Losing weight

[Seb d]

I'm 5' 10" and currently weigh around 15 stone. I'm not interested in getting bulked up but would love to just get slim - without the gym, what would be a good plan of attack? My diet is pretty crappy and my activity level rather sedentary, so these two would be a good place to start I know! Can't afford the gym, find cardio boring, do enjoy walking and have dumb bells, which I did enjoy using when I was properly into the gym and got down to almost 12 stone. I find it hard to get motivated, even though I have a very strong personal reason to lose weight, but tend to fall into the feel fat/feel depressed/comfort eat cycle. Any advice and a nudge in the right direction most welcome.

[tredders]

I'm sure you'll get lots of advice on the subject, but I can only speak for my own personal experience. Last year I was in the same situation as you - I'm 6"5 and was 3 stone overweight. Never huge, but carrying enough additional weight to feel uncomfortable. My diet wasn't brilliant (although it wasn't terrible either), and I suffered from acid reflux, and was on meds from the doc for it. Add in a stressful job, lousy sleep most nights, and I wasn't in the best shape.

Purely on chance, I read a posting about weight loss on another forum (bass guitar one, strangely enough), and someone recommended the South Beach Diet. I did the usual "I'm a bloke, I don't diet" thing, but ordered the book from Amazon anyway. Best thing I ever did. The book was written by a heart consultant, so it's more science-based than mumbo-jumbo, and it's pretty much common sense. You basically cut the crap out of your diet, eat 3 healthy meals a day, plus snacks, and watch the weight drop off! I lost 3 stone in a year, my reflex disappeared (so I don't need meds any more), sleep better, and generally feel much better. It's in 3 phases: first one is strict, where it weans you off sugar / carb addictions, but it only lasts 2 weeks. Second phase re-introduces bread etc (in moderation), and you stay on this until you reach your target weight. Third phase is just maintenance, and is really just good healthy eating. There's no "you can never have a beer or curry again" mentality, nor is it a no-carbs diet (just the right carbs) so it works well for me.

Oh, and alongside this, I did a Couch to 5k running program, too. Better diet + moderate exercise = weight loss and feeling better. Who'd have thunk it?

[burnsey66]

It really is as simple as eat well and do a bit of exercise.

I eat minimal carbs, spuds, bread, rice and replaced with veg by the bucket load and I managed to also cut out most sugar. I drink black tea and coffee and loads of water.

I go through phases of going to the gym and not bothering, but the good eating means I may lack fitness, but the weight stays decent.

[clemenry]

Diet & Exercise

Unfortunately, these are the only two real ways to lose weight, the simple matter is that if you’re fat, it’s because you have eaten more calories than your body needs. If you are too thin, you are not eating enough calories.

There is a good little book "the diet plan" by Neil McTeggart that I found really useful when I was into weight-lifting - sure I have a copy on pdf but not sure how I can post that here

You just need to set yourself some realistic goals and stay motivaed, you'll get there!

[wrigles]

I'm the same height.. and was over 15 stone.. I've cut down on wheat based products & stopped eating processed food.. I'm down to 14 stone after 8 weeks.. I don't exercise.. other than walking & washing the car ;) I used myfitnesspal app.. it helped focus & keep track of what I was eating..

I feel loads better.. more active & less lethargic. Treating myself to a road bike for crimbo..

good luck..

I'm 5' 10" and currently weigh around 15 stone. I'm not interested in getting bulked up but would love to just get slim - without the gym, what would be a good plan of attack? My diet is pretty crappy and my activity level rather sedentary, so these two would be a good place to start I know! Can't afford the gym, find cardio boring, do enjoy walking and have dumb bells, which I did enjoy using when I was properly into the gym and got down to almost 12 stone. I find it hard to get motivated, even though I have a very strong personal reason to lose weight, but tend to fall into the feel fat/feel depressed/comfort eat cycle. Any advice and a nudge in the right direction most welcome.

[Tony]

My diet is pretty crappy and my activity level rather sedentary

I'm afraid there's no way to avoid tackling these issues.

If you take more calories in than you use, you'll put on weight.

[Si]

A few years ago, when I found myself to be getting a bit lardy, what I did first was to use the MyFitnessPal app:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/calo...ign-mpt=uo%3D4
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...esspal.android

It's an excellent app. Initially it takes a bit of time to use, but once you start to build up a database of most of the things you eat regularly, it gets easier. I used this for about a month to begin with, without making any deliberate changes to what I was eating. After a few weeks, it becomes clear where your excess calories are coming from. Then it should be very easy to modify your intake accordingly. Small changes make all the difference. In fact, just being aware of the calorie content of what I was eating was enough, in itself, to bring about the changes needed. Very informative!

I reached my target weight within about 10 months and the main thing I did to achieve that was simply to count the calories. NB: all of them :) If you don't count everything that you eat, then the entire exercise is pointless.

Another thing that the app makes clear, as you use it for a few months, is that it takes a lot of exercise to undo excessive calorie intake.

[colin]

I am 5'10" and at the start of 2012 I was over 14 and a half stone. Stressful job and home life, drinking a lot, insane travel schedule and living in hotels and eating out mostly were contributing factors.

I changed jobs (and girlfriends) but most importantly I started eating properly. I cut out all extra sugar and salt from my diet, stopped eating rubbish, and as I absolutely hate going to the gym I bought a bicycle and started to use that a lot. It really helped - I'm down about two stone and seem to be hovering around 12st 9, +/- 7lb or so. Not quite as thin as I'd like, but way better than it was.

You don't need to spend hours in the gym. Eat well, exercise moderately and you'll start noticing a difference.

[K300]

(Assuming no allergies)

Breakfast:
Coffee or tea or fruit juice(maybe too acidic), couple of weetabix or other high roughage cereal with Honey, an egg.

Dinner:
Sandwich(2 slices of brown or 50/50) with a nice filling. Apple or Banana or a couple of Satsumas.

Evening meals:
Eat salads and you can eat loads of it, but I mean a diverse salad in the right proportions, lots of greens of different sorts, tomatoes, coleslaw, egg, some cheese, some boiled ham even a bit of Spam, drink lots of water and milk, don't eat after 6pm.

Stay off chocolate and other high sugar snacks apart from fruit which also provides roughage.
Avoid anything with 'empty' calories.

Avoid 'midnight feasts'.
Avoid fridge and cupboard raiding for stodgy stuff, think of a high protein alternative instead, ready boiled pickled eggs are good for this. ;-)

Situps and pushups can be done in the living room almost anytime. 3 sets of 10 of each will be a good start and done in quick succession will give your heart a small work out. Then start to bring in other exercises to keep it 'fun'.

If you stick to the above you'll find you can have a weekend blowout like a chinese or fish and chips and it won't make any difference to your weight. It will also make you feel good about yourself.

[MerlinShepherd]

It sounds crass but the best basic principle is eat less and exercise more.

I have had type 1 diabetes for almost 50 years and recently had a retraining session with a diabetic nurse and dietician. Since my blood sugars have come to excellent levels in the past 6 months, it means that I've put on a bit of weight as my body is now able to access the carbohydrates I eat efficiently and therefore convert more of it to fat.

My answer? Cut down on carbs and use my body more. Also I have found that going on a plant based diet really helps. As a diabetic, I'm always off the high carb foods but also eating high GM really helps.

[thieuster]

Same here: my height is 6'1" and I used to weigh 17.8 stone... Since April, I'm busy at the gym with the help of a personal trainer and I'm currently 13 stone. Still a little too much, but better. More importantly, it's ones waistline and fat percentage that's something to monitor!

My PT gave me a diet that can be summed up like: ditch the carbohydrates, replace them for protein. Only take carbs before a training or other physically exercise (heavy lifting, mulching the lawn etc). Point is, that a lot of people - like me- are very receptive to carbs: even an amount that's 'normal' for most people is too much for my body.

Diet-wise, I would advise you to do a google search for http://thepaleodiet.com Drop the raw food part. That's too far for me, but it's an easy diet when you adapt the 80 - 20 principe: stick to the paleo diet for 80% of the time, eat other stuff max 20% of the time. And, read the labels in the supermarket. But remember: you'll have to combine exercise with a diet.

Menno

[Josh B]

I'm not going to repeat what you already know about eating lean, clean and green but it seems to me that the key thing is to find something you enjoy doing.

But for weight/mood/feeling good about yourself: its easy to get into a negative cycle and harder to break out of it. Doing something you enjoy makes a huge difference rather than going to exercise if you hate doing that - all too easy to see why people dont stick to things they hate!

doesn't really matter what it is as long as you enjoy it. if its sopcial and you have some mates to help drag you out so much the better!

cycling, rugby, football, ballet, dance, boxing, martial arts - whatever. Get active and enjoy! It can really enrich your life, make new friends and increase your health.

have fun!

incidentally, as we age we lose muscle mass and consequently will pack on fat slowly even if we eat exactly what we've always eaten. For that reason I would suggest some strength exercises are vital after 30ish even if you dont particularly fancy it but 40 mins in the gym 3 times a week is all it takes to be in great shape (provided the nutrition is sorted.)

[Steve748]

A few things I found worked for me as well as most of the above.

Always eat breakfast.

Leave at least 5 hours between meals. The evening meal should be consumed within an hour before 7pm. Eat nothing until the morning.

Stop eating when you feel full and if you have a small meal and still feel full, drink water and wait half an hour and you should not still feeling hungry.

Snack on fruit or veg like carrots during the day but not after 7pm

Drink lot's of cold water because your body uses up calories to heat up the cold water!

Avoid bread, cakes and biscuits and alcohol as much as possible.

I saw an interview with Boy George and he said he lost a lot of weight by finding out the foods which were affecting his metabolism and the foods to eat and which ones to avoid.

[wildheart]

Great stuff here, all of the above is good advice. I've dropped a couple of stones in the last two years. Started off at Slimmers world for the first stone that took 10 weeks. Then more exercise and healthy eating.
Stir fries are great, loads of veg a little lean chicken. Soups are great loads of veg a bit of bacon. I'm back on cheese but its one I have to watch. No pastry I indentified that sausage rolls/pasties/all pies are a disaster for me.
I swim once a week, try to do an hour in the gym and two rounds of golf. I'm 6' & 82 Kilos but only have one leg

good luck with it, you'll feel so much better when you shift a few pounds, I had all my suits taken in 2 inches and then threw them as they were still too big!!

[Omegamanic]

If you can't get to the gym, get in the habit of regular activity. I have an 82 year old friend who does press-ups every morning to failure - 3 times. Then sits up same 3 times to failure - he also does the same before going to bed. He walks to the shops and stays relatively active.

I used to do press-ups every day. I haven't done any exercise for well over a month now, as I have an injury, which is depressing! But I could and should have been out cycling, or at least walking.

There is no magic to it, but simply either completely alter your diet and lifestyle, or look to alter enough to make a meaningful difference. If you are eating only 5% more than you need you will look fat after only one year - keep this up for 5 years and you will be considerably overweight - doing the opposite will have a dramatic effect. However, please note that regardless of how good a diet is, a good rule of thumb is that you lose 50% muscle and 50% fat from reducing intake - so ideally you want to add in some weight bearing exercise to ensure you retain as much muscle as possible and lose as much fat as possible - this, not fat loss will male you look much leaner, and help you feel stronger and healthier.

Good luck - once I get my arm sorted out, I am going to try some fairly extreme fat loss and program, just to see if it works as well for me in my middle age.

My one best dietry tip would be to try and eat minimal carbs after 5pm each day.

[jordan-arch]

I'm 5' 10" and currently weigh around 15 stone. I'm not interested in getting bulked up but would love to just get slim - without the gym, what would be a good plan of attack? My diet is pretty crappy and my activity level rather sedentary, so these two would be a good place to start I know! Can't afford the gym, find cardio boring, do enjoy walking and have dumb bells, which I did enjoy using when I was properly into the gym and got down to almost 12 stone. I find it hard to get motivated, even though I have a very strong personal reason to lose weight, but tend to fall into the feel fat/feel depressed/comfort eat cycle. Any advice and a nudge in the right direction most welcome.

First sort a diet, to start just cut out the crap and you will know what is crap, Cut out the booze as well replace this with better choices, then pick the type of diet you will be able to stick to, Paleo, Atkins, 5/2 etc pick one and stick to it.

Then as you don't want to join a gym and you enjoy walking borrow someones dog, walk it every day, start off with a mile or so and build from there, build up to walking the pooch so far it gets fed up with it. I would guess that adding 5 miles + a week will make a huge change to your activity levels.

As mentioned push ups and sit ups can be done anywhere, so start off with either sets of 10, or pyramids 5,4,3,2,1 so 5 push ups, 5 sit ups, then 4 etc.
Look about on gumtree, Amazon & places like that for a chin up bar and get one sick it up in the house and every time you walk by do 1 chin up, after a while make it two etc

Edit to add if your not sure about this take up a sport, as mentioned Muay Thai is a great way to strip some timber, dont have to be ultra flexible or anything like that either and the only outlay you will need are decent gloves from the start.

[Jim W]

At the beginning of this year I weighed 17st 2lb. I was decidedly portly.

So I loooked in the mirror one day and made a decision to lose some weight.
I don't do diet food, (the only winner is the diet food industry).

So it was quite easy really, I just ate less of what I like, - taking no notice of people who said 'you can't eat that' etc..
That and a brisk half hour walk every day.

I now weigh 14st 11, and look a much better specimen nowdays.

But the basic diet still works best... EAT LESS.

[deanlad]

I would like to be 15 stone :-)
Think I'm about 19.5 at the minute.

I shifted a few stone a couple of years ago, but it's crept back on.
Cut out fizzy drinks/ sugars. Other than that just eat in moderation.
I am a landscape gardener by profession,and work all over the place,
Don't do a packed lunch so it's easy to get into bad habits going to a bakers and newsagents for food.

I thought I was reasonably fit, but the first lesson I had in Muay Thai - the sweat was dripping off me just warming up!
A few weeks of that, then started running. Couldn't make a mile round a field, but within 2 weeks I could.
Then 2/3 times a week was off on a mile < 3 of running. Stamina built up, felt great...
For me it's more about the effort... But it's worth it .
Aiming to kick start back into it in 2014

- - - Updated - - -

As simple as that. It really is.

At the beginning of this year I weighed 17st 2lb. I was decidedly portly.

So I loooked in the mirror one day and made a decision to lose some weight.
I don't do diet food, (the only winner is the diet food industry).

So it was quite easy really, I just ate less of what I like, - taking no notice of people who said 'you can't eat that' etc..
That and a brisk half hour walk every day.

I now weigh 14st 11, and look a much better specimen nowdays.

But the basic diet still works best... EAT LESS.

[jaytip]

I follow the herbal life system without using herbalife products. Herbalife is two snacks, two shakes and a main meal. My system is slightly different. I have Three snacks and two mains. My snacks are a banana and a small citrus fruit (clementine, tangerine, satsuma, etc) and my main is a portion of pasta (only 50G of wholemeal pasta a day) a chicken breast, chopped tomatoes, cucumber and mixed bell peppers. Oh and one tablespoon of lighter-than-light mayo.
I dont go near the gym, the only exercise i have been getting is walking my children to and from nursery and school, but that is less than a half mile walk in each direction.
Using this method i have lost 25lb's in weight. I'm 5' 8" tall and i was 86KG. Now down to 74KG.
Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Ivor.

[watchcollector1]

Cut out alcohol for a few months and that'll really help.

When trying to lose weight I restrict my calories in the week (being at work makes this easier as I'm distracted). Try to stick to 3 smalish healthy meals a day with nothing (or very little in between). When I'm motivated I do a very little exercise before bed (jogging on the spot, star jumps etc - only for 5-10 minutes). Even this small amount of excercise combined with less calories seems to make a difference. I never have alcohol during the week except for the rare occasions where I go out or we have guests (or when I'm on holiday).

At the weekend (Sat & Sun only) I'm less strict and allow myself a nice meal on a Saturday night and the odd treat but I don't go overboard. When I'm trying to lose weight (rather than maintaining my current weight) I try not to have any alcohol either.

This seems to work but it is still tough. I could probably do it more efficiently by cutting out carbs but I prefer to do it my way.

Ultimately it'll only work for you if you want to lose weight more than you want to eat / drink unhealthily. I feel unhappy when I put on weight so I use that for motivation.

[Bravo73]

Do the 5/2 diet.

It's quite tough to start with but it really works. And you don't have that feeling that you are constantly depriving yourself of the things that you like.

http://thefastdiet.co.uk/

[Captainhowdy]

I'm 5' 10" and currently weigh around 15 stone. I'm not interested in getting bulked up but would love to just get slim - without the gym, what would be a good plan of attack? My diet is pretty crappy and my activity level rather sedentary, so these two would be a good place to start I know! Can't afford the gym, find cardio boring, do enjoy walking and have dumb bells, which I did enjoy using when I was properly into the gym and got down to almost 12 stone. I find it hard to get motivated, even though I have a very strong personal reason to lose weight, but tend to fall into the feel fat/feel depressed/comfort eat cycle. Any advice and a nudge in the right direction most welcome.

A bike, a small routine with sit-ups and press-ups, a better diet, more fruit, eat nothing with more than 6 grams of fat per 100grams, drink loads of water, and most important of all, keep your feet out of the bakers.

[Matt1974]

A bike, a small routine with sit-ups and press-ups, a better diet, more fruit, eat nothing with more than 6 grams of fat per 100grams, drink loads of water, and most important of all, keep your feet out of the bakers.

The loads of water bit is key - the majority of the that we feel hungry we are in fact thirsty - if you keep hydrated your hunger pangs will be kept at bay.

[scarto]

If it's weight loss/control you want, it's 90% diet. If it's fitness, then it's diet and exercise of course.

Cut out sugar as much as poss - man's greatest enemy for weight gain (not the consuming of fat itself). A lot of people don't realise when they're consuming sugar - fruit, fruit juices, canned drinks are culprits. Obviously you will need to cut down on cakes and biscuits if that is something you consume often.

Man's second biggest enemy is carbs (potatoes, pasta, rice, bread) and grain/wheat-based products.

In short, watch everything that goes into your mouth, even the things that you won't think make a difference.

Cut those two groups down massively and the weight will fall off.

Move more - use steps whenever necessary, go out for a ten minute brisk walk every day. A combo of improved diet and a bit more exercise will see a big difference in a couple of months.

You say your diet is crap. There is a very easy win for you there - but you need to train yourself into a habit of not having a bad diet. The first couple of weeks is the hardest, then it becomes a habit (like anything).

There is a lot more that I could say but there is previous thread where I and others have said it. Refer here:

http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.ph...ness-programme

[MFB Scotland]

Almost 5 years ago I tipped the scales slightly over 15 stones (5 10'). I lost over 2 1/2 stones in about a year through exercise and cutting down on food. My regime for the last 4 years has been to limit my food intake during the day (no breakfast and usually soup for lunch). Crisps and lager most nights and a big meal. Re exercise I run about 15 miles per week with approx. 2 hours of weights. My point is find something that works for you. PS...not recommending my diet

[thieuster]

and most important of all, keep your feet out of the bakers.

... in fact, only go to the supermarket AFTER you've had breakfast, lunch or dinner! And take a list with the things you need.

Menno

[Chabsy]

I have lost about 2.5 stone in the last 3 months. i gave up sugar in my tea and sugar on cereal.
I dont eat any bread on weekdays
I never have drunk at home but will have a few pint when i am out so maybe 4 pints a week Guiness is good as it is relatively low carb if you want a drink.
I have 2 take aways a weeks.
I used to snack, but this was a habit. which i stopped. I have a little chocolate when i fancy it but only 2 squares of Green and Blacks
I swim twice a week about 80 lengths, play badminton and gym 1 night

Remember it takes time after all you didnt get lardy over night so you aint losing it too quick either

[Josh B]

I have lost about 2.5 stone in the last 3 months. i gave up sugar in my tea and sugar on cereal.
I dont eat any bread on weekdays
I never have drunk at home but will have a few pint when i am out so maybe 4 pints a week Guiness is good as it is relatively low carb if you want a drink.
I have 2 take aways a weeks.
I used to snack, but this was a habit. which i stopped. I have a little chocolate when i fancy it but only 2 squares of Green and Blacks
I swim twice a week about 80 lengths, play badminton and gym 1 night

Remember it takes time after all you didnt get lardy over night so you aint losing it too quick either

To drop 3 pounds a week you need to be doing a damn sight more than just dropping sugar in your tea and cereal and bread on weekdays. You are talking about a 1,500 calorie deficit every day which is quite aggressive. Its doable for sure but not just by making a few minor tweaks like you suggest. You've probably made much more significant changes to your eating than you realise.

[timlin]

The choice is eat less/healthier and become a smaller version of your current self ie no muscle tone and a bit of gut.

Or eat less/healthier with exercise including weights and cardio and become a smaller version of yourself with muscle tone and less of a gut ( you may not lose as much weight though)

[dodgyknee]

Do the 5/2 diet.

It's quite tough to start with but it really works. And you don't have that feeling that you are constantly depriving yourself of the things that you like.

http://thefastdiet.co.uk/

Agree with this. I've lost 8 kg this way and it isn't that tough once you've started. The thought of it is worse than the reality.

[Chabsy]

To drop 3 pounds a week you need to be doing a damn sight more than just dropping sugar in your tea and cereal and bread on weekdays. You are talking about a 1,500 calorie deficit every day which is quite aggressive. Its doable for sure but not just by making a few minor tweaks like you suggest. You've probably made much more significant changes to your eating than you realise.

Yes you probably are right, but i did say I used to snack, that would be a big bag of crisps 2 or 3 times a week and biscuits. I checked what i could eat and still loose weight and most of the info said about 3500 - 3700 cals a day to maintain, I am 6'2" and did weigh 112 kg now at 99kg so its is more like 2 stone i got my conversion a bit mixed up.

I use about 350 cals for breakfast and about 400 for lunch leaving about 1500 - 1600 for dinner and random drinks water low cal or tea so about 2300 a day but the exercise has helped a lot. I honestly havent felt it has been hard but i have been motivated because my clothes were all getting tight

[Josh B]

Sounds more like it! Still the point is a good one, it is easy to make relatively small changes and see results (sadly, however, the converse is also true.)

[Seb d]

Thanks for all the advice and encouragement, guys :)

[Si]

Whatever way you do it, learning the energy and other content of what you eat is critical.

Threw up a few surprises for me. Chabsy’s post reminded me that one of my findings was that a spoonful* of sugar in one’s tea is relatively insignificant; in fact, I started to take sugar in my tea as a sort of measurable / countable mini-treat when I cut out a lot of the real culprits (mostly fats).

* that’s another thing I needed to get familiar with during my cooking / eating when shedding the lard - proper quantities and weights. For instance, I weighed how much sugar was in the above spoonful.

[Jdh1]

This is for life, so....

1. Don't try to cut stuff out of your diet that you enjoy. You won't keep it up. Just eat smaller portions of it.

2. Don't think about fitting exercise in. It's already in. Now figure out how you're going to fit everything else in.

[guinea]

I lost a lot of weight once. More than most people on the planet weigh.

For me, it was about dropping the carbs. Sugars make me eat more. If I avoid them at breakfast and lunch I'm good, otherwise I get cravings I can't beat.

There is no answer for everyone, find what works for you and live with it.

[senwar]

Do the 5/2 diet.

It's quite tough to start with but it really works. And you don't have that feeling that you are constantly depriving yourself of the things that you like.

http://thefastdiet.co.uk/

This. Plus exercise.

I've lost 2 and a half stone on it this year and have really enjoyed it. Struggling a bit now due to time of year but looking forward to getting back into it in January. The myfitnesspal app mentioned is also an excellent tool.

I'm only 5' 6" but weighed 17st 13lb in 2011. I'm down to about 12st 10lb at present altho got down to 12 2 in September.

Aiming to lose another stone or so but very happy overall.

[100thmonkey]

6ft

12 stone 8lbs

9% Body Fat

How?

Fruit Smoothie or Porridge breakfast and black coffee are the constants and if it dont swim, fly or grow in the ground it doesn't get to meet my stomach!

[Mrdemon]

just eat 80 grams of carbs a day, your weight will drop off, no need to work out :-)

most people eat 250 to 300 crams of carbs, not good

[Josh B]

just eat 80 grams of carbs a day, your weight will drop off, no need to work out :-)

most people eat 250 to 300 crams of carbs, not good

Why not 0 grams. In fact don't eat at all. The weight will also drop off.

250-300 grams of carbs is not necessarily a bad thing.

this low carb malarkey is this years fad along with IF.

People led always wanting a quick fix thats easy. Not prepared to pay the price of admission. Wanting something for nothing.

Like Atkins and the other fads they do work (largely due to being forms of calorie limitation of course) but are they actually healthy options that fill you with the energy to tackle any task? Do you feel great? Do you actually want to live that way? Will you have a body that makes you smile when you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror?

the basics are boringly simple but effective

do some cardio
do some weights
limit alcohol
drink water
eat as few processed foods as possible
consume healthy fats
eat 3 meals and a couple snacks across the day (or 5-6 small meals)
every meal should contain a portion of lean protein and a portion of complex (low GI) carbs
get some fibrous vegis into a meal instead of starchy carbs (eg spinach instead of a sweet potato)
a portion is the size of your fist/palm
50/30/20 carbs/protein/fat is a good ratio for the above

[senwar]

Why not 0 grams. In fact don't eat at all. The weight will also drop off.

250-300 grams of carbs is not necessarily a bad thing.

this low carb malarkey is this years fad along with IF.

People led always wanting a quick fix thats easy. Not prepared to pay the price of admission. Wanting something for nothing.

Like Atkins and the other fads they do work (largely due to being forms of calorie limitation of course) but are they actually healthy options that fill you with the energy to tackle any task? Do you feel great? Do you actually want to live that way? Will you have a body that makes you smile when you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror?

the basics are boringly simple but effective

do some cardio
do some weights
limit alcohol
drink water
eat as few processed foods as possible
consume healthy fats
eat 3 meals and a couple snacks across the day (or 5-6 small meals)
every meal should contain a portion of lean protein and a portion of complex (low GI) carbs
get some fibrous vegis into a meal instead of starchy carbs (eg spinach instead of a sweet potato)
a portion is the size of your fist/palm
50/30/20 carbs/protein/fat is a good ratio for the above

IF aint a fad

Its a lifestyle change - and something that has worked out very well for me. I've been at it for near on 12 months and thoroughly enjoy my fast days.

As it is, I'd lost about 2st in the first 3 month so the weight loss has slowed down significantly, but I still do it as I enjoy it. This also helped me fully understand where I was going wrong.

[Velorum]

My GP made it very easy for me - he had been reducing my beta blockers for a while but would only take me off them completely if I stopped drinking alcohol.

So, for after nearly 40 years of regular drinking I became tea total. An interesting side effect of this was that without any kind of effort on my part I lost weight. At the moment my weight is pretty stable and I just eat what I like - though I should add that I eat a pretty sensible diet and I have been vegetarian for most of my adult life. I am carrying about 1/2 stone extra these days but Im not really bothered by this and I dont think its too bad for someone in their mid 50's

I guess everyone'd metabolism is different but for me alcohol seems to be the key to weight control.

[Josh B]

IF aint a fad

Its a lifestyle change - and something that has worked out very well for me. I've been at it for near on 12 months and thoroughly enjoy my fast days.

As it is, I'd lost about 2st in the first 3 month so the weight loss has slowed down significantly, but I still do it as I enjoy it. This also helped me fully understand where I was going wrong.

Of course it's a fad. That you've made it a habit doesn't change that.

But if you're happy with it and you like the results that's your prerogative.

Out of interest what's your body composition profile look like before/after?

[jonny]

Of course it's a fad. That you've made it a habit doesn't change that.

But if you're happy with it and you like the results that's your prerogative.

Out of interest what's your body composition profile look like before/after?

what carbs would you suggest for supper then?
A lot of people I know inc the missus dont have carbs at supper.

[Josh B]

A fist sized sweet potato

similiar size portion of brown rice/quinoa

that sort of thing.

Add a portion of fibrous vegis to that. Eg a mushroom and spinach salad.

some people prefer to just go with fibrous veggis alone at dinner but that can leave you feeling hungry all evening which isn't much fun nor especially sustainable.

[senwar]

Of course it's a fad. That you've made it a habit doesn't change that.

But if you're happy with it and you like the results that's your prerogative.

Out of interest what's your body composition profile look like before/after?

But then everything is a fad isn't it?

As for body composition - I don't know my exact stats but will be going for my annual BUPA test in the new year (I say annual, this year was actually my first). I have January's stats to compare it against.

The stats that I'm happy with are reducing waist from 36 to 32, clothes from 42 to 38 or L to M or S. And the significant reduction in weight.

[michalko82]

Few simple tips..

Level 1: Avoid processed food- cook your own from scratch, walk wherever you can,

Level 2: If you find gym boring...join classes twice a week (circuit/body pump) or play 5-a-side football ...entertainig way to work hard


I wish I could reach 15 stones (5'11''/ 13st)... I have the opposite problem, too many activities and too little time + I can't be bothered eating.

[Josh B]

But then everything is a fad isn't it?

As for body composition - I don't know my exact stats but will be going for my annual BUPA test in the new year (I say annual, this year was actually my first). I have January's stats to compare it against.

The stats that I'm happy with are reducing waist from 36 to 32, clothes from 42 to 38 or L to M or S. And the significant reduction in weight.

Well done - those are some really good results!

Without getting into semantics I think its fairly easy to tell the difference between a fad and the time proven strategies.

Nobody is saying that IF does not work for losing weight - you are experiencing a calorie deficit after all.

but i have three issues with it: First its really not sustainable for many people and then if you go back to increasing your calorie intake by around 4,000 calories a week (so up from the 600 on the 2 fast days to a normal amount) then all things being equal you will mysteriously gain a pound a week or so and a few months in be wondering how the heck you gained a stone or two! So in the long term you may be on a hiding to nothing.

Second is that fasting can tend to feed on muscle as well as fat. So if you lose a couple pounds of muscle over the year you will ultimately be putting on weight while eating the same as muscle is metabolically active (in other words it uses up calories of energy just sitting there.)

Its about 50 calories/lb of muscle a day. Lose 2 pounds thats 100/day. In a year 100x365/3,500=10.42 so ten pounds a year that your body is not needing. Eat exactly the same as before and guess what - thats 10 pounds a year of fat stored. (Age does the same to muscle tissue which is where middle age spread comes from.)

the combination of these two makes IF a bit of a worry as far as i am concerned and most certainly not an optimal lifestyle choice.

The third issue is not pertinent to all but its that it can exacerbate an unhealthy relationship with food - some people end up trying to modify the non-fast days or introduce a 3rd fast day. You can't win a fight with food. You've got to learn to eat healthily as part of a sustainable and enjoyable lifestyle. If there were a god then that would mean ben & jerrys 3 times a day ;)

(For the sake of balance I recognise that fasting may have some health benefits and there are strategies that one can adopt to mitigate the issues I've mentioned)

[mav112]

have you tried cycling the wieght will drop of you if you do it regular could you cycle to work then it t will just become part of your routine you dont need to spend mega bucks on a bike or need fancy kit

i feel the fittest i have ever been in along while since i started cyling to work now its one of my main hobbies i was even top of tz leaderboard this week on strava

[senwar]

Well done - those are some really good results!

Without getting into semantics I think its fairly easy to tell the difference between a fad and the time proven strategies.

Nobody is saying that IF does not work for losing weight - you are experiencing a calorie deficit after all.

but i have three issues with it: First its really not sustainable for many people and then if you go back to increasing your calorie intake by around 4,000 calories a week (so up from the 600 on the 2 fast days to a normal amount) then all things being equal you will mysteriously gain a pound a week or so and a few months in be wondering how the heck you gained a stone or two! So in the long term you may be on a hiding to nothing.

Second is that fasting can tend to feed on muscle as well as fat. So if you lose a couple pounds of muscle over the year you will ultimately be putting on weight while eating the same as muscle is metabolically active (in other words it uses up calories of energy just sitting there.)

Its about 50 calories/lb of muscle a day. Lose 2 pounds thats 100/day. In a year 100x365/3,500=10.42 so ten pounds a year that your body is not needing. Eat exactly the same as before and guess what - thats 10 pounds a year of fat stored. (Age does the same to muscle tissue which is where middle age spread comes from.)

the combination of these two makes IF a bit of a worry as far as i am concerned and most certainly not an optimal lifestyle choice.

The third issue is not pertinent to all but its that it can exacerbate an unhealthy relationship with food - some people end up trying to modify the non-fast days or introduce a 3rd fast day. You can't win a fight with food. You've got to learn to eat healthily as part of a sustainable and enjoyable lifestyle. If there were a god then that would mean ben & jerrys 3 times a day ;)

(For the sake of balance I recognise that fasting may have some health benefits and there are strategies that one can adopt to mitigate the issues I've mentioned)

Points taken. Happy enough myself with it though and its helped me get a real grip on my life - altho myfitnesspal app has helped significantly there too.

To help motivate the OP, overall since 2011 (so over and above the stats I've stated above) I've gone from a size 46 suit to 38, size 40 waist to the 32, collar size 17.5 to 15 and was also an XXL at one point - as I say, down to small in many items now altho mainly a medium.

I have to balance it again by saying exercise is key. I've had 6 weeks without exercise due to work taking over. I feel shocking fitness wise and can't wait to get back into a routine.