Is it Really That Simple?

sounds right to me....the binging in the meantime got me before........

For most people, it's that simple. If you have a medical condition or something, there might be some extra steps, but for the majority of the population, that's what it takes.

As far as binging goes, it does undo your work if you eat over maintenance calories, but unless you eat triple the amount you normally would in a day, it's probably not a big deal. If you go 200 calories over your goal, it's probably not going to hurt anything at all, because most folks have quite a difference between their goal calories, and their maintenance calories.

Calories in must be less than calories out. That is the simple fact. How you accomplish that varies from which person you talk to, which website you look at, which book you read. There lies the confusion and complications.

How much binging is okay though? OR is it NONE. absolutley none. If u binge once, then u gotta start all over again???

Start over at what?

Binging, as in "OMG I totally lost control" is never okay. Having a planned meal every once in a while that doesn't fit your calorie and macro profile is fine. If it's happening often enough that you're not losing weight (or that you're gaining weight), then you need to cut back. Pretty simple.

Leave off #3, and you've pretty much got it. I don't do any of that, and I'm losing fat.

I get that most people are obsessed with weight-lifting on here, because it works for them, but NO cardio? What if you like cardio?

I didn't say stop doing it if you enjoy it. I was implying that it's not necessary.

In reality, a calorie deficit is the only thing you need for fat loss, but eating enough protein and doing enough strength training to preserve your lean body mass will go a long way toward getting you to a body fat % you desire, which seemed to be where the OP was headed.

Leave off #3, and you've pretty much got it. I don't do any of that, and I'm losing fat.

I get that most people are obsessed with weight-lifting on here, because it works for them, but NO cardio? What if you like cardio?

I didn't say stop doing it if you enjoy it. I was implying that it's not necessary.

In reality, a calorie deficit is the only thing you need for fat loss, but eating enough protein and doing enough strength training to preserve your lean body mass will go a long way toward getting you to a body fat % you desire, which seemed to be where the OP was headed.

For those of us who don't have access to heavy weights, I do cardio (5-6x a week) along with some old-school strength training (such as sit ups and push ups), will this be considerably less effective than lifting heavy weights?

For those of us who don't have access to heavy weights, I do cardio (5-6x a week) along with some old-school strength training (such as sit ups and push ups), will this be considerably less effective than lifting heavy weights?

Personally I wouldn't recommend doing that much cardio unless you absolutely LOVE it. There's a lot of conflicting opinons out there, but there seem to be some studies suggesting that an excess of cardio can actually slow metabolism and cause the body to hold onto excess fat. Cardio is fine in moderation, just like everything else.

As far as strength training without weights, it's do-able though probably a little less effective. Building strength is all about progression, so if your'e doing 20 pushups a day your body isn't going to change anything, because it can already do 20 pushups. Make sense? If you can't get to a gym check out a home strength program. I just did the Jillian Michaels Body Revolution and surprisingly loved it. It wasn't as effective as lifting heavy but I definitely saw better results than expected. It's a DVD series you can do at home with some pretty light dumbbells (I used 3s, 5s, and 8s). There's other programs out there like P90X. You may also want to look into Convict Conditioning, it's an intense home strength program that uses absolutely no lifting equipment.

If it was me I'd cut your routine down to 3 days of cardio a week maximum, and at least 3 days strength. Make sure your cardio includes HIIT as well! That's just me, though... do what works for you.

How much binging is okay though? OR is it NONE. absolutley none. If u binge once, then u gotta start all over again???

It's cumulative. The overall amount of energy you ate versus the overall amount of energy you burned will determine the results. It doesn't matter if the graph of your intake is flat or bumpy. What matters is the area under the graph.

I find that not only do you have to change physically but also mentally. I always used to eat heaps when I was with friends. Recently, I have started looking at my friends who are slim and healthy - they usually don't eat stuff, even if it right in front of them. So, that is what I am also doing. Don't eat it just because it is there. Every little thing that you eat that you know is not healthy, will slow down your progress. And, in the long run, it is probably not worth it! Try and get through your next get together without over eating - I promise it will get easier and easier to resist all the treats Obviously, I am no pro at this, and still have a few pounds to lose, but I found that it is working for me.