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  1. #1
    Scarab Lord Master Guns's Avatar
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    Problems with losing weight because of contradictory information out there

    Ok, so I'm sure that I'm not the only person like this.

    I am overweight. I currently weigh 280. I don't look like it. Most people that meet me are obviously aware that I am a bit overweight, some might call me "husky", but at 280 pounds, I am most certainly more than husky. It's because I carry it well, have a bit of muscle on me as I used to work out daily 4 years ago, and I wear slightly baggier clothes as to hide it.

    But the fact is, I am overweight.

    Now, how do I go about fixing that? Well, I have motivation and a will to do so. I have a gym membership. But as MANY fitness experts and actors will tell you, losing weight and getting in shape is 90% your diet. If you don't eat right, no amount of exercise will benefit you.

    Now, this is where my problem is. I want to eat right. I am willing to eat right. But due to the VAST amount of contradictory advice and facts on the internet and EVERYONE you ask, I have NO idea what is actually good to eat and what isn't.

    One site says eat fruits.

    Other site says stay away from fruits, they're horrid.

    Next site says eat high carbs and low fat.

    Another site says avoid carbs and get a lot of good fat.

    This.
    That.
    WUT.



    Do you understand my problem? I do not KNOW what to eat. Every single source is different. One site says EAT MULTI GRAIN FOODS AND WHEATS! And then the next says "OMG AVOID ALL WHEAT THAT'S WHAT THEY FEED COWS AND YOU'LL JUST SKYROCKET YOUR INSULIN LEVELS AND YOU'LL DIE OF DIABETES. DUH.

    Please, kill me.

    Check out the directors cut of my project SCHISM, a festival winning short film
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiHNTS-vyHE

  2. #2
    IMO losing weight is 50/50 diet and exercise. As far as diet goes people like to blame carbs and say get rid of them all together that is wrong and can land you in the hospital. Losing weight in its most basic concept is a caloric deficit as in taking in less calories than you need. Exercising raises your calorie needs and builds muscle, ontop of making you feel good, and muscle burns more calories than fat which is why exercise is important. as far as how many calories you need i can't say reliably id say talk to a nutritionist or doctor. I would divide your macros, Macro nutrients like protein, carbs, and fat, into 40/30/30 pro, carbs, fat. eliminate all non good fats from your diet like hydrogenated oil and palm oil and stick with nut butter and coconut oil. Animal fat is ehh even chicken has some in it just don't go bananas with it. Speaking of bananas fruits aren't terrible but they are packed with a lot of sugar which is another thing you should avoid. The sugar in fruits is natural and imo better than table sugar but again moderation is key so I have only have fruit every now and then as a treat. Oh and to top it all off eating whole foods like rice, beans, etc will make dieting a lot easier.

    This is just what I know and what works for me take it with a grain of salt I lost 40 lbs eating like this and doing only body weight exercisies. Part of the reason a lot of the information is contradicting is because not EVERYTHING works for EVERYONE. Good luck with your transformation Rome wasn't built in a day.
    Last edited by Dtloweca; 2013-03-31 at 10:29 PM.

  3. #3
    In the end it all boils down to excersising a few times a week and eating moderately. Of course, avoid a diet that tells you to eat excessively of one thing or the other, just eat a little of everything. Restrict lots of sugar and salt to weekends.

    Breakfast: Two slices of bread with ham (or other clean meat product). Put some cucumber, tomato, squash etc. on top to make it tasty!
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  4. #4
    Don't eat food too high in sugar, fats, or salt at all (you can check the labels but you should intuitively know). Drink only water.

    Then just do a calorie deficit. It won't really matter what you eat as long as you count calories and the sugar/salt/fat content isn't crazy. If you told me your height I could help out more, but otherwise just find a calculator that tells you what amount of calories you can eat per day to maintain your weight, and eat less than that, combined with your exercise = results.

  5. #5
    The problem, to me, sounds like you're looking for magic bullet diets. If you follow some basic thermodynamics, you're guaranteed to lose weight. It's quite literally physically impossible to maintain your weight if you burn more calories than you consume. Track your calories eaten and estimate your calories burned - the rest is a matter of which foods you personally enjoy and find satiating that'll let you maintain a deficit without being miserable. Things that are green and fibrous are almost always a great part of that.

  6. #6
    Deleted
    It's not really that hard, the only thing it takes to lose weight is being in a caloric deficit. No amounts of exercise or work outs will help you lose fat if you aren't in a caloric deficit. So its 100% true that diet is the most important factor, exercising can help further increase your fat loss but its far from a necessity.

    In a much simplified sense, what you eat is totally irrelevant as long as you stay in a caloric deficit. You could live off chocolate if that is what you wanted to, but just because something is possible doesn't make it the wisest choice. Now, alot of sites will claim that they have the magic bullet that will easen weight loss, but the only magic bullet which exists is the one that suits your personal needs.

    I'm a big fan og high fat, high protein, low carb diets. Healthy fats of course from fish, avocados, nuts and so on. A lot of people are afraid of fats, which is a mistake. Fats keep you full longer and helps control your hunger throughout the day, beside fats are essential for hormonal balance. Carbs in many cases is what you should avoid, aside being a good energy source it doesn't provide many benefits compared to fats and protein. Proteins is the nutrient which has the highest thermogenic effect, which in a much simplified way means that is raises your body's metabolism as it required some more energy to break down. While it isn't something you should account for in your caloric intake, its still a small factor that can further help you, besides protein also makes you full longer than carbs.

    Seriously though, just use common sense, saying you don't know what to eat is just stupid. Pick what you like to eat and go with it as longs as it isn't some processed fast foods. All about this vs that is so irrelevant in the large picture. Eating a piece of whole wheat bread compared to a normal slice of toast doesn't make a difference whatsoever. Eat fruits if you like it, several fruits have been shown to help promote fat loss (grapefruits for example).

    Just a tip if your prone to eating big meals. When i cut i usually take a small handful of walnuts 15-30 minutes before a meal, makes me get so much faster full when eating so i don't feel like that extra portion.

  7. #7
    Calories out > calories in leads to losing weight


    You can get into discussions about carb calories versus fat calories, when to eat calories, empty calories, etc... but simple arithmetic says if you expend more calories than you take in, you will lose weight.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by leafs43 View Post
    Calories out > calories in leads to losing weight


    You can get into discussions about carb calories versus fat calories, when to eat calories, empty calories, etc... but simple arithmetic says if you expend more calories than you take in, you will lose weight.
    Countless people proving this wrong doesn't matter. The human body isn't a furnace it has hormones and a ton of other factors that influence when and if it burns fat reserves. Generally speaking if you get your body into starvation mode it will hold on to it's fat stores as much as possible and you'll just end up tired.

    I'd try a balanced approach and mostly just avoid the simple carbs, and go for protein. The important thing is to find something that works for you that you can actually stick to. Going completely low fat or completely low carb are both pretty hard to live with for some people.

    For me my downfall is usually just not wanting to cook, so I always end up eating the same thing and get bored into bad food.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Minrolol View Post
    IMO losing weight is 50/50 diet and exercise. As far as diet goes people like to blame carbs and say get rid of them all together that is wrong and can land you in the hospital. Losing weight in its most basic concept is a caloric deficit as in taking in less calories than you need. Exercising raises your calorie needs and builds muscle, ontop of making you feel good, and muscle burns more calories than fat which is why exercise is important. as far as how many calories you need i can't say reliably id say talk to a nutritionist or doctor. I would divide your macros, Macro nutrients like protein, carbs, and fat, into 40/30/30 pro, carbs, fat. eliminate all non good fats from your diet like hydrogenated oil and palm oil and stick with nut butter and coconut oil. Animal fat is ehh even chicken has some in it just don't go bananas with it. Speaking of bananas fruits aren't terrible but they are packed with a lot of sugar which is another thing you should avoid. The sugar in fruits is natural and imo better than table sugar but again moderation is key so I have only have fruit every now and then as a treat. Oh and to top it all off eating whole foods like rice, beans, etc will make dieting a lot easier.

    This is just what I know and what works for me take it with a grain of salt I lost 40 lbs eating like this and doing only body weight exercisies. Part of the reason a lot of the information is contradicting is because not EVERYTHING works for EVERYONE. Good luck with your transformation Rome wasn't built in a day.
    agree completely. i will point out that it doesn't necessarily have to be exercise, but just activity. a while back, i had this crazy, crazy schedule: worked a part-time graveyard job, had school in the morning and had another part-time job in the late afternoon. to keep myself awake after my grave-yard job, i would go immediately to the park and walk/jog a good 30min. i would do the same after school so i would be awake for my other job.

    didn't really watch my diet, but i lost at least 50lbs during that crazy schedule. seriously needed a new wardrobe. my theory is that my body never had a chance to be a couch potato for long periods of time and my metabolism was always in overdrive. i don't recommend the crazy schedule, but i do recommend daily activity.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by leafs43 View Post
    Calories out > calories in leads to losing weight


    You can get into discussions about carb calories versus fat calories, when to eat calories, empty calories, etc... but simple arithmetic says if you expend more calories than you take in, you will lose weight.
    Unfortunately, not everyone burns different types of calories with the same efficiency and not everyone's metabolism is the same.

    2 people can eat the exact same thing and do the same exact amount of activity in a day, but have varying results.

    It's important to know your metabolic type.

    http://caloriecount.about.com/forums...c-types-eating

    Figure out what YOUR body burns most efficiently and on top of that take steps to boost your metabolism. This is a far more effective use of your time than falsely buying the outdated myth that all calories are created equal.

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Abysal View Post
    Unfortunately, not everyone burns different types of calories with the same efficiency and not everyone's metabolism is the same.

    2 people can eat the exact same thing and do the same exact amount of activity in a day, but have varying results.

    It's important to know your metabolic type.

    http://caloriecount.about.com/forums...c-types-eating

    Figure out what YOUR body burns most efficiently and on top of that take steps to boost your metabolism. This is a far more effective use of your time than falsely buying the outdated myth that all calories are created equal.
    That's true. Still, if you keep yourself on an approx. 500 calorie deficit you're gonna lose weight, even though it may really effectively be a 300 (or 700!) calorie deficit. Whether you're body runs better on carbs or fats, the fact remains that you're never gonna fail with one or the other unless you're really straddling that intake/expenditure calorie line.

  12. #12
    Deleted
    Don't trust the majority of websites that claim to give you good advice on weight loss. Most personal trainers don't even know what they're talking about.

    My advice is the following:

    Cancel your gym membership and buy a home workout DVD. This way you don't have to go to the Gym, an automatic chore for people trying to lose weight. Yeah, you need self-motivation. You need discipline but let's make it as easy as possible. I recommend Insanity. It uses high intensity interval training and comes with a fitness guide / tracker which will keep you organised. It's SO important to be organised when losing weight. If you don't know what you're doing, you're going to lose motivation and desire. It's quite expensive at £100 but a typical gym membership is around £35, so you will make it back after three months AND you will achieve more.

    Try and cook your own food so you know what's going into it and making it easier to calorie count. A lot of people will say don't bother with calorie counting. Don't listen to them. It takes a little work and is annoying at first, but it makes things so much simpler. Weight loss is down to calorie deficit. That's it.

    If you haven't done so already switch to wholegrain foods such as bread and rice. White bread/rice is extremely high on the GI index meaning you're not going to be full for long. Take a look at the GI index. Really worth getting to grips with it.

    Learn to love porridge. It's fantastic!

    There's a myth that says if you eat little and often, it boosts your metabolism. This is bullshit but it is helpful for managing your hunger and cravings so I still advise you to do it.

    The first week is by far the hardest. If you get over that first week, your half way.

    Hope this helps.

    GL

  13. #13
    Deleted
    Protein heavy diet.
    Make water your favorite beverage and drink lots of it.
    Exercise, find some activity you like and stick with it.
    Patience, losing weight takes time, you're gonna have to accept that.

  14. #14
    Warchief Deldavala's Avatar
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    Well I have recently gone from 109kg to 95kg in 3 months. I used an extreme diet, but I am now over to a more moderate diet.

    I eat a combination of Bio-rhytmic and Periodic fast. Bio-rhytmic diet is very simply broken down to eating your carbs late. Meaning protein and fat for breakfast and a more balanced meal in the night. Periodic Fast is basicly giving yourself and eating window. Meaning all meals of the day will be consumed within that time. For male it should be an 8 hour window, for women a 10hour window. Mine is 12:00 to 20:00.

    About the macros in the diet. I eat between 2-2.5 gram protein per kg weight. 1-1.5 gram Fat pr kg weight. The rest is carbs. I have calculated that my daily calorie usage is 2900. And I try to stay between 500-700 deficit.

    Regarding the workout. At a deficit you want to retain as much muscle mass as possible and loosing fat. To do that most efficently you need to workout only strenght. Ive skipped all cardio workout since my diet is basicly giving me the deficit I need. I workout 3 times a week on a fullbody program. Squats, deadlift, benchpress, pendlay and shoulder press(its called Mark Riptoes Starting strenght).

    The most important thing is to start recording your meals. I use an app called Myfitnesspal that helps me track my calorie intake so I am sure I will get within my macroes each day.

    One more important thing is to take an fishoil supplement. It helps the protein synthesis and fatburning. I would also recommend eating around 800grams of vegetables a day(preferable the green ones like broccoli, salad). The vegetables have a low energy density making it easier for you to not become hungry.

  15. #15
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    Just a thing on "fruit is bad".

    Fruits typically contain fructose, which is processed in the liver. The big myth about fruit ruining diets began because if your liver has a healthy supply of energy it will repackage derivatives of fructose into fat. This is not a major contributor to weight gain, no matter what some guru states.

    Fruit is necessary in a healthy diet. It is a massive source of fibre, antioxidants and many fruits actually help in reducing body fat, e.g. blueberries.

    Routine is key. Breakfast, same thing every morning. Lunch, come up with 3 low kcal options (smoothies are quite good here). Limit dinner to 800-1000 calories tops. Exercise everyday, pushups etc at home.

  16. #16
    Limit Junk/treats to ONCE a week (as in one meal) and don't expect immediate results.

    Do lots of running/cardio exercise and watch the pounds shed off.

    You need a BALANCED diet which includes ALL FOOD GROUPS. Though try and get extra Fibre (which is easy as it's contained in lots of tasty food) as that helps the best.

  17. #17
    The contradictory advice is out there because people are idiots and love to post/write about their newest, favorite fad if it gets them attention.

    Bottom line is Calories In < Calories Out. You can accomplish this any way you like, but I recommend a variety of foods. There's information online on how to roughly calculate your caloric intake needs for certain weight loss goals.

  18. #18
    Deleted
    About fruits - they contain sugar. They are good for you, but you shouldn't get carried away with them. Fruits are best eaten in the morning, because they will increase your blood sugar level and thus your energy. Best they are eaten in the morning, because your blood sugar is at it's lowest in the morning. During the day and in the evening, your body's already working full-time and is keeping blood sugar high, so eating fruits in the later parts of the day, it's easy to go over the limit, and then the excess sugar will be stored as fat.

  19. #19
    2 hours of cardio a day and take hydroxy cut and just eat right and drink plenty of water.....

  20. #20
    Simple advice. Eat fish, lean proteins, yogurt, veggies, leafy greens, fruits like blueberries, strawberries or fruits that have low sugar content. Avoid processed foods - this includes breads cereals etc eat oatmeal or quinoa if youre jonesing for carbs, avoid fried foods and artificial sweetners. Drink lots of cold water and tea. Add some form of excerise minimum 30-60 min 3-4 times a week. This is basically my own method to weight loss, lost 30 pounds in 3 months, the key is to find what works for you. But be patient, try to be consistant and if you do cheat dont beat yourself up. Good Luck !
    Last edited by saucywench; 2013-04-02 at 04:33 PM.

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