Support NeoGAF

[Shantae]

Picking the right kind of foods is so difficult because I don't rarely have the chance to prepare my own food. That often leads to a lot of fast food, which I try to make the best decisions I can regarding that, but even the "healthiest" fast food is still crappy, I know that. I try to pick up fruits as snacks instead for food, but that stuff tends to get old, especially for someone like me who has a chocolate craving.

 

[triplestation]

Picking the right kind of foods is so difficult because I don't rarely have the chance to prepare my own food. That often leads to a lot of fast food, which I try to make the best decisions I can regarding that, but even the "healthiest" fast food is still crappy, I know that. I try to pick up fruits as snacks instead for food, but that stuff tends to get old, especially for someone like me who has a chocolate craving.

do you like protein shakes?

 

[sonomamashine]

Picking the right kind of foods is so difficult because I don't rarely have the chance to prepare my own food. That often leads to a lot of fast food, which I try to make the best decisions I can regarding that, but even the "healthiest" fast food is still crappy, I know that. I try to pick up fruits as snacks instead for food, but that stuff tends to get old, especially for someone like me who has a chocolate craving.

thats a no no, try to make stuff at home and if you cant just eat salads instead of whatever you eat outside.

do you like protein shakes?

Bruuuuh.

 

[bati]

What works for me is 3d a week of weight lifting (1.5h each) and walking about 6.5km (4 miles) 5 times a week. I'm currently doing a 5 3 1 for beginners weight lifting program (don't be fooled by the name) and it's amazing, did wonders for my technique. Each day focuses on 2 core lifts (A: bench + squat, B: deadlift + overhead press) and 100 reps for pull, push and legs&core. I normally pick two exercises for each category and do 5 sets of 10 for each. The core lifts have their own system which I follow to the letter.

Also, once you start exercising you'll want to start eating better to avoid making all that effort you put in at the gym go to waste. Make sure you consume less than you burn, eat enough protein and fat for your lean weight and fill the rest with carbs.

After that the only thing left to do is watch the clock tick and fat melt away.

 

[sonomamashine]

i keep reading people posting eat protein or drink protein shakes, we should be eating more veggies than meat.

 

[triplestation]

i keep reading people posting eat protein or drink protein shakes, we should be eating more veggies than meat.

It's great for muscles in combination with carbs

Traditional meat/grain/veg meals always had it right

 

[Tesseract]

i keep reading people posting eat protein or drink protein shakes, we should be eating more veggies than meat.

depends on age and activity, i eat very little greens right now

 

[Dthomp]

1. Eliminate Carbs
2. Eat Meat and Veggies
3. ....
4. Profit

In all seriousness, I began eating what would be considered somewhere between Keto and Low Carb and very little exercise (Average 3-5k steps a day). I give myself a cheat dinner every 5-7 days if I'm in the mood and I've went from 245-250lbs down to around 225 as of this week. Diet is key here, ditch the fast food, it's pure trash for your body. No good comes from a fast food restaurant. I live within a few blocks of a grocery store so part of my exercise routine is walking there every day for fresh meat and veggies. Just eat better, feel better (I came out of a crippling depression after my changes and don't go crazy with the intensity right away, you'll burn out.

 

[Tesseract]

1. Eliminate Carbs
2. Eat Meat and Veggies
3. ....
4. Profit

In all seriousness, I began eating what would be considered somewhere between Keto and Low Carb and very little exercise (Average 3-5k steps a day). I give myself a cheat dinner every 5-7 days if I'm in the mood and I've went from 245-250lbs down to around 225 as of this week. Diet is key here, ditch the fast food, it's pure trash for your body. No good comes from a fast food restaurant. I live within a few blocks of a grocery store so part of my exercise routine is walking there every day for fresh meat and veggies. Just eat better, feel better (I came out of a crippling depression after my changes and don't go crazy with the intensity right away, you'll burn out.

that's the ticket, dude

fast food IS absolute trash, only reason to eat there is for the occasional chicken sandwich if you're left with no other options

 

[GoodIdeaBadIdea]

Removing sugar or significantly reducing it can help a lot. I had a friend who used to drink soda pop everyday and he was huge and he just took that out and after about a year he doesn't even look like the same person. He was working out about the same well he improved though after cutting out the soda, but he was working out just as long back then as he is now.

If your at restaurants a lot, I'd suggest that you get water instead of soda and take the top off don't use those straws they are bpa coated which can increase estrogen levels that can lead to weight gain and muscle loss.

If possible making a green veggie the bulk of your meal will help. You don't have to count any calories if your eating like this.

Drinking a lot of water all day will help you to not be as hungry.

 

[Stiflers Mom]

Start intermittent fasting 16-8.
Stop sugary sodas, drink water instead.
If you can't, then try to get the variants without sugar.

Do some pushups. Start with a low amount a day, and increase when you feel you can do more.

And always remember, it's better to do a low amount of stuff regularly instead of doing too much and then stop.

 

[triplestation]

I got done with a 24 hour fast earlier

Burned me up allllll kiiiinds of fat

All kinds

Only do this once a week

 

[betrayal]

Don't make it more complicated than it is. If you don't do that, you're already better than 99% of the people, who share the same goal as you do.

Don't stop eating things you like.
Don't stop eating carbs.
Don't train 4-5 times a week.
DO. NOT. OVERCOMPLICATE. IT.
Why? Because at the end there's only one thing that really matters and that is consistency.

Simplify the steps you need to take to achieve your goals.
At the end it comes down to this: Track your weight and calories and just follow the trend. Your weight goes up, then your calories must go down. If your weight goes down, continue to eat the amount of calories you're consuming right now. Try to eat as many non-processed food as you can. The shorter the list of ingredients, the better the food. Eat "bad" food on a regular basis, whenever you need a break. If you can incorporate it and it suits you, than fast and do 16-8 or whatever suits your current lifestyle.
Workout 2-3 times a week. Do the things you like, preferably try to add some muscles because of the many benefits and avoid doing longer cardio sessions.

 

[Saruhashi]

I'm trying to get back in the game of getting myself into a little bit better shape, other than a round shape lol. I recently picked up a fitbit, because it was a pretty good price, and I do at least do somewhat better when I can track stuff it does. Although, I don't know how much I trust it's step pedometer, because it seems like it goes up a bit when I'm driving. Either way, for the past week I've been trying to get some kind of walking in. Today I added a little jogging into my work out, but I get so winded, because my lungs always hurt when I run. They did when I was kid too, so I was always a short sprinter. I usually have to end up jogging for a bit, go to walking, then jog some, walk...etc. I can't seem to keep just running. Maybe that'll change if I keep doing it, we'll see.

Anyway, I'm not really here to ask advice on what actual exercises to do, but I'm more confused about how to count calories. I'm not looking to become some kind of fitness machine. I'd like to lose some weight, and hopefully keep it off. I don't expect to do it by just dieting, but I don't see myself becoming a work out every day type person. Probably 3-4 times a week once I get in better shape. Right now I'm trying 4-5 days a week. I'm the type of person who likes looking at the numbers and know when I've finished my workout for the day, but I'm still not sure what I should be aiming for beyond what my fitbit tells me. It has the 10,000 steps a day, 10 flights a stairs thing..etc. If I'm wanting to watch my calories though, how many can I consume if burn off 2000-3000 a day? I never quite understand how that works, and I feel like I'm starving myself some days because I'm barely eating since I'm always trying to keep it under the 2000 range. However, since I'm burning some, doesn't that mean I can consume more than that? Fitness never is an exact science, so it frustrates me because I like things to be more concrete lol.

In terms of calories you will probably find that the exercise doesn't really burn all that much. Especially if you are just walking.

Say you are burning 2,000 calories a day (which seems about average for most people) and you add in an hour brisk walk at the end of the day. Probably that walk is an extra 300 calories.

As far as running is concerned you will want to build up over a period of several weeks before you are running even 5km 4 times a week. I'd advise against running at all until your weight is down so that you don't get injured.

Plan out a diet for yourself.
Give yourself 1500 calories per day, this should be enough to drop 1 pound per week, and then build a diet plan around that number.
Try to stay away from too much sugar and carbs if possible.
If you must have sugar and carbs then try to keep those to your morning and afternoon meals. Evening should be mostly protein.
Do not eat too late.

1500 should not be barely eating if you are eating the right stuff at the right times.

Lastly get yourself enough sleep. If you are sleeping well and eating well and exercising a bit then it's all come together and you'll make great progress.

Sure, if you exercise then it seems to make sense that you can have more food because you are working out more but, in my experience, this only really comes into play when you start doing serious exercise.

An hour walk might allow you to eat a couple of extra slices of bread or something but then it just seems like why spend an entire hour walking just so I can eat a sandwich later? Easier to just skip the sandwich and the walk in that case.

 

[betrayal]

Some of the tips here are so useless, obsolete and plainly wrong that i feel i'm back in the 80s again.

 

[Saruhashi]

Picking the right kind of foods is so difficult because I don't rarely have the chance to prepare my own food. That often leads to a lot of fast food, which I try to make the best decisions I can regarding that, but even the "healthiest" fast food is still crappy, I know that. I try to pick up fruits as snacks instead for food, but that stuff tends to get old, especially for someone like me who has a chocolate craving.

In that case it's possible that your issue is time management?

It might be better to change the "exercise time" into "food preparation time".

Let's say you are going to do a 5km run. First you are going to need to get ready for the run. A bit of a warm up. Then maybe some light stretching. Then off you go. Let's say the run itself takes 25 to 30 minutes. Then you are going to wind down and have your shower and wash your running gear etc.

That's maybe a decent hour or more of your time. All for a 450 calorie burn.

So why not use that time to prepare proper food instead? At least until you have a feel for it and then see if you can add exercise in.

It's a question of which should take priority maybe?

 

[sonomamashine]

Don't make it more complicated than it is. If you don't do that, you're already better than 99% of the people, who share the same goal as you do.

Don't stop eating things you like.
Don't stop eating carbs.
Don't train 4-5 times a week.
DO. NOT. OVERCOMPLICATE. IT.
Why? Because at the end there's only one thing that really matters and that is consistency.

Simplify the steps you need to take to achieve your goals.
At the end it comes down to this: Track your weight and calories and just follow the trend. Your weight goes up, then your calories must go down. If your weight goes down, continue to eat the amount of calories you're consuming right now. Try to eat as many non-processed food as you can. The shorter the list of ingredients, the better the food. Eat "bad" food on a regular basis, whenever you need a break. If you can incorporate it and it suits you, than fast and do 16-8 or whatever suits your current lifestyle.
Workout 2-3 times a week. Do the things you like, preferably try to add some muscles because of the many benefits and avoid doing longer cardio sessions.

you are the definition of a bad friend, the hell is this ?

 

[betrayal]

you are the definition of a bad friend, the hell is this ?

No, i'm a friend of realism, not idealism.

What most people here suggest, things like like don't eat carbs at the evening or don't eat carbs at all, only eat 1500 calories (without knowing anything about the person in question), workout 5 times or more / week, fast 24 hours each week, only eat low carb, keto and many other things are either not ideal, too extreme to maintain consistancy or plain and simple bullshit that does nothing or isn't even true.

Tips like these are the reason that most fat people who want to improve their health and fitness fail to do so. We're talking about a person wants to get in shape and not about a person who wants to start a career as a professional athlete.

You don't need to start perfect in every area you can improve upon. You just need to incorporate common sense and things you can persevere for a very long time or even for a lifetime.

 

[Saruhashi]

No, i'm a friend of realism, not idealism.

What most people here suggest, things like like don't eat carbs at the evening or don't eat carbs at all, only eat 1500 calories (without knowing anything about the person in question), workout 5 times or more / week, fast 24 hours each week, only eat low carb, keto and many other things are either not ideal, too extreme to maintain consistancy or plain and simple bullshit that does nothing or isn't even true.

Tips like these are the reason that most fat people who want to improve their health and fitness fail to do so. We're talking about a person wants to get in shape and not about a person who wants to start a career as a professional athlete.

You don't need to start perfect in every area you can improve upon. You just need to incorporate common sense and things you can persevere for a very long time or even for a lifetime.

Most people will be advised on a 1500 calorie diet plan for weight loss.
Most diet plans will advise at least lowering carbs.

Yes, fasting and working out 5 times a week it a bit extreme. Of course this depends on more specific factors. Like, walking 30 minutes 5 times a week is no big deal in terms of a "work out".

 

[betrayal]

Most people will be advised on a 1500 calorie diet plan for weight loss.
Most diet plans will advise at least lowering carbs.

Ehm...no?

Some people need 5000 or 4000 calories for weight maintenance, some people need 2500 and some only need 1500 calories for maintaining their weight. Capping the calories at 1500 for everybody, while ignoring their height, weight and activity level is a recipe for disaster. In the best case scenario, you will see some short-term success. On a longer time line 80% will fail inevitably and will kill their horomonal balance for a very long time, if they are even able to limit their calories to 1500 for weeks or months. The other lucky 20%, who may not fail, have their maintenance level in the ~1800 - 2200 calorie range, so eating only 1500 may be appropiate for them.

Most diet plans may advise to lower the carb intake, but why? There is no scientific reason to do so. Most "diet plans" are written by dumbfucks who have no clue and just copy each other. There are zero reasons people need to lower their carb intake if they want to lose some weight. Sure, it may help people who eating 99% shit every day, because cutting carbs often means cutting shitty food. But that's not the fault of the carbs. It's dumb people who are can't stop eating shit. Cutting weight and lowering carbs stems from the fact, that simple carbs (i.e. sugar and many more) provide less satiation and don't have nutritional value, which means they provide nothing but raw energy for your body and if you need energy you may as well eat something that provides energy and micro nutrients at the same time, i.e. protein, fat or complex carbs.

 

[sonomamashine]

It's great for muscles in combination with carbs

Traditional meat/grain/veg meals always had it right

depends on age and activity, i eat very little greens right now

i heard once a doctor said that we should eat meat once a week.

Don't stop eating things you like.

depends on "things" pork, sugar, soda .... no good

Don't train 4-5 times a week.

why is that ? isn't that consistency ?

Track your weight and calories and just follow the trend.

lol what ? it's hard enough for a beginner to start a training program, just don't add some math in to it.

Your weight goes up, then your calories must go down. If your weight goes down, continue to eat the amount of calories you're consuming right now.

Eat "bad" food on a regular basis, whenever you need a break.

Workout 2-3 times a week. Do the things you like

i like to do things that doesn't hurt would that benefit me ? results comes from hard work & pain, if people did things they liked we would be in trouble.

No, i'm a friend of realism, not idealism.

What most people here suggest, things like like don't eat carbs at the evening or don't eat carbs at all, only eat 1500 calories (without knowing anything about the person in question), workout 5 times or more / week, fast 24 hours each week, only eat low carb, keto and many other things are either not ideal, too extreme to maintain consistancy or plain and simple bullshit that does nothing or isn't even true.

Tips like these are the reason that most fat people who want to improve their health and fitness fail to do so. We're talking about a person wants to get in shape and not about a person who wants to start a career as a professional athlete.

You don't need to start perfect in every area you can improve upon. You just need to incorporate common sense and things you can persevere for a very long time or even for a lifetime.

i agree on some points like people should eat whatever they want carbs ... not everything (pork, sugar ...), don't fast for 24h period it is way too much, 16h is ideal, and dont start too extreme just keep a regular routine at least 5 times a week.

 

[betrayal]

sonomamashine

If people want to eat pork or sugar then they should do it. Check your calorie balance and learn that moderation is the key to everything if you want to live healthy. Of course you should always try to eat as healthy as you can, but we're humans and psychology plays a big part in our lives, so eating shit every now and then can be beneficial to our health on the long run. That's why i said "eat shit if you need a break".

I do agree, that training 4-5 times a week is consistency. But did you do that for many years in a row? I'm doing this and it is totally possible, but i also know many people who did that and stopped doing it after 2-6 months. That's okay, because everybody is different. Some people have other priorities, some people don't have enough will power to do this...whatever, i don't care. But from personal experience i can tell you, that the amount of people working out 4-5 times a week for several years is very small. So people must start with a realistic plan they know they can maintain for a very long period of time. You can always increase the training frequency, but lowering it is often the beginning of the end.

Besides that, if you quote me, than don't cut some my statements or at least read the rest to get some perspective and context. First off tracking your weight takes no effort. Tracking calories for a few days to get a feeling of your calorie intake only takes 2-3 minutes a day. I think most people can handle this.
Furthermore i said people should consider building some muscles for the best results, but if they're not into things like that, than they should do things they like and just being active. It may come to you as a surprise, but it is totally possible to work hard, even when doing the things that you love. That's called a passion, i think, one of the best things you can experience in live.

 

[Saruhashi]

Ehm...no?

Some people need 5000 or 4000 calories for weight maintenance, some people need 2500 and some only need 1500 calories for maintaining their weight. Capping the calories at 1500 for everybody, while ignoring their height, weight and activity level is a recipe for disaster. In the best case scenario, you will see some short-term success. On a longer time line 80% will fail inevitably and will kill their horomonal balance for a very long time, if they are even able to limit their calories to 1500 for weeks or months. The other lucky 20%, who may not fail, have their maintenance level in the ~1800 - 2200 calorie range, so eating only 1500 may be appropiate for them.

Most diet plans may advise to lower the carb intake, but why? There is no scientific reason to do so. Most "diet plans" are written by dumbfucks who have no clue and just copy each other. There are zero reasons people need to lower their carb intake if they want to lose some weight. Sure, it may help people who eating 99% shit every day, because cutting carbs often means cutting shitty food. But that's not the fault of the carbs. It's dumb people who are can't stop eating shit. Cutting weight and lowering carbs stems from the fact, that simple carbs (i.e. sugar and many more) provide less satiation and don't have nutritional value, which means they provide nothing but raw energy for your body and if you need energy you may as well eat something that provides energy and micro nutrients at the same time, i.e. protein, fat or complex carbs.

The advice to lower carbs is based on the fact that, for most people, weight loss involves causing the body to use up energy which has been stored as fat. Less carbs will mean that more energy is used from the body's store of fat. Plus the lower carb intake will reduce the risk of diabetes.

If someone is eating 5000 to 4000 calories for weight maintenance then that person is probably a serious athlete or a bodybuilder or something like that.
You'd really only eat 5000 calories to gain weight.

For some context, 5000 calories is about 19 big macs.
NOBODY needs 19 big macs a day.

If you want to go healthy it's about 3kgs of chicken breast.

 

[Solis]

By no means am I a fitness whiz of any kind, but a few years ago I kicked by rotund ass into gear and decided enough was enough. To me, losing weight and keeping it off is all about changing your lifestyle permanently for the better and doing significant changes that you'll need to maintain. Mind you, I wasn't super morbidly obese (and thankfully wear weight well), but I was a chubby lady who could have benefited from being 10-15 kg lighter.

What I did was consume a high protein (tuna, eggs, chicken), low carb diet, fasting (eating once a day at a set time) and making sure I did a few hours of low-impact cardio 5-6 times a week (usually intense walking for two hours for me on the treadmill which burned 600-700kcal, either early in the morning, or late in the evening). I cut out any sugar I could and made mindful swaps (i.e instead of brown sugar I used for my coffees, I now use honey) and I also made sure I drank two litres of water per day. There is a "cheat day" I have, but even then, I keep my meal to one and make sure that whatever it is I'm deciding to indulge into, it's a healthier version of what it is.

With that lifestyle change, I lost a fuck ton. From weighing almost 90 kg at 5'2, I ended up being 64 kg in around a year or so. Counting calories and being mindful of what was in stuff helped me keep temptation at bay and forge a willpower of steel. And honestly? I've never felt better in my entire life.

 

[Vicetrailia]

The guy who was talking about macros is right.

If you want to lose weight and feel your best, manage your macros. But that's for people who meal prep.

For counting calories the best way imo is to take a scale with you and measure it out in grams. Using cups or MyFitnessPal defaults isn't nearly as accurate.

By the way, don't over do it on vegetables, they'll make you gassy. But if you take some medicine like gas x feel free to overdo it.

If you just want to lose weight, cut back on processed foods, soda and alcohol. White liquor would be the best to drink, but you can also drink alcoholic seltzers 100 Cals a pop. That'll help. If you can't cut back on processed foods, snack only on healthy stuff.

 

[Uhtred]

My Fitness Pal App.

 

[betrayal]

The advice to lower carbs is based on the fact that, for most people, weight loss involves causing the body to use up energy which has been stored as fat. Less carbs will mean that more energy is used from the body's store of fat. Plus the lower carb intake will reduce the risk of diabetes.

This is why it is a waste of time discussing things like that with a typical Men's Health reader.

Don't get me wrong. In many cases limiting carbs will force the body to use stored body fat, but you won't see any difference on a scale, if you don't cut your overall calories, no matter if you eat fat, protein or carbs. So the end it makes no difference if you eat a lot of carbs or mostly fats / proteins.

Without explaining too much, if what you're saying is true, a person who only eats 1000 calories of fat should lose more weight than a person who only eats 1000 calories of carbs. This is not true. Period. People wish and hope it would be this way, but that's not how you body works. I know that this is what some Youtubers and pseudo fitness professionals promote, but it doesn't make it any more true. Besides simple experiences made by billions of people there are thousands of studies out there which will explain this to you.

Handing out false advices like you do is one of the reasons most weight loss diets fail.

If someone is eating 5000 to 4000 calories for weight maintenance then that person is probably a serious athlete or a bodybuilder or something like that.
You'd really only eat 5000 calories to gain weight.

I have to eat 4000 calories a day to maintain my weight. I'm not a serious athlete nor bodybuilder. It's a mix of body measurements, activity and food choice (for me mostly because of the thermic effect of protein). On some days even 5000 calories are okay, if i don't want to lose weight.

For some context, 5000 calories is about 19 big macs.
NOBODY needs 19 big macs a day.

A BigMac has 540 calories. So it's more like 9 BigMacs. You probably mixed it up with the calories per 100g.

I know many people who are into non-professional boxing or MMA and depending on their weight class, 5000 calories is absolutely okay without gaining any weight. This is true for many other sports or active life styles. If you have an active job and regularly workout, than 5000 calories is nothing special.

If you want to go healthy it's about 3kgs of chicken breast.

It would be more like 4- 5 kg.

 

[Saruhashi]

This is why it is a waste of time discussing things like that with a typical Men's Health reader.

Don't get me wrong. In many cases limiting carbs will force the body to use stored body fat, but you won't see any difference on a scale, if you don't cut your overall calories, no matter if you eat fat, protein or carbs. So the end it makes no difference if you eat a lot of carbs or mostly fats / proteins.

Without explaining too much, if what you're saying is true, a person who only eats 1000 calories of fat should lose more weight than a person who only eats 1000 calories of carbs. This is not true. Period. People wish and hope it would be this way, but that's not how you body works. I know that this is what some Youtubers and pseudo fitness professionals promote, but it doesn't make it any more true. Besides simple experiences made by billions of people there are thousands of studies out there which will explain this to you.

Handing out false advices like you do is one of the reasons most weight loss diets fail.

OK. I have made the, really not unreasonable, assumption that the OP is looking to "get in shape" rather than simply "lose weight".

So, sure, it's correct that 1000 calories of whatever will basically lead to a loss of weight regardless of what that 1000 calories consists of.
It might not be healthy, it might even be damaging, and it won't allow you to "get in shape" but sure you will lose weight. Good job.

It's not unreasonable though when the OP says "'I'm trying to get back in the game of getting myself into a little bit better shape, other than a round shape lol" that the assumption would be that they wish to cut down body fat and tone up muscles.

So the advice would be, reduce calories, reduce sugar and carbs, don't eat too late, get proper sleep. If they are working out then even better.

Fuck it though, you are obviously some kind of expert so crack on.

 

[Papa]

depends on age and activity, i eat very little greens right now

The Tesseract diet consists of lean meat, complex carbs and ROIDS

 

[Sosokrates]

I much prefer strength training, when you train in the 4 - 10 rep range for strength it's better then focusing on the muscles so it gets a burn.
Strength is much more functional for real life.
You can have people who just focus on the burn with loads of drops sets and stuff, they may have big muscles but weak as shit.

 

[betrayal]

OK. I have made the, really not unreasonable, assumption that the OP is looking to "get in shape" rather than simply "lose weight".

That's right and i agree. That's also why i said he should add some muscles to his body.

So, sure, it's correct that 1000 calories of whatever will basically lead to a loss of weight regardless of what that 1000 calories consists of.
It might not be healthy, it might even be damaging, and it won't allow you to "get in shape" but sure you will lose weight. Good job.

I agree, it might not be healthy doing that for a longer persiod of time, but providing he gets in enough protein, eating high fat or high carb won't have any impact on body composition. You can very well get into the shape of your life with some muscle building sports eating mainly simple sugar (and enough protein and some fats). Healthy? Probably not. Getting in shape? Absolutely.

So the advice would be, reduce calories, reduce sugar and carbs, don't eat too late, get proper sleep. If they are working out then even better.

The absolute basics everyone can incorporate into their life would be:

1) Work out and be more active.
2) Reduce calories by an appropiate amount, ~ 500 calories per day less than your weight maintenance value.
3) Eat healthy as much as possible, but also eat shit on a regular basis if you want to.
4) Eat whenever the fuck you want. If you still have a good sleep even after eating 2000 calories just 5 minutes before you're going to bed, then that totally fine. Eating late won't make you fat and not eating late won't make you lose even one gram.

I much prefer strength training, when you train in the 4 - 10 rep range for strength it's better then focusing on the muscles so it gets a burn.
Strength is much more functional for real life.
You can have people who just focus on the burn with loads of drops sets and stuff, they may have big muscles but weak as shit.

Generally true. But you can still focus on feeling the muscle within a 8 - 10 rep range, which happens to be perfect for hypertrophy. Working in a rep range of 5 or lower as a starter generally is not the best, because you need to learn the proper technique which takes a lot of time. People who are working out probably know the feeling, when even after years of training they'll discover some small adjustments for the exercies that they're doing which will improve the results. Also always try doing as much exercies as possible with free weight (at least for the bigger muscle groups, training many of the very small muscles you never knew and if you want a greater impact on real life), because most movements when using machines have nothing to do with functional strength or movements that are compatible with the real life.

 

[Sosokrates]

That's right and i agree. That's also why i said he should add some muscles to his body.




I agree, it might not be healthy doing that for a longer persiod of time, but providing he gets in enough protein, eating high fat or high carb won't have any impact on body composition. You can very well get into the shape of your life with some muscle building sports eating mainly simple sugar (and enough protein and some fats). Healthy? Probably not. Getting in shape? Absolutely.




The absolute basics everyone can incorporate into their life would be:

1) Work out and be more active.
2) Reduce calories by an appropiate amount, ~ 500 calories per day less than your weight maintenance value.
3) Eat healthy as much as possible, but also eat shit on a regular basis if you want to.
4) Eat whenever the fuck you want. If you still have a good sleep even after eating 2000 calories just 5 minutes before you're going to bed, then that totally fine. Eating late won't make you fat and not eating late won't make you lose even one gram.





Generally true. But you can still focus on feeling the muscle within a 8 - 10 rep range, which happens to be perfect for hypertrophy. Working in a rep range of 5 or lower as a starter generally is not the best, because you need to learn the proper technique which takes a lot of time. People who are working out probably know the feeling, when even after years of training they'll discover some small adjustments for the exercies that they're doing which will improve the results. Also always try doing as much exercies as possible with free weight (at least for the bigger muscle groups, training many of the very small muscles you never knew and if you want a greater impact on real life), because most movements when using machines have nothing to do with functional strength or movements that are compatible with the real life.

All the best bodybuilders in the world, Ronnie Coleman, Jay cutler etc train with a somewhat explosive tempo,
I know if you squeeze the muscle and do slow reps you will get a great pump on the targeted muscle, but it's a different type of hypotrophy (sarcoplasmic)

Look up mountaindog1 on YouTube, he talks about it.

 

[UltimaKilo]

You get winded because you’re not fit. It doesn’t happen instantly — you need to keep at it but it will take months. It’s worth it once you feel your first runner’s high though.

If you’re a mega fatty I would advise against going straight into running because that will fuck your knees up. Focus on diet first, specifically low carb, and the weight will fall off pretty easily. Lift weights and build muscle because muscle burns energy 24/7 so it’s like a passive energy use. Get your cardio from walking initially then once you’re at a more reasonable weight you can start thinking about running.

He’s right. When I first got my wife into running, she couldn’t run more than two minutes but now she’s up to 5 miles in less than 4 months. Start off slow, try a couch to 5K program. Make sure you have good shoes: you may want to go to a running store and have your gait analyzed so you know what shoes to wear.

Diet is equally important. Look into diets that won’t leave you hungry like Paleo, Keto (bad for your liver long-term) or OMAD.

If your knees hurt from running, try an elliptical or swimming if you have access to a pool for a whole body workout.
By the way, once it becomes “routine”, you’ll be working out everyday and it will stop sucking. The runner’s high is worth it and you will start looking forward to it.

The FitBit is not the most accurate, but good enough for what you need.

As Dr. Mirkin says: don’t eat refined carbs, limit red meat and exercise daily, then invite me to your 100th birthday.

 

[poppabk]

Track your calories in MyFitnessPal and ignore the extra calories your Fitbit says you can have. Keep a deficit and you will lose weight. Exercise is always good, but I would focus on weights rather than cardio. Stronglift 5x5 is a good starter and has an easy to use free app.

 

[CrankyJay™]

Anyone else notice when they're heavily carb depleted (while trying to lose weight) that giving in and allowing a little bit of simple carbs results in weight loss overnight on the scale?

 

[triplestation]

Anyone else notice when they're heavily carb depleted (while trying to lose weight) that giving in and allowing a little bit of simple carbs results in weight loss overnight on the scale?

 

[Hypereides]

I don't have add much that hasn't already been mentioned, but look into superfoods to increase your neurosynthesis and overall health. Berries and bananas are a good substitute for sweets. Berries especially, are cleansing antioxidants for your body. Blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, beetroot smoothies are amazing.

 

[Sakura]

I'm trying to get back in the game of getting myself into a little bit better shape, other than a round shape lol. I recently picked up a fitbit, because it was a pretty good price, and I do at least do somewhat better when I can track stuff it does. Although, I don't know how much I trust it's step pedometer, because it seems like it goes up a bit when I'm driving. Either way, for the past week I've been trying to get some kind of walking in. Today I added a little jogging into my work out, but I get so winded, because my lungs always hurt when I run. They did when I was kid too, so I was always a short sprinter. I usually have to end up jogging for a bit, go to walking, then jog some, walk...etc. I can't seem to keep just running. Maybe that'll change if I keep doing it, we'll see.

Anyway, I'm not really here to ask advice on what actual exercises to do, but I'm more confused about how to count calories. I'm not looking to become some kind of fitness machine. I'd like to lose some weight, and hopefully keep it off. I don't expect to do it by just dieting, but I don't see myself becoming a work out every day type person. Probably 3-4 times a week once I get in better shape. Right now I'm trying 4-5 days a week. I'm the type of person who likes looking at the numbers and know when I've finished my workout for the day, but I'm still not sure what I should be aiming for beyond what my fitbit tells me. It has the 10,000 steps a day, 10 flights a stairs thing..etc. If I'm wanting to watch my calories though, how many can I consume if burn off 2000-3000 a day? I never quite understand how that works, and I feel like I'm starving myself some days because I'm barely eating since I'm always trying to keep it under the 2000 range. However, since I'm burning some, doesn't that mean I can consume more than that? Fitness never is an exact science, so it frustrates me because I like things to be more concrete lol.

You need to consume less than you burn.
So if you burn 2500 a day with your exercise and current body size, age etc, then you need to be consuming less than 2500. So if you only consume 2400 calories and burn 2500 calories in a day, that is a calorie deficit of 100 calories. As EviLore said in his post, 1LB of fat is about 3500 calories. So if you had a calorie deficit of 100 calories a day... that is 35 days just to lose a single pound of fat. In a year you'd lose only 10~11lbs. If you have a calorie deficit of 500, then you are losing around 4lbs a month. Realistically determine what works for you, and how fast you want to lose weight, and what your target weight is.
If you feel like you are barely eating trying to keep it under 2000, then that is probably because you normally eat food high in calories (junk food). Consider a lb of chicken breast is like 700 calories, while a single litre of coke is almost 400 calories. It's easy to fill yourself without eating a ton of calories, imagine you had 5 large eggs for breakfast, that isn't even 400 calories. Also, foods high in protein will be more filling.
Another thing you need to remember, is you need to be consistent. If you have a calorie deficit of 500 for the first three days of the week, then on the fourth day a 1500 calorie surplus, you are plus minus zero. You aren't losing any weight.
At the end of the day, just check the scale. If you are aiming for 1lb every two weeks for example, and your weight hasn't gone down after the two weeks, then you are eating too much.

 

[bati]

Anyone else notice when they're heavily carb depleted (while trying to lose weight) that giving in and allowing a little bit of simple carbs results in weight loss overnight on the scale?

No, you probably just wake up slightly dehydrated. I eat more or less the same food every day and I can tell by the scale if I had any cheat carbs the day before.

 

[Tesseract]

The Tesseract diet consists of lean meat, complex carbs and ROIDS

accurate

 

[Solis]

I don't have add much that hasn't already been mentioned, but look into superfoods to increase your neurosynthesis and overall health. Berries and bananas are a good substitute for sweets. Berries especially, are cleansing antioxidants for your body. Blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, beetroot smoothies are amazing.

Aren't smoothies not so good for you, or am I wrong? Remember hearing something about your body not breaking down the sugars the same way it would if you were to actually chew the fruits.

 

[Tesseract]

eat bear meat, eat broccoli, eat brown rice, eggs, chicken

get shredded

 

[Hypereides]

Aren't smoothies not so good for you, or am I wrong? Remember hearing something about your body not breaking down the sugars the same way it would if you were to actually chew the fruits.

First time I've heard of this. I only drink homemade smoothies if anything. Not the packaged to-go stuff you can buy on the go. Anything that's pre-processed should make you check the declaration for its contents at the very least.

Also, looking at what I wrote: I meant blueberry, raspberry, blackberry and beetroot smoothie(s), meaning they're all part of the same recipe. That's excluding the added water though.

 

[CrankyJay™]

No, you probably just wake up slightly dehydrated. I eat more or less the same food every day and I can tell by the scale if I had any cheat carbs the day before.

But this is permanent weight loss, and I’m not talking an excessive amount of carbs.

 

[captainraincoat]

got something easy for you
dont count calories...dont try any fad diets or programs that require you fasting the key to weight loss and getting in shape is diet and you can easy mode this

I simply used chicken/tuna and veg/rice/salad for all my meals and simply added in fruit and a protien shake in between if i was feeling hungry...its really that simple
as for exercise start out walking and try and complete a basic 10 set of pushups/situps/lunge and a static hold...after each walk add another 5 to the sets

80% of you getting fit is diet.....you get that right and even if your doing a half assed job in exercise you will see more improvement
your gonna have to switch off from counting the numbers...its not going to be an exact science and you will never be focusing on the right things

 

[betrayal]

All the best bodybuilders in the world, Ronnie Coleman, Jay cutler etc train with a somewhat explosive tempo,
I know if you squeeze the muscle and do slow reps you will get a great pump on the targeted muscle, but it's a different type of hypotrophy (sarcoplasmic)

Look up mountaindog1 on YouTube, he talks about it.

?

I never said something about the speed of the movements. I totally agree that the concentric phase of the movement should be a controlled explosive one.

PS: I know almost every single video of John Meadows. He's definitely one of the better guys out there.

 

[betrayal]

But this is permanent weight loss, and I’m not talking an excessive amount of carbs.

What you've experienced has nothing to do with the carbs. It's probably just a coincidence. Losing weight or fat is not linear. Even if you're in a deficit you can gain weight one week and then suddenly lose 2-3 lbs overnight. It's also important to note that in this regard weight is mainly defined as water & fat (and some other minor factors happening within your body).

 

[CrankyJay™]

What you've experienced has nothing to do with the carbs. It's probably just a coincidence. Losing weight or fat is not linear. Even if you're in a deficit you can gain weight one week and then suddenly lose 2-3 lbs overnight. It's also important to note that in this regard weight is mainly defined as water & fat (and some other minor factors happening within your body).

Yeah, there was a paper a few years back by Lyle McDonald and the “whoosh” that can happen after fat cells are depleted and filled with water. Usually carbs or alcohol can help evacuate those cells.

 

[Sosokrates]

?

I never said something about the speed of the movements. I totally agree that the concentric phase of the movement should be a controlled explosive one.

PS: I know almost every single video of John Meadows. He's definitely one of the better guys out there.

Basically it's better to train for strength for naturals who want good muscle and functionality and train like rich piana if your already strong and on gear.

 

[betrayal]

Basically it's better to train for strength for naturals who want good muscle and functionality and train like rich piana if your already strong and on gear.

You're right and wrong at the same time. You said you should train in the 4 - 10 rep range. I would argue that everything above 6 is not focused on pure strength, but of course it's still good to train in different rep ranges.

When talking about strength you also can not come up with bodybuilders. While they're crazy strong (gear + dedication), they do not compare to strong men like Brian Shaw, Eddie Hall and many more. Most of the time these guys train in a rep range from 1 to 6, because they do this sport for strength. If they would mostly train the main lifts in higher rep ranges they would not be able to compete anymore.

Ultimately, gear plays a big part here, too, but that's a whole other topic,