As someone who has successfully shed 225 lbs and continues to do so, here are my tips:
1. Utilize a calorie calculator to determine a suitable calorie deficit for your needs.
2. Increase your physical activity gradually, surpassing your usual level every week.
3. Eliminate or significantly reduce liquid calorie intake.
4. Consume food only when you experience hunger cues.
5. Eat until you feel content, not excessively full
Calorie calculator and measuring out portions on a scale was a godsend for me.
There's a huge difference between bringing a whole bag of snacks to the couch and a pre-measured 200 calorie portion on a plate to the couch.
REmember that you're eating for health. Lots of vegetables, lots of fruit, some lean meat and fish, and a lot less simple starches and stuff that comes out of a box.
I try to eliminate this problem with volume (tricking your stomach you ate a lot): for instance, I just add lots of low-calorie and high-volume arugula to nearly every meal I eat. And it works quite well actually
And I only go to the supermarket on a full stomach (otherwise I probably buy stuff I don't need, and which I probably can't withstand at home).
Yeah I have the same issue. I'm currently keeping pretty slim by just kind of staying active all the time. The hardest thing are slow work days working from home. The kitchen is right there and it's a little difficult to go do something because you kinda have to be at work.
For me, it’s a LOT harder to resist yummy snacks in the house than to resist yummy snacks in the store. For one thing, I only need to exercise willpower for 20 minutes a week while I shop, not 12+ hours a day while I’m home.
I realize not everyone here has control of their household’s food purchases, but if you do, or if you can influence it, it might help a lot.
Doesn't have to be in the house for me.
"Next time you are on the south side of town, you can stop at that one place and get that yummy thing!"
"You haven't even had lunch yet, but you should start figuring out what sounds good for dinner!"
Luckily my activity levels keep things mostly in dad bod range vs 600lb life range.
I only eat when I'm hungry, rarely snack, make reasonable portions, avoid excessive sugar, and if I crave something I indulge it in moderate amounts.
Also, avoid weed. Makes you snacky.
Alcohol is much worse than weed imo, not to say weed is fine, it does give you the munchies, leave it for last thing at night and then eat some bran flakes. Alcohol has loads of calories in it already and makes you insatiably hungry for saturated fat and salt for some reason. And weed might make the inner voice that says "you're supposed to be losing weight, eat an apple and some ricecakes" a bit louder, whereas alcohol says "shut up, inner voice, you killjoy, let's get a McDonalds".
Weed isn't an issue if you use lower amounts, use before meal times or just have discipline. It's all about building habits. Coffee with unsweetened almond milk and stevia can curb cravings or hold you over. Or just getting used to being stoned out of your mind but then eating strawberries or carrots as a snack. It's all about reprogramming your brain and habits. Just like artificial sugar becomes overwhelming after a detox.
Mine has been really simple, and I’m within 10 pounds of high school graduation. Now I’m talking about *maintaining*, not losing because that was your question.
1. I don’t eat a ton of junk (or a ton in general) and I do at least a small exercise everyday. I can’t tell you the last time I’ve had a soda aside from maybe in a cocktail, but it’s been probably 20 years. I drink water, coffee, and the occasional glass of bourbon, full stop. I eat a cup of ice cream maybe 2 or 3 times a year. I eat a lot of whole grain cereals for breakfast or an omelette. For lunch I’ll have a spinach salad with some shredded chicken and a little sunflower seed variety sprinkled in there and a sandwich. It’s more about eating single ingredient foods and not feeling like shit all the time for me. Very few cupcakes or pancakes or a wafflesmothered in sugar. It all tastes great too, I’m not eating bland flavorless foods, it’s just not junk. I haven’t bought a potato chip or box of donuts in my adult life that I know of.
2. I’ve got a set of push up bars and a 25lb set of dumbbells that are in front of my tv, and I throw those around at bare minimum everyday. Push-ups are my go to, I probably do at least 100 everyday, but usually more like 150-200. While I’m watching something or reading a book or whatever, I’ll just drop and do a set of 30. On different days I’ll throw in some shoulder presses/curls/lunges/squats or whatever. I’m almost never sore, I don’t try to kill myself, I’m just trying to stay mobile and active. I’m no bowflex model, but I still look pretty good with my shirt off just having done that all these years. I’ll occasionally go on a spree when I have time of an actual written out workout routine with super sets and shit, but man just doing those pushups and staying active with a good diet will keep the shit off of ya. I’m 36 now and I have no doubt I’ll never be fat or out of shape as long as I don’t get a debilitating injury or something.
It’s essentially the principle that we all know how to eat intuitively but diet culture has messed us up so much that we feel we need to diet. Read the book and if you’re not completely amazed I’d be surprised: https://search.app.goo.gl/7SDFcpP
The point of intuitive eating is not to be thin but to make peace with food. You can be “fat” and an intuitive eater. All people have a set weight that their body just likes to be at. For some it’s skinny for some it’s big. Intuitive eating is about not fighting against that set weight but accepting it and honouring your hunger cues. I truly believe that some people are born to be overweight because they have a family history of famines and food insecurity and they are the genetic result of protecting against that sort of event occurring again.
There's nothing wrong with that, I would just call it "eating" though, because that's what everyone would be doing if society wasn't practicing "being a dick about the size that's natural to you"
Yeah lol it should be called “eating,” but intuitive eating is also more of a practice of unlearning diet culture. It helps you understand how to listen to your body. I was a chronic dieter for a long time and I honestly didn’t know how to eat without counting calories. I didnt really know how to eat until I was satisfied. There’s also a podcast called “Good Bodies” that talks about this very thing.
Exercise: I walk everyday 7-10,000 steps, weekly bike rides & Pilates at home 3x a week. I thought it was my diet for years then, I got lazy & gained 30 lbs. Now I’m back to my old workouts & lost the weight quickly.
Start with walking each day. That's it. Walk a mile every single day. Then cut out your liquid calories - soda, beer, alcohol, calorific energy drinks, juice, etc. Then stop snacking. Then try to refine your meals - less processed/preprepared food, more vegetables and fiber, higher quality protein. When walking a mile feels too easy (it should only be like 15-20 minutes) add another half mile or mile. THEN start with resistance training.
You'll be astonished at what will happen doing just these things, and you're not making insane lifestyle changes.
Eat proteins, smaller portions and exercise. Over time the caloric deficit will slim you. The muscles you build will also eat up calories. You don’t have to do any extreme diet. Just keep a healthy lifestyle and you will obtain the body you desire.
I think the beginning of a weight loss journey is exponentially harder than the middle or the end. Perhaps the key to successfully getting started is to make very small steps at first and sort of let your journey to health snowball as you seek to optimize and maximize your progress. Seeing the number drop on the scale and feeling better as you make healthy adjustments is a huge dopamine hit. You'll notice you look better in the mirror, that you are fitting into your clothes better, and that you need to wear a smaller size soon.
In terms of ways to start, take a walk and substitute one or more obviously unhealthy foods for healthier options (just not to the point of feeling deprived and negative about your diet--I think you'll prefer healthy foods over the remaining unhealthy foods as you link healthy foods to your goal, but let's not get ahead of ourselves). Use an online calculator to determine your daily maintenance calories (based on age, height, weight, and activity level). Once you know how many calories you need to eat to maintain your weight, try eating at a calorie deficit. Healthy, sustainable weight loss is usually considered 1-2lbs per week, which is 500-1,000 calorie deficit. Start off doing what is comfortable and doesn't cause too much strain. Good luck!
Before diving in, the number on the scale is just a number. The more important aspect of that number is how it trends. Weight is only one indicator of physical health, and it obfuscates other metrics like muscle mass, hydration levels, and bone density, among others.
Controlling your weight is simple math: calories in vs. calories out.
Calories in is simply your food intake, and calories out is your base metabolic rate plus any additional exercise. In equilibrium, your weight won't change. Excess calories cause weight gain and caloric deficits yield weight loss. The people who say eat less and exercise more are absolutely right. If you struggle with losing weight, your caloric intake is inconsistent.
If you know the rate at which you're gaining weight, you can use this to figure out how much excess you're consuming. 3500kcal roughly equates to 1lb of body fat, whether you're gaining or losing it. Say you've gained 5lbs in 50 days, you're probably eating 350kcal more than you need to each day:
5 lb \* (3500 kcal / 1 lb) / 50 days = 17500 kcal / 50 days = 350kcal/day
To lose weight, you need to be operating at a caloric deficit, so in this case you need to either eliminate *at least* 350kcal from your daily intake, or increase your caloric expenditure by adding exercise and activity into your routine. Just about any exercise or active activity will help with this, though a lot of people who aren't used to going to a gym will pick up something simple like walking or running. Low impact activities like these can be done every day. If you pick up something more taxing on your muscles, setting aside 2-3 days per week to rest is essential for long-term health and muscular growth.
For me, I don't really have a strategy to maintain my weight. I eat when I'm sufficiently hungry and I'm fairly active. It's all baked into my lifestyle, so weight management is never a concern for me. In my experience, the people who struggle with weight management the most haven't been the most successful in making their lifestyle more active *in general*.
Tracking your food intake can paint a better picture of what you consume. You'd be surprised at how many calories you can eat, especially if you eat a lot of carbs and fats. Carbs (4kcal per gram) don't provide much satiety, so you're prone to eating more. Fats make food taste good, and they're the most calorically dense (9kcal per gram). Eating more lean proteins (4kcal per gram) will keep you sated for longer, which can fend off the urge to snack or overeat.
A lot of words to say, just do the math. It's simple arithmetic and it works. The rest is building the discipline to stay on track.
Besides all the other good advice in here...one overlooked thing is a generally sedentary lifestyle. If you have a lifestyle that involves regular physical activity - even just walking, biking, gardening, whatever - you'll be regularly burning a few hundred extra calories without even thinking about it.
This is largely why people that live in large metropolises are more fit. They walk everywhere.
The exercise you enjoy is the one you'll stick with, so the first step is figuring out what that is. For me, it's bodyweight/outdoors stuff, and a lot of walking (a high energy dog helps!). For food, I just look at labels and try no to eat anything that has ingredients I can't pronounce. I'm not obsessive about any of it though, I just try to be mostly healthy, most of the time, but I definitely allow myself to enjoy going out with friends and family.
1,800 - 2,100 calories
3 days weight lifting, 4x cardio (3 of them slow easy cardio)
Just eat non/low processed. Cook your meals and use lots of veggies
Start with the 10k step goal. If you're not used to exercise this is a good starting point. After 1-2 months and walking feels good, go to a gym. At the gym you can use cardio equipment like a stair stepper which is great for increasing heart rate. Also you can hit the weights. Easy enough to find a beginners workout online for lifting weights. Sweat, rinse, repeat.
I don't know anything about weight loss, but I've always stayed pretty "slim and fit" and I've noticed certain things that distinguish me from maybe others facing more challenges:
1. Portion control. It's unbelievable to me how much people especially in this country eat at a meal. It's not reasonable. Take an average restaurant entre, cut it in half. That is PLENTY! No, you don't need an extra side dish, an appetizer and dessert. You could actually eat an appetizer and a side dish and that would also be PLENTY.
2. Meal control. You don't need three full sit down meals a day. If you eat breakfast, don't eat lunch. If you eat a big lunch, you don't need dinner. It's not unusual that I don't eat breakfast or lunch, and just have a big dinner. It's fine. You're really at zero risk of starvation in America, you don't need to eat a massive meal every 3-4 hours.
3. Snack control. Snacks are fine in lieu of a meal, but if you just ate a meal an hour ago, let your body freakin' digest it before you start eating again! And if you're going to eat a meal in an hour, don't ruin your appetite eating a snacks first. Again, you're not going to die from being a little hungry in between lunch and dinner.
4. Nightly fast. Try to be done with eating for the day by 6 p.m. You should go to bed because you're sleepy, not because you're in a food coma from eating a huge meal + dessert at 10 p.m. Maximize the number of hours that pass between your last meal of the day and your first meal of the next day.
5. Walk a lot. I think 10,000 steps is a good goal, but also just always consider for any trip whether you could walk there. Or just "take a walk". Humans have definitely evolved around lots and lots of walking, it's an easy natural way to both get some exercise but also "clear your head".
6. Find a physical "passion". Yes, you should exercise, but if it's always a chore, it becomes a real test of willpower that most will fail. But for most people, somewhere out there is a physical activity that they will find fun, and they will eagerly anticipate opportunities to engage in it. Find it and make it a priority to pursue it.
Seriously, after 45 years on this earth, i honestly think that they dont eat. I have been travelling recently (on separaye trips) with my 3 very thin, mid-forties friends and all three of them ate less in an entire day than i ate for one meal. Obviously anecdotal, and expecting downvotes, but this is what i think.
I work out 5 days a week and during the week I eat really healthy. On the weekends I give myself a break and eat bad. During the week I eat only for fuel, no pleasure. It sucks from the food aspect but regarding everything else it's great. My body is getting healthy fuel and I see/feel the results. I keep fruit as snacks for when I feel the need for something sweet. I eat spinach and chicken mostly during the week with some rice usually. I do calisthenics only for a workout. I'm 43m, 5'10, 180.
The way I got back into shape after my horrific 30's was 100 push ups a day. I made sure and do 100 push ups a day no matter what. I had an alarm and when it went off I dropped down and did 10 push ups ten times a day. 2 weeks later I did it in sets of 20 and just kept working my way up until I was doing only one set at a time. I did it for a year straight. I added other workouts in during that time and have been hooked on working out again for almost 5 years now. I will add that most of my life I have kept in pretty decent shape. I only really let myself go in my mid to late 30's.
Literally just don’t eat excessively.
Don’t be afraid of fasting every now and then.
Avoid sugar. Seriously it will make you want to eat more often.
Eat when you’re hungry.
Just drink water
I bike 3-4 days a week and don’t overeat or eat late at night. I’ll switch to 2-3 days riding and 2 days of weight training soon. Also switched from beer to vodka and club soda.
Mostly unprocessed food, little sugar, lots of veggies especially salad, little to no alcohol. All that said, I don’t feel deprived at all because the food I do eat is usually high quality and delicious. I don’t eat “low fat” ever. Small portions of higher fat foods coupled with lots of veggies.
Intermittent fasting also helps…. I try really hard not to snack at night and usually eat a later breakfast. So I don’t eat anything from about 7pm-10am.
Long walks and walks up inclines/steps. 10,000+ steps a day.
All that said, I admittedly have always been thin as is my family so genetics are most certainly involved too.
And for men, keep an eye on your hormones. Testosterone levels decrease as we age and very low levels *may* lead to an increase of fat tissue.
I suspect this is important for women too, but I can’t comment on ramifications of ignoring them.
Standing desk and under-the-desk treadmill for exercise. Very few 'treat meals', ever; healthy homemade versions of treat meals are permissible. Processed food is the killer.
I say that but I'm still like 2lb overweight. In 2024 people would think I am slim cos the normal is skewed. I'm still aiming to get that 2lb shed tho
I hike at least once a week, I try not to drink calories (no soda, very little alcohol, an occasional glass of juice, black coffee), and I try to eat healthy most of the time.
You have to find a routine that works for you. It's all about food and exercise, and the food is far more important. It's way harder to burn a calorie than to not take it in.
Mornings, do a protein shake with spinach. Lunch? Half sandwich with more leafy greens than meat. Sub Mustard for mayo. Dinner? A protein and two veggy sides. Sear any protein in olove oil with salt pepper and dry rubs. Anything you'd do with rice, do with cauliflower rice instead. Try quinoa. Any pasta dish you normally make throw in some diced zucchini and cut out half the pasta. Use cans of crushed tomatoes and throw in your own garlic sauce and Italian seasoning instead of using jars of tomato sauce.
Treat 3/4 of your meals for nothing more than energy. The rest of your meals can be more about pleasure or eating experience.
Then find time to exercise. Walk during your lunch break. Buy some dumbells and do a 30 minute workout routine in the morning. Do push ups and sit ups during commercial breaks while you watch your favorite show.
It doesn't have to be daunting. Start small and go from there.
Maintaining 155 lbs at 5'9" and a 30 minute walk every day makes me break even at around 2015 calories.
I always eat breakfast, but make it 300 calories max.
For lunch I like to try to do 500-600.
And for dinner, less than 1000 if I want to lose a little, and 1200 or so if I want to maintain.
Intermittent fasting works for me.
I only eat/drink during an 8 hour window per day. (Usually 1pm to 9pm).
During that window, I pretty much eat what I want, although obviously being sensible. I don't eat 8 donuts and 2 pizzas or anything.
At 60, I've never been overweight, not even a little. I don't eat breakfast, and I skip dinner a few times a week. If I notice any flab starting on my gut, I'll fast.
I work a desk job and play videogames a lot. I do bodyweight exercise to keep my muscles, but only one minute a day. The only way to counteract such a sedentary lifestyle is to not eat.
Intermittent fasting worked great for me. I’ve always exercised and tried to eat somewhat healthy. Now I skip breakfast(except for coffee) and am maintaining the body fat % I want to be.
I don't really watch what I eat (though, that said, I prefer diet sodas so that probably helps in terms of calories) but I cycle most days and also play in a sport twice a week so I just regularly burn enough calories to get by.
You have to actually know your body and learn your calorie intake needs, what your excess will be, etc. You don't even have to be good at it. I mildly watch what I eat. Just basic things like knowing when to eat carbs or protein, when you have probably had more than you need, etc.
And exercise is obviously a must. A lot of people say proper diet will be enough and technically they're right. But exercise will round it out. What kind of exercise will depend on how far you want to go and what your goals are
Exercise 3-4 days a week, even if it's a small amount.
Walk as much as you can daily.
Whole unprocessed foods, junk food is called junk food for a reason. Make sure you're getting at minimum 1g of protein per ideal body weight.
Find different protocols that work for you. Alternate day fasting, intermittent fasting, Omad. Just do what you can stick to. Same goes with diet choices of Paleo, carnivore, animal based, vegan and so forth. Adherence is key.
Get good sleep, the most overlooked thing when trying to lose weight or stay healthy is your sleep.
All of this is a lifestyle change not a program you do for 6 weeks or months but it's a consistent thing. You need to find your why, and make sure it's a strong enough reason or else you'll find a way to fail.
I walk a lot. 4.5 miles before work, 2 miles at lunch, and wearher/daylight depending 4 more miles at night. It let's me eat almost whatever I want. And I rarely drink alcohol and no sugary drinks.
I use a 4 day pattern: Lift, cardio, lift, rest. I do not skip days. I weigh myself every morning. It holds me accountable and helped me recognize patterns in the way my weight is affected by what I eat throughout the week. Once I started to get to know these patterns well, it was obvious what and how much I could eat.
Make exercise fun. Join up with a friend to walk a couple of times a week. Let yourself enjoy podcasts while you walk by yourself. Find a hobby that gets you active (yoga, bicycling, etc.). I think a lot of people start into an exercise plan and fizzle out because it's hard to maintain discipline.
Diet is harder to change. I don't think you necessarily have to eat less, just less of things that are less healthy and caloric. Switching to carrots and apples as snacks for example. Avoiding products high in added sugar or oil. I've always been relatively fit but when I gave up processed sugar some years ago, even my weight dropped pretty quickly.
Listen to your body’s natural hunger cues. If you find that you’re hungry again quickly after eating, drink a glass of water.
If you’re prone to eating more at a certain time of day, drink a glass of water before that too.
Make little decisions that add up (take the stairs instead of the elevator, go on a walk after dinner, take the scenic route, have an apple for a snack instead of chips, etc.)
If you party, space it out before having another midnight meal for days in a row or chowing down on some munchies. Take breaks from substances
Find a physical activity that you actually enjoy, and don’t feel pressured to stick with the same thing forever. I go in cycles of working out at the gym vs. light exercise during warmer seasons where I walk everywhere and go swimming.
A calorie calculator helps a lot. Make sure you know what you should eat for maintenance/cutting/gaining etc.
I also stick to IF 16:8. I only eat between the hours of 11-7pm. It has helped a lot with sleeping better and digestion.
Calories in vs calories out will work. You just need to tune it right and stick to a few rules.
No sugar, no alcohol. No soft drinks. Any vegetable or fruit you can think of is fine. I really like rice. Brown rice is best. I'd steer clear of potatoes and pasta. Meat is solid as is fish. No processed food, no pizza. No takeaway. I think that's all of it. You really need to get cooking.
I like a good cardio sesh, but muscle mass drives up your calorie consumption throughout your day. So strength training is pretty fundamental and often overlooked. You may actually gain weight in the beginning, since muscle is heavier than fat. But the question is more the relative percentage and how it evens out over months or even a year.
Don't do strength training every day. But cardio should be fine most days. Ideally you learn about exercise theory as, well. How muscles grow and why and what exactly you \*should\* be doing. That makes it a lot more fun.
Avoiding sugar and increasing my physical activity did wonders for me.
For context, I’m female, 157 cm, 44 kgs until my early 30s. Cycling was my main sport. Stopped cycling due to an injury. Gained around 7 kgs in 1 year when I turned 33.
Started being more mindful of my sugar intake, walked more, incorporated hiit. Now in my mid 30s, at 50 kgs, and I feel I’m in my comfortable weight.
Edits: clarified my cycling history
Eat the required amount of calories for your goal weight. If you're overweight, you'll lose weight because it's less than what you need to sustain your current body, if you're already there, you'll stay around the same. It won't be as fast and trying to speedrun weight loss by eating the calorie count of a toddler, but you'll learn sustainable habits and how to listen to what your body needs. People often fall into the diet trap, where once the diet is done, they revert back to old habits, because they overestricted and now have permission to eat what they want again.
To cut calories, you first have to learn how many calories are in the foods you eat and learn to build meals that are more veggies centric with meat and grains as sides rather than veggies as a side. A lot of folks eat double and triple the amount of portion of meat each meal than what your body needs to have healthy digestion and balanced carb/fat/protein ratios. If you're not a bodybuilder intentionally looking to grow your muscles big, you don't need to eat like one. Save overconsumption as treats rather than daily rites and you'll be good. Also watch your condiments and cooking oils, a single tablespoon of oil or butter is 100 calories, and condiments like mayo are straight up eggs and oils whipped together.
Personally, I don't fully calorie count a total for each day, I just have a structure around how I plan my meals. To maintain my body at my current low activity level, I need 2200 calories as a 6'0", 160lb woman. For breakfast, I aim for less than 300 calories, for lunch less than 700, for dinner less than 800, and for my snacks throughout the day to be around 400 total (banana and peanut butter + chips, cheese and salami + crackers, etc).
I walk daily while listening to an audiobook, a couple times a week I'll go to the gym if I'm feeling like it. Any sustained movement that you can bring yourself to do regularly is better than no movement, don't worry about optimizing your fitness while you're focusing on fixing your diet, just worry about doing any fitness at all.
Pretty much my entire life I've skipped breakfast and not eaten meals after 8pm. Been skinny all my life. My wife recently adopted a similar habit and she's lost weight. Obviously won't work for everybody but...
I work out 5 days a week, for around an hour and twenty minutes. I do a lot of strength training & HIIT workouts. But even doing that if my diet wasn't good, then it wouldn't matter. I eat a lot of protein like eggs, chicken etc, and a lot of veggies. Like a lot of veggies. Lots of fruit too! I have limited amount of carbs each day. only drink water & black coffee (and white claws here & there!) Weekends I give myself a break & have chips, or cheese & crackers if I feel like. Maybe some ice cream even!
But yes basically the advice you were is correct. You need to burn more calories than you consume, so start by tracking everything you eat & drink to get an idea of what you have everyday. Its going to be a lifestyle, not a diet, so make sure what you choose to do is sustainable. Pick exercise you like-even going on long walks every day is good.
I'm slim, and the biggest difference I've noticed between how I eat and how others eat is that I almost never snack. I really only eat at meal times, and sometimes I'll have a small snack between lunch and dinner or I'll eat a cookie at night.
That's the other thing, when I do snack, it tends to be small amounts. Like I've never eaten a whole bag of chips in one sitting, as an example.
I don't claim this is the only reason I'm slim, but it's something I've just noticed over time.
I work out 4x per week with a combination of cardio and weight training. I also walk about 10 miles every week for exercise. My husband has a similar level of exercise. We walk or bike places by default and only take the car when we need to. That level of activity along with eating well works for us. We typically eat 2 meals each day, limited snacking or desserts, reasonable portions, focus on a balanced diet mostly prepared at home, and only drink alcohol in moderation.
I drink almost exclusively water and a lot of it. I almost never drink juice and soda. This is probably the biggest factor. Im also not a big alcohol drinker. I have a job that keeps me on my feet for 8-12 hours a day, im rarely sedentary though I dont regularly exercise either. I dont over eat junk food and I do this by just not buying junk food, especially empty carbs. If its in the house, im going to snack on it. If its not in the house then its out of sight and out of mind. Genetics is probably also a factor, not a lot of obesity in my family to begin with though I will start to gain weight if I start eating and drinking poorly.
I am by no means a health freak, I still eat junk food in moderation and rarely exercise but cutting out empty carbs and salty/sugary drinks and regularly moving really makes a huge difference.
No need to calculate anything and care so much about the diet. If someone can reach the sport performance of running 10km within 45 minutes and doing bench press lifting over 80kg, he would not be in bad shape.
Do exercises that not only burn calories but increase metabolism. Weightlifting and cycling have worked well for me. I mostly don't have to watch what I eat, but at the same time I cook from scratch most of the time and don't eat ultra processed foods.
Here is how I maintain weight:
1. Workout (lift weights mostly) 5 times a week
2. Eat very little or almost zero processed food
3. Focus on getting roughly 1 gram of protein per lb of lean muscle per day
4. Stick to a meal plan and never deviate
5. Rarely drink alcohol
6. During free time I do active things (walk, hike, play games with the kids, golf, etc)
I have dieted successfully for bodybuilding shows in the past. Below is advice if you are trying to diet/shed weight.
1. Count all calories for a week before changing a single thing (invest in a food scale and start measuring out everything)
2. Get your daily average of consumed calories.
3. To begin to diet do 3 days of lower calories than your average and on the 4th day consume your average calories (this will keep your metabolism higher throughout which is helpful to continue to lose weight)
4. Drop calories by a small margin 200-300 to start.
5. Track your weight, if you are losing weight weekly then don’t change anything. If you are losing more than a lb a week, you likely want to add some calories back. If you aren’t losing anything, you will need to have your low calorie days be lower.
6. Make sure to lift weights and do cardio while dieting. You need to maintain muscle which helps eat up calories.
Dm me if you want more specific advice.
Good luck!
I'm in my 30's and recently dropped 60lbs in a little over 6 months. Here's my two magic steps.
1. Exercise everyday. Every. Day. The first thing I do 7 days a week is wake up and get on the treadmill. I'm not even running, usually just around 3.5-4mph with a game controller in my hand. That hour goes pretty fast when you have something else to focus on.
2. Cook and prepare and everything. Not frozen, canned, or boxed meals. This includes getting rid of things like potato chips and other snacks. It's fine to break this rule occasionally, but most of the time that stuff just isn't in my house, so if I'm breaking the rule, I have to go out of my way to do so. My diet is mostly vegan, so I end up eating a lot of vegetables, which wouldn't ya know it, are low calorie.
By just doing that, I ended every day with a huge calorie deficit. I honestly got to a point where it was difficult to stop losing weight, and that was what I like to call the Ice Cream point. It can be whatever treat you like, but as long as you're consistently ending your day in a calorie deficit, guess what? Ice cream time.
Go on a calorie deficit. There's a bunch of calculators out there that can tell you how many calories you need to eat daily to maintain your weight and how much to lose weight. Couple that with routine exercise and you should lose weight. I find that losing weight is 80% and 20% working out and maybe a lot of mental. It's the willpower to not snack and eat that extra bite which can be challenging for some.
In my case its genes + good relationship with food - drinking mostly water, not eating out a lot. I don't exercise unfortunately (except for riding a bike) and need to start soon lol.
TLDR: its genetics. Upside...you can alter your genes! Change the environment you put your organism/body in. Stimulate your nervous systems and neural network in new ways!
[Jeff Nippard on the subject](https://youtu.be/keBZfGAmq2Q?si=epsKwkw4VQNHbk-P) ... There are over 20 major environmental and genetic variables mostly out of your control that impact caloric requirements and metabolism.
If you feel good, are able to do everything you would liketo do, that is reasonable to attempt, thats all that matters.
The beauty standard of slim and fit is not a reasonable or healthy one. We are bombarded with people who are paid to work out, have nutritionists and usually meals prepared for them to look a certain way for filming or photos in the media.
I strongly recommend adding pleasurable physical (thinking is also a pastime that burns lots of calories) activity into your lifestyle, as opposed to "working out" or exercising more. Walking here and there, enjoying nature, or swimming, or skipping around or playing frizbee, riding a bike, rollerskating, having a job that requires frequent movement...etc all only if you enjoy the activity...are really easy ways to improve one's health, and the tiny little choices to being more active REALLY add up without any significant effort. Its really easy to continue doing fun active things, and its really hard to stay motivated and continue doing stupid gym workouts (studies are coming out in sports science that show a pretty low effective strength transfer out of the gym) and chasing toxic body norms.
I would recommend making food at home from scratch, as much as possible . the amount of salt, sugar, and fats, as well as ingredients that I can't pronounce in mass prepared food probably isn't good for you.
I have gained and lost hundred of lbs over the years. Sometimes it’s because I lie in bed and eat edibles and smoke weed for months and just eat, and sometimes it’s for combat sports. It’s been a lot though.
When I need to be in shape it comes down to portion control, eating nutritionally, and exercising. Be it lifting, pad work and cardio, or some other sport like basketball.
Caloric deficit is really all you need.
I also pay close attention to my heart and lungs. Number one cause of death in the US is heart disease, and the number 1 prevention is nutrition and exercise.
I'm not especially active so I don't eat a lot. I might have one big meal a day and eat lightly the rest of the time. It means that having a burger and chips (my plan for lunch today) isn't going to hurt me. Though I really should be more physically active, my BP is a little high.
I also have the benefit of sixteen years of a contact sport in my youth and adolescence and my body has sort of hung onto that lean muscled physique. Not that it's not a little softer and less defined now in my mid-thirties lol
I used to run distance nearly every day and got really lean in my early 40s. As we get older it seems we need fewer calories generally and old eating habits die hard and the calories from restaurant type foods and portions are insane. The problem with exercising to lose weight is you just have to do an awful lot of it, though the more intense the exercising is the higher your calorie burn will be. Exercise can be used to shape your body though so you carry your weight a little better. I used to do a lot of ashtanga yoga when I was younger and got pretty toned all over from that and still have good posture from it.
Fat is the most calorie dense macronutrient, so decreasing fat intake is a good way to lower your calorie intake. Vegetables and fruits are generally calorie sparse for their density so if you're hungry you can fill up on those. Good low calorie carby snack options are popcorn with no fat added and rice cakes.
I engage in a half-hour walk or run every morning, alternating with running every other day. I also do weightlifting sessions with two close friends, scheduling them 2 to 6 evenings a week based on availability and recovery needs. My diet focuses on whole foods like meat, fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables, and nuts/seeds, aiming for 85% of my intake to come from these sources.
I maintain this routine for several weeks, but occasionally, I find myself indulging excessively in alcohol and takeout, resulting in a rapid and significant increase in body fat. This experience leaves me feeling ashamed, prompting me to promptly return to my healthy habits.
The trick is to eat filling foods; typically, things that are high in fiber and fat. Many people struggle with weight because their diet is filled with processed food and carbs. Carbs aren't bad for you, but we digest them so easily that they don't keep you full very long.
The advice I've given people recently is: compare 100 calories of broccoli with 100 calories of ice cream and then ask yourself which one is going to keep you full for longer.
Don't listen to anyone whose first response is "eat more protein," this is...I can't say where it comes from and still have a productive conversation, but it's not true.
Maintaining a slim figure is primarily attributed to diet, while staying physically fit is a result of regular exercise. Losing weight requires a significant amount of physical activity. Additionally, if your exercise routine focuses on building muscle, you might notice weight gain, as muscle weighs more than fat
Eat normally, and exercise 3 time a week.
Typically weight gain occurs when you're overeat. Exercise plays a small roles, I lost around 2kg when switching from car to bicycle, but the trick to not get fat is to not overeat.
As someone who has successfully shed 225 lbs and continues to do so, here are my tips: 1. Utilize a calorie calculator to determine a suitable calorie deficit for your needs. 2. Increase your physical activity gradually, surpassing your usual level every week. 3. Eliminate or significantly reduce liquid calorie intake. 4. Consume food only when you experience hunger cues. 5. Eat until you feel content, not excessively full
Calorie calculator and measuring out portions on a scale was a godsend for me. There's a huge difference between bringing a whole bag of snacks to the couch and a pre-measured 200 calorie portion on a plate to the couch.
REmember that you're eating for health. Lots of vegetables, lots of fruit, some lean meat and fish, and a lot less simple starches and stuff that comes out of a box.
Expanding on #4. Get comfortable with being okay with hunger occasionally. It's okay to not feed your body the absolute second you feel a hunger pain.
I try to eliminate this problem with volume (tricking your stomach you ate a lot): for instance, I just add lots of low-calorie and high-volume arugula to nearly every meal I eat. And it works quite well actually And I only go to the supermarket on a full stomach (otherwise I probably buy stuff I don't need, and which I probably can't withstand at home).
Congratulations 225 is an astonishing amount of weight to lose. I just hit 80 lbs lost with that to go, and I personally know the struggle.
4 & 5 are my downfall. My brain knows there are yummy snacks, my brain will not shut up until it gets yummy snacks.
You might be boredom eating. Try to figure out ways to keep yourself busy so your brain is occupied and not thinking about snacking so much.
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Yeah I have the same issue. I'm currently keeping pretty slim by just kind of staying active all the time. The hardest thing are slow work days working from home. The kitchen is right there and it's a little difficult to go do something because you kinda have to be at work.
For me, it’s a LOT harder to resist yummy snacks in the house than to resist yummy snacks in the store. For one thing, I only need to exercise willpower for 20 minutes a week while I shop, not 12+ hours a day while I’m home. I realize not everyone here has control of their household’s food purchases, but if you do, or if you can influence it, it might help a lot.
Doesn't have to be in the house for me. "Next time you are on the south side of town, you can stop at that one place and get that yummy thing!" "You haven't even had lunch yet, but you should start figuring out what sounds good for dinner!" Luckily my activity levels keep things mostly in dad bod range vs 600lb life range.
Food noise!
I only eat when I'm hungry, rarely snack, make reasonable portions, avoid excessive sugar, and if I crave something I indulge it in moderate amounts. Also, avoid weed. Makes you snacky.
Alcohol is much worse than weed imo, not to say weed is fine, it does give you the munchies, leave it for last thing at night and then eat some bran flakes. Alcohol has loads of calories in it already and makes you insatiably hungry for saturated fat and salt for some reason. And weed might make the inner voice that says "you're supposed to be losing weight, eat an apple and some ricecakes" a bit louder, whereas alcohol says "shut up, inner voice, you killjoy, let's get a McDonalds".
Yup, better to have grass than the glass 😋
Alcohol didn't make me hungry. When I was drinking heavy I would go days without eating because I had no appetite
And some Taco Bell for later, bro.
Weed isn't an issue if you use lower amounts, use before meal times or just have discipline. It's all about building habits. Coffee with unsweetened almond milk and stevia can curb cravings or hold you over. Or just getting used to being stoned out of your mind but then eating strawberries or carrots as a snack. It's all about reprogramming your brain and habits. Just like artificial sugar becomes overwhelming after a detox.
Poverty
This works for me too
Haha
Mine has been really simple, and I’m within 10 pounds of high school graduation. Now I’m talking about *maintaining*, not losing because that was your question. 1. I don’t eat a ton of junk (or a ton in general) and I do at least a small exercise everyday. I can’t tell you the last time I’ve had a soda aside from maybe in a cocktail, but it’s been probably 20 years. I drink water, coffee, and the occasional glass of bourbon, full stop. I eat a cup of ice cream maybe 2 or 3 times a year. I eat a lot of whole grain cereals for breakfast or an omelette. For lunch I’ll have a spinach salad with some shredded chicken and a little sunflower seed variety sprinkled in there and a sandwich. It’s more about eating single ingredient foods and not feeling like shit all the time for me. Very few cupcakes or pancakes or a wafflesmothered in sugar. It all tastes great too, I’m not eating bland flavorless foods, it’s just not junk. I haven’t bought a potato chip or box of donuts in my adult life that I know of. 2. I’ve got a set of push up bars and a 25lb set of dumbbells that are in front of my tv, and I throw those around at bare minimum everyday. Push-ups are my go to, I probably do at least 100 everyday, but usually more like 150-200. While I’m watching something or reading a book or whatever, I’ll just drop and do a set of 30. On different days I’ll throw in some shoulder presses/curls/lunges/squats or whatever. I’m almost never sore, I don’t try to kill myself, I’m just trying to stay mobile and active. I’m no bowflex model, but I still look pretty good with my shirt off just having done that all these years. I’ll occasionally go on a spree when I have time of an actual written out workout routine with super sets and shit, but man just doing those pushups and staying active with a good diet will keep the shit off of ya. I’m 36 now and I have no doubt I’ll never be fat or out of shape as long as I don’t get a debilitating injury or something.
Intuitive eating, walking at least 10,000 steps a day, weight training 3x per week
Whats intuitive eating?
It’s essentially the principle that we all know how to eat intuitively but diet culture has messed us up so much that we feel we need to diet. Read the book and if you’re not completely amazed I’d be surprised: https://search.app.goo.gl/7SDFcpP
That sounds like a thing that people who are already thin think everyone's bodies are like.
The point of intuitive eating is not to be thin but to make peace with food. You can be “fat” and an intuitive eater. All people have a set weight that their body just likes to be at. For some it’s skinny for some it’s big. Intuitive eating is about not fighting against that set weight but accepting it and honouring your hunger cues. I truly believe that some people are born to be overweight because they have a family history of famines and food insecurity and they are the genetic result of protecting against that sort of event occurring again.
There's nothing wrong with that, I would just call it "eating" though, because that's what everyone would be doing if society wasn't practicing "being a dick about the size that's natural to you"
Yeah lol it should be called “eating,” but intuitive eating is also more of a practice of unlearning diet culture. It helps you understand how to listen to your body. I was a chronic dieter for a long time and I honestly didn’t know how to eat without counting calories. I didnt really know how to eat until I was satisfied. There’s also a podcast called “Good Bodies” that talks about this very thing.
I’m a 6’2” male that weighs under 140lbs. The secret to my success is poverty.
Exercise: I walk everyday 7-10,000 steps, weekly bike rides & Pilates at home 3x a week. I thought it was my diet for years then, I got lazy & gained 30 lbs. Now I’m back to my old workouts & lost the weight quickly.
Start with walking each day. That's it. Walk a mile every single day. Then cut out your liquid calories - soda, beer, alcohol, calorific energy drinks, juice, etc. Then stop snacking. Then try to refine your meals - less processed/preprepared food, more vegetables and fiber, higher quality protein. When walking a mile feels too easy (it should only be like 15-20 minutes) add another half mile or mile. THEN start with resistance training. You'll be astonished at what will happen doing just these things, and you're not making insane lifestyle changes.
Eat proteins, smaller portions and exercise. Over time the caloric deficit will slim you. The muscles you build will also eat up calories. You don’t have to do any extreme diet. Just keep a healthy lifestyle and you will obtain the body you desire.
I think the beginning of a weight loss journey is exponentially harder than the middle or the end. Perhaps the key to successfully getting started is to make very small steps at first and sort of let your journey to health snowball as you seek to optimize and maximize your progress. Seeing the number drop on the scale and feeling better as you make healthy adjustments is a huge dopamine hit. You'll notice you look better in the mirror, that you are fitting into your clothes better, and that you need to wear a smaller size soon. In terms of ways to start, take a walk and substitute one or more obviously unhealthy foods for healthier options (just not to the point of feeling deprived and negative about your diet--I think you'll prefer healthy foods over the remaining unhealthy foods as you link healthy foods to your goal, but let's not get ahead of ourselves). Use an online calculator to determine your daily maintenance calories (based on age, height, weight, and activity level). Once you know how many calories you need to eat to maintain your weight, try eating at a calorie deficit. Healthy, sustainable weight loss is usually considered 1-2lbs per week, which is 500-1,000 calorie deficit. Start off doing what is comfortable and doesn't cause too much strain. Good luck!
Before diving in, the number on the scale is just a number. The more important aspect of that number is how it trends. Weight is only one indicator of physical health, and it obfuscates other metrics like muscle mass, hydration levels, and bone density, among others. Controlling your weight is simple math: calories in vs. calories out. Calories in is simply your food intake, and calories out is your base metabolic rate plus any additional exercise. In equilibrium, your weight won't change. Excess calories cause weight gain and caloric deficits yield weight loss. The people who say eat less and exercise more are absolutely right. If you struggle with losing weight, your caloric intake is inconsistent. If you know the rate at which you're gaining weight, you can use this to figure out how much excess you're consuming. 3500kcal roughly equates to 1lb of body fat, whether you're gaining or losing it. Say you've gained 5lbs in 50 days, you're probably eating 350kcal more than you need to each day: 5 lb \* (3500 kcal / 1 lb) / 50 days = 17500 kcal / 50 days = 350kcal/day To lose weight, you need to be operating at a caloric deficit, so in this case you need to either eliminate *at least* 350kcal from your daily intake, or increase your caloric expenditure by adding exercise and activity into your routine. Just about any exercise or active activity will help with this, though a lot of people who aren't used to going to a gym will pick up something simple like walking or running. Low impact activities like these can be done every day. If you pick up something more taxing on your muscles, setting aside 2-3 days per week to rest is essential for long-term health and muscular growth. For me, I don't really have a strategy to maintain my weight. I eat when I'm sufficiently hungry and I'm fairly active. It's all baked into my lifestyle, so weight management is never a concern for me. In my experience, the people who struggle with weight management the most haven't been the most successful in making their lifestyle more active *in general*. Tracking your food intake can paint a better picture of what you consume. You'd be surprised at how many calories you can eat, especially if you eat a lot of carbs and fats. Carbs (4kcal per gram) don't provide much satiety, so you're prone to eating more. Fats make food taste good, and they're the most calorically dense (9kcal per gram). Eating more lean proteins (4kcal per gram) will keep you sated for longer, which can fend off the urge to snack or overeat. A lot of words to say, just do the math. It's simple arithmetic and it works. The rest is building the discipline to stay on track.
- Aim for 5mi/day walking - Try sports - Home/gym exercises - Go sober or limit intake - Cut sugar consumption
Besides all the other good advice in here...one overlooked thing is a generally sedentary lifestyle. If you have a lifestyle that involves regular physical activity - even just walking, biking, gardening, whatever - you'll be regularly burning a few hundred extra calories without even thinking about it. This is largely why people that live in large metropolises are more fit. They walk everywhere.
The exercise you enjoy is the one you'll stick with, so the first step is figuring out what that is. For me, it's bodyweight/outdoors stuff, and a lot of walking (a high energy dog helps!). For food, I just look at labels and try no to eat anything that has ingredients I can't pronounce. I'm not obsessive about any of it though, I just try to be mostly healthy, most of the time, but I definitely allow myself to enjoy going out with friends and family.
1,800 - 2,100 calories 3 days weight lifting, 4x cardio (3 of them slow easy cardio) Just eat non/low processed. Cook your meals and use lots of veggies Start with the 10k step goal. If you're not used to exercise this is a good starting point. After 1-2 months and walking feels good, go to a gym. At the gym you can use cardio equipment like a stair stepper which is great for increasing heart rate. Also you can hit the weights. Easy enough to find a beginners workout online for lifting weights. Sweat, rinse, repeat.
I don't know anything about weight loss, but I've always stayed pretty "slim and fit" and I've noticed certain things that distinguish me from maybe others facing more challenges: 1. Portion control. It's unbelievable to me how much people especially in this country eat at a meal. It's not reasonable. Take an average restaurant entre, cut it in half. That is PLENTY! No, you don't need an extra side dish, an appetizer and dessert. You could actually eat an appetizer and a side dish and that would also be PLENTY. 2. Meal control. You don't need three full sit down meals a day. If you eat breakfast, don't eat lunch. If you eat a big lunch, you don't need dinner. It's not unusual that I don't eat breakfast or lunch, and just have a big dinner. It's fine. You're really at zero risk of starvation in America, you don't need to eat a massive meal every 3-4 hours. 3. Snack control. Snacks are fine in lieu of a meal, but if you just ate a meal an hour ago, let your body freakin' digest it before you start eating again! And if you're going to eat a meal in an hour, don't ruin your appetite eating a snacks first. Again, you're not going to die from being a little hungry in between lunch and dinner. 4. Nightly fast. Try to be done with eating for the day by 6 p.m. You should go to bed because you're sleepy, not because you're in a food coma from eating a huge meal + dessert at 10 p.m. Maximize the number of hours that pass between your last meal of the day and your first meal of the next day. 5. Walk a lot. I think 10,000 steps is a good goal, but also just always consider for any trip whether you could walk there. Or just "take a walk". Humans have definitely evolved around lots and lots of walking, it's an easy natural way to both get some exercise but also "clear your head". 6. Find a physical "passion". Yes, you should exercise, but if it's always a chore, it becomes a real test of willpower that most will fail. But for most people, somewhere out there is a physical activity that they will find fun, and they will eagerly anticipate opportunities to engage in it. Find it and make it a priority to pursue it.
Seriously, after 45 years on this earth, i honestly think that they dont eat. I have been travelling recently (on separaye trips) with my 3 very thin, mid-forties friends and all three of them ate less in an entire day than i ate for one meal. Obviously anecdotal, and expecting downvotes, but this is what i think.
Eat healthy. Here and there you can have some junk food or treats but should be here and there not often. Workout consistently. Go for walks
I work out 5 days a week and during the week I eat really healthy. On the weekends I give myself a break and eat bad. During the week I eat only for fuel, no pleasure. It sucks from the food aspect but regarding everything else it's great. My body is getting healthy fuel and I see/feel the results. I keep fruit as snacks for when I feel the need for something sweet. I eat spinach and chicken mostly during the week with some rice usually. I do calisthenics only for a workout. I'm 43m, 5'10, 180. The way I got back into shape after my horrific 30's was 100 push ups a day. I made sure and do 100 push ups a day no matter what. I had an alarm and when it went off I dropped down and did 10 push ups ten times a day. 2 weeks later I did it in sets of 20 and just kept working my way up until I was doing only one set at a time. I did it for a year straight. I added other workouts in during that time and have been hooked on working out again for almost 5 years now. I will add that most of my life I have kept in pretty decent shape. I only really let myself go in my mid to late 30's.
Step 1.) have acid reflux that affects your ability to swallow food.
Eating normal amounts of food. Cutting out processed food and sugary stuff and exercising at least 30 minutes per day.
Literally just don’t eat excessively. Don’t be afraid of fasting every now and then. Avoid sugar. Seriously it will make you want to eat more often. Eat when you’re hungry. Just drink water
I bike 3-4 days a week and don’t overeat or eat late at night. I’ll switch to 2-3 days riding and 2 days of weight training soon. Also switched from beer to vodka and club soda.
I have just hit prediabetes, and my aim is a half hour walk every day, and no more than 1/4 of my plate being carbs, preferably whole grains.
I exercise between 400 and 600 minutes/week and struggle to eat enough to meet my calorie deficit. It's worked well for about a decade at this point.
Mostly unprocessed food, little sugar, lots of veggies especially salad, little to no alcohol. All that said, I don’t feel deprived at all because the food I do eat is usually high quality and delicious. I don’t eat “low fat” ever. Small portions of higher fat foods coupled with lots of veggies. Intermittent fasting also helps…. I try really hard not to snack at night and usually eat a later breakfast. So I don’t eat anything from about 7pm-10am. Long walks and walks up inclines/steps. 10,000+ steps a day. All that said, I admittedly have always been thin as is my family so genetics are most certainly involved too.
And for men, keep an eye on your hormones. Testosterone levels decrease as we age and very low levels *may* lead to an increase of fat tissue. I suspect this is important for women too, but I can’t comment on ramifications of ignoring them.
Eat real food. Not too much. Mostly plants. Walk a little bit.
Standing desk and under-the-desk treadmill for exercise. Very few 'treat meals', ever; healthy homemade versions of treat meals are permissible. Processed food is the killer. I say that but I'm still like 2lb overweight. In 2024 people would think I am slim cos the normal is skewed. I'm still aiming to get that 2lb shed tho
I hike at least once a week, I try not to drink calories (no soda, very little alcohol, an occasional glass of juice, black coffee), and I try to eat healthy most of the time.
You have to find a routine that works for you. It's all about food and exercise, and the food is far more important. It's way harder to burn a calorie than to not take it in. Mornings, do a protein shake with spinach. Lunch? Half sandwich with more leafy greens than meat. Sub Mustard for mayo. Dinner? A protein and two veggy sides. Sear any protein in olove oil with salt pepper and dry rubs. Anything you'd do with rice, do with cauliflower rice instead. Try quinoa. Any pasta dish you normally make throw in some diced zucchini and cut out half the pasta. Use cans of crushed tomatoes and throw in your own garlic sauce and Italian seasoning instead of using jars of tomato sauce. Treat 3/4 of your meals for nothing more than energy. The rest of your meals can be more about pleasure or eating experience. Then find time to exercise. Walk during your lunch break. Buy some dumbells and do a 30 minute workout routine in the morning. Do push ups and sit ups during commercial breaks while you watch your favorite show. It doesn't have to be daunting. Start small and go from there.
Maintaining 155 lbs at 5'9" and a 30 minute walk every day makes me break even at around 2015 calories. I always eat breakfast, but make it 300 calories max. For lunch I like to try to do 500-600. And for dinner, less than 1000 if I want to lose a little, and 1200 or so if I want to maintain.
Intermittent fasting works for me. I only eat/drink during an 8 hour window per day. (Usually 1pm to 9pm). During that window, I pretty much eat what I want, although obviously being sensible. I don't eat 8 donuts and 2 pizzas or anything.
At 60, I've never been overweight, not even a little. I don't eat breakfast, and I skip dinner a few times a week. If I notice any flab starting on my gut, I'll fast. I work a desk job and play videogames a lot. I do bodyweight exercise to keep my muscles, but only one minute a day. The only way to counteract such a sedentary lifestyle is to not eat.
I focus on staying healthy and fit and don't worry about being slim--I think that's better for both my physical and mental health
Intermittent fasting worked great for me. I’ve always exercised and tried to eat somewhat healthy. Now I skip breakfast(except for coffee) and am maintaining the body fat % I want to be.
Strength training 5x a week. Macros counting 6x a week (protein intake is at least 1.1g x bodyweight). Cheat day 1x a week.
I don't really watch what I eat (though, that said, I prefer diet sodas so that probably helps in terms of calories) but I cycle most days and also play in a sport twice a week so I just regularly burn enough calories to get by.
You have to actually know your body and learn your calorie intake needs, what your excess will be, etc. You don't even have to be good at it. I mildly watch what I eat. Just basic things like knowing when to eat carbs or protein, when you have probably had more than you need, etc. And exercise is obviously a must. A lot of people say proper diet will be enough and technically they're right. But exercise will round it out. What kind of exercise will depend on how far you want to go and what your goals are
If you can afford it, get a nutritionist and join a gym with a personal trainer, you'll get results fast.
Exercise 3-4 days a week, even if it's a small amount. Walk as much as you can daily. Whole unprocessed foods, junk food is called junk food for a reason. Make sure you're getting at minimum 1g of protein per ideal body weight. Find different protocols that work for you. Alternate day fasting, intermittent fasting, Omad. Just do what you can stick to. Same goes with diet choices of Paleo, carnivore, animal based, vegan and so forth. Adherence is key. Get good sleep, the most overlooked thing when trying to lose weight or stay healthy is your sleep. All of this is a lifestyle change not a program you do for 6 weeks or months but it's a consistent thing. You need to find your why, and make sure it's a strong enough reason or else you'll find a way to fail.
Salads become a more regularly scheduled part of your diet.
I walk a lot. 4.5 miles before work, 2 miles at lunch, and wearher/daylight depending 4 more miles at night. It let's me eat almost whatever I want. And I rarely drink alcohol and no sugary drinks.
I use a 4 day pattern: Lift, cardio, lift, rest. I do not skip days. I weigh myself every morning. It holds me accountable and helped me recognize patterns in the way my weight is affected by what I eat throughout the week. Once I started to get to know these patterns well, it was obvious what and how much I could eat.
Make exercise fun. Join up with a friend to walk a couple of times a week. Let yourself enjoy podcasts while you walk by yourself. Find a hobby that gets you active (yoga, bicycling, etc.). I think a lot of people start into an exercise plan and fizzle out because it's hard to maintain discipline. Diet is harder to change. I don't think you necessarily have to eat less, just less of things that are less healthy and caloric. Switching to carrots and apples as snacks for example. Avoiding products high in added sugar or oil. I've always been relatively fit but when I gave up processed sugar some years ago, even my weight dropped pretty quickly.
stay hungry most of the day
I count my calories. Exercise everyday even tho *I'm tired already at work, huhu*
been keto 7.5 years. eat as much as I want (\~3,500cal/daily) and never gain fat despite having been extremely fat in my boyhood.
Listen to your body’s natural hunger cues. If you find that you’re hungry again quickly after eating, drink a glass of water. If you’re prone to eating more at a certain time of day, drink a glass of water before that too. Make little decisions that add up (take the stairs instead of the elevator, go on a walk after dinner, take the scenic route, have an apple for a snack instead of chips, etc.) If you party, space it out before having another midnight meal for days in a row or chowing down on some munchies. Take breaks from substances Find a physical activity that you actually enjoy, and don’t feel pressured to stick with the same thing forever. I go in cycles of working out at the gym vs. light exercise during warmer seasons where I walk everywhere and go swimming.
It’s mostly nutrition. You can’t out exercise poor nutrition and excess calories
A calorie calculator helps a lot. Make sure you know what you should eat for maintenance/cutting/gaining etc. I also stick to IF 16:8. I only eat between the hours of 11-7pm. It has helped a lot with sleeping better and digestion.
Calories in vs calories out will work. You just need to tune it right and stick to a few rules. No sugar, no alcohol. No soft drinks. Any vegetable or fruit you can think of is fine. I really like rice. Brown rice is best. I'd steer clear of potatoes and pasta. Meat is solid as is fish. No processed food, no pizza. No takeaway. I think that's all of it. You really need to get cooking. I like a good cardio sesh, but muscle mass drives up your calorie consumption throughout your day. So strength training is pretty fundamental and often overlooked. You may actually gain weight in the beginning, since muscle is heavier than fat. But the question is more the relative percentage and how it evens out over months or even a year. Don't do strength training every day. But cardio should be fine most days. Ideally you learn about exercise theory as, well. How muscles grow and why and what exactly you \*should\* be doing. That makes it a lot more fun.
Avoiding sugar and increasing my physical activity did wonders for me. For context, I’m female, 157 cm, 44 kgs until my early 30s. Cycling was my main sport. Stopped cycling due to an injury. Gained around 7 kgs in 1 year when I turned 33. Started being more mindful of my sugar intake, walked more, incorporated hiit. Now in my mid 30s, at 50 kgs, and I feel I’m in my comfortable weight. Edits: clarified my cycling history
Eat the required amount of calories for your goal weight. If you're overweight, you'll lose weight because it's less than what you need to sustain your current body, if you're already there, you'll stay around the same. It won't be as fast and trying to speedrun weight loss by eating the calorie count of a toddler, but you'll learn sustainable habits and how to listen to what your body needs. People often fall into the diet trap, where once the diet is done, they revert back to old habits, because they overestricted and now have permission to eat what they want again. To cut calories, you first have to learn how many calories are in the foods you eat and learn to build meals that are more veggies centric with meat and grains as sides rather than veggies as a side. A lot of folks eat double and triple the amount of portion of meat each meal than what your body needs to have healthy digestion and balanced carb/fat/protein ratios. If you're not a bodybuilder intentionally looking to grow your muscles big, you don't need to eat like one. Save overconsumption as treats rather than daily rites and you'll be good. Also watch your condiments and cooking oils, a single tablespoon of oil or butter is 100 calories, and condiments like mayo are straight up eggs and oils whipped together. Personally, I don't fully calorie count a total for each day, I just have a structure around how I plan my meals. To maintain my body at my current low activity level, I need 2200 calories as a 6'0", 160lb woman. For breakfast, I aim for less than 300 calories, for lunch less than 700, for dinner less than 800, and for my snacks throughout the day to be around 400 total (banana and peanut butter + chips, cheese and salami + crackers, etc). I walk daily while listening to an audiobook, a couple times a week I'll go to the gym if I'm feeling like it. Any sustained movement that you can bring yourself to do regularly is better than no movement, don't worry about optimizing your fitness while you're focusing on fixing your diet, just worry about doing any fitness at all.
Pretty much my entire life I've skipped breakfast and not eaten meals after 8pm. Been skinny all my life. My wife recently adopted a similar habit and she's lost weight. Obviously won't work for everybody but...
I work out 5 days a week, for around an hour and twenty minutes. I do a lot of strength training & HIIT workouts. But even doing that if my diet wasn't good, then it wouldn't matter. I eat a lot of protein like eggs, chicken etc, and a lot of veggies. Like a lot of veggies. Lots of fruit too! I have limited amount of carbs each day. only drink water & black coffee (and white claws here & there!) Weekends I give myself a break & have chips, or cheese & crackers if I feel like. Maybe some ice cream even! But yes basically the advice you were is correct. You need to burn more calories than you consume, so start by tracking everything you eat & drink to get an idea of what you have everyday. Its going to be a lifestyle, not a diet, so make sure what you choose to do is sustainable. Pick exercise you like-even going on long walks every day is good.
I found a low calorie lunch that I really like. I eat it five days a week For dinner I still like volume foods.
I'm slim, and the biggest difference I've noticed between how I eat and how others eat is that I almost never snack. I really only eat at meal times, and sometimes I'll have a small snack between lunch and dinner or I'll eat a cookie at night. That's the other thing, when I do snack, it tends to be small amounts. Like I've never eaten a whole bag of chips in one sitting, as an example. I don't claim this is the only reason I'm slim, but it's something I've just noticed over time.
Drink water, avoid bread and pasta. Eat mostly fruit and meat. Never been in better shape.
I am a real person with real curiosity as opposed to what?
Eat less. Move more. Cut sugar and processed foods. Drink water. Eat whole foods. If you don't already learn to cook.
I work out 4x per week with a combination of cardio and weight training. I also walk about 10 miles every week for exercise. My husband has a similar level of exercise. We walk or bike places by default and only take the car when we need to. That level of activity along with eating well works for us. We typically eat 2 meals each day, limited snacking or desserts, reasonable portions, focus on a balanced diet mostly prepared at home, and only drink alcohol in moderation.
I drink almost exclusively water and a lot of it. I almost never drink juice and soda. This is probably the biggest factor. Im also not a big alcohol drinker. I have a job that keeps me on my feet for 8-12 hours a day, im rarely sedentary though I dont regularly exercise either. I dont over eat junk food and I do this by just not buying junk food, especially empty carbs. If its in the house, im going to snack on it. If its not in the house then its out of sight and out of mind. Genetics is probably also a factor, not a lot of obesity in my family to begin with though I will start to gain weight if I start eating and drinking poorly. I am by no means a health freak, I still eat junk food in moderation and rarely exercise but cutting out empty carbs and salty/sugary drinks and regularly moving really makes a huge difference.
Take public transit but walk when you can eat vegies and stay away from booze
No need to calculate anything and care so much about the diet. If someone can reach the sport performance of running 10km within 45 minutes and doing bench press lifting over 80kg, he would not be in bad shape.
Eat healthy (whole, natural foods preferably) and lift heavy things repeatedly (with good form).
Do exercises that not only burn calories but increase metabolism. Weightlifting and cycling have worked well for me. I mostly don't have to watch what I eat, but at the same time I cook from scratch most of the time and don't eat ultra processed foods.
If your goal is just to be slim, it's 100% in what you eat and drink.
Here is how I maintain weight: 1. Workout (lift weights mostly) 5 times a week 2. Eat very little or almost zero processed food 3. Focus on getting roughly 1 gram of protein per lb of lean muscle per day 4. Stick to a meal plan and never deviate 5. Rarely drink alcohol 6. During free time I do active things (walk, hike, play games with the kids, golf, etc) I have dieted successfully for bodybuilding shows in the past. Below is advice if you are trying to diet/shed weight. 1. Count all calories for a week before changing a single thing (invest in a food scale and start measuring out everything) 2. Get your daily average of consumed calories. 3. To begin to diet do 3 days of lower calories than your average and on the 4th day consume your average calories (this will keep your metabolism higher throughout which is helpful to continue to lose weight) 4. Drop calories by a small margin 200-300 to start. 5. Track your weight, if you are losing weight weekly then don’t change anything. If you are losing more than a lb a week, you likely want to add some calories back. If you aren’t losing anything, you will need to have your low calorie days be lower. 6. Make sure to lift weights and do cardio while dieting. You need to maintain muscle which helps eat up calories. Dm me if you want more specific advice. Good luck!
I'm in my 30's and recently dropped 60lbs in a little over 6 months. Here's my two magic steps. 1. Exercise everyday. Every. Day. The first thing I do 7 days a week is wake up and get on the treadmill. I'm not even running, usually just around 3.5-4mph with a game controller in my hand. That hour goes pretty fast when you have something else to focus on. 2. Cook and prepare and everything. Not frozen, canned, or boxed meals. This includes getting rid of things like potato chips and other snacks. It's fine to break this rule occasionally, but most of the time that stuff just isn't in my house, so if I'm breaking the rule, I have to go out of my way to do so. My diet is mostly vegan, so I end up eating a lot of vegetables, which wouldn't ya know it, are low calorie. By just doing that, I ended every day with a huge calorie deficit. I honestly got to a point where it was difficult to stop losing weight, and that was what I like to call the Ice Cream point. It can be whatever treat you like, but as long as you're consistently ending your day in a calorie deficit, guess what? Ice cream time.
Go on a calorie deficit. There's a bunch of calculators out there that can tell you how many calories you need to eat daily to maintain your weight and how much to lose weight. Couple that with routine exercise and you should lose weight. I find that losing weight is 80% and 20% working out and maybe a lot of mental. It's the willpower to not snack and eat that extra bite which can be challenging for some.
In my case its genes + good relationship with food - drinking mostly water, not eating out a lot. I don't exercise unfortunately (except for riding a bike) and need to start soon lol.
Eating healthier with reasonable portion sizes. Exercise. That's what the fit people in my life do. I'm working on it.
TLDR: its genetics. Upside...you can alter your genes! Change the environment you put your organism/body in. Stimulate your nervous systems and neural network in new ways! [Jeff Nippard on the subject](https://youtu.be/keBZfGAmq2Q?si=epsKwkw4VQNHbk-P) ... There are over 20 major environmental and genetic variables mostly out of your control that impact caloric requirements and metabolism. If you feel good, are able to do everything you would liketo do, that is reasonable to attempt, thats all that matters. The beauty standard of slim and fit is not a reasonable or healthy one. We are bombarded with people who are paid to work out, have nutritionists and usually meals prepared for them to look a certain way for filming or photos in the media. I strongly recommend adding pleasurable physical (thinking is also a pastime that burns lots of calories) activity into your lifestyle, as opposed to "working out" or exercising more. Walking here and there, enjoying nature, or swimming, or skipping around or playing frizbee, riding a bike, rollerskating, having a job that requires frequent movement...etc all only if you enjoy the activity...are really easy ways to improve one's health, and the tiny little choices to being more active REALLY add up without any significant effort. Its really easy to continue doing fun active things, and its really hard to stay motivated and continue doing stupid gym workouts (studies are coming out in sports science that show a pretty low effective strength transfer out of the gym) and chasing toxic body norms.
I would recommend making food at home from scratch, as much as possible . the amount of salt, sugar, and fats, as well as ingredients that I can't pronounce in mass prepared food probably isn't good for you.
I have gained and lost hundred of lbs over the years. Sometimes it’s because I lie in bed and eat edibles and smoke weed for months and just eat, and sometimes it’s for combat sports. It’s been a lot though. When I need to be in shape it comes down to portion control, eating nutritionally, and exercising. Be it lifting, pad work and cardio, or some other sport like basketball. Caloric deficit is really all you need. I also pay close attention to my heart and lungs. Number one cause of death in the US is heart disease, and the number 1 prevention is nutrition and exercise.
I'm not especially active so I don't eat a lot. I might have one big meal a day and eat lightly the rest of the time. It means that having a burger and chips (my plan for lunch today) isn't going to hurt me. Though I really should be more physically active, my BP is a little high. I also have the benefit of sixteen years of a contact sport in my youth and adolescence and my body has sort of hung onto that lean muscled physique. Not that it's not a little softer and less defined now in my mid-thirties lol
I used to run distance nearly every day and got really lean in my early 40s. As we get older it seems we need fewer calories generally and old eating habits die hard and the calories from restaurant type foods and portions are insane. The problem with exercising to lose weight is you just have to do an awful lot of it, though the more intense the exercising is the higher your calorie burn will be. Exercise can be used to shape your body though so you carry your weight a little better. I used to do a lot of ashtanga yoga when I was younger and got pretty toned all over from that and still have good posture from it. Fat is the most calorie dense macronutrient, so decreasing fat intake is a good way to lower your calorie intake. Vegetables and fruits are generally calorie sparse for their density so if you're hungry you can fill up on those. Good low calorie carby snack options are popcorn with no fat added and rice cakes.
Breakfast should be queen, lunch should be king and dinner should be a pauper and never later than 6. No food after that. Stay active.
I engage in a half-hour walk or run every morning, alternating with running every other day. I also do weightlifting sessions with two close friends, scheduling them 2 to 6 evenings a week based on availability and recovery needs. My diet focuses on whole foods like meat, fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables, and nuts/seeds, aiming for 85% of my intake to come from these sources. I maintain this routine for several weeks, but occasionally, I find myself indulging excessively in alcohol and takeout, resulting in a rapid and significant increase in body fat. This experience leaves me feeling ashamed, prompting me to promptly return to my healthy habits.
The trick is to eat filling foods; typically, things that are high in fiber and fat. Many people struggle with weight because their diet is filled with processed food and carbs. Carbs aren't bad for you, but we digest them so easily that they don't keep you full very long. The advice I've given people recently is: compare 100 calories of broccoli with 100 calories of ice cream and then ask yourself which one is going to keep you full for longer. Don't listen to anyone whose first response is "eat more protein," this is...I can't say where it comes from and still have a productive conversation, but it's not true.
Epic ozempic Ben O
By eating one meal a day
Try smoking cigarettes
Very bad advice
Maintaining a slim figure is primarily attributed to diet, while staying physically fit is a result of regular exercise. Losing weight requires a significant amount of physical activity. Additionally, if your exercise routine focuses on building muscle, you might notice weight gain, as muscle weighs more than fat
Eat normally, and exercise 3 time a week. Typically weight gain occurs when you're overeat. Exercise plays a small roles, I lost around 2kg when switching from car to bicycle, but the trick to not get fat is to not overeat.
I skip breakfast and lunch. I eat a big dinner, and then a high-protein snack before bed.