Fastest way to lose fat?
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tolygal
Posts: 602 Member
I'm in a challenge at work right now so I'm super motivated, but even after how far I've come, I'm still confused about the best way to loose fat.
A little history:
I lost 75 pounds by doing lots of cardio and counting calories (I generally eat about 1500 calories a day and don't eat back excercise calories because I already eat at 1500 cals - not the 1200 minumum MFP gives me). I didn't pay attention to anything else (carbs, protein, sugar, sodium, etc). I have about 10 - 15 pounds (of fat) left to lose (I think). In March (or so) I changed my focus to lifting weights and cut back (a lot) on my cardio. And I started focusing on protein and added 300 calories on my lifting days. Well, over the summer I've gained back and added to the muscle that I lost, but the fat doesn't seem to be going anywhere. In fact, I've gained weight (I know some is from muscle, but some is from eating poorly). Anyway - I really want to finish this off, and this seems to be the perfect time since this challenge is going on and I've got the extra motivation.
So - I'm wondering, what is the fastest way to lose fat (not 'weight' - but fat specifically). I honeslty couldn't care less what the scale says - I want to see the changes in my body. I eat a lot of bread - would it really help to cut back on carbs (I would never do no-carbs)? Should I get back to heavy cardio (which would mean less time in the weight room)? Should I eat more, less??? I'm open to any good suggestions, but I really need good/solid info from people who know. My concern about cutting carbs is that I can't live like that forever and I do NOT want to gain weight back when I got to maintenance and start eating them again....
A little history:
I lost 75 pounds by doing lots of cardio and counting calories (I generally eat about 1500 calories a day and don't eat back excercise calories because I already eat at 1500 cals - not the 1200 minumum MFP gives me). I didn't pay attention to anything else (carbs, protein, sugar, sodium, etc). I have about 10 - 15 pounds (of fat) left to lose (I think). In March (or so) I changed my focus to lifting weights and cut back (a lot) on my cardio. And I started focusing on protein and added 300 calories on my lifting days. Well, over the summer I've gained back and added to the muscle that I lost, but the fat doesn't seem to be going anywhere. In fact, I've gained weight (I know some is from muscle, but some is from eating poorly). Anyway - I really want to finish this off, and this seems to be the perfect time since this challenge is going on and I've got the extra motivation.
So - I'm wondering, what is the fastest way to lose fat (not 'weight' - but fat specifically). I honeslty couldn't care less what the scale says - I want to see the changes in my body. I eat a lot of bread - would it really help to cut back on carbs (I would never do no-carbs)? Should I get back to heavy cardio (which would mean less time in the weight room)? Should I eat more, less??? I'm open to any good suggestions, but I really need good/solid info from people who know. My concern about cutting carbs is that I can't live like that forever and I do NOT want to gain weight back when I got to maintenance and start eating them again....
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Replies
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I love this post and will keep an eye on it as i am trying to loose fat as well.
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intresting.. gonna bump to read later0
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I'm very interested in this answer as well!!0
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What % of daily calories come from carbs? I never know what constitutes a "low carb" diet. There seems to be a lot of misconceptions floating around and I certainly don't know how to straighten them out.
I'd try going for an equal split between protein and carbs or maybe a little higher for protein. So something like 40% from protein, 35% from carbs, and 25% from fat. I enjoy bread every day going for something like that 0 -
Cycle your carbs. Eat 3 days of low carbs (under 75 grams) then on the 4th day bump it to 150-200 grams. Repeat. Keep your protein high, 1 gram per pound of body weight, and keep lifting heavy and doing cardio.I'm in a challenge at work right now so I'm super motivated, but even after how far I've come, I'm still confused about the best way to loose fat.
A little history:
I lost 75 pounds by doing lots of cardio and counting calories (I generally eat about 1500 calories a day and don't eat back excercise calories because I already eat at 1500 cals - not the 1200 minumum MFP gives me). I didn't pay attention to anything else (carbs, protein, sugar, sodium, etc). I have about 10 - 15 pounds (of fat) left to lose (I think). In March (or so) I changed my focus to lifting weights and cut back (a lot) on my cardio. And I started focusing on protein and added 300 calories on my lifting days. Well, over the summer I've gained back and added to the muscle that I lost, but the fat doesn't seem to be going anywhere. In fact, I've gained weight (I know some is from muscle, but some is from eating poorly). Anyway - I really want to finish this off, and this seems to be the perfect time since this challenge is going on and I've got the extra motivation.
So - I'm wondering, what is the fastest way to lose fat (not 'weight' - but fat specifically). I honeslty couldn't care less what the scale says - I want to see the changes in my body. I eat a lot of bread - would it really help to cut back on carbs (I would never do no-carbs)? Should I get back to heavy cardio (which would mean less time in the weight room)? Should I eat more, less??? I'm open to any good suggestions, but I really need good/solid info from people who know. My concern about cutting carbs is that I can't live like that forever and I do NOT want to gain weight back when I got to maintenance and start eating them again....0 -
While I personally haven't tried it yet..I have seen AMAZING pics of people that did Jillian Michaels 30 day shred. Seems that takes off quite a few inches. Maybe look into that?0
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Cycle your carbs. Eat 3 days of low carbs (under 75 grams) then on the 4th day bump it to 150-200 grams. Repeat. Keep your protein high, 1 gram per pound of body weight, and keep lifting heavy and doing cardio.I'm in a challenge at work right now so I'm super motivated, but even after how far I've come, I'm still confused about the best way to loose fat.
A little history:
I lost 75 pounds by doing lots of cardio and counting calories (I generally eat about 1500 calories a day and don't eat back excercise calories because I already eat at 1500 cals - not the 1200 minumum MFP gives me). I didn't pay attention to anything else (carbs, protein, sugar, sodium, etc). I have about 10 - 15 pounds (of fat) left to lose (I think). In March (or so) I changed my focus to lifting weights and cut back (a lot) on my cardio. And I started focusing on protein and added 300 calories on my lifting days. Well, over the summer I've gained back and added to the muscle that I lost, but the fat doesn't seem to be going anywhere. In fact, I've gained weight (I know some is from muscle, but some is from eating poorly). Anyway - I really want to finish this off, and this seems to be the perfect time since this challenge is going on and I've got the extra motivation.
So - I'm wondering, what is the fastest way to lose fat (not 'weight' - but fat specifically). I honeslty couldn't care less what the scale says - I want to see the changes in my body. I eat a lot of bread - would it really help to cut back on carbs (I would never do no-carbs)? Should I get back to heavy cardio (which would mean less time in the weight room)? Should I eat more, less??? I'm open to any good suggestions, but I really need good/solid info from people who know. My concern about cutting carbs is that I can't live like that forever and I do NOT want to gain weight back when I got to maintenance and start eating them again....
Pretty much this.0 -
It's a great question and I can't wait to hear what the community says. I can tell you, I live a low carb lifestyle most days (not no carb and not every day) and it's the only thing that keeps me from gaining back the 45 pounds I have lost over the past 18 months. I try to avoid white bread, rice and potatoes as much as I can resist, which is tough since I love all of them! I try to stick with protein veggies and fruits, but I'm the first to admit I'm not always successful.
I'm 43 and losing any fat at all seems to take an act of congress so I'm excited to here what other ideas get brought to the table!0 -
I cut out breads and get my carbs form green veggies like spinach, broccoli, peas, cucumbers, etc. I eat oat meal every morning, but that the extent of my brown carbs. Has mad a big difference in my energy levels. If I eat bread now it makes me wanna take a nap.0
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interested in this too 0
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Cycle your carbs. Eat 3 days of low carbs (under 75 grams) then on the 4th day bump it to 150-200 grams. Repeat. Keep your protein high, 1 gram per pound of body weight, and keep lifting heavy and doing cardio.
Oh my...... I went to change my goals (I was at 40/30/30) to do this, it means I'd have to eat at 20/50/30 - which means 188 g protein. That's a lot of protein. Or do I increase fat to 40?? I'm not sure how to get in that much lean protein - I'm already chickened out. I was thinking that I could just cut out the bread, but I guess i have to replace the calories with something LOL. I don't eat much for potatoes most of the time, but I do love pasta and squash - bread is where I usually get the most carbs (I think) - this is going to take some adjustments (if I can even pull it off).
Can someone tell my why this works - over the 40/30/30 that I'm doing now (based on the book New Rules of Lifting for Women)? I'll have to re-read that part of the book to remember why he said that too.0 -
Hey TonyaGonya,
I would try circuit training. It will help you burn more calories and you can mix and match cardio and weight training. As far as breads try eating 100% whole wheat or 100% whole wheat pita breads. I'm like you, I can not do no carbs but I do limit my bread intake. For example, I choose a certain time of the day to eat bread like at breakfast or lunch. I rarely eat breads at night or past 5:00.. Good luck.0 -
Good info. Thanks Q
Cycle your carbs. Eat 3 days of low carbs (under 75 grams) then on the 4th day bump it to 150-200 grams. Repeat. Keep your protein high, 1 gram per pound of body weight, and keep lifting heavy and doing cardio.I'm in a challenge at work right now so I'm super motivated, but even after how far I've come, I'm still confused about the best way to loose fat.
A little history:
I lost 75 pounds by doing lots of cardio and counting calories (I generally eat about 1500 calories a day and don't eat back excercise calories because I already eat at 1500 cals - not the 1200 minumum MFP gives me). I didn't pay attention to anything else (carbs, protein, sugar, sodium, etc). I have about 10 - 15 pounds (of fat) left to lose (I think). In March (or so) I changed my focus to lifting weights and cut back (a lot) on my cardio. And I started focusing on protein and added 300 calories on my lifting days. Well, over the summer I've gained back and added to the muscle that I lost, but the fat doesn't seem to be going anywhere. In fact, I've gained weight (I know some is from muscle, but some is from eating poorly). Anyway - I really want to finish this off, and this seems to be the perfect time since this challenge is going on and I've got the extra motivation.
So - I'm wondering, what is the fastest way to lose fat (not 'weight' - but fat specifically). I honeslty couldn't care less what the scale says - I want to see the changes in my body. I eat a lot of bread - would it really help to cut back on carbs (I would never do no-carbs)? Should I get back to heavy cardio (which would mean less time in the weight room)? Should I eat more, less??? I'm open to any good suggestions, but I really need good/solid info from people who know. My concern about cutting carbs is that I can't live like that forever and I do NOT want to gain weight back when I got to maintenance and start eating them again....0 -
When I lost my first 50 it was by circuit training, eating healthy, pilates, then I added intense cardio and weight-lifting. Circuit training seems to work wonders (for me anyway).0
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Im on the same boat-but these are some of the things my trainer told me i could try
1.Have you heard about "metabolic type"- find out your metabolic type-you can find these app on the internet- make sure you stick to your metabolic type(ie ratio of protien to carb to fat).
2. Eat your BMR calories no matter what(whether you workout or not)
3.make smart choices on carbs- ie only go for the low glycemic index ones,even veggie and fruit-got for low glycemic index(30 around is ok)
4.circuit training definitely
5.Add yoga to your routine- do not go for power yoga etc- find something that gives your muscles ample stretching-thats the quickest way to recover
6.There is this thing called as Lactic acid training-this basically includes doing short(1-2 minute) workouts with maximum intensity that you can take without injury- so when your lactic acid builds up in muscles-it is known to produce growth harmone which inturn increses the metabolism-there are other pros like your type 2 muscles fibres get working(cellulite control)- this shouldnt be done more than 2-3 times a week and should not be tried by individuals who are not fit-you will end up injuring yourself.
7.spices-ginger.garlic.chili.cafeine are known to boost metabolism-try adding them when possible
8.go organic- cut down on processed food.especially meats-they should definitely be organic meats.
I did lose 5 pounds in a week when i completely cut down on carbs the first week and added them(just veggie and fruit the next week)- i couldnt stay on it and i gained it back too- so id say keep the carbs and sugars low until you reach your goal/until you see changes
again- im no pro- different things work for different people- thought id share these-one of these might work for you-i recently started implementing these.0 -
Because glycogen mainly comes from carbs, then by reducing them you force the body to use a different energy source. You don't want to lose lean muscle as much so keeping protein high feeds muscle and the extra protein helps with supplying some energy too (especially when you lift heavy), but keeping that lean muscle while on calorie deficit means you'll burn more calories at rest, and this is where you burn off most of your fat. Everyone seems to think it's from doing cardio or exercising in general. While it's a small portion of it, it's your resting metabolism that's responsible for the majority of your fat burning.Oh my...... I went to change my goals (I was at 40/30/30) to do this, it means I'd have to eat at 20/50/30 - which means 188 g protein. That's a lot of protein. Or do I increase fat to 40?? I'm not sure how to get in that much lean protein - I'm already chickened out. I was thinking that I could just cut out the bread, but I guess i have to replace the calories with something LOL. I don't eat much for potatoes most of the time, but I do love pasta and squash - bread is where I usually get the most carbs (I think) - this is going to take some adjustments (if I can even pull it off).
Can someone tell my why this works - over the 40/30/30 that I'm doing now (based on the book New Rules of Lifting for Women)? I'll have to re-read that part of the book to remember why he said that too.0 -
Do you do intervals in your cardio sessions?0
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I just posted a similar question, bumping this to keep an eye on it, Thanks!0
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bump :-)0
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I cycle my calories and carbs (diary is open if you want to see...it's not all "chickened out" either). I also do much more weight training than cardio. I have found that doing this leans me out much faster than all that excessive cardio. I used to be a carido junkie, but not so much anymore. Tons of cardio made me skinny fat. Now I am doing 4 days of weights with only a couple of cardio sessions per week, gaining strength, and getting much leaner. The scale isn't cooperating, but I don't really care either sicne I am looking better and getting smaller, tighter, and leaner.0
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