# Debunking a weight management myth



## NextTimeAround (Dec 15, 2011)

I knew I was right. Why do weight management gurus want to lead the public astray with advice that counters the following: (the aarticle recommends weighing in everyday)

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/we...ourself/ar-BBHNegM?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartanntp


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## Rocky Mountain Yeti (Apr 23, 2017)

In my experience, that article is spot on.


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## Mr. Nail (Apr 26, 2011)

and now for the other myth . . .


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## Taxman (Dec 21, 2016)

I have lost, over the past 3-4 years 136 lbs. I went from 325lbs to (as of Monday morning) 189lbs. I am plateauing there for awhile. I did this through exercise and diet. I joined Weight Watchers at the beginning of my loss in 2013, and asked that they do not tell me my weight, or mark my personal card (There are two cards at WWatchers, your permanent record and your personal). I went by clothing and exercise capacity (I could not go longer than 5-10 minutes at first). Around the 50lbs lost mark, I started weighing myself at home in the mornings. I was usually naked, and had emptied my bladder and bowels beforehand. That became a minor obsession. The weight loss progressed through the next 80 some odd came off at a reasonable rate, some days good and some bad as with everything. I changed wardrobes numerous times. I started at a size 46 pant, I am now a size 32. I chucked all of my designer suits (Used to work in the financial district, never spent less than $1K for a suit). Even had to buy new winter coats (It is a balmy -25°C. outside -13°F). 

The scale is either your best friend or worst enemy. According to Weight Watchers, nothing in this world tastes as good as being thin feels. I was always a heavy guy. Big in school, big for 50+ years. Tell you one thing, my body looks totally different, I found 2 extra inches of penis under the fat that I did not know existed. My wife is very happy, I have given her a brand new guy, or even better: During my last heart attack, they did not think that I would survive. I have given her a husband that has a brand new lease on life. She will still likely outlive me, but we will have many more years than we originally thought.


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## growing_weary (Jul 23, 2017)

IDK I like weighing in often. Avoiding the scale is a trigger for me knowing I might be drifting off some way. Especially if I take a "vacation" and drink something like a bruce cost ginger ale or two (so effin good) instead of water all the damn time (if only I was one of those people that loved water, the struggle is real). It helps me keep track if I slack off on my daily workout and only go 30mins instead of the hour because I woke up late. It helps on those days I take friends around to my favorite food places here and can't even begin to calculate stuff. I still eat what I want (just not as much) and will give away extras to my coworkers, friends and people at the gym with a quickness (better than letting it go to waste in the fridge). 

As I lose, it's also a good indicator of my velocity and whether I need to cut down on something, switch it up or whatever. 

I get that checking every day can be a bit OCD and maybe when you're at maintenance it might not be as good, but it's also a frequent reminder on if what you're doing is working (even if you're gaining muscle and the scale is not the perfect indicator it can show trends).


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## Steve2.0 (Dec 11, 2017)

Interestingly enough, i've started weighing myself as my nightly routine (post shower) and find that it did give me heightened awareness towards my dieting.

Also, after years of research and nutritional analysis... constantly changing my diet and going as far as completely healing my GERD (heartburn) through changes in lifestyle i can confidently say that: Sugar is the root of all evil.

If you really want to loose weight, here is a quick and easy plan. Just remember, dont attempt this cold turkey because you will FAIL.
1) Become aware of unhealthy habbits.. and if your going to eat/drink it anyway, just remind yourself that this is a treat... be AWARE
2) Cut out sugar in your drinks. There are three allowed drinks; Water, Black Coffee and Black Tea. Stop drinking any soda's (just look at the label for sugar) and STOP drinking any type of fruit juice. Even though some fruit juices claim to have VitaminX the sugar in those do far more harm than good. Dont think you can get to black coffee? Think again... I convinced my wife to try it and now neither of us can drink a sweetened coffee... let alone a 1000+ calorie starbucks drink
3) Cut sugars out of your food. Just look at labels, anything with more than 4G of sugars is too much. Sugars = Carbs so this means breads/bagels.... all this stuff gets turned into sugar

If you can do 1 and 2 alone, you will loose weight at a tremendous speed. I weigh the least i ever weighted and i am inactive... When i did 3 years of kickboxing i didnt weigh this little


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## username77 (Dec 27, 2017)

There's unfortunately been a lot of nonsense passed off as good advice when it comes to weight loss and fitness. "It's not calories it's the 'type' of calories", "don't weight yourself, focus on how you feel and how your clothes fit", "fat is beautiful and healthy", etc...

They're meant to get people who struggle with their weight to buy into what they're selling. People who already have an issue with eating right, sticking to a fitness routine, and self-image don't like to hear that counting calories isn't just encouraged it's a must when trying to lose weight, weighing yourself lets you know if what you're doing is working, or if it needs to be adjusted, and being overweight or obese comes with significant health risks and will likely significantly reduce your life expectancy. They want to hear it's easy, simple, you're perfect the way you are...

My sister in law was dumbfounded why she couldn't lose weight, she was exercising nearly daily, eating healthier, but the scale didn't move. I told her she's eating too much and she got incredulous, couldn't believe I would say such a thing. I said, "just humor me, write down every single thing you put in your mouth for a week and then dial it back 500 calories a day, give it a week, see what happens, if nothing happens dial it back another 500 calories". She did this and ignored all her message boards telling her to eat only meat, as much as she wants, or starve herself on lemon water, and she lost 4.5 lbs in her 1st week. So far she's down 42 lbs, losing ~1-1.5 lbs a week, by focusing on what she's eating, how much she's eating, sleep, no alcohol, and exercise. She counts every calorie and knows exactly how much she can eat to lose or maintain.

Most people don't realize that an hour of intense cardio will burn ~800 calories. Most people are not doing an hour of intense cardio so they may be burning 200-400 calories during their exercise that day. That's a cup or yogurt and a coffee.... If you follow this up by consuming 3500 calories that day, you're not going to lose a thing.


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## Taxman (Dec 21, 2016)

I will never buy into the "fat shaming" method of losing weight, and there were diet classes out there in the 70's and 80's that would shame members that gained that week. One, in particular, would put pig masks on people who gained. One I joined, and quit the same day, had the owner of the company call everyone fat-asses. Nope, nope, nope.

The formula is simple, expend more energy than you put in, and the body will burn it's reserve for fuel. The reserve is fat. Learning to eat properly, with portion control is one of the hardest equations to master. You have a lifetime of eating habits to overcome. You have your Mom & Dad in your head telling you that food is good, and clean your plate (truth of the matter, my mother was very overweight, and would sabotage any dieting I attempted as a teenager, was apoplectic when in Uni, I started smoking cigarettes, and started losing weight, was even more angry when I started this round of weight loss, and she died before seeing that I had lost it all.-her own weight issues killed her)


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## peacem (Oct 25, 2014)

I like to weigh myself almost daily and definitely in the morning. If I haven't lost weight it gives me motivation to work a little harder, if I have lost weight it gives me motivation to keep going. By weighing in the morning it is a great reminder for the rest of the day to eat within my calorie allowance.

Calorie in/Calorie out is the only thing that works for me.


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## chillymorn69 (Jun 27, 2016)

I also weigh daily!

If it fluctuates more than a few pounds its salad for lunch and dinner for a couple days then its back on track!

I weight the same as when i graduated high school and i am 51 yrs old!

Lots of people say things like your so lucky you have a fast metabolism or you have the skinny gene . But its because i monitor myself and always have.

Don't get me wrong i like to eat but if i oink out at the china Buffett then the next day i usually eat very little. Salad and soup or even skip lunch and just have a tiny supper.

Its worked for me .


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## Taxman (Dec 21, 2016)

Chillymorn
You are dead right, metabolism changes over the years. Very few people can rely on their metabolism to maintain their BMI, and at some point, you either monitor your weight on a regular basis, or give in to gaining slowly over time.

I will tell you that the ego boost that comes with people you have not seen in a long while asking you what the fvck you have done to yourself. I usually respond that there were no choices in this, I felt that if I did not lose the weight, I would have surely been dead within a short timeframe. It was the heart disease, the diabetes, the tired feeling all the time, the lack of quality sex, and everything else that piled up and pushed me across the finish line. I am grateful for what I have learned, and with a little effort and by the grace of the man upstairs I plan on maintaining my new weight, maybe taking another ten off, and toning and strengthening.


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## chillymorn69 (Jun 27, 2016)

Taxman said:


> Chillymorn
> You are dead right, metabolism changes over the years. Very few people can rely on their metabolism to maintain their BMI, and at some point, you either monitor your weight on a regular basis, or give in to gaining slowly over time.
> 
> I will tell you that the ego boost that comes with people you have not seen in a long while asking you what the fvck you have done to yourself. I usually respond that there were no choices in this, I felt that if I did not lose the weight, I would have surely been dead within a short timeframe. It was the heart disease, the diabetes, the tired feeling all the time, the lack of quality sex, and everything else that piled up and pushed me across the finish line. I am grateful for what I have learned, and with a little effort and by the grace of the man upstairs I plan on maintaining my new weight, maybe taking another ten off, and toning and strengthening.


You have a great sucess story!

Your the man!

May you stay motivated and continue your healthy lifestyle.

I'll bet you feel like a new man...super man.

Can I ask what you favorite ...food is?

Whats the hardest to advoid?

Personally i like it all but I am more of a salt and savery than a sweets kinda guy.


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## zookeeper (Oct 2, 2012)

The biggest myth is that what works for some will work for all.


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## username77 (Dec 27, 2017)

peacem said:


> Calorie in/Calorie out is the only thing that works for me.


This is what works for everyone, even if they don't acknowledge it. Anyone who says they're burning more calories than they consume and still can't lose weight is lying about what they're consuming. It's simple science, burn 3500 calories more than you consume and you will lose ~1 lb.

The show The Biggest Loser has a lot of issues and is a bit extreme, but the weight they lose is dramatic, hundreds of pounds. And the only way they do it is calories in/ calories out. Each one of those people are morbidly obese, and come with excuses like bad metabolism, thyroid issue, genetics, diets just don't work etc... etc... and as long as they follow the program of burning more calories than they consume, each one is dropping anywhere from 2-30 lbs a week. The thyroid issue, genetics, and metabolism no longer seem to be an impediment to weight loss once their caloric intake is actually monitored.


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## Taxman (Dec 21, 2016)

chillymorn69 said:


> Can I ask what you favorite ...food is?
> 
> Whats the hardest to advoid?
> 
> Personally i like it all but I am more of a salt and savery than a sweets kinda guy.


Well fortunately, or unfortunately, I took some chef training and purchased a restaurant. Had it for a year or so, and went back to accounting. I make one of the world's greatest pizzas, (ask my kids-who wanted to go to Chuck E Cheese, when the kids got to make and eat pizza)

I make a chicken medallions in white wine sauce that I called "panty remover". Because I was a big guy, my seduction technique was always make my dates dinner that they could not get anywhere other than a five star restaurant. The rest took care of itself.

My pastas are to die for, so I do not make them a whole lot. I am now taking some pan-asian training. Cantonese and mandarin are now becoming part of my lexicon, and I am dying to get into some Thai cuisine.

The best thing is I know now how much I can eat, and what I can't. I still embrace Weight Watchers' teachings, and hope that this will stick.:smile2:


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## Ikaika (Apr 23, 2012)

‘forces you to be aware of the connection between your eating and your weight,”

Key statement in the article which suggests its a lot in what you eat. As the old saying goes, you can’t out exercise a bad diet. This is not to suggest exercise is not necessary, both are equally (and I would say equally) important. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro


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## NextTimeAround (Dec 15, 2011)

peacem said:


> Calorie in/Calorie out is the only thing that works for me.


In the early days of the Atkins diet, so many gurus tried to debunk it. One way to villify the eating method was to say "it only works because you are eating fewer calories."

And what's the harm in that?


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## Taxman (Dec 21, 2016)

Atkins and South Beach, AKA Paleo diets work for an awful lot of people. My daughter gained a bit after some knee surgery. Her and her fiance took up the paleo diet and the excess came off. I have tried it, and found that I felt absolutely lousy. They tell you that if you feel sick while on the diet, get off. Over the years I have tried just about every diet there was from the GI to the Water diet (wanna feel like a fountain?). Jenny Craig, and Nutrisystem worked for my SIL, but cost a damn fortune. Weight Watchers does not entail the purchase of special food. You can eat everything, just portion control, and if you go over one day, you stick to your knitting and compensate for it. Really good common sense that works. You get credit for your activity, and in my case, I was and am still hitting the gym regularly, so if I wanted that extra cup of pasta, I could.

But the absolute best part of all of this, is how I feel. I may have snow on the roof, so to speak, but damn, that fire in the furnace is blazing. The wife is enjoying the heck out of the new old guy.


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## username77 (Dec 27, 2017)

Taxman said:


> Atkins and South Beach, AKA Paleo diets work for an awful lot of people.


Paleo diets do work, but mainly because it's difficult to overeat if you're only eating 2-3 fist sized portions of lean meats, and all the vegetables you can stomach. It's still really calories in / calories out. You're also cutting out sugar which is a huge source of empty calories most people take in everyday. 

I went through a Crossfit phase and went Paleo for 3 months, I was like Bruce Lee shredded. The diet was so difficult to maintain. I craved carbs so bad one day I just ate nearly an entire pizza to the head.


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## TheDudeLebowski (Oct 10, 2017)

I know its not everyone's cup of tea, but I can't help but lose weight when I go backpacking. It really boils down to burning way more calories than I can possibly put in my body every single day. A 6 day trek takes about 7-10 lbs off. Of course I load it back on when I'm not not the trail. I imagine I would be a rail if I ever did say the Appalachian Trail over the span of 5 months. It helps that I'm not drinking beer and sodas out there. But I eat nothing but junk food on the trail. Super high calorie, high carb, high sodium, high protein foods. You want food that packs 100 calories per ounce or greater. Lots of snickers bars and peanut butter bagels and cured meats and high sodium dehydrated meals and oatmeal and cheeses. I estimate I burn about 500-600 calories per hour for roughly 10 hours a day on the trail depending on the elevation gain. Working that hard all day kills your appetite as well. I usually consume about 2500 calories throughout the day. 

In short, what works for me is simply burning more calories than I take in. That and I usually only have water all day with a black coffee in the morning. Sometimes ill throw in a g2 Gatorade mixer in my bottle of water for some flavor. I sweat out all that salt. My shirts and hats show the salt stains. 

My wife thinks you can't lose weight the way I do, just because she reads all this stuff about working different parts of your body and all the latest diet stuff. But we are both small, so its not like we need to lose the weight. Just like to stay in a respectable area. I could stand to lose a little belly fat though. Beer is just so hard to give up. For a craft beer head, this is the golden era for us. I feel like I need to do my part in keeping these breweries churning out the good stuff


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## naiveonedave (Jan 9, 2014)

I agree about calories in-out. Why Atkins and Paleo work is they help fight hunger, due to lessening spikes in sugar/insulin in the blood. Sort of fake your way to not being hungry = less calorie intake.


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## Steve2.0 (Dec 11, 2017)

There's been multiple new studies that show a calorie is not the same for carb/protein/fat. So a calorie in - calorie out = your weight direction is a very oversimplified formula to a complex system. 

They are not launching rockets to the moon using the science of baseball pitcher throws. 

Calories are measured by how hot they burn. Literally... they set it on fire and depending on how hot it burns they determine its calorie content. 
_"The Calorie you see on a food package is actually a kilocalorie, or 1,000 calories. A Calorie (kcal) is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water 1 degree Celsius"_
*So i ask you this... Is your stomach a furnace? * If so, then a calorie is a calorie, we are done here.

Your body does drastically different things when absorbing sugar vs. fat vs. protein so a calorie is not a calorie.

Fat absorbed goes straight to the heart before it gets into bloodstream and makes its rounds. Fat from an animal laced with antibiotics, steroids and hormones will effect you differently than fat from an almond.
Sugar takes a different path (doesnt go straight to the heart) and sets off a completely different set of processes.


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## username77 (Dec 27, 2017)

Steve2.0 said:


> so a calorie is not a calorie.


The first law of thermodynamics disagrees with you. A calorie is just a unit of measure, so a calorie literally is just a calorie.

You must burn more calories than you take in to lose weight, some food metabolizes differently so manipulating the type of calories you eat can provide some benefit and exacerbate weight loss. But this also depends on your activity levels and the type of activities you do. A marathon runner will stay impossibly thin and consume a diet heavy in complex carbs. While a sedentary person will just get fat. 

But the rule of calories in / calories out has to be obeyed at the most basic level for any weight loss to occur. No one on Earth can consume more calories than they burn and lose weight, whether they're eating nothing but Twinkies, or steak and broccoli. It goes against all understood laws of nature since energy can not be created or destroyed, merely transferred from one form to another through heat or work output.

Confusing people with talk of glycemic index, eat carbs, don't eat carbs, no sugars, and making the basics to weight loss appear so complex that you would need a PHD to attempt to lose weight does people a disservice. All these different rules people swear by just confuses them from the basics that they can't grasp at all, and that is, burn more calories in a day than you consume, start there, you will lose weight. Once you master that, you can worry about the details to try and speed up weight loss, or improve physical performance.


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## Tasorundo (Apr 1, 2012)

So, if I need to have personal qualifications to post on this, here are mine:

I have a degree in chemistry with a minor in kinesiology. I work in the supplement industry. I have lost 100lbs, but after heart and knee surgery and a few years I have put some back on. Currently working to get rid of that.

Anyway, here is the best article on weight loss you will ever find: The Best Fat Loss Article on the Mother****in? Internet


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## Steve2.0 (Dec 11, 2017)

username77 said:


> The first law of thermodynamics disagrees with you. A calorie is just a unit of measure, so a calorie literally is just a calorie.=


I am not attacking thermodynamics and how the measurement is made.

I am saying our body is not using thermodynamics to absorb food


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## username77 (Dec 27, 2017)

Tasorundo said:


> Anyway, here is the best article on weight loss you will ever find: The Best Fat Loss Article on the Mother****in? Internet


Good article, can be summed up with:



> ALL of the obese patients lost weight at a constant rate, regardless of the nutrient composition of the diet; whether fat or carbohydrate intake was high or low –* what mattered was the total calorie deficit.*





Steve2.0 said:


> I am not attacking thermodynamics and how the measurement is made.
> 
> I am saying our body is not using thermodynamics to absorb food


To absorb no, but to burn that stored energy, yes, the first law of thermodynamics is in effect.

I've talked to obese people who have these absurd rules about macro-nutrient content ratios, when they're eating, etc... But clearly they've ignored the most important part. Burn more calories than you're eating. It's really very simple. Tell them that and you get a dissertation about how the body absorbs sugars, insulin spikes, etc...

Low carb diets work not because carbs are inherently evil, but because you are lowering your caloric intake by reducing the carbs you eat. Same with a ow fat diet higher in carbs. It still comes down to calories in / calories out.


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## Andy1001 (Jun 29, 2016)

I own a health center and obviously a lot of my clients are trying to lose weight.I just own the place I don’t work there or have any qualifications in the health field.I do pay a lot of attention to what goes on though.
What I noticed a while ago is that a lot of people are using step counters such as fitbits or smart watches.Some people have apps on their phones but they don’t seem to be as accurate in counting steps.What the trainers do is send the client out to walk briskly around the local park on a circuit that is marked in quarter mile segments (Or a treadmill if it’s raining).They can then calculate how many steps it will take to burn off one calorie.Then when they realize how long a three hundred calorie candy bar is going to take to burn off they decide to maybe have an apple instead.


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## wilson (Nov 5, 2012)

naiveonedave said:


> I agree about calories in-out. Why Atkins and Paleo work is they help fight hunger, due to lessening spikes in sugar/insulin in the blood. Sort of fake your way to not being hungry = less calorie intake.


I agree with this, too. These kinds of diets which limit carbs can help lessen cravings, which makes it easier to eat less. 

Many weight problems seem to be more about the food being like a drug to the person. They are not hungry in the traditional metabolic sense of needing calories or nutrition. Rather, their body says "I'm hungry" because it wants to feel the pleasure of eating. It seems a lot like how an addict will keep using the drug to satisfy the craving. With food, the brain has learned that creating the "I'm hungry" signal produces pleasure, just like "I'm craving" gets someone to shoot up heroin.

It seems like carbs can create these strong food cravings in some people. By eliminating most carbs, it seems to severely reduce those urges to eat for reward purposes. But of course, people miss the pleasure from eating carbs, so they have trouble staying on the low-carb diets. But to be successful, some people should realize that carbs to them is like alcohol to an alcoholic. For whatever reason, carbs will create strong food cravings which will make it hard for them to limit their food intake. They need to realize they have an addiction to pleasurable feeling from carbs and manage their consumption in an appropriate manner to limit cravings.


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## PieceOfSky (Apr 7, 2013)

Lowering calorie intake and increasing energy expenditure is a good thing and often helps people lose significant weight. That does not mean all calories are the same.

The body metabolizes various types of fats, various types of proteins, and various types of carbohydrates differently, because they are different molecularly. And these multi-step processes are quite a bit different than simply and literally burning something.

The state of the body consuming these substance matters too. My body from 30 years ago enjoyed different set of metabolic processes than the one I have now. I don’t eat more than I did as a 20 year old, I eat less, but my weight more easily increases. 

Insulin resistance is real. Elevated blood sugar effects the body in various ways. Both effect how fat gets generated and stored, and possibly used for energy later.

The absence of a hunger craving is not a pleasure. It’s just a good state to be in.

Saying someone failing to lose weight via calorie deficits is a liar is fat shaming, and unhelpful. To think what works for “you” ought to work for everyone else, or else they are liars or lazy or whatever, seems awfully shortsighted to me, and dangerous to those with a problem to solve.

For an anecdotal example of where calories were kept the same, but the types of calories were changed yielding radically different results — in one person — check out “That Sugar Film”, That Sugar Film (2014) - IMDb.


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## just got it 55 (Mar 2, 2013)

NextTimeAround said:


> I knew I was right. Why do weight management gurus want to lead the public astray with advice that counters the following: (the aarticle recommends weighing in everyday)
> 
> https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/we...ourself/ar-BBHNegM?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartanntp


I don't need to read the article or The New England Journal of Medicine

Simple formula

Work more eat less any thing else is just excuse making

55


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## TheDudeLebowski (Oct 10, 2017)

I don't see anything wrong with fat shaming for the record. You should feel ashamed of yourself. I would be ashamed of myself. What is wrong with feeling ashamed and being shamed for letting your self go?


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## chillymorn69 (Jun 27, 2016)

Hmm,

I am always amazed that there are so many overweight vegetarians .


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## NextTimeAround (Dec 15, 2011)

chillymorn69 said:


> Hmm,
> 
> I am always amazed that there are so many overweight vegetarians .


Snack foods are salty, fatty, carby ...... usually not made from any part of the animal.

Food companies also try to formulate their food to make you want more.


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## chillymorn69 (Jun 27, 2016)

NextTimeAround said:


> Snack foods are salty, fatty, carby ...... usually not made from any part of the animal.
> 
> Food companies also try to formulate their food to make you want more.


Fat and proteins 

That how i roll.

Hardly any carbs.

For years we were fed the bull that fat is bad for you. When in reality sugar and carbs are whats causing all the problems.

Grains are the largest part of the food pyramid. It just plain upside down


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## PieceOfSky (Apr 7, 2013)

chillymorn69 said:


> Hmm,
> 
> I am always amazed that there are so many overweight vegetarians .


Why are you amazed at that?


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## tropicalbeachiwish (Jun 1, 2016)

chillymorn69 said:


> Fat and proteins
> 
> That how i roll.
> 
> Hardly any carbs.



Can you give some examples of things you eat for fat & proteins? 

Also-for anyone here. I understand that most people state that weight loss starts in the kitchen, but I'm curious on how often someone that's trying to lose weight should workout? Should the focus be more on weight training or cardio? Or a combo of both?


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## Rhubarb (Dec 1, 2017)

I weigh myself every morning. In my case it's a bit more tricky since the scale doesn't tell the full story. I'm trying to put on muscle so my weight going up isn't always a bad thing. Sometimes looking in a mirror tells you more.


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## naiveonedave (Jan 9, 2014)

tropicalbeachiwish said:


> Also-for anyone here. I understand that most people state that weight loss starts in the kitchen, but I'm curious on how often someone that's trying to lose weight should workout? Should the focus be more on weight training or cardio? Or a combo of both?


You should work out as often as you can. In most cases, you need both weights and cardio. if you build muscle, you are converting some existing fat to muscle and having a higher amount of muscle burns calories more than if you have less muscle. 

The only cases I have heard of where weight lifting doesn't do much is for ex-football player types who bulked up their muscle for the sport and now are trying to get weight down to ease joint pain.


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## wilson (Nov 5, 2012)

just got it 55 said:


> I don't need to read the article or The New England Journal of Medicine
> 
> Simple formula
> 
> ...


While this is absolutely true, it's like telling an alcoholic they can get be cured by just drinking less. To lose weight, most people will need to make drastic lifestyle changes to avoid strong cravings. That should include:

- A diet which promotes a healthy weight. This typically means eating foods which do not induce cravings (brown rice, vegetables, etc.). Most people have a problem with carbs, so they should be severely restricted. Even diet drinks should be given up since they reinforce the sweet->pleasure link. 
- Exercise 60 minutes a day, even if it's just walking. Not only just for the calories, but exercise promotes healthy metabolic activity that will help maintain weight and keep all body systems healthy.

Someone who is overweight and not doing those things will struggle to get to a healthy weight. They will have to overcome the cravings, and that is difficult for humans to do. The above things should be done first. If that isn't working, then look into portion control.


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## chillymorn69 (Jun 27, 2016)

tropicalbeachiwish said:


> Can you give some examples of things you eat for fat & proteins?
> 
> Also-for anyone here. I understand that most people state that weight loss starts in the kitchen, but I'm curious on how often someone that's trying to lose weight should workout? Should the focus be more on weight training or cardio? Or a combo of both?


Protein/fat, Venison we harvest 3 to 6 deer a year, beef,pork,chicken,fish,eggs,cheese

Cook with coconut oil or olive oil, sometime peanut oil

Minamize bread,potatos,fries,pasta,cookies and chips

Lots of salad (small salad with every meal)

Green bean,peas,corrots,broccoli, etc (no corn) except on the cob in summer>

No soda pop.

Water lots of water.

Sex as much as you want i recommend daily> lol but thats just a dream



Exercise.

Weight or resistance training. Muscle mass increases you resting metabolism. 

If your just starting out I suggest 

Deep knee bends just with your body weight.
3 sets of 10 first wk then 3 sets of 15 ....keep working up until you can do 3 sets of 30 or 50 just with your body weight. Then you can add lunges or wharever you want.

Push ups same thing.

Once you get some strength you can change and use weights or google it and all kinda things or exercise programs out there.

The goal is to start slow but not get so sore you won't keep up. But still build some strength.

Sounds whimpy but you got to start somewhere.


Please I don't want critqued by someone who is in shape already saying anything.

This is for beginners. This is what I do when I haven't exercised in a long time and just need to get moving . I am always surprise in two week I start feeling stronger sleeping better all around more motivated to then take it up to the next level.

Once you start feeling stronger ,sleeping better it takes over and exercise becomes a priority.

Good luck


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## Middle of Everything (Feb 19, 2012)

chillymorn69 said:


> Fat and proteins
> 
> That how i roll.
> 
> ...


Most of that is easy for me.

Only thing that isnt is rice. I love me some rice. Especially rice with gravy. Holy ****ing ****. One of my favorite things to eat.


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## chillymorn69 (Jun 27, 2016)

PieceOfSky said:


> Why are you amazed at that?


I guess i though if all your eating is vegies then you would be skinny,

Years ago i had a friend who 6'2" 350lbs would drink a case of beer and eat a whole large pizza and hogie no problem!

Well his dad had a heart attact and became a vegetarian. We used to laugh and say no way could become a vegetarian. Well we lost contact and five or eight years later I ran into him. I didn't even recognize him when ne told me who he was i was like WOW you look great. And he told me he became a vegetarian he said his dad told him how great he feels more energy thinking clearer just all aroung feeling like super man. So he decided to try it for 3 months . He said at first it was hard and you feel crappy but after a month you start to feel amazing,he said he only needs 4 hrs of sleep thinks better feels better sex is better life is better.

I wouldn't mind trying it but he said its hard because you have to know what your doing. And you have to supplement with some amino acids that you can only get from animals. That you have to eat lots of beans and legumes. 

He looked great.




Haven't seen him since wonder how hes doing.


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## Cletus (Apr 27, 2012)

tropicalbeachiwish said:


> Can you give some examples of things you eat for fat & proteins?
> 
> Also-for anyone here. I understand that most people state that weight loss starts in the kitchen, but I'm curious on how often someone that's trying to lose weight should workout? Should the focus be more on weight training or cardio? Or a combo of both?


The NYT just did an article on longitudinal studies for The Biggest Loser. 

The article wasn't specifically about losing weight, but about keeping it off. The only group that managed to do that successfully were those who monitored their food intake and who aerobically exercised 5 to 7 days a week. That was the recipe I used to drop 50 lbs. two years ago - 1500 calories a day and 45 minutes of work on the bike/elliptical at 75-100% of my target heart rate. I got the added bonus of a resting heart rate below 60.


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## Windwalker (Mar 19, 2014)

Taxman said:


> I have lost, over the past 3-4 years 136 lbs. I went from 325lbs to (as of Monday morning) 189lbs. I am plateauing there for awhile. I did this through exercise and diet. I joined Weight Watchers at the beginning of my loss in 2013, and asked that they do not tell me my weight, or mark my personal card (There are two cards at WWatchers, your permanent record and your personal). I went by clothing and exercise capacity (I could not go longer than 5-10 minutes at first). Around the 50lbs lost mark, I started weighing myself at home in the mornings. I was usually naked, and had emptied my bladder and bowels beforehand. That became a minor obsession. The weight loss progressed through the next 80 some odd came off at a reasonable rate, some days good and some bad as with everything. I changed wardrobes numerous times. I started at a size 46 pant, I am now a size 32. I chucked all of my designer suits (Used to work in the financial district, never spent less than $1K for a suit). Even had to buy new winter coats (It is a balmy -25°C. outside -13°F).
> 
> The scale is either your best friend or worst enemy. According to Weight Watchers, nothing in this world tastes as good as being thin feels. I was always a heavy guy. Big in school, big for 50+ years. Tell you one thing, my body looks totally different, I found 2 extra inches of penis under the fat that I did not know existed. My wife is very happy, I have given her a brand new guy, or even better: During my last heart attack, they did not think that I would survive. I have given her a husband that has a brand new lease on life. She will still likely outlive me, but we will have many more years than we originally thought.


That's quite the tale and quite inspiring. Congratulations on your journey.

I also have never been a small person. I was in the best shape of my life when the wife and I got married 20 years ago in this coming June. Shattered my right leg from the knee down about a year after we got married and after 6 months of rehab, ended up 50-60 pounds heavier. 10 years traveling on the road for work and a genetic disposition to heart disease led me to a meeting with Mr. Heart attack.

After surgery and the stint implant, the doctor said heart attacks come in 3 sizes, small, medium, large. He said yours was XL. How you are alive is beyond me. Like a dumbass I ignored him and was back to climbing towers on day 32 after my attack.

Jan 13th will be 2 years since the attack. Winters seem to be the hardest, and the sense of impending doom have finally driven me to do something. Got my blood work done and started a exercise routine in Nov of last year. Work has gotten in the way a little, so I double up when I miss a day due to work or traveling. The wife says my goals are totally unrealistic, but it's either do it or die trying. The alternative is just die.

Thanks for telling your story!


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## Taxman (Dec 21, 2016)

Hey Windwalker
My last one 18 years ago nearly killed me. They had me in cardiac catheterization when I reacted to the blood thinner. Last thing I remember was saying, “I feel funny”. Next thing was waking up surrounded by a bunch of people, they were tubing me, I hear my wife sobbing and some guy telling her that I’m not going to make it. Next thing, I wake up in a white room, it’s really sunny and light is streaming into the room. My best buddy is sitting at the foot of the bed. I ask,” Please tell me, I’m not dead, am I ?” So began years of rehab. I had a total cascading clot, they replaced my blood volume. I lost my immune system. All the childhood diseases came back. Had chicken pox at age 55. Eczema that I beat at age 10 was all over me. Exercise had me doubled over and puking. Took me years to regain my health, then I resolved to lose my weight and am now playing with my last 15. I am giving the girl (she doesn’t like being called a girl, she is a grown woman, but the way we are now, she’s my girl), a brand new guy. So much fun.


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## Windwalker (Mar 19, 2014)

Hey Taxman,

That's quite the sobering tale. I'm glad you made it and I'm happy for your journey.

It's all pretty strange the way it all happened. I was 500 miles from home, and just came back from a gun shop with a friend I had met at the construction site where we were building a new wind farm. Walked out the door and coughed really hard and felt a slight pressure in my left shoulder. I stopped and stood there for a second and he looked at me and asked if I was OK. I replied, I think so. So we parted ways and said see you in the morning. One the way to the house I was staying in I coughed again and a strange pressure started creeping down my arm.

At this point I'm thinking no I'm not OK. Something is seriously wrong. So I'm driving to the house and searching up the symptoms of a heart attack. Sure enough, it was what I thought it was. So I get to the little town and stop in the grocery store to ask for directions to the hospital. The kid tried to explain it and had I not been in so much pain I think his directions would have been good.

So there I am trying to find the hospital and it feels like a school bus on my chest. I couldn't find the damn place so I tried GPS. I couldn't even think straight. I'm getting pissed now more by the second. I screamed just go the **** away so I can find the damn hospital. The pain did go away and I got to the hospital and and they put me on the table. Being a little community hospital they didn't have the latest equipment so they were struggling to find out where the blockage was. So while they are messing with me I'm staring at the lights thinking WTF. If this is time then damn just get it over with, but I'm going to fight you for it.

So I grab my phone and the doctors and nurses are freaking out. I said if I'm going to die then I'm going to at least talk to my wife so deal with it. So I called her from the table. Told her what was going on real quick and told her I loved her and I would call her as soon as I could. I called my Co worker to tell him I wouldn't be into work the next morning. We were sharing the house. He's freaking out and asking questions. I don't know what to say. I said don't worry about it, I'll see you as soon as I get out of here. Lol.

So they are still struggling to find the blockage and have me tipped head down to the floor. I tell the doctor, I'm getting ready to cough get ready to find this damn thing. Sure enough, they were able to find it. They life flighted me to Omaha university hospital.

Strangest thing was I was as calm as I have ever been in my life. Not even a hint of panic or anything.

Sorry for rambling. Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2018 for you!


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## Mr The Other (Feb 1, 2014)

username77 said:


> There's unfortunately been a lot of nonsense passed off as good advice when it comes to weight loss and fitness. "It's not calories it's the 'type' of calories", "don't weight yourself, focus on how you feel and how your clothes fit", "fat is beautiful and healthy", etc...
> 
> They're meant to get people who struggle with their weight to buy into what they're selling. People who already have an issue with eating right, sticking to a fitness routine, and self-image don't like to hear that counting calories isn't just encouraged it's a must when trying to lose weight, weighing yourself lets you know if what you're doing is working, or if it needs to be adjusted, and being overweight or obese comes with significant health risks and will likely significantly reduce your life expectancy. They want to hear it's easy, simple, you're perfect the way you are...
> 
> ...


I have never been very fat, so my experience is not of much use. 

I will say when I have got a bit chubby, I have mainly used exercise. This is in the context of not having any sweet drinks and very little junk food.

I would start to exercise and not lose weight, I would eventually get reasonably fit, but not lose weight. I would then get extremely fit (traiing for a amateur boxing bout, running a half marathon in 1'39" fit) and the weight would fall off. Realistically, not many people are going to get that fit, but in my experience, it can work.


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## Saibasu (Nov 3, 2016)

I weight in daily. It's the first thing I do every morning! I never used to, seemed like no matter what I did the weight wouldn't come off! But I made the change to Veganism about 8 weeks ago and have already lost 14 pounds! So I like seeing that weight in the morning, keeps me motivated and inspires me to work a little harder today.


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