Can it be done this way...is there an inbetween??

balancedbrunette

Feeling a little discouraged lately know we all go through it so thought maybe some views would prove useful..:)

I've been doing a good bit of research lately and between reading about paleo diets and extreme lifting if you want to tone your body i'm wondering is there any inbetween? Like if you watch what you are eating and develop a healthy lifestyle without completely cutting carbs and doing a mixture of cardio and strength weekly is it enough??

I've noticed I have slowly lost weight since I joined here and made little changes, now i'm stuck wondering whether what i'm doing is enough do i need to go to the extremes? Is weight loss still the matter of calories in and out at the end of the day....feeling lost .

hardone1979

You have to find what works for you. I am strict during the week days loose on the weekends when it comes to calories. I work out for an hour 6 days a week. I enjoy it. It can be a slow process but you just gotta keep with it. It's as boring as that

balancedbrunette

Thanks realistic advice at the end of the day just interesting to see what works for other people. What I have been doing is working its just such a slow process but i guess the weight wasn't gained fast either. two way street.
Bumping for later..

prokomds

You don't give many specifics about yourself, so it's hard to give solid advice. But I'm a big fan of small improvements over drastic life changes, personally.

I wanted to lose in the neighborhood of 15 pounds, fully understanding that losing a small amount of weight close to your goal is quite difficult. I eat just barely below my TDEE (MFP says I'll lose .4 lbs/week, and some days I go a tad over, so even less, but I stopped paying attention to that....). I try to do a 30-60 minute workout at least three times a week, with a mix of cardio and strength. I play sports when I can, which helps me meet my workout goals. I conscientiously try to eat more protein and somewhat fewer carbs, but I'm by no means atkins/paleo/whatever. I don't count calories on weekends, but I don't use that as an excuse to binge, either.

Where has that gotten me? Well, in 6 months, I've lost about 10 pounds, 5 inches off my stomach, and my body fat went from over 30% to around 26. I still want to go a little further, but I'm content to let it happen slowly. Maybe I could have made this happen faster if I'd gone full paleo, for example, but I'd always be wondering when I'd end the "diet." I'm not dieting now, I'm just trying to made slightly smarter choices.

Find something you can sustain forever. I, personally, see no reason to put off being happy now for some ideal of being happy later. Enjoy life! Just try to be somewhat smart about it. My two cents, anyway...

mmapags

There is mostly inbetween. The extremes rarely work for the long term. It's very simple really. The only things that are needed are:

-moderate calorie defict set at 15 to 20% below TDEE or set to lose 1 pound per week.
-well set macronutrient targets
-mostly whole nutrient dense foods
-some form of resistance training to maintain lean muscle mass while losing weight.

Anthing beyond that is window dressing. There is no need for low carb, paleo or anything else. If you wish to do those things, that is your preference but they will only work if they address the simple steps above and they are something you can do fairly comfortably for a long time.

rybo

There is more in between than there is extremes. I have been at both ends at some point during my life. I've lifted w/o any cardio, I've trained for marathons with no lifting. Both paths accomplished what I wanted. Right now I am in between. I run some & do body weight strength some. I eat pretty healthy, but I don't follow a "named" diet. If I want ice cream, I eat it, but mostly I make choices to eat whole real foods as much as possible.

geekyjock76

People who experience the greatest success at fat loss and maintaining their goals are those who established eating and exercise habits that closely mirror the way they intend to live during the maintenance stage. Conversely, those who establish extreme (restrictive) eating and (excessive) exercise habits have very low adherence rates simply because their plans are not sustainable long-term.

Thus, decide what activities you like and how regularly you wish to engage in them from the maintenance stage point of view. Next, estimate how much energy you need to consume just to maintain body weight and composition when engaging in said activity. Finally, choose the appropriate deficit according to how much fat mass you have vs fat mass you wish to reduce. Keep things as simple as possible since the less change in variables will reduce human error and lead to greater compliance.

danasings

I have lost almost 70 pounds by gradually making changes and adapting my eating habits and lifestyle to something I enjoy and can do every day. I weight train 3 days/week, do Pilates 2-3 days/week, and engage in cardio that I actually like doing (walking, jogging, TurboFire, kickboxing) 5-6 days/week. I take one full rest day every 2-3 weeks.

You don't have to go to extremes to get results. You do have to be consistent and patient. Best of luck to you. :drinker:

ETA: I also eat @1800-2000 cals to stay at a slight deficit (I still have 8-10 pounds to go); maintenance will be @2200-2400/day.

jacksonpt

There is more in between than there is extremes. I have been at both ends at some point during my life. I've lifted w/o any cardio, I've trained for marathons with no lifting. Both paths accomplished what I wanted. Right now I am in between. I run some & do body weight strength some. I eat pretty healthy, but I don't follow a "named" diet. If I want ice cream, I eat it, but mostly I make choices to eat whole real foods as much as possible.

This.

It really comes down to your goals and expectations. If they are exceptionally high, then at some point you'll have to get pretty focused with your diet and exercise approach. I wouldn't call it extreme, but you'll certainly have less "wiggle room" if you expect idealistic results and/or have exceptionally high goals/standards.

theologynerd

You are getting some pretty sound advice. When I first started my weight loss, it was all I could handle to count calories and log. It was confusing and tedious for me. After a while, it was second nature. I did taekwondo twice a week and it was intense and all I could manage. After I got used to counting calories, I started paying more attention to the quality of calories. That was difficult at first, and got easier as time went on. I added in another day of tkd, and eventually strength training. Finally, I started working on my macros. I thought for sure I had hit a wall, because it was simply too hard to get enough protein without going over on calories. However, just like everything else, it got easier as time went on. During all of this, I had plateaus here and there. Basically, I'm just trying to say that all of this can be very overwhelming. Do what you can, when you can. You might love Paleo, you might hate it. If you hate it, do something else. I ate Primal for a while and loved it. People say that it's unsustainable, but it really appeals to me, and I'm going back to it, because it's simple for me. Primal might totally sabotage someone else and make them binge. All of this is a long process of trial and error. The people who lose weight successfully are the ones who pick themselves up after a bad day, or a binge or during a plateau. They keep at it, where others give up. Persistence is the key, in my opinion.

bransko1982

Going to extremes wont last for anyone. You will need do what you can handle, but I do suggest at least an hour of activity 5-6 days a week. I started out going to the gym every other day (coming out of a depression) and now im going 6 days a week. You should be doing some strength training 3 days out of the week, because building muscle will help to burn the fat faster.
You also need to eat properly to fuel your workouts, otherwise you'll just burn off the muscle in place of the food.
Don't do any "diets", just eat natural, whole, real foods - and eat all the time, every 3 to 4 hours - start to phase out any processed foods. There is a lot of info and rules out there, but I try to go by this - If it didn't come from the earth or have a mother, don't put it into your body. You should also know where your food is coming from (big one)
Take your vitamins, every day - just keep it up, and the results WILL come

If you want FAST results, then you'll have to be extreme in your eating, and your exercises, but you wont be able to keep it going long term.

kdiamond

As others have said, there is no need for extremes. Extreme anything will burn you out...

I live by an 85/15 rule...85% non-processed healthy, lean meats, veggies, etc., the other 15% whatever I feel like in moderation, like wine, or dinners out, or ice cream, or whatever it may be. It has worked for me for over 8 years now, closing in on 9. I still stay my course in the gym 4-5 times a week, but I sure do enjoy my life!

balancedbrunette

Thank you everyone for your replies, honestly can't thank you enough or pick out one to quote over another because everyones responses were so helpful, i know it seems like a really common sense question but guess i was just going through a rough patch feeling stalled and what not, but to quote what a lot of you have said you can still enjoy your life but need to be smart, i need to smart plus stricter on myself especially when it comes down to the real foods in my diet.

Thanks guys.