So, I was trying that whole calorie-counting thing out for a while, but it got to the stage of needing to know the calories you'd gain when you licked a stamp.

So then I said to myself: "NO TOASTED, DON'T KEEP DIETING, MAKE A LIFESTYLE CHOICE". Which is what I did.

So I "gave up" my two biggest vices: carbohydrates and sugar. Yep pretty drastic. But for example, I read that if you have like a line/split down the middle of your tongue it means you have a weak stomach, and carbohydrates would bloat you. And it's well known they make you feel sluggish. Also my brother when on a Glycaemic Index diet because he struggles with his blood sugar levels and he lost weight on that. So I thought it would be kewl.

It went really well, surprisingly. I do, however, allow myself sugar occassionally. I lost 4.5kg and then I was stuck at that weight for AGES. And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't lose more, so I've started going to gym. I've now lost 5.5kg altogether, and I'm still going strong. I tried some bread last night - and I immediately felt sick afterwards, and bloated. It made me realise how bad that stuff actually is for you.

At gym, I cycle quite a lot, use the treadmill and rowing machine. There is also a step machine (which I know is similar to hell) and a walker machine. There are also a bunch of weights there but I have no clue where to start.

I just want to be softly toned, and I don't want to bulk up and get too muscular.

Anyone have any advice on exercises I could do? Anyone with knowledge about weights that could recommend some exercises that will give me the look I'm going for?

1 exercise does it all for me... SQUASH

only problem is I've bulked up in the right arm... maybe I should exercise the left arm more

Yeah right Fishy, as if the bulky right arm is from squash. No sure, we believe you

Toasted, the GI (glycemic) diet is a good one, it also improves your general health and cellular regeneration which many other diets do not. I suggest you get the book on it though if you're going to try it, as the biology and science behind it is helpful to have as a reference.

PS...not that I can see how your bro needs to lose weight, he was always perfectly weighted when i knew him.

PPS...dont you want to PM him details pls, would love to chat with him again

wanker!

You can't give up carbs completely since they are needed for cell growth and proliferation (replication), but you can give up the 'bad' carbs (one's with a high glycemic index). The Glycemic Index is a great way of telling which 'high quality' carbs you should be eating.

Weight loss generally revolves around (i)what you eat, (ii)when you eat it, and (iii)how you burn the associated calories (or kilojoules) off.

(i) The glycemic index is very helpful in describing what you should be eating. You've already found this to be helpful, Toasted... It's a good thing that you cut down on sugar for example, since it is a 'low quality' (high GI) carb...

(ii) Many small meals is far more beneficial to your weight loss than eating fewer large meals in a day. You need to keep your blood sugar (glucose) levels as constant as possible throughout the day. You start off with a low glucose level in the morning (since you can't eat while you're sleeping), so breakfast is very important to kick those levels up. Breakfast should consist of a low GI carb to ensure that you get a slow 'release' or turnover of glucose, otherwise you'll have an insulin spike at about mid-morning and you'll feel drained. The same applies to dinner. Since you're not going to be eating for the 6-10 hours while you're sleeping, you need low GI carbs before you sleep to ensure that the glucose level in your blood doesn't drop quickly at night.

(iii) You need to get yourself a heart-rate monitor. This enables you to train in the specific heart-rate zones that will maximise your weight loss. There is a general misconception that you need to work hard to lose weight... you don't. Training at 60-75% of your maximum heart rate maximizes fat metabolism, while allowing muscles to reating glycogen (stored 'quick-release' glucose). You don't really need to hit the weights for a while unless you want to get some definition. Cycling and the rowing machine are the best for the low intensity weight loss training.

I coach a girls' rowing squad... and I'm using a system where they can lose weight while still getting stronger in the gym. Their situation is a little diferent to yours tho, since they are aimed at performance by increasing their power to weight ratio rather than just weight loss and fat metabolism.

For about two months now I've had them doing some heavy, heavy gym (4 sets of 8 reps of 170kg on the leg press for example)... and I told them to expect to get bigger and heavier (hypertrophy)... they have. The average weight of the crew is about 65kg. Now we're doing long 45-60min pieces on the water at heart rates of 140-160 beats/min (70-80% of Max HR). The average crew weight has dropped 3kg in 3 weeks. They are still as strong in the gym, but have less weight to haul with them in a race... it's the perfect situation for them.

You can cut out the hypertrophy (gym) part, and train for 45min, 3 times a week at a low intensity and see results in 2 weeks. You don't need gym if all you want to do is lose weight and get a bit of definition... you'll become more cut just by doing the cardio-work.

You were stuck at that weight for ages because your body refused to:
1. Burn anymore muscle
2. Burn fat because it thought that you were starving

These carb-depletion diets are all bullshit. Carbohydrates are not bad for you, they never have been. The majority of people think that carbs are bad because they have never even thought about reading up on the different types of carbohydrates. When you come off this diet (which you will if you value your health) you will put on so much fat it will be unbelievable.

For real, sustainable and healthy fat loss, I recommend a 50%-30%-20 %breakdown of Carbs-protein-fats for your calorie intake.