Best plan for weight loss?

[smoky500]

Cut out carbs and go keto.



Exercise.

Keto is the worst way to lose weight. Exercise is important.

As noted in other posts, every one is different. Some people lose more with strenuous exercise (weights/resistance training) others do better doing cardio. Best is do both (shotgun approach and both have benefits). What you eat is also important, but will come down to lifestyle change. You need a balance of protein, fats and carbs (preferably complex ones} and you need to stick with it forever. That is the big problem with keto diet, you cannot stay on it too long and when you go back to eating carbs the weight comes back.

[kgcayenne]

Your heart wants—no, it NEEDS—you to get cardio. If you want a strong heart to stave off heart disease, you need to exercise that muscle too.

[seewood]

Your heart wants—no, it NEEDS—you to get cardio. If you want a strong heart to stave off heart disease, you need to exercise that muscle too.

Most important muscle in the body. Without a strong heart, pretty much everything else is moot. So exercise it. Huge positive difference in later years.

[Lady tehMa]

Some kind of resistance/weight training is good, prevents bone issues as you age. Particularly important for women.

[SuperMom]

Cardio is definitely important for overall health, but cardio alone isn't the best for weight loss. Strength training is a better way to burn calories, even after you finish your workout, and will better help your body composition. However, as has been said, it is incredibly difficult to exercise your way out of a bad diet. I'm not a believer in most diet fads or trends, but I do believe that tracking what and how much you eat and choosing mainly healthy and nutritious foods will go a long way in helping you reach your goals.

The science is simple. If you eat more calories than you burn, you won't lose weight. Knowing the nutritional information of what you eat can help you make better choices and plan your meals. It takes some effort but it gets easier the more you do it. And counting your calories doesn't mean you need to cut down to an unrealistic total either! I think many people would be surprised to learn just how many calories they actually eat in a day, because we tend to underestimate and most fast food/restaurant/convenience foods are high in calories while not necessarily providing the best nutrition. Eat lots of vegetables, some fruit, whole grains, and good sources of protein, and don't eliminate healthy fats. Your body needs all of those things, and if you eat those things in the right combination, then you're less likely to feel hungry or deprived.

Also, don't base your goals or happiness solely on the number on the scale. You can lose fat but gain muscle. You can see changes in the way your clothes fit without seeing a great reduction on the scale.

[alanjh595]

Deleted for brevity.

Also, don't base your goals or happiness solely on the number on the bathroom scale. You can lose fat but gain muscle. You can see changes in the way your clothes fit without seeing a great reduction on the scale.

I agree with your entire post, I just deleted most of it to address the above noted quote.

Muscle weighs more than fat, and if someone is to rely solely on the bathroom scale alone, you will not be happy with the results. In order to get a more accurate measurement, start with the BMI.
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educat ... mi_tbl.htm

Diets and goals have got to be realistic to be successful. Healthy eating is #1, but it also must fit within your lifestyle, or you will just become lighter, and more unhappy at the same time.

I don't know if I have expressed myself properly and concisely.

[GordonH]

Eat a balanced diet, remove processed foods from your diet completely.

Exercise both your muscles & your heart. Before starting any exercise plan, consult with your physician.

[Urbane]

I had a few extra pounds and when our doctor said that I was "a bit chubby" I decided to get back down to an ideal weight. I cut out all the sugar that I could. Not that I was deliberately eating a lot of sugar but there's sugar in so many things.

Anyway, along with restricting sugar I tried to eliminate all junk food but popcorn. Popcorn, with a little olive oil and a little salt, isn't really a junk food and it tastes great.

I do half an hour, at least, of cardio each day and strength training several days a week. That's what works for me.

[SuperMom]

I had a few extra pounds and when our doctor said that I was "a bit chubby" I decided to get back down to an ideal weight. I cut out all the sugar that I could. Not that I was deliberately eating a lot of sugar but there's sugar in so many things.

Anyway, along with restricting sugar I tried to eliminate all junk food but popcorn. Popcorn, with a little olive oil and a little salt, isn't really a junk food and it tastes great.

I do half an hour, at least, of cardio each day and strength training several days a week. That's what works for me.

That's wonderful!

Sugar is in a lot of things for sure. Naturally occuring sugars aren't evil, but a typical North American diet is usually high in refined sugars, flours, sodium, and extra things we don't necessarily need. I think cutting out excess sugar is a good place to start for many people, and there are plenty of ways to enjoy some sweetness or treats without overindulging in sugar. And if you bake your treats yourself, then you control what goes in it.

A few other "easy" tips:

Drink more water and stop drinking empty calories. That daily double double from Tim Hortons or mocha from Starbucks has a lot of sugar and calories and no nutrition. Pop and juices are full of sugar and little nutrition. Make a smoothie with some protein powder, fruit, Greek yogurt, avocado, spinach...the choices are endless, but you'll get more nutrition and be fuller longer.

Even if you're not wanting to commit to tracking your food long term, try keeping a detailed record of what you ate for a week and plug it into some sort of tracking app. You might be surprised by how many calories you're eating. A big salad from a restaurant can be full of fat, sodium, sugar, and calories compared to a salad you make at home. Then find out what is a reasonable caloric range for your gender, weight, activity levels, and goals.

Eat protein at every meal. Don't avoid all fats. Your body needs both and both will help you to feel satiated.

[Jonrox]

There are plenty of ways to lose weight by changing your diet. I’ve been Keto for a long time but it isn’t for everyone. Just don’t listen to the “everything in moderation” crowd. The main problem with that is that everyone has a different view on what moderation means. If you have a poor diet, your idea of moderation is likely still way too high to be healthy.

Above all else, the single best thing you can do is cut sugar out of your diet. It’s just about the worst thing you can put in your body.

Exercise is incredibly important but it leads to very little weight loss. People vastly overestimate how many calories they burn by exercising. For example, your 1.5 mile run burns the calories equivalent to one can of Coke and won’t even burn off one chocolate bar. So knowing how much effort and time you spend running, is it easier to run for that long or just cut a few things from your diet to achieve the same caloric deficit?

Exercise for health but not to lose weight.

[Randall T]

From experience I would suggest looking at a diet recommended for diabetics. Snack lots during the day and eat smaller meals. Get an elliptical trainer and work up to 45 minutes a day. Don't miss a day, make it your time and do it religiously the same time every day. The weight will come off. After losing 50lbs people thought I was terminal, but I felt better than I ever did in my life. After destroying a good elliptical I bought a C2 rower and logged over 6 million metres on it, but the elliptical was much better for initial weight loss. It's an easy solution that just entails a sensible, non-fad diet and a genuine commitment to exercise. Burn more calories than you take in every day and the pounds will come off.

[seewood]

After destroying a good elliptical I bought a C2 rower and logged over 6 million metres on it,

Just bought a C2 on Thursday. Loving it....so far

[Randall T]

After destroying a good elliptical I bought a C2 rower and logged over 6 million metres on it,

Just bought a C2 on Thursday. Loving it....so far

Pretty much the best rowing machine out there. When I was able I was doing 10K kms or more every morning. Some of the challenges you can enter on the C2 site are inspiring and also where you stand in different rankings for your age/weight class. It's an excellent workout and the C2 support is great.

[Gixxer]

Keto is the worst way to lose weight. Exercise is important.

As noted in other posts, every one is different. Some people lose more with strenuous exercise (weights/resistance training) others do better doing cardio. Best is do both (shotgun approach and both have benefits). What you eat is also important, but will come down to lifestyle change. You need a balance of protein, fats and carbs (preferably complex ones} and you need to stick with it forever. That is the big problem with keto diet, you cannot stay on it too long and when you go back to eating carbs the weight comes back.

Why is keto the worst?

Best way to lose weight. Track calories and your macros. Limit carbs to 20 grams or less.

[Grandan]

From experience I would suggest looking at a diet recommended for diabetics. Snack lots during the day and eat smaller meals. Get an elliptical trainer and work up to 45 minutes a day. Don't miss a day, make it your time and do it religiously the same time every day. The weight will come off. After losing 50lbs people thought I was terminal, but I felt better than I ever did in my life. After destroying a good elliptical I bought a C2 rower and logged over 6 million metres on it, but the elliptical was much better for initial weight loss. It's an easy solution that just entails a sensible, non-fad diet and a genuine commitment to exercise. Burn more calories than you take in every day and the pounds will come off.

Snacking lots in the day whether you are diabetic or not is not good advise. Every time you eat it spikes your insulin. Insulin is a fat storage hormone.
Diabetes can be reversed by eating a low carb diet. The best ultra marathon runners and cyclists are now using a ketogenic diet. The reason it works is once you become keto adapted the body never runs into the problem of glycogen depletion also known as "the wall" that marathon runners experience. Look up Jeff Volek and Steve Phinney and their pioneering work on Keto adapted vs carb burning runners and cyclists.
http://www.meandmydiabetes.com/2012/08/ ... lek-study/

Earlier this summer, Steve Phinney and Jeff Volek, authors of The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance, headed to the Western States 100-mile Endurance Run, to study how runners in this grueling race fared, literally, for they were checking how the athletes performed, AND how they ate. Steve Phinney says that more and more endurance athletes are choosing low-carb, high-fat. They’re choosing this diet both to get over digestive problems that hit in such a demanding event, and to win the race, and win it BIG! That’s what Tim Olson did this year. A self-proclaimed low-carb eater, Tim won the race — with a record-breaking pace.

— Shelley