What's the best way to lose weight?

[pg22]

XeroxMan

You're gonna get a great deal of opinions here, and hopefully you'll find a routine that works for you. I'm gonna post a quote of what someone said, and I printed this sucker up and pasted it right next to my bed and at work:


The most important thing is consistency. A lot of people fall into the habit of skipping workouts, but the key to long-term success is paying your dues, day in, day out, week after week, year upon year, decade into decade.

Accept no substitutes, because there are none.

That was Ronnie Coleman, two-time Mr. Olympia.

Good luck d00d =)

 

[NakaNaka]

My friend's dad lost 50 pounds in a few months. Salads but not just salads.

 

[chess9]

If you people recommending high protein diets have ONE peer reviewed scientific article which recommends that the average person eat a high protein diet, please post it. I would be interested in reading such an article.

Otherwise, please remember you are giving advice. Someone on this board might actually believe you!

 

[Soybomb]

NakaNaka out of curiosity what else did he have with that salad? Meth? I'm quite serious too, 50 pounds over a few months is a heck of a lot of weight and I'm curious.

 

[AMDJunkie]

Run! No really! Running long distances almost every day not only keeps the pounds off but also allows you to eat even a little junk food since your burn so much calories and fat. It's not easy but once you get into a groove you'll start feeling and looking better. Weight lifting is also awesome for building (good) body mass and burning fat.

 

[pastee]

I know that struggle man, I'm a taller guy and the only way I can keep my weight down is by running alot.

 

[Angrymarshmello]

To lose weight, start doing cardio (walking, jogging, something to get your heartrate up for a good 30 minutes). Food wise, cut back on cardio and fatty foods, and like Warr said get your protein up. (Protein helps to burn fat) Keep lifting weights to get your metabolism up. And try not to eat 4 hours before you go to bed. And doing cardio on an empty stomach once you wake up burns fat like a hot knife through butter.

 

[zippy]

Less fat, less calories...you need carbs for energy. That diet is stupid...my mom (who doesn't even need a diet, she is average...oh well, she wants to be a lil under i guess) has tried it a few times...yes she lost weight fast, but once you touch a carb and can't go back (including breads folks...) then you gain the wait back faster than you lost it.

Excercise and less calories and fat and more healthy foods with lotsa vitamins and mineral is the best way to do it...yes, it takes longer, but you get into better OVERALL shape, not just losing weight, but toning muscles.

I learned this from seeing people do the different weight loss programs and biology last year...not personal experience...what I need is weight GAIN! 5'8" (and growing...) 128lbs. is a bit on the scrawny side.

 

[Doomsday]

The thing you need to do is to get your matabolism working again. The way you do it is try to eat 5 meals a day, but after each meal, be active for 1-2 minutes. Do toe-touches, situps, or jumping jacks for that small time. It's going to take some time to see a difference, but once you start to see the differences, you'll see yourself getting thinner faster and faster. You should still do some cardo-vascular exercises to get your heart working, and lungs breathing. Strength training is good too, but you really only want to do that 3 times a week. Unless you really want to gain muscle mass.

 

[Gibson486]

. Low fat foods are mostly simple sugars, so they burn more easily than complex sugars (Such as starches), but if those simple sugars are not burnt, then it will just have teh same effects as complex sugars. So, it is not a matter of eating less fat, it is a matter of controling and monitering what you eat with the recommended daily exercise.

 

[Gibson486]

Drinking lots of water to increase matobalism or loose weight is a myth. All water is Hydrogen, oxygen, and proteins, That is all. No fat or calories. Most people think that water WILL make you loose weight, but it is only a small contributing factor that cannot make you loose weight if not accompinied by a proper life style. Since there is no calories, it cannot store any type of energy that th ebody will use in the long run (which in the end is fat). So in the end, there is no redistrubution of any calories burnt. Drinking lots of water will only make you feel bloated and sick.

 

[pg22]

omg zippy....EAT STEAK AND RIBS!!!

=)

 

[Windogg]

Like most people have already said, eat a sensible diet. The following has helped me stay pretty damn anorexic. Working in IT, my biggest fear is packing on the pounds. Whenever possible I try to stay on feet. I started a policy where all user issues are resolved in person, no exceptions. This keeps me from sitting on my butt all day. Not only that but people like the personal attention.

Try to stay mobile in the office. Instead of using the phone, go track the person down. When you do have to go somewhere, add a spring in your step. It makes it look like you have hustle when you're really taking a short jog. Take the stairs whenever possible.

When you have nothing to do, take a lap around the office. Again that little extra workout will help you build up your wind. Every little bit helps. Staying active also helps relieve stress which can lead to overeating.

Never keep dollar bills or coins on your person. I quickly realized that I was hitting the vending machines more and more often. Everythime you get the urge to snack, chug a cup of water. Also keep healthy snacks around like carrot/celery sticks or rice cakes.

Brown bag your lunches with something healthy and like others have said, spread it out during the day. Eat half a turkey sandwich just before noon and finish off the other half around 1PM. Don't skip breakfast but keep it light and non greasy. Have a snack in the early afternoon and end it with a balanced dinner. I find that by not getting hungry, I don't overeat. Avoid eating out no matter how healthy a place claims their food to be. The healthiest meals are always those you prepare youself since you know exactly what is going into it.

Also go and see your doctor. He/she can give better advice than a bunch of hardware geeks anyway.

Best of luck and keep us posted buddy.

Windogg

 

[THELAIR]

Some of the above mentioned things are good advice, but dont be so strict that you cant enjoy somthing every so often.

In fact about 20 mins ago i just enjoyed a VERY LARGE Chocolate Chip COOKIE and it tatested great and god forbid it was after 9pm. But that was my treat for hte past 3 days of "eating healthy" besides chocolcate is good for you

Ive been eating alot of tuna and skinless chicken. Cook up some skinless chickenbreasts into some pieces and then microwave some frozen veggies and thats a very good meal, i sprinkle some spices to give the chicken a spicy taste.

Following that diet and treating myself every so often i have gone from 76 Kg to 70, a loss of 6 KG or about 15 lbs. Im 5' 11". I started that after i got back from europe, which was early July. So in a month and a half, well 2 months i guess, i was able to do that. That was also with little (unfortunetly) excercise. I went from size 36 waist down to 34, and if i HAD to i could sqeeze into 32. My goal is 29

Just remmeber, if you feel like a big mac, go eat one. Once you get into the "healthy food groove" that big mac will make you wanna puke

 

[abracadabra1]

okay i've been reading some pretty whacky things here so let's straighten that all out.
first of all- no carbohydrates= unhealthy and not a great way to diet.
splitting your carb/protein/fat diet into 1/3- not a great idea. first of all, your fat intake in this instance is way too high. you want it to be at 15-20% of your total intake. any more than that and you're gonna risk some serious health problems when you get "older".

i don't have a lot of time so i thought i'd help you out-
1) diet should be split into 60/20/20 or 60/25/15 (carb/protein/fat)
2) try to eat around 10-25% fewer calories than you normally do (the 10-25 is a large range because depending on amount you eat this can be decreased severely or just a tad)
3) no carbs after 5pm period. so make sure you pack in those carbs during breakfast and lunch- remember, carbohydrates are your main source of energy!
4) try to stick to simple carbohydrates (simple sugars). avoid your complex carbs because your body has to work harder to break those bonds to tap into the energy supply.
5) 45 minutes cardiovascular exercise 5 days a week at 60-85% max heart rate. start out at 60% and work your way up slowly to 85. although 45 minutes is a lot, it does not have to be done all in one shot. you can do 25 minutes in morning, 20 at night or 40 in morning and 5 at night or even 15 in morning, 15 in afternoon, and 15 at night. this has been proven to be just as effective as 45 minutes of consistant cardio workout (morning is the best time and you'll get best results).
6) lastly, for now, stay away from weights, for now. stick to cardio work, and later move on to weights for muscle tone and definition and then move on to growth.

i've gotta go, but gl man! long road ahead of you, but it's well worth it!

 

[XMan]

Ye, Gods, eating healthy is expensive! Tuesday is my typical grocery shopping night, and I spent about 30 bucks more than I usually do, and I got less food. There must be some sort of conspiracy to keep junk food prices lower than decent stuff.

Anyway, all is going pretty well so far save for the fact that there were a couple of periods during the day that I felt like gnawing my arm off. (Anybody read "Survivor Type" by Stephen King? Very engrossing, but I digress).

So anywayz, here's how I did today . . .

Breakfast - can of sliced pineapples (300 calories or so according to the can, sugar free)

Lunch - chicken salad from Mancino's, glass of lemonade. The salad had mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, green paper, and grilled chicken. I had light ranch dressing. My coworkers, the bastards that they are, enjoyed Mancino's world famous nachoes.

Dinner - bowl of Special K (1% milk, I loathe skim), an apple, and some air-popped popcorn.

I drank a couple bottles of water at work, had more water dotted throughout the day, and a Diet Coke about 3 this afternoon. When I got home, I road 6 miles on my mountain bike (cross country, which is rough) and did some situps. I'm going to an arm-and-chest weightlifting series before I go to bed.

Before this my typical day would have been no breakfast, candy bar around ten, wherever we went from lunch - take your pick of pizza, Chinese buffet, Hardee's, Burger King, etc. For dinner, I usually would have fast food again. :|

 

[chess9]

XeroxMan:

Excellent start. I'd take a multivitamin once a day also.

But, way to go. Nice balance of carbs, protein, and fat. You probably hit about 10-20% fat with that routine. Also, as one poster noted, keep on keeping on. Persistence is your most important trait for this task.

Good luck.

Edit: Here's something that motivates me since I like to compete. A few years ago I put on about 15 extra pounds and started working out. I told myself I was going to do a Century (100 mile bike ride) that was scheduled in about 2 months. I kept that event as my focus and goal. Worked like a charm for me. You might find a bike riding club and do Saturday or Sunday morning rides. Great way to meet people as well. -Robert

 

[Howard]

it's all about effort