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Eat whatever you want, but make every calorie count. If you are eating 1200 calories a day, you don’t want to squander it on something that will not be filling (carbs). Aim for 200, 300, and 700 calories per meal, but concentrate on high protein. You don’t need to go hard core keto to lose just 20 lbs.
Foods like hard boiled eggs, water packed tuna, 2 oz of cheese, as many vegetables as you want, and 4-6 oz of meat or fish for dinner is very easy to maintain. Even restaurants are easy. Have a salad with dressing on the side, and a loaded burger, but skip the bun. Take small bites. I’ve noticed that fat people tend to stuff huge bites in their mouths.
How many calories do you eat per day? How many grams of protein do you get in per day?
While this is a viable, and maybe even "optimal" diet, the problem that many people run into is that they feel deprived and restricted, and then they end up quitting that diet and going back to their bad eating habits. The 7/10 diet you can stick is better than a 10/10 diet that you don't stick to.
I feel fortunate that my body acts like a lightswitch when I am motivated to do something. When I am on a diet, I am very strict about it, however, lack of results changes that motivation.
My last attempt at a diet was a little less than a year ago and I was consuming maybe 1000-1200 calories per day, and I felt satisfied. I also was also going to the gym 5 days a week and i started losing weight but than stopped losing completely after about 10 pounds. I dont enjoy working out or watching what I eat so its very frustrating to put all that effort in and getting no results. I think I am perhaps impatient though as in my younger years I could drop 20+ pounds in a couple of months with little effort.
My question is, i have been told I stopped losing weight because my body went into starvation mode due to the minimal calories I had, so how does fasting work if it is also a minimal amount of calories? On the days I dont fast, I plan on consuming about 2000 calories.
I feel fortunate that my body acts like a lightswitch when I am motivated to do something. When I am on a diet, I am very strict about it, however, lack of results changes that motivation.
My last attempt at a diet was a little less than a year ago and I was consuming maybe 1000-1200 calories per day, and I felt satisfied. I also was also going to the gym 5 days a week and i started losing weight but than stopped losing completely after about 10 pounds. I dont enjoy working out or watching what I eat so its very frustrating to put all that effort in and getting no results. I think I am perhaps impatient though as in my younger years I could drop 20+ pounds in a couple of months with little effort.
My question is, i have been told I stopped losing weight because my body went into starvation mode due to the minimal calories I had, so how does fasting work if it is also a minimal amount of calories? On the days I dont fast, I plan on consuming about 2000 calories.
True. I’ve hit many diet plateaus, and the cure is more protein….like a can of tuna.
I was consuming maybe 1000-1200 calories per day, and I felt satisfied.
This is the problem. Too many people try to sine-wave up and down instead of attain gradual progress. The person that stays at a constant 2200 is going to achieve more progress than the person that does 1000 for one month and then goes to 3500.
Also, you need to make sure you're actually measuring it properly. A lot of people say they're tracking their calories, but they underestimate how much they're actually eating. You have to track everything: beverages, sauces, the tablespoon of oil you use in a pan, little snacks, etc.
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I dont enjoy working out or watching what I eat
You don't have to work out much to lose weight if you just eat less calories. It's mostly diet.
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its very frustrating to put all that effort in and getting no results. I think I am perhaps impatient
Yes, because you're doing a regimen you don't like. This is what causes people to abandon their diets. You want a diet that you can enjoy living on for the next 10+ years.
Losing weight is much easier if you're eating a variety of foods you actually enjoy (so long as your calories arent too high, and your protein is high enough)
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so how does fasting work if it is also a minimal amount of calories?
Fasting works the same as any other eating schedule. It's about the overall pattern of how many calories are you consuming per week, per month, per year.
Someone who eats 14000 calories a week: 2000 x 7 days. Is eating the same amount of calories as someone who eats 1000 calories a day for 6 day, and then 8000 calories the 7th day.
Your body is a furnace that burns off energy. It could care less about what time of the day you're putting the fuel in.
If you genuinely enjoy fasting and find it convenient, do it. But you can lose just as much weight without fasting.
You don't have to work out much to lose weight if you just eat less calories. It's mostly diet.
Yes, because you're doing a regimen you don't like. This is what causes people to abandon their diets. You want a diet that you can enjoy living on for the next 10+ years.
Losing weight is much easier if you're eating a variety of foods you actually enjoy (so long as your calories arent too high, and your protein is high enough)
This is it, exactly. It's almost better to think of eating and exercise as making choices that make your body healthier, rather than as punishment and deprivation. And by doing this, maybe you lose weight, and maybe you don't, but your body is at a healthy, sustainable level, and your mental state isn't based on fighting what your body naturally wants to do, but making movement and food joyful and enjoyable without making an arbitrary number on the scale your focus.
I was obese for most of my life. I lost 120 lbs a few years ago. And it was WAY easier than I ever thought it would be. Just by counting calories, eating what I enjoyed and taking the middle road.
There is nothing wrong with slow weight loss. And in a way, trying to take shortcuts or doing painful routines, actually makes it take longer.
I've tried and failed so many gimmicks, fad diets and deprivation diets over the years. The middle road was easier all along.
What I eat can vary a lot by the day, but I'll give you 1 random example of a day I've had: coffee, 2 protein shakes (500 calories), 2 slices of pizza (500 calories), home made burger (600 calories), side of sauteed veggies (250 cal), a few hundred calories of fruit. That's 2200 calories.
People may be saying, whoa, you had pizza and a burger in the same day, doesn't that automatically make your diet bad?
I got in my protein. I got in my fruits and veggies. And I ate no more than 2200 calories.
I'm a 56 yo Male weighing about 210 lbs. I need/want to lose 20 lbs to get to 190 lbs. I recently(End of September and start of November) had eye surgery and the surgeon put me on restrictions afterward of no lifting and no strenuous physical exercise. I should be released of these restrictions by the end of the month or early next month.
For now my physical exercising has been walking, up to an hour a day or so. I've gained some weight in that time frame (I used to be between 200 and 205 lbs.)
As I set my goal and plan for exercise/diet for weight loss I need to figure what is an appropriate/healthy time frame to lose 20 pounds in a way to keep it off. I'm thinking of either three or six months to accomplish this. Which would be better or would a different time frame be appropriate?
Intermittent fasting is what I do day to day... it's not even a diet, it's just what I do. I eat between 12pm and 6pm Monday through Friday... or sometimes a tighter window like 4pm and 6pm Monday through Friday, and then eating whenever/whatever I want Saturday/Sunday. I basically join my wife in eating whatever whenever on the weekends because she doesn't do fasting. NFL football watching? I semi pig out on wings or whatever. But the weekday fasting picks up most of that slack, for me anyway.
I lost 30 pounds with IF and now I just maintain at my current weight. But it took me well over 6 months to lose that much... like closer to a year. And I would guess that you might even want to allot a good amount to lose "only" 20 pounds. After a couple years of this eating lifestyle, I don't really get hungry weekday mornings. Body somehow is adapted to not eating til later in the afternoon. And when I'm busy at work, sometimes I'm like, oh, it's 4pm, I guess I'll start eating something now.
I think setting a goal of only 3 months for 20 pounds if you did IF would be cutting it close. Especially with "only" walking an hour a day. You probably need a way higher intensity workout than walking (albeit one hour walking is good for you, great for your heart) to see body changes not attributed to intermittent fasting. Just my humble opinion, but I think 6 months or more would be a better plan. And setting a months goal might not be how everyone's bodies work. May depend on your body and how it loses weight. Also, when I started losing weight with IF, I'd lose like 2 pounds over several weeks and I'd know it was legit weight drop... Not losing "water weight" or whatever it's called. I was losing legit fat off my body. Six pack reappearing and all of that.
PS, some will call the above not really fasting, more like a short eating window, because fasting often involves a day or several without any food. Also, I drink alot of water or a little black coffee fasting mornings. This staves off any hunger that might pop up.
Edit to say: Most folks start with a 16:8 intermittent fasting eating window...which is way easier than suddenly jumping to 22 hours/day without food. 16 hour 'fast' to 8 hour eating window is easier to start. I quickly jumped to 18:6 and beyond once I got used to it.
This is the problem. Too many people try to sine-wave up and down instead of attain gradual progress. The person that stays at a constant 2200 is going to achieve more progress than the person that does 1000 for one month and then goes to 3500.
Also, you need to make sure you're actually measuring it properly. A lot of people say they're tracking their calories, but they underestimate how much they're actually eating. You have to track everything: beverages, sauces, the tablespoon of oil you use in a pan, little snacks, etc.
You don't have to work out much to lose weight if you just eat less calories. It's mostly diet.
Yes, because you're doing a regimen you don't like. This is what causes people to abandon their diets. You want a diet that you can enjoy living on for the next 10+ years.
Losing weight is much easier if you're eating a variety of foods you actually enjoy (so long as your calories arent too high, and your protein is high enough)
Fasting works the same as any other eating schedule. It's about the overall pattern of how many calories are you consuming per week, per month, per year.
Someone who eats 14000 calories a week: 2000 x 7 days. Is eating the same amount of calories as someone who eats 1000 calories a day for 6 day, and then 8000 calories the 7th day.
Your body is a furnace that burns off energy. It could care less about what time of the day you're putting the fuel in.
If you genuinely enjoy fasting and find it convenient, do it. But you can lose just as much weight without fasting.
Since I can remember, my weight has been like a rollercoaster, mostly by choice. I eat whatever I want and slack off from the gym...gain 20-30 pounds and start the diet and gym routine all over again til I achieve my desired weight. This cycle generally occurs usually once a year. Its not that I even eat bad food, I just eat a lot of it at each sitting. I dont like leftovers or throwing away food so I stuff myself.
As for calorie intake, maybe 2 eggs for breakfast, apple for snack, chicken breast for lunch, tuna for snack and then chicken and broccoli for dinner. Only drink water throughout the day and a couple cups of black coffee in the morning. This satisfies me, but is not a lot of calories.
I believe diets and working out should be miserable and used as punishment..this actually motivates me to work harder at it. I put my horse blinders on and food becomes a chore rather than something enjoyable and workouts take me away from doing stuff that I enjoy in the afternoon. As far as a diet that I can live on the next 10+ years, once i get down to my desired weight, I think the key is to just control the amount of food I eat at each sitting. Not sure if I like fasting just yet because today is #1 and so far so good. Its all about ones mindset I think and much like smoking, if you are quitting because others want you to, you will be unsuccessful, YOU have to want to do it in order to achieve maximum results in my opinion.
Personally, I could never count calories. I tried but every time it makes me miserable and I become obsessive. I gained weight a few times in the last years because of a side effect of a medication. Every time I was done with the medication, I lost the extra weight gradually. In time, months.
I did my best to find new methods NOT to be on that medication anymore. Ever. And finally, I succeeded. Now, I'm the process of losing fat. I prefer to call it fat instead of weight because I want my muscle mass but the fat I don't care for. I lose it slowly so my skin does not lose the elasticity.
Last year I lost 18 pounds in 12 months. Working out is more for my mind/mood plus keeping the muscle mass.
I understand that everyone is different. So my methods might not be great for someone else.
Take care.
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