Is ________ good or bad?

JustinAnimal

Carbs aren't bad. Eggs aren't bad. Fat isn't bad. Sugar isn't (that) bad.

An unbalanced diet IS bad. A lack of exercise IS bad. Overeating IS bad.

Until you've done months of semi-balanced macros, exercising five times a week, and little-to-no alcohol drinking, you have no reason to feel like there's some mysterious reason as to why you aren't losing weight.

Balance your macros.
Exercise EVERY day, even if it's just a little.
Don't eat after 8 p.m.
Eat under your calorie goal EVERY DAY.

If you did this, you would have lost weight already. Consistency is the hardest thing and probably the number one reason why your lifestyle change isn't working.

AmyRhubarb

Balance your macros.

Yes!

Exercise EVERY day, even if it's just a little.

But remember that rest days are important too!

Don't eat after 8 p.m.

:noway: Meal timing makes no difference.

Eat under your calorie goal EVERY DAY.

Define "under"? Careful with that one. Coming in 50 -100 cals under goal, not a big deal, but then being over by 50-100 once in a while isn't so bad either. Goal means GOAL - something to attain, achieve, strive for, not something to fall well short of.

Getting the right amount of calories is important - you don't want to over eat, but under eating for long periods of time can give ya a whole new set of problems, too. And likely won't give you the body you're dreaming of, either.

:drinker:

Duck_Puddle

Don't eat after 8PM? Omg no. Eat whenever you want to eat (which for me is mostly after 8PM).

prattiger65

Carbs aren't bad. Eggs aren't bad. Fat isn't bad. Sugar isn't (that) bad.

An unbalanced diet IS bad. A lack of exercise IS bad. Overeating IS bad.

Until you've done months of semi-balanced macros, exercising five times a week, and little-to-no alcohol drinking, you have no reason to feel like there's some mysterious reason as to why you aren't losing weight.

Balance your macros.
Exercise EVERY day, even if it's just a little.
Don't eat after 8 p.m.
Eat under your calorie goal EVERY DAY.

If you did this, you would have lost weight already. Consistency is the hardest thing and probably the number one reason why your lifestyle change isn't working.

I know you mean well but for weight loss.......

No
No
Heck No
and no

BreeJaxon

This is great!! Big Xoxoxoxo

JustinAnimal

What a mixed bag of responses! Some like it all, some like half, some like none.

These are more like things that helped me out. This post was intended to get people to stop asking stupid questions and make the more or less common sense choices to be healthier. If you've been doing this for a while and are plateauing, unable to make progress, then my advice is probably no good.

But for beginners, especially obese or thereabouts, this is pretty good advice. Quit messing with BMR and TDEE and just do some common sense stuff to drop the weight.

Now, if you're fit and trying to lose the hard to lose stuff, or if you're strength training, or a whole lot of other things... get intense about it! That's fine. But I'm sick of hearing the questions like, are eggs bad for me. No, they aren't, and nothing is, as long as you aren't eating more than you burn. People talk all of the time about losing weight while eating fast food... as long as they don't overeat.

As to the gentleman who did not agree with balancing macros, I have no idea why that is. I mean, I guess you could ignore this as long as you're doing CICO. But I've read plenty of good reasons for balance (eating enough carbs to stay happy; eating enough protein to get the afterburn and build muscles; not eating too much of one thing b/c harmony just happens to be a good thing in life, generally speaking).

As for my workout every day, even a little bit comment, I'm not tlaking about intense strength training day after day after day. But on "off" days, how about going for a walk / jog, doing 20 minutes easy pace on the bike, doing SOMETHING instead of NOTHING. Plenty of studies also show that some amount of movement gets blood flowing to your recovering muscles and help them recover faster.

Anyway, I knew there'd be more than a few people who wanted to argue about what I said. But if you're a beginner and plenty overweight, I think you could do worse than to follow my advice until you started having "trouble" losing more weight.

cwolfman13

My only qualm would be the "eating after 8" bit...I eat dinner pretty consistently around 8:30 every night and go to bed around 9:30/10:00...I lost 40 Lbs easily, with no hassle whatsoever...by doing most of the other things you suggest (except I drank alcohol too :drinker: ).

But yes...eat a balanced diet and stop obsessing about good/bad foods and hit your calorie goals and you're gonna be ok.

bethannien

I think (apart from the don't eat after 8bit) that it's just really good advice for an overall healthier life. Essential to weight loss? Nope since all you really need is a deficit. But when I focus on exercise and balancing my macros, I feel better and more energetic. Nothing wrong with that!

JustinAnimal

Well, I'm feeling bad about the 8 p.m. bit now.

I was always taught it's better to eat more of your calories earlier in the day, while you're active and using them. In college, I was made fun of by the fit kids for eating a big lunch and then taking a nap (hangovers... what are you gonna do?), because I was essentially storing all of those calories instead of using them.

Am I just way off? I know I've never done any research on this. I just thought it made total sense.

Duck_Puddle

Well, I'm feeling bad about the 8 p.m. bit now.

I was always taught it's better to eat more of your calories earlier in the day, while you're active and using them. In college, I was made fun of by the fit kids for eating a big lunch and then taking a nap (hangovers... what are you gonna do?), because I was essentially storing all of those calories instead of using them.

Am I just way off? I know I've never done any research on this. I just thought it made total sense.

Don't feel bad about the 8PM bit. It just happens to not be true. In order to lose weight, you need to be in a calorie deficit over a period of time. You can consume calories at any time of day-assuming you consume fewer total calories than your body needs. While you don't burn as many calories sleeping as you do when you're out running, you're still burning calories. And assuming you're in a calorie deficit over a period of time, eventually any "extra" calories would get used at another time when you are more active (or at least that's how it makes sense in my simple mind).

What is important in terms of meal timing is that you eat when it makes sense for you. If I force myself to eat early in the day (when I'm not really hungry), I'm still hungry at night and end up eating. That puts me over my calories. By eating when I'm hungry (which is at night), I am able to stick to my calorie goals. And that is what is important.

acarmelo1

It depends, imagine if some works the graveyard shift, he ussualy sleeps all day and work on the nights, so he will need to eat after 8pm.
This seems like the gremlins rules.
Dont feed them after midnight, but its always after midnight somewhere XD

prattiger65

I do realize you are trying to be helpful. You just have to be careful with how you frame your advice. Like everyone else, the 8 pm stuff is a no-no, but the other advice is not so bad for overall health, just not relevant to weight loss. And dont feel bad and dont stop trying to help others. I believe it is one of the things that keeps me going.

paperpudding

Another one here who thinks eating after 8 pm is irrelevant to weight loss.

I dont think it matters to be under your calorie goal EVERY DAY either - I would modify this to be round about your calorie goal most days - its the average that matters, a hundred or so over some days wont matter if it is balanced out with a hundred or so under on other days - or even few hundred over one day a week combined with 50ish under the other days - or really, any combination that achieves an average round about your goal.

cardsfanlv

Yea, I never believed that eating in the evening had any effect on weight loss. Although I myself rarely eat after 8.

I don't agree that you have to exercise every single day. I do think you have to allow yourself to have a rest day to recover.

And I don't agree that you have to eat under your calories every single day. I eat under my calories 6 days a week and have never had a problem losing weight.

EvgeniZyntx

Nothing is good or bad but thinking makes it so.

Hamlet, Act 2, scene 2

MelissaPhippsFeagins

Well, I'm feeling bad about the 8 p.m. bit now.

I was always taught it's better to eat more of your calories earlier in the day, while you're active and using them. In college, I was made fun of by the fit kids for eating a big lunch and then taking a nap (hangovers... what are you gonna do?), because I was essentially storing all of those calories instead of using them.

Am I just way off? I know I've never done any research on this. I just thought it made total sense.

In general, if I eat after 8pm I binge, but that's me. My dad worked graveyard. He ate breakfast 9 pm and kept eating until he went to bed at 8 am. I have a brother who is a firefighter, he eats whenever he can - kinda like he sleeps.

TEMMEAlexa

I agree with you on most points, except for three. Exercising every day is not good. At least not at a regular pace. Our body should be given rest and relaxation too. So cut the regular workout in half once a week. You do 4 sets of push-ups, make it 2. You do 2 miles of running, make it 1.

Mealtime is a good point. It is recommended by many nutritionists to take meal at least one or two hours before sleeping. But, I guess with such a busy schedule, not many people manage to sleep until 10 PM. Another is taking calories under your goal. It is a nice idea. But, again it is not possible to the 90%.

PikaKnight

Aside from the meal timing thing, which has been corrected...

I disagree with encouraging people to eat under their calorie goals. MFP puts you at a deficit and people will get overzealous by trying to net really low. Having too large a deficit can actually be counterproductive.

Instead, I'd encourage to net as close to your calorie goal as possible - whether that means being 10 under to 50 over.

If you are following TDEE (which includes exercise calories) rather than MFP (which follows the NEAT system and where you do eat your exercise calories back), then you would just be eating as close to your set number as possible.

daisyellow

I have found that quitting eating by 8 pm has helped me lose weight. :flowerforyou:

rocknlotsofrolls

you better watch what you say on the site, cause I was just accused of being a Troll just because I was asking whether or not saturated fat is bad for you, due to all the contradicting advice I've been getting. Kinda makes you not even want to ask for help anymore.

megsmom2

Eat whenever you want. Its how much you eat that matters, not when.