Best way to lose weight ?

[tomkalina]

Atkins was right....

 

[Tom Reddick]

While cutting carbs is a very effective way to lose weight, the truly smart way is to eat a well-balanced diet but reduce your overall calorie input.

Not that I am able to grasp either concept....

I have had periods of both being overweight and in incredible shape in my adult life- and it basically comes down to what you said above.

All the various "diets" out there- low carb, high carb, branded diets where you eat prepackaged food (yuk), cleanses etc- are pretty much variations on the same theme but with temporary gimmicks.

My "secrets" are no secrets at all- but just take discipline,

1. With the assistance of a doctor or degreed nutritionist, find out what your daily calorie needs are, taking into account your regular exercise regimen.

2. If needed, plan an interim and more extensive exercise regimen for weight loss.

3. While in weight loss mode, eat fewer calories than you need to sustain current weight (as directed in #1.)

4. When out of weight loss mode, eat your normal daily intake.

5. Common sense on foods- fast food is out 100%. That stuff is hideously bad for you no matter how much you weigh. Avoid processed foods. Fried foods sparingly etc.

6. Fasting is actually a very viable concept- but don't overdo it. For example, stop eating at 8PM, and then work out the next morning before you eat breakfast. Then you exercised 10-12 hours after you last ate. Very effective concept.

7. Drink lots of water and get plenty of sleep. These get overlooked- especially the last one. If you are regularly getting 3-5 hours of sleep a night only, that is going to do terrible things to your metabolism. And for me, the sleep issue has been one of the most difficult during very busy times.

YMMV.

 

[TyroneGenade]

our society eats too much empty calorie bread, processed potato stuff and refined sugar crap...cut this out and generally speaking, people will default to a well balanced diet

I don't mean to nitpick but the confabulation of the concepts of nutrition and calories in the BS term "empty calories" only perpetuates the confusion.

Speaking as someone that teaches Biochemistry and Physiology I want to emphatically state that calories refer to energy consumption by your body, i.e. doing work. The average person burns about 2000 calories per day that need to be replaced to maintain their body weight. It doesn't matter how you get those calories in: meat or potatoes or bread. If you consume more energy than you use your body stockpiles. If you consume less than you use then you consume your fat-reserves (and even protein/muscle tissue).

This is separate to the issue of adequate nutrition which is a discussion of the amount of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fats and amino acids. You can get an excess of these even if you take in a deficit of calories (e.g. eating several lbs of spinach per day). You can even take in the appropriate calories without getting enough vitamins and minerals.

It we want to talk about empty calories you can't put potatoes and potato chips in that bracket. Potatoes (baked, fried, boiled, eaten raw) are amazingly nutritious and you can live a whole year eating nothing but potatoes and be healthier for it: https://www.today.com/health/spud-fit-man-loses-weight-eating-only-potatoes-year-t106144 .

I want to separate these ideas of calories and nutrition. They are different concepts and when you separate them you can better manage your health. Losing weight is all about calories. Maintaining health is all about getting the right amount of nutrients. Too much protein and your cells won't clean out their junk (recycling old proteins), not enough vitamin C and you can't repair your body properly.

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

That's it then! I'm going on a potato chip diet.

I did make the scones and clotted cream. The blackberry jam is homemade from my garden. BTW, if you do try to make clotted cream, DO NOT do the double boiler method on the stove top. It took me 4 hours. Use an oven instead at very low heat overnight.

I guess this should really be in the "what's fer dinner" thread.

 

[NYEric]

I’m doing low carb paleo with intermittent fasting. Have lost 30 lbs since January. I’ve been paleo for years so mostly just cleaned things up (less fruit initially) and started the fasting.

Hello there!

I'm genetically meant to be thin and I'm pretty active with tournament paintball but I was up to 195 LBS!!!! I went down and now we are pretty observant with carbs. Everything in moderation and we should all be OK>

 

[John M]

I'm genetically meant to be thin...

I hate you.:viking:

 

[ehanes7612]

Hello there!

I'm genetically meant to be thin ....

yeah, right ..whatever

I am 5'11" and have been between 135 and 140 lbs all my adult life (52 now)...no matter my diet and I have tried every way possible to gain weight...I am genetically meant to be thin (my bio father was the same way)

 

[eOrchids]

My diet consists of mostly meat (mostly chicken) and vegetables. I'll have carbs here and there. I also gave up soda (10+ years) and mainly drink water. Plus I work out 6x a week.

 

[Justin]

I lost 50 lbs in the past three years.

The first push in year one was via very low carb...it was hell for 5 months but worked.

These days i follow an intermittent fasting diet.

But the #1 trick for me is running. Ran my first marathon last year at age 44 and am training to do it again this year.

 

[John M]

I lost 50 lbs in the past three years.

The first push in year one was via very low carb...it was hell for 5 months but worked.

These days i follow an intermittent fasting diet.

But the #1 trick for me is running. Ran my first marathon last year at age 44 and am training to do it again this year.

Congratulations on your success! I've heard that running, or walking, is the best way to lose weight and keep it off, assuming you eat a sensible diet, too. Success is not supposed to be determined by the time it takes you to travel a given distance (when you run, you reach the end faster). What determines success is the distance you travel while running or walking. It's just that walking the same distance takes longer. So, whether you run or walk (briskly...no slow speed ambling around), if you do it often and you cover a lot of ground, you'll be doing a great service to your body and burn a lot of calories = losing weight.

 

[ehanes7612]

"Individual results may Vary"

 

[John M]

"Individual results may Vary"

Well, yeah. Sometimes genetics sucks!