Advice in losing weight

[white_sheep]

When I was in college we were required to take physical education. I took strength training 4 times. I recommend taking a class like that. The internet wasn’t as good then as it is now and you could learn all I did online now pretty easy. It really helps to be in the setting, though.

I would avoid extremes, such as Atkins and P90X.

I have lost 25 pounds over the last 2 years and am down to what I weighed when I was 18. I may have 10 pounds of fat left I can lose and it is getting stubborn. Mostly I cut out wheat products and keep carbs pretty low. Except for carrots and bananas, I don’t worry about whether a real food like that has carbs. I also try to eat real food, so butter instead of margarine. The more “real” the better. Read about insulin and cortisol. I never let myself get hungry and eat many small meals a day. This is supposed to help avoid insulin spikes. High insulin levels prevent fat from being used. It will be stored. I also increased my protein intake a bit and don’t worry about whether something has fat in it, unless it is some kind of vegetable fat. Carbs are really the enemy. They pack a lot of calories, get digested quickly, leaving you hungry again, and cause insulin to spike which leads to fat storage, and causes other problems.

I do some weightlifting, advise against endurance cardio in favor of quick burst cardio, try to workout in large muscle group compound exercises, I.e., pullups, pushups, lunges, Romanian deadlifts, seated row, bench and incline press, and do others also.

Those are just my thoughts from what I have read online.

 

[white_sheep]

Oh, it’s kinda funny this thread came up. I was just thinking a little while ago that it is actually pretty easy to lose weight and get in shape. Mostly it requires some discipline and willpower and making a few changes. Don’t think it is some kind of impossible task, a lot of people pull it off without having to go to some ridiculous extreme. You may also want to think about this in terms of career. Are you shooting for a job that involves sitting in a chair all day, or moving around doing stuff?

 

[slh3016]

The key to losing weight is what you eat. Yes, exercise CAN help your cardiovascular system, but exercise can also make you hungrier, causing you to end up outeating your diet. And honestly, a “diet” rarely ever works. You need a lifestyle change that includes healthier eating and exercise. But again, 90% is going to be in what you eat. For example, 30 mins on an elliptical might burn 250-300 calories but 2 cookies will likely more than add that back in.

If your triglycerides are high, cutting out sugar and sweets will make a HUGE impact. I know this because my husband has genetically induced high LDL and triglycerides and when he works on eliminating sugar, his triglycerides go down significantly. Further stress (adrenaline) can cause cholesterol to increase (so tell your mom to not stress you out!)

My friend has lost 30-40 pounds in the last 6 months or so but using the Trim Healthy Mama plan. Basically, the science behind it is separating your carbs from your fats, meaning you don’t eat them together basically. You can have have very satisfying meals and still lose weight. I just ordered the book and cookbook and let me tell you, the recipes look AMAZING! You won’t even feel like you are on a diet. She eats chicken parmesan, muffins in a mug, soups, etc.

In addition to this, cutting out/doing the following will help heal and restore your metabolism:

*No refined (added) sugar
*No artificial sweeteners
*No caffeine
*No/low dairy
*Gluten free
*Eating whole grains or using alternative flours (like almond flour) that has a low glycemic effect
*No soy
*No corn
*Cut out foods packed with lots of preservatives
*Drinking/eating lots of fresh fruits and veggies (like another person said, get a blender for smoothies! I can down a lot more spinach when it’s mixed with blueberries, strawberries, etc.

If you are on facebook, you can “like” the THM page and see tons of motivating success stories. I’m researching and planning this week and intend to start eating “on plan” in a few days.

Good luck to you!

 

[Xantippe]

Oh, it’s kinda funny this thread came up. I was just thinking a little while ago that it is actually pretty easy to lose weight and get in shape. Mostly it requires some discipline and willpower and making a few changes. Don’t think it is some kind of impossible task, a lot of people pull it off without having to go to some ridiculous extreme. You may also want to think about this in terms of career. Are you shooting for a job that involves sitting in a chair all day, or moving around doing stuff?

Yes and no.

“By some estimates, more than 80 percent of people who have lost weight regain all of it, or more, after two years. Researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles analyzed 31 long-term diet studies and found that about two-thirds of dieters regained more weight within four or five years than they initially lost.”

nbcnews.com/id/36716808/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/when-you-lose-weight-gain-it-all-back/#.VpQpc8YrLnA

 

[pensmama87]

“The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”

You can have tons of head knowledge about nutrition and exercise, but it doesn’t do a lick of good if poor eating is emotional. Exercise does help me a lot - runner high is a thing and it’s awesome, but saying “more willpower” and “more discipline” by itself is not very helpful. I actually had a great deal of self-discipline…in every area of my life but food. It took time to develop it, because I had to learn new ways of dealing with triggers that turned off any still small voice in my head. (And to stop beating myself up if I failed.)

 

[slh3016]

I forgot to add in my earlier post to drink LOTS of water, too!

 

[white_sheep]

The key to losing weight is what you eat. Yes, exercise CAN help your cardiovascular system, but exercise can also make you hungrier, causing you to end up outeating your diet. And honestly, a “diet” rarely ever works. You need a lifestyle change that includes healthier eating and exercise. But again, 90% is going to be in what you eat. For example, 30 mins on an elliptical might burn 250-300 calories but 2 cookies will likely more than add that back in.

If your triglycerides are high, cutting out sugar and sweets will make a HUGE impact. I know this because my husband has genetically induced high LDL and triglycerides and when he works on eliminating sugar, his triglycerides go down significantly. Further stress (adrenaline) can cause cholesterol to increase (so tell your mom to not stress you out!)

My friend has lost 30-40 pounds in the last 6 months or so but using the Trim Healthy Mama plan. Basically, the science behind it is separating your carbs from your fats, meaning you don’t eat them together basically. You can have have very satisfying meals and still lose weight. I just ordered the book and cookbook and let me tell you, the recipes look AMAZING! You won’t even feel like you are on a diet. She eats chicken parmesan, muffins in a mug, soups, etc.

In addition to this, cutting out/doing the following will help heal and restore your metabolism:

*No refined (added) sugar
*No artificial sweeteners
*No caffeine
*No/low dairy
*Gluten free
*Eating whole grains or using alternative flours (like almond flour) that has a low glycemic effect
*No soy
*No corn
*Cut out foods packed with lots of preservatives
*Drinking/eating lots of fresh fruits and veggies (like another person said, get a blender for smoothies! I can down a lot more spinach when it’s mixed with blueberries, strawberries, etc.

If you are on facebook, you can “like” the THM page and see tons of motivating success stories. I’m researching and planning this week and intend to start eating “on plan” in a few days.

Good luck to you!

I agree with all of this. The healthy mama bit I have no knowledge of and cannot comment on that.

Artificial sweeteners trigger an insulin response just like sugar does. However, I don’t understand why caffeine and corn are on the list. Corn, being a grain, is pretty starchy and does have a fair calorie load for a “vegetable”, but why avoid it altogether? It isn’t like a potato or anything I thought. Sometimes these lists trip my “crazy radar” and that’s why I was slow to come around on how carbs are bad. Is it because corn is gmo? That’s more of an ideological choice than really a nutritional one, at least in my book.

There have been a lot of good posts in this thread.

 

[slh3016]

I agree with all of this. The healthy mama bit I have no knowledge of and cannot comment on that.

Artificial sweeteners trigger an insulin response just like sugar does. However, I don’t understand why caffeine and corn are on the list. Corn, being a grain, is pretty starchy and does have a fair calorie load for a “vegetable”, but why avoid it altogether? It isn’t like a potato or anything I thought. Sometimes these lists trip my “crazy radar” and that’s why I was slow to come around on how carbs are bad. Is it because corn is gmo? That’s more of an ideological choice than really a nutritional one, at least in my book.

There have been a lot of good posts in this thread.

Caffeine dehydrates and, according to Haylie Pomroy, corn is bad because it can act on a human body as it does in livestock, particularly cattle, to which it is fed for the marbling of fat effect it gives to steaks, etc.

 

[slh3016]

I agree with all of this. The healthy mama bit I have no knowledge of and cannot comment on that.

Artificial sweeteners trigger an insulin response just like sugar does. However, I don’t understand why caffeine and corn are on the list. Corn, being a grain, is pretty starchy and does have a fair calorie load for a “vegetable”, but why avoid it altogether? It isn’t like a potato or anything I thought. Sometimes these lists trip my “crazy radar” and that’s why I was slow to come around on how carbs are bad. Is it because corn is gmo? That’s more of an ideological choice than really a nutritional one, at least in my book.

There have been a lot of good posts in this thread.

Oh, and just wanted to add that carbs are NOT bad! Thinking and eating that way can destroy one’s metabolism. We just shouldn’t eat carbs that whack out our glycemic index (white flour, sugar, potatoes etc.). We need good carbs to soothe our adrenals to keep from getting adrenal fatigue, which lowers our metabolic rate.

 

[LaughingBoy1503]

Yes and no.

“By some estimates, more than 80 percent of people who have lost weight regain all of it, or more, after two years. Researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles analyzed 31 long-term diet studies and found that about two-thirds of dieters regained more weight within four or five years than they initially lost.”

nbcnews.com/id/36716808/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/when-you-lose-weight-gain-it-all-back/#.VpQpc8YrLnA

HAHA, I am not a statistic then and never will be. I use to weigh about 300 pounds and I have never gained even close to any of it back and it has been almost 15 years. Not even close and I never will be. The most I have gained back was getting back to around 230 at one point but then I just dieted and exercised again. I weigh more than I want to right now at 214 but I will never get back to 300 or even close.

 

[LaughingBoy1503]

Oh, and just wanted to add that carbs are NOT bad! Thinking and eating that way can destroy one’s metabolism. We just shouldn’t eat carbs that whack out our glycemic index (white flour, sugar, potatoes etc.). We need good carbs to soothe our adrenals to keep from getting adrenal fatigue, which lowers our metabolic rate.

Exactly. Going too low on carbs = low energy and bad mood.

 

[white_sheep]

Oh, and just wanted to add that carbs are NOT bad! Thinking and eating that way can destroy one’s metabolism. We just shouldn’t eat carbs that whack out our glycemic index (white flour, sugar, potatoes etc.). We need good carbs to soothe our adrenals to keep from getting adrenal fatigue, which lowers our metabolic rate.

Yes, and fiber is also good though it is also a carb. I would say I think a low-moderate carb intake is best, and best if not from those sources you mention.

While carbs are definitely part of a good diet, and something your body needs, they are still the enemy. It is too many carbs that cause most problems. Certainly too much protein can also cause problems, so I suppose it is just a need for balance, and knowing where that actually is. I haven’t met anyone who just ate too much protein all the time. I suppose you could if you went on Atkins or did so on purpose. It is very easy to eat more carbs.

In general, and I am ballparking these numbers with no division for men and women, the recommendation from the government is to get 300g of carbs a day, and on average we get that much or even more. My recommendation would be to cut that number in half, at most. Say, one gram of carbs per pound of lean body weight per day as a max, and reduce that by a third to get the bottom end of the range. So, if you would weigh 150 lean, that would mean my recommendation would be to stay between 100 and 150g of carbs per day. The minimum for me is not 0, but to always stay above the Atkins limit at 50g, which is also another ballpark number.

A lot of Americans hit 400g of carbs without breaking a sweat, and many probably get to 500. So, I think it is true that for a normal person eating pretty much a standard, default diet, that it is the carbs in their diet that is the problem. If you are hitting those kind of numbers, you need to cut carbs by two-thirds.

I really try not to take an extreme position on it, sorry if I gave that impression.

Again, these are just my thoughts, and I would encourage anyone interested to simply sit down and think about it and try to come up with a number that they think best suits them.

 

[Xantippe]

HAHA, I am not a statistic then and never will be. I use to weigh about 300 pounds and I have never gained even close to any of it back and it has been almost 15 years. Not even close and I never will be. The most I have gained back was getting back to around 230 at one point but then I just dieted and exercised again. I weigh more than I want to right now at 214 but I will never get back to 300 or even close.

Very good!

 

[white_sheep]

Yes and no.

“By some estimates, more than 80 percent of people who have lost weight regain all of it, or more, after two years. Researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles analyzed 31 long-term diet studies and found that about two-thirds of dieters regained more weight within four or five years than they initially lost.”

nbcnews.com/id/36716808/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/when-you-lose-weight-gain-it-all-back/#.VpQpc8YrLnA

I would think the people mentioned in the article have two main problems. After losing weight they were no longer motivated to keep the weight down and just let it go, probably because their diet was very unfun. The second would be that they were trying to lose weight by calorie counting, mainly fat calories instead of carb calories. Fat, protein, and fiber all help you to stay full longer.

These are common problems with traditional dieting based on calorie restriction, intake restriction, and fat restriction. It is hard to sustain, and when you are done you have lost a lot of muscle.

That’s why I go with a change in diet rather than a restriction. I eat more. I just eat less carbs. It also happens to be fewer calories. I eat more often to keep insulin levels lower. I may not always be eating what I would want to be eating, but I’m not going hungry either, and I don’t have to eat food I don’t like.

I’ve been dieting for 4 years now, and sometimes the needle has gone the wrong way, I make it go back the other way. I have consistently lost weight, most of the time very gradually, but that is because I made very modest changes at first and have just slowly increased them. When I have gotten off my diet, the needle goes the wrong way and I get things back in order. The last several months I have been making more changes.

There is no reason at all why you can’t lose weight and keep it off without it making you miserable. That’s the beauty of diet changes instead of just limiting.

 

[AnchoredInHope]

Good evening all,

Right about this moment I had my mother call me fat since I’ve gained some considerable weight going into college. She’s always yelling at me when something goes wrong. It makes me feel like a slob every time it’s brought up. I’m the type to despise people who tell me what to do, and it’s very unhealthy. I wish I could tell her we should take a different approach to this whole situation involving our whole family, to pray on it more, etc. It seems like we never put our faith in this and only are quick to criticize anything with each other or ourselves I’ve had high triglycerides and high LDL cholesterol, and I only want to lose weight for health reasons and the fact I feel a lot more comfortable and confident when I do. I actually like working out and riding my bike (more than hitting a gym) for long periods of time. I do have a bad habit of snacking and I have to cut the carbs, but when I’m constantly shamed because of my weight I really lose my focus and I just want to tell my mother that but I’m sure she’ll never understand and she’ll keep doing the same thing anyway.

Thanks for your responses in advance,

Juan S.

Carbs are not evil! Plus the fact that you have an exercise that you enjoy is great. Food can be tricky and it’s the tipping point for results–you can’t out exercise a bad diet. I was doing ok on my own but it wasn’t until I got help that I lost a good amount of my weight and that person also encouraged my to start powerlifting and to just all around become a better person. I’m always happy to refer her to anyone that is interested in someone who is very hands on (available by text, phone, email, Facebook…anything!) who will help with meal plans that are customized to your specific needs and goals. If you would like my person’s info i am happy to provide it or I would encourage you to find someone–it really makes a difference!! I"ve lost over 40 pounds and I placed third at my first ever powerlifting competition because of this chick!

 

[brad90956]

Advice in losing weight

The very first thing I would recommend is no fast food, sugary drinks and try to cut down on your alcohol consumption (if you drink alcohol). I know it’s hard to do but this will help out tremendously. I only drink diet soda and a lot of water. You can add a water enhancer that will make it taste better. If you cut out those things, you can eat regular meals. Do not go on a diet. Diets do not work. Just try to eat as healthy as you can.

Secondly, you need a workout routine. When I say “routine” I mean you have to be consistent. Not working out every now and then but an actual schedule that you keep. For me, I go to the gym M-W-F and do weights and aerobic exercises. Since muscle burns more fat, you need to incorporate some sort of weight routine in your schedule.

Here is a simple routine that I use and has been successful for me.

3 days a week: (Start each day with a 15 minute cardio warm up to get loose and your blood pumping and end your day with a 15 minute cardio cool down…treadmill, bike, ect).

Monday: Chest and triceps
Wednesday: Back and biceps
Friday: Shoulders and Legs

This routine hits all major muscle groups and gives your body time to recover. You see, when you do only cardio you only burn fat while you are working out. When you lift weights and gain muscle, you burn fat while you are exercising **and **while you are resting/recovering. That is why weight lifting is so important.

There are a lot of cheap gym memberships out there. I belong to Planet Fitness and it’s only $10/month.

Like I said, the key to it is consistency. You have to stick with it.

Good luck to you!