillable) from Lakeland which is really useful - I even have fried eggs with it - and a good set of non-stick pans. You don't have to miss out on good food, just because you can't have the cream and butter. Rosemary Conley recipes are based on low fat and there are some really good recipes with lots of flavour. Make the most of seasonings and you'll get some great meals.
