Ask me anything about fat/weight loss....

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  • 4rgl
    4rgl Posts: 106
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    First of all thanks for all your replies, great information. You're awesome for helping so many of us out.

    I have read most of this thread and have a question about fruit.

    I know that as long as there is a deficit, one will lose weight regardless of what one eats. And you have repeated this many times on this thread.

    But then I read this on this same thread:
    I'm very surprised by the little amount of fruit it takes to go over the recommended daily limit for sugars on MFP. A large banana, 10 strawberries, and a large apple maxes out the sugars on a normal day before exercising. Obviously that number adjusts for calories burned, but does the daily goal seem to be too low? With the summer coming up, I eat a lot of fruit, and make fruit salads nearly every week - it would seem that one large bowl would max me out for the day.

    I'm not really worried about it because I have been active and working out, but I would welcome some input. Thanks.

    I love fruit personally. But I can easily become a fruitaholic sometimes. If I'm bulking, I don't watch it. I just eat however much I want. If I'm maintaining, then I watch it a little. If I'm cutting, I watch it like a hawk for just the same reasons as you said....they can add up really fast yeh.

    Why would it be necessary to watch fruit intake when trying to lose fat? Yes I know fruit has sugars in it but aren't these healthy sugars? Plus fruit is packed with vitamins and fiber, so why the need to watch fruit? Do all sugars have the same effect? I always thought that fructose was broken down differently than sucrose. Do I really need to worry if I have a deficit but have been going majorly over my sugar limits if it all came from fruit?

    I just started tracking calories last week and I know I have a deficit but don't know if I lost any weight yet. Just curious to know if and why fruit could hinder my fat loss efforts..

    Why would it be necessary to watch fruit intake?.....For the same reason you watch everything else: Calories all add up! You can get fat eating fruit just like you can any other food. Despite the fact that it is packed with natural sugars, vitamins, and fiber, it STILL has calories!! Calories are what matter, and if you're not burning them, then you're not going anywhere. There is a big difference between eating healthy, and eating for a result. I know some people that eat like rabbits all day and are crying their hearts out because they don't understand why they can't lose weight. It's because they think it's as simple as "Eat healthy, lose weight.".....well sure , so long as you're still in a deficit. Truth be told though, some of my friends, some of the most ripped chappies I know, go to McDonalds on the regular! At the end of the day though, they're burning more than they're taking in. Don't believe the hype, hon.

    Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. I know that you can eat healthy all you want and still put on weight. I guess i was confused by the OP saying "sugars" in specific add up and i mistakenly thought u were advising to watch fruit intake even if there is a deficit. And I thougt to myself what does it matter if i go over my sugar goals if I still have a deficit! Your reply confirmed my thoughts and clarified things. Thanks. : )
  • ScreenGem
    ScreenGem Posts: 52 Member
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    Hey Official:
    Just started P90x and got an "online coach" who recommended calories/protein/carb/fat consumption for me. Trouble is, I'm not sure that he knows what he's doing....ha ha. I just want to check to be sure. How do I calculate that appropriately?

    Im "mostly vegan" eating the occasional fish so he recommended 1600 cals/day, 40% Carbs, 40% protein, 20% fat. Im 5'4" (Skinny-Fat) 125, want to lose 20 lbs. Doable with his formula?
    Thx so much! :flowerforyou:
  • Microfiber_wechange
    Microfiber_wechange Posts: 640
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    Are you still losing?.....If so, then this is all you need to get the stomach you want. You can't spot reduce fat with exercise. For a flat stomach, you just need to get your body fat levels low enough. Same for slender arms and thighs. Add a lil' resistance training to that and voilá!

    Thank you. Everyone is saying the same thing so onwards and upwards :smile:
  • shayoni
    shayoni Posts: 43 Member
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    Bumping for awesome info =D
  • RiverDancer68
    RiverDancer68 Posts: 221 Member
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    Ok. First, can a person figure out their body fat % without the help of a trainer or high tech equipment? Are the online "calculators" correct? I would love to know what my % is, but really don't want to have to spend a fortune to find out. Secondly, I only do 2 forms of exercise, one is hot Vinyasa Flow yoga (at Core Power), the other Irish Dance. Do I need to add anything else to this? I do 4- 5 hour long yoga classes per week and two 3 hour dance classes per week. I went from 155lbs all the way down to 125, then gained back to between 135-140lbs (intentionally, after being told that I looked ill). I am 5'9" and my measurements are 36 27 36. I want to drop back down to 130, but don't want to look unhealthy. Will changing up my exercise routine enable me to drop the weight while still looking healthy? And, what would be the best thing to add to my routine? I eat about 1800-2000 (sometimes more) cals per day also, and I am a vegetarian. I am sure I could figure this out myself, but it is nice to get and expert opinion :drinker:
  • TheOfficialEpic
    TheOfficialEpic Posts: 406
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    Hey Official:
    Just started P90x and got an "online coach" who recommended calories/protein/carb/fat consumption for me. Trouble is, I'm not sure that he knows what he's doing....ha ha. I just want to check to be sure. How do I calculate that appropriately?

    Im "mostly vegan" eating the occasional fish so he recommended 1600 cals/day, 40% Carbs, 40% protein, 20% fat. Im 5'4" (Skinny-Fat) 125, want to lose 20 lbs. Doable with his formula?
    Thx so much! :flowerforyou:

    Definitely possible, but you'll of course need to make tweeks along the way. As far a calculating macros, he gave you a very generic breakdown, but that doesn't mean it's not good. You have to start generic to see how your body responds. More anaerobic activity, then more carbs need to function at your highest levels. More aerobic activity, you can afford to have less carbs in the system. First question I would have for you though is how long you have been on his program, have you lost anything, and if so, are you still losing?.....As you lose more weight, you're going to be constantly readjusting calorie levels. At your current 125, it will take more calories to maintain you then when you get down to your goal weight of around 105.
  • Microfiber_wechange
    Microfiber_wechange Posts: 640
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    As you lose more weight, you're going to be constantly readjusting calorie levels.

    Can you explain this bit in basic terms please. Does it mean increasing your calorie consumption or decreasing it? I've definitely lost weight since joining MFP. Does it mean I up my calories or lower them? I've got a lot to learn (sigh)
  • TheOfficialEpic
    TheOfficialEpic Posts: 406
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    Ok. First, can a person figure out their body fat % without the help of a trainer or high tech equipment? Are the online "calculators" correct? I would love to know what my % is, but really don't want to have to spend a fortune to find out. Secondly, I only do 2 forms of exercise, one is hot Vinyasa Flow yoga (at Core Power), the other Irish Dance. Do I need to add anything else to this? I do 4- 5 hour long yoga classes per week and two 3 hour dance classes per week. I went from 155lbs all the way down to 125, then gained back to between 135-140lbs (intentionally, after being told that I looked ill). I am 5'9" and my measurements are 36 27 36. I want to drop back down to 130, but don't want to look unhealthy. Will changing up my exercise routine enable me to drop the weight while still looking healthy? And, what would be the best thing to add to my routine? I eat about 1800-2000 (sometimes more) cals per day also, and I am a vegetarian. I am sure I could figure this out myself, but it is nice to get and expert opinion :drinker:

    Lemme guess....the person that said you looked unhealthy probably weighed more than you, didn't they? What matters is how you think and feel about your body. 125 is a GREAT weight for a 5'9 female. It's very lean, but a very healthy lean too. At 5'9 you could go as low as 115 before I would say you might be getting a lil' too low.....that's about VS model size by the way. On a side note, if you DO decide to go back to the 125, you can always add a little bit of weight back in muscle mass if you just want to "fill out" more. For that, I would recommend weight training as you're not gonna put on a lot of noticeable size with yoga or dance. Hell, my ballroom coach is 6'1 and MIGHT weigh 150 pounds soaking wet.
  • TheOfficialEpic
    TheOfficialEpic Posts: 406
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    As you lose more weight, you're going to be constantly readjusting calorie levels.

    Can you explain this bit in basic terms please. Does it mean increasing your calorie consumption or decreasing it? I've definitely lost weight since joining MFP. Does it mean I up my calories or lower them? I've got a lot to learn (sigh)

    What is fat?.....Stored energy. If you are not ingesting enough calories to maintain it, then it gets burned. So who is going to need more calories to maintain their weight, a 300 pound person or a 200 pound person? Obviously the 300 pounder. So say the 300 pound person decides to diet down. He loses 50 pounds. What it takes to maintain himself at 250 is less than what he needed at 300(all things equal). Because of this, what may have been a deficit at 300 pounds, might be maintenance now that he is 250. If that is the case then he will most likely need to readjust his calories lower to continue to lose. I myself, when I start a cut, my maintenance is usually around 3,000+ calories a day just sitting on my bum.....towards the end it drops as low as 2,250. Make sense?....
  • monty619
    monty619 Posts: 1,308 Member
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    do you have de-load weeks or just take a week off from the gym. and if you do how often do you do them and do they help you out?
  • AimersBee
    AimersBee Posts: 775 Member
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    bump it!
  • ball858
    ball858 Posts: 395 Member
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    Bump, very interesting info
  • tripod271
    tripod271 Posts: 112 Member
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    Any chance that you will post one of your ballroom videos on your blog?
  • reddevil29
    reddevil29 Posts: 169 Member
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    What an amazing job you are doing using your time and knowledge to help us out....much appreciated!!! :-)

    I am on my 3rd week with mfp but on my lifestyle change about a month or so, I am down 6 pounds and I am staying within my calories most days...and I am exercising 4 times per week, whereas I didn't do anything really before....I didnt lose anything last week, and I am due to weigh myself on Monday but I am wondering if my weight has not dropped for a second week in a row, what do you think I am doing wrong, I thought it would be a bit more consistent especially as I went from doing very little to working out quite a lot...Also, should I eat before a workout??

    Thanks :smile:
  • Kkmama
    Kkmama Posts: 544 Member
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    This is a fantastic thread. Thank you for taking the time to answer everyone's questions...

    I have been playing with the same 10 pounds for the last year, literally! Last June I was 198. Today I am at 194. I actually got down to 189 for a bit (a minute or two!) back in the fall. I am active at least 5 days a week. I have done P90X, 30 Day shred, etc. Walk a lot (can not do high impact due to knee issues... wait list for knee replacement surgery). I am always within my calories. I have tried to up them to 2000 with no results and down to 1430 still with no results and I am stumped. What do you suggest I do? I still have at least 40lbs if not more to lose. I was told every pound I lose will result in 4 pounds of pressure on my knee, which is the driving force for me. And of course good health!

    Presently I have MFP set to 1660 cals with eating my exercise calories which is usually somewhere around the 350 mark.
    I am 5' 9"
    Almost 45!
    Weight: 194
    Body fat: 41%!!!!! According to my scale, ouch!

    Thank you for taking the time to give me some advice.

    Sincerely,
    Christina

    I truly appreciate your time that you are using to help us.
  • TheOfficialEpic
    TheOfficialEpic Posts: 406
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    Any chance that you will post one of your ballroom videos on your blog?

    Lol. Are you saying you wanna see if the legends of my dancing abilities are true?....
  • TheOfficialEpic
    TheOfficialEpic Posts: 406
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    What an amazing job you are doing using your time and knowledge to help us out....much appreciated!!! :-)

    I am on my 3rd week with mfp but on my lifestyle change about a month or so, I am down 6 pounds and I am staying within my calories most days...and I am exercising 4 times per week, whereas I didn't do anything really before....I didnt lose anything last week, and I am due to weigh myself on Monday but I am wondering if my weight has not dropped for a second week in a row, what do you think I am doing wrong, I thought it would be a bit more consistent especially as I went from doing very little to working out quite a lot...Also, should I eat before a workout??

    Thanks :smile:

    Inaccurate counting, stress, water retention, different measureement times, 'that time of the month', etc.
  • tripod271
    tripod271 Posts: 112 Member
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    Heard they are legendary but want to see for myself lol.
  • TheOfficialEpic
    TheOfficialEpic Posts: 406
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    This is a fantastic thread. Thank you for taking the time to answer everyone's questions...

    I have been playing with the same 10 pounds for the last year, literally! Last June I was 198. Today I am at 194. I actually got down to 189 for a bit (a minute or two!) back in the fall. I am active at least 5 days a week. I have done P90X, 30 Day shred, etc. Walk a lot (can not do high impact due to knee issues... wait list for knee replacement surgery). I am always within my calories. I have tried to up them to 2000 with no results and down to 1430 still with no results and I am stumped. What do you suggest I do? I still have at least 40lbs if not more to lose. I was told every pound I lose will result in 4 pounds of pressure on my knee, which is the driving force for me. And of course good health!

    Presently I have MFP set to 1660 cals with eating my exercise calories which is usually somewhere around the 350 mark.
    I am 5' 9"
    Almost 45!
    Weight: 194
    Body fat: 41%!!!!! According to my scale, ouch!

    Thank you for taking the time to give me some advice.

    Sincerely,
    Christina

    I truly appreciate your time that you are using to help us.

    Somethings not right. I'm gonna say either the calorie calculations you're adding are being tallied wrong or haven't been consistent enough. Depending on stress levels also your body COULD be fighting you, but this is very rarely the case. I have yet to find a client who after I've taught them how to count haven't been able to consistently lose. But some who initially thought they were counting correctly were not, and others still were missing a lot of hidden calories.
  • TheOfficialEpic
    TheOfficialEpic Posts: 406
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    Heard they are legendary but want to see for myself lol.

    Lol. All the answers to life's many mysteries can be found with the perfect YouTube search. ;)

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