Weight Loss 101 - 10 tips for success

[theapexxxx]

Here are some basic guidelines in order to help you lose weight. I want to do this because I read thread after thread of BAD advice and I want to clear the air.

#1 THERE IS NO MAGIC DIET to lose 10lbs per week. If your losing more than 2lbs per week your burning muscle or losing water weight.
PS: YOUR HEART IS A MUSCLE!!!!!

#2 There is no magic number for people to restrict there caloric intake to, it varies person to person.

BMR = Basal Metabolic rate (the minimum amount of calories your body needs to survive).

#3 To lose weight, you have to determine your BMR first,

Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 X wt in kg) + (5 X ht in cm) - (6.8 X age in years)
Women: BMR = 655 + (9.6 X wt in kg) + (1.8 X ht in cm) - (4.7 X age in years)
Note this formula is extremely accurate except when dealing with the extremes. If you are extremely muscluar, it will underestimate your caloric needs. If you are extremely overweight, it will over-estimate your caloric needs.

#4 Then determine your maintenance level:

Sedentary = BMR X 1.2 (little or no exercise, desk job)
Lightly active = BMR X 1.375 (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk)
Mod. active = BMR X 1.55 (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)
Very active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)
Extr. Active = BMR X 1.9 (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or
2 X day training, marathon, football camp,
contest, etc.)

#5 Once you have your maintenance figured out, your going to want to reduce your caloric intake by about 20%. If you don't see any positive results after 2 weeks, you can cut up to 10% more, but never go over that. I don't even recomend going over 20% because you risk activating your body's starvation response. Your body will slow its metabolism down in order to preserve itself. YOU DONT WANT THIS TO HAPPEN.

As you lose weight, the formula changes and as will your maintenance.

Notes to remember: Adding extra exercise is always better than cutting more calories.
If you find you have slowed or stopped losing weight, add in more exercise. Longer cardio, more often, higher intensity, etc etc. Don't just ct more calories.

#6 Avoid empty calories such as sugar, white flour, white rice.

#7 Weight lifting causes your metabolism to increase by up to 15% for a duration of up to 48 hours after your workout. (and for women, lifting weights WILL NOT make you huge and muscular. You simply don't have the genetics)

#8 Protein not only causes your body to burn fat more efficiently, but its protects your muscles. More muscle = higher metabolism.
Aim for 1-1.5 g of protein per pound of lean body mass daily. 1g for the less active, 1.5 for the more active. I would also recommend some sort of protein food or beverage before bed, as that is the time your body recovers most.

#9 Water, lots and lots of water, Muscle is made up of over 70% water. Water also helps burn fat more efficiently.

#10 MOST IMPORTANT. You have to want it. Plan out your goals. Have a BIG long term goal, as well as smaller short- term goals. They honestly help.

DONT WEIGH YOURSELF EVERYDAY. Body weight changes due to many factors such as water retention which can vary up to 5 lbs during the day. Once a week is recomended.

If you can think of any other questions or facts that I may have forgotten or not touched on, feel free to mention it and I will address them.

[saluted]

DONT WEIGH YOURSELF EVERYDAY. Body weight changes due to many factors such as water retention which can vary up to 5 lbs during the day. Once a week is recomended.

Very nice apex. I used to weigh myself everyday but eventually did it every week.

[theapexxxx]

Very nice apex. I used to weigh myself everyday but eventually did it every week.

Thank you, I get to see people struggle everyday with their weight so I know how people feel. Most of the time they get discouraged by fad diets which guarantee impossible results.
I feel a little education can go a long way. I truly hope this does help some people with their own weight loss goals.

[saluted]

Thank you, I get to see people struggle everyday with their weight so I know how people feel. Most of the time they get discouraged by fad diets which guarantee impossible results.
I feel a little education can go a long way. I truly hope this does help some people with their own weight loss goals.

I struggled when I first started off and I felt upset a few times but we learn from our mistakes. And I believe it will help people.

[PoGo86]

Hey great thread dude! I think this should be a sticky in this section, in replacement of 'Top 10 Fitness Fundamentals for Noobs'. It's more accurate and gives sound and structured advice that are the answers to questions that get posted on here day in and day out. Good work!

[barook]

Nice thread! One thing I noticed that you left out was the recommended amount of protein to eat, i.e 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass.

[Dtae787]

So if I have a daily maintnence of 2900 I should take in around 2100-2300?

[theapexxxx]

Nice thread! One thing I noticed that you left out was the recommended amount of protein to eat, i.e 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass.

That is true, thanks.

[theapexxxx]

So if I have a daily maintnence of 2900 I should take in around 2100-2300?

Aim for around 2300. You could even start at 2400 to be safe, then lower it slightly if your not seeing any results after 2 weeks.

If your also willing to exercise more, try only lowering it by 10% then adding more exercise, as exercise is always a better alternative then cutting cals

[Dtae787]

Aim for around 2300. You could even start at 2400 to be safe, then lower it slightly if your not seeing any results after 2 weeks.

If your also willing to exercise more, try only lowering it by 10% then adding more exercise, as exercise is always a better alternative then cutting cals

Thank you

[theapexxxx]

Anytime

[Khachikp86]

wow so if I weigh 193 lbs at 5'10 and do moderate exercise 3-5 times a week my maintenance is 3100??? geeeeez no wonder I can eat a ton of food and not really gain a lb.

[theapexxxx]

wow so if I weigh 193 lbs at 5'10 and do moderate exercise 3-5 times a week my maintenance is 3100??? geeeeez no wonder I can eat a ton of food and not really gain a lb.

Exactly... which is why when you see a bunch of people restricting their caloric intake to under 2000 cals per day that they are starving themselves.

It's not because they are stupid or anything, just misinformed or uneducated

[ZidaneValor]

#4 Then determine your maintenance level:

Sedentary = BMR X 1.2 (little or no exercise, desk job)
Lightly active = BMR X 1.375 (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk)
Mod. active = BMR X 1.55 (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)
Very active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)
Extr. Active = BMR X 1.9 (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or
2 X day training, marathon, football camp,
contest, etc.)

This is the only one that I have an issue with. I have noticed in my experiences that the higher your BMR is, the less accurate the multipliers are. So for my BMR of 3000, A rest day of 3100 (3000 * 1.2 - 500) is simply too high. I have had much better results simply taking BMR, and subtracting 300-500 calories. So on rest days I eat 2500 calories. Then, I estimate how many calories I burn working out, and add that many calories to keep in the 500 calorie deficit. So on days I do cardio in the morning and lift weights at night, I eat 3700 calories, which is slightly less than the 4150 calories recommended (3000 * 1.55 - 500).

I like BMR as a starting point, but after a few months, a person should have an idea of what caloric levels work best for them.

[theapexxxx]

This is the only one that I have an issue with. I have noticed in my experiences that the higher your BMR is, the less accurate the multipliers are. So for my BMR of 3000, A rest day of 3100 (3000 * 1.2 - 500) is simply too high. I have had much better results simply taking BMR, and subtracting 300-500 calories. So on rest days I eat 2500 calories. Then, I estimate how many calories I burn working out, and add that many calories to keep in the 500 calorie deficit. So on days I do cardio in the morning and lift weights at night, I eat 3700 calories, which is slightly less than the 4150 calories recommended (3000 * 1.55 - 500).

I like BMR as a starting point, but after a few months, a person should have an idea of what caloric levels work best for them.

I am simply trying to give people a solid base to start working on. Nothing is set in stone.
there are however several guidelines to follow. A person should never go below there BMR. Anything below risks activating your starvation response. Nobody wants that.
If your BMR is 3000, for example, then 3600 cal/day is a fine starting point. Don't forget, walking, talking, eating, dancing, farting, standing, playing wii, playing sports, cooking dinner, they all add to your BMR. So even if your resting today, and your BMR is 3000, your maintenance can still be well over 3600. And then if your only eating 2500, your body react the only way it knows how, starvation response.

And the 20% guideline is much more effective all-around because what if a female with a maintenance of 1800cal/day wants to cut a bit. Cutting 500 off of 1800 would put her at 1300 which is pretty low and not recommended. Whereas using the 20% rule, it would only put her down to 1440. Which is much better but I would still prefer adding exercise than taking away from what is an already small diet

[buwaleed]

nice thread! def a sticky material to stand out

[IronAlex]

Where I agree you shouldn't weigh yourself everyday you should however weigh yourself at the same time every week (mornings are best because of food intake/water retention) just thought I would throw that out there for people.

Great thread by the way I especially enjoy the empty calorie statement, some people don't realize a calorie is not just a calorie.

[melxxx]

so if i weigh 145 i should be getting 145g of protein??

[ZidaneValor]

A person should never go below there BMR. Anything below risks activating your starvation response. Nobody wants that.
If your BMR is 3000, for example, then 3600 cal/day is a fine starting point. Don't forget, walking, talking, eating, dancing, farting, standing, playing wii, playing sports, cooking dinner, they all add to your BMR. So even if your resting today, and your BMR is 3000, your maintenance can still be well over 3600. And then if your only eating 2500, your body react the only way it knows how, starvation response.

I disagree with these. Trust me, at 2500 calories, I'm not starving, lol. And since I only completely rest one day a week anyway, most days I eat about 3100-3200.

And the 20% guideline is much more effective all-around because what if a female with a maintenance of 1800cal/day wants to cut a bit. Cutting 500 off of 1800 would put her at 1300 which is pretty low and not recommended. Whereas using the 20% rule, it would only put her down to 1440. Which is much better but I would still prefer adding exercise than taking away from what is an already small diet

I also disagree with this too. There really isn't that much difference between 1300 and 1440 that one of them will start "starvation mode" and the other won't. If a woman is already small (like 5'3" 120#), then she can get away with 1200-1300 calories on rest days. I do agree for the most part that women (especially beginners) don't eat enough on workout days since they think that anything over 800 calories makes them fat.

Also, I think that people don't figure out enough that on days that they workout more they should eat more. I usually see people saying "I eat 2000 calories a day." Well, that's bad. On rest days, a person should eat less then on days they workout. It kinds of evens out though, because usually these people should eat 1700-1800 calories on rest days and 2200-2300 on workout days (sometimes 2600-2800 if they do both weights and cardio), but it makes more sense that if you work more, you eat more.

so if i weigh 145 i should be getting 145g of protein??

I would say at least. On days you work out hard, you may need 2000 calories. On those days, you should eat 200g protein. A good rule of thumb is to divide the total calories you should eat by 10 to get the number of protein and the number of carbs on a 40/40/20 plan. So if you needed 2500 calories, that's 250g protein and 250g carbs (divide by 45 to get the number of fat grams: 56g). Even on rest days though, you should eat at least one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight (or .75g/lb. if your BF% is really high).

[ukkev]

fair play mate this is one of the first helpfull threads out their that a newbie can understand and make total sense of thanks mate .

[hardorsoft]

What's a protein powder you recommend? I can't afford to keep eating 200g everyday.

[ukkev]

Why is adding extra exercise always better than cutting more calories?

because if you cut to many calories your body will use muscle as energy and you will lose more weight but that will be muscle not just fat !

[ZidaneValor]

What's a protein powder you recommend? I can't afford to keep eating 200g everyday.

My personal preference is Optimum Nutrition powders, but you can get protein from chicken, tuna, eggs, sirloin, et cetera. A pound of boneless skinless chicken breast, which usually costs about $2, is about 150g of protein.

[ZidaneValor]

Well if you add exercise that burns 200 calories you are still creating a bigger deficit. So whats the difference between burning 200 calories from exercise and cutting 200 calories from your diet?

You're not creating a bigger deficit. If you burn 200 calories from exercise, you should eat 200 calories more that day than you would on a rest day.

[ZidaneValor]

Because exercise is good for you. There are a ton of benefits to cardio and weight training. Besides improved strength and cardiovascular health, you can decrease blood pressure, strengthen bones, and a ton of other good stuff I'm too lazy to look up right now.

[hot4teacherz]

theapexxxx, thanks for the info!

[olusinho]

i have bmr of 2200 and i burnt a further 800 working out making up 3000 calories, and i only ate 1000 for 2 weeks

everyone says body goes to starvation mode, but if ur not hungry does it still go to that?
also what effects would u get if u did do this for 2 weeks?

[icall]

Very nice apex. I used to weigh myself everyday but eventually did it every week.

I weigh myself twice a day. Its more from habit now as well as the excitement of seeing progress. (that day another 1lb comes off).

When I first got started, I weighed myself at least once a day as insurance. I didn't get to 260 pounds because I was disciplined. By weighing myself every day, it was a way to make sure I didn't screw up that day. I knew I'd have to answer to the scale.

Most programs recommend not weighing every day. This worked for me. I know a lot of "fatties" "ON" Weight Watchers who don't go to the meetings if they gained weight. Kind of same reasoning. They may be a little more disciplined if they knew they HAD to go to those meetings.

[icall]

i have bmr of 2200 and i burnt a further 800 working out making up 3000 calories, and i only ate 1000 for 2 weeks

everyone says body goes to starvation mode, but if ur not hungry does it still go to that?
also what effects would u get if u did do this for 2 weeks?

By eating that few calories, there is no way you're meeting your protein requirements unless you weigh less than 160lbs. Being that you have a BMR of 2,200 calories, I'm willing to bet you're over 190 if not 200lbs. My BMR on a calc is 1800 and I'm 183. I know the new thing out is eating very few calories for longevity purposes. The body needs a certain amount of calories to sustain vital life necessary functions. At 1,000 calories, you may be above that, but not far above it.

I'd be willing to bet you're losing a lot of lean body mass being that low on calories. Many people focus on only losing weight. I know I did when I started.

What people need to realize and what isn't being stressed enough is we're not trying to lose weight. We're trying to reduce body fat. As the thread is named "Losing Fat". The difference between losing weight and losing fat is lean body mass loss. You want to minimize lean body mass loss. To do this, you need to consume sufficient protein and stimulate your muscles. If you don't use it, you'll lose it!

Just my 2c.

[olusinho]

By eating that few calories, there is no way you're meeting your protein requirements unless you weigh less than 160lbs. Being that you have a BMR of 2,200 calories, I'm willing to bet you're over 190 if not 200lbs. My BMR on a calc is 1800 and I'm 183. I know the new thing out is eating very few calories for longevity purposes. The body needs a certain amount of calories to sustain vital life necessary functions. At 1,000 calories, you may be above that, but not far above it.

I'd be willing to bet you're losing a lot of lean body mass being that low on calories. Many people focus on only losing weight. I know I did when I started.

What people need to realize and what isn't being stressed enough is we're not trying to lose weight. We're trying to reduce body fat. As the thread is named "Losing Fat". The difference between losing weight and losing fat is lean body mass loss. You want to minimize lean body mass loss. To do this, you need to consume sufficient protein and stimulate your muscles. If you don't use it, you'll lose it!

Just my 2c.

yeh i agree with the difference between losing weight and fat,but if u have eaten a low amount of calories, but eat alot of protien (and take protein shakes) as in 1g per 2 pounds of weight (think thats the ratio) and u do weights everyday, is it guarenteed u will lose your muscle mass?