How to lose weight the right way?

[Fandango]

Hi, I weigh 211 pounds and am 6'0. My BMR is 2,153. Is the BMR the amount of calories you burn doing nothing?


I find that hard to believe that I burn 2,153 calories with-out exercise.


I am trying to lose 2 lbs of fat a week, but I heard for the first two weeks, you can lose up to 10 pounds of water weight?

Anyone with the answers or even a general weight loss plan would be nice.

I am currently exercising 60 minutes a day, with 20 minutes of treadmill going 5 mph and then 20 minutes of biking and then swimming 20 minutes with breaks.

Thanks

 

[LuckyR]

A couple of things: what is your age and was the BMR calculated or measured?

 

[tennisplayer1993]

eating healthy, exercise. was surprised this morning that i lost 5-8 pounds this week

 

[r2473]

How to lose weight the right way

Don't think of it as "losing weight". It's more like "misplacing weight".

You'll "find" it later

 

[Povl Carstensen]

Anyone with the answers or even a general weight loss plan would be nice.

I suggest you look intio a general eating plan instead. So that you change your way of eating for good, instead of for a period. Look at your current way of eating, what are you overdoing? Carbs is a good place to start imo, but of course r2473 can chime in also.

 

[floridatennisdude]

Diet is everything as far as losing "weight". The minimal amounts of calories that you burn exercising are easily offset by excess calories. Excercise is good for cardiovascular health in general. Weight training will add mass, but good mass as muscle consumes fats and carbs quicker than fat.

2153 doesn't sound off, but it does depend on age. That is low for a 16 y/o male, but high for an 80 y/o woman.

Simplest thing...consume less calories than you burn. Read labels and follow portion sizes. Weight Watchers has made billions off this basic formula.

Diet ideas:
Drink water instead of soda
Eat a fruit cup instead of French fries
Don't use salad dressing, vinegar & oil doesn't taste bad
Fish instead of beef
Hold the mayo, choose mustard instead
Cream soups bad, broth soups good

Other tips:
Eat small snacks to avoid gorging at your next meal
Drink a glass of water at your first hunger pain and before a meal
Treat yourself once a week to dessert within moderation
If you say you're going to excercise, do it
Skinny people don't eat at buffets

 

[Fandango]

A couple of things: what is your age and was the BMR calculated or measured?

my age is 21 and the BMR was calculated.

 

[LeeD]

Try some exercise, seriously.
I"m 63, ride my bike 2 hours straight (27+ miles) usually 3 days a week.
Play tennis twice a week for 2 hours, or 4 sets of doubles. 2 close singles sets tire me out enough so I can't ..... windsurf 2 hours a day, 5 days a week.
In the mornings, I am currently sheetrocking and smooth walling the house I"m at, usually 2 hours a day. Average day, mudding consists of 6 pans of mud, 8 lbs each, that get's applied by a trowell 4oz at a time, using as much energy as playing half of set of singles.
Then I gotta sand the walls and the ceilings. Try sanding the ceilings for 1/2 an hour, that's gotta be easy 800 calories alone.

 

[USERNAME]

If you have access to a gym or weights, lifting will help to remold your body over time. Of course diet is a monumental part of getting into shape, eat lean meats, veggies, some fruit, and a solid carb (sweet potato, multi grain rice are my go-to) plus drink lots of good ol' water! Control carbs and fats (do NOT eliminate or scale back heavily) and get in clean foods high in fiber to control appetite. If no gym, !CARDIO! with body weight exercises, pullups, pushups, and dips are great. Eat good whole foods and exercise, losing weight is simple!

 

[jaggy]

Count calories and you may be surprised where you can cut down.

 

[floridatennisdude]

Try some exercise, seriously.
I"m 63, ride my bike 2 hours straight (27+ miles) usually 3 days a week.
Play tennis twice a week for 2 hours, or 4 sets of doubles. 2 close singles sets tire me out enough so I can't ..... windsurf 2 hours a day, 5 days a week.
In the mornings, I am currently sheetrocking and smooth walling the house I"m at, usually 2 hours a day. Average day, mudding consists of 6 pans of mud, 8 lbs each, that get's applied by a trowell 4oz at a time, using as much energy as playing half of set of singles.
Then I gotta sand the walls and the ceilings. Try sanding the ceilings for 1/2 an hour, that's gotta be easy 800 calories alone.

All this work to burn calories is crushed by a trip to KFC. Excercise doesn't have nearly as much to do with shedding weight as reducing caloric intake does. It just makes you look and feel better.

 

[Alchemy-Z]

Your Liver is the best Fat burning organ in your body. Healthy liver = fat burning furnace.

So cut back on Alcohol -it's not called a beer belly for nothing.
also processed foods high in preservatives try to eat fresh or organic when possible.


Early morning exercise will also help kick start your metabolism for the day.

 

[floridatennisdude]

Early morning exercise will also help kick start your metabolism for the day.

Many disputed studies on this. I say it's a myth. Excercise on an empty stomach generally forces your body to use proteins instead of fats and carbs.

I tend to excercise best about 2-3 hours after a meal. Doesn't matter which one.

 

[r2473]

Many disputed studies on this. I say it's a myth. Excercise on an empty stomach generally forces your body to use proteins instead of fats and carbs.

I tend to excercise best about 2-3 hours after a meal. Doesn't matter which one.

I'd bet that's a myth too (of course, most of our beliefs are probably myths, so this one is as good as any I suppose).

 

[Power Player]

Cutting carbs down very low for the first week or 2 during a diet really can help you "reset" IMO. It is working well for me. Im still running and playing tennis on a 20 gram a day intake. I would not suggest it as a permanent diet.

 

[floridatennisdude]

I'd bet that's a myth too (of course, most of our beliefs are probably myths, so this one is as good as any I suppose).

Strength and Conditioning Journal, feb 2011. Could be myth, but it's got some scientific evidence supporting it. But yes, a lot of myths as to the inner workings of our unique bodies.

 

[LuckyR]

my age is 21 and the BMR was calculated.

I suspected as much (as measuring it usually is only able to be done in a research setting). Having said that I would not necessarily believe the calculated number since it is not specific to you.

The good news is that because of your young age, you can likely get the weight off (the easy part) and keep it off (the hard part).

You are only doing aerobics, I would add every other day weight work. More importantly for the long haul I would cut out the crazy ridiculous foods, trim the total calorie count a very modest amount, add the fruits/veggies (as a lifestyle thing, not for quick weight loss) and temporarily limit your carbs (just to jumpstart your weight loss, not for a long term lifestyle change).

 

[Itagaki]

Cutting carbs down very low for the first week or 2 during a diet really can help you "reset" IMO. It is working well for me. Im still running and playing tennis on a 20 gram a day intake. I would not suggest it as a permanent diet.

A diet like that with a weekly cheat night(in which you destroy yourself with carbs) is a pretty effective fat loss diet.

Run 10 days ultra low carb, on the night of the 10th day for about 6 hours, eat as many carbs as you want (or can handle), then every week repeat (at least 5 days in between refeeds)

 

[Power Player]

ahh...pizza...my cheat food.

I havent cheated yet..I should, but I just cant do it.

 

[Itagaki]

ahh...pizza...my cheat food.

I havent cheated yet..I should, but I just cant do it.

If you've gone more than 10 days under 20g, I HIGHLY recommend you do so. Don't think of it as cheating so much as refueling.

A good way to keep that mentality is to vastly overdue it. The night should start out great eating the food you love. By the time that cheat window closes though, you should pretty much hate yourself.

I like to go for at least 500-600 grams of Carbs like this, and it is not fun.


Going ultra low carb for an extended period of time raises your insulin sensitivity (since you'll have very few insulin spikes due to lack of carbs) and depletes your glycogen store, so take advantage of it. It also makes such diets more sustainable, and more effective really.

From a performance perspective, it's important to replenish glycogen

 

[Itagaki]

Btw Power Player, if you really want to make that cheat night useful. Lift heavy just before it.

Lift say 4-6 (or however long you lift for) and then splurge. The next day your muscles will probably look full and awesome

 

[Power Player]

Ok I will probably do it once this weekend then.

 

[DrpShot!]

No white bread, no white rice, no pasta, no white flour based anything. Do eat carbs though, lots of fruits and veggies (not fruit juice). The body doesn't store those sugars, it uses most of them to break down the fiber in those foods.

Exercise every other day if you can. Do a 10 minute dynamic warmup with something like jumping jacks, jump rope, russian marches, etc, then do HIIT (high intensity interval training) for 20 to 30 minutes on a bike, running, swimming, kettle balls, etc. HIIT doesn't mean going all out for 2 min then sitting down for 3 min, google HIIT. Then do 30 to 40 min of low intensity activity. Doing HIIT before lower intensity work is supposed to burn through the most body fat.

 

[floridatennisdude]

I don't know why it's bugging me, just like shows like Biggest Loser do, but all this advice on extreme workouts for this kid is maddening. His question was how to lose weight, not to be a pro athlete.

Tips in regards to diet and caloric intake reduction make sense. Knowledge of food choices makes for good advice. Finding ways to squash an appetite with low calorie options makes sense.

Telling an existing tennis player who needs to lose 15 pounds to start a HIIT workout is just silly. If he wants to play at a high level, there may be some merit to this type of advice.

Being generally active every day is great, but it's just bad advice to tell someone that a rigorous workout routine is the key to "losing weight the right way". It has no lasting power. and the minimal return for excess caloric burn can be immediately offset by a scoop of ice cream.

Anyone that suggests excessive workouts as the key to losing weight is either delusional or they are a personal trainer trying to sell their services.

 

[Power Player]

But HIIT is a workout used by tons and tons of tennis players. TW just posted a blog with their HIIT tennis workout in it.

It is an excellent way to burn fat. Maybe the best when combined with weightlifting.

 

[chess9]

Diets fail, lifestyle changes can succeed.

You know what to eat and not to eat, probably. And you know how much to eat. The problem is the messages for junk food many of us succumb to.

Do not try to lose a lot of weight over a short period. You will end up dehydrated and may lose muscle.

 

[floridatennisdude]

But HIIT is a workout used by tons and tons of tennis players. TW just posted a blog with their HIIT tennis workout in it.

It is an excellent way to burn fat. Maybe the best when combined with weightlifting.

It's a good fitness routine, it's weight loss claims are mixed. Mostly because participants give it up and consume more.

 

[LeeD]

Should we all look at this 21 year old's workout routine currently?
About equal to a handicapped 60 year old's.
The only way he can lose weight with his workout routine is to go to a concentration camp that doesn't feed him for a month.

 

[floridatennisdude]

Lee, aren't you a self described 63 y/o, 5'9, 145lb man with a spare tire around the mid section that works out constantly?

How's all that working out doing for the spare tire?

Tried eating less/smarter? Or just convinced that the mid section will flatten itself on being active?

You seem like a good guy and I'm not knocking your lifestyle. It's healthy. I just don't agree that a long term solution for this kid is killer workouts. Every workout DVD on the market comes with a diet regime to follow. There is a reason for that.

 

[mctennis]

I have to actually agree with floridatennisdude. The killer workouts are not going to do it for him. Diet, eat what is good for your body and not what is convenient at the moment to eat ( fast food, junk food, etc.). Timing of your eating, periods between food intake, etc., all play a factor in this. Perhaps see a nutritionist.

 

[spacediver]

cut out ALL junk and processed foods.

Stop eating out so much.

Cook/prepare your own food.

Exercise portion control, but don't starve yourself at all. Learn to tell the difference between cravings and a genuine need for food energy.

Limit/eliminate soda, fruit juice, alcohol. No overly sweet stuff - the sweetest stuff you should be eating (and in moderation) are things like peaches, plums, and dark chocolate (70% cocoa or higher).

Limit/avoid grains, especially refined ones such as white flour.

Don't be afraid to have a moderate amount of animal fats and other saturated fats such as coconut oil. These are healthy and are great at keeping you full without overloading you with calories.

Many people report very good results with carb restriction - if you're gonna eat carbs, get it from sources like potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams and other tubers, vegetables and fruits.

Don't fear dietary fat/cholesterol.

Eggs, avocados, pastured animal products (e.g. grass fed beef), wild caught seafood (avoid crap like tilapia - get real fishy fish that have good fatty acid profiles), and coconut oil are all great sources of fat and fat soluble nutrients. Many of them are also excellent sources of protein. Sea vegetables (dulce, kelp, etc), and organ meats such as liver are also excellent nutrient dense sources.

Avoid seed oils such as corn, canola, soybean, sunflower, etc. Embrace olive oil (make sure it's cold pressed extra virgin and not adulterated), coconut oil, lard and tallow (the latter two from pastured animals if possible) and pastured butter.

Macadamia nuts are great.

If you can tolerate dairy, then enjoy it in moderation.

Instead of wasting your time with chronic cardio, experiment with high intensity interval training twice a week. Lift heavy weights a couple times a week also.

 

[LeeD]

You guys don't think he should EXERCISE a little more than an injured 66 year old?

 

[TCF]

====================================================

 

[floridatennisdude]

You guys don't think he should EXERCISE a little more than an injured 66 year old?

The amount of excercise only matters if the diet plan is taking those burned calories into account. If you burn off 1000 and eat an extra 1200 calories, you're going to gain weight.

Like I said, every workout DVD comes with diet recommendations. It doesn't matter if you train like an Olympic swimmer if you eat like Kobiyashi.

You don't lose weight in the gym. You lose it at the table.

 

[Alchemy-Z]

Many disputed studies on this. I say it's a myth. Excercise on an empty stomach generally forces your body to use proteins instead of fats and carbs.

I tend to excercise best about 2-3 hours after a meal. Doesn't matter which one.

Well I'm used to Army PT first chow later

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

While low-carb diet can temporarily produce some weight loss, extended periods of ketosis might not be the healthiest approach. Athletes typically need more carbs, not less. Cutting back on added sugars (such as sucrose and HFCS) is a good idea but cutting back on all carbs is not necessarily the best idea.

Is the low-carb diet fad dead yet? I thought we got past that some years back already.

Diets fail, lifestyle changes can succeed.

You know what to eat and not to eat, probably. And you know how much to eat. The problem is the messages for junk food many of us succumb to.

Do not try to lose a lot of weight over a short period. You will end up dehydrated and may lose muscle.

Welcome back, chess9. It's been like 2.5 yrs since we've heard from you, hasn't it? How's the health? BTW, good advice.

 

[Delano]

I find it very easy to believe that a 6 foot man who weighs 211lbs would burn over 2,000 cal a day without exercising. And if you do exercise a lot, this would go way, way up.

It's an important thing to know and work with. I was part of a three month fitness program where counselors helped us out with exercise and diet. I was in a situation similar to yours in terms of height, weight, and exercise level. My previous attempts at dieting had failed badly after a few days. The reason was that I was calorie restricting far too much because I didn't understand what I was burning. I was trying to keep my calorie consumption under 2k a day while increasing my workouts. My trainer told me that I was probably burning 3,500 a day and that I was creating a 1,500 cal/day deficit when I should really be shooting for at most 1,000 and maybe even 500. No wonder that by day 3 I was blowing my diet completely. When I balanced things out more, I was much better at sticking with it and managed to maintain a slower but very steady weight loss.

I'm going to agree that 211lbs at 6ft is a little too heavy for tennis even if your bf% is low, so I understand that you'd want to lose some weight. But have you done a bf% measurement? If you're already somewhat fit, 2lbs a week may be the outer limit for how much you can lose while maintaining your current level of athletic performance. You may be a better candidate for "slow and steady" - maybe even only shooting for 1lb a week. You don't sound like someone who should be going for rapid weight loss.

It's a lot of effort, but estimating what you burn, and planning calorie consumption to make sure that you don't fall too far below this really worked for me.

Good luck!

 

[r2473]

My previous attempts at dieting had failed badly after a few days. The reason was that I was calorie restricting far too much

This is one of the "secrets" to weightloss I had to learn the hard way too.

 

[Povl Carstensen]

While low-carb diet can temporarily produce some weight loss, extended periods of ketosis might not be the healthiest approach. Athletes typically need more carbs, not less. Cutting back on added sugars (such as sucrose and HFCS) is a good idea but cutting back on all carbs is not necessarily the best idea.

Is the low-carb diet fad dead yet? I thought we got past that some years back already.



Welcome back, chess9. It's been like 2.5 yrs since we've heard from you, hasn't it? How's the health? BTW, good advice.

Cutting exess carb eating has been a good lifestyle change for me both concerning energy level and weight control.

 

[charliefedererer]

Diets fail, lifestyle changes can succeed.

You know what to eat and not to eat, probably. And you know how much to eat. The problem is the messages for junk food many of us succumb to.

Do not try to lose a lot of weight over a short period. You will end up dehydrated and may lose muscle.

Robert,

You have been missed.

I hope you are well.
_______________
"I had a lover's quarrel with the world." - Frost

 

[KenC]

From what I understand, extreme dieting just tells the body to go into "starvation mode" and it automatically reduces metabolism to its minimum and preserves its energy rich fat and instead prioritizes the burning of glycogen and protein. The body has a store of excess protein that can be burned and then it starts on muscle. This is why people who just diet end up putting on even more fat when they stop the diet.

Keeping a constant caloric intake and then doing a program of rigorous exercise tells the body to go into "extreme activity mode" and raise the metabolism and burn through glycogen and fat while preserving protein. This is why we never see fat marathon runners.

If you do reduce your caloric intake do it very gradually while upping the activity so that you avoid starvation mode. With a gradual drop in caloric intake the body will burn through glycogen, protein and fat all together in some ratio. The more activity you do helps preserve muscle mass and increases glycogen stores while losing fat.