Health, Fatness and Training

[Sittingduck]

What has been your experience of racking up the miles whilst dropping the pounds? Is low carb a no-no? Should I engage with the tedium that is calorie counting? Should I fast Tuesday and Thursdays? Do I just need to accept feeling hungry all the time?

First of all - good luck! Second of all, I wouldn't personally go with low carb. I have heard it can make you irritable or grumpy if you cut carbs out

I would think it's a case of perhaps re-balancing your intake, to be a bit less carbs, a bit more protein and a lot less booze. This is the approach I took, anyway. I also did/do calorie counting, using myfitnesspal. I found it to be very effective and motivational for me. It also really helped to get the momentum going and to sustain the progress I was making. I believe this is the key - it's mostly in the mind. Once you are in the habit of eating the correct amount of the correct stuff, it almost takes care of itself, on the food front anyway.

RE: the mileage - it certainly hasn't been negative, for me at least. I am definitely able to ride further and a lot faster then before. Oh and the best bit is hills... lovely lovely hills!

Another vote for Myfitnesspal here - counting calories is tedious but it really works, and the phone app makes it really quick and easy. I believe Sitting Duck has lost loads using it (correct me if I'm wrong Ant)

The only thing I have found is that MFP is quite generous with its estimate of exercise calories so I try not eat everything it tells me I've burnt (unless I'm going out that night!).

Yep - I had some good success with it, as Becs said. Realise though that what Greg is looking to do is a little different to me though. I dropped a large amount of weight in a reasonably short amount of time but it sounds like Gregs goals are different.

I also did a lot of stuff at the gym, when I was in massive calorie defecit every day, to try to minimise the amount of muscle loss and increase my lean mass / fat mass ratio. I believe this kind of worked, although I quit the gym due to financial strains! I don't miss weights, as I was doing them purely out of neccessity but I do miss spinning.

I would probably try a number of things and see how it is working out. Obviously everybody is different and have to figure out what is right for them and what doesn't work. These are just suggestions anyway (most of which worked for me)...

Yes - do calorie count. It probably doesn't matter how you do it - just do it.
Buy an electronic food scale for a tenner and weigh everything - at least in the beginning until you can accurately judge stuff.
Cut down on booze.
Lift weights.
Eat more protein.
Still eat carbs but perhaps less (if you already eat a fair bit). Especially stuff like white bread.
Drink more water!

Oh, and I realise I'm probably teaching you to suck eggs here, Greg. Particularly in ref to the weights stuff but thought I might aswell include it for others to see too

 

[Ghost Donkey]

Don't be put off by the title and read this. It has a holistic approach that will leave you with lots of ideas of how to go about reconciling fueling needs with weight loss needs, and hints and tips to get around the need to calorie count all the time.

I've seen this recommended on here before (maybe by you in another thread ). Ordered.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

What's a sensible calorie intake count then? 1500 a day?

Have started a food diary/exercise log and am heading back to the gym, after the summer break, this evening.... will contemplate complete abstinence from hooch for a period, say until Xtmas, I've past experience to suggest this can be a big factor (hic!) and see if I feel able to commit to such a thing.

Luckily very little in the way of backsliding has been involved. After last winters big push to get prepped for lonjog I only weighed about 4lbs less than I did at the start and I'm still weight that now. My body form changed, lost inches off my waist and a bit of my chest, and loads off my legs arms and face but my bmi stayed stable, i.e. I changed shape but stayed roughly the same weight, where I've more or less been since I got down from 17st + a few years back. Make of that what you will.

Lots of great suggestions and motivating stories so far peeps, keep em coming.

 

[srw]

What's a sensible calorie intake count then? 1500 a day?

Myfitnesspal.com suggested a net calorie intake of 1500 for me. It's probably about right for you too. At the risk of being patronising (surely not) Net is important - 1500 calories is enough to enable a well-built man of about 6 foot in a sedentary lifestyle, not in an active one, to lose weight steadily.

I've previously had very bad experiences of eating less than 1500 calories a day, feeling like crap and not losing any weight.

 

[Sittingduck]

Depends on your size, target loss and how much exercise you do. 1500 sounds low to me. I was having 2000 - 2200 for the first few months and then upped it to 2500 - 2800.

I was dropping 4lbs/week for months and slowed down fairly quickly towards the end but was still dropping weight.

These figures are for the amount consumed, not net calories (which take into account exercise). As Becs said earlier, sites like MFP will over-estimate the amount you burn (so take it with a pinch of salt, or adjust the calories burned manually - I reduce mine by 20%). It's probably better that you use a bit of trial and error to find out what's a sensible amount, for you.

Eat and drink normally for a couple of days and figure out your current intake. Take a few hundred calories off this number and make that your initial target?

 

[MacB]

Depends on your size, target loss and how much exercise you do. 1500 sounds low to me. I was having 2000 - 2200 for the first few months and then upped it to 2500 - 2800.

Agreed, I think I was intaking close to 3000 when I was doing my best, though that was gross and not net, and excluded a more relaxed/binge approach at the weekends.

 

[Trevrev]

I've been low carb now for two months, and i've never felt better. No bread, no pasta, no sweets, crisps, avoid processed. Gone from white rice to brown. As for energy, i have a lot more now than i ever had. Don't get me wrong, the first week was hellish, but get over that and it's great.
I've even cut down on my real ale fetish, although i'll never stop that completely! Swapped drinking loads of ale to maybe a couple a night over the weekend, and just started drinking whiskey and carbonated water.
Lots of chicken, fish, salad, veg , eggs and fruit.
It's all about eating whole foods rather than processed.
I'm now 18.1% body fat.
I've just had my yearly MOT at the docs, due to bad family health history. and all is better than good.
I know most people poopoo, low carb but it's working for me.

 

[MacB]

Don't get me wrong, the first week was hellish, but get over that and it's great.

I think this is important, I would imagine that not everyone responds the same but I strongly suspect that a lot of the dire reviews about low/no carbs are from those that didn't last long enough.

 

[srw]

I think this is important, I would imagine that not everyone responds the same but I strongly suspect that a lot of the dire reviews about low/no carbs are from those that didn't last long enough.

But reading what Trevrev actually eats (brown rice, beer, whisky, fruit, veg) - a lot of it is a good source of carbohydrate.

 

[MacB]

But reading what Trevrev actually eats (brown rice, beer, whisky, fruit, veg) - a lot of it is a good source of carbohydrate.

agreed, I wasn't advocating an Atkins approach and I think it's the processed stuff that does the real damage. But for weight loss I'd rate taking the carbs as low as you can and cutting out as much processed stuff as possible.

When the target weight is reached, or you're pretty close, then I think you need to pay more attention to energy requirements and exercise, especially if you're trying to alter/regain body shape.

As SD mentioned it really does depend on where you're starting from, what your goals are and your history of fitness/exercise.

 

[Trevrev]

But reading what Trevrev actually eats (brown rice, beer, whisky, fruit, veg) - a lot of it is a good source of carbohydrate.

It's low carb, not no carb!
Whiskey has no carbs in it by the way! As for the beer, i'm not a saint. It's about moderation.
Some fruits are high in carbs, most aren't. The same with veg.
Complex carbs are better than simple carbs.

 

[Becs]

It's low carb, not no carb!
Whiskey has no carbs in it by the way! As for the beer, i'm not a saint. It's about moderation.
Some fruits are high in carbs, most aren't. The same with veg.
Complex carbs are better than simple carbs.

This is basically what I'm doing (with wine instead of beer). I have to say I've never felt better either, although that maybe the exercise rather than the diet - getting a little addicted. I would be careful about having too many relaxed days though - I find if I have a big weekend I put on 3-4lbs in water retention from the booze and chips and spend the rest of the week getting rid of that rather than actual weight - it's also rather demotivating!

Also I agree with SD re the grumpiness if the carbs go too low!

 

[Andrew_P]

I have lost lots of weight probably bordering on too much and really truthly I simply followed the move more, eat less diet.

I bought smaller dinner plates.

I commute every day, sometimes Saturday too. I am always always working at it, not just riding I never arrive without a sweat on.

I truly couldn't be arsed to calorie count or any other specfic diet programme. I reduced my portions at my main meal I am ashamed to say did this by buying Sainsburys pre made mash (not the buttery one) as I found I couldn't resist topping the plate up with the home made. I stopped polishing off the kids left overs. I rarely eat red meat.

Although earlier I said I didn't calorie count, I quickly learnt that a minor change could make a big differnce over 4 weeks, a simple example 3 choc biscuits a day is 255 calories over a 30 day month its huge 7500+ or three whole days of a males suggested intake. Also they are fairly empty calories.

I haver reduced my booze, which really I should do..

Most important for me was to buy some expensive scales that measure weight, body fat, BMI and visceral fat. I now use weight as the guide but watch the others much more closely.

 

[MacB]

Most important for me was to buy some expensive scales that measure weight, body fat, BMI and visceral fat. I now use weight as the guide but watch the others much more closely.

no need I can tell from Janes reaction to me in lycra...at the moment that's avoiding meeting my eye

 

[tadpole]

IMost important for me was to buy some expensive scales that measure weight, body fat, BMI and visceral fat. I now use weight as the guide but watch the others much more closely.

Even the best/ most expensive scales are only accurate to around 1%, so I wouldn't worry about minor weight/fat/BMI fluctuation. They are not very accurate at calculating fat/BMI either, The scales work out fat/BMI by passing a small electrical current through the body from one pad to the other, (either foot to hand or hand to hand or foot to foot). The problem with this is if you are under hydrated you get a higher BMI reading and if you’ve had a lot to drink/ or even need to go to the toilet, you get a lower reading. (The current passes through liquid easier than through flesh/fat)
Take all readings with a hefty pinch of salt (unless on a low sodium diet)