*The Best Advice - 10 Tips*

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KailaJordan
KailaJordan Posts: 35
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm sure I'm not the only one who gets really tired of hearing about BMI's and how many calories you should eat a day etc - everyone is different!

I'm not claiming to be a fitness instructor but these guidelines are really self explanatory and straightforward thinking -

1) Try not to eat less than 1200 calories as your body needs the fuel and will start to store fat if it goes into starvation mode - simple.
2) Eating little and often boosts your metabolism.
3) Eat healthily and in moderation - it's important to remember it's not just the outside you should be concerned about but also the inside. You should eat when you're hungry and try not to snack. Enjoy good food but indulging in a treat should be left for one day of the week instead of everyday.
4) Try to drink 6-8 glasses of water a day to keep you hydrated and to stop your body being confused about being hungry (you may just be dehydrated).
5) Weigh/measure yourself once a week in the morning instead of every day as weight can fluctuate throughout the day and you may be carrying water weight. It can be really disheartening and de-motivating to see you haven't lost anything in one day so leave it for a whole week.
6) Measuring yourself is more effective when you are concentrating on toning up as muscle weighs more so although you may think you've put on weight, you've probably lost inches off your body.
7) To tone up you may need to shed excess weight so it is always good to mix cardio and strength training together when working out, even if that means cardio for two days, then strength training on the other days.
8) Exercise regularly; it's not just good for losing weight/toning up but it also makes you feel happier and more energized.
9) Try to exercise for at least an hour 3-4 times a week, doing a mix of cardio and strength training. You should also have a rest day in-between days when you workout to let your body have time to repair. Also, make the most of exercise - push your body to the limit, work hard, sweat!
10) Set a goal and stick to it! Your body is your temple and you should be proud of it. Make the most of what you've got and feel beautiful.

Replies

  • breskittle
    breskittle Posts: 75 Member
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    I've heard different opinions about #1 but other than that this list is right on!
    People always ask me "how did you do it?" , well it wasn't hard thinking although it was hard self control.
    I did all these things (even #1 despite hearing the different opinions)!
    I should print this out and hand it to the people who ask me.
    ha.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    some i agree with, some i dont...
  • frillypantz
    frillypantz Posts: 134
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    This = My Bible
  • Aperture_Science
    Aperture_Science Posts: 840 Member
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    It's a shame that #1 and #2 are in this list because the other 8 are good guidelines.

    #1 There is nothing magical or special about 1200 cals and for someone short, less than 1200 may be an acceptable figure to work to. But, even so, starvation mode (as I think you are using it, rather than ill health from long term significant calorie restriction as seen in famine victims) is a dieting myth.

    #2 There is not science behind the concept of little and often having any effect on metabolism.

    #6 is my favorite. Measurements are a great way to preserve sanity when the sales don't play ball.

    Best wishes
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    Great post :)
    just the motivation I need to keep being inspired!

    Thanks
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    Walk at least two minutes an hour to keep your metabolism from going into 'couch potato mode'. (New research.) A good excuse to get up from your desk!
  • KailaJordan
    KailaJordan Posts: 35
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    I'm really glad you've enjoyed my personal tips! I mentioned about the calories because they are energy which the body needs to function and 1200 is quite low. When the body has used up enough calories that it needs, it then stores the excess as fat. Hence why we should be careful what we eat and exercise regularly. But I completely understand where you're coming from - everyone is different. :)

    Also - 'Eat little and often - there's evidence that eating small, regular meals throughout the day, rather than one or two large meals, may help to keep your metabolism ticking over. Surprisingly, around 10 percent of the calories we use each day go on digesting and absorbing food - so the more times you eat, the greater this effect is likely to be.'
  • KailaJordan
    KailaJordan Posts: 35
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    Walk at least two minutes an hour to keep your metabolism from going into 'couch potato mode'. (New research.) A good excuse to get up from your desk!

    Thanks for that! That's really interesting to know. I should take heed; I work in an office and it's very easy to start slouching into my seat and becoming tired/irritable...
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    Number 2 is just plain not true. Eating more often does not boost your metabolism. Timing of nutrients is a 24 hour period is irrelavent and in fact there are some advantages to eating fewer, larger meals if you have the self discipline to deal with it. This list, while well intentioned passes on a mix of good information, common sense and inaccurate myth. I would be not consider this "The Best Advice".
  • KailaJordan
    KailaJordan Posts: 35
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    Thank you for your thoughts, I appreciate it. I should have called it - "My Best Advice" - it definitely worked for me! And of course, not everyone is the same. I always new #2 to be fact - eat less, feel fuller by consuming slow release energy foods.
  • Aperture_Science
    Aperture_Science Posts: 840 Member
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    Also - 'Eat little and often - there's evidence that eating small, regular meals throughout the day, rather than one or two large meals, may help to keep your metabolism ticking over. Surprisingly, around 10 percent of the calories we use each day go on digesting and absorbing food - so the more times you eat, the greater this effect is likely to be.'


    If you've got a study that shows this post up a link.

    This is a study which shows no effect of meal timing/frequency http://www.ajcn.org/content/81/1/3.full#fn-1
  • KailaJordan
    KailaJordan Posts: 35
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    Congratulations? :yawn:
  • Bellabang
    Bellabang Posts: 7
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    while I have heard that eating 5 small meals a day will boost your metabolism, I've also read that eating 3 meals a day takes less energy from your body. Eating 5 meals, your body will be spending energy all day long to digest food and that's energy you don't have for exercise and whatever else you do in a day. I haven't done any research myself, so I suppose either theory is as good as the next, but it's food for thought.
  • KailaJordan
    KailaJordan Posts: 35
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    I personally eat 3 meals a day but if I'm hungry I would eat things like fruit, yogurt, oat bars, etc instead of staying hungry till my next meal. I don't think I could eat more than 3 - I'd be stuffed! But I certainly wouldn't starve myself. It's always better to eat a slow releasing food than say, a Mars bar, because it would keep you fuller for longer.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    while I have heard that eating 5 small meals a day will boost your metabolism, I've also read that eating 3 meals a day takes less energy from your body. Eating 5 meals, your body will be spending energy all day long to digest food and that's energy you don't have for exercise and whatever else you do in a day. I haven't done any research myself, so I suppose either theory is as good as the next, but it's food for thought.

    That is TEF or the Thermal Effect of Food. It is a negligible amount and will make no real difference. The benefit to more frequent meals is the one the OP stated in her response to my last post. You stay satieted and thus do not overeat. That's great and if it works for you, awesome! Do it by all means. But the original statement in 2. was that it increased metabolism and it clearly does not beyond the insignificant TEF.
  • kyle4jem
    kyle4jem Posts: 1,400 Member
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    My 3 top tips for losing weight and keeping it off....

    #1 find the foods you love and include them in a nutritionally balanced diet that works for you, eating when you want to or feel hungry and not necessarily just because you feel you have to.

    #2 find one or more forms of exercise that you actually enjoy doing and try and do a little every day (even if it's only walking) and maybe an hour or so a couple of times a week

    #3 ENJOY LIFE!

    all the other tips are great and generally good advice. Keep it simple but effective and have fun because the no pain, no gain ethos of the 80s is an anathema to most of us regular fatties who just want to lose weight and feel good about themselves :happy:
  • freckledrats
    freckledrats Posts: 251 Member
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    It's kind of silly how complicated we like to make our diets. Yes, it's a good idea to eat less processed food and to eat in a balanced way and to exercise more and to gain strength. All of this is good advice for health. Health often results automatically in weight loss because in doing these things we also reduce calorie intake and increase metabolism and calories burned in a day.

    THAT SAID, When it comes to reducing weight and size, it's just simple math. If you're concerned with losing weight, find your TDEE, subtract 500-1000 calories, and don't eat more than that. And make sure you actually exercise as much as you tell the TDEE calculator you do, or your TDEE is less, yo. Common sense.

    It's not as easy as it sounds because people don't like to feel hungry. And maybe you're a lucky person that has found a way *that works for you* that involves not feeling hungry and still losing weight. But none of us are educated enough or know enough about posters here to say what will work for them. The best judge of that is the poster. Not us. Not ever us. We know the basics of what works. If you think you're eating 500-1000 less than your TDEE and you haven't lost any weight or size in a month, then honestly, and maybe you don't wanna hear it, but honestly you are calculating something incorrectly. Maybe you told the TDEE calculator that you exercise more than you actually do. (PS walking a lot at your job does not count as "moderately active") Maybe you are unaware of extra calories in your day. Maybe you aren't honest with yourself and don't log that baby coke you had with your lunch. Maybe you have cheat days that are so excessive that you eat back your weekly deficit. Maybe you are overestimating the calories you burn with your exercise.

    But yes, eat more apples, fewer snickers bars, lift more weights, fewer hamburgers, and you will be healthier and you might even lose more weight than you would be reducing calorie intake alone. But stick to the math. The math doesn't lie.
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
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    Also - 'Eat little and often - there's evidence that eating small, regular meals throughout the day, rather than one or two large meals, may help to keep your metabolism ticking over. Surprisingly, around 10 percent of the calories we use each day go on digesting and absorbing food - so the more times you eat, the greater this effect is likely to be.'

    Great post. I'd personally take issue with that moldy old '8 glasses of water' advice, but it's not going to hurt anyone, either.

    I don't think spacing out your calories matters to thermic effect. Eating more protein and less fat does mean burning more in digestion, typically.

    I think the calories expended to digest food is what most people are confusing with 'slowed metabolism' and 'speeding up your metabolism'. If you eat less, your food metabolism slows in that it has less food it has to break down so it has less total cost of digesting food, and vice versa. But people say "eat more to keep that metabolism burning!" Sure, you burn more but you also are increasing your calorie intake by the other >90% of the calories leftover.

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