# What do you think is the best way to lose weight?



## Demon (Feb 9, 2013)

What do you think is the best way to lose weight?


----------



## m3l-mrq3z (Feb 9, 2013)

Staying outside of the USA.


lol jk...eat well. Eating less is not really the key to lose weight. Ask a pro for an eating plan suited to your needs.


----------



## Marv Attaxx (Feb 9, 2013)

Intermittent Fasting. You don't even have to work out to lose weight. But I'd recommend it


----------



## Infamous Impact (Feb 9, 2013)

Lop a limb off. Instant weight loss!


----------



## Marv Attaxx (Feb 9, 2013)

Also: Spaceship


----------



## djpharoah (Feb 9, 2013)

One option on there - eat fucking less/healthier shit.


----------



## TheKindred (Feb 9, 2013)

Marv Attaxx said:


> Intermittent Fasting. You don't even have to work out to lose weight. But I'd recommend it



Yep. IF combined with _quality_ food intake will do wonders. Figure out your maintenance needs and then focus on your macronutrients.


----------



## Demon (Feb 9, 2013)

Guys, to be honest I created this thread because Im overweight and Im just not so sure what is the best way to lose my weight. I do eat a lot and I rarely do exercise at all. I dont really know what exactly Im supposed to eat to lose weight though. And I have no idea whats the food Im eating that caused me to gain weight so much.


----------



## TheKindred (Feb 9, 2013)

High protein, medium carbs and low fat. That will slowly and steadily get you there, if you can stick to it.

If you want to get faster results, I found intermittent fasting and exercise to complement the first bit nicely.

Be very honest with yourself though. It's easy to get overweight and be lazy; unless you are absolutely committed to change (which is extremely hard work to maintain), you won't get lasting results. You're looking at a lifestyle overhaul. Good Luck (no sarcasm intended).


----------



## AxeHappy (Feb 9, 2013)

Eating healthy foods and weight lifting. 

You can actually eat a pretty shocking amount of healthy food, especially if you're lifting. If you're hungry, you aren't doing it right. 

Also, don't eat a strict 100% "healthy" diet. Aside from giving you crazy cravings that will guarantee you to fail, but you will deplete your body of various hormones that actually help you burn fat. About 90% healthy is all you need. Get your craving/happy/comfort food and lose fat faster! 

Also:
Focus more on body fat percentage vs. lean muscle mass on less on weight. 

And the intermittent fasting things is good to. I'm about 30 minutes away from finishing a 24 hour fast.


----------



## UnderTheSign (Feb 10, 2013)

djpharoah said:


> One option on there - eat fucking less/healthier shit.


The foundation of all weight loss.


----------



## JP Universe (Feb 10, 2013)

Food


----------



## Diggy (Feb 10, 2013)

The 3 places I'd start..

1. Drink lots of water.. maybe even do a cleansing cycle to rid yourself of toxins.

2. Exercise stimulates metabolism, muscle growth, and weight loss.. so thats a given

3. Of course, change your diet. Make sure to eat a good size breakfast, mostly consisting of easy to digest foods like fruits and such. Then eat several times a day, smaller portions than the average "3X a day" meals. This will also stimulate metabolism.

Another important thing to think about is to keep some of your normal activities. Dont try quitting everything cold turkey, you are less likely to stick with the new program if you do IMO.


----------



## Greatoliver (Feb 10, 2013)

Self-discipline.

Exercise is a great way of burning calories and building muscle. More muscle = higher basal calorie requirement.

Restricting your calorie intake is essential as it forces your body to burn fat to accommodate for the lack of calorie intake.


However, both require self-discipline. If you exercise and then eat more, thinking that you need to eat more because you've exercised, you won't lose weight. If you exercise in a half-hearted way, then it's not really beneficial. Get some motivation, direct it into effective action, then you will achieve whatever goal you want.

The most significant battle to losing weight is in the mind. By getting into the right mindset, you CAN make the changes you want, and you will BE what you want.


----------



## theoctopus (Feb 10, 2013)

I'm just going to throw a few things out there. I have a Master's in Nutrition and have done a fair amount of research on similar topics. Everything I'll say here has been backed by research and is the current scientific consensus. That doesn't mean that anything anybody is doing is wrong or doesn't work. Research only indicates what works for the general population, and doesn't reflect individual success rates.

1. Exercise, when used alone, has not been proven to aid in weight loss. It has, however, been proven to aid in weight loss maintenance. Simple math and common sense, however, indicates that, when employed alongside a healthy diet, exercise is a great way to drop weight, while still being able to eat enough to reach satiety.

2. Low fat diets aren't good for losing weight fast. Low carb diets aren't good for keeping the weight off long-term. There is research currently being done on alternating the two (i.e. dropping weight with a low carb diet, then switching to low fat to achieve a new set point), but results have not been published.

3. Diet plans, on the whole, are not effective. What does work, however, are two approaches: energy density and intuitive eating. Energy density focuses on eating foods that are not dense in calories. In this way, you can still have a full plate and a full stomach (which means that you'll feel happy about what you've eaten). Compare, for example, a plate that has a whole sandwich, a salad, and fruit on it, versus a plate that has a small burger and a small side of fries. Intuitive eating means focusing on your hunger level, and eating when you're at a 3 out of 10, and stopping when you're at a 7 out of 10. This, of course, requires slow eating, since it takes approximately 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain that you're full.

4. Approximate your daily energy needs using any one of the available calculators online. Subtract 500 kcal a day (for a total of 3500 kcal a week), and that's a pound lost per week. You should target 1-2 pounds per week in total weight loss. Anything more, and you're losing water weight or you're causing potential physiological harm to your body. That 3500 kcal deficit can be achieved either through your diet or by increasing your physical activity level.

5. When you do eat high-fat foods, target ones that are either darkly colored and/or rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (like avocado or extra virgin live oil). Diets rich in monounsaturated fats have been shown to, when used in moderation, not increase body weight or body fat, while lowering cholesterol. Equally, darkly colored food sources are rich in secondary metabolites (not macronutrients, not even micronutrients) that are potentially incredibly bioactive. Extra virgin olive oil, for example, is rich in oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol, both of which are very impressive vasoprotectants.

There's a ton more info, but this is already tl;dr status. I hope some of this is helpful!


----------



## SP1N3SPL1TT3R (Feb 10, 2013)

Crystal meth.


----------



## BHuard75 (Mar 1, 2013)

Demon said:


> What do you think is the best way to lose weight?



EF'N SubWay. Jared did it.


----------



## troyguitar (Mar 1, 2013)

Just eat less than you burn. Work on everything else after you get to that point.

Seems like most people make this way too complicated.


----------



## Leuchty (Mar 1, 2013)

I'm going to say Gym.

Keeps you motivated and usually there are professionals there to help you and advise you.


----------



## leandroab (Mar 1, 2013)

1- Eat right: Make a meal plan with a nutritionist.

2- Exercise frequently: Go to a GOOD gym and ask for a QUALIFIED professional to make a workout plan for you.

That's it.


----------



## sage (Mar 7, 2013)

Over the course of my life, I've lost thousands of pounds. Unfortunately, I've gained 345 more than I've lost. I'm back on the wagon now and here's some info on what's worked for me in the past and what I expect to work for me this year as I attempt to hit 250lbs before my 40th birthday on Nov. 5.

1: 85% of my success is going to lie in the nutrition area. If I can maintain portion control, fill myself up with tasty salads, lean protein, lots of fruits and veggies, and complex carbs while staying away from sweets, baked goods, ice cream, etc., I'm going to lose 100 lbs again. I am a big fan of the cheat meal/cheat day philosophy. We all need a piece of pie now and again.

2: The 15% that comprises my exercise is incredibly important. It is important to exercise 6 days out of every 7 and the reason for this is that when I exercise, I eat better. I don't know why, but for me, psychologically, if I don't exercise I just eat whatever, but if I'm active I eat like an athlete. Fucked up? Oh yes. But when my muscles are sore and I'm exhausted, I eat incredibly well to refuel. 

People go on and on about what exercise is the best for losing weight. The reality is that the exercise that you like and will do is the best one. For me, that means large muscle group weight lifting, biking, and swimming. By extension, I run because I like triathlons. I hate the running, but I do it anyway. There was this ad for a shoe that stated, "Some athletes train to run, other athletes run as part of their training, but make no mistake, all athletes run." If you hate running but like the cardio benefit, elliptical trainers are great, biking is fantastic. 

There is a lot of truth to the fact that the more muscle you have, the more that muscle works to keep you lean. I do recommend doing some large group weight lifting if you can. I only do 6 exercises at the gym: Bench Press, Squats, Standing Dead Lift, Lat Pulldowns, Seated Rows, and Upright Rows. Each exercise works a large muscle group together rather than isolating one muscle at a time. I go with my girlfriend, who wanted to add muscle for her upcoming roller derby season, and the whole mess takes about an hour with her, I usually get through it in 40 minutes on my own. Right now, I'm weight training every other day with her to help her reach her strength goals. In 6 weeks, I'll probably only lift twice a week tops. 

But here is the biggest key to success: Log it. Log it all. Log all the food, all the exercise, all the water, all the daily scale readings. All of it. Even the bad stuff. Even the 3 scoop fudge sundae with marshmallow sauce. Even the day you decided that running in the rain was for losers. If you're accountable to yourself in your log book, you're going to do the right thing more often than you don't. Because nobody wants to write down, "1 large meat lovers' pizza, 22 chicken wings, 2L root beer, 3 snickers bars, and a large extra butter popcorn," in their notebook. Another benefit of the log is that, if you find that you've plateaued or that you're not getting the results you want, you can always take the book in to a professional and ask them to look it over for you. For those of us who are too locked into tech, there is a subscription site at fitnessjournal.com that I used to use that has great graphs and stuff. I've been trying the mapmyfitness app, but it's a little clunky for me and I may just bite the bullet and subscribe to fitnessjournal.com again. At $40/year it's really good at what it does. 

I hope this has been helpful.


----------



## Uncreative123 (Mar 7, 2013)

Low carbs. /thread


----------



## UnderTheSign (Mar 8, 2013)

sage said:


> There is a lot of truth to the fact that the more muscle you have, the more that muscle works to keep you lean. I do recommend doing some large group weight lifting if you can. I only do 6 exercises at the gym: Bench Press, Squats, Standing Dead Lift, Lat Pulldowns, Seated Rows, and Upright Rows. Each exercise works a large muscle group together rather than isolating one muscle at a time. I go with my girlfriend, who wanted to add muscle for her upcoming roller derby season, and the whole mess takes about an hour with her, I usually get through it in 40 minutes on my own. Right now, I'm weight training every other day with her to help her reach her strength goals. In 6 weeks, I'll probably only lift twice a week tops.


So you have 3 of the big 4 lifts, then 3 additional back exercises?


----------



## ElCid (Mar 13, 2013)

Work out with someone at your fit level and motivate each other.

If getting out is tough due to your schedule, borrow someone's p90x and follow it, its working for me and didnt need a gym membership. Not just exercise. Not just diet. You gotta do both and realize you are mentally strong enough to have the discipline. That's half the battle.

Spaceship works too.


----------



## Majkel (Mar 14, 2013)

I'll completely bow my head to theoctopus here, and I agree with all of it.

The cents I'd like to add are:

1. It's exceedingly simple. Use more calories then you put in your body and your body will decrease in weight. Now, the modification to that truth is ofc that "weight" includes both fat and muscle, and I know of absolutely no one who wants to get rid of the latter. Thus protein should be the main staple of your diet.

2. Diets are shit. A "diet" by default indicates something that you're doing temporarily. Something that has a finish line and a goal. It's an "exercise". What you _need_ is a change of lifestyle, that will BECOME your lifestyle. This new lifestyle needs to work for you, and it needs to work effortlessly and long term. Macro nutrient composition of your diet becomes very important when you have specific exercise goals, but for the average person just trying to lose weight - just try cutting down on the fast carbs first. That's an easy change to make.

3. Learn to "see" how much food you need. There's a wonderful app for your iPhone called ShapeUp which links to ShapeUp Club. That'll give you an estimate daily caloric requirement, and it's great for logging the stuff you eat. The longer you use it the easier it will be for you to grasp how many calories are actually IN the food we all stick in our gob. This is something that most people have virtually no idea about, and it's a sure fire way to fool yourself into eating too much.

4. Weigh and cook your own food. The above app will become infinitely more useful if you actually KNOW what's in the stuff you're eating. After you've cooked your own meals for a while and learned their caloric value, it will be much easier to eat out and still have a grasp of how many calories you're eating.

5. Start going to the gym. Metabolism increases, strength and posture get better which feeds motivation to keep going, you won't end up a skinny little shrimp but rather you'll end up with a body you're proud of.

I would say good luck, but luck is not the issue. Work hard, and be accountable to yourself. Don't be afraid to fail, and get right back up when you do. And you WILL have bad days eating/exercise-wise. But keep in mind that that doesn't matter, because you're not on a diet. It's your lifestyle. You'll have the rest of your life to fix that day, not just the remaining 90 days until your diet is over.


----------



## ElCid (Mar 14, 2013)

Just to clarify and agree with Maj, " I just need to make it through my 90 day body for life, insanity, p90 etc, then I'll be fit" is the wrong thought process. These programs or similar may be a good way to start for you especially if your clueless. The "diet" part will help you sort out what food is good if you don't know, and how much you need versus what you want. Most programs will recommend you chart and keep track of your food and your exercize and they also have local and or online support and encouragement available. Eating sensibly, being more active , and undestanding you are not perfect but definitely worth the effort starts to become who you are. Good luck


----------



## ghostred7 (Mar 18, 2013)

ElCid said:


> Not just exercise. Not just diet. You gotta do both and realize you are mentally strong enough to have the discipline. That's half the battle.


This is the summary of why I put "other."


----------



## CrownofWorms (Mar 18, 2013)

Self Discipline and Motivation will be your drive. Being a teenager and being around kids that have been slim and skinny throughout their lives eating shit all the time would bother you somewhat. But hey everyone's different and they weren't going through a moment of life being abhorrently sick in the hospital for a month, nor being a fat kid when they were younger to being overweight throughout the early teens. That's when the discipline kicks in

I lost about 40 pounds since September to now. I used to be 220 something pounds at 5,11 ft, now around 180 at 6.0 ft at 17

I pretty much started with just the method I learned from all those hours watching DBZ. Eat right, Sleep Well, Workout. The 3 simple steps to getting fit imo. Which meant cutting out all the shitty foods like chips, candy, soda etc.... Eating a lot of veggies, fruit, and nuts. 

It all starts on your diet

I stopped snacking excessively and started to eat only when I'm hungry or when I had my 3 meals a day (you can still snack, but only if it is healthy)

On a side note I just became more conscious with a "eat this not that" mindset. Plus I became primarily vegetarian with my eating (now I would still eat meat once and a while), seafood is still part of my diet, but I never really ate a lot of seafood anyway. 

Right now I'm hitting the gym at least once a week to tone up a bit (wish I can go more though). I have always walked a lot before and after September of 2012.


----------



## Dehumanized (Mar 19, 2013)

I did P90X and lost 44 pounds/20 kilos. Stopped working out and gained again haha right now however I'm interested in the Paleolithic/Caveman-diet and the Swedish equivalent LCHF/Low Carb High Fat. I started LCHF kind of half assed but I'm feeling less bloated and I really don't get "food coma" anymore, I feel energetic all the time. It just makes sense to cut out all the carbs we don't need and all the proccessed foods that contain so much shit. Check out Mark Sisson if this sounds interesting ^^


----------



## XEN (Mar 19, 2013)

Fast walking for extended periods. Speed walking even. If you really go for it, awkward stride and all, it's intense.


----------



## EOT (Mar 21, 2013)

The ketogenic diet. Or if you are really active with intense/heavy exercise, the cyclical ketogenic diet. Just exercising can help. Brisk walking 20-30 minutes a day would be good. But remember, it takes a lot longer to burn calories than to eat them. So diet is the most important thing. And you have to be consistent.


----------



## metalmonster (Mar 24, 2013)

Well ... i eat as healthy as possible, and i tend to avoid snack foods to save money and i tend to walk a lot since years ... 

... still, i don't seem to be losing much belly fat. What can I do ? Abs perhaps ?


----------

