Questions About Weight Loss

[EoH]

So recently I just started trimming off some excess weight/fat and come to realized that the diet I'm having so far may not be that good at all. From what I've read online, refined processed carbohydrates are one of the worst things to have. However, I do find that I eat a pretty healthy meal (along with snacks) and I tend to keep below a 1500 calorie intake.

My diet consists of holy crap/skinny B for breakfast, turkey breast sandwiches for lunch and most likely a turkey breast wrap and snacks such as vegetables/fruits and I try to get down at least 4L of water per day.

I'm just wondering since bread/wraps are considered 'refined processed carbohydrates' and so are store-bought meat, is eating the sandwich and wrap I have right now bad then? Considering I use whole grain dempster wraps and bread. Also, are the breast meat for turkey I used bad as well (bought from cosco) ?

And any advice/foods you guys can tell me thats really beneficial to losing weight/burning fat/speeding up metabolism will help too, thanks.

[Guest BuckFoston]

Refined carbs is white bread, white sugar, ect. so if you have whole wheat and/or multi grain carbs in moderation there shouldn't be any problem. Meat is protein, not carbs, but a lot of sandwich meat you can buy at a regular deli counter is processed with chemicals and things you don't even want to know about. So unless you go for the stuff that specifically says is minimally processed and doesn't use BHT, it's better to get a roast or some chicken (organic and or local) bake it and slice it up yourself. I know money may be an issue, but I once bought some really cheap no name chicken and when I bit into it I swear I could taste the antibiotics and whatever else they pump the birds full of. You gotta put quality stuff in your body.

I am also wondering if you are a girl, not going to ask you your weight or anything, but under 1500 cal a day is kind of low and is ridiculous for a guy. I know you're trying to get fit, but unless you plan on eating under 1500 cal for the rest of your life, once you go off it, the weight will come back. Each person is different anyway, so it's kind of hard to give advice, but what works for my woman is eating heavier in the mornings and lighter in the evenings and not eating after about 7PM so she can wake up with a lightness in her stomach. Works about the same for me actually. I personally like to drink only very cold water as it takes the body more energy to warm it up. Muscle confusion is great too when you keep switching up your workouts/physical activity all the time. But once again not only is it different for everyone it also depends on gender.

[canucks3322]

drink a lot water helps your metabolism and for snacks just eat fruits or a peanut butter sandwich, but remember your not gonna lose weight quickly it takes time, but don't forget to excerise and work out

[Mr. Ambien]

Obviously the best way to both speed up metabolism and lose weight/burn fat is exercise..

Turkey is only good for you when unprocessed, which means never, in the case of grocery stores.

Drinking a lot of water might seem healthy but you if you aren't doing rigorous exercise you should moderate that down to no more than a litre or two a day because it can have more negative effects on the body than positive.

[greenbean30]

Obviously the best way to both speed up metabolism and lose weight/burn fat is exercise..

Turkey is only good for you when unprocessed, which means never, in the case of grocery stores.

Drinking a lot of water might seem healthy but you if you aren't doing rigorous exercise you should moderate that down to no more than a litre or two a day because it can have more negative effects on the body than positive.

[Mr. Ambien]

First person I've ever heard say this.

[The Situation]

There is so many diets out there and most don't have a single study done on them. A rule of thumb when it comes to these diets is that if it sounds to good to be true, it likely is. My BS meter goes through the roof every time I hear of a diet that suggests long term weight loss without exercise. I suggest you check out sites like the Mayo Clinic site or WebMD for a ton of advice on weight loss diets. Other sites like Bodybuilding or Livestrong, you might want to take information from with a grain of salt. There is a lot of anecdotal advice which does work for some people but not everyone.

When it comes to exercise, I suggest something like P90X, Insanity or Rushfit. Personally, Rushfit is my preferred system. I am a big Georges St. Pierre fan so its inspiring to have him working out alongside the others in the video. P90x is a close second but the only problem is a lot of equipment is required. You could hire a trainer but it is expensive and sometimes you might get a bad trainer. If you prefer the gym, the exercise guides from Bodybuilding.com are top notch and free. http://www.bodybuilding.com/guides/

Don't bother with arbitrary amounts of water to drink. It really depends on the environment, your physiology, diet, and your activities. Just drink more if you feel thirsty or need to cool down on a hot day. There is no need to worry if you drank an extra glass of water because you felt like it. Drinking a glass of water before a meal might help you lose weight in that it will make you feel fuller and less likely to overeat if that is a problem for you.

[NucksPatsFan]

sandwich for lunch isn't bad if it's not white bread you're using. Cut out the sandwiches and/or wraps for dinner. You don't want any carbs or as few as possible for dinner. Your body doesn't metabolize them very well at night and they turn in to stored fats. At night you want to be getting tons of protein and low sugar vegetables in you.

[Losing With Pride]

I would rock a lean protein... probably an isolate- high protein, low carb, no sugar, no fat, low calorie. ie. ISO FLEX, ISO Sensation 93, Power Whey Isolate, Intrapro.

BCAA - Branch Chain Amino Acids for better recovery - glutamine, leucine, etc.

L-Carnatine - Good fat burner. Utilizing fat for fuel rather than strictly carbs.

[Hugemanskost]

Balanced diet and cardiovascular exercise.

Control portion size.

Calorie intake needs to be less than calories used for activities during the day.

1500 calories for a man is far too few, especially if you are active.

[diesel_3]

There is so much broscience in this thread...

At the end of the day it comes down to calories in vs. calories out.

Cardio is NOT necessary for fat loss...a calorie deficit is, cardio just supplements a calorie deficit. So if you like doing cardio, then do cardio but know it's not necessary, eating below your caloric maintenance is.

Eating 'clean' is a myth...You can have whatever you want as long as you are counting ACCURATE calories and staying within your deficit.

Lift heavy weights using compound movements (Squats, Bench, Dead lifts, Chin ups) and add in a couple accessory exercises. (If you wish)

Keep protein high (1-1.5g per LB of bodyweight) so then you won't have to worry about losing lean body mass.

Like I said, there is no secret, no having to eat 6 small meal a day broscience crap it just comes down to a calorie deficit. If you have a smart phone, get my fitness pal to aid you in counting calories...and a food scale. Like somebody else said, it's a slow process, marathon not a sprint.

[Offensive Threat]

I went from 250 to 198 in 6 months just by changing my diet. I didnt go on a diet, that would imply I would eventually go off it. Its a permanent change to what I eat. My goal was not a specific number on weight and I did not work out any more than my regular semi active workday. I took a VERY hardline approach to sodium intake due to high blood pressure and that alone helped me to rule out so many unhealthy foods. Foods that claim right on the box or can to be healthy.

I learned to cook. Theres a billion step by step recipes on the web.

No salt on anything, if a recipe wants salt to taste I add spices instead.

I dropped all fast food of every type completely (yes, Subway is fast food)

I dropped all junk food completely. No chips or cookies or crackers or anything resembling a desert ever

My friends teased me when eating out about me eating salads or fish with rice at pubs, until I trimmed down while they stayed chubby. They dont have much to say about it anymore.

Nothing from the bakery section except a couple very specific types of low sodium breads (2 slices a day max)

Very tight control of all processed foods. 99% of it is very high in fat or sugar or sodium or all of the above.

I learned to read the nutritional content on food products properly. Most people look and say "oh its low fat" when they arent even skimming the portion size when its only a 1/4 of the portion they will eat etc.

Lots of fresh veggies, TONS of fresh veggies, from the point of nutrition corn does not count as a veggie

Lots of fresh fruits especially blueberries and raspberries but its hard to go wrong and also unsalted nuts

skinless fresh chicken or fish for protein ( If you are on a VERY tight budget like a student decent protein can be expensive to get) and for fish I dont mean anything breaded or deep fried. Raw cook it yourself fish.

Lots of rice ( buy a decent rice cooker, makes it easy)

If you can do not have any junk food in your house to tempt you. Its a lot easier that way at first.

I didnt follow any fad diets, any diets at all. I dont eat 7 meals a day. I eat 3. I read a lot when I started but only took what I needed from each piece of info. So much contradicts other stuff and so much is BS right off the bat. What worked for me in general should work for just about anybody. If it doesnt fit, make adjustments.

[I Can't Stop]

Pretty solid advice in this thread...

Just like everyone else said, count your calories, and stay at a deficit to your maintenance..

Lift weights and do moderate cardio, so you add strength, gain some definition, and most of all, feel great about your health/body...

Try out the bodybuilding.com forums for some tips on nutrition and exercise, but be warned, stay away from the misc,

[Denguin]

Obviously the best way to both speed up metabolism and lose weight/burn fat is exercise..

Turkey is only good for you when unprocessed, which means never, in the case of grocery stores.

Drinking a lot of water might seem healthy but you if you aren't doing rigorous exercise you should moderate that down to no more than a litre or two a day because it can have more negative effects on the body than positive

[MoneypuckOverlord]

anything that has suger calories and fat is not good. If it has one of the following it's bad, if it has 2 of the following its real bad, if it all 3 of it, "Calories fat and suger" its terrible.

[I Can't Stop]

anything that has suger calories and fat is not good. If it has one of the following it's bad, if it has 2 of the following its real bad, if it all 3 of it, "Calories fat and suger" its terrible.

[Mr. Ambien]

That's a completely false and un-educated statement to make.

As a general indicator, men should be drinking around 11-15 cups (2.75-3.75 L) of water a day, and women should be within the 9-13 cups (2.25 - 3.25 L) of water a day range. Obviously these will vary slightly with activity level/ambient environment, and that those values INCLUDE the water intake you would get from food as well.

A drop in 10% of body water-weight can have a severe impact on body performance.

Also, for weight loss, drinking water is technically beneficial. If you don't have enough water intake, your body will hold on to it's water content, whereas if you drink a lot of water, your body has no need to hold on to any water, and you'll actually lose a lot of weight (which is realistically just water, but weight loss is weight loss!).

As for weight-loss, it's a simple concept. Calorie intake should be less than calorie output (depending on how drastically you want to lose weight). Keep in mind that doesn't mean you need to burn over 1500 calories a day on a treadmill... your body will use plenty of calories just performing it's daily functions. Whole grains and lean proteins are ideal since they take a lot of energy to digest/break down in the body, so pretty much you don't have to do any work (look up the Thermic Effect of Food).

Important: A below 1500 calorie intake is extremely unhealthy for the body, and you should alter that immediately. You shouldn't be taking in less than 1400-1600 calories per day. Your body will likely resort to releasing excess hormones and such which can induce chronic diseases in the long term. Cut your normal calorie intake (before the weight-loss program) to about 70-75% and combine it with exercise instead. I assume you're not the skinniest guy either (just judging by how you are planning to lose weight), so you definitely should up your calorie intake a little.

[Denguin]

Wrong. Those figures assume someone is doing some form of daily rigorous exercise, and 1-2L is not inclusive of water content from from food sources, which makes up 30% of that daily recommendation. If you're suggesting the average sedentary person take 4-6L a day or more you simply have your head up the same orifice as those who suggest we can't have too much water. Drinking that much, as someone who has been hospitalized for excessive water consumption, has drastic effects on kidney function, cell proportion, and fluid balance. Before perpetuating nonsense as I fully expected to happen you should probably consult a doctor on the issue rather than perpetuate urban legends that unfortunately even dieticians spew.

[Mr. Ambien]

Tell me where I said to drink 4-6 L per day. Tell me. Pretty sure you're the one with your head up an "orfice". I never once said that you couldn't drink too much water either.

And there's a reason why the government outlines RDI values of around 2.5-3.5 L/day for both men and women. Not to mention RDI values outlined by the government are usually on the low end of things.

[Denguin]

That presumes a person is doing some form of rigorous exercise. That is not based on what people actually do.

This sounds an awful lot like the embellished mileage Environment Canada perpetuated along with the US's EPA to try and convince more people to buy hybrids so played along with car manufacturers to embellish hybrid mileage based on how maybe 1% or less drive.

In the same circumstance, few people will need to drink that much water per day, and chances are in my favour of likely not the OP.

It would be nice if people could educate themselves on a matter rather than simply act as a government copy/paste.