Dieting & Weight Loss

[The People's Hero]

Hi All,

I know there are a few personal trainers on here and no doubt others who know a fair bit and/or have dieted at some point.

I'm currently eating a calorie controlled diet - which tends to be less than 1,000 calories a day (I'm doing quite well)

I have lost only 2lbs in 9 days, but thats not too bad I suppose. Ultimately I'd like to lose 20 lbs.

I would like to do some exercises at home (in the comfort of my lounge). What is the best thing to do for weight loss?

I have currently been doing squats (with and without weights) to raise my heart rate, as well as press ups. Is there anything better I could be doing? The idea behind the squats is that they are of reasonably high intensity and can be done quite quickly, raising the heart rate for a while, before the next set AND that they work a lot of muscles hence burning calories AND that it will increase the size of the GLUTIUS MAXIMUS (or whatever its called) a large muscle which was then burn more calories by increasing metabolism even at rest.

The gyms locally all want a lot of money for me to sign up and I just can't dedicate enough time to make it worthwhile. Can anyone help?

Another question - I'm taking sea kelp tablets - any idea if these work? I have read that they can be effective at increasing metabolism.

Am I an idiot or is any of the above the right thing to do?

I'm very dedicated to this and will make any sacrifice in terms of diet, I just don't have much free time on my hands.

Would appreciate any suggestions/feedback

James

[Julian Joachim Jr Shabadoo]

I went from almost 15 stone to just over 10 stone in a matter of about 6 months - 18 months on and I've kept pretty much all the weight off

Didn't bother with any pills of additives or anything. Basically halved my portion sizes, substituted fatty snacks for oranges and I think most importantly - aim to cut out carbs altogether. I was also cycling about 15 miles a day for a bit which I think helped speed up the weight loss but being really mindful of what you eat is the quickest way

You'll be surprised how quickly you adapt to eating small portions. Just don't be surprised if a radical diet change makes you shit pellets or something more liquid for a bit. Hope this helps!

[indierich06]

I don't know much about training, but I do the Slimming World diet. Really enjoying it at the minute and I think it's worth looking into as you can still enjoy large portions of food etc and if you follow it, the weight does come off. It's all to do with food optimising. I was skeptical at first, but in my first week I lost 7lb, second week 3lb and third week 4lb. A stone in three weeks - no exercise at all. Works for me, definitely.

[The People's Hero]

I don't know much about training, but I do the Slimming World diet. Really enjoying it at the minute and I think it's worth looking into as you can still enjoy large portions of food etc and if you follow it, the weight does come off. It's all to do with food optimising. I was skeptical at first, but in my first week I lost 7lb, second week 3lb and third week 4lb. A stone in three weeks - no exercise at all. Works for me, definitely.

Really? That is an impressive result.

I was a bit disappointed to only lose 2lbs in over a week having not eaten more than 1000 calories on any day, but that said I do lead a quite sedentary lifestyle.

Do you mind me asking how much you weighed to start with?

Is there any danger in cutting out carbs altogether? Is that the central thrust of the Atkins diet?

[FoxLAD]

i did slimming world also, lost about hlf a stone in 10 days, good thing about it, it doesn't even feel like you're on a diet.

a couple of mates of mine are using a exercise routine from a guy on youtube, it just 5-10 mins of hit training a day and you dont need to use any equipment.

the guy is called mike chang from six pack shortcuts. could give that a try?

hope this helps.

[The People's Hero]

i did slimming world also, lost about hlf a stone in 10 days, good thing about it, it doesn't even feel like you're on a diet.

a couple of mates of mine are using a exercise routine from a guy on youtube, it just 5-10 mins of hit training a day and you dont need to use any equipment.

the guy is called mike chang from six pack shortcuts. could give that a try?

hope this helps.

Will do - thanks.

Does Slimming World charge a fee?

Anyone happy to send me a copy of what it involves what the plan is?

[FoxLAD]

for the meetings i believe so but my mums friend went so i got all the books free.

there is loads of forums that would be able to help you.

[Julian Joachim Jr Shabadoo]

Is there any danger in cutting out carbs altogether? Is that the central thrust of the Atkins diet?

Possibly... I said "aim to" because you'll always end up having some in some dishes/snacks, but I was careful to not eat chips/bread/crisps - stodgy stuff that even though may not necessarily be high in fat, will tend to make you gain weight. I don't know if there's any danger in trying to not eat carbs (I doubt Eskimos do and they seem ok) - but what I did was to lose the weight quickly. When I got to a weight I was happy with, I started eating the things I like again but in moderation. Plus, now I'm slimmer I can't eat massive portions that I used to so maintaining a lower weight has been easier than I expected

[Unabomber]

Wow strong starvation diet.

I went from 18 stone to 11 over the last few years, and im now 12.5 stone after bulking for a while.

Basically eating less than 1000kcal is waaaay to little, bear in mind a 8 year old girl needs around 1800kcals. By eating such a little amount you are putting yourself at risk of long term hormonal issues and general health problems. Also it will **** your metabolism up and you will stop losing weight all together.

What is your current weight? Height?

You should be eating at least 2000kcals a day especially if you are also working out. Also it is best to eat a higher protein diet in order to preserve any muscle mass and focus on losing fat. Fats are also important to regulate hormonal balace and not leave you fatigued, this means in general carbs can be reduced (not taken out completely).

Also I used a website to track my calories (foodfocus.co.uk) and that really helped me, and my friend who I am currently training. It keeps a log of your diet, you can enter foods, set goals and see how many calories different foods have and how many cals different exercises/sports burn.

[Ric Flair]

Get yerself a kettlebell or two and look up some exercises on you tube. They are really good for shifting weight and toning up. For me, the best thing is running, but in this weatehrs thats the pits.

T5 fat burning pills have a short term effect along with excerise and eating better but i'm not convinced they're as good as reported.

[indierich06]

Really? That is an impressive result.

I was a bit disappointed to only lose 2lbs in over a week having not eaten more than 1000 calories on any day, but that said I do lead a quite sedentary lifestyle.

Do you mind me asking how much you weighed to start with?

Is there any danger in cutting out carbs altogether? Is that the central thrust of the Atkins diet?

I'm about 6"7 and when I started I was 19 stone, so I had it to lose anyway, but I still found I could eat all the stuff I liked and still lose weight. I was put off a bit, because you go to the meetings, they're full of women and it's all a bit 'weight watchers', but my mum and my girlfriend had great results with it, so I bit the bullet and went along. I started doing it just before Christmas, but I sacked it off over December and put 5lbs back on (eating, drinking, general merriment) and I've gone back this month - and so far I've lost 9lbs in January, so I should be on course for hitting the two stone mark by the end of the month.

The best thing about is that, unlike most diets, you don't have to cut out the carbs - I have pasta, rice or potatoes with more or less every meal I have. You can have curries and stuff like that too, you have to make it from scratch so it's healthy, but it's worth it. Every Saturday, me and the mrs have a fry up with bacon (fat trimmed off), eggs, beans, fried mushrooms, plum tomatoes and toast, and that's all 'free food' on my diet - you can have as much as you want.

It's not for everyone, but I've tried a few diets and it's certainly the best I've done.

[Ric Flair]

Wow strong starvation diet.

I went from 18 stone to 11 over the last few years, and im now 12.5 stone after bulking for a while.

Basically eating less than 1000kcal is waaaay to little, bear in mind a 8 year old girl needs around 1800kcals. By eating such a little amount you are putting yourself at risk of long term hormonal issues and general health problems. Also it will **** your metabolism up and you will stop losing weight all together.

What is your current weight? Height?

You should be eating at least 2000kcals a day especially if you are also working out. Also it is best to eat a higher protein diet in order to preserve any muscle mass and focus on losing fat. Fats are also important to regulate hormonal balace and not leave you fatigued, this means in general carbs can be reduced (not taken out completely).

Also I used a website to track my calories (foodfocus.co.uk) and that really helped me, and my friend who I am currently training. It keeps a log of your diet, you can enter foods, set goals and see how many calories different foods have and how many cals different exercises/sports burn.

I've heard that's a myth.

[The People's Hero]

I'm 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighed 13 stone 2, now 13 stone.

I don't want to risk ruining my metabolism altogether, although I suspect its very poor, I need to quicken it.

[Unabomber]

I've heard that's a myth.

It's not. I have personally experienced it. However it can be reversed by gradually upping calories and getting your body used to burning more again.

[Unabomber]

I'm 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighed 13 stone 2, now 13 stone.

I don't want to risk ruining my metabolism altogether, although I suspect its very poor, I need to quicken it.

Well I would go for 2000kcals a day and that should burn a pound a week which is a good rate, should you want to lose more then you can increase cardio and keep kcals the same.

[indierich06]

Will do - thanks.

Does Slimming World charge a fee?

Anyone happy to send me a copy of what it involves what the plan is?

I might have a spare book knocking about somewhere - I'll have a look later, it's last year's edition but it would give you the basic idea and like FoxLad says, there's loads of help on forums If I find it, I'll PM you for your address and post it to you.

It's good to go the group, definitely keeps you motivated and their scales are spot on as well, so you know when you get weighed it's exactly right. It's a tenner the first time you go (£5 to join, £5 for your first weigh in) and then a fiver a week after that. If you want to stay for the meetings you can, but most weeks I just pay, weigh and leave.

[Ric Flair]

It's not. I have personally experienced it. However it can be reversed by gradually upping calories and getting your body used to burning more again.

I always thought it was the case too as I'd heard that for years. But I did a lot of research in to metabolism when I was a hypnotherapist about 5 years ago and there was a lot of stuff that went against that theory. Either way, only eating 1000 calories a day isn't good for you.

[FoxLAD]

to help boost you metabolism you need to eat 5-6 small meals a day.

and start doing some HIIT Training.

I'm 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighed 13 stone 2, now 13 stone.

I don't want to risk ruining my metabolism altogether, although I suspect its very poor, I need to quicken it.

[Julian Joachim Jr Shabadoo]

I've heard that's a myth.

Can't be right... people who are actually starving when food isn't available don't stop losing weight do they?

I can however vouch that starvation diets aren't a good idea. A few years ago I did this and ate at maximum about 600 calories a day for about 6 weeks. Lost 2 stone, felt like shit and couldn't concentrate - when I realised I couldn't maintain the diet I put all the weight back on in about the same amount of time it took to lose in the first place

[indierich06]

I'm 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighed 13 stone 2, now 13 stone.

I don't want to risk ruining my metabolism altogether, although I suspect its very poor, I need to quicken it.

SW suggests certain fruits - berries are apparently good for speeding up your metabolism, raspberries, cranberries, blueberries. The usual stuff as well, protein - meat, oily fish (rich in Omega 3 etc), eggs - are good for speeing up metabolism, as well as drinking more water too.

[Unabomber]

I always thought it was the case too as I'd heard that for years. But I did a lot of research in to metabolism when I was a hypnotherapist about 5 years ago and there was a lot of stuff that went against that theory. Either way, only eating 1000 calories a day isn't good for you.

Well you need a certain amount of calories for you internal organs to function properly and if someones base metabolic rate is say 1500kcal and they eat below that for a while their body is not going to be thinking about burning fat, just survival.

[leicesterlad1989]

I in no way claim to be an expert but I do train hard at the gym and eat pretty well.

From what I've learnt (about myself anyway) is eating little and ofter has helped me burn fat and tone up an awful lot. I aim to eat every 3 hours. I still have my 3 main meals a day but I make sure I snack on fruits or even cans of tuna.

I tried cutting carbs out for a while...drove me round the bend so personally a balanced diet helps. Drink plenty of water, cut out fizzy/sugary drinks and the obvious fatty foods.

In terms of exercise, intensity is key. It really makes me laugh at the gym when people do say a set of arm curls, then plod about the gym talking for 10 minutes. Get your heart pumping. Weight will drop off in no time. Ultimately its how your body reacts. I'm still perfecting my eating plan now, but then again I'm a sad ****er!

[Unabomber]

to help boost you metabolism you need to eat 5-6 small meals a day.

and start doing some HIIT Training.

now this about meals is a myth, however doing HIIT will increase metabolism.

http://www.leangains.com/2010/10/top-ten-fasting-myths-debunked.html

^ deffo worth a read

[FoxLAD]

to begin with for the SW diet i found easy to remeber,

Red day - meat day- so i have no carbs then,

Green - Carbs day - so i have no meat then,

then mixing that with some exercise you'll should be fine.

[The People's Hero]

In terms of exercise, intensity is key. It really makes me laugh at the gym when people do say a set of arm curls, then plod about the gym talking for 10 minutes. Get your heart pumping. Weight will drop off in no time. Ultimately its how your body reacts. I'm still perfecting my eating plan now, but then again I'm a sad ****er!

I'm really pushing myself with things like the squats (with and without weights) and believe me I can file my heartrate increasing and feel the burn in my quads.

Is this a good HIT exercise to be doing? What I like is that it can be done quite quickly. I don't have to get ready to go for a run, go for the run in the rain and then get home (I hate running)