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All valid points.
I was accounting for at least 1kg of water/carb weight, so would be a more sensible 1kg of weight loss a month for a month. I accept that with a calorie deficit you may make some compromises in immune system, potentially reduced recovery speed. I am also aware and don't plan for it to be sustainable, otherwise in theory I would be sub 58kg in 3 months.
My primary sport isn't cycling, but martial arts are also a risk sport for disordered eating, and I do have to keep an eye out for it among the students I teach.
Also my baseline of training in a typical week (not just returning from Christmas) is about 8 hours of martial arts training, and 1.5 to 2 hours of other stuff, like cycling, gym, some calisthenics.My prior comments about crazy low calorie restriction, such as can of tuna and an apple a day was a counter point to the suggestion that calories don't matter, not a recommendation in any shape or form. Maybe deconstructing a sandwich and eating the salad in it first might have some effect (tip from the Glucose Goddess), but doesn't stop the calories in the sandwich being important. Similar habits, such as scraping the breading off chicken nuggets/fish fingers etc feel like disordered eating to me.
I personally find stricter diets with shorter durations with faster results more motivational and easier to stick to. With a slower, smaller calorie deficit diet I would (and have in the past) found it difficult to get inspired by and easier to derail. Also going 'cold turkey' and cutting out certain areas of food and drinks is easier for me that telling myself I can have things in moderation.
I lost about 12kg last year, and for me, I would not have achieved that if I had lost 1kg a month, rather than 2-3kg a month in the first quarter, despite the same weight result.My stance is generally that you can achieve whatever your goal is. Its hard enough to even get started, or know what you should be doing, and then the long challenge of sticking on diet with so many distractions and temptations. I've shared some mental/motivational/self control tips, tricks and hacks that might help you stick on the plan, whatever the plan might be. Sure having more diet coke with the artificial sugar isn't the most healthy choice, but its more palatable than a stick of celery and doesn't make me hate myself, and better (for the calorie deficit) than the packet of biscuits that I might hoover up instead.
TLDR:
- The process of losing weight is super simple, eat less, move more.
- Motivation, willpower and self control are the biggest hurdles
- You either try and trick your brain and body that you're eating enough every day
- OR you toughen up and train your self control, and accept the hunger
- Have a measurable goal
- Keep it simple
- The process of losing weight is super simple, eat less, move more.
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Acliff
Sorry to call you out. But its the most recent example of things I've done in the past too.
This is the definition of unsustainable. The concern is two-fold.
Primarily, the risk of injury, illness, or fatigue. Now there is of course a balance:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-021-01466-1
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S088915911630099X
But as with all things, too much, too fast, especially coupled with dietary restriction, regardless of supplementation, increases that [potentially] deleterious effect.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6340979/
Secondarily, as indicated elsewhere as well as [somewhat evidenced] here, cyclists have an already increased propensity to disordered body image, and relying on the "must do more than I put in" maxim works, but shifts the risk towards developing bulimic-type obsessions.
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/12/12/490
The overarching point I'm trying to make is- anyone can lose weight fast, but you/we need to understand the risks involved therein, as well as the reality that the loss/gain cycle is potentiated and propagated by that same fast weight loss.
On the above https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/revisionist-history/the-department-of-physiological-hygiene
and the Wiki article on the same is worth a read (MSE)
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Starvation_Experiment)
this is a tangentially related, but fascinating article on the break-down of the 'set point theory' that was developed from that experiment, due to current diet.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6262529/
There is also some evidence that, the utilistation/ reliance on artificial sweeteners in much protein supplementation/ diet foods, may further disrupt our ability to sense caloric density - though as with most (all) dietary studies we must assume the lowest level of evidence due to the presence of so many confounders:
https://www.nature.com/articles/1602649
Finally, to summarise (poorly) from first principles:
If you train, you need more calories. If you get sick, you need more calories.
The mechanisms of repair within both categories rely on energy provision.
Prevention of injury is reliant on repair mechanisms.
Prevention of illness is reliant on immune system function.
These mechanisms are both reliant on bioavailability of macro+micro nutrients.
Depletion of these is inevitable within a dieting phase.
Supplementation reduces the gap created, but does not necessarily close it (due to energy-mediated cellular uptake, etc).
So, at any given point:
If E[in] < E[out], the %chance of injury or illness increases.
TLDR:
**disclosures:
-if the papers don't work and you're interested, please PM me and I'll send you a pdf- I tried to find those not behind a paywall
For those interested in stats:
Dec 20th 2022: 68.5kg
8th Jan 2023: 68.7kg