Weightloss Thread

[nailz]

Ok. I got this idea in my head because I am utterly fustrated beyond belief today after I stepped on the scale and I failed to lose any weight again today. I imagine some of you probably want to or are in the process of losing weight or getting healthier, so why not have a little support?

I've been overweight since Middle School, and I'm 28 now. I've been trying to lose weight for 5 years, but really, I've only been serious about it for 2. I've moved to Phoenix 4 years ago, and when I did that, I gained even more weight, ballooning from 190 to 215. Now, starting in 2006, I've managed to get down to 180 at my lightest by cutting out soda, and most sweets, and exersizing regularly. At Christmas of 2007, when I went home to see my family, I gained 5 pounds (my cousin used to be a professional cook, and food is second only to relations in my family). Since then I've been able to bounce between 182 and 187 (which is an accomplishment, I think!) but I'm starting to get fustrated. I haven't been able to lose more weight, and I certainly have at least 25 pounds to go (5'7, my goal weight is 160).

I go to the gym 5 times a week and work out for an hour a day, switching between cardio and some weight training, and I swim on occasion at work (at least once a week). I track everything I eat on http://www.livestrong.com (The daily plate) and make sure I'm not eating too much of one thing.

The fustruating part this week was really really trying and busting my balls at the gym and being 185. Again. I can't seem to lose anything anymore and I'm really close to being resigned. I need some support.

Help me out. Share your info, and let us help you.

 

[rockyracoon]

Ride the Snake.

http://www.broadcaster.com/clip/525

 

[Magius]

Consider if you're doing weight training you're probably building more muscle mass. Since muscle weighs more than fat you could be losing inches and still maintaining or even gaining weight. The best way to assess your gains is to periodically have your body fat measured. Barring that you could do measurements, but not more than once a month. Doing measurements too frequently may lead to frustration, as you won't see much reduction in inches each time. The easiest way to guage how well you're doing is by how your cloths fit. The worst way is to step on the scales. Stay off of them.

 

[RiffDaemon]

In addition to what Magius said, if you know you're exercising regularly and eating right, then just let things take its course and don't worry about numbers.

I know how you feel though. I've been at 230 at my heaviest and 180 at my lightest (in adulthood), and I too have been dealing with weight since I was in elementary school: I was 175 in 4th grade The sucky thing for me is that my metabolism is low - once I get it cranking, the weight stays off .... once I get in a habit of not working out and running as much, as well as letting my food cravings get the better of me, then after several months that metabolism slows back down and the clothes start feeling tighter.

Right now, I'm in the slow metabolism phase. The hardest part is working through the obstacles and keeping a steady hand on things. For instance, I used to do about 500 pushups per day back when I was 185 two years ago. Now, my chest and arms scream after doing 50, and I'm up to 220 lbs. I also used to run 45 minutes to an hour everyday .. sometimes changing it out for stairstepping for the same amount of time - now my lungs are screaming at me after just 5 minutes. I know if I keep doing it regularly, I'll be fine .. but the next day I'll think to myself, "nah, I'm not feeling so good, so I'll do it tomorrow morning." That kinda cycle is what'll hurt you, and that's what's kicking my ass right now. I'll look back to how I used to workout two years ago, and then when I can't do a fraction of that, it brings me down. You have to start small and build back up ... and then you have to keep doing it ... forever ... until you die ..

Now, time to get to it

 

[Kenso]

weight training is a fantastic way to burn fat, alot of people say its not though, but here are the facts. if you dont over eat with your weight training you will burn more fat doing that than cardio. whats good about muscle is by simply having more muscle you burn more fat, because muscle burns more energy idle than fat does WAY more energy at that. so someone thats in fantastic shape, they have alot more trouble gaining weight than someone whos out of shape.

also people complain about a slow metabolism, and yea while you may naturally have a slower metabolism than the next person, you can always train your heart to a level where it pumps out alot more blood.

look, check out www.stronglifts.com

there are some fantastic things on that site, alot of the stupid stuff you see going on in today's fitness is debunked there, you realize things like using machines instead of free weights are completely false. free weights are definitely the way to go.

thats by far the best site on the web IMO for reliable info, and im not just saying that, just give that site a go, the articles are gold, just search stuff and read the more important articles.

also a neat fact for you guys that eat mayo: out of 100 calories of mayo, 100 of those calories are fat!

i could go on for days about this stuff, seriously check stronglifts, i urge you!

 

[LunaTEKKE]

I agree with the comments about losing inches vs. pounds if you are doing a lot of weight training. How your clothes feel is another good indicator as to whether you are making progress...probably even moreso than the scale.

It also could be that you are on a weight loss plateau, which happens to a lot of people. If that’s what it is, you just have to be patient, although sometimes it helps to change things up (different activity, different foods, etc.). Unfortunately, some people hit a plateau and assume “this isn’t working” and go back to their old habits. And, of course, the weight comes back on.

I had been on a bad rollercoaster ride with my weight pretty much all my life, but finally lost 26 pounds and got to my goal weight in 2004 with Weight Watchers. I stayed at goal with no problem -- until a year ago when I had to start taking anti-thyroid meds to address an autoimmune condition. Now I’m fighting about 6 lbs that have managed to creep back on. It’s really pissing me off…but I know it’s a matter of finding a new balance between food and activity. My energy level is getting lots better, but it’s still not at 100% of where I was.

Hang in there – even when you don’t feel the love at the scale, you still know you are still doing something fantastic for your health and your long-term quality of life.

 

[Riceloft]

You didn't mention much about your eating habits. If you aren't already, try to do the following.

Eat 4-5 total meals a day. Small breakfast, small brunch, small lunch, small something else, and a healthy dinner. This helps kick start your metabolism, even though you may end up eating slightly more over all.

If that isn't doable, then at least make sure you eat your 3 meals a day.

Starving yourself most of the day then eating a huge dinner is worse than having a decent breakfast / lunch and a good dinner.

 

[Yippee38]

Eat 4-5 total meals a day. Small breakfast, small brunch, small lunch, small something else, and a healthy dinner. This helps kick start your metabolism, even though you may end up eating slightly more over all.

I've always heard that lunch should be your largest meal of the day. That way you're not trying to burn off what you ate while sleeping.

 

[Kaosaur]

also a neat fact for you guys that eat mayo: out of 100 calories of mayo, 100 of those calories are fat!

I want to debunk a myth of my own here.

Just because you put fat IN your body through eating food does not mean that that translates to putting fat ON your body (because for the most part that's actually not how it works at all). Fat is necessary for healthy digestion (which is tied to the health of the rest of your body, IMO) and more importantly, necessary for brain function. People who eat no fat aren't right in the head (literally).

Your body needs a healthy balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. The 60-30-10 scheme (P-F-C) here is pretty much the accepted standard. There are reasons why you would want to alter that balance for short-term (2 weeks - 2 months tops) effects but you really don't want to stray far from there. There is nothing wrong with eating food that contains/is fat like mayo, you just want to balance that against the rest of your intake. A lot of the chemicals that you'll find in sugar-free or fat-free foods are things that are potentially worse for your body and your health. (And in the great butter vs margarine debate, the evidence seems to be swinging back in butter's favor.)

Also, a good percentage of what you eat doesn't get digested completely. Calorie intake is sort of a "best guess" because the only way to truly figure out how much energy you're getting from food is to carefully measure your food and burn your waste for a calorie count on the other end. Gross. A lot of people say stay away from peanuts because they're about 75% fat, but they're a fantastic source of protein and hard to digest and filling. The point I'm making here is to eat whatever the hell you want and don't worry about certain foods (though there's the obvious stay away from processed foods and overly-chemical enriched foods. Real "whole oat" bread is hard to find but it seriously has most of the nutrients you need to live off of, as people pretty much had to a century or two ago) but pay much more attention to balance and tracking how much you eat (which it seems you're fine with, nailz).

That's pretty much all for now.

Edit: Actually I want to put in an addendum. Burning fat and gaining muscle are two things that are sort of in opposition to each other. There's a lot of debate about this issue in the fitness community but...There are diets and workout plans that are more geared to losing weight and others more for gaining muscle. You can be gaining muscle and it will just sit on top of the fat if you don't do it right. If your goal is to lose fat, workout to lose fat. You can put on the muscle after. There's a reason why pretty much every fitness model EVER uses the zig-zag diet. They've learned through years of practice that it's not very effective to work at both goals at the same time.

Quick quote from the zig-zag plan.

· You can’t lose fat unless you’re on a negative calorie balance diet
· You can’t gain muscle tissue unless you’re on a positive calorie blaance diet
· You can’t lose fat and gain muscle unless you alternate periods of negative calorie balance with periods of positive calorie balance.
· It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to lose total body weight, stay at the same total body weight or gain total body weight. The zigzag rule applies to everyone. All the time.

 

[Kaosaur]

You didn't mention much about your eating habits. If you aren't already, try to do the following.

Eat 4-5 total meals a day. Small breakfast, small brunch, small lunch, small something else, and a healthy dinner. This helps kick start your metabolism, even though you may end up eating slightly more over all.

If that isn't doable, then at least make sure you eat your 3 meals a day.

Starving yourself most of the day then eating a huge dinner is worse than having a decent breakfast / lunch and a good dinner.

I'm a big (lul, I AM big, heh) fan of the progressively smaller meals. Big breakfast, healthy lunch, small dinner. Of course you do want to spread your intake out so that's actually "5 meals" (3 meals and 2-3 snacks in between). Every 3 hours or so is key.

 

[Stingray11214]

LuneTEKKE hit it on the head. If I were you, I'd join Weight Watchers. Unlike every other diet or weight-loss program out there, WW actually works. You want a steak? Go for it. They teach you how to do it right. With exercise, I lost 30 pounds on their points program. Yes, you need to control your intake. But, with your weight training regiment, you should be down to 160 in two-three months. Good luck!

 

[Kenso]

You can’t lose fat unless you’re on a negative calorie balance diet
· You can’t gain muscle tissue unless you’re on a positive calorie blaance diet
· You can’t lose fat and gain muscle unless you alternate periods of negative calorie balance with periods of positive calorie balance.
· It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to lose total body weight, stay at the same total body weight or gain total body weight. The zigzag rule applies to everyone. All the time.

all of those are false

 

[Kaosaur]

all of those are false

I strongly disagree with this statement.

Stating that point 1 is false pretty much throws out the entire concept of portion control and the fundamentals of every diet plan...um. Ever.
It also undermines your entire argument about how having muscle burns fat. (Muscle cells require more energy than fat cells to be maintained. This is figured in in the negative-calorie intake scheme.)

There is no other way to make your body trigger its systems to burn reserves than to spend more energy than you're taking in. Which type of cells (fat or muscle) depend largely on the types of exercise you're doing and (most importantly) your heart rate. Muscle glycogen stores convert more easily under stress (ie, when your heart rate is higher) than fat glycogen stores. Also, your body is more likely to burn muscle after a strenuous exercise than fat, which is why it's important to eat something after a good workout and not go empty till your next meal.

 

[urinalcakemix]

all of those are false

This is true. That those are false.

I was 5'7 220lbs about 3 years ago. I'm currently 5'9 177lbs.

I change up my workouts every month. There's a lot of cool stuff at my gym, and I like to keep it fresh. Please post your current workout, so I can see what you're doing.

If you can also post some examples of daily meal plans, just in general, do that too. A fresh set of eyes can really help you out with making small adjustments that can be Huge to your diet.

 

[shaq]

I'm starting to get back into the exercise/weight loss thing myself as well, as I'm real tired of being in the current state I'm in. Last year I did Nutrisystem for 3 months, and between that and going to the gym 4-5 times a week I lost 30 lbs over those 3 months. It's not the kind of diet that I could do for a long time, but it does go to show that portions and balancing the kinds of things you eat go a long way. I signed up for that livestrong.com site to see if it works well for me for keeping track of things. How do you like it?

 

[Kaosaur]

I think what's most frustrating to me here is that when I make a statement, I go into detail about the body's systems and people think it's sufficient to say "that's wrong" without detailing how or without a counter-argument. I don't mind being wrong...as long as I'm actually wrong and there's a carefully detailed reason why.

I think I'm going to hold off on any more comments on this subject until we can get somebody with a professional, educated opinion rather than anecdotal evidence (i lost x weight by doing y) or what a site trying to sell product says. Any professional nutritionists, competition body-builders or fitness models in the house?

 

[thedelicateflower]

Ok. I got this idea in my head because I am utterly fustrated beyond belief today after I stepped on the scale and I failed to lose any weight again today. I imagine some of you probably want to or are in the process of losing weight or getting healthier, so why not have a little support?

I've been overweight since Middle School, and I'm 28 now. I've been trying to lose weight for 5 years, but really, I've only been serious about it for 2. I've moved to Phoenix 4 years ago, and when I did that, I gained even more weight, ballooning from 190 to 215. Now, starting in 2006, I've managed to get down to 180 at my lightest by cutting out soda, and most sweets, and exersizing regularly. At Christmas of 2007, when I went home to see my family, I gained 5 pounds (my cousin used to be a professional cook, and food is second only to relations in my family). Since then I've been able to bounce between 182 and 187 (which is an accomplishment, I think!) but I'm starting to get fustrated. I haven't been able to lose more weight, and I certainly have at least 25 pounds to go (5'7, my goal weight is 160).

I go to the gym 5 times a week and work out for an hour a day, switching between cardio and some weight training, and I swim on occasion at work (at least once a week). I track everything I eat on http://www.livestrong.com (The daily plate) and make sure I'm not eating too much of one thing.

The fustruating part this week was really really trying and busting my balls at the gym and being 185. Again. I can't seem to lose anything anymore and I'm really close to being resigned. I need some support.

Help me out. Share your info, and let us help you.

...have you ever had your thyroid checked? that may have something to do with weight...

 

[Magius]

all of those are false

Kenso is correct. Building muscle mass leads to fat loss. Muscle burns calories all the time, even at rest, although -obviously- less so than when active. More muscle means more calories burnt; therefore, you can lose fat while building muscle.

Also you can build muscle on a negative calorie diet, as the body will burn stored calories in to make up the deficit. This is actually highly effective. The only drawback is getting past "hittng the wall." This is the period between exhausting your blood sugar reserves and when your body starts releasing stored calories in glycogen. The renewed energy supply is commonly called getting "a second wind." This occurs during both aerobic and anaerobic excersises if they are sustained long enough.
In addition the body can produce almost any substance it needs to rebuild itself. Notable exceptions include vitamins, minerals, and essential amino acids (which is why they are called essential). The diet can easily consist of less calories than the body burns, as long as it provides vitamins, minerals, and essential amino acids, which come from complete proteins.

Fat loss and muscle building are in no way in opposition to each other. Muscle building may be in opposition to weight loss however. Hence scales are the worst way to gauge progress.

Weight loss exercise programs focusing on aerobic and cardio exercises are less effective than muscle building anerobic exercises in burning calories. If one burns 300 calories during an aerobic excercise session the increased calorie burning stops when the exercise ends. One 20oz Coke will replace 250 of those calories.

Coversely burning 300 calories in an anaerobic muscle building exercise results in sustained calorie burning. Anaerobic exercise breaks down muscle tissue, which the body then rebuilds. The rebuilding process, known as Anabolism, increases metabolism which may remain elevated for as long as 36 hours, and in itself burn an additional 200 calories from the same exercise session.

This is not to say that aerobic exercise isn't good. Aerobic exercises are excellent for increasing cardiac effiency, which is why they are commonly refered to as Cardo exercises. They also increase collateral circulation. This is the formation of new blood vessels throughout the exercised muscles allowing the body to more efficiently supply those muscles with energy when they demand it.

When an out of shape person exercises the result is usually a burning soreness the next day. Without collateral circulation the body can't efficiently supply the muscles with oxygen and glucose. This results in a buildup of lactic acid in those muscles, which without collateral circulation isn't carried away very efficiently either.

Increased vascular capacity with the same amount of blood results in lower blood pressure, which is undeniably a good thing.

In my opinion the best programs are crosstraining based. Crosstraining should consist of crossing between aerobic and anaerobic exercises. Too many people, including trainers, believe it only means crossing between two different exercises and exclude resistance training. Running and Tae Bo is not cross training. Weight lifting and running is cross training. An almost perfect exersise for those who live in hilly areas is cycling. Up hill cycling is anaerobic, flats are aerobic, and downhill is either aerobic or resting.

In regards to fat: No more than 30% of calories should come from fats. The type of fat matters though. Olive and fish oils are fat, as are many shortenings, butter, spreads, and plain old fashioned animal fat. The difference is that they are polyunsaturated as opposed to saturated or trans fats. 30% or less of calories should come from the right types of fat.

I've always heard that lunch should be your largest meal of the day. That way you're not trying to burn off what you ate while sleeping.

Also not true. Calories burned > calories consumed = fat loss. When the calories are consumed is far less important than maintaining a higher metabolism.

@Naiz: As Thedelicateflower mentioned, consider having yorr thyroid function checked.

 

[Kenso]

Kenso is correct. Building muscle mass leads to fat loss. Muscle burns calories all the time, even at rest, although -obviously- less so than when active. More muscle means more calories burnt; therefore, you can lose fat while building muscle.

Also you can build muscle on a negative calorie diet, as the body will burn stored calories in to make up the deficit. This is actually highly effective. The only drawback is getting past "hittng the wall." This is the period between exhausting your blood sugar reserves and when your body starts releasing stored calories in glycogen. The renewed energy supply is commonly called getting "a second wind." This occurs during both aerobic and anaerobic excersises if they are sustained long enough.
In addition the body can produce almost any substance it needs to rebuild itself. Notable exceptions include vitamins, minerals, and essential amino acids (which is why they are called essential). The diet can easily consist of less calories than the body burns, as long as it provides vitamins, minerals, and essential amino acids, which come from complete proteins.

Fat loss and muscle building are in no way in opposition to each other. Muscle building may be in opposition to weight loss however. Hence scales are the worst way to gauge progress.

Weight loss exercise programs focusing on aerobic and cardio exercises are less effective than muscle building anerobic exercises in burning calories. If one burns 300 calories during an aerobic excercise session the increased calorie burning stops when the exercise ends. One 20oz Coke will replace 250 of those calories.

Coversely burning 300 calories in an anaerobic muscle building exercise results in sustained calorie burning. Anaerobic exercise breaks down muscle tissue, which the body then rebuilds. The rebuilding process, known as Anabolism, increases metabolism which may remain elevated for as long as 36 hours, and in itself burn an additional 200 calories from the same exercise session.

This is not to say that aerobic exercise isn't good. Aerobic exercises are excellent for increasing cardiac effiency, which is why they are commonly refered to as Cardo exercises. They also increase collateral circulation. This is the formation of new blood vessels throughout the exercised muscles allowing the body to more efficiently supply those muscles with energy when they demand it.

When an out of shape person exercises the result is usually a burning soreness the next day. Without collateral circulation the body can't efficiently supply the muscles with oxygen and glucose. This results in a buildup of lactic acid in those muscles, which without collateral circulation isn't carried away very efficiently either.

Increased vascular capacity with the same amount of blood results in lower blood pressure, which is undeniably a good thing.

In my opinion the best programs are crosstraining based. Crosstraining should consist of crossing between aerobic and anaerobic exercises. Too many people, including trainers, believe it only means crossing between two different exercises and exclude resistance training. Running and Tae Bo is not cross training. Weight lifting and running is cross training. An almost perfect exersise for those who live in hilly areas is cycling. Up hill cycling is anaerobic, flats are aerobic, and downhill is either aerobic or resting.

In regards to fat: No more than 30% of calories should come from fats. The type of fat matters though. Olive and fish oils are fat, as are many shortenings, butter, spreads, and plain old fashioned animal fat. The difference is that they are polyunsaturated as opposed to saturated or trans fats. 30% or less of calories should come from the right types of fat.




Also not true. Calories burned > calories consumed = fat loss. When the calories are consumed is far less important than maintaining a higher metabolism.

@Naiz: As Thedelicateflower mentioned, consider having yorr thyroid function checked.

what a knowledgeable answer magius! i am really impressed, you clearly know quite a bit, everything you said was fact.

sorry i couldn't immediately reply to you kaosaur, but he answered your question in similar fashion than i would have.

you can lose FAT on a positive calorie diet, but you cant lose WEIGHT, at least not that im aware of. weight is ultimately meaningless. the only thing that matters is how happy you are with your body and physical abilities.

kaosaur while your facts are false, it doesnt mean they are easily done. losing fat while building muscle is definitely one of the hardest things to do in training. unless you are able to devote an enormous amount of time to training (like a professional athlete for example), you will most likely have to keep strict tab on your calories and things of that nature. most people dont prefer to keep such a strict calculation on things, so they simply go into a "cutting" or "bulking" phase.

with that said, and im not sure how much of a myth this is but, they say a person who just starts weight training for the first time can easily burn fat and gain muscle simutaneously, but after 3 months the window of opportunity closes. i dont know if there is any evidence to back this claim but ive heard it a lot; i am not sold on it though.

check stronglifts.com! fantastic site.

 

[Kenso]

This is true. That those are false.

I was 5'7 220lbs about 3 years ago. I'm currently 5'9 177lbs.

I change up my workouts every month. There's a lot of cool stuff at my gym, and I like to keep it fresh. Please post your current workout, so I can see what you're doing.

If you can also post some examples of daily meal plans, just in general, do that too. A fresh set of eyes can really help you out with making small adjustments that can be Huge to your diet.

since i moved from mississippi to florida recently i am not a member of a gym. i had a home gym set up back in sippi but, since i moved obviously i dont have access to it. i want to pay a friend to bring it all down but he keeps dodging. i went from outdoor automotive painter with a home gym and lots of free time to a struggling student who works at quiznos. these days its more of a battle to keep weight off. at first i felt the change hard, and i knew that i would begin to pack on pounds if i didnt do something. 4 times a week i wake up at around 6 or 7 am to get some running in. i could join a gym but the best option is planet fitness, and i just absolutely hate that gym. they dont allow grunting, if you drop weights you get in trouble, they lack on free weights and mostly have machines, no free weight squat rack, also im pretty sure they dont allow deadlifts. maybe one day ill break down and go there but, i dont know i just hate what they represent, i dont want to be a part of their success cause they are pretty much a disgrace to fitness, but i guess planet fitness is better than no fitness at all.

BEFORE i moved though i was using stronglifts 5x5 routine combined with a bit of cardio. >>> www.stronglifts.com


but if you want to know about dieting here is a good article > http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/magazine/13weekstohardcorefatburningdiet.htm

a note about the above article. i think its not a great plan to go by, i definitely wouldnt go with their way BUT! there is a TON of useful factual information about what your body needs and foods to get it from, but i strongly suggest reading it and learning from it rather than going by it.

then this article is GOLD! its about post workout nutrition!
http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/magazine/windowofopportunity.htm

read those articles and a ton of the great ones on www.stronglifts.com and you are sure to have a whole new perspective on physical fitness. unless you have seriously educated yourself, you will most likely find things wrong with what you are currently doing, or find out information you thought was true is indeed false.

im not a guru or anything on physical fitness, but i have made an attempt to educate myself to a level beyond the average joe. one thing i can tell you though, you can know all the shit in the world, but if you dont get off your ass, not one god damn thing is gonna change.

for those of you who dont work out, just start. force yourself for 2 weeks. once two weeks goes by and you have not skipped a single scheduled workout, then it will become habit. you wont want to miss a workout from that point.

cut out stupid things in your diet, like cheese, mayo, all drinks besides water, candy, cigarettes, beer. these are all easy things to cut out, all you have to do is just stay strong for a week or two and you are good to go. i cant stress hard enough how HORRIBLE cokes and other sodas are for you. its not uncommon for an average american to consume roughly 1000-1500 calories a day just in sodas, stack that on with over eating, and mcdonalds meals, and....oh boy. its just disgusting once you step back and realize what you may have been eating. i was getting fat, and right before i broke into that stage to where im truly considered a fattie, i decided to look at my diet and (non-existant) exercise.

its been about a year and a half now. i wore a 36 inch waist pants and XL t shirts. now i wear medium shirts and have a 30 inch waist. seriously i didnt even have to work that hard for it. just educate yourself man... get some will power and grow some balls. throw on some headphones, put on your favorite metal tunes and GET TO FUCKING WORK! until you MAKE TIME to exercise, and until YOU decide to, nothing is going to change.

final note: these headphones kick ass for running, i use them. you can change volume by just tapping your ear. they are wireless, go plenty loud, and the sound aint bad either. [ame]http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-FreePulse-Wireless-Headphones/dp/B000J3G2CS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1225679034&sr=8-1[/ame]

now educate yourselves!