Breakfast - lowfat yogurt and a banana

Lunch - salad with lowfat ranch dressing

Dinner - baked chicken, broccoli and salad with lowfat dressing

Applesauce or strawberries/some type of fruit in between meals as a snack

Exercise 45 minutes on treadmill (at least walk 3.9 mph the whole 45 minutes, maybe some running too) every day.

I want to lose 35 pounds as fast as possible, but as safe as possible too. Does this sound like it would be effective to finish that goal? How long would you guess it would take to lose 35 pounds on this diet? Any improvements to make?

Thanks

This is such a great attitude! All of those healthy foods will go a long way towards improving your weight, your health, and the way you feel.

The best way to calculate weight loss is to count the calories. The portion size of your meals will greatly influence how much weight you lose. When you are exercising your heart rate and length of the work out will determine how many calories you lose.

Spend a few minutes warming up then speed up your walk to increase your heart rate a little above normal. If you don’t exercise often take it easy on your first few weeks while your body adjusts. Studies show that people who jump into a workout to hard and to fast will jump back out of their workouts just as fast.

For snacks, think also about a few bites of lean meat and cheese in the morning, a few good nuts (macademias, dry roasted cashews, almonds) with healthy oils in the afternoon. For all your meals, think about portions, especially in the evening. Using a smaller plate and taking smaller portions can quickly change things.

For the workout, if you can do the first thing in the morning, do it. Your metabolism will be cranked for the first part of the day, burning off those calories faster. Also, you won't fall into "ill do it later" syndrome. Get it done and over... and if you then feel like a walk after dinner, bonus time. I don't get up before God and the army cause I want to... I do it because its really the best way to get into a routine.

Also, consider dvds. In addition to biking and walking/running we do billy blanks tae bo and pilates. Dvds are "eye candy" in that it gives you something to watch while you work... kind of keeps your mind away from the ugly things you are making it do. Also... using more than one form of exercise is really best... it keeps your body guessing, off balance. Top athletes cross train for a reason. It works. So its fine to do the treadmill... but change it up too. Are there bleachers or stairs nearby you could walk up? Have you tried jumping rope lately? Seriously... it is EVIL.

So your diet seems reasonable. Do not starve yourself. Also understand simple changes can let you have the variety you crave... for ex, if I sauté asparagus in olive oil with garlic, I won't also sauté the meat. Slipping in the good veggies and fruits with meals, especially dinner, will change what you crave.

Nobody can tell you how fast you'll lose this weight. But you do need to give yourself at least 6-8 weeks to get good habits established... in that time, its unlikely you'll be at your target weight, but you might find yourself partly there and on a path that will get you where you want to be.

Last note... researchers have said those who keep diet and exercise journals lose twice the amount of weight as those who try to work it out in their heads. There's just something about having a sustainable plan that is recorded.

Thank you very much for these great answers! Now hopefully I'll have a better chance at getting this weight off. Thank you

That's sounds like a good menu to me,good luck with the diet and remember were all behind you!

Thank you for your support! :) I really hope I can stick with it this time :p

Great menu! When I dropped 20 (have 10 more to go!) pounds of baby weight I used a plan that kept the meals pretty simple and the same. It said that the most successful dieters pick a rotation of meals that work for them and stick w/ it. It might be boring, but it creates routine and is easier to stick to. For myself, being busy, it was just WAY easier to shop for a handful of meals. And, the diet I used listed tons of great 100 calorie snack options which was great for me since I rarely get a chance to sit down and eat a meal, my kids are always snacking and it was nice to have options for me to snack on too and not blow my diet! If you're interesed the plan I'm using is Lose 4 to 9 Pounds Now!