-- Let's talk about counting calories & routine

[Simply Red]

Hi Guys,

I'm up to a 36 waist - thanks to Del Taco and a few others. As well as eating pretty poorly over the last year, or so.

I'm on a strict regimen now and doing a three week diet and then merging it into a new way of life. I have a history of eating well (normally) - but, again; have been quite clumsy over the past year or so.

My plan is to limit myself to 1100 calories a day the first week, then up to 1200 the second week, and then stay on or around 1500 calories as the norm, with one cheat day per week.

After the third week - I'll get back into some sort of exercise, which too will be part of the new 'way of life'

In this thread I'd like to discuss food ideas for assisting myself (& others) with weight loss.

Since Monday I've not gone above 1100 calories/daily - I have eaten oatmeal, oranges, bananas, hard-boiled eggs and in closing, in the evening - I'll eat one of the Chick Fil A Spicy, grilled chicken wraps w/o dressing (350 cals)

I'm open to ideas - but the goal is - finding items that are a little less common and more creative.

Please assist at your leisure - anyone else need assistance or interested in jumping aboard, I welcome it.

Thanks again

[Simply Red]

Just kidding - how are you?

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by KCrockaholic

Usually if you hit a stall in your weight loss, you need a refeed type of day to bump your metabolism back up.

Short term stall - maybe.

Long term stall - no. You need to readjust your calorie level. You naturally need fewer calories as you lose weight so you will need to periodically drop your calorie target. You aren't stalling because of a slow metabolism. It's just because you weigh less now and burn fewer calories moving yourself around.

[KCrockaholic]

Originally Posted by Frosty

Short term stall - maybe.

Long term stall - no. You need to readjust your calorie level. You naturally need fewer calories as you lose weight so you will need to periodically drop your calorie target. You aren't stalling because of a slow metabolism. It's just because you weigh less now and burn fewer calories moving yourself around.

You stall because your hormones aren't allowing you to lose weight as quickly.

Moving your calories even lower will only further negatively effect your hormones and losing weight will become even more difficult. What's more is that once you're at a weight you're happy with, your maintenance caloric intake is now damaged because of the hormones that were effected during the process and now you're stuck having to eat less and having less energy until your weight comes back up again and your hormones readjust which takes months at times.

[Frosty]

You're describing "starvation mode" and it's a crock of shit unless you are actually starving down to an unhealthy BMI. There is something called "adaptive thermogenesis" where your body will try to compensate for weightloss by trying to get you to eat more (hunger) and move less. This is what can be helped with a refeed (and why I do ADF, since it has built-in refeeds). However, this effect normalizes over time as the body adapts to the new lower weight.

Otherwise, you stall because you use fewer calories when you weigh less, not because of "hormones". The adaptive thermogenesis is a real thing but the effect is much smaller than people seem to think. It is not enough to overcome a decent deficit; it's just one of those things that makes dieting suck a little more. If you aren't losing weight, you are eating too much. Period.

[Simply Red]

FWIW I'm still doing the one meal per day thing - and it's apparently working.

[Frosty]

How to minimize adaptive thermogenesis:

Eat a decent quantity of protein (about 30% of total calories).

Don't have a reeruned deficit. Go to a TDEE calculator and calculate your TDEE for a sedentary couch potato version of yourself (age, weight, height). Choose a calorie level about 300 calories under that TDEE. Use exercise as a bonus deficit but don't eat back your calories.

Eat above TDEE for one day a week (lower the calories on the other 6 days to account for it) or take a diet break where you eat at TDEE for a week. Do this every 8 -12 weeks depending on fatness level.

Suck it up and go through it. It sucks but your body will adapt eventually.

Don't go dangerously low in weight.

[KCrockaholic]

Originally Posted by Frosty

How to minimize adaptive thermogenesis:

Eat a decent quantity of protein (about 30% of total calories).

Don't have a reeruned deficit. Go to a TDEE calculator and calculate your TDEE for a sedentary couch potato version of yourself (age, weight, height). Choose a calorie level about 300 calories under that TDEE. Use exercise as a bonus deficit but don't eat back your calories.

Eat above TDEE for one day a week (lower the calories on the other 6 days to account for it) or take a diet break where you eat at TDEE for a week. Do this every 8 -12 weeks depending on fatness level.

Suck it up and go through it. It sucks but your body will adapt eventually.

Don't go dangerously low in weight.

We believe in the same things pretty much.

[Frosty]

If you stall:

First of all, a stall is a long term plateau (a week or more if male, two weeks or more if female). If it's a day or two - relax.

Next, see my post above about adaptive thermogenesis.

Get a food scale and weigh everything you eat in grams and log it into a logging website or app to make sure you are actually eating at a deficit. I like Cronometer best but others use My Fitness Pal or Lose-It. If you eat in restaurants a lot, keep in mind that the calorie count on the menu is a minimum and the calories are likely higher. Don't eyeball, use spoons, cups, etc. That's a notoriously inaccurate way to measure.

Recalculate your TDEE (see above) and see if your current calorie input is still in a deficit. Readjust levels if needed. Try not to go below 1500/day for males or 1200/day for females. I'm talking long term average at those levels, not a day or two. If a deficit would take you below those levels on average, eat at that level and pump up your exercise to make a deficit. It's difficult to get enough nutrition if you go too low long term.

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by KCrockaholic

We believe in the same things pretty much.

I think I misinterpreted what you were saying and made it sound like a bunch of the myths you see all over Facebook about people supposedly not losing weight at 1100 calories a day. My apologies.

[KCrockaholic]

Originally Posted by Frosty

I think I misinterpreted what you were saying and made it sound like a bunch of the myths you see all over Facebook about people supposedly not losing weight at 1100 calories a day. My apologies.

It's all good. I definitely wasn't trying to make it sound like "starvation" mode.

Reading your other input, yeah we agree on 99% of this stuff.

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by KCrockaholic

It's all good. I definitely wasn't trying to make it sound like "starvation" mode.

Reading your other input, yeah we agree on 99% of this stuff.

I'll fight you for that 1%





eta:

[Titty Meat]

Walked about 4 miles around the Plaza and Westport with my 25 pound weight vest. Did a little circuit when I got home that consisted of none stop 4 rounds crunches, push ups and dips. It's so nice out tonight.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by Frosty

How to minimize adaptive thermogenesis:

Eat a decent quantity of protein (about 30% of total calories).

Don't have a reeruned deficit. Go to a TDEE calculator and calculate your TDEE for a sedentary couch potato version of yourself (age, weight, height). Choose a calorie level about 300 calories under that TDEE. Use exercise as a bonus deficit but don't eat back your calories.

Eat above TDEE for one day a week (lower the calories on the other 6 days to account for it) or take a diet break where you eat at TDEE for a week. Do this every 8 -12 weeks depending on fatness level.

Suck it up and go through it. It sucks but your body will adapt eventually.

Don't go dangerously low in weight.

TDEE is 3346 daily calories. Not buying that number. BMR is 2459.

[Danguardace]

Originally Posted by Danguardace

I have been doing a Low Carb diet and have made a pledge to do it for 12 weeks (I am on week 2) and see how I get on. I don't really calorie count instead I just count my meals and try to stick to 2 satiating meals a day through a fasting 18-6 protocol.

I am lucky in that I work a Stones throw away from my gym so I work out twice a day.

I tend to lift heavy but I only do 3 exercises


Morning:
12 minute Cycle
Bicep Curls
Rows
Lat Pull Down
30 minute Swim

Lunch: 30 minute Treadmill

Breakfast: My first Meal is normally at 2pm

Chicken Thigh Salad

Dinner: When I get home my last meal is normally around 7-8 pm

Steak Mushrooms and Broccoli

Repeat

Week 8 and going really well. I refuse to weigh myself all I know is that my old clothes fit now which is motivation enough.

4 more weeks to go and I may stand on a scale.

[Danguardace]

Originally Posted by Simply Red

Good job guys - I weighed on Friday - still at 216 however a coworker just said that she'd noticed and felt I'd lost more weight since Friday. So that's refreshing. I have to go poop now - so 'fingers crossed!'

"Co-work" eh