Losing weight, any tips?

Well, to get started, I used to be the fat kid. Not a fat kid. The fat kid. I've slimmed down, but there's still plenty extra. I've also gained a lot of muscle, which has helped me give a structure to my body.

I've been training with my local United States Marine Corps recruiters, since I need to lose about 30lbs for enlistment, even NROTC programs in college. Are there any PUA out there who have lost a lot of weight, maybe could share some tips?

I'm not looking for a "Stop eating" type of response. Diet does mean a lot to me, but I don't want to lose the muscle mass and strength I've gained. "Work out more" isn't exactly it either, I work out plenty, 3-4 times a week, which is all I can manage with school and other things. I also run 3 miles, 3-4 times a week.

I have fat genes, both my parents are fairly overweight. My brother has slimmed down as well, but that's through not eating and only playing video games, and he's still flabby, no muscle. I'm not looking to be Arnold Schwarzenegger buff and skinny, but I think 30lbs would be doable, and would greatly benefit my health.

Are there any little secrets, small things that have helped somebody lose weight?

Yes...eat more!

The key is smaller portions more frequently. Do 5-6 meals a day at about 1/2 to 1/3 what you would eat in a normal portion. This stabalizes and can speed up your metabolism while keeping you from feeling hungry.

If possible stick to healthier foods, lean meats, low fat/calories, hearty veggies and good carbs.

The tuff part of doing this is constantly prepareing foods...but if you plan your meals ahead alot of it you can prepare 1 day a week and have it ready for the rest of the week. Things like rice, pasta, potatoes you can cook en-mass and have in the fridge ready to heat up.

Meats and veggies you can do every day for freshness or every few days to ease the burden. Stick to chickens, lean pork, fish (salmon is amazing)...and just mix it up with the veggies. Red meats are ok but try not to over do it (i love red meat lol).

If you ever feel hungry between meals or at night and want a "snack" have a carrot, an apple or a peice of fruit instead of cookies or something.

This kind of eating will give you more energy, keep you from feeling hungry and it will stabalize and speed up your metabolism.

I've heard that a lot too, but it's very difficult for me to keep that diet, with school and the like. I plan to give it a try anyhow...

Any recommended calorie counts? Or maybe even a kind of schedule?

I agree with a lot of what Ka just outlined. Definitely cut the junk, eat more veggies and lean meats. Definitely eat more but in smaller portions.

Let me tell you something about me. I used to drink soda all the time and eat junk and stuff that had a lot of SATURATED FATS in it. Well, I cut out the soda, drank bottled water, and cut out the SATURATED FATS for about two weeks at one point and ended up losing two waist sizes on my pants. I was shocked.

I don't eat pork, but that's a personal preference. I also don't eat, if possible, at least 2, if not 4 hours before I go to bed. So, when I go out clubbing or something like that, I'll eat before I go out and I don't eat again till I wake up the next day. No matter how much my stomach growls. Your body won't rest well if you eat too close to going to bed, or if you snack in the middle of the night.

Oh yeah, and as Ka said, Salmon is amazing, lol.

You do need to start paying attention to the labels of the foods you eat. Most saturated fat foods you need to get rid of and I'd be willing to bet that a lot of what you currently eat has that in it. Polyunsaturated and Monounsaturated fats are good fats though. Yep, that's the only "mono" you ever want, lol.

For bodybuilders it is important to sleep before you go to sleep because that is when your producing the most growth hormones and thus you need "fuel" to grow... for you i'm not sure. You should be getting 2500 kcals a day.

I had a nutritionist for a while after I came back from Iraq because I was worried that I'd rebound too much into the "fast food culture," even though there was a burger king on the base I was on for a long time. She had me split my meals into five or six small meals. You can do it while you're in school-- one little "meal" might just be a yogurt.

The biggest thing you need to know is that nobody can really give you a solid answer without knowing the level of activity you get. Do you run? Lift? How many days a week? Can you calculate how much you burn each time you hit the gym? You could start with a 2000 cal diet, for example, and increase by a percentage of the calories you normally burn in an average day (75% of those, or so), or decrease it is you are sedentary. Get a food scale to help you measure food. I got one for about $40, but you don't need to spend that much on it (I just happened to be at a Williams Sonoma or something and thought of it). Bonus: if you decide to sell drugs you can use the scale for that later! (j/k, lol)

But the best thing you could do about this is join the vault and pose these questions to Diesel. He knows more about this kind of thing than most, I would venture.

If i were you i wouldnt bother with counting anything. People tend to over complicate dieting. Its simple, just eat smart.

Multiple meals, spread it out over the day consistantly 5-6 times in smaller portions, and try and eat "healthy" foods.

Eating "Healthy" simply means excluding the obvious bad foods we typically eat like soda or snacks. Drink more water. Home cook your meals with fresh foods.

Start off simple. Plan this weeks meals. Say to yourself ok this week will be a rice base and ill have chicken the first half and salmon the next half. Fill around that with fruits, vegtibles, etc. Then its simple...make a weeks worth of rice, get the meats and prepare them. If you get a whole chicken you can use parts of it with the rice and maybe a little gravy for big meals, peices of chicken as chicken salad or on a sandwich for smaller meals, or even use them in soup. Then  mid way through the week as you have finished off your chicken cook the slamon and your set til you run out of rice.

Then next week make potatoes and do the same thing changing up what meats/fruits/veggies you have. The main thing will be simply getting your portions right and if you absolutely need to eat before your next meal, make it a peice of fruit, a vegitable or something healthy.

As for school...pack 2 sandwichs for lunch, have one earlier and one later...take in an apple or orange or something, juice or milk, etc.

I used to do this for a few months and it really was easier then it sounds, plus i felt great. I would typically eat once every 2-3 hours. I never over ate, never felt hungry, and had a constant stream of energy. I started to look healthier almost immediatly.

Do this and once you get into it if your not seeing the results you want and your not feeling good then look into counting and such...i just think thats overboard for the average person...if your a body builder or athlete then thats different.

Eat less calories, but more meals through the day.

Excessive calories plus inadequate exercise is what puts on bodyfat and other types of fat.

How much do you weigh?

If you're big-boned, you're likely an endomorph. Stick to less carbs and more protein.