How can I slowly go from a normal BMI of 22.5 to a normal BMI of 20 (-15lbs) and keep it off?

My BMI is currently normal (22.5). But I have allot of belly fat and very large thighs. I'd like to loose 15lbs, which would mean looking thinner while still remaining within the normal BMI range (20).

I'm willing to do it as slowly as I must so that I can better keep the weight off when I reach my goal. I don't want my body to be shocked!

So... how do you think I should do it? What kind of changes should I make? What should I change in the way I eat? How much should I exercise? I don't want to push my body too hard. I'm willing to take more time. It's very important if I want this change to last.

Thank you very much! I appreciate your input!

You've got to be really careful at your weight with losing, especially if you don't think you are "toned" already. Since your main goal is to lose weight, you're first going to need a calorie deficit. Go to this website, http://health.discovery.com/tools/calculators/basal/basal.html It will give you your BMR, the amount of calories you burn doing nothing daily.

I'm going to recommend that in addition to about 20minutes to an hour of exercise five days a week, you eat approximately as many calories as your BMR, though you will probably be fine if you add an extra 200 calories or so over this amount as you should burn this off doing daily activities. This should probably put you at a calorie deficit of 500cal or so--about 1lb weight loss per week. Try to eat as many grams of protein as half your bodyweight in pounds. I.e. if you weigh 140lb, try to eat 70grams protein minimum, hopefully more. This will prevent muscle atrophy. A protein shake can help with this. It doesn't really matter how many Carbs or Fat grams you have in your diet aside from this; the only thing likely to sabotage you are refined Carbs or high amounts of saturated fats. In other words, stick to olive oil for your fat consumption and stay away from added sugars or white bread. Try to make sure to get at least a fruit serving in daily.

As for the exercise, cardio is going to be your best friend for weight loss but it could sabotage you if you overdo it. Many people end up looking "skinny fat" because they, for example, only run without training parts of the body above the waist. If you don't have time for weight training, which I'd recommend, I'd say you should alternate between running and probably using a rowing machine or doing some other exercise that targets muscles of the upper body/torso. This will help build the muscles of your torso and your arms, giving you that "toned" look. Don't exercise every day, and especially don't target the same muscle group every day, as this will probably cause injury. If you feel up for weight lifting/strength training, some of the best exercises to consider are Rows, Squats, Bench Press, Deadlifts, Overhead Press, Pull Ups, Dips, Push Ups, and Lunges. If you do most of those, there is no additional need to target your abdominal muscles. If you're interested, you should search for proper technique on those and consult a site such as www.exrx.net because there's too much information for a single post.

So in summary, eat approximately your BMR, exercise no more than 5 days a week, and avoid refined carbs and large amounts of saturated fats. A sample weekly schedule for exercise might look like Monday: Jogging, Tuesday: Weights, Wednesday: Break, Thursday: Rowing, Friday: Weights, Saturday: Break, Sunday: Jogging. If you don't think you can do weights for whatever reason, I would simply alternate days doing rowing and jogging and take a break every two days. I recommend rowing simply because it is an excellent upper body cardio and conditioning exercise. If you don't have access to a rowing machine, you could probably substitute swimming as an upper body workout.

Sorry for the lengthiness of the post, but I hope the suggestions help.

I looked at what you've been doing and eating and noticed that you've put on 10 lbs in the last 6 months.

Focus on exercises (extra 300 Cal/Day) for above and below the waist, and don't fight your natural shape too much. Toning and sculpting are fine, but if you carry your weight in your legs and tummy you should be aiming for a J-Lo or Shakira shape. Decrease your calories (200 kacl/day) while focusing on lean protien, lots of fruit and vegtables, and whole grains (literally buy barley, brown rice, etc).

It's simple advice, but it works, and should help you get the look you want. A pound or two a month will result in long term results that are easy to attain, and you are already fairly close to your goal so it won't take that long.

Also avoid extra Calories from sauces, dips, etc. Stick to oils vs. Saturated Fats.

I looked at your profile really quick again when I saw this post on the main page and I saw that you're only 16; at that age, since you're in a normal BMI range, you shouldn'at really be doing any sort of Calorie deficit at all. You're still growing, so putting your body in a catabolic (fat-burning) state could have unintended consequences if you're not overweight. Instead, I'd stick with doing regular exercise and not necessarily counting calories but just eating unprocessed foods intuitively. Your body will naturally become leaner that way, since you're still growing.

I'm not 16 anymore, I'm almost 18 now, but thanks anyway.

I've read both your posts carefully. Thank you both, but I have one question. Is there really no way to loose the weight without going through so much exercise? I'm not used to moving around at all. I'm very weak, and the slightest effort tires me. Even when I try, there isn't much I'm able to do. Plus I hate it. I'm sure these exercises are basic for weight loss, but it would be very very hard for me. I'd be willing to do it if it works, but if I do loose the weight this way, once I stop exercising, wouldn't I start to gain weight?

I'm trying to include the efforts in the weight loss phase, so that afterwords, I won't have to maintain as much effort. Some, okay. But as little as possible. The thing is I don't trust myself to continue trying forever. That's why I want to make the weight loss as permanent as possible.

Any thoughts...?

Excercise isn't about weight loss, about staying healthy. You said you are very weak, thats all the more reason why you SHOULD gets some excerise.

You don't have to do hard or gruelling excercises. Brisk walking works fine... try walks around your favorite shopping districts (try on some sexy outfits while you're there). Look up whats interesting to visit in your area, like museums, zoos, botanical gardens, haunted houses... whatever sparks your interest.

I wrote a very politically correct answer, and then decided on the blunt truth instead.

No, you don't need to exercise, but unless you have a debilitating illness of some sort I don't see why you wouldn't move your butt at least a little. It's not like you have to strap on ankle weights and toil away for hours. ANYTHING that gets you to move your hiney counts. 300 kcals isn't that much energy. You burn more than that sleeping for 8 hours at night.

I would seriously prefer to stab myself in the arm with a rusty nail than do gym aerobics or competitive sports, but I am just not a spandex or sweat kinda woman =) I also found things that I love doing that burn Calories.

Isn't there something you like to do that isn't sedintary? I like belly dancing, yoga, horse brushing, shopping, and some traditional exercises (because they target 1 area). But there are MANY things that count.

Or you can invite a friend to teach you something they like to do. Some will be epic fails, but you might discover a new love too.

And you may begin to gain the weight back if you stop exercising, but you also may find that you prefer to do some work every few days instead of staying heavy.

Have you tried Yoga? It would help tone up your muscles with out tiring you out too much. And many people find it very relaxing and de-stressing so hopfully you won't mind too much continuing with it after your weight loss is done.