richardheath Member

OP's math seems ok to me. He ate an avearge of ~2200 calories a day to get an average weight loss of 1.6 lb per week. 1.6 lb/week corresponds to about (3500 * 1.6)/7 = 800 calories per day deficit. So if he adds what he was eating (2200) to the deficit (800) he comes in around 3,000. The only caveat I would add is that the…

I'll agree I may have been overly simplistic. But, I did say "muscle gains don't happen (or will be very small) in a calorie deficit" in my first reply to you. So I wasn't ignoring the possibility. I guess theoretically, it is possibly to turn the energy in one pound of fat (~ 3500 calories) into ~ two pounds of muscle…

For an obese beginner. For others (like the OP who looks neither obese, nor a beginner), the process is going to be MUCH slower. A female looking to build muscle will add AT MOST 0.5 lb every 2 weeks (if training and nutrition are spot on). Figure in a deficit, and that number is going to be lower. It certainly isn't going…

Most recommendations I have seen suggest around 1 g protein per lb of lean body mass. Jim Wendell in his 5/3/1 book suggests people looking to bulk have a 50 g protein shake before every meal. Then eat 30-50 g of protein first (before the veggies) per meal. And to eat 4-6 times a day. That would get you there! But that is…

I agree with the first paragraph, but the second... not so much. Strength training builds strength. You can certainly get stronger as neuromuscular adaptation occurs. There can even be some appearance of more muscle as glycogen and water go the muscle to give a "swole" appearance, but this is temporary. Myofibril…

Starvation mode (body clinging onto fat) is a myth. See here: http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/ Are you consistently gaining, or was this 2 lb a one off thing? Has your routine changed recently? Has your diet changed recently? It could just be water weight, if you have recently added or upped your exercise or…

No. 1 lb of fat weighs the same as 1 lb of muscle. And muscle gains don't happen (or will be very small) in a calorie deficit. You might see a gain in water weight on starting to exercise (water + glycogen go the muscle to help repair it, and to fuel the next workout) but this will stabilize fairly quickly.

If you are gaining weight, you are not in a calorie deficit. You are either logging incorrectly, missing stuff out (like last Sunday), or overestimating calorie burns from your exercise.

How do you know it isn't a true loss (even if caused by the illness). Your body still needs calories even while you are laid up in bed and if you didn't eat for 3 days, it has to get those from somewhere. [Not that I recommend not eating for 3 days if at all possible. Sometimes it just can't be helped though.] I'd say log…

By all means keep a measurement log. The scale is not the only way to measure progress. Take photos too! Certain foods don't really boost metabolism. Your metabolism is not something subject to the whims of one hot chilli pepper. Plus... the number of calories given you here are just an estimate anyways. Treat them as…

So refined sugar is totally fine then. It comes in a box, but only has one ingredient. And what is wrong with sprouted things? Bean sprouts are yummy, and malted barley is indispensable (for beer)!

Chalk plus mixed grip will allow you to pull more, period. As you pull more, your grip will improve, but it will no longer be your limiting factor.

I'm 46. Like many above, I was active when younger, then kids, life (and beer) took over. I lost 40-50 lbs a couple of years ago, and was then diagnosed prediabetic. I've kept the weight off, and keep my blood sugar in check with diet and exercise. Currently, I lift weights 3-4 times a week and try and get in a run at…

Well a diet that doesn't work for everyone isn't flawless. By definition. But while I do get what you are saying (you can get complete nutrition from this sort of diet), my point is that there are plenty of other flawless diets (by your standards) out there that also give complete nutrition. And some of them include bacon.…

I did read one study (which I can't find again) that said diabetes can be controlled with a diet of 75% carbs. I know 1 banana does push my sugar up, but then I'm not at 10% fat... Glad you found something that works for you.

1 banana pushes my blood sugar sky high. Not flawless for me ;-) In fact, I take issue with the whole concept of a "flawless diet". Humans are omnivorous. Any "diet" can be done wrong, and I don't think that any one diet is going to fill the needs and resources of any one population. Flexibility, taste, culture,…

Right - it isn't changing the sugar at all. It just hits the blood a bit faster, which may or may be what you want. It doesn't make the sugars in fruit any better or worse than refined sugar. Fructose is fructose whatever the source, and glucose is always glucose. Yes, you get vitamins, fiber etc in fruit, but the question…

It is hard to do both simultaneously. Your body doesn't work that way. What you can do is weights (resistance training) to get stronger and preserve the muscle you do have while losing the fat. To actually gain significant muscle mass, you need to be in a calorie surplus and on a progressive strength training program…

Eat enough to gain the weight you need! Shooting for a minimum of 3,000 - 4,000 sounds reasonable, based on what others have written above, but you'll have to adjust as necessary. You'll probably gain some water weight when you first start re-eating, so let this stabilize for a week or two and then go from there. If you…

Does the process of making a smoothie magically make the fruit have more sugar? Other than possibly removing the fiber, I don't think blending fruit is going to do anything like that. And how is natural sugar in fruit (fructose and glucose, for the most part) different from the fructose and glucose in "normal" sugar (by…

Only become a raw vegan if your ethics, lifestyle etc align with that. I've never done it, but I can imagine it is very hard to do. And for no major health benefit. Sure - eating veggies is good, but it has been suggested that we are cookatarians. Learning to cook our food enabled us to extract more energy from it, and…

During a bulk, you might want to reconsider the ankle weights and pacing and stuff. The idea is that during a bulk you want to minimize cardio, as you want the calories to be fueling muscle growth, not re-fueling other activities. Also, it has been said here several times (and you haven't said if you are or not), but you…

Hmmm: this one line kinda sticks out: "Can people get away with having some whole grain products? I suspect so. But you have to understand that wheat products represent 20% of our caloric intake in the United States. That's not the way it is around the rest of the world. The Mediterranean diet, for example, does not pound…

You have to log in to read, so no, not going to do that right now. Mind posting some Cliff notes? btw - from the title, it was about dementia, so a neurologist might be a good person to ask! ETA - he has a website (and a book to sell) http://www.drperlmutter.com/

Quoting for math! :drinker: It's not the beer per se, it's the extra calories. I drink too, and brew my own. But you have to make it fit.

How about some sort of muesli? In the UK, those might have less added sugar (in the US, they have as much as regular cereal). I like the Kashi Go-Lean as well (do they have that over there?) - I add it to Greek yogurt rather than milk to up the protein a bit (and a bit of stevia to take the sharp edge off the yoghurt).

Do you really think that the body, if it has a fat store (fat being an energy reserve put aside for times of low food abundance) it is going to preferentially use muscle to get energy from in times of low food abundance? I mean, I know that some LBM will be used if you are on too high of a calorie deficit and you aren't…

Title of thread was ALL CAPS so it must be true. And OP likes to talk to herself, so she isn't crazy. Oh wait...

No, I know. I'm just pointing out that there is an objective, measurable difference between sprinting and other forms of running. A fast run is not a sprint if you are not anaerobic. No such distinction can be made between running and jogging.

Actually, there is a difference between sprinting and jogging/running. Sprinting is performed under anaerobic conditions: you are working so hard you cannot keep up with the oxygen demands of the muscles, and so build up lactic acid. Running/jogging is aerobic: you supply the muscles sufficient oxygen to prevent lactic…