You guys really like to over complicate things.

I see threads all the time on here with some crazy nonsense like "eat 6 small meals a day" or here's a funny one "gaining weight after I quit smoking" the list goes on though.

Smoking - You will not gain weight if you quit smoking unless you binge eat after quitting, that's all there is to it.

Losing weight is very easy - Just eat under your maintenance and do cardio, hell you don't even need to do cardio to burn fat, you can do it all through diet. I recommend you do some type of cardio though for your heart.

Gaining muscle - Eat over your maintenance by anywhere from 200-500 calories, while lifting 3-4x a week and you will gain muscle, unless you have super low testosterone levels.

Losing fat and gaining muscle - Lift while you lose weight. If you feel like you don't have enough muscle when you lose the fat, then eat at a low surplus like 200-300 calories over maintenance for a few months. Then cut fat again, it's really that simple.(just posted this last part in another thread)



You honestly don't even need to eat super clean foods like rice and chicken every meal to lose weight, Although it will probably make you feel better. I don't want people to be turned off from fitness and being healthy because of this stuff.

inb4 people with PHD's in broscience post

I see threads all the time on here with some crazy nonsense like "eat 6 small meals a day" or here's a funny one "gaining weight after I quit smoking" the list goes on though.

Smoking - You will not gain weight if you quit smoking unless you binge eat after quitting, that's all there is to it.

Losing weight is very easy - Just eat under your maintenance and do cardio, hell you don't even need to do cardio to burn fat, you can do it all through diet. I recommend you do some type of cardio though for your heart.

Gaining muscle - Eat over your maintenance by anywhere from 200-500 calories, while lifting 3-4x a week and you will gain muscle, unless you have super low testosterone levels.

Losing fat and gaining muscle - Lift while you lose weight. If you feel like you don't have enough muscle when you lose the fat, then eat at a low surplus like 200-300 calories over maintenance for a few months. Then cut fat again, it's really that simple.(just posted this last part in another thread)



You honestly don't even need to eat super clean foods like rice and chicken every meal to lose weight, Although it will probably make you feel better. I don't want people to be turned off from fitness and being healthy because of this stuff.

inb4 people with PHD's in broscience post

This is truth. To all of the people who have jumped in with excuses-this is a matter of reading comprehension. Some people are so hell bent on arguing they will argue with someone making the same point they are trying to make. After reading all of the excuses I had to go back and read the OP's post again. He specifically says "eat under YOUR MAINTENANCE". That's pretty clear. Whatever your maintenance is eat below it and weight will come off. If you want to improve your cardiovascular health, endurance, and physical fitness then workout.

As a side note. I have hypothyroidism and an extremely poor metabolism from years of struggling with eating disorders. My maintenance is low. Someone else's may be high. What ever yours is eat below it and lose.

OP:drinker:

I see threads all the time on here with some crazy nonsense like "eat 6 small meals a day" or here's a funny one "gaining weight after I quit smoking" the list goes on though.

Smoking - You will not gain weight if you quit smoking unless you binge eat after quitting, that's all there is to it.

Losing weight is very easy - Just eat under your maintenance and do cardio, hell you don't even need to do cardio to burn fat, you can do it all through diet. I recommend you do some type of cardio though for your heart.

Gaining muscle - Eat over your maintenance by anywhere from 200-500 calories, while lifting 3-4x a week and you will gain muscle, unless you have super low testosterone levels.

Losing fat and gaining muscle - Lift while you lose weight. If you feel like you don't have enough muscle when you lose the fat, then eat at a low surplus like 200-300 calories over maintenance for a few months. Then cut fat again, it's really that simple.(just posted this last part in another thread)



You honestly don't even need to eat super clean foods like rice and chicken every meal to lose weight, Although it will probably make you feel better. I don't want people to be turned off from fitness and being healthy because of this stuff.

inb4 people with PHD's in broscience post

This is truth. To all of the people who have jumped in with excuses-this is a matter of reading comprehension. Some people are so hell bent on arguing they will argue with someone making the same point they are trying to make. After reading all of the excuses I had to go back and read the OP's post again. He specifically says "eat under YOUR MAINTENANCE". That's pretty clear. Whatever your maintenance is eat below it and weight will come off. If you want to improve your cardiovascular health, endurance, and physical fitness then workout.

As a side note. I have hypothyroidism and an extremely poor metabolism from years of struggling with eating disorders. My maintenance is low. Someone else's may be high. What ever yours is eat below it and lose.

OP:drinker:

someone that has a medical problem and understands what OP was saying?
repped

I see threads all the time on here with some crazy nonsense like "eat 6 small meals a day" or here's a funny one "gaining weight after I quit smoking" the list goes on though.

Smoking - You will not gain weight if you quit smoking unless you binge eat after quitting, that's all there is to it.

Losing weight is very easy - Just eat under your maintenance and do cardio, hell you don't even need to do cardio to burn fat, you can do it all through diet. I recommend you do some type of cardio though for your heart.

Gaining muscle - Eat over your maintenance by anywhere from 200-500 calories, while lifting 3-4x a week and you will gain muscle, unless you have super low testosterone levels.

Losing fat and gaining muscle - Lift while you lose weight. If you feel like you don't have enough muscle when you lose the fat, then eat at a low surplus like 200-300 calories over maintenance for a few months. Then cut fat again, it's really that simple.(just posted this last part in another thread)



You honestly don't even need to eat super clean foods like rice and chicken every meal to lose weight, Although it will probably make you feel better. I don't want people to be turned off from fitness and being healthy because of this stuff.

inb4 people with PHD's in broscience post

This is truth. To all of the people who have jumped in with excuses-this is a matter of reading comprehension. Some people are so hell bent on arguing they will argue with someone making the same point they are trying to make. After reading all of the excuses I had to go back and read the OP's post again. He specifically says "eat under YOUR MAINTENANCE". That's pretty clear. Whatever your maintenance is eat below it and weight will come off. If you want to improve your cardiovascular health, endurance, and physical fitness then workout.

As a side note. I have hypothyroidism and an extremely poor metabolism from years of struggling with eating disorders. My maintenance is low. Someone else's may be high. What ever yours is eat below it and lose.

OP:drinker:

someone that has a medical problem and understands what OP was saying?
repped

You mean actual maintenance and predicted maintenance can differ by a lot?

I didn't make this thread to be a ****. I made this thread so that it could help people understand that for the majority of us, losing weight(or gaining) isn't that complicated. It was more to motivate than put you down, but if you have a medical condition or are taking meds, then you really don't apply to this thread and you know that.

I get you, but weight loss is an emotional **** storm. It's all wrapped up in social anxiety and feelings of low self worth, with a strong slathering of humiliation and a dash of being hangry.

I didn't make this thread to be a ****. I made this thread so that it could help people understand that for the majority of us, losing weight(or gaining) isn't that complicated. It was more to motivate than put you down, but if you have a medical condition or are taking meds, then you really don't apply to this thread and you know that.

And all I was saying was you made it all sound so simple, so easy. No problems. Life looks simple and easy when you are 21 as you are. I used to think like that when I was your age. But when you are my age you know it isn't. There is no one way to lose weight. No one diet plan for everyone. No one exercise plan for everyone. It isn't simple. Nothing in life is. Especially if it is worthwhile. And that is all I'm saying. You'll find that out in a few decades. Trust me on that.

Écrasez l’infâme!

Plus I heard there were cats

I thought there would be cats.....

Smoking - You will not gain weight if you quit smoking unless you binge eat after quitting, that's all there is to it.

Actually, the metabolism slows down after a person quits smoking.

Nicotine is a stimulant, bro.

Here are three sources I found doing a quick search: I am sure there are many more and just as many stating the opposite opinion. I know that I did gain weight each time I stopped smoking; even when I diligently watched food intake. I finally quit for the last time last November so I won't have to worry about this anymore.

From Huffington Post...WASHINGTON -- Scientists say they've finally discovered why smokers tend to gain some weight when they kick the habit.
It turns out that nicotine can rev up brain cells that normally signal people to stop eating when they're full, researchers report in Friday's edition of the journal Science.
The weight connection isn't huge: On average, quitters gain less than 10 pounds.
But when it comes to weight, the Yale research found that both nicotine and the related drug cytisine were activating a different receptor than the one involved in addiction. This one is located on a small set of neurons in the hypothalamus, a region that regulates appetite.

This one is from the Mayo clinic website:
Is weight gain inevitable after you quit smoking? What causes it?
Answer
from Richard D. Hurt, M.D.
It's fairly common to gain weight after you stop smoking, especially in the first few months — but it isn't inevitable.
Smoking acts as an appetite suppressant and may slightly increase your metabolism as well. When you quit smoking, your appetite and metabolism return to normal — which may lead you to eat more and burn fewer calories. Also, your ability to smell and taste food improves after you quit smoking. This can make food more appealing, which may lead you to eat more. And if you substitute snacking for smoking, the calories may quickly add up.

From WebMD:
Burning calories at a normal rate again. Every cigarette you smoke makes your body burn calories faster, but is also harmful to your heart. Once you quit, you are no longer getting this temporary effect. Instead, you are burning slightly fewer calories on a daily basis.

There are people for whom the OP’s sentiment is true...For them, weight loss is a simple matter of making good choices.

But there are also plenty of people for whom that is not true. Some people use food to cope with emotional challenges have to learn whole new ways to cope, which is MUCH harder than simply making different choices.

Some of us have hormonal challenges, and have to follow a drastically different plan than MFP-recommended calorie deficit every day.

Some folks face plenty of legitimate budgetary and scheduling challenges that require more thought and planning than "put down the twinkie".

The community here on the site can really help people stick with their goals and overcome challenges.

You are right that there are some people over-complicate as a way to self-sabotage or to excuse a lack of progress. But there are also plenty of people who are working hard to overcome legitimate complications.

I really agree with the "arrogance of youth having all the answers" poster.

Nothing in your post contradicts anything I say. What you and I are talking about are 2 total different things.

What my OP says is if you control your diet, you will see results. You're telling me "some people don't have the will or motivation to control their diet" which is true, But has nothing to do with what I said.

Here's the thing. You're talking to people here for whom weight-loss is a huge challenge, sometimes one of the hardest things they've ever had to do, something that impacts every aspect of their life. It may be easy for some people, but for others its a seriously big deal.

I think for people for whom it is a very big deal, they resent the implication that it's "so easy a caveman could do it". They feel like it's dismissive of all the work they put into making the right food choices and working out. I actually know people for whom walking around the block is a big sweaty out-of-breath challenge, and people who cry with pride at turning down dessert at the office party. But they're doing it. They're losing weight. And they do NOT want to hear that all the work they're putting in is stupidly simple.

I didn't make this thread to be a ****. I made this thread so that it could help people understand that for the majority of us, losing weight(or gaining) isn't that complicated. It was more to motivate than put you down, but if you have a medical condition or are taking meds, then you really don't apply to this thread and you know that.

And all I was saying was you made it all sound so simple, so easy. No problems. Life looks simple and easy when you are 21 as you are. I used to think like that when I was your age. But when you are my age you know it isn't. There is no one way to lose weight. No one diet plan for everyone. No one exercise plan for everyone. It isn't simple. Nothing in life is. Especially if it is worthwhile. And that is all I'm saying. You'll find that out in a few decades. Trust me on that.

OP is right though, and I only wish I had it that right at 21. It comes down to a calorie deficit. Period. He didn't say it was a cake walk. Only simple.

There is need to keep harping on his age.

Smoking - You will not gain weight if you quit smoking unless you binge eat after quitting, that's all there is to it.

Actually, the metabolism slows down after a person quits smoking.

Nicotine is a stimulant, bro.

Here are three sources I found doing a quick search: I am sure there are many more and just as many stating the opposite opinion. I know that I did gain weight each time I stopped smoking; even when I diligently watched food intake. I finally quit for the last time last November so I won't have to worry about this anymore.

From Huffington Post...WASHINGTON -- Scientists say they've finally discovered why smokers tend to gain some weight when they kick the habit.
It turns out that nicotine can rev up brain cells that normally signal people to stop eating when they're full, researchers report in Friday's edition of the journal Science.
The weight connection isn't huge: On average, quitters gain less than 10 pounds.
But when it comes to weight, the Yale research found that both nicotine and the related drug cytisine were activating a different receptor than the one involved in addiction. This one is located on a small set of neurons in the hypothalamus, a region that regulates appetite.

This one is from the Mayo clinic website:
Is weight gain inevitable after you quit smoking? What causes it?
Answer
from Richard D. Hurt, M.D.
It's fairly common to gain weight after you stop smoking, especially in the first few months — but it isn't inevitable.
Smoking acts as an appetite suppressant and may slightly increase your metabolism as well. When you quit smoking, your appetite and metabolism return to normal — which may lead you to eat more and burn fewer calories. Also, your ability to smell and taste food improves after you quit smoking. This can make food more appealing, which may lead you to eat more. And if you substitute snacking for smoking, the calories may quickly add up.

From WebMD:
Burning calories at a normal rate again. Every cigarette you smoke makes your body burn calories faster, but is also harmful to your heart. Once you quit, you are no longer getting this temporary effect. Instead, you are burning slightly fewer calories on a daily basis.

It is "fairly common to gain weight after you stop smoking" but you can quit smoking and not gain weight. It is possible. How do I know? it'll be one year today that I quit and I didn't gain weight. O.O And no...I'm not special either.

Joy posting something besides gifs? what kind of wizardry is this?

To everyone debating wisi and overlord whoha.

Are you so deluded in your own minds that you have to consistently make excuses for why you aren't where you are and how you want to be.
Stop making excuses and go hit the gym, eat less/more depending on your goals.
You can waste all the time sitting here debating or you can go make a change.

This isn't for everyone, if you're happy with not meeting your goals, being where you are in life, blaming everyone but yourself, continue to debate and make excuses.

The rest of us will be working our *kitten* off for our goals.

Welcome to the internet. There are also cats.