IF+ lchf+ green tea before bed time =pounds melting away

Adi4Fitness
Adi4Fitness Posts: 97 Member
Steady loss of a pound every 2 days . I am not sure but i think green tea before bedtime is helping keep scale consistent. My only concern now is preserving muscle mass whilst i lose that 50 pounds steadily . I read up that if preserves muscle mass... not sure if that is possible without weight training. Been trying to keep my macros at high fat and low protein.

Replies

  • JohnnyLowCarb
    JohnnyLowCarb Posts: 418 Member
    I doubt that it is green tea doing it, but certainly the IF & LCHF part of your equation is.
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
    Steady loss of a pound every 2 days . I am not sure but i think green tea before bedtime is helping keep scale consistent. My only concern now is preserving muscle mass whilst i lose that 50 pounds steadily . I read up that if preserves muscle mass... not sure if that is possible without weight training. Been trying to keep my macros at high fat and low protein.

    Increase your protein, otherwise you will see muscle loss. Resistance training, be it bodyweight or weight training, will also preserve lean mass.

    Unless you have a medical condition that requires keeping protein low, there's no reason to artificially limit it.
  • kirkor
    kirkor Posts: 2,530 Member
    My only concern now is preserving muscle mass whilst i lose that 50 pounds steadily . I read up that if preserves muscle mass... not sure if that is possible without weight training.

    Are you interested in weight training?

  • Adi4Fitness
    Adi4Fitness Posts: 97 Member
    Dragonwolf wrote: »
    Steady loss of a pound every 2 days . I am not sure but i think green tea before bedtime is helping keep scale consistent. My only concern now is preserving muscle mass whilst i lose that 50 pounds steadily . I read up that if preserves muscle mass... not sure if that is possible without weight training. Been trying to keep my macros at high fat and low protein.

    Increase your protein, otherwise you will see muscle loss. Resistance training, be it bodyweight or weight training, will also preserve lean mass.

    Unless you have a medical condition that requires keeping protein low, there's no reason to artificially limit it.

    I am not artifically limiting it. But i choose high fat sources of meat to get my daily fat quota.
  • Adi4Fitness
    Adi4Fitness Posts: 97 Member
    kirkor wrote: »
    My only concern now is preserving muscle mass whilst i lose that 50 pounds steadily . I read up that if preserves muscle mass... not sure if that is possible without weight training.

    Are you interested in weight training?

    I am. Been trying to get back to the gym . But on my off days from work i find myself often resting. I work as a stocker at walmart 4 days a week. Averaging at 10km walked in a day. Been trying to find an effective program that i can do in 30 minutes
  • Adi4Fitness
    Adi4Fitness Posts: 97 Member
    I doubt that it is green tea doing it, but certainly the IF & LCHF part of your equation is.

    Lol i guess i was hoping for more fat burning while in fasted /keto state during sleep
  • aylajane
    aylajane Posts: 979 Member
    Usually you have carb limits you try to stay under, and protein targets you try to hit close but fat is not a "goal". Its just what is left when you hit your carb/protein target. Dont "try" to hit your fat goal.... Use it just to round out your calories and keep you satisfied.
  • Clownfish423
    Clownfish423 Posts: 108 Member
    aylajane wrote: »
    Usually you have carb limits you try to stay under, and protein targets you try to hit close but fat is not a "goal". Its just what is left when you hit your carb/protein target. Dont "try" to hit your fat goal.... Use it just to round out your calories and keep you satisfied.

    I've never thought of the goals this way, but it makes sense! I generally don't make my fat "goal" per my macro settings, but I definitely watch the carb and protein numbers.

  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    aylajane wrote: »
    Usually you have carb limits you try to stay under, and protein targets you try to hit close but fat is not a "goal". Its just what is left when you hit your carb/protein target. Dont "try" to hit your fat goal.... Use it just to round out your calories and keep you satisfied.

    This!
    Protein is a MINIMUM goal. ESPECIALLY if muscle is a concern.
    Carbs and fat are limits. Not goals... there is no "fat quota"
  • Adi4Fitness
    Adi4Fitness Posts: 97 Member
    aylajane wrote: »
    Usually you have carb limits you try to stay under, and protein targets you try to hit close but fat is not a "goal". Its just what is left when you hit your carb/protein target. Dont "try" to hit your fat goal.... Use it just to round out your calories and keep you satisfied.

    This!
    Protein is a MINIMUM goal. ESPECIALLY if muscle is a concern.
    Carbs and fat are limits. Not goals... there is no "fat quota"
    aren't you on ketogenic diet? isn't Fat the primary goal? I find usually if you hit your fat goals protein quota is met most of the times. Also Fat is good for the joints .
  • Adi4Fitness
    Adi4Fitness Posts: 97 Member
    edited June 2017
    kirkor wrote: »
    aren't you on ketogenic diet? isn't Fat the primary goal? I find usually if you hit your fat goals protein quota is met most of the times. Also Fat is good for the joints .

    Ketogenic is limiting carbs.
    Protein is based on size + activity level.
    Fat fills in the rest based on satiety cues and weight goals.
    Eating more fat, aka the adding butter to everything strategy, isn't something that enhances ketosis or weight loss.

    dang... then i should just hit my protein goal first and fill the rest will fat while limiting carbs to < 50grams a day.
    i just did some digging and for my BF, i.e 25% i have 141 pounds of lean mass and at 0.8 grams per pound of LBM that would be 113 grams of protein, ive been averaging at 70 grams of protein...

    I was focused too much on fat because for most part of my life the diet was always less of fat and more of carbs.

    im just not sure how to fit that much protein into my Intermittent fasting window of 2 meals... which works around my work/life balance.
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
    kirkor wrote: »
    aren't you on ketogenic diet? isn't Fat the primary goal? I find usually if you hit your fat goals protein quota is met most of the times. Also Fat is good for the joints .

    Ketogenic is limiting carbs.
    Protein is based on size + activity level.
    Fat fills in the rest based on satiety cues and weight goals.
    Eating more fat, aka the adding butter to everything strategy, isn't something that enhances ketosis or weight loss.

    dang... then i should just hit my protein goal first and fill the rest will fat while limiting carbs to < 50grams a day.
    i just did some digging and for my BF, i.e 25% i have 141 pounds of lean mass and at 0.8 grams per pound of LBM that would be 113 grams of protein, ive been averaging at 70 grams of protein...

    I was focused too much on fat because for most part of my life the diet was always less of fat and more of carbs.

    im just not sure how to fit that much protein into my Intermittent fasting window of 2 meals... which works around my work/life balance.

    Leaner meats is arguably the easy way. Or just not adding the extra fat, which should give you more "room" to eat more of your choice of protein source before you get full.
  • kirkor
    kirkor Posts: 2,530 Member
    The amount of protein that is ideal is still debateable, so 70 isn't necessarily "bad". You can try getting it closer to 100, and the main thing with protein requirements is that they are meant to support muscle mass especially while losing weight. The satiating aspect can be nice too.
    But it's good you've been focusing on fat, especially as counter-programming to other diet habits over the years. Knowing about using it to "fill in" to satiety and performance needs is just tweaking the goal a bit, and can be freeing knowing you don't have to chase the macro and stuff oil in if you don't feel like it.
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    kirkor wrote: »
    aren't you on ketogenic diet? isn't Fat the primary goal? I find usually if you hit your fat goals protein quota is met most of the times. Also Fat is good for the joints .

    Ketogenic is limiting carbs.
    Protein is based on size + activity level.
    Fat fills in the rest based on satiety cues and weight goals.
    Eating more fat, aka the adding butter to everything strategy, isn't something that enhances ketosis or weight loss.

    dang... then i should just hit my protein goal first and fill the rest will fat while limiting carbs to < 50grams a day.
    i just did some digging and for my BF, i.e 25% i have 141 pounds of lean mass and at 0.8 grams per pound of LBM that would be 113 grams of protein, ive been averaging at 70 grams of protein...

    I was focused too much on fat because for most part of my life the diet was always less of fat and more of carbs.

    im just not sure how to fit that much protein into my Intermittent fasting window of 2 meals... which works around my work/life balance.

    It's easier if you choose slightly leaner meats. At least for one meal each day... You definitely don't want to sacrifice muscle for the sake of scale weight loss.
    I eat once or twice a day and can reach 90-100 pretty easy. Even easier on my 2 meal days for sure... sometimes I exceed 150g... just depends. The only benefit to eating more protein than needed is it allows you to eat less fat so you can burn more bodyfat. But under eating protein isn't good for long term weight maintenance with the sacrifice of muscle. You were probably safe at 70g but eating a bit more can allow you to create more calorie deficit if body fat loss is your goal.
    Think of the calorie savings from just eating another 25g protein (100 calories) and cutting fat back 25g (225 calories)... but it's just a tad more with the thermic effect of protein. :)

    You could even look into doing a protein sparing modified fast a few days a week and eat higher fat the other days. I'm going to do some of that when I'm back from vacation.
    I like this calculator by Ted Naiman. It gives you more calories each day than other psmf typically do. http://burnfatnotsugar.com/macrocalc/
  • AlexandraCarlyle
    AlexandraCarlyle Posts: 1,603 Member
    Looking at the thread topic (sorry to interrupt, guys!!) I drink a lot of Rooibos (Redbush) tea. I quite like the flavour, and that too, apparently helps in weight loss.

    http://www.health24.com/Lifestyle/Healthy-you/Can-rooibos-help-you-lose-weight-20151104

    That all said, I actually just happen to like the tea.
    I have tried, time and again to 'enjoy' Green Tea. But I find that if you leave the tea brewing for just a bit over time, the flavour is unpleasantly metallic and I find it undrinkable. I can only literally dip the Green Tea teabag in 3 or 4 times, then remove it, or the taste is disgusting.

    Anyone else find this?
  • LizinLowell
    LizinLowell Posts: 208 Member
    @AlexandraCarlyle Yes I have the same experience with green tea
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    @AlexandraCarlyle Yes I have the same experience with green tea

    Do you also drink it before bed time? Lordy, I could never drink green tea before bed.
  • LizinLowell
    LizinLowell Posts: 208 Member
    @Sabine_Stroehm Oh no, I don't drink it at all
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
    Looking at the thread topic (sorry to interrupt, guys!!) I drink a lot of Rooibos (Redbush) tea. I quite like the flavour, and that too, apparently helps in weight loss.

    http://www.health24.com/Lifestyle/Healthy-you/Can-rooibos-help-you-lose-weight-20151104

    That all said, I actually just happen to like the tea.
    I have tried, time and again to 'enjoy' Green Tea. But I find that if you leave the tea brewing for just a bit over time, the flavour is unpleasantly metallic and I find it undrinkable. I can only literally dip the Green Tea teabag in 3 or 4 times, then remove it, or the taste is disgusting.

    Anyone else find this?

    It greatly depends on the tea and the blend. I highly recommend trying out a high quality green tea, or a green and white blend. I'm a big fan of jasmine green tea. And yeah, don't brew it for more than a few minutes. I enjoy mine with a splash of cream. :)
  • Adi4Fitness
    Adi4Fitness Posts: 97 Member
    kirkor wrote: »
    aren't you on ketogenic diet? isn't Fat the primary goal? I find usually if you hit your fat goals protein quota is met most of the times. Also Fat is good for the joints .

    Ketogenic is limiting carbs.
    Protein is based on size + activity level.
    Fat fills in the rest based on satiety cues and weight goals.
    Eating more fat, aka the adding butter to everything strategy, isn't something that enhances ketosis or weight loss.

    dang... then i should just hit my protein goal first and fill the rest will fat while limiting carbs to < 50grams a day.
    i just did some digging and for my BF, i.e 25% i have 141 pounds of lean mass and at 0.8 grams per pound of LBM that would be 113 grams of protein, ive been averaging at 70 grams of protein...

    I was focused too much on fat because for most part of my life the diet was always less of fat and more of carbs.

    im just not sure how to fit that much protein into my Intermittent fasting window of 2 meals... which works around my work/life balance.

    It's easier if you choose slightly leaner meats. At least for one meal each day... You definitely don't want to sacrifice muscle for the sake of scale weight loss.
    I eat once or twice a day and can reach 90-100 pretty easy. Even easier on my 2 meal days for sure... sometimes I exceed 150g... just depends. The only benefit to eating more protein than needed is it allows you to eat less fat so you can burn more bodyfat. But under eating protein isn't good for long term weight maintenance with the sacrifice of muscle. You were probably safe at 70g but eating a bit more can allow you to create more calorie deficit if body fat loss is your goal.
    Think of the calorie savings from just eating another 25g protein (100 calories) and cutting fat back 25g (225 calories)... but it's just a tad more with the thermic effect of protein. :)

    You could even look into doing a protein sparing modified fast a few days a week and eat higher fat the other days. I'm going to do some of that when I'm back from vacation.
    I like this calculator by Ted Naiman. It gives you more calories each day than other psmf typically do. http://burnfatnotsugar.com/macrocalc/
    awesome that seems to be doing the trick. Leaner meat for one meal a day puts me at 60 grams of protein .
    Even though it was about 750 calories it felt like a lot n lot of food.
  • canadjineh
    canadjineh Posts: 5,396 Member
    edited June 2017
    How to brew green tea so that it is not bitter: https://august.la/blogs/news/49082948-heres-why-your-green-tea-tastes-bad
    Tim Horton's green tea in a bag is quite good - their water is the correct temperature and the tea must be of decent quality because it is not bitter (I have been known to leave the bag in my thermal mug during work patrol for 1/2 hr and it's still pretty good).
    Timmie's used to bring in my favorite 'tea' (really a herbal infusion) for fall & winter holidays only: Pumpkin spice - it had Rooibos and black pepper in it among other things. Hard to get now though. I buy boxes of it when the season is right.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    edited June 2017
    Got to go fix a cup of green tea after reading this. I turned the machine own two hours ago.

    Not sure what it does for weight but is does taste good where the bag has been setting in the tea for 30 seconds or 30 minutes. I compress the bag with a large spoon the get the goodies to move into the cup.

    Adding 200 mg of Pycnogenol is a plus instead of just taking the capsules.
  • canadjineh
    canadjineh Posts: 5,396 Member
    More antioxidants are made available in green tea if you add lemon or lime juice to it but that changes the flavour and it's not always what I want. Google about catechins in tea and lemon