Best way to lose weight?

[Lady Jane]

Originally Posted by Dang3r

Write me your other suggestions

Never quit!

[unluky]

I coworkers of mine that was always in good shape was asked a lot how to get in shape - and he knew 98% of them wanted him to show them some magic pill and lost interest when he said "work".

But he would say "Losing weight is not hard, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. You LITERALLY have to do NOTHING to lose weight. Nothing. You have to put all that shit in your mouth to gain weight - but if you do nothing - you will lose weight. So just don't put anything in your mouth that makes you gain weight and you won't."

LOL - always cracked me up.

[shoei]

Originally Posted by daanz21

^^ This.

But for those who aren't comfortable tracking calories, an alternative could be to eliminate or reduce the amount of ultra-processed foods you eat (ie junk food like crisps and chocolate) and swap these out for healthy fats and fibres (e.g. nuts and fruits).

It doesn't work for everybody. There's so many frickin' variables it's not even funny.

I seemed to be more aligned with 3PedalJake from the brief reading I did. I JUST discovered this sub so bare with me, lol.

I don't count calories or macros either - but understand that this might work for myself and 3pedalJake, but it may not work for everybody. Forget the metabolic differences within our bodies, what about the mental differences? I don't have to "think" or "push" myself to work out / eat right. It just natural occurs. Truthfully I guess I shouldn't say I don't count cals or macros because at some point in time I did so I have a general idea of what I'm consuming on a daily basis, even if I'm not calculating lol. And please, don't get me wrong, there are days (like today) where it's cold and overcast and I probably lagged on working out knowing my ass didn't want to go outside today to do cardio.

In terms of intermittent fasting - I do utilize this to some degree. I say to some degree because it's almost like I'm not doing it on purpose. I don't eat late at night and then the next day I do my cardio and weights while my body is theoretically in a state of fast. I have my breakfast afterwards.

Oh and as for the brain fog / lethargy / whatnot from not eating? Nobodies saying starve yourself but if you think that everyone HAS to eat 3 square meals a day? None of would be here. You think our ancestors had 3 square meals a day with snacks in between of Doritos and beef jerky? Foods become too processed and too much of a comfort. Laziness also plays a role - let's be honest, a handful of cheeze it's taste better than a celery stalk, but ones processed and the other isn't. One will actually do something positive for your body. Point is though, our ancestors didn't get 3 square meals a day. Crash diets, hip diet trends, yoga classes in the pit of an active volcano to help you sweat more from heat and fear of death - it's all gimmicks. You have to find what works for you so you won't get tired of it. My recommendation when people ask (besides some YouTube channels to soak up knowledge from) is start small. Get used to certain things.

1. Cut out soda
2. Reduce sugar intake
3. Reduce processed foods intake
4. More lean meats, less red meats and more fruits / vegetables.

This is beginner level stuff here coming up. This of it as the 80/20 method. Try this 5 days a week for 2 weeks. On the other days you aren't adhering to the above, you can have what you want - in moderations. Some of you would be absolutely stunned what will happy to your cravings and addiction to sweets but cutting it out for just a week or two.

Slightly higher than beginner level would be - just try intermittent fasting for two weeks. 16 hours of not eating. That's crazy you say. Well, you should be sleeping minimum of 8 hours. You gonna tell me you can't survive a few hours without food? Lemme explain. Let's say you stop eating at 7pm. 16 hours would bring you to 11am. You can go to sleep around 10pm, wake up at 8, get ready go to work / school what have you and eat breakfast a few hours later? It's not hard. Your body will be like WTF!! For a couple days and then, it's like second nature truthfully. This is why I find it a bit comical when people freak out at intermittent fasting. It's really just a few hours. The bulk of time is sucked up while sleeping lol.

I can go on and on and on. The important thing to remember is, there isn't one solution for everybody type deal. Everyone's metabolism is different, everyone increases / decreases weight at a different pace, gain / lose muscle at a different pace.

Just please. Don't do the food pyramid, lol. And stay away from processed foods. Sandwich meats. Spam. Hot dogs. (I say this after I had some wagyu beef hotdogs lol)
Foods with LESS ingredients.

[W///]

I'm a 5"10, at my heaviest, I weighed 193 lbs (Thanksgiving 2018 I believe), today I'm 162 lbs. Was always naturally a skinny kid growing up, then moved to the US and still thought I could do whatever I wanted to during college and it just slowly went on from there. At the start of COVID, I decided to turn things around because I wanted to work on myself mentally and physically. Started off with being more conscious about what I was eating, which meant not buying and keeping unhealthy choices at home. If it's not there, it's much easier to not be tempted. Always drank a lot of water (usually 1 gallon a day).

In May 2020, I started running. Not a morning person, and hated running (although I did play soccer in highschool... a long long time ago). First time out was about 15 mins mile pace. Now, I run about 20 to 25 miles per week.

I know a lot of people say diet is 90% of the secret, but that's not how I approached it. I wanted this to be a lifestyle change, and I knew looking at diet alone was not going to be sustainable for me. My point is, I got really into running, and by getting stronger and faster, the diet portion of it followed (i.e I'm not going to eat cheesecake before I go for a 5 mile run).

As I said, it might not work for everyone, but this approach worked for me. I don't count calories, still enjoy my fun meals, but also balance it out with what my body needs to run. I also do intermittent fasting half the days out of the week. I don't even think about it now that I'm used to it.

A book that really helped me with all this is called Atomic Habits by James Clear. There was a lot of tips in there that helped me stay consistent. Not saying the journey was easy, but you need to be patient and keep at it. Once you've gained momentum, it's actually quite easy to keep going.

[brk_05]

I'll add my 2 cents for what has worked for me. I'm down about 30 lbs in the past 3.5 months, back to the weight I was before I discovered beer ~20 years ago, ha. I'd been roughly the same weight for 10-15 years, 225 lbs. A ski injury this past winter had me pretty sedentary for 3 months and I felt like I hit rock bottom in terms of how I felt, although my weight didnt change much.

I started using the Noom app/program. I feel like its a combination of what quite a few folks have said. The goal overall is to make long term behavior changes.

Big piece is an overall calorie deficit, so tracking what you eat and burn.

Second, changing what you eat (more fruits, veggies, whole grains, etc, less processed foods and sugar). By changing what I eat, the calorie decrease was never difficult. The better foods keep you feeling full and more energized for longer.

Another big piece of the program is understanding why you do what you do and how to slowly make incremental changes. This applies to your diet, snacking habits, workout routine, etc.

So long story short for me, lower calorie intake, better quality food, regular exercise. Mostly biking 10-20 miles a day for me, but if i can't get that in, making sure I at least get in a long walk in the neighborhood to get some steps in. Currently at 195 lbs and feel great.

[King Rudi]

Originally Posted by shoei

It doesn't work for everybody. There's so many frickin' variables it's not even funny.

I seemed to be more aligned with 3PedalJake from the brief reading I did. I JUST discovered this sub so bare with me, lol.

I don't count calories or macros either - but understand that this might work for myself and 3pedalJake, but it may not work for everybody. Forget the metabolic differences within our bodies, what about the mental differences? I don't have to "think" or "push" myself to work out / eat right. It just natural occurs. Truthfully I guess I shouldn't say I don't count cals or macros because at some point in time I did so I have a general idea of what I'm consuming on a daily basis, even if I'm not calculating lol. And please, don't get me wrong, there are days (like today) where it's cold and overcast and I probably lagged on working out knowing my ass didn't want to go outside today to do cardio.

In terms of intermittent fasting - I do utilize this to some degree. I say to some degree because it's almost like I'm not doing it on purpose. I don't eat late at night and then the next day I do my cardio and weights while my body is theoretically in a state of fast. I have my breakfast afterwards.

Oh and as for the brain fog / lethargy / whatnot from not eating? Nobodies saying starve yourself but if you think that everyone HAS to eat 3 square meals a day? None of would be here. You think our ancestors had 3 square meals a day with snacks in between of Doritos and beef jerky? Foods become too processed and too much of a comfort. Laziness also plays a role - let's be honest, a handful of cheeze it's taste better than a celery stalk, but ones processed and the other isn't. One will actually do something positive for your body. Point is though, our ancestors didn't get 3 square meals a day. Crash diets, hip diet trends, yoga classes in the pit of an active volcano to help you sweat more from heat and fear of death - it's all gimmicks. You have to find what works for you so you won't get tired of it. My recommendation when people ask (besides some YouTube channels to soak up knowledge from) is start small. Get used to certain things.

1. Cut out soda
2. Reduce sugar intake
3. Reduce processed foods intake
4. More lean meats, less red meats and more fruits / vegetables.

This is beginner level stuff here coming up. This of it as the 80/20 method. Try this 5 days a week for 2 weeks. On the other days you aren't adhering to the above, you can have what you want - in moderations. Some of you would be absolutely stunned what will happy to your cravings and addiction to sweets but cutting it out for just a week or two.

Slightly higher than beginner level would be - just try intermittent fasting for two weeks. 16 hours of not eating. That's crazy you say. Well, you should be sleeping minimum of 8 hours. You gonna tell me you can't survive a few hours without food? Lemme explain. Let's say you stop eating at 7pm. 16 hours would bring you to 11am. You can go to sleep around 10pm, wake up at 8, get ready go to work / school what have you and eat breakfast a few hours later? It's not hard. Your body will be like WTF!! For a couple days and then, it's like second nature truthfully. This is why I find it a bit comical when people freak out at intermittent fasting. It's really just a few hours. The bulk of time is sucked up while sleeping lol.

I can go on and on and on. The important thing to remember is, there isn't one solution for everybody type deal. Everyone's metabolism is different, everyone increases / decreases weight at a different pace, gain / lose muscle at a different pace.

Just please. Don't do the food pyramid, lol. And stay away from processed foods. Sandwich meats. Spam. Hot dogs. (I say this after I had some wagyu beef hotdogs lol)
Foods with LESS ingredients.

This is spot on.

Everyone is different, especially mentally. What works for me, in terms of processing info, will not work for someone else. Intermittent fasting is where it's at (for me). I also consider my diet a mix of intermittent fasting and OMAD (one meal a day).

From the people that I have talked with about this topic, everyone seemed to count calories in the beginning. My Fitness Pal is quite a valuable tool, but it's only a tool. If used properly, after a few months, it really isn't needed. Most people tend to eat the same thing all the time. This is solidified by the Dinner and Lunch thread imo. I can give a rough estimate of how many calories in pretty much everything I eat now. I can crunch the numbers in my head, including macros. Mind you it isn't 100% accurate, but if a person does the same thing over and over, you get pretty damn good at it.

Agree 100% on everything you posted above. I also recommend for those interested in losing weight to look up the amount of sugar in soda and how your body processes sugar. Also research fruit juice (especially orange juice!
it's healthy right? WRONG!).

A couple of general rules I tell people, that want to lose weight: Avoid the center of the grocery store, don't buy things in brightly colored packaging (for the most part) and if you see food advertised on TV - avoid it. If there is a commercial for it, it isn't good for you. My only exception to this rule is milk, I still avoid it, but if I can't get a protein shake directly after my workout, I will drink some chocolate milk. Just my $.02.

I'm currently still in a cut that I started months ago. I tried to eliminate cardio completely this time, to ensure that each calorie went to building muscle. If I do any cardio, I make sure it's done on a non-weight resistance day, also save the carbs for post workout. 95% of the weight loss during this cut cycle is all from being mindful of my caloric intake. I have started doing cardio one or two days a week because bulk season is approaching and of course I need to lose what little weight is left so I can hurry and start to eat more. The cycle seems ridiculous, but damn if it doesn't work. Long story long....I'm not sure if anyone mentioned another method to losing weight shouldn't be considered losing weight. It should be considered losing body fat. Muscle has weight too. Build muscle and your muscle will help burn the fat.

One more topic, for those that mention turning fat to muscle, it simply isn't possible. Also muscle doesn't weigh more than fat. Muscle density is higher, but weighs more; a pound of feathers or a pound of bricks?

[shoei]

Originally Posted by King Rudi

This is spot on.

Everyone is different, especially mentally. What works for me, in terms of processing info, will not work for someone else. Intermittent fasting is where it's at (for me). I also consider my diet a mix of intermittent fasting and OMAD (one meal a day).

From the people that I have talked with about this topic, everyone seemed to count calories in the beginning. My Fitness Pal is quite a valuable tool, but it's only a tool. If used properly, after a few months, it really isn't needed. Most people tend to eat the same thing all the time. This is solidified by the Dinner and Lunch thread imo. I can give a rough estimate of how many calories in pretty much everything I eat now. I can crunch the numbers in my head, including macros. Mind you it isn't 100% accurate, but if a person does the same thing over and over, you get pretty damn good at it.

Agree 100% on everything you posted above. I also recommend for those interested in losing weight to look up the amount of sugar in soda and how your body processes sugar. Also research fruit juice (especially orange juice!
it's healthy right? WRONG!).

A couple of general rules I tell people, that want to lose weight: Avoid the center of the grocery store, don't buy things in brightly colored packaging (for the most part) and if you see food advertised on TV - avoid it. If there is a commercial for it, it isn't good for you. My only exception to this rule is milk, I still avoid it, but if I can't get a protein shake directly after my workout, I will drink some chocolate milk. Just my $.02.

I'm currently still in a cut that I started months ago. I tried to eliminate cardio completely this time, to ensure that each calorie went to building muscle. If I do any cardio, I make sure it's done on a non-weight resistance day, also save the carbs for post workout. 95% of the weight loss during this cut cycle is all from being mindful of my caloric intake. I have started doing cardio one or two days a week because bulk season is approaching and of course I need to lose what little weight is left so I can hurry and start to eat more. The cycle seems ridiculous, but damn if it doesn't work. Long story long....I'm not sure if anyone mentioned another method to losing weight shouldn't be considered losing weight. It should be considered losing body fat. Muscle has weight too. Build muscle and your muscle will help burn the fat.

One more topic, for those that mention turning fat to muscle, it simply isn't possible. Also muscle doesn't weigh more than fat. Muscle density is higher, but weighs more; a pound of feathers or a pound of bricks?

I'm going to post 1lb of fat, lol. It's fucking wild.

But yeah, the "food pyramid" is the biggest crock of it all. It's like, no wonder this country has an obesity problem. It's starts with the food. Has anyone seen the fast food cup sizes for America vs the world? For example, our large McDonald's soda is basically a S or M size in Japan. USA actually has the largest soda sizes in all ranges. Wrap your brain around that. Heinz ketchup that we all know and love? Heinz is banned in certain countries (like Italy) because they and other countries have determined Heinz ketchup is just straight poison and NO TOMATOES in their product. Seen how many different ketchups Heinz has now? Reason behind it besides getting with the times. Heinz regular that we all know and love is just high fructose corn syrup and flavoring and other terrible shit. I love Heinz, it's the flavor I grew up on so now I just get the simply Heinz or the one without the high fructose corn syrup.

Rudi mentioned juice and that's another one. Vitamin water - it's fucking sugar water. Juice is another culprit, look at "added sugar" vs "natural sugar". Of course OJ has sugar, all fruits have glucose but that's all you want. Just the natural glucose, nothing added.

Stay away from corn syrup / high fructose corn syrup. You want to stay away from some certain hydrogenated oils. Olive oil (make sure you research olive and Avocado oils because a majority of the oil companies are cheating. Flip the bottle make sure it's 100% olive oil and not a blend mixed with canola oil. Seen some that have less than 10% olive oil or my favorite is the ones that say it could have "up to" X% of olive / avocado oil. Oh, it might be none or it might be half of what the bottle says it is? Great, I'll take 2 lol.

He's right about mind over matter to. I can eat the same damn thing every day after working out. It's a "job" for me at this point. Work outs done cardio done? Time for my overnight oats with almond milk + other shit. Every day.
Ughhh, almond milk is another one. Flip the bottle, make sure it's just water and almonds, lol. There's some almond milk with 10 different chemicals and guar gum. Fuck your gums, fuck your added shit, just give me almonds and water lol.

If you want to get right? Eat right. There's a reason they say - "abs are made in the kitchen." Is it 100%? No. But it has a monstrous role in 6 packs. You can do 1000 crunches a day, but if you aren't eating right? Never gonna see your abs. Just get rid of soda first and foremost. Enough with zero sugar - they replace sugar with something as equally if not more terrible. They have the country hooked on high fructose corn syrup. It's bloody criminal what they're doing to people. My understanding is, we are the only country outside of Japan to order specially designed coffins that were originally intended for sumo wrestlers.

[shoei]

Originally Posted by brk_05

I'll add my 2 cents for what has worked for me. I'm down about 30 lbs in the past 3.5 months, back to the weight I was before I discovered beer ~20 years ago, ha. I'd been roughly the same weight for 10-15 years, 225 lbs. A ski injury this past winter had me pretty sedentary for 3 months and I felt like I hit rock bottom in terms of how I felt, although my weight didnt change much.

I started using the Noom app/program. I feel like its a combination of what quite a few folks have said. The goal overall is to make long term behavior changes.

Big piece is an overall calorie deficit, so tracking what you eat and burn.

Second, changing what you eat (more fruits, veggies, whole grains, etc, less processed foods and sugar). By changing what I eat, the calorie decrease was never difficult. The better foods keep you feeling full and more energized for longer.

Another big piece of the program is understanding why you do what you do and how to slowly make incremental changes. This applies to your diet, snacking habits, workout routine, etc.

So long story short for me, lower calorie intake, better quality food, regular exercise. Mostly biking 10-20 miles a day for me, but if i can't get that in, making sure I at least get in a long walk in the neighborhood to get some steps in. Currently at 195 lbs and feel great.

Yes I almost forgot the most important detail about food and you graciously reminded me.

"Food is FUEL. Food is NOT comfort."

Don't treat restaurants like an amusement park for your mouth and belly.

I rode a bike forever. I will cycle, walk, swim or row. I loathe running (unless there's a 280lb linebacker chasing my ass) and it's tough on the joints. Cycling I found enjoyable, I just hate that it's roughly 1 mile walking is equivalent to 5-6 miles riding in terms of energy spent and calories burned

And don't make excuses (like I did cuz it's been overcast and cold)

[King Rudi]

Originally Posted by shoei

I'm going to post 1lb of fat, lol. It's fucking wild.

But yeah, the "food pyramid" is the biggest crock of it all. It's like, no wonder this country has an obesity problem. It's starts with the food. Has anyone seen the fast food cup sizes for America vs the world? For example, our large McDonald's soda is basically a S or M size in Japan. USA actually has the largest soda sizes in all ranges. Wrap your brain around that. Heinz ketchup that we all know and love? Heinz is banned in certain countries (like Italy) because they and other countries have determined Heinz ketchup is just straight poison and NO TOMATOES in their product. Seen how many different ketchups Heinz has now? Reason behind it besides getting with the times. Heinz regular that we all know and love is just high fructose corn syrup and flavoring and other terrible shit. I love Heinz, it's the flavor I grew up on so now I just get the simply Heinz or the one without the high fructose corn syrup.

Rudi mentioned juice and that's another one. Vitamin water - it's fucking sugar water. Juice is another culprit, look at "added sugar" vs "natural sugar". Of course OJ has sugar, all fruits have glucose but that's all you want. Just the natural glucose, nothing added.

Stay away from corn syrup / high fructose corn syrup. You want to stay away from some certain hydrogenated oils. Olive oil (make sure you research olive and Avocado oils because a majority of the oil companies are cheating. Flip the bottle make sure it's 100% olive oil and not a blend mixed with canola oil. Seen some that have less than 10% olive oil or my favorite is the ones that say it could have "up to" X% of olive / avocado oil. Oh, it might be none or it might be half of what the bottle says it is? Great, I'll take 2 lol.

He's right about mind over matter to. I can eat the same damn thing every day after working out. It's a "job" for me at this point. Work outs done cardio done? Time for my overnight oats with almond milk + other shit. Every day.
Ughhh, almond milk is another one. Flip the bottle, make sure it's just water and almonds, lol. There's some almond milk with 10 different chemicals and guar gum. Fuck your gums, fuck your added shit, just give me almonds and water lol.

If you want to get right? Eat right. There's a reason they say - "abs are made in the kitchen." Is it 100%? No. But it has a monstrous role in 6 packs. You can do 1000 crunches a day, but if you aren't eating right? Never gonna see your abs. Just get rid of soda first and foremost. Enough with zero sugar - they replace sugar with something as equally if not more terrible. They have the country hooked on high fructose corn syrup. It's bloody criminal what they're doing to people. My understanding is, we are the only country outside of Japan to order specially designed coffins that were originally intended for sumo wrestlers.

This. All of it. Cheese, bread and ketchup were the hardest to give up for me. Once I started killing the cardio and could four miles in about an hour and 15 minutes, ketchup died to me and so did soda. 10 minutes of cardio to burn off a can of soda (I typically go at a rate of 10 calories per minute of cardio)....nope, no time for it.

As you mentioned above, after a while you get to where you look at food as fuel source only. Food tasting good is for the obese, let them have it. Flavor is just an added benefit. In my experience, the better it tastes, the worse it is for you.

Another interesting bit on OJ.

[shoei]

Originally Posted by King Rudi

This. All of it. Cheese, bread and ketchup were the hardest to give up for me. Once I started killing the cardio and could four miles in about an hour and 15 minutes, ketchup died to me and so did soda. 10 minutes of cardio to burn off a can of soda (I typically go at a rate of 10 calories per minute of cardio)....nope, no time for it.

As you mentioned above, after a while you get to where you look at food as fuel source only. Food tasting good is for the obese, let them have it. Flavor is just an added benefit. In my experience, the better it tastes, the worse it is for you.

Another interesting bit on OJ.

Adam ruins everything is hilarious. The mouthwash and the herpes episodes cracked me up.

[3PedalJake]

Originally Posted by shoei

It doesn't work for everybody. There's so many frickin' variables it's not even funny.

I seemed to be more aligned with 3PedalJake from the brief reading I did. I JUST discovered this sub so bare with me, lol.

I don't count calories or macros either - but understand that this might work for myself and 3pedalJake, but it may not work for everybody. Forget the metabolic differences within our bodies, what about the mental differences? I don't have to "think" or "push" myself to work out / eat right. It just natural occurs. Truthfully I guess I shouldn't say I don't count cals or macros because at some point in time I did so I have a general idea of what I'm consuming on a daily basis, even if I'm not calculating lol. And please, don't get me wrong, there are days (like today) where it's cold and overcast and I probably lagged on working out knowing my ass didn't want to go outside today to do cardio.

In terms of intermittent fasting - I do utilize this to some degree. I say to some degree because it's almost like I'm not doing it on purpose. I don't eat late at night and then the next day I do my cardio and weights while my body is theoretically in a state of fast. I have my breakfast afterwards.

Oh and as for the brain fog / lethargy / whatnot from not eating? Nobodies saying starve yourself but if you think that everyone HAS to eat 3 square meals a day? None of would be here. You think our ancestors had 3 square meals a day with snacks in between of Doritos and beef jerky? Foods become too processed and too much of a comfort. Laziness also plays a role - let's be honest, a handful of cheeze it's taste better than a celery stalk, but ones processed and the other isn't. One will actually do something positive for your body. Point is though, our ancestors didn't get 3 square meals a day. Crash diets, hip diet trends, yoga classes in the pit of an active volcano to help you sweat more from heat and fear of death - it's all gimmicks. You have to find what works for you so you won't get tired of it. My recommendation when people ask (besides some YouTube channels to soak up knowledge from) is start small. Get used to certain things.

1. Cut out soda
2. Reduce sugar intake
3. Reduce processed foods intake
4. More lean meats, less red meats and more fruits / vegetables.

This is beginner level stuff here coming up. This of it as the 80/20 method. Try this 5 days a week for 2 weeks. On the other days you aren't adhering to the above, you can have what you want - in moderations. Some of you would be absolutely stunned what will happy to your cravings and addiction to sweets but cutting it out for just a week or two.

Slightly higher than beginner level would be - just try intermittent fasting for two weeks. 16 hours of not eating. That's crazy you say. Well, you should be sleeping minimum of 8 hours. You gonna tell me you can't survive a few hours without food? Lemme explain. Let's say you stop eating at 7pm. 16 hours would bring you to 11am. You can go to sleep around 10pm, wake up at 8, get ready go to work / school what have you and eat breakfast a few hours later? It's not hard. Your body will be like WTF!! For a couple days and then, it's like second nature truthfully. This is why I find it a bit comical when people freak out at intermittent fasting. It's really just a few hours. The bulk of time is sucked up while sleeping lol.

I can go on and on and on. The important thing to remember is, there isn't one solution for everybody type deal. Everyone's metabolism is different, everyone increases / decreases weight at a different pace, gain / lose muscle at a different pace.

Just please. Don't do the food pyramid, lol. And stay away from processed foods. Sandwich meats. Spam. Hot dogs. (I say this after I had some wagyu beef hotdogs lol)
Foods with LESS ingredients.

All of this is 100% correct, the only thing I can find to comment on is the "starve yourself" part. A lean person is carrying enough fuel for a month, the average 21st century person has months worth. You will not in fact starve on a voluntary fast of any length, but here is the thing that is even harder for ppl to wrap their heads around, you actually have sharper mental clarity and more energy after 3 days without eating if your metabolism is fat adapted. If you think about it, in evolutionary terms, the farther we were from food the more wits and stamina we needed to procure them. When we're sitting on a fat stash the body and brain knows they can throttle down, and they do, and so has everyones almost continuously. I've done 96 hour fasts and TBH the only reason I stopped them is because I like having dinner with Mrs. Jake. I'm sure I could have done a week or more.

As far as it being healthy, I had a EGK recently in prep for some ear surgery, the doc said it was the EKG of a 35 yr old, I'm pushing retirement age.

The important takeaway is everything you've been conditioned to believe is how we're supposed to eat and live in the 21st century is a lie. Do the opposite and you'll be much better off.

[chassis]

Diet and exercise are important, as has been repeatedly made clear in many posts on this thread.

I suggest that solving the weight maintenance equation by exercise alone is a trap many people fall into, and find it hard to get out of.

Go to the gym
Ride the bike
Run
Lift weights
Swim
Do it again, and again, and again

But don't take a hard look at diet, particularly caloric intake.

The fitness industry and culture wants consumption (buy food and eat) and activity (buy clothing and gear and gym memberships). Even more evident with "pre fuel, post fuel" eating regimens, and post-workout reward binge meals.

Especially as one ages, high caloric burn becomes more difficult or impossible at high levels. This means developing self discipline in the quantity and quality of food consumed is a non-negotiable element of weight maintenance and control.

Does anyone agree that activity addiction without sufficient attention to caloric intake is a slippery slope many people slide down? I see it all around me.

[3PedalJake]

Originally Posted by daanz21

That's interesting, I've never thought about it that way, thanks.

In your last paragraph, would having a calorie deficit diet but eating your food in 1/2 sittings also allow the insulin to decrease, or could the fact that it's calorie restriction still cause insulin resistance?

You need to concern yourself with the lowering insulin part, if you do that the calorie restriction will take care of itself. The eating part is less important than the not eating part, you can divide your daily intake up into as many sittings as you want, and eat ad libitum, but you have to keep it all within a window, the more insulin resistant you are the smaller the window you need, like eat everything within a 4 hour period then fast for 20. This gives you plenty of time to absorb your food and insulin to drop down to baseline. Each time the baseline will get a bit lower, that is what they're referring to by "set point".

Ppl are resistant to insulin for the same reason that addicts need more of a drug to get high, it's not an analogy it's the literal biochemical truth. The more you stimulate insulin with carbs and frequent meals the more Insulin you will need to be effective lowering all that excess blood sugar. Like getting off drugs the only way is to taper off or go cold turkey, IE give up the carbs and do some fasting.

[3PedalJake]

Originally Posted by chassis

Diet and exercise are important, as has been repeatedly made clear in many posts on this thread.

I suggest that solving the weight maintenance equation by exercise alone is a trap many people fall into, and find it hard to get out of.

Go to the gym
Ride the bike
Run
Lift weights
Swim
Do it again, and again, and again

But don't take a hard look at diet, particularly caloric intake.

The fitness industry and culture wants consumption (buy food and eat) and activity (buy clothing and gear and gym memberships). Even more evident with "pre fuel, post fuel" eating regimens, and post-workout reward binge meals.

Especially as one ages, high caloric burn becomes more difficult or impossible at high levels. This means developing self discipline in the quantity and quality of food consumed is a non-negotiable element of weight maintenance and control.

Does anyone agree that activity addiction without sufficient attention to caloric intake is a slippery slope many people slide down? I see it all around me.

One of the big problems is almost everyone is thinking in terms of "calories", and while a useful measure for heater fuel it has almost no relevance to human physiology. Calories is how much something, anything from horse shit to cognac heats up a cc of water when you burn it. The body doesn't have "calorie receptors" tho, it is concerned with 3 substrates, carbs, fats and proteins and it handles each in a very distinct way, and it will handle the same substrate in differing ways depending on body conditions. The conditions are called hormones, the big one is insulin. Until that is under control all the calorie counting and exercise in the world is just mental masturbation, not gonna help a bit and is likely to hinder tbh.

The problem is not gluttony and sloth, it's a fundamental misunderstanding of the process at play here, and it's a hormonal problem, not a caloric one.

[shoei]

Originally Posted by 3PedalJake

All of this is 100% correct, the only thing I can find to comment on is the "starve yourself" part. A lean person is carrying enough fuel for a month, the average 21st century person has months worth. You will not in fact starve on a voluntary fast of any length, but here is the thing that is even harder for ppl to wrap their heads around, you actually have sharper mental clarity and more energy after 3 days without eating if your metabolism is fat adapted. If you think about it, in evolutionary terms, the farther we were from food the more wits and stamina we needed to procure them. When we're sitting on a fat stash the body and brain knows they can throttle down, and they do, and so has everyones almost continuously. I've done 96 hour fasts and TBH the only reason I stopped them is because I like having dinner with Mrs. Jake. I'm sure I could have done a week or more.

As far as it being healthy, I had a EGK recently in prep for some ear surgery, the doc said it was the EKG of a 35 yr old, I'm pushing retirement age.

The important takeaway is everything you've been conditioned to believe is how we're supposed to eat and live in the 21st century is a lie. Do the opposite and you'll be much better off.

This is the kind person who should become Secretary of Health for the country. He's spitting facts and not looking to sell you a get fit quick pill or supplement.

I strongly agree with we're over fed these days truthfully our portions out of control. Look at McDonald's soda sizes from USA vs Japan or USA vs Italy. Portion control is required in this country.

It's impressive and you get kudos for continuing with it all these years. I can only hope and wish that one day I'll be as healthy and as in shape even when I get older.

[3PedalJake]

Originally Posted by shoei

This is the kind person who should become Secretary of Health for the country. He's spitting facts and not looking to sell you a get fit quick pill or supplement.

I strongly agree with we're over fed these days truthfully our portions out of control. Look at McDonald's soda sizes from USA vs Japan or USA vs Italy. Portion control is required in this country.

It's impressive and you get kudos for continuing with it all these years. I can only hope and wish that one day I'll be as healthy and as in shape even when I get older.

I would be honored but everything I say would be hated by everyone, so no thanx lol.

The same ppl who demand me and my 30 yr. old diesel truck do our share for the environment are consuming with a carbon footprint that makes bigfoot look like a chipmunk.

Here's the thing tho, I know what I'm saying is real because 4 yrs ago I was a fat, gluttonous slob and had been for a long time. I didn't want to be but I trusted my doctor and RD and did what they said, with (now) predictable results. You just don't know what you don't know until you know it, and you have to be your own advocate because nobody is come tell you something "for your own good" without having a hook in the bait.

Except randos on obscure backwater forums on e90post of course, if you can't trust a Bimmer DIY'r whom *can* you trust????

[shoei]

Originally Posted by 3PedalJake

I would be honored but everything I say would be hated by everyone, so no thanx lol.

The same ppl who demand me and my 30 yr. old diesel truck do our share for the environment are consuming with a carbon footprint that makes bigfoot look like a chipmunk.

Here's the thing tho, I know what I'm saying is real because 4 yrs ago I was a fat, gluttonous slob and had been for a long time. I didn't want to be but I trusted my doctor and RD and did what they said, with (now) predictable results. You just don't know what you don't know until you know it, and you have to be your own advocate because nobody is come tell you something "for your own good" without having a hook in the bait.

Except randos on e90post of course, if you can't trust a Bimmer DIY'r whom *can* you trust????

Lmfaooo. I dunno man, I've seen some of the DIY kits on the forums. Stevie Wonder could do a better job keeping the lines straight.

I told my doctor years ago that I felt I was getting out of shape. He told me I was being silly and I'm in great shape. I was about 20lbs overweight and getting tired easily. When I heard that, I took matters into my own hands. He wanted to put me on some low dose heart pills because he felt my blood pressure was too high. I knew I didn't want to be on them so cleaned up my eating went back to working out. Blood pressure is golden. So much for being silly and I'm great shape. I remember looking down at my belly and thinking - think my doctor needs to see his optometrist.

Nobody is gonna do this for you. It's not even about looking good without a shirt on. It should be just about you and your health. Drinking zero sugar soda isn't getting healthy. I'm not telling you to drink Kombucha, just saying there's healthier options than soda, lol. Water for example has lots of health benefits and zero calories or sugar. Relatively cheap too. As long as it doesn't come in glass bottles.

[3PedalJake]

Originally Posted by shoei

Lmfaooo. I dunno man, I've seen some of the DIY kits on the forums. Stevie Wonder could do a better job keeping the lines straight.

I told my doctor years ago that I felt I was getting out of shape. He told me I was being silly and I'm in great shape. I was about 20lbs overweight and getting tired easily. When I heard that, I took matters into my own hands. He wanted to put me on some low dose heart pills because he felt my blood pressure was too high. I knew I didn't want to be on them so cleaned up my eating went back to working out. Blood pressure is golden. So much for being silly and I'm great shape. I remember looking down at my belly and thinking - think my doctor needs to see his optometrist.

Nobody is gonna do this for you. It's not even about looking good without a shirt on. It should be just about you and your health. Drinking zero sugar soda isn't getting healthy. I'm not telling you to drink Kombucha, just saying there's healthier options than soda, lol. Water for example has lots of health benefits and zero calories or sugar. Relatively cheap too. As long as it doesn't come in glass bottles.

In my defense I don't have any how-to videos, just some "what did you you do on your car today" posts.

I got wise when my Dr. suggested I might want to go on a Statin. That's a whole other scam predicated on ppl ill-healthing themselves, I'll elaborate on that later. He recommended a RD, I said sure. She was very nice, suggested lots of heart healthy whole grains and focus on plant based diet. Yeah no, I hit the interwebz and Dr. Fung, Lustig, Ekberg and others who spell it out, it's our modern processed foods plus not ever having the natural periods of deprivation IE we eat shit our body doesn't recognize (seed oils and trans fats) and what it does recognize (roller milled, bleached wheat) is chopped so fine, like your GF spending an hour chopping a line of coke so you could get that rush, that's what processed wheat is. And we eat it like 6 times a day.

Nobody but nobody will do it for you, you're lucky if they don't laugh at you. I laugh when I walk on the beach and see all the fat young ppl.

P.S. Kombucha is great, it's easy to make and prolly one of the only things I have in common with most of the ppl woh like Kombucha.

[Dang3r]

Originally Posted by 3PedalJake

Nobody but nobody will do it for you, you're lucky if they don't laugh at you. I laugh when I walk on the beach and see all the fat young ppl.

At least you could subscribe to TV chan TLC and see Dr. No for extreme surgery

[g.m00]

Amaazing. Happy for you brother. You mentioned adding a little sugar in your coffee. I can't drink coffee sugarless either so I go with monk sweetener. It's a fruit, it's natural, and doesn't raise your blood sugar. Try it. It works great. You can't tell the difference.

Originally Posted by uniqueMR

Update March 2021:
Weight: 178lbs
Body Fat: 27%


Needs to get down to 165-168 lbs with less than 23% body fat.

[uniqueMR]

Originally Posted by g.m00

Amaazing. Happy for you brother. You mentioned adding a little sugar in your coffee. I can't drink coffee sugarless either so I go with monk sweetener. It's a fruit, it's natural, and doesn't raise your blood sugar. Try it. It works great. You can't tell the difference.

Thank you
Will do..

[g.m00]

All the best and Keep going. You're doing great

Originally Posted by uniqueMR

Thank you
Will do..