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Burning fat, what works the best?

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bobbytkc

ADD New Gen Gamer
It's hard to emotionally overeat chicken breasts is all. If you're following the restrictions, it's very hard. If you count calories and give it an honest go, it's the easiest way to diet.


You feel like shit eating chicken breast all the time.


Here is my advice. Go on a small calorie deficit. For most people, this can simply be taking 1/3 of the usual portions off your lunch. Then just stick to it for a long time. You will basically just feel eating like that is normal after a while. Use time and patience to get you in shape rather than feel like shit trying to lose some arbitrary target number of pounds per month.
 
1) Calorie counting takes way more effort. Way more. As such, it's not as sustainable if you're just trying to lose weight. And unless you starve yourself, you have to exercise to counter any calories you eat.

Keto, you simply don't eat bread/pasta/rice/sugars. Yes, this takes some research and adjustment, but it's intuitive and works once you commit to not eating those foods.


2) "What makes taking 300 to 500 calories from your maintenance so difficult?" With non-keto diets, you get hungry while you're dieting. This is why tons of people fail.

With keto, you can eat as much as you want, as long as it's not carbs. You feel satiated. You never have to not-eat. That's what makes it win. Add cheese to everything, it'll fill you up quick.

If you tried keto and didn't lose weight, you did something wrong or you didn't stay with it long enough. I do understand it's tough not eating carbs. After enough time, it becomes normal though and you don't crave the same foods you did before.

So you think telling someone with a history of weight problems to eat all they want as long as it's not carbs, will get them out of the problem they're in at the first place? Eat all the chicken wings, ribs, bacon, eggs, fat, cheese, cream the lot and WATCH the weight drop off you? It'll put the OP and a lot of other people in the wrong frame of mind that they were already in the first place. Telling someone that they can eat all that shit, not get out and exercise at all and still lose weight is just as bad advice as saying there's a magic pill that does the same trick. Tons of people fail because they're doing it wrong and get told advice that isn't suitable for them yet.

Obese / overweight people that want to lose weight need to break out of the cycle they've been in for years and years, medical issues aside. Calorie counting forces you to look at what you are eating each day and change your habits. You don't starve yourself at all but if you are, you're doing it wrong. I personally eat between 1300 and 1900 cals each day but I also run between 6 and 8 miles each day. I'm not starving myself in the slightest and I'm steadily losing around 2lbs a week. I've been doing this since Feb.

Lastly, I'm not saying that keto doesn't work, it does for a lot of people, but you need to start the journey slow, take a step back and look at what your doing. Get into other type of diets later on, not jump into the unknown straight away with the high possibility of failing again.

OP, do what you want, but my advise would be to keep it real simple for now. If you've had issues with eating before, then to get you in the right mind for the future, LOOKING and LOGGING what you eat everyday might be the best option right now. You can't knock exercise, no matter who says what. It's good for you, get you out and makes you feel good.
 

BruinsMtB

Banned
The advice about keto and dropping sugar completely is good but you really need to figure out what works best for you, it's not a one size fits all approach. You have to think about how you want food to be in your life for the next 50 years, not just during the 1-2 years it takes you to shed the weight, because the changes you make need to be sustainable in the long run. For me that meant keto wasn't an option because I'll never give up carbs, and I refuse to completely eliminate sugar. All things in moderation. Is sugar bad for you? Yeah, probably, but so is alcohol and marijuana, we all have our vices. You can be healthy and still eat pasta, just don't let a majority of your calories come from carbs or you're gonna be unhealthy as well as struggle with weight loss because carbs don't trigger that satiation feeling everyone praises (rightly) keto for.

Personally I had to make a choice and decided it was better in the long run to do regular endurance cardio to the point where my body can put carbs to good use. I cycle for 100-150 miles a week and regularly get my vitals and blood work done and my health profile has been immaculate since my shift 9 months ago. My PCP has actually suggested I drink a Gatorade once or twice a week for my longer trips because my body is getting to the point where I'm losing a substantial amount of chloride and sodium in my sweat. I thought the electrolyte stuff was bullshit, but apparently if you can hit a certain level of exertion and length of your workout it is a real thing. Obviously that's not realistic for most people but I used to be an athlete in school and realized that I love being on my bike and pushing myself, the endorphins are addictive. Never know if something similar will become a hobby that you enjoy. I guess I would say decide what is really important to you. It would be irresponsible of me to say that this is the best or healthiest way of doing it, but it works for me and my results speak for themselves. If you grew up on the Mediterranean diet like I did and don't want to give up that food because it is a comfort for you, find a way to make it work.
 

The Pope

Member
OP cut carbs, bread, pasta, rice, potatoes completely. Cut sugar out completely. Cut heavily processed foods out completely. Walk 30-60 minutes a day. Eat lots of protein and eat as much as you want. Full up on Cauliflower, brocolli etc. Perhaps cut out dairy for a month, see if it has any effects. Your current diet is unhealthy and unsustainable. They key is not to eat less but to eat healthy.
 
At 305 pounds you have plenty to spare. It's not necessary for a beginner to get too anal with any exercise / diet regime in order to gain results.

Just eat up to 3000 calories a day made up of 90% healthy foods. Then do at least 90 minutes of good exercise every day, including 30 minutes of high intensity cardio.

That will get you going for the first 3 - 6 months, then you can look at tweaking things.
 

Ripenen

Member
I've read that cardio isn't very good for burning fat. Doing resistance training (bodyweight exercise or weights) is better because the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest. With cardio you only burn calories while working out and not very efficiently.

Sounds logical but who knows. I used to spend an hour a day on my bike trainer. Would sweat my ass off and be bored as hell. I switched to a bodyweight routine a couple months ago. Not sure I've burned more fat this way, but I have been pleased so far with the gains in mobility, flexibility, balance, and even a bit of muscle tone. It's also more fun to do because I can change up the routine day to day. I still get some cardio on the weekends with mountain bike riding.

I also eat a low carb, low glycemic index diet because I'm diabetic. Since I've been doing the strength exercises my blood sugar has been improved which means taking less insulin which I gather might also help for reducing fat?
 
People read threads like this with so many conflicting opinions and fad diet ideas, and they just throw their hands in the air and go back to McDonalds
 

shoreu

Member
I so tired of people saying cardio is a way of losing weight. 90% of losing weight is diet.

Another thing I'm tired is seeing people thinking "diet" is the same of starving to death, or eating only salads.

In order to lose weight you just have to cut carbs, or at least eat less of them. Have patience, losing weight is a slow process; you gained weight over time, months or even years of eating more carbs than you burn.

I've been doing diet + cardio + weight lifting. Quick results and its fun because I've always loved lifting.
 

Jobbs

Banned
Losing weight is very simple, especially when you have a lot to lose: count your calories and eat the amount you need to eat to lose weight.

You don't have to make it any more complicated than that, at least not at first.
 
Here's the deal:

I did keto - it worked

I did paleo - it worked

I did just setting macros and staying under a calorie limit - it worked

All these "carbs are bad," "cardio is bad," "keto is stupid," etc. really is a discussion of min/maxing to a degree.

At the end of the day:

Find a diet you can start making a sustainable norm

Count your calories and track your activity

Get enough protein in your diet, based on your approach balance the rest with carbs and fats.

Weigh yourself and aim to lose 2lbs a week

Be more active based on your desired outcome: cardio for heart health and some fat burning, HIIT for heart health/and some fat burning, weightlifting for looking better, being stronger, and having more muscle mass that will help burn fat.

That's it. Everything else is just different methods that may be easier for some and not others.
 

JimmyRustler

Gold Member
KETO

You are 100% GUARANTEED to lose weight. There is virtually zero way to gain weight while on a keto diet.

You basically aim to eat 0 carbs, and you can eat as much protein and fat as you want. As long as you eat no carbs, you can literally eat as much as you want and lose weight.

Eat as much bacon, eggs, cheese as you want while watching your weight drop.

You don't even have to exercise. You don't have to count calories. Eat no carbs = lose weight drastically. That's it.

Check out https://www.reddit.com/r/keto for more info.

----

Also, stop listening to the "calorie deficit" people. While they're not wrong, it takes way more effort, exercise, etc. to do that.

The only thing you need to do with keto is not eat carbs. You don't have to exercise. This isn't easy at the beginning since you'll have to stop eating most of the foods that you love, but it's much more sustainable. And you'll see DRASTIC results.
I tried Keto diet and it's very fickle. Eat as much as you want as long as you don't eat any carbs is bullshit. I wouldn't recommend anyone do it who is new into the diet issue.
 

FireCloud

Member
Apparently, there are many ways to lose weight. I tried Atkins years ago and didn't like the way I felt while on it.

I suggest picking something that you can stick with for an extended period of time. True weight loss will be measured in terms of weeks and months not days. Any quick weight loss you experience is most likely changes in water retention or the amount of food moving through your system.

I've lost 65 lbs since the beginning of Feb this year mostly by counting calories and maintaining a caloric deficit. I allow myself to eat whatever I want (even sweets) as long as they fit within my daily caloric budget. When counting calories, you will quickly gravitate towards healthier foods (lean proteins, vegetables, some fruit, etc.) as they are not as calorie dense as junk food. The important thing with counting calories (or some call it Calories In Calories Out or CICO) is that if you want pizza you can have it. Just make sure you have the budget for it.

As far as exercise goes, use it go become fitter. I had already lost a lot of weight by only dieting. I was getting smaller but was feeling weak. (I think some call it "skinny fat" -- I don't like that term) By adding exercise several times a week, I now feel much better. Just remember to start slowly if you haven't done it for a while.

Also remember to have patience. You didn't gain the weight over night and you aren't going to lose it that way either. Don't beat yourself up over days where you blow out your caloric budget. The important thing is that you get right back to taking in less calories than you expend. Work toward having more "good" days than "bad" days...remember consistency is key.

Good luck and best wishes.

Edit: Take a look at https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/wiki/index. It talks about weight loss in general and may be a good resource or jumping off point to find more information.
 
Here's the deal:

I did keto - it worked

I did paleo - it worked

I did just setting macros and staying under a calorie limit - it worked

All these "carbs are bad," "cardio is bad," "keto is stupid," etc. really is a discussion of min/maxing to a degree.

At the end of the day:

Find a diet you can start making a sustainable norm

Count your calories and track your activity

Get enough protein in your diet, based on your approach balance the rest with carbs and fats.

Weigh yourself and aim to lose 2lbs a week

Be more active based on your desired outcome: cardio for heart health and some fat burning, HIIT for heart health/and some fat burning, weightlifting for looking better, being stronger, and having more muscle mass that will help burn fat.

That's it. Everything else is just different methods that may be easier for some and not others.

This. If you eat 3000 calories a day and you don't exercise it doesn't matter what diet you're on.

Keto works because fats and protein are more filling so you naturally eat less, not because carbs are evil and you should never eat carbs
 

Venfayth

Member
I tried Keto diet and it's very fickle. Eat as much as you want as long as you don't eat any carbs is bullshit. I wouldn't recommend anyone do it who is new into the diet issue.

I couldn't get past the keto sickness at the start.


Regarding diet in general: my problem is mostly discipline and stress at work leading me to eating comfort (aka junk food, and lots of it)

I need to lose weight and I need to do it soon. It's really frustrating reading so many blatantly and directly contradictory statements regarding diet and what works best and whatnot.
 

SeanR1221

Member
Sounds like you are starving yourself. No wonder you're hungry.

Use my myfitnesspal and stick with whole foods.

Also don't waste your time on cardio. Lift weights.

My fellow fit bro has you covered.

You're not eating nearly enough. An egg for lunch? Seriously? You have to eat more or else you're setting yourself up for major food binges or rapid weight loss that's unsustainable.

I'd start by using Myfitnesspal and just tracking a normal week or two and see where you're at and how your weight fluctuates.
 

Exis

Member
"Low Carb" No sugar, few grains + weightlifting I lost 100 pounds and kept it off I was around 2000 calories during this time and lost about 1-2 pounds a week.
These days I eat about 3000+ but as long as I stick to no sugar/no grains and am gaining muscle like a champ without any real bodyfat.

I am 37 and 5 foot five.
 

Caelus

Member
Except for some of the keto people - eat as much as you want and you don't need to exercise.

It becomes very, very hard to overeat on keto. High amounts of nutritionally dense food, meaning all the good fats and proteins and veggies, will satiate you. When someone eats as much as they want on keto, it's likely they'll end up eating at the appropriate caloric amount necessary for maintenance or fat loss, since they'll get full easier. Drinking a lot of water during intermittent fasting will also prevent overeating.

Additional exercise also isn't necessary for fat loss, regardless of diet. But I will always recommend cardio and weights regardless, there are way too many benefits.
 

EscoBlades

Ubisoft Marketing
+1 to Myfitnesspal to track what you eat. It can even scan barcodes so you can accurately see just how many calories you are consuming.

I've been on a high protein diet, combined with HIIT (started with T25 then moved on to Insanity)

2000 calories a day.

Dropped 18 pounds in 2 months.
Good luck!
 
IMO, don't starve yourself. Stop this stupid egg and hot sauce thing (there's sugar in it btw). Make balanced meals.

Cut out all sugar though. All of it. Limit bread. You don't have to eliminate it, but really cut it down.

Try to have four good meals a day (plan ahead on sundays). Eggs/bacon/fruit in the morning.

Lots of chicken, sweet potatoes, steamed broccoli and other things for more satisfying meals.

I don't know where you got this egg and hot sauce thing, but it is going to make you miserable.

Eat proper food. Proper meals. Cut Sugar.


Go to the gym. IMO - healthy weight loss is 33/33/33. Good diet, good weight training and a good nights sleep.

When you're snacky, go to costco and get the mixed nuts (no peanuts) with no salt.

Drink lots of water. Go the gym three times a week for an hour each time - that is the minimum. Gym anxiety? No one cares about you. Just put your headphones on and work. That is what everyone else is doing.

Don't eat stupid gimmick diets because you can't do that forever - eat real and proper food.

You're probably not going to like the weight training thing, but you want to make it past 40 right?

Good advice, eating nuts while trying to lose weight is a bad idea though. Very high on calories.
 
It becomes very, very hard to overeat on keto. High amounts of nutritionally dense food, meaning all the good fats and proteins and veggies, will satiate you. When someone eats as much as they want on keto, it's likely they'll end up eating at the appropriate caloric amount necessary for maintenance or fat loss, since they'll get full easier. Drinking a lot of water during intermittent fasting will also prevent overeating.

Additional exercise also isn't necessary for fat loss, regardless of diet. But I will always recommend cardio and weights regardless, there are way too many benefits.

I hear people say this all the time, but I can easily eat enough meat to be over my caloric deficit. Easily. Some people have trouble with this, I get it, but as a former fatty I can consume enough of anything that's supposed to be "filling." Add in dairy, nuts, and eggs. I can easily hit 3,000 calories with that without blinking.

And again, I drink a ton of water ... like enough that people around the office comment about it frequently. It "helps" me feel full, but it doesn't "prevent" me from overeating. Me choosing not to eat prevents me.

It's just not really helpful to say, "eat as much as you want on keto." It's not teaching people the importance of nutrition and calorie awareness.

Good advice, eating nuts while trying to lose weight is a bad idea though. Very high on calories.

Not a bad idea really. You just really have to measure them and be ok with a lot less of them than you think.
 

shadowkat

Unconfirmed Member
Lots of conflicting information here.

I've found that losing weight is about making lifestyle changes. For me, that has been simply eating a healthy, balanced diet (and working with a dietician) plus walking. Cutting out fast food, junk food and overly processed foods. Increased my intake of vegetables and fruit and fibre. I haven't cut out carbs, but I have switched to complex carbs so whole wheat bread, pasta, rice etc. I actually eat breakfast now (haven't for years) and will have a small snack, like an apple throughout the day. I cut out pop and switched to water. Like I said I've mainly been walking for exercising but I want to add some strength training soon.

I track what I eat. I check labels for fat, sugar and salt. I've lost 50lbs since January.

This is what has worked for me.
 

Kuro Madoushi

Unconfirmed Member
Lots of conflicting information here.

I've found that losing weight is about making lifestyle changes. For me, that has been simply eating a healthy, balanced diet (and working with a dietician) plus walking. Cutting out fast food, junk food and overly processed foods. Increased my intake of vegetables and fruit and fibre. I haven't cut out carbs, but I have switched to complex carbs so whole wheat bread, pasta, rice etc. I actually eat breakfast now (haven't for years) and will have a small snack, like an apple throughout the day. I cut out pop and switched to water. Like I said I've mainly been walking for exercising but I want to add some strength training soon.

I track what I eat. I check labels for fat, sugar and salt. I've lost 50lbs since January.

This is what has worked for me.
I can say the last time I saw you a few months ago versus a few weeks ago I definitely saw a difference.
 

jmdajr

Member
Giving up refined carbs has been the most full proof to me. It's just so easy and cheap to get fat of all that. Shop in the Meat, Dairy, and Produce section and skip all the boxed crap and good things can happen.

But if you have been eating a certain way your whole life change often seems impossible. Hell I've been modifying my diet for years. The science is easy, application often no so much.
 

taco543

Member
I couldn't get past the keto sickness at the start.


Regarding diet in general: my problem is mostly discipline and stress at work leading me to eating comfort (aka junk food, and lots of it)

I need to lose weight and I need to do it soon. It's really frustrating reading so many blatantly and directly contradictory statements regarding diet and what works best and whatnot.

RIGHT?! You and I are on the same boat lol, in regards to the stress at work that's why I started forcing myself to wake up and work out in the morning so then I don't rely on doing it after work, because after work all I want to do is just relax lol.
 

KonradLaw

Member
I've lost 42 kgs since the beggining of the year. I've been fat most of my life. Got to thin weight three times before, but always bounced back. and for the last 8 years I;ve been unsuccessful in attempts to once again get thin. It finally worked this year and that's for a very simple reason. I finally understood what being obese is. It's not a disease. But a sympton of a disease that's being addicted to junk food. Because unless there's hormonal inbalances involved every obese person is an addict. The simplest test for addiction is if person knows something is bad for them and they still can't stop themselves. So you need to realize that to win and keep it off you will need to treat it as addiction. So you will never be able to go back to eating normally. People delude themselves into thinking they will just control their portions, but sooner or later they fall of the wagon. Trying to get back to normal eating is like if alcoholic would get his one year sober badge and say "Great! I'm cured! Let's celebrate it with a beer". You might do cheat days, be a little less hardcore, but if you want to drop the weight and keep it off you will need to accept those will be exceptions and you will have to eat carefully till the rest of your life.

Now..what works best? Diet, traning, supplementation.

From diet I've found low-carb (especially ketogenic) work the best. I don't fully believe that caveman hype, but cutting carbs just makes sense. You will have to cut calories anyway and cut heavily, The little calories budget you have is much better spent on fat and protein that your body needs than on carbs it does not. Plus low-carb helps to curb apetite a lot,which means you don't have to eat five damn meals a day to not feel hungry and you can introduce 24-36 hours fasts every couple days, which are great or weight loss, since you don't need to be as hardcore in other days. What's more. it makes it easier to control yourself. If you simply won't eat anything sweet, bread, pasta etc..it might sting for a while, but that craving will pass. You will learn to treat it like something that's simply off limits. Just like somebody with peanut alergy won't eat specific products. It's infinitely harder to control yourself if you're still having those products in your diet and just try to not go overboard. So a cheat meal every week or cheat day every two weeks. But aside from those this stuff is off-limits. If you feel craving for sweets kill it by either eating a low carb substitute or by eating something really fat, like fried bacon.

Now training. Since you're heavy a lot of training is out of the question, like running. But since you're heavy as hell walking will work wonderfully. Thin people might think it's silly idea, but they know nothing. Imagine if a thin person would have to walk for an hour a day with a 50-100 kg backback, because that's essentially what you will be doing. I recommend waking up earlier and doing that one hour walk every day in empty stomach. Take a smartphone, load it up with audiobooks and podcasts and that hour will pass like nothing.
Aside from that try weight lifting. Both with actual weights as well as the weight of your body. The second type you won't be able to do a lot at first. That's ok. Just do as much as you can. Start with easier versions and progress to the real deal. For example: can't do a push ups? Do ones standing with hands on the wall. Once you get stronger and lighter, do much ups with knees on the ground and finally a real push ups.

I would also heavily remmend getting a stationary bike. Get a big heavy one. Now, as somebody who's just recently crossed the treshold that makes me only overweight instead of obese I realize a fat man's ass will fall off on stationary bike if he has to ride for a long time. So don't. Instead, take that bike, remove the seat and ride it while sitting on a comfy chair/couch. You don't have to drive fast, but try to use it whenever you're doing passive entertainment, like watching tv, reading books/comics..heck..even playing games.

And supplementation. Here's what works and is safe as long as you follow the dosage: ephedrine stacks, supplemenents with DMAA, yohimbine. None will make you loose weight by itself, they just curb the apetite and make training more effective.

Now, from more hardcore, but slightly dangerous (so don't use them unless you're very desperate) products there are two that work:
gw 50156 also known as carradine. When coupled with training it works like a dream, but some research suggest it might be cancerogenic. So use if only if you're desperate and if you do couple it with tribulus terrestris that will protect you from it's cancer stuff. Plus use it for a month and then do a long break.

Second working, but dangerous supplement is DNP (Dinitrofenol). Now this is very hardcore. It works even when you're not doing anything, so it's great for morbidly obese persons, but for the love of God, if you're going to use it never surpass the recommended dosage, take your temperature twice a day and if it's too high or you have any other heavy side effects stop. When abused this thing can literally boil the person alive from the inside
 
Lots of conflicting information here.

This. The old adage of moving more, eating less is a constant if you want to lose weight faster. Diet is the most important factor, so my advice is just to create a calorie deficit. Go and calculate your total daily energy expenditue somewhere (like say...here), and start trying to get somewhere around 500 calories below that daily. One pound is 3500 calories (AFAIK), so if you keep it at 500 calories per day lower than your TDEE, you should lose 1 lb per week.

How do you do that? Read labels, and try to stick to whole foods. A lean chicken breast with broccoli and a serving of rice won't do you wrong. Sure, you might lose more if you replace the rice with more broccoli or something else (leafy greens, maybe), but don't be afraid of carbs.

It's technically an anecdote coming from me, but the people I've seen waffle on weight loss have always been total carb cutters that don't exercise. Don't be afraid of them.

Since you're starting out, you might even be able to lose more than that per week. Beginners sometimes lose 5 lbs. It's extreme (and I do mean that), and virtually impossible to sustain long term, but it happens, and it's a great rush.

I also advise a regimen of weights. Use your muscles. Hell, do some cardio too. Ten minutes of warm up on a rowing machine, or even 10 minutes of HIIT on a rowing machine can do some wild shit to your waistline. Stick to the basics when it comes to weights. Tried and true Bench/Squat/Deadlift have never hurt anyone. Supplemental stuff is great, and you should find some that work for you, but sticking to the basics will never betray you.

Best of luck OP.
 

Sulik2

Member
OP you are going to be hungry eating a normal amount of calories and probably will be for two to three years until your body adjusts. If it does as at all. So learn to handle feeling hungry all the time.
 

Quixzlizx

Member
Good advice, eating nuts while trying to lose weight is a bad idea though. Very high on calories.

In the past couple of weeks, I've started eating a homemade trail mix every morning when I get to work, consisting of:

1 oz dry roasted edamame (soy beans)
1/2 oz raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 oz raw sunflower seeds
1 oz raw walnuts
1 oz granola
flavored with cinnamon

It's about 600 calories, but it basically fills me up until dinner, due to all of the fat, protein, and fiber. I really have to force myself to eat lunch at around 2 pm. The satiety's actually not such a great thing for me, because I'd rather put on weight if anything, but all of those ingredients are very healthy and packed with nutrients.

So it may seem counter-intuitive, but seeds and nuts can actually help you maintain a diet due to how filling they are.
 

SeanR1221

Member
IMO the nice part about portioned calorie control is it helps you understand how your body reacts to foods while also giving you very precise control over your weight.

I started eating 2500 calories at 228lbs to lose weight and lost about 1lb a week. After 3 months of consistent weight loss I'd maintain the weight for a month or so and then keep losing. If I wasn't losing weight Id eat 50 calories less and see if that helped.

At my lowest calories, I got to 178 eating 2000. Then I started adding calories to see how much I could eat to maintain that weight. I actually got to 2600 calories and my weight is at 175. It's pretty funny I weigh over 50 lbs less and I'm eating MORE calories to maintain this weight.
 
Calories are calories.

Exercise doesn't burn so many calories in itself, but raises your metabolism in general so it's wroth doing even in moderation.

Your weight will seem to go up and down - but remember your weight fluctuates by pounds even when a 'steady weight' so it's hard to grasp you are still losing sometimes, it only becomes clear over time.
 
Everyone has different types of bodies.

But for me personally I'm going to be starting a Modified Ketogenic diet in September-October to achieve the 6pack I want for a Halloween costume.

The diet will be high amounts of meat and fats and 10-15 grams of carbs+salads
 

Afrocious

Member
Chilling out on calories and weightlifting has helped me lose 60 lbs over a year.

I could be more intense with it if I wanted.
 
I am a sedentary, overweight guy who started an all-potato diet on Sunday. I eat about 6-8 plain steamed (microwaved) potatoes a day plus a multivitamin and occasionally some sauerkraut. I am not exercising besides some walking. So far I am down 3 pounds (from 211) since Monday morning.

I know it sounds ridiculous. But it is easy to plan, it is cheap as hell, and I am not ever hungry or tired despite being at a pretty dramatic calorie deficit. My plan is to do this Sunday afternoon-Friday afternoon for a few weeks and see how it goes. The main change I've noticed is that at the end of the day I am more inclined to go to sleep earlier. Having Friday coming up as a cheat night helps psychologically, since the potatoes are really boring. I basically just think of them as diet pills I take to curb hunger and give me energy.

People on the internet say the diet is not as bad as it sounds because potatoes are like 4% protein, and that since the diet is fat-free, the potatoes provoke your body to burn fat to produce insulin. But maybe it is bro-science, I don't know. What do you all think?
 
I wouldn't overcomplicate things at this point. Just find out your tdee, get a calorie tracker and a food scale, and eat like 900 - 1000 calories below maintenance. I wouldn't worry about macros and all that shit except for protein.

You can eat whatever as long as you don't go over your daily calorie limit, but I would definitely cut out drinkable calories like soda and shit.

Continue walking and lifting, but if you stop you have to recalculate your tdee.
 

Jisgsaw

Member
When you wake up do some cardio on an empty stomach.

My absolute favorite and, in my opinion, best form of cardio exercise is jumping rope. It's cheap and fun. You might feel weak since you don't have a lot of energy but you will burn so much calories jumping rope than 30 minutes of walking.

Can recommend this.
Did 20min jump rope 3 times a week without any specific diet (well, aside avoiding any form of soda), and went down from 90kg to 75kg in like 6 month.
 

Caelus

Member
It's just not really helpful to say, "eat as much as you want on keto." It's not teaching people the importance of nutrition and calorie awareness

That's fine, I'm not saying eat as much as you want. I'm just saying one doesn't have to be precise to the exact ones place in regards to calorie counting on keto.
 

moniker

Member
Calorie deficit + weightlifting

I'd say this. Though different diets may have an impact on how easy/hard it is to stay calorie deficit for longer periods. As mentioned in this thread, low carb / keto and paleo works for many people.

For example, some data suggests that wheat gluten may contribute to leptin resistance (leptin is a hormone that regulate energy balance by inhibiting hunger).

In any case, when trying to loose weight, cutting out most, if not all, liquid calories is a good start.
 

JCtheMC

Member
i lost 55 lbs in 4 months last year by counting calories and lifting weights. After that i went back to maintenance and then traveled for 4 months and ate and drank as i pleased. After i came back i was the same weight as before i left, albeit with more fat and less muscle.

Calorie counting has made me very aware of how bad (or good) certain foods can be for you, so i just stay away from certain things. I never really drank soda or ate sweets, but i do have a tendency to overeat, which is a terrible idea when you like pasta, bread and potatoes as much as i do.

I basically used the r/fitness FAQ and this: https://i.imgur.com/178cHTY.jpg to get my shit on track. I also love reddit as a resource for filling in small gaps in my diet and my exercise - people have been where you are and it's not hard to find the best solution for any kind of problem. When it comes to diet i'm a firm proponent of the "has to be sustainable in the long run" philosophy. I'm under the impression this will make me less prone to falling back into old habits. The amount of calories might change, but the foundations of my diet stay the same.
 

AlStrong

Member
Also when I do I got out to walk, I don't walk at a leisurely pace I usually am powerwalking.

That's great. :) Just keep at it.

I'm not a dietician, but it sounds like you could add more fibre to your diet (not too sure about meal replacement drinks), which would help slow any nutrient absorption, and help make you feel full (with adequate hydration).
 

New002

Member
I've really liked intermittent fasting. I had solid success with it but got crazy with work and stopped following it.

I'm back on it now. I just try and eat reasonable portions for every meal, but dont calorie count or anything. I have general sense of calorie counting because I did that pretty hardcore in the past.

M: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (no food after dinner)

T: Dinner (no food after dinner)

W: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (no food after dinner)

R: Dinner (no food after dinner)

F: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (no food after dinner)

Weekends: Fairly loose, but try not to go crazy.
 
D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
I have had a quick look over Dr. Peter Attia who I can't find any studies from, just opinions and a link to a selection of studies that are far from conclusive which are often just the starting points to fund larger studies. Dr. Dominic D’Agostino I know of already his research is based on treating certain diseases not long sustained periods as a primary diet but is good work and adds to further evidence in the field but his cancer statements are a bit far flung as the evidence doesn't support them. There are actually a lot of studies showing a change in metabolism (a quick search on pubmed will highlight this) due to the diet over long terms, specifically the ability to distribute certain minerals (whether this is a negative or a positive is remained to be seen), glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, inability to process calcium, impact on kidneys due to amounts of protein being used as the go to energy source, etc.

"impact on kidneys due to amounts of protein being used as the go to energy source"

That's not a ketogenic diet, then. You're talking about a low-carb/low-fat/high-protein diet, which is a recipe for being miserable if you ask me.
 

Corto

Member
Eat well, be more active, sleep well. I lost 125 pounds in 2 years changing my exercise habits (i had none hehe), my alimentary habits, and sleep. I started cooking for myself and the family, stopped eating processed/junk food, sweets, sauces, soft drinks. Started including more salads, soups, and fruit on my diet, and started having a more rigid schedule of meals. As far as exercise you will start slow, but commit to it. Walks, bicycle, swimming are good starting points and then when you feel more fit start challenging yourself. If possible ask help from professionals to prescribe you a routine and follow your progress, I had a nutritionist helping me for 1 year until she finally told me: "Hey! You're on your own now. You have a healthy life style now, so you just have to keep at it."

And just to share some personal anecdotes to give you strength. It will get tough at the beginning. I went to bed early (really early) so to not feel hungry. But it quickly gets better. It's an adjustment. Sometimes I hit some plateau in terms of weight loss and that can be disheartening. Keep at it! Change your exercise routine. Try to push it a bit further. You will get there.

Good luck.
 
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