Weight Loss Is Really Complex.

[robworkingout]

Like most people when "I MADE" the decision to start losing weight back in feb 2017 i was 20 stone 8lb  i was thinking less food equal weight lose.!! i would not say that is wrong because it can help with weight lose at the start but the key to losing weight and keeping it off is more Muscle. Walking every day will slowly tone up muscle. The goal is to work up to walking at least 6 miles a day on one walk.!! After a year your body will have more tone muscle which will be more efficient/stronger Once you are at this stage really think about going swimming at least once a week it really is the next best step to start toning the upper body. "when i starting going swimming could only do one length then i was resting today just cleared 61 lengths in less than hour". The long term goal is more muscle this means allowing muscle to repair itself this can only be achieve with a good balance diet that have mix of protein/micronutrients/fats in that order. If you cut back on food too much your body is unable to effectively repair your new muscle making losing weight even harder especially if your body goes into energy saving mode from eating too little. :Vegetables equal my micronutrients daily. :frozen bags of Chicken breast/Duck & Chicken eggs/nuts provide most of my protein. :fats good sauce is vegetarian food low in saturated fats but high in healthy fats. Took me a good two years to really feel the benefits. Now i'm 14 stone 11lb and i'm Never going back to 20 stone again. 

[AmandaGeorge]

I'm glad it's worked for you, @robworkingout, but I have to disagree with you on what it takes to lose weight.  I've never walked 6 miles in one go in my life, I've never been able to swim and I'm eating what I want, when I want too.

The secret for me has been burning off more calories than I ate, purely by taking our dog for a walk twice a day (total of about 5,000 steps) and doing laps of the downstairs of our house and back yard for 15 minutes every other hour.  I lost 12-15kg in about 9 months purely by doing that and it didn't cost me a penny.  To tone up my flabby belly and thighs I've been doing squats, planks, sit-ups and leg raises every day too, which also hasn't cost me any money.

Basically, the secret is to burn more than you consume instead of exercising so much.  My nurse told me back in September that I need to put weight on now and so much walking and swimming can't be healthy all in one go either.  Eat what you like, when you like, but find a way that works for you to burn off those calories and more each day.

[robworkingout]

Hi AmandaGeorge: You have just proven my point on how complex losing weight really is for all of us. 5000k steps on top of all your other activities is definitely toning all of your muscle groups which is a big part to why you are free to enjoy a wide range of food when you like. Let me just Explain what i mean by a "good balance diet" this does not mean only healthy foods i eat chocolate,crisp,cakes,take away food once a week. The key thing is all these foods must be balance along side the most important food groups. Protein being the most important for muscle repair especially the nine essential amino acids. You say you need to put weight on i would fully recommend you google high protein foods/ingredients and try make at least one meal from them every other day as your muscle repair/increase you will find your endurance will too along side your weight. Swimming is great because most of the weight is supported by the water the benefits are Massive to health along side a good balance diet to help repair muscle. I do take issue with "burn more than you consume" Since 2017 I been doing a five week plan of my Net Calories per day using Excel. Between 26/03/20 - 29/04/20 over those five weeks i average -91 calories per day but i Gain One Pound.!! My long term calculation was -12.278 few days after 29/04/20 i started getting side effects so started to increase my food amounts all side effects went away with in a few weeks. I recommend to everyone that 3 stone+ to set the fitbit plan to the easiest plan this will give you plenty of calories to slowly lose weight. Weight lose is complex for everyone but fitbit have given people the best app to keep track where you are each day along side a safe calorie plan. Put in the effect you will gain the rewards over the long term. 

[Baltoscott]

That is quite a weight drop @robworkingout, and you are getting really fit and active to boot. Feels good, doesn’t it?

What you are eating now sounds pretty healthy. Did you change your diet much over the past three years — as compared to when you were heavier — or do you attribute your success mostly to increased activity?

[robworkingout]

My plan was to burn all my calories through activity's but the last year/half i have learned that is impossible if you are eating a well balance diet over 2000 calories daily. I just cut back at the start So reduce my chocolate to only 8 squares a day, only had 100g of chips, Increase my vegetables on the plate, started drinking a lot more water daily. reduce tea/coffee intake. These days i still have chocolate bar's they have never tasted so good but nothing like i was eating when i was heavier so looking back now i would say i have drastically change my diet and my activities but Slowly over 3 half years you could say now. I don't have chips in my diet anymore swap it for Rice, pasta, noodles, Moved over to full skim milk (red top). also take supplements daily: cod liver oil, cinnamon ginger, turmeric black pepper, nutmeg. all capsules 600mg-950mg. What i have learned about losing weight is the body is amazing at dealing with short term extremes this could be cutting back on food to much or eating to much food it's the long term calories we need to keep the closest eye on. Right now i'm way too high at 6418+ calories need to get that down next 4 weeks or il be going back to 15 stone next weigh in. If people keep with in a balance diet with a good amount of activity's it is amazing how much we can eat with very little weight difference long term. I guess the ultimate key to losing weight and keeping it off is KNOWLEDGE on how the body works what food groups is best to eat for muscle repair. It sure does feel great now Baltoscott no pain after 8-10 mile walk, recovers after hour rest. It took me a long two years to really look back and think WOW. 

[robworkingout]

I wish you all the luck hrose2. All the hard work will pay off just allow your body time to adjust. 

[TeresaMiller]

I understand! Many of my skinny friends have always told me the same thing: It's easy to lose weight.

[robworkingout]

Food is like tools that helps the human body repair itself if anyone reduce food to much you will feel more ache and pains after Activities also don't forget to stretch your body that help with repair and loosening up muscles. Also very hot shower can help after real intense exercise  (swimming). These days i eat a lot of broccoli/spinach/mix vegetables along side plenty of protein all of which is from natural food not the process man made protein powders. The 4 key issues to understand is: 1. Diet, 2. Activities, 3. Recovery, 4. Sleep. All 4 of these are really complex and interact with each other but Diet always plays the biggest role by a long way. You eat crap the body will do its best to keep going but repairing the body takes longer with more ache and pains this is where proteins, micro-nutrients. plays there parts to help lose weight lose and increase Activities Over Time. These days i'm around 14s 9lb  (swimming playing a Big part getting me down to this.)  Don't think because someone is skinny they are healthy that really is not the case some people can be very unhealthy in the way they control their weight.!!!! You can see this base on how much exercise/activities they are happy to take part in. (Ask some of your skinny friends to go walking and see how many say Yes on a regular basis). Keeping muscles toned is the best way to burn through the calories and once you're eating a healthy diet you will natural build more muscle making you stronger, healthy slim/toned size, The two Activities i do is walking, Swimming. walking keeps my legs strong and swimming help keep my body/core strong. Just remember it takes time for the body to change so just take your time and never give up eventually your body will tow the line.!!! 

[TeresaMiller]

I understand! Many of my skinny friends have always told me the same thing: It's easy to lose weight. However, every one of them has been skinny their whole lives. Each has a significant metabolism, and their slim figure was passed down from their parents' genes. I have always had a more complex situation with maintaining my figure. I've had to keep myself in shape since high school. I ran, jumped rope, and exercised three times a week in the evenings because I was afraid of gaining weight. After high school, the thing I was afraid of happened. My colleagues started making fun of me because of my cheeks. That's when I bought fat-burning drugs. I read on signalscv.com that exercise allows you to lose weight quickly. It helped.

[Daddy-Tryn]

I have gone from 20 stone last July to 16 stone just this month. Walking 1 mile every morning and doing 15 minutes of cardio daily as well as weight lifting 3x a week. I calorie count as a challenge to get the biggest plate of food with the least amount of calories lol it was a fun way to really start getting a grip on my calorie intake which used to be upwards of 4000 due to soda and a love of gravy 🙂 now I love salads and veggies and have gone from red meats to nuts and lean meats like fish. at 6' 2" with a long torso I am almost where I need to be but now am focusing on my BMI and dropping from 27% to under 19... hard work but oh so rewarding when raising a 5 year old 🙂

[Daddy-Tryn]

Oh and now my calorie intake is almost always under 1500 but I do not feel hungry and have not had soda since July 2021.

[AndyMarry]

I'm also trying to lose my weight as well. I have been searching for a solid and better way to do that. Let see ................

[SabrinLochos]

Ok, thank you