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Girlfriend has tried everything to lose weight but to no avail
- Thread starter DragonKnight
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The Elite
BOSS
I believe it because Batman.
Zoe
Member
Does she use salad dressing?
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
High-fat, high-protein, low-carb (sub-100) is the way to go. As little processed crap as possible. No grains, no sugar. Focus on meat, fish, eggs, and vegetables. Eat nuts like almonds and macadamias. Enjoy cheeses and cream, but don't go overboard and make them the focus of your meals. Never drink anything that isn't water, unsweetened tea, or unsweetened coffee. Do not keep any kind of junk food in the house. Keep "special occasion" cheat meals to a minimum (no more than one meal a week at max). Go outside when the weather is nice. Soak up the sun and take walks. Do squats and stretches and resistance exercise using your own body weight. No need to focus on exercise, but a bit of walking around can help a lot.
There's no way to not lose weight and become healthy on this diet. Check out some paleo stuff or Mark Sisson's blog over at Mark's Daily Apple for more advice.
I went from 225 lbs down to 145 lbs as of today in a little over a year. I'm starting to see my abs and haven't been healthier in my life. I've convinced a few guys at work to jump onboard, too, and they have seen similar transformations.
Anyway, good luck to you and her! It's only as hard as you make it out to be.
There's no way to not lose weight and become healthy on this diet. Check out some paleo stuff or Mark Sisson's blog over at Mark's Daily Apple for more advice.
I went from 225 lbs down to 145 lbs as of today in a little over a year. I'm starting to see my abs and haven't been healthier in my life. I've convinced a few guys at work to jump onboard, too, and they have seen similar transformations.
Anyway, good luck to you and her! It's only as hard as you make it out to be.
DragonKnight
Member
She hasn't checked in two weeks. We are going to put the scale away altogether. A tape measure would be a better gauge and I dunno why I didn't think of that.
DragonKnight
Member
Charoncaori
Member
Is her thyroid okay? People with high or low thyroid issues have metabolism problems, but she might also have trouble exercising if that was the case.
Keep at it, if nothing keeps changing see if it's an issue with her thyroid or a side-effect of a medication she is on.
Keep at it, if nothing keeps changing see if it's an issue with her thyroid or a side-effect of a medication she is on.
ThingontheFloor
Member
That's because what works for some people, doesn't always work for others. So personally, for me, what I suggested worked out great for me. I wouldn't expect him to find one post and follow it 100%, but to take bits of pieces from what people are trying to help out by suggesting what worked for them and hopefully not just what they read somewhere else.
But I don't think there is any argument that eating a lot more vegetables will be harmful. I agree with the above post that eating a lot more leafy and dark vegetables as well will eliminate the need to take a fiber supplement every day, as well. Don't rely on multivitamins as a replacement for vegetables. OP, whoever told you that is a crazy person.
aparisi2274
Member
Does she have something against Weight Watchers? My ex-gf went on WW and she lost about 45lbs over the course of 6-8mos and she was ecstatic!
The main thing though, your gf needs to be active. Have her walk around the neighborhood, or ride a bike, or go to the gym... she just needs to be active.
Just keep going at it, a period of plateau is usually common in weight loss programs. How does she generally feel about herself other than not reaching her goal? As long as she overall feels happier, healthier, and more fit, consider it a success and further motivation rather than dwelling on not hitting an arbitrary number.
You need a big bowl of pasta and cheese for lunch and dinner for a month or two.
Phuturephunk
Banned
I don't know about any of this p90 or Intensity/Insanity stuff, but from topical research it sounds like these are good programs for people who are in maintenance and not actually people who need to lose weight (example: using P90 for extreme 'cutting' after you've already added muscle mass).
She needs to hit the iron and hit it hard. She should be training to increase muscle mass. Once the furnace gets stoked because she's actually put on some mass that requires more energy to run, then she can micromanage everything else.
Like I said: Deadlifts are the answer.
She needs to hit the iron and hit it hard. She should be training to increase muscle mass. Once the furnace gets stoked because she's actually put on some mass that requires more energy to run, then she can micromanage everything else.
Like I said: Deadlifts are the answer.
DragonKnight
Member
Did you guys read the OP?
She's doing Insanity. I don't know what's more active than that. And she works at a day care where she walks around a lot. I think some of you are right and her metabolism is adjusting and her body composition is shifting.
Edit: Nope. I've seen plenty of before and after pics where people have gone from fat to fab.
She's doing Insanity. I don't know what's more active than that. And she works at a day care where she walks around a lot. I think some of you are right and her metabolism is adjusting and her body composition is shifting.
Edit: Nope. I've seen plenty of before and after pics where people have gone from fat to fab.
ClovingWestbrook
Banned
My wife had trouble losing weight since I had known her. Finally she just got tired of trying the diets, losing and gaining it back. Here is what she did:
PX90 1-2 times daily
900 calories daily
Cut off all fast food and all soda
She did this for a year and the results were absolutely mindboggling.
So yea. It really just takes dedication, being very active, and cutting ALL crap from your diet. You can't lose weight and keep it off without having all three ingredients.
PX90 1-2 times daily
900 calories daily
Cut off all fast food and all soda
She did this for a year and the results were absolutely mindboggling.
So yea. It really just takes dedication, being very active, and cutting ALL crap from your diet. You can't lose weight and keep it off without having all three ingredients.
DragonKnight
Member
Ok. Here's what i'm taking away from this thread"
--Water: 8 cups a day at least. Helps with water retention
--Food: She'll eat what I outlined and it's actually low carb
--Renewed focus: trying to get her to eat more dark, leafy veggies
--Scale: putting it away for a while and getting a tape measure
--Exercise: Sticking with Insanity. She really likes it and it makes her sweat like mad.
Thanks guys. Some of you have been a great helps. I've always said that progress is slow but sure. Hopefully she'll she more tangible results in two months.
--Water: 8 cups a day at least. Helps with water retention
--Food: She'll eat what I outlined and it's actually low carb
--Renewed focus: trying to get her to eat more dark, leafy veggies
--Scale: putting it away for a while and getting a tape measure
--Exercise: Sticking with Insanity. She really likes it and it makes her sweat like mad.
Thanks guys. Some of you have been a great helps. I've always said that progress is slow but sure. Hopefully she'll she more tangible results in two months.
DragonKnight
Member
Eating that few cals a day is extremely dangerous.
DragonKnight
Member
BMR: 1550
With activity multiplier: 2600
So around 1500 a day. Sometimes more, sometimes less
CommonSense
Banned
Does she come from a bigger family? Is she active? Does she work out? Does she sleep on a proper schedule? Are you sure she's not cheating on her diet in private?
Many things can be a reason here from genetics to a lethargic lifestyle. I would suggest she consult with her primary care physician next time she has a checkup and ask for some suggestions or specialists in the field if she is serious about this issue.
By the way, by nature some people are just big, they can be big and muscled, but they will always be big.
Many things can be a reason here from genetics to a lethargic lifestyle. I would suggest she consult with her primary care physician next time she has a checkup and ask for some suggestions or specialists in the field if she is serious about this issue.
By the way, by nature some people are just big, they can be big and muscled, but they will always be big.
lol, when did 1 to 1 1/2 tbsp of peanut butter become "large quantities"?
I think she'll do fine as long as you monitor carb and calorie intake. Obviously avoid extremely unhealthy and processed items, and increase healthy things like omega-3s (Salmon is great if she likes seafood).
p90 x insanity is obviously a good workout, and I'm going to assume she's relatively active aside from that (just general moving around and doing stuff and not being a couch-potato)
Also the main thing like people said in this thread already, 2 weeks is not a large enough window to conclude that there is no weight loss, and also there can be great fluctuation in weight due to water weight, muscle gain, etc.
I think she'll do fine as long as you monitor carb and calorie intake. Obviously avoid extremely unhealthy and processed items, and increase healthy things like omega-3s (Salmon is great if she likes seafood).
p90 x insanity is obviously a good workout, and I'm going to assume she's relatively active aside from that (just general moving around and doing stuff and not being a couch-potato)
Also the main thing like people said in this thread already, 2 weeks is not a large enough window to conclude that there is no weight loss, and also there can be great fluctuation in weight due to water weight, muscle gain, etc.
golduck342
Member
Isn't that the point? She is a small girl, at 5'4 she probably doesn't need that many calories. Don't mistake calories for fullness. Green vegetables are good, but I personally am not a fan of leafy. Leafy will leave her hungry, girthier stuff like brocolli and celery will serve the fullness factor. My only exception is spinach, cause when cooked it can be so satisfying.
ClovingWestbrook
Banned
She was regularly going to her doctor. she was also taking shakes. As she lost weight she upped her calorie intake. Believe me, she didn't just do it willy nilly.
DragonKnight
Member
Nope. I've seen pics of her in HS and college. She hasn't been big all her life. She'll never be that small again due to gaining muscle from exercise but she's definitely got a fair bit of fat to lose.
CommonSense
Banned
That's great and all but the metabolism normally undergoes a drastic change in the mid-late twenties. I have a friend who was skinny as a rail in high school who works out like a pro athelete and is still always going to have to battle his belly.
Nature can be a bitch, what does mom/dad look like?
DragonKnight
Member
She's 20. She worked at a camp all last summer not being active and eating carby, processed crap for three months. The weigh gain was pretty drastic. I get what you are saying but this is the product of poor diet and almost no activity. Not to mention drinking yager and non-diet red bull all the time.
Yes some people are bigger. I get that. That isn't the case here.
CommonSense
Banned
Ah, well then tell her to exercise twice a day for 25 minutes, count her calories, and walk 1 to 2 miles a day and give us the results in a month.
Really you need to eliminate the red bull and jager and replace it with water and gin.
I'm going to assume that the people who think peanut butter is bad for you are buying brands that are made using hydrogenated oils with lots of trans and saturated fats rather than unsaturated fats.
Saturated/trans fat, as well as too much fat circulating in your blood, can have severe impacts on the cardiovascular system, so yes they should be minimized. However, fats are still essential to cell regeneration (not just for energy, but also for rebuilding cellular membranes), so they are necessary, especially when doing exercise.
The reason why most people think fats are bad is because of a study done a few decades ago (can't remember which one) correlating body fat to cardiovascular diseases. So the assumption was people gained body fat primarily from eating too much fat. Even though health professionals suggested eating less fats, the American population still got fatter and less healthy (clearly there are other confounding factors, but I will just address one issue). More recent studies are claiming it is most likely due to higher fructose intake - I am isolating fructose because fructose is stored via a different biochemical pathway than glucose (fructose cannot be stored as glycogen, and follows a different pathway when converted to fat). Some of those byproducts of that pathway have detrimental effects on health - many studies link this to diabetes, hypertension, etc (I should stress that this isn't to say that fructose is the only cause). The fact that fructose is converted to fat isn't really the primary issue, it is how it is converted to fat.
Having said that, fructose isn't a "poison" as some want it to be labeled as. Fruits are full of sucrose (half glucose, half fructose) but also contain cellulose/dietary fibers that affect sugar absorption. Human physiology is much more complicated than what most people try to make it out to be.
I wouldn't recommended completely cutting out carbs (even a ketogenic-diet still has a minimum carb intake), as the brain is heavily/preferentially dependent on glucose as it's energy source, and to break down fat during the Krebs cycle, there needs to be a constant supply of oxaloacetate (which is a derivative of pyruvate - a carbohydrate). If you do go low-carb, then just make sure you're getting enough amino acids as amino acids can be converted to pyruvate to fuel the Krebs cycle (without either glycogen stores, carb or amino acid intake, this will come primarily from the amino acids in the proteins of your skeletal muscles). Also, note that the glycerol in triglycerides (how fat is stored) are not enough to constantly fuel the the Krebs cycle.
Finally, just as a reminder, even though the byproducts of converting fructose to fat, rather than the fat itself, is the primary issue with fructose intake - having high body fat/eating far over your metabolic needs still puts a lot of stress on your joints, vital organs, impairs physical function (flexibility, agility), affects kidney function, etc.
(and if I am mistaken/misinformed about something I just said, please let me know).
Saturated/trans fat, as well as too much fat circulating in your blood, can have severe impacts on the cardiovascular system, so yes they should be minimized. However, fats are still essential to cell regeneration (not just for energy, but also for rebuilding cellular membranes), so they are necessary, especially when doing exercise.
The reason why most people think fats are bad is because of a study done a few decades ago (can't remember which one) correlating body fat to cardiovascular diseases. So the assumption was people gained body fat primarily from eating too much fat. Even though health professionals suggested eating less fats, the American population still got fatter and less healthy (clearly there are other confounding factors, but I will just address one issue). More recent studies are claiming it is most likely due to higher fructose intake - I am isolating fructose because fructose is stored via a different biochemical pathway than glucose (fructose cannot be stored as glycogen, and follows a different pathway when converted to fat). Some of those byproducts of that pathway have detrimental effects on health - many studies link this to diabetes, hypertension, etc (I should stress that this isn't to say that fructose is the only cause). The fact that fructose is converted to fat isn't really the primary issue, it is how it is converted to fat.
Having said that, fructose isn't a "poison" as some want it to be labeled as. Fruits are full of sucrose (half glucose, half fructose) but also contain cellulose/dietary fibers that affect sugar absorption. Human physiology is much more complicated than what most people try to make it out to be.
I wouldn't recommended completely cutting out carbs (even a ketogenic-diet still has a minimum carb intake), as the brain is heavily/preferentially dependent on glucose as it's energy source, and to break down fat during the Krebs cycle, there needs to be a constant supply of oxaloacetate (which is a derivative of pyruvate - a carbohydrate). If you do go low-carb, then just make sure you're getting enough amino acids as amino acids can be converted to pyruvate to fuel the Krebs cycle (without either glycogen stores, carb or amino acid intake, this will come primarily from the amino acids in the proteins of your skeletal muscles). Also, note that the glycerol in triglycerides (how fat is stored) are not enough to constantly fuel the the Krebs cycle.
Finally, just as a reminder, even though the byproducts of converting fructose to fat, rather than the fat itself, is the primary issue with fructose intake - having high body fat/eating far over your metabolic needs still puts a lot of stress on your joints, vital organs, impairs physical function (flexibility, agility), affects kidney function, etc.
(and if I am mistaken/misinformed about something I just said, please let me know).
DragonKnight
Member
Alcohol has been almost eliminated altogether. Insanity takes care of the activity and i'm encouraging her to walk more and her new house has a pool so there's that. A lack of activity and poor diet has been the problem. Though she's been trying to lose weight for months, she really only started being active again like a month ago.
DragonKnight
Member
No worries. She's eating about 100g a day.
TrAcEr_x90
Member
A sensible diet, with bootcamp throughout the week and I don't see why anyone can not lose weight. You really can't do one without the other. Must exercise and eat healthy. Set goals, I like to have one cheat day, maybe sometimes two if I worked out alot.
The thing I find, is most chicks wanna do some sort of miracle diet, lose weight and then they put it all back on right away. No miracle diet will beat, pushups, pullups and squats.
The thing I find, is most chicks wanna do some sort of miracle diet, lose weight and then they put it all back on right away. No miracle diet will beat, pushups, pullups and squats.
DragonKnight
Member
Yeah. She thought that just changing her diet would be the magic cure but she's finally undertaking some serious exercise and getting stronger too.
My suggestion to OP...
Use coconut oil. replace w/e cooking ye use with organic virgin coconut oil (also make sure ye get it in a glass jar). ye may also consider having ur gf taking the oil by the spoonful literally. suggest ye find out whether ye gf is allergic to coconuts or not, if not 3-4 spoonfuls of coconut oil max per day.
Meats , Veggies (no Potato and no Legumes which are peanuts and all forms of beans), fruit. Get rid of the grains(bread, rice, cereal, etc), dairy (cheese, milk, etc), everything else that is junk from ur gf diet. drinks wise... water, coffee, tea only. ye may do fruit juice only if its freshly squeezed from an actual fruit.
ensure that the fats that ye gf does consume are good fats. Fats are indeed important to ones diet but a high fat diet is a waste if the fats one is consuming are mostly bad fats.
Use coconut oil. replace w/e cooking ye use with organic virgin coconut oil (also make sure ye get it in a glass jar). ye may also consider having ur gf taking the oil by the spoonful literally. suggest ye find out whether ye gf is allergic to coconuts or not, if not 3-4 spoonfuls of coconut oil max per day.
Meats , Veggies (no Potato and no Legumes which are peanuts and all forms of beans), fruit. Get rid of the grains(bread, rice, cereal, etc), dairy (cheese, milk, etc), everything else that is junk from ur gf diet. drinks wise... water, coffee, tea only. ye may do fruit juice only if its freshly squeezed from an actual fruit.
ensure that the fats that ye gf does consume are good fats. Fats are indeed important to ones diet but a high fat diet is a waste if the fats one is consuming are mostly bad fats.
Devolution
Member
If you're skinny you gotta be active and exercise. Also adding cottage cheese + avocado into my diet did wonders for me.
Does she have a bike? If she does, hit that up some to change it up. You can burn about 800 calories an hour if you're moving pretty well. Also is a great workout for your legs and lower abs really get a workout. But your points seem to be solid. Tell her to keep going.
If I could encourage anything it's to change diet and such up every now and then. Cheat days within reason are good for the body. Changing up the exercise routine for a day here and there is good. The problem with our bodies is that they adapt to what you're feeding and doing to them.
I'd still recommend some intermittent fasting, read about it here. And about fasted workouts here.
vincent vega
Member
nothing wrong with the peanut butter, it's good for you if it's natural. My breakfast usually consists of a peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat break with a glass of milk.
for exercise, maybe running/swimming would be better than p90x. i have never tried the program, but I can only imagine that it would get boring after a month. If she sucks at running, start her at 20-30 minutes easy everyday (not on a treadmill). After she builds her endurance she can go 40-50 minutes. throwing in weight training/core work would be good too.
for exercise, maybe running/swimming would be better than p90x. i have never tried the program, but I can only imagine that it would get boring after a month. If she sucks at running, start her at 20-30 minutes easy everyday (not on a treadmill). After she builds her endurance she can go 40-50 minutes. throwing in weight training/core work would be good too.
Deadly Cyclone
Pride of Iowa State
Is it bad that I read the thread title as "Garfield has tried everything to lose weight but to no avail?"
shira
Member
Verily
DragonKnight
Member
She loves it and you never do that same thing on any given day. She'll supplement some swimming too when she moves into her new home.
storafötter
Member
Well as much of a fan of Olive oil I am it is not the best thing to use for salad if your trying to be effective by losing weight. Better than shitty dressing of course.
However you should replace olive oil with lemon juice, vinegar and you might see better results.
Of course she probably isn't drinking gallons of Olive Oil every day, but just something to think of.
I think not recommending legumes is silly. Plenty of dietary fiber in legumes and other important vitamins and minerals. Since she is a vegetarian legumes should substitute for meat/grains. You also end up not eating as much legumes as supposed to refined/processed food.
DragonKnight
Member
storafötter;37639920 said:
Ok. I'll tell her that.
SMT
this show is not Breaking Bad why is it not Breaking Bad? it should be Breaking Bad dammit Breaking Bad
She has to gain muscle first, so the muscle can eat the fat and increase the metabolism to burn more calories. Then after the musculation phase, she has to do cardio and weights at the same time to cut, rip, or trim herself.
You can't get anywhere fast with cardio alone.
And get rid of these dressings; high in fat, cause cholesterol.
Make your own!
Avocados are really fattening, you should have it only once a week, and as a full meal, not a fucking snack.
1 egg, not two, fuck the butter fat, screw the peanut butter, lol cottage cheese and you're asking why she ain't losing weight?
She should stop having so many almond snacks, keep it to fruits, or vegetables, why not mini carrots?
Sugar takes away from your lean physique, body builders stay away from that shit.
You can't get anywhere fast with cardio alone.
And get rid of these dressings; high in fat, cause cholesterol.
Make your own!
Avocados are really fattening, you should have it only once a week, and as a full meal, not a fucking snack.
1 egg, not two, fuck the butter fat, screw the peanut butter, lol cottage cheese and you're asking why she ain't losing weight?
She should stop having so many almond snacks, keep it to fruits, or vegetables, why not mini carrots?
Sugar takes away from your lean physique, body builders stay away from that shit.
I didn't read ALL of your OP. But I'm concerned, please tell her to stop weighting the food. Tell her to stop eating:
1: Oil (huile)
2: Butter
3: Sugar
+
Tell her to stay away from:
Potatoes
Pasta
Rice
Good luck.
DragonKnight
Member
Bingo. To go on with this:
-Once a week, stop freaking out about it.
-Weigh yourself at the same time, after the same routine.
-DO get the measuring tape. Might be a bit much every week, but 2 weeks is fine.
DragonKnight
Member
You're wrong, here. Sweet potatoes are excellent for you and her carb intake is under 100g a day. At this point i'm just repeating myself over and over again so I'm gonna PM a mod to close this thread. Thanks for the responses guys. My gf and I really appreciate it.
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