Diet and yoyo effect

[TeTe]

It's not just about diet, it's also how active you are. 1000-1200 calories.... Oh boy. I probably burn that in the gym alone.

Key is realizing your metabolic clock. When do you wake and when do you sleep?

I'm an early riser so I do most of my food consumption early in the day and afternoon. I don't eat anything after 7 and eat most of my heavy stuff before 2. I try to stay from processed foods as much as possible and again, if I do eat it, it'll be early.

For me the key is working out as soon as I wake, which boosts my metabolism and helps me burn for most of the day. My body starts winding down by around 6-7 so it's probably not wise to consume foods around or after that as it's more difficult to break down, hence the creation of fat.

Merely eliminating breads and starchy shit did wonders for me. Introducing more veggies and fruits and properly timing and spacing my consumption has been optimal.

I'm the opposite, I work out right after work (4 p.m.) so I load up during and after dinner. I get up fairly early.. 6 a.m. but I still rarely go to be before 11 p.m.

 

[moreorless87]

I do tend to think the easiest thing most people could do is add in 10 mins of bodyweight exercise at home a day, all the focus on gym heads having to push hard to extra gains underplays actually how easy it can be to get some early gains which in turn are going to burn a lot more calories.

Actually burning calories though exercise I think needs to be a lifestyle choice as your talking MUCH more time needed there, much better to either take up a hobby or change your methods of getting around.

 

[Estemachine]

Something that has worked for me is to send constant mixed signals to my body, sometimes I feed it a lot, sometimes I starve myself a bit. Sometimes I just eat salads and proteins, sometimes I eat what I want. But I almost always workout hard, and I reach the point of exhaustion several times in a single workout.

Balance is key, change your eating habits constantly, try fasting a couple times a week, workout hard, and change your workout routine every couple of months, make sure your body is almost always sore, get plenty of rest, and try eating nutritional food most of the time.

 

[Renard]

I firmly believe it goes back to your habits at the end of the day. A diet is like stretching a rubber band. Your body doesn't like it. Eventually the rubber band snaps back to where your normal habits were. The issue then is when your normal habits are out of control.
There are lots of things that Americans do that are insane by world standards, for instance crazy portion sizes and ubiquitous, regular consumption of large quantities of sweets. The fact you even have 40 lbs to lose and the foods you've mentioned make it clear there's a lot of "out of control" happening.

The whole shtick about habits is that they've become automatic. You don't have to think or make an effort, you just gravitate towards it. Step 1 is bringing them back into your conscious awareness. Then you have to consistently create alternatives for everything. You can't just eliminate something without something to replace it. Find things you like. Find a diet or eating pattern you can stick with too.
For instance, I love watermelon. It's impossible for me to eat more than ~300 calories of watermelon, I would feel like I'm bursting. So the watermelon comes with a built-in insurance policy. Same with low-cal ice cream (halotop and others) for instance, you can only get 300-400 calories deep. Dark chocolate (70% and over) is another one, it's tasty but not tasty enough to overdose on it, it takes me over a week to get through a bar. Another trick: just don't buy things you shouldn't eat. If the bad foods are in the house, you're going to eat them. Individually-wrapped "bad" things are a good alternative occasionally, it's maybe 200 calories and that's that - there's no more around. Cook stuff you like, maybe set up 10 individual recipes and have them on rotation to start with. You can also reduce cognitive load by replacing a meal with a protein shake, with maybe a snack or two on the side. Whey protein (or any other) is actually one of the cheapest ways per gram to get protein in.

 

[minute bull]

Hey, maybe try dumbbells instead of yo-yos but I'm no Mike Chang, man.

 

[Phlog]

It's simple dude.

You have one diet and it's for life, not just for holidays.

 

[MikeMcMann]

I do tend to think the easiest thing most people could do is add in 10 mins of bodyweight exercise at home a day, all the focus on gym heads having to push hard to extra gains underplays actually how easy it can be to get some early gains which in turn are going to burn a lot more calories.

Actually burning calories though exercise I think needs to be a lifestyle choice as your talking MUCH more time needed there, much better to either take up a hobby or change your methods of getting around.

the real easiest thing a person can do, and one of the healthiest, is simply walk more.

Our entire evolution geared us for walking and its one of the healthiest exercises we can do.

I know people who will drive 10 minutes to the gym to get on a treadmill to do 1 hour of walking, instead of just walking outside to the gym and back.

I take every opportunity to squeeze in 20 - 40 minute walks every day. If I am not in a hurry and a place i need o go is within that range, I am walking.

 

[TSO]

I finally stopped yo-yo ing once I found a new lifestyle that felt natural and rewarding.

Step one is you have to be committed.
Step two is start slow. Replace one thing at a time with a healthy alternative and don't move on until that change feels natural.
Step three is don't abandon the process just because you had a setback.

 

[TestosterOWN]

Intermittent fasting bro. I just eat dinner and that’s it. Went from like 220 to 180-190.

started drinking again a few months ago and was starting to gain weight so I stopped. Those damn beers will fuck you over.

 

[SuwoopBangin]

I like pat mac's philosophy of eating.
All he eats is Food. What is Food? Meats and veggies. Anything else is a Product. If it comes in a bag or a box, it is a Product. Makes things simple and easy.

 

[minute bull]

Folks, let's not shame people for trying self-improvement.

"Goin for a swim, darling?"

 

[moreorless87]

the real easiest thing a person can do, and one of the healthiest, is simply walk more.

Our entire evolution geared us for walking and its one of the healthiest exercises we can do.

I know people who will drive 10 minutes to the gym to get on a treadmill to do 1 hour of walking, instead of just walking outside to the gym and back.

I take every opportunity to squeeze in 20 - 40 minute walks every day. If I am not in a hurry and a place i need o go is within that range, I am walking.

As I said I think your looking more at a lifestyle choice there, its less something you should do as a "workout" and more something you should get into the habit of doing regardless as to really get benefit from it you need to be doing a significant amount.

 

[MikeMcMann]

As I said I think your looking more at a lifestyle choice there, its less something you should do as a "workout" and more something you should get into the habit of doing regardless as to really get benefit from it you need to be doing a significant amount.

Mostly agree but want to make this one point.

For most people, without legit health issues, weight gain tends to be a swing of 0.5 - 1lb a month when younger and maybe up 2lbs a month when older.

That is 6-12lbs a year and up to 24 lbs in a year.

Even a 1-2 lb difference in a month is not something most people can visually notice. So it just creeps up on them, over time and they notice in a before and after type picture situation.

0.5-1 lb a month would require a small amount of diet discipline or added exercise. Divide that monthly weight gain by 30 days and you will see it is only a tiny amount of weight gained each day. The difference of one less snack or one extra bit of exercise each and every day would be enough to offset that gain.

I think part of the problem is people have to turn this into a big thing to do. Then it becomes all or none. Succeed or fail. My sister in law is like that. Always jumping on the next big gym fad, doing it for a few weeks before quitting, and then gaining weight and finding the next gym fad. If she instead just went for an hour walk a day she would be fine.

 

[TSO]

Intermittent fasting bro. I just eat dinner and that’s it. Went from like 220 to 180-190.

started drinking again a few months ago and was starting to gain weight so I stopped. Those damn beers will fuck you over.

I never thought I'd get past a 6 hour eating window and now I have a hard time eating more than once a day. It's stupid how natural the whole thing is and how I always have energy without consuming almost any carbs.

 

[DarkneT]

You’ve lost my respect is you do that Keto bullshit, it’s not sustainable at all

calories in vs calories out

you want a donut? Have one but don’t have a burger later
It’s not rocket science

 

[TestosterOWN]

I never thought I'd get past a 6 hour eating window and now I have a hard time eating more than once a day. It's stupid how natural the whole thing is and how I always have energy without consuming almost any carbs.

Right. Eating multiple times a day is just forced on you growing up so it’s “normal”. People are always shocked when I say I only eat once a day. Legit blows their mind.

 

[560ti]

I think part of the problem is people have to turn this into a big thing to do. Then it becomes all or none. Succeed or fail. My sister in law is like that. Always jumping on the next big gym fad, doing it for a few weeks before quitting, and then gaining weight and finding the next gym fad. If she instead just went for an hour walk a day she would be fine.

Agreed. I know so many people who do all or nothing and go crazy when really they just need a few small adjustments to get noticeable results quick

 

[MikeMcMann]

Agreed. I know so many people who do all or nothing and go crazy when really they just need a few small adjustments to get noticeable results quick

Yup, a tiny amount of DAILY maintenance (one less snack and an hour walking each day by taking in increments all day long) would be enough for most people to not gain weight. Something that should be easy for them to do. But most people do not pay attention to the daily stuff. Instead they let the weight creep up on them, and then they try to go big (big diet, big denials, big exercise gains) to lose it which sets them up for failure and Yoyo'ing.

I keep a scale in my bathroom and weigh myself at least 3 times a week when i am home as weight can creep up on me and I can be up 8 or so pounds before I know it, particularly if I am eating out a lot for work and drinking alcohol. When i notice i am up, i don't try and lose it right away in one jump. I just focus on my normal discipline diet, and ensure I get 10,000 steps in or more each day for a while and I fall right back to my ideal weight within a week or two.

Gradual on, gradual off.