Best workout/Food combo for Speedy weight loss?

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Replies

  • CollieFit
    CollieFit Posts: 1,683 Member
    So, okay, in all seriousness, if I had 5 weeks and wanted to shift some serious weight... what would I do?

    I would be really hot on my weighing & logging, making sure my calorie deficit from food is "real". Then I would increase my deficit by doing some interval-based cardio like spin classes or such (rather than just steady walking, but keep on doing that anyway), as well as weight training. If you're just walking then pick up the pace to 3.5-4mph and power walk for like an hour a day. With a moderate deficit from food and an extra 300-500 cals from exercise you should see some improvement before your holiday.
  • mollieb76
    mollieb76 Posts: 20 Member
    Oh no I can see how--trust me my first few times on the page here I was like why is everyone so short?

    Then I realized it's some fun stuff :)

    You're right...there is way more good stuff than bad! I need to work on a thicker skin too. hehe
  • jamierosenblum
    jamierosenblum Posts: 9 Member
    To help you out, perhaps, set MFP to 1200 calories which is safe, if you haven't already. It's possible that more muscle would help. You can play around with other physical activity in MFP and see how many calories it thinks you will burn in the amount of time you have to work out. If you aren't currently at 1200 calories/day, I've found it much easier to hit when I get to eat back about 300 calories from exercise (so I'm eating closer to 1500 calories per day). If you are at 1200 calories per day and getting 300 calories from exercise then you probably are losing at a reasonable rate.

    One other idea is to add weight training and interval cardio training if you aren't already doing it already. That will increase how many calories you burn at rest.
  • mollieb76
    mollieb76 Posts: 20 Member
    CollieFit wrote: »
    So, okay, in all seriousness, if I had 5 weeks and wanted to shift some serious weight... what would I do?

    I would be really hot on my weighing & logging, making sure my calorie deficit from food is "real". Then I would increase my deficit by doing some interval-based cardio like spin classes or such (rather than just steady walking, but keep on doing that anyway), as well as weight training. If you're just walking then pick up the pace to 3.5-4mph and power walk for like an hour a day. With a moderate deficit from food and an extra 300-500 cals from exercise you should see some improvement before your holiday.

    THANK YOU!!!!!! This is great advice!!!! I will up my walking~ I walk outside and include lots of hills and varying heart rates, so I feel pretty good about that, but I will up the time. Your response also leads me to a question about the accuracy of the info on the MFP food info. Are the items with the green check as accurate as possible? Vs. the ones without? I try to use these ones as much as possible, but is it safe to trust the other items that aren't checked? Thank you again.
  • mollieb76
    mollieb76 Posts: 20 Member
    To help you out, perhaps, set MFP to 1200 calories which is safe, if you haven't already. It's possible that more muscle would help. You can play around with other physical activity in MFP and see how many calories it thinks you will burn in the amount of time you have to work out. If you aren't currently at 1200 calories/day, I've found it much easier to hit when I get to eat back about 300 calories from exercise (so I'm eating closer to 1500 calories per day). If you are at 1200 calories per day and getting 300 calories from exercise then you probably are losing at a reasonable rate.

    One other idea is to add weight training and interval cardio training if you aren't already doing it already. That will increase how many calories you burn at rest.

    Thank you! I will make sure my goal is 1200 calories. Currently I am set at about 1400...and I have been trying to not eat back the extra calories that I am allotted for exercise...Is this a bad idea? Should I be eating these?
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    mollieb76 wrote: »
    To help you out, perhaps, set MFP to 1200 calories which is safe, if you haven't already. It's possible that more muscle would help. You can play around with other physical activity in MFP and see how many calories it thinks you will burn in the amount of time you have to work out. If you aren't currently at 1200 calories/day, I've found it much easier to hit when I get to eat back about 300 calories from exercise (so I'm eating closer to 1500 calories per day). If you are at 1200 calories per day and getting 300 calories from exercise then you probably are losing at a reasonable rate.

    One other idea is to add weight training and interval cardio training if you aren't already doing it already. That will increase how many calories you burn at rest.

    Thank you! I will make sure my goal is 1200 calories. Currently I am set at about 1400...and I have been trying to not eat back the extra calories that I am allotted for exercise...Is this a bad idea? Should I be eating these?

    Yes.
  • mollieb76
    mollieb76 Posts: 20 Member
    Ninkyou wrote: »
    First, nobody is being mean, nasty, or snarky. You may think they are, but they're not.

    Second, to answer your question, the best food an workout combo is something that is sustainable and healthy. What you're looking for is probably neither. You could do things the unhealthy way and probably drop more weight than you should in a short amount of time, but you'll actually be doing yourself more harm than good all for the sake of looking "better" in a bikini. What most people fail to realize when crash dieting before a big event is that they're making themselves look worse. You lose your healthy glow, you look tired and haggard, you cannibalize your LBM, you may even at that point lose some hair, and you may end up sick because your immune system has been lowered. That's why crash dieting and vlcd is against MFP guidelines. Because doing those things is a quick ticket to being admitted to the hospital for malnutrition and/or exhaustion.

    So in short, your best bet is to just stick with the "slow and steady".

    Thank you so much. I appreciate your help! I am defininitely not trying to go the unhealthy route. I am just so new to all of this I have no idea what I can "get away with" (ie. not eating back my extra exercise calories etc). I would much rather be a little fluffy with a healthy glow than haggard and sickly in a smaller size! ;) Thank you again!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,984 Member
    edited March 2016
    mollieb76 wrote: »
    Hardcore dieting before a vacation is a recipe for disaster. If you've been over restricting pre vacation you are more than likely to overindulge and gain back all the weight you lost and even more.
    Maybe I need to clarify my goal. I just would like to lose 15 lbs in the next 6 weeks. Maybe I am wrong, but this doesn't seem too extreme, does it? I just wondered the best way to maximize my weight loss between now and then. I appreciate the food scale suggestion. And I am glad to hear I am on track with the cardio and resistance. I just see how successful members are and thought there might be some extra tips of the trade to help maximize the lb. droppage. :)
    That's 2.5 lbs a week. Quite unrealistic for someone your weight. Here's the math:
    Your BMR based on stats is about 1500. Let's just say your normal day to day activity (non exercise) is 300 calories. And you exercise is another 400 calories. That's 2200 calories. So the deficit to achieve what you want is 1500 calories. Subtracting this from your 2100 calories allowable, leaves you 700 calories to eat TOTAL in a day.
    Does that make sense?

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png


  • mollieb76
    mollieb76 Posts: 20 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    mollieb76 wrote: »
    Hardcore dieting before a vacation is a recipe for disaster. If you've been over restricting pre vacation you are more than likely to overindulge and gain back all the weight you lost and even more.
    Maybe I need to clarify my goal. I just would like to lose 15 lbs in the next 6 weeks. Maybe I am wrong, but this doesn't seem too extreme, does it? I just wondered the best way to maximize my weight loss between now and then. I appreciate the food scale suggestion. And I am glad to hear I am on track with the cardio and resistance. I just see how successful members are and thought there might be some extra tips of the trade to help maximize the lb. droppage. :)
    That's 2.5 lbs a week. Quite unrealistic for someone your weight. Here's the math:
    Your BMR based on stats is about 1500. Let's just say your normal day to day activity (non exercise) is 300 calories. And you exercise is another 400 calories. That's 2200 calories. So the deficit to achieve what you want is 1500 calories. Subtracting this from your 2100 calories allowable, leaves you 700 calories to eat TOTAL in a day.
    Does that make sense?

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png


    Oh wow, thank you so much for explaining this! I think I understand... So this is the math on how many calories someone my size would have to eat per day to attain a 2.5lb/wk weight loss? Yikesabee! Currently my MFP allowance is around 1400 calories. I have been earning around 200 calories per day in exercise but have been trying not to eat these... Is this going to derail my weight loss if I am not eating enough? Or is it ok to not eat these and in turn lose a little faster?
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,984 Member
    mollieb76 wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    mollieb76 wrote: »
    Hardcore dieting before a vacation is a recipe for disaster. If you've been over restricting pre vacation you are more than likely to overindulge and gain back all the weight you lost and even more.
    Maybe I need to clarify my goal. I just would like to lose 15 lbs in the next 6 weeks. Maybe I am wrong, but this doesn't seem too extreme, does it? I just wondered the best way to maximize my weight loss between now and then. I appreciate the food scale suggestion. And I am glad to hear I am on track with the cardio and resistance. I just see how successful members are and thought there might be some extra tips of the trade to help maximize the lb. droppage. :)
    That's 2.5 lbs a week. Quite unrealistic for someone your weight. Here's the math:
    Your BMR based on stats is about 1500. Let's just say your normal day to day activity (non exercise) is 300 calories. And you exercise is another 400 calories. That's 2200 calories. So the deficit to achieve what you want is 1500 calories. Subtracting this from your 2100 calories allowable, leaves you 700 calories to eat TOTAL in a day.
    Does that make sense?

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png


    Oh wow, thank you so much for explaining this! I think I understand... So this is the math on how many calories someone my size would have to eat per day to attain a 2.5lb/wk weight loss? Yikesabee! Currently my MFP allowance is around 1400 calories. I have been earning around 200 calories per day in exercise but have been trying not to eat these... Is this going to derail my weight loss if I am not eating enough? Or is it ok to not eat these and in turn lose a little faster?
    It's only 200 calories and I see no danger in not eating them back if you don't want to.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

  • mollieb76
    mollieb76 Posts: 20 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    mollieb76 wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    mollieb76 wrote: »
    Hardcore dieting before a vacation is a recipe for disaster. If you've been over restricting pre vacation you are more than likely to overindulge and gain back all the weight you lost and even more.
    Maybe I need to clarify my goal. I just would like to lose 15 lbs in the next 6 weeks. Maybe I am wrong, but this doesn't seem too extreme, does it? I just wondered the best way to maximize my weight loss between now and then. I appreciate the food scale suggestion. And I am glad to hear I am on track with the cardio and resistance. I just see how successful members are and thought there might be some extra tips of the trade to help maximize the lb. droppage. :)
    That's 2.5 lbs a week. Quite unrealistic for someone your weight. Here's the math:
    Your BMR based on stats is about 1500. Let's just say your normal day to day activity (non exercise) is 300 calories. And you exercise is another 400 calories. That's 2200 calories. So the deficit to achieve what you want is 1500 calories. Subtracting this from your 2100 calories allowable, leaves you 700 calories to eat TOTAL in a day.
    Does that make sense?

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png


    Oh wow, thank you so much for explaining this! I think I understand... So this is the math on how many calories someone my size would have to eat per day to attain a 2.5lb/wk weight loss? Yikesabee! Currently my MFP allowance is around 1400 calories. I have been earning around 200 calories per day in exercise but have been trying not to eat these... Is this going to derail my weight loss if I am not eating enough? Or is it ok to not eat these and in turn lose a little faster?
    It's only 200 calories and I see no danger in not eating them back if you don't want to.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

    OK great! Thank you so much for this info and for showing me how 2.5 is not a realistic goal. I didn't realize it would take that much caloric restriction. I try to stay away from math as much as possible so you doing it and spelling it out for me is greatly appreciated. ;)
  • Forty6and2
    Forty6and2 Posts: 2,492 Member
    mollieb76 wrote: »
    CollieFit wrote: »
    So, okay, in all seriousness, if I had 5 weeks and wanted to shift some serious weight... what would I do?

    I would be really hot on my weighing & logging, making sure my calorie deficit from food is "real". Then I would increase my deficit by doing some interval-based cardio like spin classes or such (rather than just steady walking, but keep on doing that anyway), as well as weight training. If you're just walking then pick up the pace to 3.5-4mph and power walk for like an hour a day. With a moderate deficit from food and an extra 300-500 cals from exercise you should see some improvement before your holiday.

    THANK YOU!!!!!! This is great advice!!!! I will up my walking~ I walk outside and include lots of hills and varying heart rates, so I feel pretty good about that, but I will up the time. Your response also leads me to a question about the accuracy of the info on the MFP food info. Are the items with the green check as accurate as possible? Vs. the ones without? I try to use these ones as much as possible, but is it safe to trust the other items that aren't checked? Thank you again.

    I find that they tend to be fairly accurate, but I tend to err on the side of inaccuracy so I over-estimate calories (ie, if there's one that says a chicken breast is 120 calories vs one that says 124, I'd go with the last one). If you're eating anything packaged, double check with the package or even scan it into your diary.

    But, probably most important, WEIGH THINGS! If you are planning to get a food scale, use that thing for everything! You wouldn't believe how much I used to underestimate things like yogurt and butter on toast. Those calories really tend to add up! Another one people tend to underestimate is peanut butter. So definitely weigh anything you eat!
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    I think you can lose a few lbs before your vacation, and you've gotten good suggestions about that, but if it were me, I just wouldn't wear a bikini so I didn't have to spend my vacation obsessing over how I look ;)
  • knba1234
    knba1234 Posts: 1 Member
    HELP! This may have been answered above but wanted to give my specific problem. I have been struggling to get off 30/40 lbs for several years now. The older I get the harder it gets. I will get some off, gain some back. I had a really bad back for a the last several years and still struggle with it some now as well. I am now able to do fast walking and some strength training as well. I try to stay around 1200 calories a day and on average have been exercising about Four times a week for the last three weeks or so. I dropped 5 lbs on a green smoothie cleanse to get me started logging and exercising again and have kept that off. Over the last five weeks I have gone up and down each day and having nothing to show for it after logging like a pro for five weeks :( I am so frustrated I did go over my calories the other day just because I felt like whatever it will not change the results anyway. Trying to drink more water as well that is a huge downfall of mine. I do not normally reach out for help but I am.desperate. Not to sound disrespectful but is this based on experience/degrees or just opinions? There are so many things on what and what not to do out now... just curious. Thanks.
  • vivmom2014
    vivmom2014 Posts: 1,649 Member
    knba1234 wrote: »
    HELP! This may have been answered above but wanted to give my specific problem. I have been struggling to get off 30/40 lbs for several years now. The older I get the harder it gets. I will get some off, gain some back. I had a really bad back for a the last several years and still struggle with it some now as well. I am now able to do fast walking and some strength training as well. I try to stay around 1200 calories a day and on average have been exercising about Four times a week for the last three weeks or so. I dropped 5 lbs on a green smoothie cleanse to get me started logging and exercising again and have kept that off. Over the last five weeks I have gone up and down each day and having nothing to show for it after logging like a pro for five weeks :( I am so frustrated I did go over my calories the other day just because I felt like whatever it will not change the results anyway. Trying to drink more water as well that is a huge downfall of mine. I do not normally reach out for help but I am.desperate. Not to sound disrespectful but is this based on experience/degrees or just opinions? There are so many things on what and what not to do out now... just curious. Thanks.

    You'd be best served starting your own thread. I'm certain you will receive a lot of input.

  • MichelleLea122
    MichelleLea122 Posts: 332 Member
    @mollieb76 I totally understand wanting to drop some weight before a vacation, but at the end of the day vacations are supposed to be for fun and relaxation. As someone who has let an eating disorder ruin many vacations and celebrations, the best advice I can say is enjoy your time there and don't worry so much about how you look. I can almost guarantee you that no one else will care, and if they do then screw them. I'm definitely not against dieting as long as your deficit is moderate and you don't have any unreal expectations. Good luck!