ITT: Ask me anything about losing weight..

suziecue66

Sublog, you may regret this thread - so many questions?
So you didn't eat back exercise calories and lost consistently. Did you IF throughout your weight loss?
If you have about 40 pounds to lose do you think 2 pounds per week do-able and okay?

I've been doing IF for a little over a year. It's not magic, it still comes down to calories in vs calories out. I do like IF because it allows me to eat larger meals and feel full later in the day. 1-2 lbs per week is a good range. Just try to get some sort of resistance workout in and eat a diet high in protein for muscle sparing purposes.

Nice reply. Yeh agree it comes down to calories in the end.

Sublog

How many days do you workout a week? What days are cardio and what days are weights? How long do you spend at the gym and how many sets do you do? How many reps do you do?

My training has evolved. Right now, I do a push/pull/leg split M/W/F with Saturday being abs and chest a 2nd time the week. T/T I do about 30-40 minutes of light cardio keeping my hear rate around 110. Sunday, sometimes I'll take a walk, but that's it.

Im in the gym about an hour. 10 minutes to warm up, and about 45 minutes lifting. I usually do 3-4 sets per exercise and about 6-10 reps per set. So about 20-30 sets depending on day.

AnnyaSB

Nothing is guaranteed. You just have to want it. I had a burning desire to lose this weight once and for all. I obsessed over it. I learned everything I could about it.

Don't listen to the compliments. Don't reward yourself with food. Stay focused on your goals. Take it one day at a time as cliche as that sounds. If you mess up, get right back on the horse tomorrow. Don't turn a meal into a bad day or into a bad week.

At the end of the day, that is the long and short of it. thanks for the interesting links - may have to re-think my strategy as I don't think I'm eating enough which might esxplain why I am so shattered half the time!

Sublog

Just a question, I hold lots my weight in my stomach area.
any exercises to aid it to lose faster around there?

Nope. Spot reduction is a myth. Just continue to lose weight/fat through a calorie deficit and your body will lose your problem areas.

Sublog

I'm still a little confused on tighten up my core during workouts. To make sure Im doing it correctly I suck my belly button is that how it's done.

Suck in your belly button? Not sure I understand? Tightening up your core is simply a term for increasing your core strength (resistance training) + dropping body fat (calorie restriction).

purpleipod

Is waiting until I get to goal (or very close) to build muscle via strength training going to do me more harm than good?

moepwr

Bump!

Lib_B

i can't get to the gym very often - schedule just doesn't allow it. I workout at home. I do my cardio and resistance via push-ups, planks, etc. i have resistance bands but am at a loss about how to use them to really create definition. any ideas?

Sublog

You are awesome for doing this btw!!!

Here's my question: I am overweight, and I want to lose that weight, but I also want to build muscle (and definitely not lose what I already have)

Here's my routine:
Mon: 30 min elliptical/upper body (with 3, 5, and 10 lb dumbbells)
Tues: 30 min elliptical/Lower body/abs
Weds: 30 min elliptical/upper body/abs
Thurs: 30 min elliptical/lower body
Fri: 30 min elliptical/upper body
Sat: 30 min elliptical/lower body/ abs
Sun: rest
(the abs totally get mixed up every week...it really just depends how beat I am)

Is this ok?? I keep hearing that this is not effective and that i'm gonna lose muscle.

Can't wait to hear you thoughts.

-Adriana

You're working your abs way too much. It's a muscle, and requires rest. Do your cardio after your resistance training, and use heavier weights. 3 lb weights won't do anything.

Losing weight is largely a function of your diet.

navy1984

I have a question for you. I am trying to get back into running and have started speed walking at an incline(in between 4.0-6.0 incline not sure if that matters but thought I would throw that bit of info in)for about 30 solid minutes. I am trying to bump up my time and my goal is to build my endurance. Yesterday I went for 30 minutes in the afternoon and then hopped back on and did another 30 minutes at night. So my question is does it matter if I go for an entire hour, or can I break it up 30 min morning/afternoon 30 min later in the evening? Is it all the same? What if I was feeling especially lazy and did 15 minutes, few hours later another 15 and so forth? Thanks!

xASHYxSMASHYx

bump

Sublog

Is waiting until I get to goal (or very close) to build muscle via strength training going to do me more harm than good?

Ideally, you should try to do resistance training NOW. When you are overweight, it is easier to build muscle than when you get thinner because of a whole bunch of reasons too complicated to explain (and I don't fully understand the mechanisms).

You do resistance training when you lose weight to maintain muscle mass.

Marge321

Never eat below your BMR? MFP wants me to eat around 1650 calories a day to lose a pound/week even though my BMR is estimated to 1730 a day and my TDEE is around 2160... Should I catch up my BMR?

I'm on my first week almost completed and I haven't lost anything.

Sublog

I'm looking to tone the underside of my arms. I've got the dangly flab, but only on my non-dominant arm. My right arm is fairly toned. Any advice to focus more on one than the other, and something that will work well?? Thanks!!

Its normal for people to carry more fat/muscle in one side of their body. Working your triceps is going to help increase the muscle mass and losing additional body fat will help tighten up the flab.

_kimberly

First off, congratulations on your phenomenal success!! Wow!!

I'm new here, I just started this week. Thank you for starting this thread. Much appreciated!!

Sublog

What's your thought on the Standard Keto Diet? And ketosis in general? Did you ever do anything like that? After too many times failing with the restrictions on Atkins I'm trying to find a low carb WOE that won't lead me to failure and ultimately self sabotage.

Congrats on your successes! You are an inspiration!

I like my carbs and Keto offers no metabolic advantage over carb diets. It doesn't teach you how to eat, it simply eliminates a whole branch of foods (which most are yummy!)

Sublog

What is more accurate ; the calories burned on the Machine or the Calores MFP says you burn in a workout ? They are both differant ! I have been on here logging and workout for 2 months , I can now run a 5K , first my calories were too low at 1200 s, I bumped them up to 1500 cause I am just not losing any weight . I am seeing inches come off but in 2 months of working out 4-5 days a week and logging I have lost 3 lbs ! What am I doing wrong ?

Neither? I like to use my results as the ultimate indicator of calories burned. The only catch is this requires precision in logging/monitoring your intake. If I am losing too fast, I up my calories. If you are seeing inches lost, but no real weight loss over the span of a month or so, you're eating close to maintenance levels calorie wise.

DORCASC

Help, help, help! I started out tracking my exercise calories with an HRM. I lost very little weight and sometimes gained a little. So, I quit eating my exercise calories and stuck with 1200 calories per day. The first two weeks, I lost two pounds. The next two weeks, gained .3 lb. I just can't seem to lose weight no matter what I do. I am exercising 5 days a week religiously, three days at the gym and two days of walking. I am 5'1", weigh 128 lbs. and trying to get down to 118. If you have any suggestions, I would greatly appreciate it.

Sublog

i can't get to the gym very often - schedule just doesn't allow it. I workout at home. I do my cardio and resistance via push-ups, planks, etc. i have resistance bands but am at a loss about how to use them to really create definition. any ideas?

Invest in a set of dumbbells. Get ones heavy enough to do actually do something.

kelkir

How do you recommend "rebuilding" a metabolism after eating so little for a long time? I've read Leigh Peele's books and they seem sensible...