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Is weight loss more than simply exercising and counting calories?
- Thread starter EloquentM
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XANDER CAGE
Member
It can be that, but healthy weight loss involves more. Exercise and proper nutrition are still important.
speculawyer
Member
Counting calories won't do much. You need to consume less of them. That's the hard part.
If you can manage that, you are golden. But our bodies are trained to make us each as much as possible since thousands of years ago, you never knew when you'd get to eat next.
If you can manage that, you are golden. But our bodies are trained to make us each as much as possible since thousands of years ago, you never knew when you'd get to eat next.
ClassyPenguin
Banned
Don't ask gaf.
http://www.weightymatters.ca/
http://www.drsharma.ca
http://sixpackabs.com
http://blogs.plos.org/obesitypanacea/
Great resources from people who actually know what they are talking about. Science based with clealr explanations of current fads and studies.
http://www.weightymatters.ca/
http://www.drsharma.ca
http://sixpackabs.com
http://blogs.plos.org/obesitypanacea/
Great resources from people who actually know what they are talking about. Science based with clealr explanations of current fads and studies.
perfectchaos007
Member
Dogs still have that mentality as well. They'll over eat all the time if you allow them. Cats on the other hand are a lot more disciplined with food. Well, most of them. You'll still see fat cats every now and then.
Bullshit.
Do the caloric (is this the right word?) content of food change when you mix it together?
Like, I know roughly how much tomatoes and pasta are in terms of nutrition. But when I cook them together, is the effect additive for all the ingredients?
I'd like to start taking my input seriously and controlling that so I can start losing weight in a sustainable (long-term) and healthy way.
Like, I know roughly how much tomatoes and pasta are in terms of nutrition. But when I cook them together, is the effect additive for all the ingredients?
I'd like to start taking my input seriously and controlling that so I can start losing weight in a sustainable (long-term) and healthy way.
Pretty much. Portion control has been working for me, but it is hard as fuck. I have bad days where I eat way too much. I haven't really changed what I eat, I've just been eating less of it.
ClassyPenguin
Banned
I linked to some of the best resources for weight and diet matters and you answer with that. How mature of you.
I had to change my diet drastically due to food intolerances and after a week or so being off of all processed sugar and bread the cravings have completely vanished.
It's really weird, I can hardly believe it. I used to crave for cookies, chips, sodas, etc., even after eating a big meal. Now I eat a bowl of lettuce and I'm set for hours.
(cause you threw his whole userbase under the bus without equivocation, which includes people knowledgeable about this subject, dumb ass)
FullMetalx117
Member
was that a perma ban?
Anyways, for me it really is about the exercising. I try to eat healthy but living in a dorm and forced to buy a campus meal basically means you will have an unhealthy diet.
Anyways, for me it really is about the exercising. I try to eat healthy but living in a dorm and forced to buy a campus meal basically means you will have an unhealthy diet.
Weight management is both entirely about calories in/calories out and not at all about calories in/calories out.
If you write down everything you eat and all of your exercise and know your RMR, and maintain a deficit, you're going to lose weight. But willpower is a finite resource and we are compelled significantly by our body's internal mechanisms for hunger and satiety. If you're eating the wrong things, your chances of maintaining that deficit decrease. If your macros aren't in the right place and you don't have a good exercise regimen, you might end up losing much more lean mass along with the adipose tissue than you would otherwise, and won't be happy with the results.
The most effective plans generally involve cutting out sugar (which messes with your satiety and puts body fat on directly among many other things), doing regular weightlifting and cardio to maintain or develop lean mass while burning extra calories to take the pressure off of the necessary portion control, and keeping protein up (for satiety and lean mass sparing).
If you write down everything you eat and all of your exercise and know your RMR, and maintain a deficit, you're going to lose weight. But willpower is a finite resource and we are compelled significantly by our body's internal mechanisms for hunger and satiety. If you're eating the wrong things, your chances of maintaining that deficit decrease. If your macros aren't in the right place and you don't have a good exercise regimen, you might end up losing much more lean mass along with the adipose tissue than you would otherwise, and won't be happy with the results.
The most effective plans generally involve cutting out sugar (which messes with your satiety and puts body fat on directly among many other things), doing regular weightlifting and cardio to maintain or develop lean mass while burning extra calories to take the pressure off of the necessary portion control, and keeping protein up (for satiety and lean mass sparing).
It's a little bit more than that yes. Over the last 10 years I lost and gained up to 15/20 kilos by just not caring at times and then losing them again in a rapid time. If that is healthy or not is a whole other discussion.
From my experience taking your time to track what you eat for a week, count the rough estimate of calories and then adjusting that is enough to slowly lose weight. If you want to speed it up and actually look somewhat half decent you really do have to work out a bit. This doesn't mean you have to go to the gym - take a extra walk of 30 mins a day (or more), bike, stuff like that. If you do that and change your eating habits this means you will lose weight. At what pace is all up to you. Gym is always better but you do not have to.
Change snacks with fruit. Fruit is healthy. Nothing wrong with some soda but limit that. You don't have to punish yourself if you want to lose weight but you do have to change stuff but there is no reason to not reward yourself. I still drank 2 cokes a day every time I lost weight. It's not good but I absolutely need that. It's best to not do that and limit sugars (like the poster above me said) but it was just some example.
The best advice that I can give you is to have a good healthy breakfast and eat in smaller doses over the day. Simple stuff like even having a smaller plate instead of a big one helps. Sounds stupid but hey. And you really have to 'workout' at least 30 minutes a day. The more the better.
In the end it all comes down to one simple thing - whatever you put in your mouth is the cause of your weight gain but obviously also the way to make sure you lose your kilos. People always laugh at that comment but it's the only real obvious answer to what makes you gain or lose weight.
This is all from my own personal experience so it probably doesn't apply to everyone (there can be many reasons) but just wanted to say it anyway. Hope it helps.
e) Made it more clear.
From my experience taking your time to track what you eat for a week, count the rough estimate of calories and then adjusting that is enough to slowly lose weight. If you want to speed it up and actually look somewhat half decent you really do have to work out a bit. This doesn't mean you have to go to the gym - take a extra walk of 30 mins a day (or more), bike, stuff like that. If you do that and change your eating habits this means you will lose weight. At what pace is all up to you. Gym is always better but you do not have to.
Change snacks with fruit. Fruit is healthy. Nothing wrong with some soda but limit that. You don't have to punish yourself if you want to lose weight but you do have to change stuff but there is no reason to not reward yourself. I still drank 2 cokes a day every time I lost weight. It's not good but I absolutely need that. It's best to not do that and limit sugars (like the poster above me said) but it was just some example.
The best advice that I can give you is to have a good healthy breakfast and eat in smaller doses over the day. Simple stuff like even having a smaller plate instead of a big one helps. Sounds stupid but hey. And you really have to 'workout' at least 30 minutes a day. The more the better.
In the end it all comes down to one simple thing - whatever you put in your mouth is the cause of your weight gain but obviously also the way to make sure you lose your kilos. People always laugh at that comment but it's the only real obvious answer to what makes you gain or lose weight.
This is all from my own personal experience so it probably doesn't apply to everyone (there can be many reasons) but just wanted to say it anyway. Hope it helps.
e) Made it more clear.
There is no one size fits all approach. Any diet can result in weight loss. If you can control your intake eating nothing but doritos and mt dew, then you can lose weight. Still, many of us here are likely to recommend a low sugar or even low carb diet because it can be much easier for some people to control intake on these diets. Also, low jnsulin levels will help with weight loss in general.
These videos explain everything and GAF usually wont let a thread like this pass without posting them.
The second one particularly about exercise.
People focusing on calories in, calories out are grossly oversimplifying the problem.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM&feature=youtube_gdata_player
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceFyF9px20Y&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Yup.
The second one particularly about exercise.
People focusing on calories in, calories out are grossly oversimplifying the problem.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM&feature=youtube_gdata_player
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceFyF9px20Y&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Yup.
triplestation
Member
if the cookie jar is more full youre gonna take more cookies!!!!!!
Figure out what you eat on average and find out how much of that is wasteful eating- drink a lot of sugary drinks ? cut back on that first. Eat out often ? try cutting that in half , then in half again until you are only doing it once every week or two.
Do you lead a largely sedentary lifestyle at home or at work ? Try and find ways to make that more active, even 15-30 minutes of cardio per day is enough to get going on a better track.
Once you are more comfortable in this kind of a lifestyle the sky is the limit really.
Ultimately you want to cut out as much refined sugar as you can (treat pop like eating a bag of candy instead of a beverage) , avoid unnecessary carbs and opt for a higher fiber diet all around and you should just start to lose a bit of weight and keep it off.
It's not really "dieting and exercise" though, that presumes that you can do it for a while and stop- this needs to be a permanent decision. Like, every single day do some small work out and just stop eating garbage frequently.
Do you lead a largely sedentary lifestyle at home or at work ? Try and find ways to make that more active, even 15-30 minutes of cardio per day is enough to get going on a better track.
Once you are more comfortable in this kind of a lifestyle the sky is the limit really.
Ultimately you want to cut out as much refined sugar as you can (treat pop like eating a bag of candy instead of a beverage) , avoid unnecessary carbs and opt for a higher fiber diet all around and you should just start to lose a bit of weight and keep it off.
It's not really "dieting and exercise" though, that presumes that you can do it for a while and stop- this needs to be a permanent decision. Like, every single day do some small work out and just stop eating garbage frequently.
Duane Cunningham
Member
All I know is that I've had a lot of luck with mobile calorie counter apps like Lose It or My Fitness Pal combined with a weigh in a couple times a week. Which for me was via Wii Fit, but a scale and a notepad would probably work just as well.
IrishNinja
Member
not really an expert here, but while there's some good posts here about both nutrition & exercise, i think sleeping doesn't get brought up here as much. ive had several friends get sleep studies done & discovered forms of apnea/etc, and there's pretty much no way you're gonna have the appropriate level of energy without a good night's rest, i'd think - never mind time to metabolize/etc. i might be overstating the importance of this issue but i think it gets left out too often, especially when training: you open yourself up to a lot more injury without proper rest.
I can not watch this at the moment but I guess it is about sugars/calories?
Guess I should have made it clear that it's not something you can eat all day without risk. Point was that if you snack once or twice a day it's better to take fruit instead of whatever else snack you originally took unless of course that snack was already 'healthy'.
You don't need to count calories. You actually probably shouldn't, especially if your goal is healthiness, rather than just weighing less. People count calories and continue eating garbage that will leave them perpetually tired and hungry. You really need to just need to reform what you eat. Eat way more vegatables, eat mainly fish and chicken for protein instead of red meat, don't eat fried food, cut way back on sugar, go easy on cheese and bread, and drop any drink besides water.
If you do that then you barely need to exercise and if you do then you will loose an insane amount of weight really quickly.
I weighed 240 when I turned 18 and I'm only 5'9. I reformed my diet as I said and started doing some moderate weight-lifting and dropped 80 pounds in a little over half a year.
If you do that then you barely need to exercise and if you do then you will loose an insane amount of weight really quickly.
I weighed 240 when I turned 18 and I'm only 5'9. I reformed my diet as I said and started doing some moderate weight-lifting and dropped 80 pounds in a little over half a year.
I would say you need to both reduce calories and exercise more. However, I think it is better to reduce the calorie intake initially.
You can undo a hour of exercise in 2 minutes of burger eating.
As another note. When I was trying to lose weight, I would just make food hard to get. I would intentionally buy less than a week of groceries since I would be too lazy to go out so, therefore, I would not eat as much.
You can undo a hour of exercise in 2 minutes of burger eating.
As another note. When I was trying to lose weight, I would just make food hard to get. I would intentionally buy less than a week of groceries since I would be too lazy to go out so, therefore, I would not eat as much.
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
This post is really the truth of it.
Good stuff in here. Obviously everyone has to find what works for their lifestyle, but starting by cutting out sugar is pretty much a great choice for anyone.
Not really. The body has all sorts of ways to tell you when to stop eating. The problem is that technology and modern agriculture has defeated them. The body doesn't understand or respond right to sugary drinks or the massive amounts of sugar we consume in general.
It's a weird counter-intuitive fact that Americans started getting really goddamn fat once we started eating less fat. Fat become a bad word in food in the 70's so it started being removed from recipes and we started putting in sugars and syrups to give food moisture instead. Problem is that fat triggers satiety while sugar doesn't, so our attempt to be healthier ended up turning us into what we are today because we started eating way more since we weren't getting full. This isn't to say that you should be like those people who decide to go on bacon diets or something ridiculous like that (it might make you thinner but it might also give your cardiovascular problems), just an example of how we managed to generate a weird ass problem with technology that would never be encountered in nature and so we had no defense against.
for me cutting calories and exercising is all it took and I had amaze results. when you cut calories you will quickly realise that you have to eat well. bad food tends to be very high in calories with small portions so youll have to make the choice of eating a nice size meal or a tiny piece of crap to stay within your calorie intake.
I dont think so. perm bans make users avatar disappear.
I dont think so. perm bans make users avatar disappear.
Interesting.
Some years ago I went through a huge diet and lost lots of weight. Curiously, one of the things that I stopped doing was put sugar on coffee and stopped eating suggar-y food and all that. It definitely impacted my satiety. Years after, I started losing weight and, again, eating cake, etc. and noticed being hungry more often and being harder to keep a steady pace on my healthy diet.
Wow, I wanted to watch those videos but they are too lengthy. I already had success with my diets. Is it, anyway, a must watch?
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
They are definitely worth watching.
Sorry to chime in, Evilore, but you seem quite informed on the matter. I'm trying to lose weight and besides trying to keep a healthy diet I'm regularly doing some cardio. But I never lifted a weight in my whole life. Could it be useful along with the cardio? What's the most basic weightlifting schedule you could recommend to a total lifting noob?
Thanks! (Other responses are of course welcome!)
I lost 15 kilos from 2011 to 2012 and by bow i gained 10 again. Yeah, I was able to maintaint he weight till Summer 2013 but I cracked down big time in the last months. Time to get back in shape. During my first diet I just paid attention that I ate around 1500 calories a day including some cardio now and then. Diet is easy. You just need to have the willpower. Especially when it comes to sugar and sweets.
Whats GAF opinion on alcohol during diet? I know beer and other stuff doesnt make it easy. Do you still drink though?
Whats GAF opinion on alcohol during diet? I know beer and other stuff doesnt make it easy. Do you still drink though?
God Dayumm
Banned
I remember I once ate a very low calorie pie and then there was this other time when a guy at GNC offered me some zero-calorie cookies. I've been trying to find that kind of products to satisfy my craving without much success, except for some ice cream. Anyone know of any low-calorie/zero-carb sweets?
Tragicomedy
Member
/Metallica "Sad But True"
I was in a gym last year and went 6 days a week, with a friend - if you have someone to go with you, it is a must.
Usually, I would stay there for 1-2 hours. I was really enjoying it. My training was 30 minutes of cardio and the rest of the time I just lifted some weights and went to the pool. After three months, I was depressed because of stuff that don't add to the case, so I cancelled my gym sub.
Now, I just do all my exercising at home (or in the park). If I want to lose weight, I just do 30-45 minutes of cycling or running and then I alternate between working chest, legs, biceps/triceps, abs, etc. according to the day, so I rest what I worked the day before. If I just want to gain lean mass, I, obviously, cut on the cardio and focus on lifting. With some dumbbells you can do a very complete training.
Ah, I almost forgot. I did P90, P90X and Insanity for some time. Insanity is great for starters. It is focused on cardio, though.
The great thing about exercising is that, for that moment, you are doing something for you and yourself only.
That and chips.
I stopped drinking soda with meals many years ago. Sometimes, when I go to the cinema, I buy a cup of Cola just to have that guilty pleasure once in a while. The last time was in October. Using your word, with time you really learn to see it as the devil's nectar.
Wiktor
Member
Peter Jackson loss 70 pounds and says he did not follow an exercise routine.
"I just got tired of be overweight and unfit, so I changed my diet program from hamburgers to yoghurt and muesli. It seems to work,,"
He also doesn't live in america. Which helps a lot.
And then he gained it all back
Brown rice and vegetables....or
Doggy chow..
But seriously, I am pretty sure diet is the most important thing, some people can work out/eat horribly and be thin, and some people do no exercise/eat healthy and stay thin.
Some people need to do both to stay thin.
So it might be best to just do both and see what works best for you and your body.
Everyone's body reacts differently to certain lifestyles so what works for others may not work for you, the fun is in trying out all the new things.
Doggy chow..
But seriously, I am pretty sure diet is the most important thing, some people can work out/eat horribly and be thin, and some people do no exercise/eat healthy and stay thin.
Some people need to do both to stay thin.
So it might be best to just do both and see what works best for you and your body.
Everyone's body reacts differently to certain lifestyles so what works for others may not work for you, the fun is in trying out all the new things.
VanquishUK
Member
He got banned for this?
Trent Strong
Banned
It's just counting calories, you don't even need the exercise (although exercise is good for you.)
SuicidalSteve
Member
could have worded this differently. bring your own experience in the ideas of weight loss and linking to other sites rather than completley shutting off gaf in that manner.
I go for 30 mins level 8 indoor cycling, more if I needed to then start with shoulders and work my way down the body with weigh lifting. was 14 stone now 12 stone and seeing the benefits
It's weird, but cutting meat and dairy out of my diet combined with exercise 2-3 times a week completely annihilated over 60lbs in one year. I still have a gut though, it's small but it won't go away. It's really annoying. I eat relatively healthy and exercise 4-5 times a week now. Guess it's just a slow process once the initial girth is shed.
Peter Jackson loss 70 pounds and says he did not follow an exercise routine.
"I just got tired of be overweight and unfit, so I changed my diet program from hamburgers to yoghurt and muesli. It seems to work,,"
He also doesn't live in america. Which helps a lot.
Believe me New Zealand is just as bad when it comes to hidden fats and sugars and shit processed food.
Lots of overweight people as well.
And then he gained it all back
jojo effect is the worst
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