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I had great success with MyFitnessPal.com and the phone app. It made me very conscious of calorie intake and calories burned during exercise. Lost 20 pounds a year ago in about three months and my behavior changed enough that I have had no problem staying at the new lower weight. The app is free, BTW.
I appreciate everyone's input. I'm trying to understand BMR now. So if I calculated via an online calculator plugging in my information, height, weight, age, etc. and it says my BMR is 2000 without doing any exercises and I work a desk job and I want to lose 2 lbs per week as my goal, so my calorie intake for the day should be 1000, right? Or we can do the opposite and say that I'm exercising 5-6 days a week, 20-30 minutes a day and the BMR calculator states my burn is 3000 a day and I want to create a calorie deficit and lose 2 lbs per day off that, so my calorie intake should be 2000, right?
Download a fitness app. I personally use LoseIt. It has been pretty spot on in terms of calculating intake and accommodating exercise. 1000 cals is too low, especially for a man. My understanding (as a layperson) is that BMR is calories needed for simply breathing air. This doesn't take into account calories needed for daily activities. Exercise is very beneficial because you burn more calories, with the understanding that it will not compensate for habitual overeating.
I eat within my caloric range 6 days per week, with one "cheat day". I eat a lot of calories that day. I exercise four days per week at 1.5 hrs per day (cardio and strength). Somehow it all balances out. You need to find what works for you.
WyattE,
What are you trying to accomplish?
What is the reason for needing to lose 20 lbs specifically?
NG
Quote:
Originally Posted by WyattE
I did the Ketogenic diet for a couple of months until I plateaued. Now I can't drop any more weight but I did drop 30 lbs from that diet. I've been reviewing the internet for info on how to break this plateau however by doing that, I'm more confused than ever. Does it really just come down to calorie restriction per day? If I hit my calorie target and exercise 20-30 minutes a day, is that all I should focus on and just be happy with the weight I've already dropped? I got about 20 more lbs. to go but they will be the lbs. that the body won't want to let go of.
thanks for any advice.
WyattE,
Unless you're in a sport that requires you to be under a certain weight, such as boxing, wrestling, it sounds like you are trying for a certain look rather than a specific number of pounds lost. Even then unless you are competing in a body building contest there probably isn't a time constraint emergency rush to do this. I say that because often those folks use extreme methods, just to get through their competition. We also don't know - maybe you put that in another post somewhere what you are doing for exercise now??
If you can you probably want to do cardio hard and fast to burn off the fat. Sprinting over jogging. 30 min over 1 hour.
If you can get a trainer that is a CSCS (certified strength and conditioning specialist). To get yourself to build and make sure what you're doing is effective for your goals. You don't want to waste your time. You want someone that will make sure you're efficient.
It's probably easier to increase your workouts/ make them more effective than do anything screwed up with your diet. But again, I don't know if you are trying to temporarily look a certain way or plan on maintaining. Low carb is ok, but I can't support the ketogenic diet for anyone that isn't on it for epilepsy or other serious health issue that doesn't respond to medication. A doctor needs to follow someone on it, although I'm fairly sure whatever version you were on, wasn't the real ketogenic diet because it is intolerable even for the desperate.
Fitness should never hurt you. No matter what your goals.
NG
Quote:
Originally Posted by WyattE
I do need to drop another 20 lbs to meet my goal and be more lean as well. To have that shredded look would be even better.
I did the Ketogenic diet for a couple of months until I plateaued. Now I can't drop any more weight but I did drop 30 lbs from that diet. I've been reviewing the internet for info on how to break this plateau however by doing that, I'm more confused than ever. Does it really just come down to calorie restriction per day? If I hit my calorie target and exercise 20-30 minutes a day, is that all I should focus on and just be happy with the weight I've already dropped? I got about 20 more lbs. to go but they will be the lbs. that the body won't want to let go of.
thanks for any advice.
Not all calories are created equal but calories do matter. Since you are smaller now you will need to eat fewer calories to keep losing weight. A Ketogenic diet does make it easier to lose weight by controlling your appetite. A Ketogenic diet also keeps food cravings at bay better than an "all things in moderation" diet.
Ketogenic diets have other health benefits besides weight loss. Ketogenic diets help lower blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. Ketogenic diets increase HDL cholesterol and reduce fasting blood sugar/insulin levels.
I would say that if a ketogenic diet has been successful for you try keeping track of calories for a while and try to reduce your calorie intake slightly to see if that helps.
A Ketogenic diet also keeps food cravings at bay better than an "all things in moderation" diet.
I do not agree. Do you have a source for a peer-reviewed study on this? With regard to cravings, it depends on the person. Some do well on low-carb. Others do better with higher consumption of protein and fats. My belief is that concentrated restriction of certain food groups is one of the top reasons most dieters fail. Personally, low carb makes me feel like crap. I am much happier eating what I wish within the calorie limits.
I find the arguments that claim that "a calorie is NOT just a calorie" to be completely baseless, with regard to weight loss. It's a unit of energy measurement, nothing more. Those I see defending this concept are coupling weight loss and nutrition, which are two different subjects. Of course it's not healthy to eat a bunch of junk! For general health, a balanced diet of nutritous food is certainly best. But if someone wants to eat crap, and stay in a calorie deficit, they will still lose weight. Period.
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Ketogenic diets have other health benefits besides weight loss. Ketogenic diets help lower blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. Ketogenic diets increase HDL cholesterol and reduce fasting blood sugar/insulin levels.
I have lost 125 pounds on a "all things in moderation" diet. It has had all of these same effects for me. I have 6 pounds to go.
Me putting incorrect info? A calorie is a unit - it is a constant. The nutrition in that calorie is what differs.
There is no "nutrition" in a calorie perse. Foods can certainly have different combinations of nutrients (fat, carbohydrate, and protein) but contain the same number of calories.
I find the arguments that claim that "a calorie is NOT just a calorie" to be completely baseless, with regard to weight loss. It's a unit of energy measurement, nothing more.
My belief is that concentrated restriction of certain food groups is one of the top reasons most dieters fail.
We aren't talking about belief. We are talking about science.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lady400
"I find the arguments that claim that "a calorie is NOT just a calorie" to be completely baseless, with regard to weight loss. It's a unit of energy measurement, nothing more. Those I see defending this concept are coupling weight loss and nutrition, which are two different subjects.
From the results section: "The significantly greater decline in BMI-Z HPLC group during the intervention occurred despite similar reported energy intakes for the two diet groups. Limitations of dietary data notwithstanding, our findings are similar to those of several other investigations in which ad lib energy intakes with carbohydrate restriction to approximately 10% of energy were associated with greater weight loss despite similar or higher mean energy intakes"
Clearly, how much you eat does matter but not all calories are created equal. The amount of heat that is given off by a food when it is incinerated is not the same as the amount of energy your body takes from a food when it is digested. The research has clarified that not all calories are created equal.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lady400
I have lost 125 pounds on a "all things in moderation" diet. It has had all of these same effects for me. I have 6 pounds to go.
Thanks for the link. Interesting study. However, comparing against a low fat diet does not support your statement that low carb will decrease cravings more than a all in moderation diet. Fats are essential for satiation for many.
Quote:
We aren't talking about belief. We are talking about science.
Note that by the first data measurement they had lost 27% of the participants. By the end of the study period at 36 weeks, fully 45% had dropped out. This only supports my statement that macro based restriction is a significant factor in diet failure.
From the results section: "The significantly greater decline in BMI-Z HPLC group during the intervention occurred despite similar reported energy intakes for the two diet groups. Limitations of dietary data notwithstanding, our findings are similar to those of several other investigations in which ad lib energy intakes with carbohydrate restriction to approximately 10% of energy were associated with greater weight loss despite similar or higher mean energy intakes"
Clearly, how much you eat does matter but not all calories are created equal. The amount of heat that is given off by a food when it is incinerated is not the same as the amount of energy your body takes from a food when it is digested. The research has clarified that not all calories are created equal.
What this portion of the results fails to mention is this was a short term effect. At the end of the study period, there was no difference of significance in weight loss between the two groups. I would agree that for short term weight loss, it can make a difference. For most, significant weight loss is a long haul process.
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I'm glad you found something that works for you.
Thank you.
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