The secret to losing weight...

dyanroberts

Great post to keep referring to.....

Acg67

OP, your post consists of much more opinion than fact. It was great of you to take the time to share what's worked for you, but the only thing we "must" do to lose weight is maintain a calorie deficit, and the only thing we "must" do to keep it off is to avoid a calorie surplus.

My opinion has let me lose 50 pounds. I've tried to lose before,but nothing worked really until I started following these guidelines. True, each person is different, true, certain things may be tweaked for the individual, and yes, I have even more to lose, but I will lose it, and I will keep it off, and I can do it. In general, whether you like it or not, for the majority, this is the best way to do it.

So instead of admitting that much of your advice and rationale is based on pseudoscience, you get all defensive? And it is not the best way to lose weight, set up your macros, chose foods or anything of the such. The best way is something that you can adhere to, not a made up set of rules and tips someone just made up because of a N=1 experience

70davis

Bump

ahavoc

::SIGH:: lots of nonsense in that post

HRMs, not necessary, they can be useful for some, but i'm willing to guess that the majority of people who have lost weight and kept it off, did not use a HRM

Didn't say they were necessary, said they were recommended.

Please read up on discretionary kcal allowance, beyond that you shouldn't use ratios to determine macros so there goes advocating 40/40/30 (which is 110 btw) and what is a healthy carb?

sorry for the typo, 40/30/30. Healthy carbs = whole grains, vegetables, fruits and beans. Higher protein lower carbs (not no carbs) works for many,

Putting arbitrary amounts of cals that you can't eat under is nonsense. You have to take into consideration ht/wt and many other factors. I guess PSMFs and VLCDs work by voodoo since they are under both allotments

Really? Even MFP uses these arbitrary amounts. Perhaps you don't believe in starvation mode, but I had it happen to me, and once I started eating more, I started dropping weight.

There is no metabolic advantage to increased meal frequency and your metabolism doesn't stop, so i fail to see how a steady intake of cals will keep it going

Some research suggests that breakfast skippers may be more prone to overeating later in the day. And research from the National Weight Control Registry has shown that weight-loss maintainers are more likely to eat breakfast than not.

A big misconception with dieters is to drop breakfast, drop lunch, and just eat a big dinner. More calories at one time are too much for your body to handle. It causes a significant increase in your blood glucose levels, a spike in your dormant metabolism, followed by a crash. To avoid this crash, and to feel less hungry throughout the day, eating more often is recommended.

The only "secret" you need to lose weight is to create a calorie deficit, ideally you shouldn't over complicate it by worrying about when and what to eat. zomg do i have to eat breakfast, can i eat carbs after 4pm, blah blah. While i have no doubt all the things you listed worked for you, your rationale behind many of things listed is just an opinion and not based in any sort of fact based reality

A calorie deficit is how you lose weight. Keeping the weight off is a whole other ball game.

It's ok that you don't agree with me. I know you never will, and that's ok. I wish you luck on your weight loss experience.

MaddoxsMommy

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! My favorite part was, "You are human and it will be okay."

Acg67

sorry for the typo, 40/30/30. Healthy carbs = whole grains, vegetables, fruits and beans. Higher protein lower carbs (not no carbs) works for many,

Again, you should not use ratios to set macros and what makes whole grains healthier then refined grains, keeping in mind that whole grains have higher phytate content and phytate content effect on mineral absorbation?

Really? Even MFP uses these arbitrary amounts. Perhaps you don't believe in starvation mode, but I had it happen to me, and once I started eating more, I started dropping weight.

I see you completely glossed over that ht and weight should be factored into things, someone who is very petite can eat under 1200 cals with no problem, since their deficit could still be moderate based on activity. Woohoo N=1, read p on the Minnestoa starvation study among other things

Some research suggests that breakfast skippers may be more prone to overeating later in the day. And research from the National Weight Control Registry has shown that weight-loss maintainers are more likely to eat breakfast than not.

A big misconception with dieters is to drop breakfast, drop lunch, and just eat a big dinner. More calories at one time are too much for your body to handle. It causes a significant increase in your blood glucose levels, a spike in your dormant metabolism, followed by a crash. To avoid this crash, and to feel less hungry throughout the day, eating more often is recommended.

epidemiological studies? surely you're kidding. correlation =/= causation. And how many cals at one time is too much for your body to handle? Anything backing this claim up? the burden of proof is on you for making such a claim

It's ok that you don't agree with me. I know you never will, and that's ok. I wish you luck on your weight loss experience.

It's not just me that doesn't agree with you

kateroot

OP, no need to get defensive. I wasn't criticizing the way you do things, if it works for you I think it's great. But just about everything you said in your OP has no basis in actual fact. Most of the things you mention are things that I incorporate into my own life, but that doesn't mean they work for everyone or even that they have any real benefit. A great example of this is the 8 glasses of water you mention. I generally drink between half a gallon and a gallon of water every day, but I know there's no scientifically proven benefit to doing so, so I'm not going to go on a message board and tell people they "must" or even "should" do what I'm doing just because I think there's a benefit to it.

There's far too much pseudoscience and people stating opinions as fact on this site. I think it has a tendency to overcomplicate things or confuse people who are new to MFP or new to weight loss/fitness. It really is much more simple than you make it out to be.

MandaJean83

AMAZING post!

smcesko

AWESOME POST!!!!!!!!! Thank you!

gleechick609

The secret to losing weight: create a calorie deficit, not a surplus.

Ibeluvd

Thanks for your time posting this..It so makes sense! Just joined MFP with 58 lbs as my goal. I have my first weigh in on Wednesday. I am like alot of people using this great program always wanting for more information and always in need of a bit of encouragment so I love reading the topics,posts and success stories. This is the best I've read so far (besides the success stories)! Again, Thank You :flowerforyou:

BrittanyH8588

Thank You so much for posting this you answered so many questions I had this is one of the best post I have read on this site thank you thank you thank you so much :flowerforyou:

Sul3i

Great post!! Thanx for taking the time write this out! Ill need to read it again in the future I'm sure some very good points and inspirational messages in there even if I don't agree with every single thing I agree with most of it and will share with others! :flowerforyou:

DianeG213

Very motivating! Thanks. :happy:

miller0438

Great pst

msmissylowe

Thank you for that encouragement. This was truly wonderful motivation for me.

StevLL

bump

cjfitnessme

thanks for this article really helps, I only have about eight more pounds to go to reach my goal weight so once I am there I will have to remember your tips:)

zoe4friends

Great Post!!! Thank you sooo much for the time you put in it!!!

deniserenee_02

Great Post!!!