Tips on losing weight without serious exercise?

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  • ljones27uk
    ljones27uk Posts: 177 Member
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    you can lose with no exercise... just be in deficit.. I really upped my exercise levels as I wanted to be able to eat more and still lose weight. worked a treat for me, and now I exercise loads and eat loads without putting weight on :-))
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    kailakrush wrote: »
    Anyone have any advice or a plan they follow or recommend?

    Thanks!

    Exercise is not a requirement for weight loss, however, it does speed up the process. I eat at about a 300 calorie deficit, but I do have a cheat meal on Fridays. My cheat meal is usually carb loaded, although sometimes it can be a ridiculous amount of protein. I do calisthenics at home. I also walk 3 miles on Tuesdays and Thursdays. My muscles are getting tighter and more defined, which in turn makes me look more fit.

    Yes, you can eat whatever you want as long as you stay within your calories, but let's be honest. Do you think you're going to lose weight faster eating clean or eating fast food? Cut out your processed food and you'll lose weight faster and you'll feel a ton better too.

    Ridiculous.

    And you know what? Even if what you said about faster were true? SO what?

    I've seen a lot of this thinking on the forums lately coming from people who push a specialized way of eating. And some of them even have short-term RCT's backing them up... eating this way or that way people lost more weight than the people who ate this way or that way.... SO WHAT?

    You know why? This. is. not. a. race. It doesn't mean jack if it doesn't fit a person's individual needs and there's a snowball's chance in hell there will be compliance.

    Here's the real deal for LASTING weight loss, which is the ultimate goal ... the foods you like? Eat the nourishing ones the most--within your calorie goals. Eat the ones that are "treats" after you have fulfilled your macro/micro needs. Keep on keeping on.

    I personally don't care about doing this FAST. I care about the long game.

    If you want to race to a finish line and just want to get done, keep on with your "one weird trick" thing. Even though it's a baseless claim in the first place.

  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    penny0919 wrote: »
    Actually if you are overweight/obese it is perfectly acceptable by medical standards to not gain ANY weight while pregnant. (meaning you are losing body weight while gaining baby/etc weight). The baby takes from the woman's extra nutrient stores if you are not eating the excess 300 calories.

    My OB told me not to eat any different (i.e., more) when I became pregnant (at about 25 BMI). I wish I would've listened to her, I gained 40 lbs :(

    2 lbs at 5 months is perfectly fine if this poster is overweight/obese. It would be concerning if she is under/average weight.

    Anything I have read/research does not agree with the bolded statement. Even overweight women should gain weight during pregnancy but less.

    Obese women as well...but again not as much. I just had an obese friend give birth and her doctor monitored her weight to ensure she was gaining appropriately...10-15lbs to account for baby, increase blood, larger uterus, placenta, amniotic fluid etc. She did but when she left the hospital she weighed less than when she got pregnant...

  • Sarasmaintaining
    Sarasmaintaining Posts: 1,027 Member
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    Lizzipoos wrote: »

    I agree with this
    I lost two stone with counting cals and walking with my newborn and I'm 5 months pregnant again and only gained 2lb because I carried on with my walks, I only do 30-40 mins per day so I think even 10-20 mins would benefit you

    You're supposed to gain weight when you're pregnant, 2lbs for being 5 months along is really low?

    You don't know if that's low or not. She might still have been losing weight herself, but then the baby itself is adding the weight, thus resulting in the 2lbs weight gain :) Being pregnant doesn't mean you should gain tons of weight. A newborn baby weighs 7.5lbs on avarage. She's still 4 months away from that, so if she has still been losing weight , a 2lbs weight gain with the baby, is perfectly fine.

    From her post I just assumed she was in maintenance but you're right-she may still be overweight? Her post just freaked me out a bit because I had trouble gaining weight with my pregnancies, due to horrible morning sickness throughout the whole 9 months, and my doctor always made it a huge deal that I wasn't gaining.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,389 MFP Moderator
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    Like others stated, exercise may lead to a larger deficit, which can help you lose faster but it's not always the case. The bigger thing is, you don't always want to lose at a faster rate. Fast weight loss can increase the amount of muscle loss due. But, the advantage to exercise is that it burns more calories, which will allow you to eat more. I know I much rather lose 1 lb per week at 2500 calories than 1 lb per week at 2000 calories. Also, the benefit is resistance training is it will help maintain your muscle mass (or at least minimize muscle loss), which will help maintain your metabolic functions.
  • 89Madeline
    89Madeline Posts: 205 Member
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    I just lost most of my weight with a deficit calculated by MFP, until I lost 15 kgs. For the last 5, I realised I needed to add exercise and pay closer attention to my macros (less fat, more protein) in order to keep losing and hitting that goal weight.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    kpodaru wrote: »
    a cowoker dropped a lot of weight with zero exercise. weight loss is about 80% food, 20% exercise

    If 20% of weight loss is exercise, that would mean that exercise is required for weight loss. It's not.

    I don't think anyone has said it's required (except perhaps with specific medical conditions).
  • auamare
    auamare Posts: 13 Member
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    Things like turmeric and cinnamon will curve your appetite if you aren't thinking of doing "serious exercise"
    Look up turmeric rice recipes!
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    auamare wrote: »
    Things like turmeric and cinnamon will curve your appetite if you aren't thinking of doing "serious exercise"
    Look up turmeric rice recipes!

    what?
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    auamare wrote: »
    Things like turmeric and cinnamon will curve your appetite if you aren't thinking of doing "serious exercise"
    Look up turmeric rice recipes!

    I don't think so.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    auamare wrote: »
    Things like turmeric and cinnamon will curve your appetite if you aren't thinking of doing "serious exercise"
    Look up turmeric rice recipes!

    Why do I want my appetite to be curved? Is it supposed to be curvy? Mine seems pretty straight.



  • NoXcusesFit
    NoXcusesFit Posts: 37 Member
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    ndj1979 wrote: »
    kailakrush wrote: »
    Anyone have any advice or a plan they follow or recommend?

    Thanks!

    Exercise is not a requirement for weight loss, however, it does speed up the process. I eat at about a 300 calorie deficit, but I do have a cheat meal on Fridays. My cheat meal is usually carb loaded, although sometimes it can be a ridiculous amount of protein. I do calisthenics at home. I also walk 3 miles on Tuesdays and Thursdays. My muscles are getting tighter and more defined, which in turn makes me look more fit.

    Yes, you can eat whatever you want as long as you stay within your calories, but let's be honest. Do you think you're going to lose weight faster eating clean or eating fast food? Cut out your processed food and you'll lose weight faster and you'll feel a ton better too.

    calorie deficit is calorie deficit. Does not matter if you eat "clean" (whatever that is), or if you eat fast food. The fact that you think there is a difference is ridiculous.

    what are you defining as processed?

    Clean eating is a deceptively simple concept. Rather than revolving around the idea of ingesting more or less of specific things (for instance, fewer calories or more protein), the idea is more about being mindful of the food's pathway between its origin and your plate. At its simplest, clean eating is about eating whole foods, or "real" foods — those that are un- or minimally processed, refined, and handled, making them as close to their natural form as possible. However, modern food production has become so sophisticated that simply eating whole foods can be a challenging proposition these days.

    TL;DR: Clean eating is not stuff in a box, can, etc.

    You are absolutely right: calorie deficit is calorie deficit. But think about this situation:

    Breakfast Option A: Egg McMuffin from McDonald's. 300 calories (the sandwich alone)
    Breakfast Option B: One large naval orange, one vanilla greek yogurt, one hard boiled egg white, one cup of coffee with 1 tbsp of Italian Sweet Creme creamer. 257 calories.


    Think about the nutritional value each of these options offers.

    An Egg McMuffin and greek yogurt both offer the same amount of protein.
    Greek yogurt contains 0g of fat, <5mg of cholesterol, 15g of carbs, and 65mg of sodium.
    An Egg McMuffin contains 13g of fat, 260mg of cholesterol, 31g of carbs, and 750g of sodium.
    (I'm sure you noticed some of these in the nutrition tracker in MyFitnessPal. There's a reason they're there)

    Looking past the nutritional value and looking solely at the quantity of food, which option do you think will keep the person fuller longer? Keep in mind that the yogurt has the same protein as the single Egg McMuffin and protein is proven to "curb hunger" (which is why people with healthy diets snack on things like nuts). Option B also has the egg white and an entire large orange to top it off.

    Now think about someone who isn't in the habit of calorie counting. Think about someone who isn't used to portion sizes or limiting how much they're allowed to eat for an entire day. Typically, if they don't eat to their normal capacity (meaning let's say they're normally used to eating an Egg McMuffin with 2 hashbrowns and a large cola, as opposed to the one Egg McMuffin sandwich), they're going to feel hungry. This is why you hear a lot of new dieters say they always feel hungry. I'm sure you can imagine what happens next.

    Eating clean isn't easy for everyone. Just one month ago my fridge was constantly empty, aside from soda. Everything was in cans/boxes or delivered from a restaurant or picked up at a fast food place. I was just too lazy to grocery shop or cook for myself. Now I actually enjoy cooking. I enjoy picking out my fruit for the week and the veggies to cook with my steaks or chicken breasts or ahi tuna steaks. I don't feel as lethargic all the time (because I don't have all that extra junk that's in processed foods in my body), which means I have more energy and motivation to actually exercise. It's hard to get into it, but I promise it is worth it.

    To anyone reading this, don't knock it before you try it. Just try it for a few weeks and be true to it. Don't think you have to starve yourself or eat steamed carrots for every meal, because you don't. I eat roughly 1,300-1,500 a day, but I always exercise to have at least a 150 calorie deficit. I have one cheat meal a week. Through out the week, I do eat chocolates and sweets (I have a terrrrrible sweet tooth). I just make sure I don't take up 50% of my calories for sweets.

    TL;DR: Calories in and calories out. It's a tad more complicated than that.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    kailakrush wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    kailakrush wrote: »
    Anyone have any advice or a plan they follow or recommend?

    Thanks!

    Exercise is not a requirement for weight loss, however, it does speed up the process. I eat at about a 300 calorie deficit, but I do have a cheat meal on Fridays. My cheat meal is usually carb loaded, although sometimes it can be a ridiculous amount of protein. I do calisthenics at home. I also walk 3 miles on Tuesdays and Thursdays. My muscles are getting tighter and more defined, which in turn makes me look more fit.

    Yes, you can eat whatever you want as long as you stay within your calories, but let's be honest. Do you think you're going to lose weight faster eating clean or eating fast food? Cut out your processed food and you'll lose weight faster and you'll feel a ton better too.

    calorie deficit is calorie deficit. Does not matter if you eat "clean" (whatever that is), or if you eat fast food. The fact that you think there is a difference is ridiculous.

    what are you defining as processed?

    Clean eating is a deceptively simple concept. Rather than revolving around the idea of ingesting more or less of specific things (for instance, fewer calories or more protein), the idea is more about being mindful of the food's pathway between its origin and your plate. At its simplest, clean eating is about eating whole foods, or "real" foods — those that are un- or minimally processed, refined, and handled, making them as close to their natural form as possible. However, modern food production has become so sophisticated that simply eating whole foods can be a challenging proposition these days.

    TL;DR: Clean eating is not stuff in a box, can, etc.

    You are absolutely right: calorie deficit is calorie deficit. But think about this situation:

    Breakfast Option A: Egg McMuffin from McDonald's. 300 calories (the sandwich alone)
    Breakfast Option B: One large naval orange, one vanilla greek yogurt, one hard boiled egg white, one cup of coffee with 1 tbsp of Italian Sweet Creme creamer. 257 calories.


    Think about the nutritional value each of these options offers.

    An Egg McMuffin and greek yogurt both offer the same amount of protein.
    Greek yogurt contains 0g of fat, <5mg of cholesterol, 15g of carbs, and 65mg of sodium.
    An Egg McMuffin contains 13g of fat, 260mg of cholesterol, 31g of carbs, and 750g of sodium.
    (I'm sure you noticed some of these in the nutrition tracker in MyFitnessPal. There's a reason they're there)

    Looking past the nutritional value and looking solely at the quantity of food, which option do you think will keep the person fuller longer? Keep in mind that the yogurt has the same protein as the single Egg McMuffin and protein is proven to "curb hunger" (which is why people with healthy diets snack on things like nuts). Option B also has the egg white and an entire large orange to top it off.

    Now think about someone who isn't in the habit of calorie counting. Think about someone who isn't used to portion sizes or limiting how much they're allowed to eat for an entire day. Typically, if they don't eat to their normal capacity (meaning let's say they're normally used to eating an Egg McMuffin with 2 hashbrowns and a large cola, as opposed to the one Egg McMuffin sandwich), they're going to feel hungry. This is why you hear a lot of new dieters say they always feel hungry. I'm sure you can imagine what happens next.

    Eating clean isn't easy for everyone. Just one month ago my fridge was constantly empty, aside from soda. Everything was in cans/boxes or delivered from a restaurant or picked up at a fast food place. I was just too lazy to grocery shop or cook for myself. Now I actually enjoy cooking. I enjoy picking out my fruit for the week and the veggies to cook with my steaks or chicken breasts or ahi tuna steaks. I don't feel as lethargic all the time (because I don't have all that extra junk that's in processed foods in my body), which means I have more energy and motivation to actually exercise. It's hard to get into it, but I promise it is worth it.

    To anyone reading this, don't knock it before you try it. Just try it for a few weeks and be true to it. Don't think you have to starve yourself or eat steamed carrots for every meal, because you don't. I eat roughly 1,300-1,500 a day, but I always exercise to have at least a 150 calorie deficit. I have one cheat meal a week. Through out the week, I do eat chocolates and sweets (I have a terrrrrible sweet tooth). I just make sure I don't take up 50% of my calories for sweets.

    TL;DR: Calories in and calories out. It's a tad more complicated than that.

    I am confused. Is one of your scenarios supposed to be a clean scenario and one supposed to be an unclean/dirty/processed scenario? Which one is which?



  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    kailakrush wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    kailakrush wrote: »
    Anyone have any advice or a plan they follow or recommend?

    Thanks!

    Exercise is not a requirement for weight loss, however, it does speed up the process. I eat at about a 300 calorie deficit, but I do have a cheat meal on Fridays. My cheat meal is usually carb loaded, although sometimes it can be a ridiculous amount of protein. I do calisthenics at home. I also walk 3 miles on Tuesdays and Thursdays. My muscles are getting tighter and more defined, which in turn makes me look more fit.

    Yes, you can eat whatever you want as long as you stay within your calories, but let's be honest. Do you think you're going to lose weight faster eating clean or eating fast food? Cut out your processed food and you'll lose weight faster and you'll feel a ton better too.

    calorie deficit is calorie deficit. Does not matter if you eat "clean" (whatever that is), or if you eat fast food. The fact that you think there is a difference is ridiculous.

    what are you defining as processed?

    Clean eating is a deceptively simple concept. Rather than revolving around the idea of ingesting more or less of specific things (for instance, fewer calories or more protein), the idea is more about being mindful of the food's pathway between its origin and your plate. At its simplest, clean eating is about eating whole foods, or "real" foods — those that are un- or minimally processed, refined, and handled, making them as close to their natural form as possible. However, modern food production has become so sophisticated that simply eating whole foods can be a challenging proposition these days.

    TL;DR: Clean eating is not stuff in a box, can, etc.

    You are absolutely right: calorie deficit is calorie deficit. But think about this situation:

    Breakfast Option A: Egg McMuffin from McDonald's. 300 calories (the sandwich alone)
    Breakfast Option B: One large naval orange, one vanilla greek yogurt, one hard boiled egg white, one cup of coffee with 1 tbsp of Italian Sweet Creme creamer. 257 calories.


    Think about the nutritional value each of these options offers.

    An Egg McMuffin and greek yogurt both offer the same amount of protein.
    Greek yogurt contains 0g of fat, <5mg of cholesterol, 15g of carbs, and 65mg of sodium.
    An Egg McMuffin contains 13g of fat, 260mg of cholesterol, 31g of carbs, and 750g of sodium.
    (I'm sure you noticed some of these in the nutrition tracker in MyFitnessPal. There's a reason they're there)

    Looking past the nutritional value and looking solely at the quantity of food, which option do you think will keep the person fuller longer? Keep in mind that the yogurt has the same protein as the single Egg McMuffin and protein is proven to "curb hunger" (which is why people with healthy diets snack on things like nuts). Option B also has the egg white and an entire large orange to top it off.

    Now think about someone who isn't in the habit of calorie counting. Think about someone who isn't used to portion sizes or limiting how much they're allowed to eat for an entire day. Typically, if they don't eat to their normal capacity (meaning let's say they're normally used to eating an Egg McMuffin with 2 hashbrowns and a large cola, as opposed to the one Egg McMuffin sandwich), they're going to feel hungry. This is why you hear a lot of new dieters say they always feel hungry. I'm sure you can imagine what happens next.

    Eating clean isn't easy for everyone. Just one month ago my fridge was constantly empty, aside from soda. Everything was in cans/boxes or delivered from a restaurant or picked up at a fast food place. I was just too lazy to grocery shop or cook for myself. Now I actually enjoy cooking. I enjoy picking out my fruit for the week and the veggies to cook with my steaks or chicken breasts or ahi tuna steaks. I don't feel as lethargic all the time (because I don't have all that extra junk that's in processed foods in my body), which means I have more energy and motivation to actually exercise. It's hard to get into it, but I promise it is worth it.

    To anyone reading this, don't knock it before you try it. Just try it for a few weeks and be true to it. Don't think you have to starve yourself or eat steamed carrots for every meal, because you don't. I eat roughly 1,300-1,500 a day, but I always exercise to have at least a 150 calorie deficit. I have one cheat meal a week. Through out the week, I do eat chocolates and sweets (I have a terrrrrible sweet tooth). I just make sure I don't take up 50% of my calories for sweets.

    TL;DR: Calories in and calories out. It's a tad more complicated than that.

    You spoke about not counting calories on a calorie counting site? I still don't see what you are talking about it more complicated to do what. Calorie deficit?
  • NoXcusesFit
    NoXcusesFit Posts: 37 Member
    Options
    Kruggeri wrote: »
    kailakrush wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    kailakrush wrote: »
    Anyone have any advice or a plan they follow or recommend?

    Thanks!

    Exercise is not a requirement for weight loss, however, it does speed up the process. I eat at about a 300 calorie deficit, but I do have a cheat meal on Fridays. My cheat meal is usually carb loaded, although sometimes it can be a ridiculous amount of protein. I do calisthenics at home. I also walk 3 miles on Tuesdays and Thursdays. My muscles are getting tighter and more defined, which in turn makes me look more fit.

    Yes, you can eat whatever you want as long as you stay within your calories, but let's be honest. Do you think you're going to lose weight faster eating clean or eating fast food? Cut out your processed food and you'll lose weight faster and you'll feel a ton better too.

    calorie deficit is calorie deficit. Does not matter if you eat "clean" (whatever that is), or if you eat fast food. The fact that you think there is a difference is ridiculous.

    what are you defining as processed?

    Clean eating is a deceptively simple concept. Rather than revolving around the idea of ingesting more or less of specific things (for instance, fewer calories or more protein), the idea is more about being mindful of the food's pathway between its origin and your plate. At its simplest, clean eating is about eating whole foods, or "real" foods — those that are un- or minimally processed, refined, and handled, making them as close to their natural form as possible. However, modern food production has become so sophisticated that simply eating whole foods can be a challenging proposition these days.

    TL;DR: Clean eating is not stuff in a box, can, etc.

    You are absolutely right: calorie deficit is calorie deficit. But think about this situation:

    Breakfast Option A: Egg McMuffin from McDonald's. 300 calories (the sandwich alone)
    Breakfast Option B: One large naval orange, one vanilla greek yogurt, one hard boiled egg white, one cup of coffee with 1 tbsp of Italian Sweet Creme creamer. 257 calories.


    Think about the nutritional value each of these options offers.

    An Egg McMuffin and greek yogurt both offer the same amount of protein.
    Greek yogurt contains 0g of fat, <5mg of cholesterol, 15g of carbs, and 65mg of sodium.
    An Egg McMuffin contains 13g of fat, 260mg of cholesterol, 31g of carbs, and 750g of sodium.
    (I'm sure you noticed some of these in the nutrition tracker in MyFitnessPal. There's a reason they're there)

    Looking past the nutritional value and looking solely at the quantity of food, which option do you think will keep the person fuller longer? Keep in mind that the yogurt has the same protein as the single Egg McMuffin and protein is proven to "curb hunger" (which is why people with healthy diets snack on things like nuts). Option B also has the egg white and an entire large orange to top it off.

    Now think about someone who isn't in the habit of calorie counting. Think about someone who isn't used to portion sizes or limiting how much they're allowed to eat for an entire day. Typically, if they don't eat to their normal capacity (meaning let's say they're normally used to eating an Egg McMuffin with 2 hashbrowns and a large cola, as opposed to the one Egg McMuffin sandwich), they're going to feel hungry. This is why you hear a lot of new dieters say they always feel hungry. I'm sure you can imagine what happens next.

    Eating clean isn't easy for everyone. Just one month ago my fridge was constantly empty, aside from soda. Everything was in cans/boxes or delivered from a restaurant or picked up at a fast food place. I was just too lazy to grocery shop or cook for myself. Now I actually enjoy cooking. I enjoy picking out my fruit for the week and the veggies to cook with my steaks or chicken breasts or ahi tuna steaks. I don't feel as lethargic all the time (because I don't have all that extra junk that's in processed foods in my body), which means I have more energy and motivation to actually exercise. It's hard to get into it, but I promise it is worth it.

    To anyone reading this, don't knock it before you try it. Just try it for a few weeks and be true to it. Don't think you have to starve yourself or eat steamed carrots for every meal, because you don't. I eat roughly 1,300-1,500 a day, but I always exercise to have at least a 150 calorie deficit. I have one cheat meal a week. Through out the week, I do eat chocolates and sweets (I have a terrrrrible sweet tooth). I just make sure I don't take up 50% of my calories for sweets.

    TL;DR: Calories in and calories out. It's a tad more complicated than that.

    I am confused. Is one of your scenarios supposed to be a clean scenario and one supposed to be an unclean/dirty/processed scenario? Which one is which?



    The one with the orange is obviously the processed option.
  • beastmode_kitty
    beastmode_kitty Posts: 842 Member
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    Cals in vs cals out!
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
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    In what world is Greek Yogurt not processed?

    Unless there are yogurt trees out there of which I'm unaware.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    kailakrush wrote: »
    Kruggeri wrote: »
    kailakrush wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    kailakrush wrote: »
    Anyone have any advice or a plan they follow or recommend?

    Thanks!

    Exercise is not a requirement for weight loss, however, it does speed up the process. I eat at about a 300 calorie deficit, but I do have a cheat meal on Fridays. My cheat meal is usually carb loaded, although sometimes it can be a ridiculous amount of protein. I do calisthenics at home. I also walk 3 miles on Tuesdays and Thursdays. My muscles are getting tighter and more defined, which in turn makes me look more fit.

    Yes, you can eat whatever you want as long as you stay within your calories, but let's be honest. Do you think you're going to lose weight faster eating clean or eating fast food? Cut out your processed food and you'll lose weight faster and you'll feel a ton better too.

    calorie deficit is calorie deficit. Does not matter if you eat "clean" (whatever that is), or if you eat fast food. The fact that you think there is a difference is ridiculous.

    what are you defining as processed?

    Clean eating is a deceptively simple concept. Rather than revolving around the idea of ingesting more or less of specific things (for instance, fewer calories or more protein), the idea is more about being mindful of the food's pathway between its origin and your plate. At its simplest, clean eating is about eating whole foods, or "real" foods — those that are un- or minimally processed, refined, and handled, making them as close to their natural form as possible. However, modern food production has become so sophisticated that simply eating whole foods can be a challenging proposition these days.

    TL;DR: Clean eating is not stuff in a box, can, etc.

    You are absolutely right: calorie deficit is calorie deficit. But think about this situation:

    Breakfast Option A: Egg McMuffin from McDonald's. 300 calories (the sandwich alone)
    Breakfast Option B: One large naval orange, one vanilla greek yogurt, one hard boiled egg white, one cup of coffee with 1 tbsp of Italian Sweet Creme creamer. 257 calories.


    Think about the nutritional value each of these options offers.

    An Egg McMuffin and greek yogurt both offer the same amount of protein.
    Greek yogurt contains 0g of fat, <5mg of cholesterol, 15g of carbs, and 65mg of sodium.
    An Egg McMuffin contains 13g of fat, 260mg of cholesterol, 31g of carbs, and 750g of sodium.
    (I'm sure you noticed some of these in the nutrition tracker in MyFitnessPal. There's a reason they're there)

    Looking past the nutritional value and looking solely at the quantity of food, which option do you think will keep the person fuller longer? Keep in mind that the yogurt has the same protein as the single Egg McMuffin and protein is proven to "curb hunger" (which is why people with healthy diets snack on things like nuts). Option B also has the egg white and an entire large orange to top it off.

    Now think about someone who isn't in the habit of calorie counting. Think about someone who isn't used to portion sizes or limiting how much they're allowed to eat for an entire day. Typically, if they don't eat to their normal capacity (meaning let's say they're normally used to eating an Egg McMuffin with 2 hashbrowns and a large cola, as opposed to the one Egg McMuffin sandwich), they're going to feel hungry. This is why you hear a lot of new dieters say they always feel hungry. I'm sure you can imagine what happens next.

    Eating clean isn't easy for everyone. Just one month ago my fridge was constantly empty, aside from soda. Everything was in cans/boxes or delivered from a restaurant or picked up at a fast food place. I was just too lazy to grocery shop or cook for myself. Now I actually enjoy cooking. I enjoy picking out my fruit for the week and the veggies to cook with my steaks or chicken breasts or ahi tuna steaks. I don't feel as lethargic all the time (because I don't have all that extra junk that's in processed foods in my body), which means I have more energy and motivation to actually exercise. It's hard to get into it, but I promise it is worth it.

    To anyone reading this, don't knock it before you try it. Just try it for a few weeks and be true to it. Don't think you have to starve yourself or eat steamed carrots for every meal, because you don't. I eat roughly 1,300-1,500 a day, but I always exercise to have at least a 150 calorie deficit. I have one cheat meal a week. Through out the week, I do eat chocolates and sweets (I have a terrrrrible sweet tooth). I just make sure I don't take up 50% of my calories for sweets.

    TL;DR: Calories in and calories out. It's a tad more complicated than that.

    I am confused. Is one of your scenarios supposed to be a clean scenario and one supposed to be an unclean/dirty/processed scenario? Which one is which?



    The one with the orange is obviously the processed option.

    Right. The one with Greek Yogurt, which is processed, and with Italian Sweet Creme Creamer, which is processed. Oh and coffee, also processed. That's what I thought. Ok thanks.
  • marissafit06
    marissafit06 Posts: 1,996 Member
    Options
    I just lost most of my weight with a deficit calculated by MFP, until I lost 15 kgs. For the last 5, I realised I needed to add exercise and pay closer attention to my macros (less fat, more protein) in order to keep losing and hitting that goal weight.


    This is what I have been noticing too. The lower your target weight based on BMI/BF the longer and harder it can be to get there so exercise can help you create the deficit you need as your allowed calories drop.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    ceoverturf wrote: »
    In what world is Greek Yogurt not processed?

    Unless there are yogurt trees out there of which I'm unaware.

    Don't forget the rivers of CoffeeMate creamer which are bountiful and you can drink straight from them.