Losing weight -- the right way

[tongzilla]

I posted this on another forum. Thought LBG members may find it helpful, so here it is:

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It doesn’t matter how amazing your diet is, it won’t work forever because your body is an adaptive mechanism that simply decreases metabolism and energy expenditure as a response to eating less, and that it's more physiologically and hormonally correct to eat more and BURN THE FAT than it is to eat less and starve the fat.

There's only ONE WAY to lose fat - and that is to create a calorie deficit. However, there are two ways to create a calorie deficit - one is to decrease your food intake so you are eating less than you burn, the other is to increase your exercise and activity so you are burning more than you eat.

Of the two ways to create a calorie deficit, burning the fat is far superior to starving it. You see, cutting calories too much causes weight loss at first, but it also causes muscle loss and it eventually leads to a decrease in metabolism, so the fat loss stops.

This is very common on conventional diets. You take off pounds in the beginning, but then you hit a plateau that you just can't break through. Even diets that have been proven effective over 6 months or 12 months, have dismal track records after one year.

Eating more of the right foods (up to a certain point) actually increases your metabolic "heat" like putting wood on a fire. Food is energy; food is fuel, and it produces (metabolic) heat.

Exercise burns calories and creates a calorie deficit, but the real advantage of exercise over diet is that exercise increases your metabolism, dieting slows it down.

So if you eat more (healthy foods) and exercise more, you get a double increase in metabolism. If you eat less and exercise less you get a double decrease in metabolism.

There is some research and some PhD nerds starting to talk about this concept called, "energy flux." Energy flux is simply consuming more energy and burning more energy in order to stoke metabolism, increase rate of tissue turnover and improve body composition. Different name, same concept: eat more, exercise more.

So, if you hate exercise, you have a conundrum. You can certainly lose body fat with diet alone, as long as you have a calorie deficit, but you're stacking the odds against you because ultimately, restrictive low calorie diets always cause metabolic slowdown. No matter how hard you try, you'll almost always hit a plateau before you reach your long term goal and you're likely to gain it all back!

[jewofgolf]

This is my first post here, and I would like to say I agree with you. Over the past 8 months, I have lost just over 50 pounds (236 to 184) simply by eating organic foods, and cutting out much of the dairy products in my diet. I have played about the same amount of golf(3 1.5 hour range sessions and 2 walking rounds of golf a week). This is about the only excersise I perform. I used to eat the typical american diet, including fried foods, sodas, and basically chemically created foods that really are not food. This makes a big difference. We have adapted to the food we have on earth for ages, and we will not evolve to consume the crap we have now soon enough, we will die. Another thing for everyone trying to lose weight: eat untill you are full. Don't eat more, and DO NOT EAT LESS! If you have to choose, its better to be a little on the "stuffed" side, so long as your eating the right things, than to be hungry when you finish eating. The psychological effects are horrible. If you are still hungry, you eat a bigger meal later, or you simply quit doing the right things because it hurts too much. Eat 4-5 times daily, and your body will adjust, and you will feel full sooner and sooner. It is a long process, but I have to say I have noticed the positives. After 18 holes of golf in very hot weather, in the past I would have been absoultely drained, whereas now I can go hit some range balls. Good luck to everyone trying to get healthier!

[pluthb]

1lb of fat = 3500 calorites
Average athletic male calorie intake = 2600+ calories/day (I've never met Mr. Average but I assume he exists somewhere)

Is it reasonable or healthy to lose more than 1-2lbs per week?
No.

KISS method to weight loss:
If you expend more calories than you take in, you'll lose weight.

I wish it were that simple in application but thought this might be some good cud to chew on if you're trying to lose weight or get stronger.