I need to lose 40 pounds before October 13th.

Totally doable! What is your diet like currently and what are you doing exercise wise as of now?

Just the elliptical for exercise but its very infrequent. I need to switch gyms. I did the atkins diet for a week and lost 2 pounds but i didn't have enough money to maintain that and gained it back the next day. Otherwise i just eat crap and I snack a lot

If you really want to lose the weight there are ways to do it rather than a name brand diet.

- cut out all processed foods and sugars: if it doesn't expire within a month you shouldn't put it in your body

- no pop or sugary drinks, water is your best friend: make it tasty by infusing it with fruit, citrus water is a known fat burner

- home cooked meals with REAL foods are going to help: skip anything that comes from a box

- half your plate at regular meal times should be made up of fruits and veggies, the more colorful the better

- keep starches and carbs to a minimum, switch out for whole wheat breads and pastas or brown rice, quinua or couscous

- limit dairy intake, cheese is delicious but it also is the devil

- snack all you want on fruits, veggies, legumes, and nuts

- limit salt intake, other spices are fine

- no ketchup/condiments - mustard is fine

- bake your proteins, lean proteins are your best friend: chicken and salmon are the best bets to get all the essential vitamins and minerals for a healthy diet

- 30 minutes of cardio EVERY day, even if its a brisk walk in your neighborhood

I have also heard that soup/liquid diets are effective but they are shit for your body and typically have too much sodium.

you really can do it if you put your mind to it, but it takes major changes to your diet, it all starts with diet. exercise is necessary, but most people don't understand that it takes changes to the fuel you put in to what you get out of it.

Im following....gotta lose this gut

Eat clean, drink water and move, move...... MOVE!! :+)

It's about changing your mindset too. Those tips are all amazing, but if you only do it sporadically, it won't help. You have to commit and do it every day, even when it's hard. Especially when it's hard!

Count your macros, no special food required just clean foods, no processed foods. Every body is different but I eat high protein (.8g for each pound I weigh), medium carbs and low fat. When I stick to it, I average 4% weight loss a month, 110 lbs so far. Plus I work out 4-5x a week!

My dad lost 80 pounds on Atkins... then when my mom and I tried it we barely lost any weight and felt uncomfortable. We both retained so much water from it! For some women, I just don't think its the best option. I recommend weight watchers if you prefer the structured diet plan over not following something and just eating healthy. I lost 70 on weight watchers. Its also created by nutritionists and doctors... a lot of other fad diets are created by someone trying to make some money and it may not be so great for your health. I'm not sure how much Atkins is but I paid about $30/mo for weight watchers and got the first 3 months free because of a deal they were having at that time

Cut carbs sugar drink tons of water and do kickboxing 4 times a week!! Lost 30 pounds since I started in December!

Try a paleo diet. No processed food, not bread, no peanuts, etc. Drink only water. Try to get your heart rate up for 45 minutes 3-4 times a week.

My friend started weight watchers 4 months ago and she has lost over 20 so far. It's all about portion control and not going over your points. It works for her because she still wants certain foods but she has been eating very healthy. No soda (or diet) and lots of water. She has not been exercising either. Look into it and definitely work out. Good luck!

I post this on every weight loss thread, but Weight Watchers is the way to go, especially if you actually want to keep it off. I've been overweight my whole life (until now) and tried everything and it's the only thing that's really worked. The best diet is the one you can stick to.

Isn't Atkins just high fat low carb ? How can it be too expensive ? Just curious I never did it is it a vey specific meal plan or actual name brand food u must buy?

Paleo isn't a specific diet. And generally speaking it's wrong in a boat load of ways.

Atkins is essentially a high fat/protein/ low carb diet. it's not that big of a shift- I assume Gorgame the amount of meat is an issue? It can get pricey.

BOTH of which tend to be very successful and run on 1 premise alone- lower carbohydrates- which is one reason people see so much success.

if you cut out an ENTIRE (or almost all) of an entire macronutrient- of COURSE you're going to lose weight. And especially with carbs- you drop instant water weight when you start cutting out carbs.

You want to maximize your calories- eat things that are very filling- but low calorically.

Cake- not filling- high calories.

Meat- tends to be lower calories- more filling

Carbs- tend to be moderately filling- but higher in calories.

40 pounds in 6 months is going to be a tough push.

that's just under 7 pounds a month- and as you come closer to October you're going to have become more and more rigid with your consumption of food- weight loss slows as you near your goal weight.

Is the 13th your actual wedding? - I see that it is- well- sorry- you don't have 6 months- and you don't have till the 13th of October- at BEST you have till September. Remember you have to get your dress fitted- and you don't want to be yo-yoing after you get fitted.

So- aim for 25 pounds and go from there.

If you're looking for some kind of diet plan then I would recommend South Beach. It's similar to Atkins in that it's high protein and low carb, but it has a greater focus on leaner protein and good fats (polyunsaturated, like olive oil) rather than all fats. It's also big on vegetables which I don't think Atkins stresses as much.

The truth is that any time you're eating real, unprocessed foods it's going to be more expensive then living off of chips and soda. Do your best to cook for yourself using as many fresh veggies as possible. Buying pre-made and processed food is a killer because there are a lot of additives (sugar, fats, preservatives) which really add to the calorie count.

Exercise and water are crucial. Also download MyFitnessPal. It will help you track what you're eating. You input your body characteristics and your goal and it will calculate your calorie intake you should be shooting for daily.

Agree with PP. Also, try doing a plank challenge! Start slowly and gradually build up your strength over time. I do Pilates once or twice a week, plus cardio, plus about 10 minutes of different plank/ab exercises every day. It has done wonders for my beer belly

I agree MyFitnessPal type goal cut calories

The only thing that works for me is severely cutting calories and get on the treadmill steep incline !!!

Exercise and clean eating! Watch your calorie intake and try counting your macros.

Ashley you can't spot reduce fat with exercise.