OT: I need to drop 12 pounds

[RC3]

Feedback request:
I am 6'0" and 181 lbs. I'd like to lose a few simply to allow myself some of my wife's choc/chip cookies a couple times a week (they are made from scratch and they are fabulous).

I eat healthy with lots of veggies, leafy greens, and fruit. Meat is 1x day, usually chicken, beef 1x-2x week. I eat nothing fried. My vice is air blown popcorn and I eat it nightly. I've started eating a handful of nuts mid morning to kill the midday appetite. I eat a lot at night and lunch about 4x per week. Never eat breakfast.




Is this an okay track to follow?

i believe in eating for breakfast to lose weight to give your metabolism a jump start in the morning. I used to never eat breakfast...i made the most signifcant weight losses while eating a simple breakfast. I have gotten in the routine of making a kale, fruit and flax smoothie every single day to get going

[BulldogDX55]

Easiest solution possible: use google to find out your TDEE, and then eat fewer calories than that. Every 2000 or so under that, you'll lose a pound. Do light cardio and add calories burnt to your daily TDEE. I've lost 16lbs in the last 6 weeks (240 to 224 this morning) doing that, and I've eaten fast food 5 of 7 days per week due to my job. Granted, I'm 29 so my metabolism is still somewhat there, but it can work for anyone.

For this quick of results I've also done about an hour of cardio 5 days a week, but that's not as hard as it sounds. Just hop on a treadmill, set it to fat burn, set the heart rate to your optimal fat burn heart rate (another thing you can google based on age and weight) and set a speed you can do for an hour (I do 3.5mph) and just watch something on Netflix or Hulu on your phone.

[DancingRabbit]

i believe in eating for breakfast to lose weight to give your metabolism a jump start in the morning. I used to never eat breakfast...i made the most signifcant weight losses while eating a simple breakfast. I have gotten in the routine of making a kale, fruit and flax smoothie every single day to get going

I agree you need something for breakfast. My go-to is 1 boiled egg and a banana or apple.

[MSUDawg99]

Ignore fad diets that limit you only eating certain foods and abstaining from others. Telling yourself you can't have cake only causes you to want cake.

I suggest learning the basics of nutrition, calorie counting, and macro nutrients. Some people call it "If it fits your macros" (IIFYM), some call it flexible dieting.

The best resource? The bodybuilding.com nutrition forums. No joke. Link. In particular, the stickied threads that teach calorie counting and other newbie nutrition tips: Link

The overall concept is simple: calculate total daily calorie intake required to maintain weight. To lose weight you should eat less than that number; to gain you should eat more. Please keep in mind this number is a starting point and there are many individual factors that may cause it to be different than what you calculated and as such it may take you a trial period of a week or two to find your exact total daily energy expenditure (TDEE).

Recap:
Calculate required daily calories and macronutrients (Protein, Fat, Carbs) based on that.
Hit those macros every day.
Get daily exercise. Doesn't have to be some insane Shaun T. fitness program. Go for a jog, hit the weight room, play basketball with some friends, whatever. Keep in mind the goal is not to be tired and sore and feel like your killing yourself. The goal is to burn fat.

Hope this helps and good luck.

THIS! THIS IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW! Abs start in the kitchen. It's about 80/20 food to exercise ratio.

[MSUDawg99]

i believe in eating for breakfast to lose weight to give your metabolism a jump start in the morning. I used to never eat breakfast...i made the most signifcant weight losses while eating a simple breakfast. I have gotten in the routine of making a kale, fruit and flax smoothie every single day to get going

Agreed. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Gets your metabolism going. And I too, drink a nutribullet smoothie of green apple, berries, kale, spinach & greek yogurt for the probiotic. The green apple helps to mask the task of the kale & spinach. I also take a really good probiotic each day with a glass of hot lemon water. Same concept of pouring hot water down the drain to clean your pipes. Helps clean you out.

[BulldogBacker]

Back in 2005, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer and told I needed to lose weight. At the time, I weighed 233. In 3 months, the time of my surgery, I dropped to 191. I did it by following my doctor's advise. My Mom, God rest her soul, called it my "No White Diet." I cut out all red meat, all dark meat chicken, and all pork. I was told I could have one white meat chicken breast for dinner or a piece of white meat fish off the grill at night. I ate no white potatoes, no white sugars, nothing made from white flour, including no white bread or white sugar. I started walking 3-4 miles per day, and by the time I had the surgery, I was running 3-5 miles per day. The key is to avoid fats. Eat protein and lots of vegetables. Do not eat starches, but do eat greens and green vegetables. He gave me a cabbage soup recipe that also helped.

[Bothrops]

Fiber, water, fiber, water. Got to clean out the sludge in the guts.

[reno hightower]

Back in 2005, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer and told I needed to lose weight. At the time, I weighed 233. In 3 months, the time of my surgery, I dropped to 191. I did it by following my doctor's advise. My Mom, God rest her soul, called it my "No White Diet." I cut out all red meat, all dark meat chicken, and all pork. I was told I could have one white meat chicken breast for dinner or a piece of white meat fish off the grill at night. I ate no white potatoes, no white sugars, nothing made from white flour, including no white bread or white sugar. I started walking 3-4 miles per day, and by the time I had the surgery, I was running 3-5 miles per day. The key is to avoid fats. Eat protein and lots of vegetables. Do not eat starches, but do eat greens and green vegetables. He gave me a cabbage soup recipe that also helped.

Man I'm sorry about your diagnosis and glad you dropped the weight but there is a lot of new science suggesting otherwise. Fats are good for you. That is proven. There are tremendous podcast out there. Robb Wolfe mark Sisson Dave asprey able James to name a few.

Again not knocking you but I just don't buy what the doctors are selling. Listen to Peter glidden or ben fuchs
Big pharma has ruined Healthcare but that is probably a little off topic

[lastmajordog]

Stop bread / potatoes / soft drinks and limit bourbon. First time in my life I lost significant weight and have always been physically active. Took some time but once it started it peeled off.

I'm 6'4' 235 till i hit 56 yr old. Had run/ played tennis / weight training all my life with no weight loss. Got a SEVERE case of AFIB with other complications and weight went to 250. Just didn't feel like eating as much and lost my taste for bourbon. Quit eating the bread / potatoes / sugar / bourbon / soft drinks. I'm 220-224 now and haven't even started back exercising. I'm a big believer in the cross no carb /gluetin / sugar regiment. I COULD NOT lose weight till this happened. Never was a bread eater but i do miss those late bourbon nights.....sigh.....

[99jc]

I'm 6'4' 235 till i hit 56 yr old. Had run/ played tennis / weight training all my life with no weight loss. Got a SEVERE case of AFIB with other complications and weight went to 250. Just didn't feel like eating as much and lost my taste for bourbon. Quit eating the bread / potatoes / sugar / bourbon / soft drinks. I'm 220-224 now and haven't even started back exercising. I'm a big believer in the cross no carb /gluetin / sugar regiment. I COULD NOT lose weight till this happened. Never was a bread eater but i do miss those late bourbon nights.....sigh.....

nm

[Coach34]

He gave me a cabbage soup recipe that also helped.

I'm glad you beat it Backer- but they will bury me before I start eating cabbage soup

[greenbean]

I'm glad you beat it Backer- but they will bury me before I start eating cabbage soup

A lot of these diets are almost as bad as death. Unless you have health problems, are on the prowl or need to look a certain way for work, live it up! Exercise and eat sensible, but not crazy and save the alcohol for the weekend.

[ScoobaDawg]

Man I'm sorry about your diagnosis and glad you dropped the weight but there is a lot of new science suggesting otherwise. Fats are good for you. That is proven. There are tremendous podcast out there. Robb Wolfe mark Sisson Dave asprey able James to name a few.

Again not knocking you but I just don't buy what the doctors are selling. Listen to Peter glidden or ben fuchs
Big pharma has ruined Healthcare but that is probably a little off topic

Exactly... Not getting into a long post tonight. But huge difference in fats and how your body handles then. Should you be eating bacon or lard every day no.. But look into using coconut oil in more things. It's very good for you.

Same with sugars. All sugars are not created equally and your liver. Big difference between hfcs and honey or agave syrup.

[biscuit]

Thanks for the advise. There are some great ideas here.

[Mjoelner34]

Thanks for the advise. There are some great ideas here.

My advice: Start with changing your username to something like 'kale' or 'protein shake'.**

j/k. Good luck man. I need to do the same and then some.

[BiscuitEater]

My doctor told me to lose some weight right before Christmas. I started on 1 Jan and reduced carbs. Cut out sugar, bread, white potatoes, & rice. Cut down on alcohol consumption .. less drinks and beer, more red wine. Made sure I had plenty of protein and fiber. Drank more water. Started a 3 time a week workout program .. 30 min of elliptical and 30 min of weight machines and sit ups.

Goal was/is to lose ONE pound a week. Started at 196 and am now at 181 with a goal of 175 by the first week in June. Relatively painless.

Biggest problem is eating out at restaurants. Went to PF Changs the other night and went on line to see what was reasonable and it's not much. Ended up with shrimp and lobster tacos. Some menu items had 108 grams of carbs and many had at least two times the daily recommended sodium.

Good luck with the journey!

[MSUDawg99]

Feedback request:
I am 6'0" and 181 lbs. I'd like to lose a few simply to allow myself some of my wife's choc/chip cookies a couple times a week (they are made from scratch and they are fabulous).

I eat healthy with lots of veggies, leafy greens, and fruit. Meat is 1x day, usually chicken, beef 1x-2x week. I eat nothing fried. My vice is air blown popcorn and I eat it nightly. I've started eating a handful of nuts mid morning to kill the midday appetite. I eat a lot at night and lunch about 4x per week. Never eat breakfast.

Exercise is 30 min/ 3x week.

Is this an okay track to follow?

Eating alot at night & not allowing your body time to process that may have something to do with it. If you ate a lot for breakfast or lunch you'd have time to work it off throughout the day. But portion control has a lot to do with it too.

Other than that, sounds ok. I can relate to the choc chip cookies. That's my vice too. I could never completely quit sugar cause I love choc chip cookies & bday cake too much. But I've found altered recipes. Unfortunately, sugar is the main issue & that leads to sickness & disease. Artificial sweeteners in diet drinks & teas, crystal light are no better for you. Stevia is the only sweetener that's natural that's not bad for you. If you're otherwise healthy, no prob in indulging but portion control & moderation is key, of course...but that goes without saying.

Ok I'm done talking. This has just become one of my main interests. I real a lot on nutrition....a wannabe health/nutrition coach, I guess.

[ScoobaDawg]

My advice: Start with changing your username to something like 'kale' or 'protein shake'.**

j/k. Good luck man. I need to do the same and then some.

As do I.. I have learned a lot over the past year watching a friend drop over 60lbs by dropping processed foods and sugars from their diet. Having knowledge and acting on it is my biggest problem.


Good luck... the biggest thing is getting started..and being consistent.. and setting yourself up for success. Far too easy to grab upon temptations and vices when trying to change your eating habits.

[archdog]

The arm weighs about 12 pounds.

[Apoplectic]

Don't change anything to start with. Get a food tracker like my fitness pal and track your food for two weeks. You'll figure out the rest once you start seeing where your wasted calories are.

I found that when I invested 30 minutes of working out 3-5 times a week I eventually got pissed at the food for ruining my workout and quit eating the crap.

Usually the biggest culprits are
Calories in drinks
Fast food
Junk food
Alcohol

Again you'll figure it out.

This^^^^^ is the only method that works long term. You're first mistake is to say ur going on a diet. Ur not -- ur making a lifestyle change to know what ur eating and balancing calorie intake vs calorie burning. All these other BS fads are gimmicks that are not practical for the long run. Eat what you want when you want in moderation then add exercise and strength training for long term health. Weigh everyday in the morning as soon as u wake and track on fitness pal. If ur not losing weight then ur calorie balance is wrong. Pick a half lb per week loss goal and make sure at the end of the week u have about a 2000 cal deficit (ex for 200 lber). I replaced breakfast with 3 -4 cups coffee and a banana or apple. Gave me about 1800 calls for the rest of the day and long term health benes of coffee. If u can't eat what u want on 1800 cal for lunch/dinner then youve got issues. Stick to the plan and in 3 months you'll be preaching the sermon of the no diet and fad BS and instead a lifestyle change.