text: back into shape? i want to get into shape but since i have been in an accident when i exercise my back hurts. i want to lose like 20 lbs. i eat healthy and i look the same. what more can i do? hi :) am not sure whats available in the markets...but, this is what i did to lose weight... please dont take pills... pills are nothing but anorectic agents... they make you feel less hungry... there is no way to loose weight fast... though , sauna , steam and massages help slightly... it has to be combined with diet and excercise... pills are very bad in the long run... can lead to impotency and infertility...  i lost 10 kgs in about 5 months time... i am getting married in august and i desperately needed to loose weight... i was 65 kilos when i started... according to my bmi , i was 10kgs + overweight... i stand 5'2.odd and 65 kilos is grossly overweight...  just dieting wont help like i found out in my case... diet + exercise will do the trick...  i'll tell you what i did... it worked for me... hope it works for you too :)  the trick is not to starve but to eat smart :) and stay healthy :)  what you should cut down : oil , butter , cheese , margarine , mayonisse , sauces (depends , will get back to that a bit later), chips , crisps, nuts , chocolates , sugar , cola, fizz , areated drinks ,ice creams , chocolate , alcohol , cakes and everything else thats hi - cal... you'll need to avoid everything thats sweet , oily and sticky... if you are not sure about what foods to avoid... check the net...loads of info available...  vegetables / meat to avoid : potatoes - very very important , beetroot (its a root and has concenterated sugar in it) , all kinds of roots basically except carrot... avoid lamb, mutton , pork , beef, and prawns... all these put on weight... eat only lean meats... thats fish and chicken.. avoid eating egg yolk... eat just the egg white...  fruits to avoid : mangoes , bananas , jackfruit   now that we had a look at what foodstuff is to be avoided...you might be wondering if there is anythig at all that you can eat... thats how i felt... there is loads of stuff you can eat actually :)  here they come :)  fast foods are a big no no... you can order salads and special lo cal foods that are avaailable in most outlets...  its best to eat at home for the period you are dieting and trying to lose weight...after those few months... once you've shed your load...you can get back to your usual lifestyle... of course with some caution...   my diet... breakfast:  skimmed milk (use skimmmed milk , is low in fat , other typer of milk are higher in fat content) , fruit... i am from india... am not sure where you are from and hence you might not understand certain food types we consume here... but let me tell you something... indian food is very very oily and very difficult to diet...  and try cereal in the mornings... weetabix... etc... have a good breakfast...alwaays use brown bread... whole wheat brown bread is very good for weight reduction...   for lunch , we are staple rice eaters... rice is bad for fat reduction... but i still took rice because its a habit tht cant be changed... everyone takes rice here... so... rice - one cup - 100gms and lots of veggies cooked in less oil.. and absolutely no coconut and curry with less oil... all in all keep your oil intake to 2 tea spoons everyday... that would be just for seasoning... also using olive oil helps a lot...   then for dinner... compulsarily have wheat... pasta is a good option...but make sure you buy wheat pasta... check before buying... and of course in pasta absolutely no sauces... some varities of sauces are acceptable... as far as they dont have cheese , butter , oil ,mayonisse and fattening substances in general... you can use tomato spicy sauces etc... make sure your sugar intake doesnt cross 2 - 3 spoons per day... (not tablespoons) and no butter and ghee of course... eat a lot of fruits and vegetables... and all kinds of cereal... if you are hungry... eat a fruit... or you can eat stuff like puffed wheat and puffed rice... but no puffed corn... corn products again put on weight...   eat sandwiches as m