Best way to drop fat

[RyanMalpiede]

Ok, ok so I gained 10lbs of fat over the winter season. What are some of the ways you landlovers are droping the pounds. I am laying off the carb intake, just cereal in the morning so my hair doesn't fall out, and running, and free weights. You?

 

[rifon2]

Eating less, moving around more.


Daily, output of calories greater than input of calories = weight loss.
Simple, but not so easy.
Guaranteed to work though! :thumbup:

 

[Mirror-Saw]

I haven't lost or gained anything over 5lbs in the last... probably 5 years. I've changed my diet in a major way and still no real loss or gain.

I went from eating fast food most days of the week, tv dinners and junk food, to fresh vegetables, lean meats/fish, nuts, soy products, whole wheat bread etc.

I'm happy about this.

 

[Quiet Storm]

Replace one or two of your weekly running sessions with intervals. Find a hill, do a sprint (200 to 300 meters), and jog back down. Repeat ten times. Run at the highest speed you can handle without having to slow down in the subsequent sprints.

Also, eat enough protein. Chicken breast, eggs, fish, cottage cheese etc. You could also take a whey (no soy!) protein supplement after you hit the weights. You should consume at least 0.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight; some recommend 1g/lbs. That way you'll keep your muscle mass (or even increase it) while you're dieting. It's a good idea to get some cottage cheese right before you go to bed. The slow-digesting casein protein will supply your body with enough protein for the night.
Many people, myself included, can gain muscle - along with fat - on a crappy diet. But when you're trying to lose weight, you need to pay more attention to your protein intake.

Do not, under any circumstances, eat less than 500 kcal (on average) per day than you burn off. If you do that, you'll lose a lot of muscle in the process.

Oh, and eating carbs in the morning is not a good idea. You don't need a sugar spike right after you get up. Go for an easy run on an empty stomach in the morning and then eat a protein-rich breakfast with lots of vegetables, especially leafy greens. Get your carbs later in the day.

 

[Gollnick]

There is no magic bullet known. Only three techniques work.

1) Eat less

2) Exercise more

3) Surgical removal

Option three is a bit radical, especially for ten pounds. So, cut back on intake and exercise more.

 

[Quiet Storm]

Another thing that can help a little are thermogenic foods. Green, or better yet, white tea will slightly raise your body temperature for a while after drinking it, which leads to your body burning slightly more calories.

The same principle is the idea behind the sprint intervals, your raised metabolism will burn some extra calories even after your workout. Regular low-intensity cardio does not have that effect - you'll stop burning calories the second you stop running.

Of course drinking tea is far less effective than sprint intervals.

 

[grease-man]

There is no magic bullet known. Only three techniques work.

1) Eat less

2) Exercise more

3) Surgical removal

Option three is a bit radical, especially for ten pounds. So, cut back on intake and exercise more.

What Gollnick said. -Matt-

 

[pcnorton]

Divorce?


Thank god my wife doesn't read here.


Seriously, South Beach diet effective and tasty.(Atkins lite)



Paul

 

[jarlaxle]

luckily im 20 years old and eat what i want when i want. But i also put on a little cushion over the winter, i just do a lot of hiking, biking, and THE CHUCK NORRIS TOTAL GYM!!!!! haha i know it looks cheesy on TV but someone gave me one and it is a nice workout. BTW not trying to be rude that i eat a lot and can pretty much get away with it.

 

[Michelle]

Cut out the alcohol if you drink. Amazing the difference it can make in calorie deficit.

m1

 

[Alberta Ed]

Cut out unnecessary fats and sugars (junk food, snacks). Exercise. It's simple. (But not easy.)

 

[Quiet Storm]

Hey guys, let's make a few more "eat less, exercise more" posts.

While true, it's about as helpful as telling someone who wants to make a knife that he should "buy steel and start grinding".

 

[barrabas74]

I do Tae Bo along side of heavy bag work and my martial arts. The Tae bo helps alot actually and if you can do the hr workout 3 days a week and abs two thats 5 days of excercise and you havent ran yet. Tae Bo may sound dumb but it helps keep me limber for ju jitsu. I also do alot of heavy bag work and punching with arm weights. I do alot of arm and chest work with power bands. I dont run, well not alot. Also you could pick up tennis, badminton, squash, hell bowling. etc . I play two sports as well. I hope this gives you some idea's, I did cut down the beer during the week but I still eat out alot and maintain a healthy weight. Good luck!

 

[Quiet Storm]

I also do alot of heavy bag work and punching with arm weights.

Noooo! Don't punch with weights in your hands or attached to your arms, you'll mess up your joints in no time. Use resistance bands for that purpose.

I wholeheartedly agree on the martial arts thing though.

 

[lifterg]

The same principle is the idea behind the sprint intervals, your raised metabolism will burn some extra calories even after your workout. Regular low-intensity cardio does not have that effect - you'll stop burning calories the second you stop running.

And unless you strictly monitor your diet, you will eat enough extra to compensate for what you burned off.

One of the long term keys to weight control is strength training.
Some interesting info to back up that statement, you can do the connect the dots for yourself.

The avg person who does not strength train loses 1/2 pound of muscle per year after age 20.
1 pound of muscle increases your Basal Metabolic Rate 30-50 calories.
When dieting without strength training 20-50% (depends on activity level and how stupid the diet is) is muscle mass.
One pound of fat has 3500 calories.

 

[Quiet Storm]

And unless you strictly monitor your diet, you will eat enough extra to compensate for what you burned off.

Would you make the same argument against long-distance cardio?

 

[Tanto5]

stop eating for a few weeks, that usually does it.

 

[Quiet Storm]

I hope you are kidding.

 

[enderwiggin]

I gained about 30 lbs the first time I tried to quit smoking. I lost a lot of the weight by running, and substituting the snacks I was eating anyway with something with healthy or minimal nutritional value. I found a salad dressing I liked, and started eating a big bowl of salad at night when I felt hungry, instead of eating leftovers or something heavy.

I also agree with cutting out the alcohol, or at least cutting down.

If you keep the exercise reasonable, you're more likely to do it!

Drink a lot of water, throughout the day.

 

[lifterg]

Would you make the same argument against long-distance cardio?

Yes, but even more.
Long distance cardio has 2 issues for weight loss:
1 as you become more efficient you burn less calories for the same effort, so it gets worse.
2 any weight you carry, is bad. You will also lose muscle mass (from fast twitch) so you don't have to carry the extra weight.

But, keep in mind that this is applicable to weight loss, not long distance athletes. A marathoner who can run for 20+ miles is a different example. Just like a 400# powerlifter isn't going to be the poster child for weight loss either.

Most people who are trying to lose weight can't do cardio long enough to out do their ability to eat. If you jog for an hour, and burn off 600 calories, you can eat 600 calories. I you run for 3 hours and burn off 2400 calories, that would be harder to make up in food. But most people trying to lose weight can't run for 3 hours.

But marathoners are a perfect example of aerobic exercise buring off muscle tissue to spare weight carried. Have you ever seen a marathoner with any muscle on their upper body?