The science behind weight loss

YassSpartan

What science? As far as I've seen there sooooo many scientists, experts, nutritionists and the list goes on and on, arguing about what works and what doesn't. It gets pretty confusing and frustrating after a while, specially when you see something is not working for you but it works for others.

With that said, we all should know our bodies are different, genes and other conditions have a lot to do with this, so approach weight loss with a trial and error attitude and keep researching and trying different HEALTHY ways until you find what works for you. It is not an easy task but it is completely achievable.

Now, I want to mention something that maybe others can collaborate more in this and make it more clear in a general way.

In order to lose weight it is said you need to have a calorie deficit, in other words, burn more calories than you eat on a daily basis. Of course, I'm not going into the whole calorie definition, but it makes sense to eat less calories since your body will tap into the energy storage for more energy which is the body fat.

What it kind of confuses me is, you can still burn fat and gain weight (thanks to muscle) while eating more than they burn (I think). The whole idea is to eat ever 3 hours (this may vary) in order to provide the body with the food it needs, therefore "telling" the body it doesn't need to store fat anymore because it will get the food it needs when it needs it. The result? Metabolism speeds up and burn the body fat. Of course, I don't even need to say that their diets are balanced, with healthy fats, carbs (both simple and complex) plus high protein intakes.

Based on these two ways of burning fat, what do you guys think and have you tried the eating more plan?

Acg67

What it kind of confuses me is, you can still burn fat and gain weight (thanks to muscle) while eating more than they burn (I think). The whole idea is to eat ever 3 hours (this may vary) in order to provide the body with the food it needs, therefore "telling" the body it doesn't need to store fat anymore because it will get the food it needs when it needs it. The result? Metabolism speeds up and burn the body fat. Of course, I don't even need to say that their diets are balanced, with healthy fats, carbs (both simple and complex) plus high protein intakes.

Based on these two ways of burning fat, what do you guys think and have you tried the eating more plan?

Broscience, increased meal frequency doesn't increase metabolism. The most plausible reason why people will lose weight while eating a bit more then they had is a spontaneous increase in NEAT

lizard053

And you know what? The science is changing daily! I depends on the sample they take, the size of the sample, the characteristics of the sample, and so on. But that is how science works! Ever expanding our knowledge of the way things work!

No plan will work for everyone, but as a rule, eating enough makes the weight loss easier and more maintainable. The reason there's no standard way is because every single person out there is different. We have enough similarities to make certain things work for most, but it's still more of an art form!

So, I now just listen to my doctor! :laugh:

Rae6503

The only weight loss science I believe is:

Energy in = Energy out + Change in Body Stores

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-energy-balance-equation.html



ETA: I've been trying to build muscle by lifting weights and eating more calories than I burn. I've gained 9lbs. Most likely at least 3lbs of that is FAT. I have not lost fat while building muscle. I have not gained 100% muscle. I do not eat every 3 hours unless, well I want to, and that's just personal preference.

Aperture_Science

Bump to read later.

_Bob_

Bump to read later.

YassSpartan

Last year when I decided to gain muscle and not pay so much attention to body fat, I started eating more calories, I actually took the time to create an excel spreadsheet with a detailed meal schedule including calories from fat, carbs and protein, etc. I kept the proportions to 25% Fat, 35% Carbs and 40% Protein for most days. I was eating 6 times a day and eating an excessive amount of calories (I say excessive because I've never eating so much in my life in a single day) to the point I had to include protein shakes to meet the calorie goal and not feel like I was going to explode.

The results? My body fat % was decreasing at a steady rate, my muscle were growing pretty much faster than they ever did before, my level of strength increased a lot, and my weight was virtually the same. Of course, it makes total sense since muscle is more dense than fat. To me that was a major achievement, when I did that.

grinch031

People tend to look at the caloric deficit in an overly simplistic way. They look at the entire human body as the system and assume that 1) they actually know how many calories their body is burning, 2) they ignore the effects on muscle mass, and 3) assume that all macro-nutrients are processed with equal efficiency.

For fat loss, the caloric deficit only applies to fat stores, not necessarily the entire body. If calories IN < calories OUT of fat stores, then fat loss occurred. Sometimes the body wastes or excretes calories so they can't easily be accounted for. Sometimes changes occur to muscle and not so much fat. You could think you're on a total body caloric surplus and actually lose fat, and you can think you're on a deficit, but actually gain fat. You just don't know for sure what is going on.

In summary, the body is too complicated and hormones play a huge role in determining how your IN and OUT variables match up.

YassSpartan

the body is too complicated and hormones play a huge role

I agree 100%, if the body wasn't that complicated scientist wouldn't still be trying to figure out what works and what doesn't.

lldelmonte

You can also burn muscle instead of fat. That is usually due to doing cardio work for too long a period of time. If you go into that stage, you are now losing muscle, which burns more calories than fat - not good. Generally, I have read, you should keep your cardio to somewhere around 30 minutes unless you already have a good amount of muscle, then you can do a bit more. On the flip side, you should definitely incorporate strength training in your exercise plan. And yes, sometimes you can gain weight while still eating a deficit of calories because of building muscle.

The greatest and latest cardio seems to be HIIT, high intensity interval training. You can do 20-30 minutes of this and burn as many calories or more than 30-40 minutes of endurance type cardio (ie, running 30 minutes at a level pace.) I love this type of cardio - it's quick, intense and effective.

YassSpartan

You can also burn muscle instead of fat. That is usually due to doing cardio work for too long a period of time. If you go into that stage, you are now losing muscle, which burns more calories than fat - not good. Generally, I have read, you should keep your cardio to somewhere around 30 minutes unless you already have a good amount of muscle, then you can do a bit more. On the flip side, you should definitely incorporate strength training in your exercise plan. And yes, sometimes you can gain weight while still eating a deficit of calories because of building muscle.

The greatest and latest cardio seems to be HIIT, high intensity interval training. You can do 20-30 minutes of this and burn as many calories or more than 30-40 minutes of endurance type cardio (ie, running 30 minutes at a level pace.) I love this type of cardio - it's quick, intense and effective.

This is another thing that makes me wonder how the body really works. I've read that some people in order to avoid or reduce the possibility of losing muscle mass due to intense cardio workouts, load the body with carbs before the routines (mainly complex since it provides a long lasting and steady source of energy). But the question if this can really be avoided comes from MMA fighters. There are some fighters who are in almost perfect physical condition, great amount of muscle, low levels of fat, keep the weight class and train big when it comes to cardio, some even train at high altitude to have a bigger impact in their conditioning because is harder to breath due to how the oxygen molecules are spread in the air. Apparently this doesn't have much effect in their muscle, and if it does, they surely work hard to keep building what they're losing.

Btw, HIIT is awesome!!!

hexrei

The only weight loss science I believe is:

Energy in = Energy out + Change in Body Stores

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-energy-balance-equation.html

This is the bottom line, and should be all most people need to get on the path to weight loss, the rest is just fine-tuning tweak the results. It's amazing the number of people who show up here, don't get instant results/results without appropriate work and dedication and begin looking for shortcuts and/or fanciful explanations.

_Bob_

What seems to have worked for my body type is higher protein, healthy protein not just meat but good veggies too. and then I eat the right amount with out eating my workout calories back. I've herd of the eating more throughout the day but I haven't seen that much of a difference from when I did that before. I think the best way to do it healthy is eat better foods not less and increase you level of activity.

HealthyHappy120

Bump to read later.

YassSpartan

Many factors are to be taken into consideration. My goal for instance is not really to lose weight, I'm happy anywhere between 180-190 lbs, so when I was eating that huge amount of calories and I stayed in the same weight while still getting results, it was like hitting the jackpot. But I guess for someone wanting to lose weight, not just body fat, having a deficit could make sense.

hexrei

Many factors are to be taken into consideration. My goal for instance is not really to lose weight, I'm happy anywhere between 180-190 lbs, so when I was eating that huge amount of calories and I stayed in the same weight while still getting results, it was like hitting the jackpot. But I guess for someone wanting to lose weight, not just body fat, having a deficit could make sense.

LOL. Well, you did title the thread "The science behind weight loss", not "The science behind maintaining a consistent weight while reducing fat and building muscle" :P

YassSpartan

LOL. Well, you did title the thread "The science behind weight loss", not "The science behind maintaining a consistent weight while reducing fat and building muscle" :P

I hate you LOL :laugh: