ITT: Ask me anything about losing weight.. (part 2)

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Sublog
Sublog Posts: 1,296 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
It's been a few months since I started and subsequently abandoned the old thread and I guess in the spirit of SS, I'm going to do another round of Q/A's in his honor!

(Original Thread)
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/561900-itt-ask-me-anything-about-losing-weight?

So, without further ado here it goes.

I've lost a ton of weight, spent a lot of time learning (self taught) about nutrition and fat loss. I've decided that I would start a thread to answer questions about weight loss.

Please expect science based answers mixed with a little of my own personal experience. No, I'm not a doctor, a personal trainer, or a nutritionist! HOWEVER, I've spent a lot of time researching those who are, and my collective outlook on diet/weight loss and nutrition is formulated over my 2 + years of experience of losing weight/gaining muscle and dieting and researching other people's work.

So ask away and I'll try to help answer. I obviously don't/won't have all of the answers, but I will try to help those who don't want to start their own threads.
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Replies

  • Debbe2
    Debbe2 Posts: 2,071 Member
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    Did you find when you were losing that you steadily lost or was there times of loss and other times of weight stability but body recomp?
  • Sublog
    Sublog Posts: 1,296 Member
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    Did you find when you were losing that you steadily lost or was there times of loss and other times of weight stability but body recomp?

    My weight loss was incredibly linear. I never experienced a plateau. However, when I hit my lowest weight in the fall of last year, I realized I didn't have the muscle mass to get as lean as I wanted, so I had to gain some muscle to achieve the body I wanted.
  • DetroitKilljoy
    DetroitKilljoy Posts: 37
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    Where is the first part of your body which you started losing weight? What's your diet and exercise routine now?
  • Sublog
    Sublog Posts: 1,296 Member
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    Where is the first part of your body which you started losing weight? What's your diet and exercise routine now?

    The first parts of your body which you will see the most visual progress is the parts of your body which is already the leanest. For me, it was forearms and legs.

    Sorry, I forgot to answer the 2nd part of your question.

    My workout routine is a custom one I do.
    M/W/F/Sat - Pull/Press/Legs/shoulders/press & abs
    Tue/Thur/Sun - I do cardio
    Diet is IIFYM, 2800 calories per day (40/35/25) - carbs/protein/fats)
  • Debbe2
    Debbe2 Posts: 2,071 Member
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    We're there foods you limited or stayed clear of while losing? Or were you primarily concerned with calorie and macro #'s?
  • aliric
    aliric Posts: 69
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    When you were losing weight did you ever take a free day and eat whatever? And if so, did you gain any?
  • Sublog
    Sublog Posts: 1,296 Member
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    We're there foods you limited or stayed clear of while losing? Or were you primarily concerned with calorie and macro #'s?

    Concerned with finding a sustainable diet consisting of foods I enjoyed eating. I just avoided foods I couldn't fit into my diet.

    Tried to create a diet that had lots of nutritious foods, but I also had to make room for my beloved ice cream every day!
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
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    How do you know when you are done losing and need to work on increasing muscle mass/ strength?
  • Sublog
    Sublog Posts: 1,296 Member
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    When you were losing weight did you ever take a free day and eat whatever? And if so, did you gain any?

    Not really. I rarely ever cheated. Never felt the need to because I never felt that deprived. I just fit foods into my diet if I wanted something specific. But yes, increased sodium/carbs will lead to increased in water weight the following day. I tracked my weight daily for 2 years.
  • fromaquasar
    fromaquasar Posts: 811 Member
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    I am doing my first true bulk/cut cycle - I have one more month for a 3 month bulk and then was going to cut for 3 months. This is sort of an arbitrary amount of time. Based on my stats (5"4, 138 lb, 24, female) does this seem right? Is there a formula for this or is it more a trial and error thing?
  • olong
    olong Posts: 255 Member
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    How do you know when you are done losing and need to work on increasing muscle mass/ strength?

    Ditto.... I originally intended to lose about 30lbs... I've lost nearly 40lbs and don't know whether I should stay where I am (about 148lbs-150lbs and happy to be here!!!) or whether the next 5 lbs will be worth it. Or stay here and tone/define.
  • Sublog
    Sublog Posts: 1,296 Member
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    How do you know when you are done losing and need to work on increasing muscle mass/ strength?

    This was a tough one. There comes a point where you experience diminishing returns. I was 171 lbs last fall, but I still needed to get leaner to tighten up some stubborn fat on my waistline despite the fact, I was <10% body fat. I simply realized that I was too skinny and I didn't have the mass to cut down to any further level of leanness. It was something I wrestled with for a while before I started my first bulk early this year.
  • jvhall83
    jvhall83 Posts: 35
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    Everyone has explained it over and over...so im a bit ashamed to say that im still confused. I started dropping weight and then i found out that I should be no less than my BMR which MFP says 2400 and other places roughly 2100. If you could just run down what was successful for you in regards to this...that would be great. What foods...how much of a caloric deficit did you use? I'm currently programmed for MFP to lose 1 pound a week which does have me under my BMR. It has me at 1700 calories. If you can offer some insight into this...that would be great...I really want to get back on the right track of shedding pounds. By the way i exercise 4-5 times a week burning on average 450 calories...thanks
  • kee249
    kee249 Posts: 5
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    I am new at this weight lost journey and have just started to track my calories. I started out on MFP and the website assigned me 1720 calories a day. I followed this for a day or two and then after reading posts on the website, I decided to follow the post that required me to calculate my TDEE. I am 320lbs, 5'7 and I just started working out 4 times a week doing aqua aerobics, aqua kickboxing, light lifting, treadmills and the bike. When I calculated my TDEE it gave me 2400 calories. So I changed my MFP calories from 1720 to 2400. I feel like this is a lot of calories and I have a hard time finding ways to get all these calories in. I find myself eating when I am not hungry just to get all the calories in. I don't eat back my exercise calories since I am following the TDEE number of 2400. Am I doing this right? or should I go back to the 1720 calories MFP gave me and eat back my exercise calories.

    I am very confused at what I am doing; however, this is my first week and I have lost 6lbs in 1 week. Is this a healthy weight loss. PLease help. Thanks.
  • kee249
    kee249 Posts: 5
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    @ JVHall83 Don't feel bad........I still don't get it either. I'm still confused myself and i read it over and over again.
  • Sublog
    Sublog Posts: 1,296 Member
    Options
    I am doing my first true bulk/cut cycle - I have one more month for a 3 month bulk and then was going to cut for 3 months. This is sort of an arbitrary amount of time. Based on my stats (5"4, 138 lb, 24, female) does this seem right? Is there a formula for this or is it more a trial and error thing?

    I'm not sure about women, but for men its generally advised to cap your bulk at around 15% body fat. I do recall a number in an article I read, but I can't recall off the top of my head. Generally, you want to start pretty lean so you can sustain the gains until you get to maximize the amount of time you can bulk without getting overly fat.

    I gained 16 lbs in the past 3 months and I can still fit into my size 31 jeans at 14% body fat.
  • dawnemjh
    dawnemjh Posts: 1,465 Member
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    If you hit a plateau how do you know if you should be eating more or less? In other words, if I am sustaining 500-1000 cal deficit for over a year and still not losing, should I eat more, or go even lower???
  • tobnrn
    tobnrn Posts: 477 Member
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    Just wanted to say you are awesome and thanks for all your help in the past. :drinker:
  • jvhall83
    jvhall83 Posts: 35
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    @ JVHall83 Don't feel bad........I still don't get it either. I'm still confused myself and i read it over and over again.

    Thanks I was just about to say the same to you. I just want to figure out what works and make it happen so I can achieve my goals. Hopefully we can get the answers that we are seeking. People make it seem like its so easy to understand however its just not clicking for me for one reason or another...
  • Sublog
    Sublog Posts: 1,296 Member
    Options
    Everyone has explained it over and over...so im a bit ashamed to say that im still confused. I started dropping weight and then i found out that I should be no less than my BMR which MFP says 2400 and other places roughly 2100. If you could just run down what was successful for you in regards to this...that would be great. What foods...how much of a caloric deficit did you use? I'm currently programmed for MFP to lose 1 pound a week which does have me under my BMR. It has me at 1700 calories. If you can offer some insight into this...that would be great...I really want to get back on the right track of shedding pounds. By the way i exercise 4-5 times a week burning on average 450 calories...thanks

    Basically, I ate below my BMR for a long time and it had no ill effect on me. Typically speaking aim for about 1% weight loss per week max.. If you're 300lbs, you can easily drop 3 lbs a week safely. Eat a high protein diet and do resistance training. Adjust your calorie intake up or down based on your results!

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