Any fitness & nutrition savvy members able to help?
Discussion
For you fitness and nutrition experts out there, I was wondering if you can help.
I need to lose a fair bit of weight, around 20kg, as fast as I can in time for a medical in a few months. I'm not concerned about losing muscle, I just desperatley need to get the scales to say the right thing in time.
What is the best way to do this? I have a fairly active lifestyle but I'm already a big person carrying alot of extra weight. I will be doing a few 22 mile round trip commutes per week with some interval training, but the diet I feel really is my problem.
Is it a case of slimfast from now on? I'm aware there are hundreds of different diets and fads out there, but in all honesty if I can hit the scales and pass the medical for my new job, I will be happy. I'm aware some are short term and the weight piles back on once you go back to a "normal" diet, but that wouldn't be a problem.
What is the best way to drop alot of weight quickly whilst being able to function and continue cardio workouts?
LD
I need to lose a fair bit of weight, around 20kg, as fast as I can in time for a medical in a few months. I'm not concerned about losing muscle, I just desperatley need to get the scales to say the right thing in time.
What is the best way to do this? I have a fairly active lifestyle but I'm already a big person carrying alot of extra weight. I will be doing a few 22 mile round trip commutes per week with some interval training, but the diet I feel really is my problem.
Is it a case of slimfast from now on? I'm aware there are hundreds of different diets and fads out there, but in all honesty if I can hit the scales and pass the medical for my new job, I will be happy. I'm aware some are short term and the weight piles back on once you go back to a "normal" diet, but that wouldn't be a problem.
What is the best way to drop alot of weight quickly whilst being able to function and continue cardio workouts?
LD
it sounds stupid, but there is only 1 simple formula that works- less in more out!
can you give a bit more detail about how what your starting at, what the target is and exactly how long?
next step, if you have a smart phone- download 'my fitness pal'. this is an awesome tool for weight loss, you just need to log accurately everything you eat. and I mean everything, that spread of butter on your toast, that handful of wine gums, that chocolate biscuit you have with your tea at work just because its there...... everything. you will be surprised at how many calories are in certain foods. now we all know chocolate and crisps are bad for us (but they taste good!)but when you see how much of you daily % they use up, then you realise they have to go.
but simple things that I've found really effective:
- swap white bread for brown/ wholemeal bread
- minimize carbs (eg try not to have lots of bread, pasta, rice...)
- quit fizzy juice, so many wasted calories in coke
- quit the booze
- ditch the oil- use fry light spray, grill things
- food prep- its a pain in the hoop, but you need to plan ahead
can you give a quick menu/food diary of what you'd eat in an average day?
can you give a bit more detail about how what your starting at, what the target is and exactly how long?
next step, if you have a smart phone- download 'my fitness pal'. this is an awesome tool for weight loss, you just need to log accurately everything you eat. and I mean everything, that spread of butter on your toast, that handful of wine gums, that chocolate biscuit you have with your tea at work just because its there...... everything. you will be surprised at how many calories are in certain foods. now we all know chocolate and crisps are bad for us (but they taste good!)but when you see how much of you daily % they use up, then you realise they have to go.
but simple things that I've found really effective:
- swap white bread for brown/ wholemeal bread
- minimize carbs (eg try not to have lots of bread, pasta, rice...)
- quit fizzy juice, so many wasted calories in coke
- quit the booze
- ditch the oil- use fry light spray, grill things
- food prep- its a pain in the hoop, but you need to plan ahead
can you give a quick menu/food diary of what you'd eat in an average day?
The only way to lose weight is to consume less calories then you burn. end of.
How you choose to do it is up to you.
Fad diets are that, fads. You're better off making changes to what you eat by either eating less of it, burning more of it, or making lower calorie swaps. Asses your diet and see what you really don't need/what you can cut back on.
Everyone will tell you the first few things you can cut back on is sugar. No more sugary drinks, infact don't drink your calories (so only have water, or diet drinks). then cut back on takeaways etc.
Food swaps. Be wary. Sure brown bread is 'better' for you, but some can have a little more calories then white, but it will leave you fuller. Remember that at the end of the day its all about calories. Most food swaps should be done with the intention of them being lower calorie (doesn't mean eat more of it) and more filling. protein, complex carbs & high fiber foods will leave you fuller for longer. drink plenty of water when eating as it helps to make you feel full.
Exercise. It will raise the amount of calories you burn in a day, increasing the deficit, meaning you'll lose more over time (as long as you're consistent). If you're a very large person then do low impact exercise. Cycle, elliptical machine at the gym, or simply walk/hike.
How many calories? It's up to you. Google 'TDEE calculator' find out what yours is and work towards a deficit of 500-1000 while plugging in your calories consumed into the MyFitnessPal app.
many people (men) find sticking to anywhere from 1500-2000cals a day + exercise very effective.
How you choose to do it is up to you.
Fad diets are that, fads. You're better off making changes to what you eat by either eating less of it, burning more of it, or making lower calorie swaps. Asses your diet and see what you really don't need/what you can cut back on.
Everyone will tell you the first few things you can cut back on is sugar. No more sugary drinks, infact don't drink your calories (so only have water, or diet drinks). then cut back on takeaways etc.
Food swaps. Be wary. Sure brown bread is 'better' for you, but some can have a little more calories then white, but it will leave you fuller. Remember that at the end of the day its all about calories. Most food swaps should be done with the intention of them being lower calorie (doesn't mean eat more of it) and more filling. protein, complex carbs & high fiber foods will leave you fuller for longer. drink plenty of water when eating as it helps to make you feel full.
Exercise. It will raise the amount of calories you burn in a day, increasing the deficit, meaning you'll lose more over time (as long as you're consistent). If you're a very large person then do low impact exercise. Cycle, elliptical machine at the gym, or simply walk/hike.
How many calories? It's up to you. Google 'TDEE calculator' find out what yours is and work towards a deficit of 500-1000 while plugging in your calories consumed into the MyFitnessPal app.
many people (men) find sticking to anywhere from 1500-2000cals a day + exercise very effective.
What he^ said. Create a moderate calorie deficit, by cutting out all the naughty stuff and having strictly three meals a day. No snacking; if you're on the verge of killing someone between meals make your snack water!
If you starve yourself, your body will cling to its stores and not dump weight at all.
How much do you weigh now? And how tall?
If you starve yourself, your body will cling to its stores and not dump weight at all.
How much do you weigh now? And how tall?
When I hit 38yrs I made some simple changes due to myself spotting the pounds going on slowly.
I cut down a lot on cakes , biscuits and dished up smaller portions. I ate the same but as I say, the portion were what they should have been. I also exercised ( and still do ) 4 days week in my gym and do the odd floor workout while watching TV.
You will see the weight come off and when you do it makes yourself even more stricter.
This way your still getting the food you like but in the correct volume. I also do not drink and never had.
I cut down a lot on cakes , biscuits and dished up smaller portions. I ate the same but as I say, the portion were what they should have been. I also exercised ( and still do ) 4 days week in my gym and do the odd floor workout while watching TV.
You will see the weight come off and when you do it makes yourself even more stricter.
This way your still getting the food you like but in the correct volume. I also do not drink and never had.
V8mate said:
What he^ said. Create a moderate calorie deficit, by cutting out all the naughty stuff and having strictly three meals a day. No snacking; if you're on the verge of killing someone between meals make your snack water!
If you starve yourself, your body will cling to its stores and not dump weight at all.
I sort of disagree with one point ... having more frequent, smaller meals to keep the hunger at bay works for me. And use myfitnesspal to track your intake.If you starve yourself, your body will cling to its stores and not dump weight at all.
LaneDiesel said:
For you fitness and nutrition experts out there, I was wondering if you can help.
I need to lose a fair bit of weight, around 20kg, as fast as I can in time for a medical in a few months. I'm not concerned about losing muscle, I just desperatley need to get the scales to say the right thing in time.
What is the best way to do this? I have a fairly active lifestyle but I'm already a big person carrying alot of extra weight. I will be doing a few 22 mile round trip commutes per week with some interval training, but the diet I feel really is my problem.
Is it a case of slimfast from now on? I'm aware there are hundreds of different diets and fads out there, but in all honesty if I can hit the scales and pass the medical for my new job, I will be happy. I'm aware some are short term and the weight piles back on once you go back to a "normal" diet, but that wouldn't be a problem.
What is the best way to drop alot of weight quickly whilst being able to function and continue cardio workouts?
LD
Get MyFitnessPal, log everything religiously (weigh your portions!) and you will lose weight if you stick to the targets. It really is that simple I need to lose a fair bit of weight, around 20kg, as fast as I can in time for a medical in a few months. I'm not concerned about losing muscle, I just desperatley need to get the scales to say the right thing in time.
What is the best way to do this? I have a fairly active lifestyle but I'm already a big person carrying alot of extra weight. I will be doing a few 22 mile round trip commutes per week with some interval training, but the diet I feel really is my problem.
Is it a case of slimfast from now on? I'm aware there are hundreds of different diets and fads out there, but in all honesty if I can hit the scales and pass the medical for my new job, I will be happy. I'm aware some are short term and the weight piles back on once you go back to a "normal" diet, but that wouldn't be a problem.
What is the best way to drop alot of weight quickly whilst being able to function and continue cardio workouts?
LD
bigandclever said:
I sort of disagree with one point ... having more frequent, smaller meals to keep the hunger at bay works for me. And use myfitnesspal to track your intake.
it depends on the person. some like 4-6 small ones a day. some like 3. some like 1. if the deficit is the same, the end result will be the same. I'm sure OP will figure what he prefers.ambuletz said:
bigandclever said:
I sort of disagree with one point ... having more frequent, smaller meals to keep the hunger at bay works for me. And use myfitnesspal to track your intake.
it depends on the person. some like 4-6 small ones a day. some like 3. some like 1. if the deficit is the same, the end result will be the same. I'm sure OP will figure what he prefers.
Slow and steady wins the race for me.
Here's a few of the things I do on the intake side of things:
- Do everything I can to avoid unhealthy snacks at work
- I try to eat breakfast at 10am which tides me over to lunch
- Do the weekly shop online so not tempted to buy crisps/biscuits/sweets to keep at home
- Overnight oats for breakfast at work every day (except Friday) to keep breakfast healthy
- Watch portion sizes at lunch/dinner
- I do my best to eat v healthy Mon-Thurs
- Friday I allow myself a bacon sarnie for breakfast if required(!)
- Weekends I don't worry about it too much and eat what I want
- No booze on a school night (this helped me a lot!)
- Hungry after dinner...i'll have a cup of tea
Regular exercise.
It's hard to our exercise a bad diet but I find exercise crucial in keeping the weight off. I try to cycle to work 3 times a week which usually nets me circa 20-25km per day. I'll also aim for 2 x 5km runs per week. It doesn't always work out that way but if I'm exercising regularly I'm more likely to stay motivated to eat well.
Here's a few of the things I do on the intake side of things:
- Do everything I can to avoid unhealthy snacks at work
- I try to eat breakfast at 10am which tides me over to lunch
- Do the weekly shop online so not tempted to buy crisps/biscuits/sweets to keep at home
- Overnight oats for breakfast at work every day (except Friday) to keep breakfast healthy
- Watch portion sizes at lunch/dinner
- I do my best to eat v healthy Mon-Thurs
- Friday I allow myself a bacon sarnie for breakfast if required(!)
- Weekends I don't worry about it too much and eat what I want
- No booze on a school night (this helped me a lot!)
- Hungry after dinner...i'll have a cup of tea
Regular exercise.
It's hard to our exercise a bad diet but I find exercise crucial in keeping the weight off. I try to cycle to work 3 times a week which usually nets me circa 20-25km per day. I'll also aim for 2 x 5km runs per week. It doesn't always work out that way but if I'm exercising regularly I'm more likely to stay motivated to eat well.
LordGrover said:
The OPer isn't talking about healthy.Eat one packet of McCoy's a day. Nothing else. You will lose weight.
Hoofy said:
LordGrover said:
The OPer isn't talking about healthy.Hoofy said:
The OPer isn't talking about healthy.
Eat one packet of McCoy's a day. Nothing else. You will lose weight.
inevitable link. guy losiing weight eating junk food/twinikies.Eat one packet of McCoy's a day. Nothing else. You will lose weight.
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.d...
there's also the guy who lost 27lbs eating only pizza.
https://munchies.vice.com/en/articles/this-man-cla...
My fitness pal all the way.
I found after a couple of months of religiously entering every thing I ate or drank that my habits had changed and found it less important to log everything.
On top of that I started regular exercise. Nothing out of the ordinary and made it part of my daily routine.
I admit to being fortunate, only 3 miles to work so cycled everyday, and a basic gym on site, so 1/2 hour 3 times a week with some weights.
Nothing there ground breaking but it worked, shifted 1 1/2 stones and definitely much trimmer now.
I found after a couple of months of religiously entering every thing I ate or drank that my habits had changed and found it less important to log everything.
On top of that I started regular exercise. Nothing out of the ordinary and made it part of my daily routine.
I admit to being fortunate, only 3 miles to work so cycled everyday, and a basic gym on site, so 1/2 hour 3 times a week with some weights.
Nothing there ground breaking but it worked, shifted 1 1/2 stones and definitely much trimmer now.
LordGrover said:
Hoofy said:
LordGrover said:
The OPer isn't talking about healthy.ambuletz said:
Hoofy said:
The OPer isn't talking about healthy.
Eat one packet of McCoy's a day. Nothing else. You will lose weight.
inevitable link. guy losiing weight eating junk food/twinikies.Eat one packet of McCoy's a day. Nothing else. You will lose weight.
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.d...
there's also the guy who lost 27lbs eating only pizza.
https://munchies.vice.com/en/articles/this-man-cla...
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