Is a high protein diet best?
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btucker9413 wrote: »I currently weigh 248lbs and would like to be 160 by June. Is a high protein diet the best way to achieve this? With exercise of course.
Depends on what you mean by high protein. There are benefits to keeping protein .65 to .85 per lb of healthy body weight (for me I aim for over 100), and for many protein is more satiating than fat or carbs, so including more deals with hunger issues (although many of us got overweight without hunger issues).
Beyond that, no benefits. As someone who went from about 220 to about 125 in 13 months and has been maintaining for a while, I recommend no time-based weight goal and to focus on process goals instead (keeping to calories, eating in a particular way, doing specific exercises), none unreasonable or too harsh. If you also maintain a deficit the weight comes off as expected, but it can vary week to week, so why focus on what you don't have control over. Focus on making your healthy lifestyle a habit you can maintain.0 -
btucker9413 wrote: »AnguishLanguish wrote: »MsSquatAlot wrote: »AnguishLanguish wrote: »That is far too aggressive and unrealistic. The only way you will achieve this (without the supervision of a Doctor/Dietitian) is by eating in an extremely unhealthy manner. Your calories would be so low, it would be dangerous. Protein is good for satiety, but it will not see you reach your goal in this period of time. I'm sorry if it feels like I'm being unhelpful, but I don't want you to do anything that will potentially harm you in the long run,
I just want to say this this is not true for everyone, I have lost122lbs since June of last year. I know what you mean but there was nothing dangerous or unhealthy about my weight loss. Aggressive? Yes. Unrealistic? Perhaps for some.
I do agree with what everyone has said though - you need to make sure you're meeting your body's needs.
That's why I specifically mentioned the supervision of a Doctor/Dietitian. Just out of curiosity, were you at a higher starting weight than OP?
What is OP?
OP= Original Poster (so you). By the way, I wanted to say, it's OK to be totally clueless, I'm pretty sure everyone has been clueless. We all have to start somewhere, and asking questions is important.0 -
btucker9413 wrote: »AnguishLanguish wrote: »MsSquatAlot wrote: »AnguishLanguish wrote: »That is far too aggressive and unrealistic. The only way you will achieve this (without the supervision of a Doctor/Dietitian) is by eating in an extremely unhealthy manner. Your calories would be so low, it would be dangerous. Protein is good for satiety, but it will not see you reach your goal in this period of time. I'm sorry if it feels like I'm being unhelpful, but I don't want you to do anything that will potentially harm you in the long run,
I just want to say this this is not true for everyone, I have lost122lbs since June of last year. I know what you mean but there was nothing dangerous or unhealthy about my weight loss. Aggressive? Yes. Unrealistic? Perhaps for some.
I do agree with what everyone has said though - you need to make sure you're meeting your body's needs.
That's why I specifically mentioned the supervision of a Doctor/Dietitian. Just out of curiosity, were you at a higher starting weight than OP?
What is OP?
The original poster (in this case, you!).0 -
AnguishLanguish wrote: »OK, I have since gone to this calculator: http://ratfactor.com/fat-loss-calculator I put your stats in and set you as lightly active (since you do walk at work). If you wanted to lose 82lbs by June, you would need to eat ~574 calories a day. You could lose ~40lbs if you ate ~1600 calories a day, ~50lbs if you ate 1386 calories a day, ~55 if you ate 1259 calories a day. Of course if you are exercising, you will have a greater loss (if you're not eating all of your calories back).
I don't plan on eating my calories back. I don't exactly understand that. Why would you eat calories back if you burned them off already today?0 -
My starting weight was 252lbs. I started eating healthy Wednesday0
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btucker9413 wrote: »MichelleLei1 wrote: »To be honest, I really don't think you should be counting this walking as exercise. Although you are on your feet from 11-9, unless you are truly moving nonstop, you're probably not burning much. On top of that my fitnesspal tends to overestimate calories.
I think people tend to overcomplicate everything. The best diet to achieve your goals is one that is sustainable and that you enjoy.
I'm trying to find a happy medium where my diet and exercise is balanced. I guess I don't fully understand because I thought it didn't matter whether you did something daily or something new that it was still calories burned, if that makes sense.
A calorie burned is a calorie burned. If you set up MFP to include your work related walking in your activity level, it's already accounted for, but as an estimate. You could also set it up as sedentary activity level and use a step tracker or Fitbit type device, as that would account for daily variances better.
Either way if you set it up right the calorie deficit for your weight loss goal is already included in the total MFP gives you. So just be cautious about entering any extra exercise, and understand that MFP tends to estimate high. But if you can get your calorie burns correct, you could eat every calorie right up to the MFP net calorie count suggested.
And at your starting weight, I don't think 2 lb week is overly aggressive. Most say that 1% of body weight per week is a safe and sustainable goal. Naturally as you lose weight, at some point you'll want to adjust your weekly loss goal to a lower number to maintain that rate.
The concern most are voicing and that I agree with is that many people get so motivated and aggressive that before you know it they are cutting their daily calories in half. If you eat that little chances are your nutritional content suffers, your sleep can suffer, and being on your feet all day might get old in a hurry.
As for your original question, reasonably high levels of protein help protect against greater muscle loss, and often for many people proteins keep them feeling full longer as well. Until you reach a point of cutting fats and carbs too much there really isn't any reason not to eat higher protein if you want.0 -
I could be wrong here and I have no experience with this so I have to ask. When someone loses a large amount of weight in a short amount of time, don't they have a higher chance of dealing with a lot more loose skin than if they would have lost the same amount of weight at a slower pace?0
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Should I meet with a personal trainer to set my exercise routine?0
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btucker9413 wrote: »AnguishLanguish wrote: »OK, I have since gone to this calculator: http://ratfactor.com/fat-loss-calculator I put your stats in and set you as lightly active (since you do walk at work). If you wanted to lose 82lbs by June, you would need to eat ~574 calories a day. You could lose ~40lbs if you ate ~1600 calories a day, ~50lbs if you ate 1386 calories a day, ~55 if you ate 1259 calories a day. Of course if you are exercising, you will have a greater loss (if you're not eating all of your calories back).
I don't plan on eating my calories back. I don't exactly understand that. Why would you eat calories back if you burned them off already today?
When you exercise you burn off extra calories. Say your daily recommended calorie intake is 1600 and you normally eat at about that. That's without any exercise, that's just by living and doing your day-to-day jobs. So you're eating at about 1600. But you do a cycling class, MFP lets you know that you've burnt XXX amount of calories, say 300. You can just leave those calories alone (which I do) and it means you will be at 1300 for the day (1600 is what you have eaten, minus the 300calories you burnt at the class). That means a greater deficit, which means a greater weightloss. You can choose to eat some of them, say have a scoop of icecream (150cal), if you did that you'd be be at 1450 calories a day. That means a slightly higher deficit than usual, so, greater weightloss. Finally, you could eat all of your exercise calories, so you'd end up at net1600 for the day (Your usual 1600calories MINUS your exercise calories= 1300calories, but then you add 300calories back in by eating extra food). 1600net.
THAT IS THE WORST EXPLANATION EVER. I APOLOGISE. Someone make it easier than my mess above.0 -
robertw486 wrote: »btucker9413 wrote: »MichelleLei1 wrote: »To be honest, I really don't think you should be counting this walking as exercise. Although you are on your feet from 11-9, unless you are truly moving nonstop, you're probably not burning much. On top of that my fitnesspal tends to overestimate calories.
I think people tend to overcomplicate everything. The best diet to achieve your goals is one that is sustainable and that you enjoy.
I'm trying to find a happy medium where my diet and exercise is balanced. I guess I don't fully understand because I thought it didn't matter whether you did something daily or something new that it was still calories burned, if that makes sense.
A calorie burned is a calorie burned. If you set up MFP to include your work related walking in your activity level, it's already accounted for, but as an estimate. You could also set it up as sedentary activity level and use a step tracker or Fitbit type device, as that would account for daily variances better.
Either way if you set it up right the calorie deficit for your weight loss goal is already included in the total MFP gives you. So just be cautious about entering any extra exercise, and understand that MFP tends to estimate high. But if you can get your calorie burns correct, you could eat every calorie right up to the MFP net calorie count suggested.
And at your starting weight, I don't think 2 lb week is overly aggressive. Most say that 1% of body weight per week is a safe and sustainable goal. Naturally as you lose weight, at some point you'll want to adjust your weekly loss goal to a lower number to maintain that rate.
The concern most are voicing and that I agree with is that many people get so motivated and aggressive that before you know it they are cutting their daily calories in half. If you eat that little chances are your nutritional content suffers, your sleep can suffer, and being on your feet all day might get old in a hurry.
As for your original question, reasonably high levels of protein help protect against greater muscle loss, and often for many people proteins keep them feeling full longer as well. Until you reach a point of cutting fats and carbs too much there really isn't any reason not to eat higher protein if you want.
I am only missing my required calories by about 300. I am not starving myself, I actually feel fuller by eating "clean" as people would say. I've cut sodas, not eating fried foods, and ultimately portion control. I love food so I'll never be able to cut my eating in half. Lol. I just want to make sure I'm counting calories burned right and you've answered my questions on that, I appreciate you. I'm motivated, I'm aggressive, but I also love food too much to just not eat at all.
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I could be wrong here and I have no experience with this so I have to ask. When someone loses a large amount of weight in a short amount of time, don't they have a higher chance of dealing with a lot more loose skin than if they would have lost the same amount of weight at a slower pace?
I'm curious also. But if you exercise and tone then would lose skin no longer be an issue?0 -
btucker9413 wrote: »Should I meet with a personal trainer to set my exercise routine?
If your budget allows it and you enjoy it, that sounds great. I think diet is this most important thing. Being active is great and important, but you can't outrun a horrible diet.0 -
btucker9413 wrote: »I could be wrong here and I have no experience with this so I have to ask. When someone loses a large amount of weight in a short amount of time, don't they have a higher chance of dealing with a lot more loose skin than if they would have lost the same amount of weight at a slower pace?
I'm curious also. But if you exercise and tone then would lose skin no longer be an issue?
Strength training can help. But losing slowly can help as well. Genetics and your skin's elasticity are the biggest factors I believe.0 -
It's definitely the best way to consume more protein.0
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AnguishLanguish wrote: »btucker9413 wrote: »AnguishLanguish wrote: »OK, I have since gone to this calculator: http://ratfactor.com/fat-loss-calculator I put your stats in and set you as lightly active (since you do walk at work). If you wanted to lose 82lbs by June, you would need to eat ~574 calories a day. You could lose ~40lbs if you ate ~1600 calories a day, ~50lbs if you ate 1386 calories a day, ~55 if you ate 1259 calories a day. Of course if you are exercising, you will have a greater loss (if you're not eating all of your calories back).
I don't plan on eating my calories back. I don't exactly understand that. Why would you eat calories back if you burned them off already today?
When you exercise you burn off extra calories. Say your daily recommended calorie intake is 1600 and you normally eat at about that. That's without any exercise, that's just by living and doing your day-to-day jobs. So you're eating at about 1600. But you do a cycling class, MFP lets you know that you've burnt XXX amount of calories, say 300. You can just leave those calories alone (which I do) and it means you will be at 1300 for the day (1600 is what you have eaten, minus the 300calories you burnt at the class). That means a greater deficit, which means a greater weightloss. You can choose to eat some of them, say have a scoop of icecream (150cal), if you did that you'd be be at 1450 calories a day. That means a slightly higher deficit than usual, so, greater weightloss. Finally, you could eat all of your exercise calories, so you'd end up at net1600 for the day (Your usual 1600calories MINUS your exercise calories= 1300calories, but then you add 300calories back in by eating extra food). 1600net.
THAT IS THE WORST EXPLANATION EVER. I APOLOGISE. Someone make it easier than my mess above.
You are good! I totally understood your mess
I really appreciate you helping me to learn what that meant exactly! 0 -
AnguishLanguish wrote: »btucker9413 wrote: »Should I meet with a personal trainer to set my exercise routine?
If your budget allows it and you enjoy it, that sounds great. I think diet is this most important thing. Being active is great and important, but you can't outrun a horrible diet.
I've heard 80% of your weight loss comes from your diet. 20% of your weight loss comes from exercise. I firmly believe that.
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AnguishLanguish wrote: »MsSquatAlot wrote: »
I just want to say this this is not true for everyone, I have lost122lbs since June of last year. I know what you mean but there was nothing dangerous or unhealthy about my weight loss. Aggressive? Yes. Unrealistic? Perhaps for some.
That's why I specifically mentioned the supervision of a Doctor/Dietitian. Just out of curiosity, were you at a higher starting weight than OP?
Almost certainly above the OPs starting weight, since her ticker indicates her target weight loss is 190 lbs. I doubt she is trying to get to 58 lbs. . .
Her weight loss is still likely above 1% a week (unless she started at at around 450 lbs) - but both the higher starting weight and the longer period over which it was lost still make it a safer, less aggressive loss, than the OP is suggesting.0 -
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btucker9413 wrote: »AnguishLanguish wrote: »OK, I have since gone to this calculator: http://ratfactor.com/fat-loss-calculator I put your stats in and set you as lightly active (since you do walk at work). If you wanted to lose 82lbs by June, you would need to eat ~574 calories a day. You could lose ~40lbs if you ate ~1600 calories a day, ~50lbs if you ate 1386 calories a day, ~55 if you ate 1259 calories a day. Of course if you are exercising, you will have a greater loss (if you're not eating all of your calories back).
I don't plan on eating my calories back. I don't exactly understand that. Why would you eat calories back if you burned them off already today?
You'll want to have a regular planned deficit amount for calorie deficit. There are various ways of calculating this. The most common (NOT MFP) is to estimate what you are eating, cut 500 calories, and to exercise. Another is to take 10xeventual goal weight (I think this is a bad idea, but for the right person it can work -- for me it would mean eating 1150 while exercising a ton which would be a disaster). Another is to do MFP and ask for 1 lb with lots to lose. Another is to make your activity rate lightly active or above based on (in part) intentional exercise. And of course another way is one of the TDEE calculations - some amount. Again, if you use those, no exercise gets added back.
But if you just use MFP as explained, count exercise back (even if you decrease values to make them more realistic).0 -
arditarose wrote: »btucker9413 wrote: »I could be wrong here and I have no experience with this so I have to ask. When someone loses a large amount of weight in a short amount of time, don't they have a higher chance of dealing with a lot more loose skin than if they would have lost the same amount of weight at a slower pace?
I'm curious also. But if you exercise and tone then would lose skin no longer be an issue?
Strength training can help. But losing slowly can help as well. Genetics and your skin's elasticity are the biggest factors I believe.
I've got stretch marks so I guess my skin isn't too elastic. I actually didn't start having them until I gained 50lbs in 2 months. That was about 5 years ago.
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