Weight / Fat loss

Thanks all.

When I got down to 75-80 I was riding (fairly hard) for about an hour and a half every day on the commute and spending an hour every morning in the gym on top of that, so I managed to shed a lot of fat, build some tone and still eat and drink like I enjoyed eating and drinking. I probably overdid it at points - I could barely say 'morning' to my colleagues some days until I'd inhaled a large bowl of muesli at my desk - but overall I had loads more energy and felt genuinely good. So I think the exercise-driven deficit is probably the way I'd like to go - I just need to make the time for it.

The MyFitnessPal app is helpful, it's how I got down to where I am from 110kg. But calorie counting alone doesn't make me feel any better and doesn't give me an outlet for stress, so I oscillate between discipline and bingeing depending on my stress levels, which in itself doesn't help my mood. The hope is that a proper exercise routine coupled with healthier eating (and less booze) will give me an stress outlet, help me feel better and get my fitness back up and the weight down.

I'm eating 1680 calories at 150lbs and 5"5' , 140 grams protein, 70 grams fat, the rest is carbs. Down from 2150.

Standard fare, really. Nothing too crazy either. No cravings, but of course I'm not as energetic as when not cutting weight :)

The logic behind my refeed is that it's extra CARBS only to refill the muscles. Eating a greasy pizza or kebab and adding loads of fat is not what I need/want. Hence sushi and not a large dominos with cheese crust ;)

Many people also get better FAT LOSS results with refeeds. CARB refeeds obv. not fat refeeds.

I am trying this as we speak, and perhaps I did set calories too low. It's week 2 and I am monitoring my weight, and inches.

It's also nice to have a weekend day where I can have bread, musli, rice etc. It's easy to be disciplined at work, but try that when wee man and manfriend are eating pancakes...well, as long as I don't use a lot of fat I can have a few ;)

You may be correct as well and another approach may be better/cals could be too low.

But there's so many frigging opinions on fat and weight loss it's not even funny...I'm like "let's run this, monitor for mental issues, fat loss stalls etc, do it 10 weeks, review, improve" if that makes sense?

I win. 93.something

+JWestland. Im 153lb and 5ft 10" male and I'm currently aiming for around 1650 calories as well, whilst I drop a couple of Kg. (Plus exercise calories which can be anywhere from 0 on a rest lazy day up to 3000+ with a marathon length run. The calories are usually made up by some carb drink on the run and the remainder being protein shake and cake or chocolate when I get back)

In contrast, I try and keep my fat intake down (unless Ive burnt it running) and my 1650 calories are hopefully something like
Carbs 206g (50% of calories)
Protein 124g (30% of calories)
Fat 37g (20% of calories)

However a few % variation day to day isnt a worry and Im happy enough if fat is 25% sometimes, traded off against carbs or protein. Its not leaving me feeling drained, so its sustainable in the longterm.

Once Ive dropped the weight, I'll up the intake back to 1850-1900 which is my stable level, with the same percentages. Basically upping lunch to two butties again instead of one.

If you want a laugh at how much shite is peddled as slimming advice
Richies take on Slimming World and the free banana

The way I calculated is basically using Lyle McDonald's info (who specializes for people that train with weights, but have average genetics, a lot of broscience won't work for them...)

He doesn't like macros, he would set protein based on LBM (which is a little lower as I am a woman so I can get away with 140) and fat as weight in lbs * 0.5 so 75 grams and fill the rest with carbs.

So I will be eating more healthy carbs once this is over. But I am not sure what my stable calories are: 2400 cals: 69 kg. 2150: 68.5 kg... there's a band where extra food goes toward more energy, and my body fights back pretty hard on dieting.

The joys of being a woman... :)

75 grams of fat is huge for a 1680 calorie plan. At 9 calories per gram, cutting back to 50g would free up 225 calories without compromising your vitamins and fatty acid uptake.

Having an extra 225 calories of carbs per day won't make any difference to your daily or weekly calorie intake... its still 1680 per day (as you've reduced the fat), so if that's a deficit for you then the extra energy your body needs must come from your stored body fat... But now you probably don't need to re-feed every weekend so the weekly deficit isn't diminished.

Your 140g of protein is on the high side but acceptable being as your lifting and want to maintain or build muscle 😀

Even with only 1650 calories yesterday (lazy recovery day) and my normal breakfast of four slices of fruit toast with a little butter on them. I felt really good on today's planned 10k run and it turned into a bit of exploring new trails. After 22km I had a gel which got me back home without hitting the wall for a total of 30km and my Garmin showing 1664cal burned.

My blood sugar goes out of whack on high carb diets...Badly. But give me a low carb high fat diet and I'm fine...

This give me 35% fat which is quite normal though you are right I could choose some of it out to easily save calories. And may have to if I don't reach my goal in the 11 weeks I set.

I've adding cardio as well if need be :)

But like this I barely have to make menu changes, just swapped out meat for leaner cuts, eat more fish etc. Cheese though is mostly off the menu ATM... Low fat cheese is like alcohol free beer :P

Btw calories from a carb or fat deficit doesn't seem to matter. Though carbs fuel cardio much better. Well per the latest I read...

But a crash diet must be very high protein and ketogenic to be muscle sparing. I hope I won't need that those...suck.

This is exactly what I do. During the working week I play football 3 x per week (my favourite type of exercise), gym 3-4 x per week (lunch), 20 mile commute 3 x per week, 1 x swim per week. I used to enjoy running but then had issues with my shins so I upped the amount of football I played. I found doing exercise I enjoy and at more convenient times had helped it become part of my routine - If I miss one or two of the above I can just shrug it off or do something at the weekend.

I like eating nice food most and drinking (though only once/twice per week and much less if I'm trying to lose weight). This means I sustain what I have for the most part, sometime I get a bit more lardy so cut out bad stuff and work harder.
My plan now is to be a bit more strict in terms of what I eat and increase gym to 4 x per week which should allow me to drop the 3 kgs.

Can I throw a question out to everyone here.
If fats are such a good part of a weight loss diet plan, sometimes makeing up 1/3 or much more of your daily calorie allowance at the expence of carbs. How come your carrying several stone of fat about without your body being an absolute power house?

Sure you can force your body to use fats as fuel, by denying it carbs and fucking up its normal goto sorce of muscle fuel. Without adequate carbs to keep glycogen up, your body reverts to burning fat but its a slower process... Fucking great your thinking! However to deplete the carbs your treating your body like a first time marathon runner hitting the wall. In a marathon its not the end of the world, because you slow down to the rate where your body can continue processing body fat into usable energy, cross the finish line and stuff your face with everything in site ☺

If your hitting the wall every day then your body will adapt. Your metabolism will drop and your bodies energy requirement will drop! So your carefully calculated 500 calorie defecit diet will not give the same defecit any more. Your now either in a plateau, gaining weight or considering reducing your calories further and completely fucked up, caught in the diet trap.

If your still here, this bit may sound a bit depressing as IN THE SHORT TERM....adding carbs will increase your weight if your refilling your glycogen stores! 😦 sorry.
1 gram of fat gives 9 calories when its digested. It doesnt absorb water, so its just 1 gram.
1gram of carbs only gives 4 calories when digested. However it also binds with 2 grams of water so ends up being 4 calories and 3 grams of weight, so thats over six times heavier for the same amount of energy. YOUR NOT GETTING FAT (unless your eating more calories than your body needs)

All you need is a balanced diet of carbs, protein and fat which gives less total calories than your body requires. If your 500 calories short every day, thats 3500 for the week which must have come from 389 grams of body fat ☺
THATS 1.7Kg IN A MONTH just by a consistent 500 calorie defecit approach and no need to feel shit all the time.

One important thing to remember is when you get lighter you use less daily calories, so you will need to review and reduce your intake to keep the defecit. ITS THAT SIMPLE

Because, quite simply:

A diet has to maintainable & suit exercise goals & maintain health. Fat is a fuel, like any other UNTIL you start getting into rather specific goals, like cycling to win races, running to win, very long endurance work at speed.

I can stuff myself with carbs, but all that got me was feeling like absolute shit from low blood sugar when I cycle 80 miles a day with my parents for a week. (hi, high insulin levels)

In my case, I am not an endurance athlete. 140 grams of carbs, for me, is enough to fuel my workouts (which is weights for fat loss atm)
I am also sedentary when not on the bike/in the gym, and if you sit on your hole both fat and carbs are fine as fuel (the brain can use ketones from fat burning)
My blood sugar goes to shit on low fat / high carb diets
This means I don't need to make many amendments to the foods I eat

So my 30P.30C/35% fat is fine, for my goals.

Now, if I were already getting really lean, yes then the fat needs to go more.

But then I need to go and get special chicken sausages and get my shopping from a bodybuilding shop, spend more as free range chicken breast is £££ and I won't be able to fit in legs, use cooking sprays (iron pans need fat to work, anti stick is the work of the fucking devil), and it's all possible but right now, I don't have to. So why make my life hard?

As for wearing yourself out when dieting, YES, absolutely true if you eat the wrong stuff, you will move less, reducing your daily energy expenditure cos you feel like shit, reducing your deficit. So beware, if your diet doesn't work, shift the ratios.

What's the question?

stuff myself with carbs, but all that got me was feeling like absolute shit from low blood sugar

Does Not Compute.

Totally does if you overproduce insulin in reaction.

Got given a diabetes test where they make you drink a shitload of sugar in 3 minutes and take your blood at regular intervals: Diabetes, blood sugar too high. My curve: Drops too fast.

It's not unhealthy, just means scoffing sugar gels, easy digestible carbs and so on is not for me. This is somewhat unusual though, I don't think many people have this.

If you're riding, your body should be using the carbs you're ingesting.

If you have some kind of disease then why not take lower GI carbs on? Or whole foods that are high in carbs but low GI?

what's the question.

If fats are such a good part of a weight loss diet plan, sometimes makeing up 1/3 or much more of your daily calorie allowance at the expence of carbs. How come your carrying several stone of fat about without your body being an absolute power house?

Hopefully getting people to think and question the likes of Atkins diets and LCHF.

Fat is a fuel, like any other

Your right, it is and we are all carrying a shed load of it. Even at 10%BF that's 7kg for me which is 63,000 calories of stored energy.

Whilst dietting for weight loss, stop think of fat as a fuel as you have plenty of it. Think of it as a nutrient carrier. You only need the fatty acids and vitamins contained in the fat, not the fuck tonne of calories... and you don't need masses to get those vitamins and acids 🤔

LCHF is shit for athletes and probably not that great for normal, lazy fuckers but whatever gets people's body weight down and keeps them healthier is good.

Is that still good if its at the expence of messing up the metabolism and starting a cycle of yo-yo dietting?

If people get their heads around a balanced nutrition diet then long term it's sustainable and no longer a diet but sensible eating. Short term cut down portion size below your bodys requirement and your going to loose weight. Once your at your goal weight, slightly increase the portion size to where your weight is stable. A bit of willpower to prevent portion size creep 😣

LCHF is shit for athletes

My Mrs refers to our running group as "Cake Junkies Anonymous" or "The sugar addicts"

I only ride bikes to eat cake.

Not everybody on LHCF or paleo messes up their metabolism or is yo-yo dieting.
Low fat diets aren't suitable for everyone
Not eating fat means more used carbs or longer term fat loss adherence is also somewhat controversial and not backed up by research

Of course you are right that you only need a minimal amount of fats, and omega 3 (fish oil) are essential. So if low fat works for you, grand, if paleo works for others, grand as long as it doesn't cause issues.

So people need to be given the tools to measure such issues I think, rather than people saying "you have to diet like xyz" it should be "why not try this, [boring balanced diet with weights and cardio] run it for 2 months, write down these parameters and review" :)

Yeah that's what I normally do, I can also eat carbs very easily after weights with no bother.

But when cycling you get bread [which for me is a fast carb, even whole meal] and so on in the shop...not sweet potatoes and all the other "perfect" carbs. At home it's a lot easier to do.

But when do we hear about your cookies and beer diet... and is it sustainable ;)

Well, I've been sustaining it for the last 20 years.

I'm not light but I'm faster than a lot of people and skinny people will be the first to die in the zombie apocalypse so my money is still on me and the cockroaches.