My weight loss and fitness Musings, May 2017- present

[yababy1]

Guess its that time again, change your life for the better etc. well, since last May I have been on a weight loss and fitness trial and error journey and thought I'd share some of my experience, maybe it will help others. I realize everyone is different but my suggestions are at least sustainable, realistic and most importantly backed by scientific research. I urge anyone to research on their own and wish all good luck.

first of all the stats, I'm 55, weighed 313 at my worst and I'm 6 ft 1 , I'm was a night eater, tried weight watchers, fad diets etc pretty much for the last 25 yrs, yo yo weight and fitness, anyone who has been there can relate

stats to date, weigh 255, have eating controlled, feel fit at the gym, can now bench 225, actually have a bit of a physique

Musings (what finally worked)

1. You cant out train a bad diet:

This is a fact, you can kill yourself at the gym and get fatter each week, believe it, how and what you eat is at least 70% of the solution

My findings: after lots of research, intermittent fasting and higher fat , better choices foods work really well, look it up, proven
Simplest way is eat for a period then don't eat for a longer period I do 10 hrs eating and 14 off, its not that hard, you sleep 8 or 9 hrs so a bit before and a bit after you get up and there you are. During the 10 hrs eat as reasonably healthy as you can, fuel your body, good fats are your friend, if you mess up a bit, forgive and carry on. Trust me you will have less cravings and be less hungry

2. You need weights:
After age forty you lose muscle mass big time. Use weights, get a trainer, a friend whatever but weight train at least twice weekly. you don't need to kill yourself, use multi muscle recruitment (look it up) and hit all major muscle groups. This is crucial, it aint all about cardio

My findings: I joined a local gym with age appropriate members and staff. I learned the best exercises to get the most benefit and just worked at it. its amazing what you can do when you start slow and build up over time, no quick fix, put the time and effort in, as am added bonus, as you add muscle, that muscle helps burn fat, again its science fact

3. Cardio component:

Yep, I hated it as well, too much time and not a ton of results, well guess what, science, yay. Its called HIIIT

My findings: HIIT stands for high intensity interval training, athletes have used it for years. Basically short burst of intense cardio followed by a longer rest period. Look this stuff up ,it works better than anything. You can do it walking, running, biking, swimming or on a machine. I use an elliptical, started with full out 20 seconds, slow pace tor 1 minute and 40 so 1 round every 2 minutes, did 6 rounds and done
Now I do 30 seconds all out with 1 minute off, 12 rounds
It burns fat for you up to 48 hrs after you finish, best discover for people like me ever. Start off with 1x per week then go to 2


So there it is, not for everyone but if I inspire one person to try this then great. I am so happy to finally find a combo that is science based, relatively easy to follow and most importantly works

Best of luck to you all.

 

[james t kirk]

I agree with you about diet.

I have recently changed my diet considerably and have lost weight to the point where several people have remarked about it and my clothes are noticeably too loose.

I have cut out all sugar.

I drink only water.

No ice cream, no cookies, no soda pop, no cake, no chocolate, no juice, no desserts, no pie, no fries, never. And I was (and still am) a fiend for all of the above.

Dinner is now some meat, vegetables, salad.

I have not eliminated pastas, but I have significantly reduced .

I still eat Sushi like it's going out of style.

I'm 6-3 and have gone from 245 to 220. Target is 200.

I do need to join a gym though. Was thinking about the Y on college street.

 

[Mr Bret]

Thanks guys.
I was doing really well for a while, then for some reason I got sidetracked.

Need a "Like" button for both these posts.

Success stories serve as motivation.

 

[bullitt]

yababy and james congrats gentlemen.

 

[|2 /-\ | /|/]

Thanks guys.
I was doing really well for a while, then for some reason I got sidetracked.

Need a "Like" button for both these posts.

Success stories serve as motivation.

Yeah that’s awesome...we need a heart button as well.

 

[frankcastle]

Sounds like you guys are off to a good start.

I've been going to the gym 3 days a week since New Years.

If you haven't tried boxing then give it a try. In one hour I get a ton of conditioning done. In the past I had worked out but here's the thing..... I didn't realize it but I was pacing myself for failure.... for example let's say you are curling 3 sets of 12. If you can do the three sets you paced yourself instead of working your muscles to fatigue. Better to not be able to hit the number you wanted or just barely do the last rep.

I took too long breaks between exercise so my heart rate stayed down.

As for eating much like you guys..... far easier to not drink a beer instead of working it off.

My goal is smaller I am 20 pounds off the BMI (which I admit is a questionable number) or at least lose 10 to 15 and see how I look and feel.

Anyways, back to boxing.... I love it because I'm getting fit and learning a skill at the same time. Doesn't have to be boxing plenty of martial arts also provide similar outcomes of fitness and new skill. I just find this makes working out more interesting plus classes have a social component as well.

 

[Mr Bret]

Interesting related article in today's Star , Life section.

So here’s why you’re constantly hungry
A lack of microbe diversity, too little protein or sleep could be reasons for appetite
Toronto Star26 Jan 2018CARRIE DENNETT THE WASHINGTON POST
DREAMSTIME
Include protein in each meal — eggs, yogurt, tofu, beans, fish, chicken or meat — to stay satisfied longer.
“Why am I constantly hungry?” is a question I hear from many of my patients. At best, constant hunger is annoying and distracting; at worst, it’s a sign that something’s amiss. Either way, the mental wrestling can make it hard to trust the messages your body is sending you. Assuming you’re eating regularly through the day, there are several possible explanations why hunger might be a constant companion.

Your body thinks it’s in a famine Your body has biological mechanisms in place to keep your weight from dropping below your set point — the weight range you are genetically predisposed to maintain — whether you are experiencing famine or what just looks like a famine (a.k.a. calorie-restricted dieting). One is a drop in your resting metabolic rate. The other is an increase in appetite.

Even though the body needs fewer calories as weight decreases, hunger and the drive to eat increase.

In fact, increases in appetite may play a more important role than a slowing metabolism in weight-loss plateaus.

For every 2.2 pounds of weight lost, we burn about 20 to 30 fewer calories per day — even fewer for some people — whereas appetite grows by about 100 calories per day. Basically, it’s easier for your body to protect itself by boosting your appetite — and your calorie intake — than to slow your metabolism and run on fewer calories. You’re not getting enough protein Of the three macronutrients — carbohydrates, protein and fat — protein contributes the most to satiety, the feeling that you’ve eaten enough. That doesn’t mean you should go overboard on protein — you need the nutritional variety from all three macronutrients — but making sure to include some protein in each meal and snack may keep you satisfied longer. That could be eggs, yogurt, tofu, beans, fish, chicken or meat. Experiment to see how you feel after eating different meals.

Your gut microbiota isn’t diverse Your gut, and the microbes that dwell in it, act as a “mini brain,” influencing, among other things, mood, appetite and food cravings. The tens of trillions of bacteria and other microbes in our gut produce a number of compounds, including some that are identical or similar to appetite hormones. About 20 minutes after a meal, certain bacteria in your gut send signals that you’ve had enough to eat by stimulating the release of a hormone that has been linked to feelings of satiety. But if you don’t have a very diverse microbiota — the microbe population living in our intestines — other species can become dominant, and what they need to survive and thrive may be different from what your body needs. When you and a dominant group of microbes aren’t on the same page, they will try to manipulate your eating behaviour for their benefit. They may cause cravings for their pre- ferred foods, or for foods that suppress their competitors. They may simply increase your hunger levels until you eventually eat what they want you to eat.

Either way, this creates a vicious cycle. For example, if you eat a lot of sugary foods, “sugar-loving” microbes will thrive, whereas microbes that don’t do so well on sugar may weaken or die.

Support a diverse microbiota by eating foods rich in fibre and probiotic bacteria, being active, handling stress and getting adequate sleep. This reduces the chance that any single species will gain an upper hand, and may help reduce food cravings and unusual hunger.

You aren’t sleeping enough Chronically skimping on sleep can lead to increased hunger and carbohydrate cravings, possibly due to loss of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Results of a 2015 study published in the journal Sleep Medicine suggest that the loss of our final REM sleep cycle of the night may lead to a bigger appetite. The final REM cycle begins around the six-hour mark.

You need to eat more frequently There are many opinions, expert and otherwise, about the optimal number of daily meals and snacks. However, there is no clear, consistent evidence that links meal timing or frequency with weight or health. Your ideal meal frequency will give you steady energy throughout the day and let you get hungry enough between meals that you feel ready to eat a nourishing meal but not so hungry that you are ready to eat the first thing you see. Experiment with your meal frequency to see what feels right for you, remembering that you don’t want to eat so frequently that you never feel hunger.

Chronically skimping on sleep can lead to increased hunger and carbohydrate cravings, possibly due to loss of REM sleep

Because you don’t really know what hunger feels like Many people have lost touch with their hunger signals. They may have a habit of skipping meals, or of constant grazing. They might be a chronic dieter, or have a chaotic home or work life. Each of these scenarios can silence hunger signals over time. When you don’t feel, or can’t identify, true hunger, you may mistake other urges to eat for hunger.

 

[bazokajoe]

Congrats yababy1. Keep up the good work. It's so easy to fall off the wagon and twice as hard to get back on sometimes.

My diet is my biggest downfall.I love pasta and sugar. Recently I have been forcing myself to take healthy foods to work for lunch. I either starve or eat it,lol.

 

[Robert Mugabe]

congrats to the op. I have finally come to the realization that you have to use weights. I reluctantly concede. No other way to directly attack atrophied muscles. the days of spending hours on the playing fields are gone. like somebody else said. nice post

 

[yababy1]

Quick suggestion re: food issues

If you have Netflix, look up "In Defense of Food"

Great, pragmatic documentary about what to eat, its simple, just eat food, the documentary is great for describing what that means, it includes all food types, no pro vegans etc and is reasonably laid out

About 90 mins long, time well spent IMHO, check it out

And seeing as sugar is mentioned in this thread, look at "Sugarcoated", it was enough to get me off the crap as much as possible, again reasonably laid out and presented

 

[ultistar]

Good tips.
1) don’t eat late night
2) do weights
3) google HIIT, it works

 

[essguy_]

Good tips.
1) don’t eat late night
2) do weights
3) google HIIT, it works

Interval training is great but people need to be cautious and make sure that it’s structured for their level of fitness. If you’re older it can be dangerous if the interval intensity is too high when you start. The interval intensity needs to be customized for your level of current fitness to safely push you to the next level.

Kudos to those who can alter diet and stick with it. I’m a bit of a foodie so have trouble cutting out certain things (like butter and fat...LOL!) so I always have to stay in shape via the output side of the equation. For me it’s biking for cardio with weight sessions at a gym and stretching/rolling out at home. I bought a smart cycle trainer for indoors which is great for winter intervals (actually better than doing intervals outside, IMO) and use subscription service called Trainer Road for a structured training program. You do a FTP test regularly and the programs are structured around this. Almost like having a coach. The HIIT’s make a big difference in less time vs just pedaling more distance.