[alpha1]

Originally Posted by Simple_car

There is no substitute to exercise for losing weight (for a average person). Diet et all can only take you so much. The best documented results for losing weight have always been observed in trials where the subjects were allowed to eat their regular diet, but they were introduced to various forms of exercise (as per their or the researchers convenience; depending on the trial).

Actually magikrider is right. Body fat levels are result of ONLY two factors:
1. Metabolic rate - this is purely genetic. Some people stay lean whatever they eat, some people grow fat simply by smelling french fries. You have no control over this, regardless of crap that people tell (= increasing lean body mass = higher metabolism) which is absolutely insignificant.

2. Caloric balance - Calories eaten and drunk - Calories expended in your daily lives. THIS is absolutely under anyone's control. No amount of exercise can compensate your lousy metabolism. You simply HAVE to reduce your food and beverage intake.

Come to think of numbers here (all are approximate and with reference to my memory).
Average person has BMR of 1500 to 2000 kcal per day. This means energy required to survive. This is the energy that is being consumed by internal organs, brain, pumping blood, maintaining osmotic pressure profile inside cells.

Average person's active lifestyle consumes about 500 kcal per day more.
How much more do you think 1-2 hours of exercise will increase this figure to? Let me guess - about 100-200 kcal more. Unless you suggest getting into manual labor work where you may end up expending 1000 kcal over a shift of 10 hours.

Now lets come to the lean body crap being doled over internet and gyms world over. 1 kg of muscle expends about 15 kcal per day.
A genetic normal person without use of steroids or insulin will put on maximum of 10 kg of pure muscle over a period of 5 years. How much increase in metabolism will that lead to? Roughly 150 kcal per day.

[noopster]

Originally Posted by alpha1

Average person's active lifestyle consumes about 500 kcal per day more.
How much more do you think 1-2 hours of exercise will increase this figure to? Let me guess - about 100-200 kcal more.

True but regular exercise also stimulates your metabolic system and keeps you burning calories throughout the day. Interval training is said to be especially good for this. In short the benefits of the exercise go beyond what calories you burn during the exercise.
There are psychological factors at play as well. When I exercise regularly I am more conscious of what I put in my mouth. Plus it takes up 2 hours of my day (including the prep time, shower after etc.) that would normally be spent in some sedentary pursuit like reading or watching TV that makes me prone to eat more.

Incidentally a respected dietician I consulted (who has a PhD in Nutrition) told me that weight management is 70% diet and 30% exercise. Basically you can lose weight solely by diet control but if you want more energy, shape and form, you need to combine it with aerobic and anaerobic exercise. Not to mention you feel absolutely great after exercise, compared to a "run-down" feeling attributable to pure dieting.

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by noopster

There are psychological factors at play as well. When I exercise regularly I am more conscious of what I put in my mouth.

This is a very valid point, and something that drives us towards a healthier diet: When you bust your guts out burning an estimated 100-200 calories on an activity/machine of your choice, you'll think twice before ordering whipped cream with your coffee; knowing that topping just reintroduces twice the amount you burnt.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by noopster

True but regular exercise also stimulates your metabolic system and keeps you burning calories throughout the day.

+1 on the 70/30 part. Exercise/workout I think helps more for weight distribution and for main for sports. Along with it also helps keep up the metabolic levels.

Originally Posted by arunphilip

you'll think twice before ordering whipped cream with your coffee; knowing that topping just reintroduces twice the amount you burnt.

I am now addicted to black coffee!

Jokes apart, what you say is very true. The other point to add is some how make your workout a happy affair and also a repeatable one.

[magikrider]

Originally Posted by Simple_car

This! Get this thing out of your head. Any wise doctor or sage will tell you that the best way to lose weight is to exercise and eat as per your needs (i.e. avoid over-eating. No harm in eating your normal daily food!)

There is no substitute to exercise for losing weight (for a average person). Diet et all can only take you so much. The best documented results for losing weight have always been observed in trials where the subjects were allowed to eat their regular diet, but they were introduced to various forms of exercise (as per their or the researchers convenience; depending on the trial).

Happy for you that you are losing weight, but kindly refrain from advising others that losing weight is 80% diet. Keep eating your regular meals. Avoid the junk in b/w.

By dieting I did not mean starve yourself so you don't need to workout and take a easier route to losing weight! That's why I clearly said, take a professional help. You need to consult a good dietitian who will design your customized program based on your body type and health condition.

I do not starve at all, but I eat healthy. I eat fruits, salads, veggies and even nuts, which are usually counted as high calorie food, everyday, which I did not do before. You need to substitute your source of calories. I eat a handful of almonds and a few walnuts twice everyday, which are good calories. Your body need calories to burn calories and fat. You can't starve or go on too low calorie diet because then your body will think it's not going to get enough and will go on a storing mode, where it will preserve what it has and hence you will not lose weight. I have seen people who have eaten just salads and fruits for an entire month and still not lost any weight! So you can't just cut down things randomly and expect to lose any weight.

What I meant by dieting is start eating healthy and then work out and you will see results guaranteed. I am allowed to eat unlimited salads, veggies, soups too. I have limited my carb intake and am also off all junk food. Even protein intake should be limited. Too much protein is also bad for health and losing weight. I take dals and pulses for protein, as I am vegetarian. In fact a good dietitian will also not tell you to stop oil completely and eat boiled stuff. That's wrong too. Your body needs oil too, which I am currently getting from nuts more so. I eat 5-6 meals a day. That's healthy eating.

As for eating what you need and then working out is concerned, I did that too. There was a time when I worked out like crazy, almost to pro level. Used to do an hour of cardio which included treadmill and cross trainer, and then did weight training for 1-1.5 hours. That too with some serious weights! Used to spend around 2-3 hours in the gym everyday! It was like a bootcamp workout and after doing all this for few months, I hardly lost anything - couple of inches at max. No weight loss though and that time I was eating less carbs and high protein. But the diet was not right, hence hardly any results! Any good trainer and health expert will also say that it's 80% diet and 20% working out! By diet I mean eating healthy and the right thing! Once you eat healthy, you will see good results with the same amount of exercise. Also you need to avoid heavy weights when losing weight. Instead do more reps per set. That will help in toning and losing weight. When you use heavy weights, you bulk up and won't see much weight loss. I did that mistake so I know. This time in fact I have just stuck to walking / jogging till now. Now that I have lost some good weight, I am thinking of joining a gym for toning up.

[noopster]

^^ Actually once you get used to having stuff without sugar, you wonder why you ever added it in the first place. Tea especially tastes strange to me sweet now! It's a simple life hack that prevents you from consuming empty calories.

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by magikrider

I hardly lost anything. couple of inches at max. no weight loss though.

While you are on the right track, remember that what you did lose based on the above quote is extremely hard to do - losing fat while gaining muscle. That is if your couple of inches loss was on the waistline measurement. The muscle gain compensated resulting in no overall weight loss. Again, losing 2 inches on the waist line with no loss of weight is some thing few people are able to achieve.
Weight loss is a lot easier to do, but if you lose fat and muscle, you are worse off from where you started.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by noopster

True but regular exercise also stimulates your metabolic system and keeps you burning calories throughout the day.
There are psychological factors at play as well. When I exercise regularly I am more conscious of what I put in my mouth.
Plus it takes up 2 hours of my day (including the prep time, shower after etc.) that would normally be spent in some sedentary pursuit like reading or watching TV that makes me prone to eat more.

Those are three very very valid points, specially the one about work out taking up time which you would otherwise spend watching TV or worse (in my case) on munching

Originally Posted by noopster

^^ Actually once you get used to having stuff without sugar, you wonder why you ever added it in the first place. Tea especially tastes strange to me sweet now! It's a simple life hack that prevents you from consuming empty calories.

Have you tried Stevia? If you ever need something to ruin the taste, then that is it!

[ampere]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Have you tried Stevia? If you ever need something to ruin the taste, then that is it!

I have forgotten sugar for last 5-6 years. Initially tried no sugar for kicks and later realised coffee actually tasted good! Now its only black coffee and no sugar.

Now the case is, if I order an espresso in a cafe, the guy tries to tell me twice... sir its only decoction! I think concept of a black coffee is still not that prevalent yet.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by ampere

I have forgotten sugar for last 5-6 years. Initially tried no sugar for kicks and later realised coffee actually tasted good! Now its only black coffee and no sugar.

Now the case is, if I order an espresso in a cafe, the guy tries to tell me twice... sir its only decoction! I think concept of a black coffee is still not that prevalent yet.

LOL I know what you mean because my dad also drinks black coffee. At some restaurants, he has to go into deep detail about where exactly in the coffee making process they need to stop and just get him what they have. It's funny

Anyway, Stevia is supposed to be 0 calorie AND 0 carb. And 100% bad taste if you ask me! I'd rather take my 1 tea spoon sugar for the day.

[magikrider]

Originally Posted by noopster

^^ Actually once you get used to having stuff without sugar, you wonder why you ever added it in the first place. Tea especially tastes strange to me sweet now! It's a simple life hack that prevents you from consuming empty calories.

True. Now even when I cheat and have some dessert or cake, I feel too heavy and think what just I put in my stomach and how will I digest this heavy stuff! The body is used to eating natural foods more now since. Same goes with junk food. I can mostly avoid junk even if its kept infront of me now! Dont feel also like having it. So slowly slowly you form a habit of eating healthy food only.

Originally Posted by Sawyer

While you are on the right track, remember that what you did lose based on the above quote is extremely hard to do - losing fat while gaining muscle. That is if your couple of inches loss was on the waistline measurement. The muscle gain compensated resulting in no overall weight loss. Again, losing 2 inches on the waist line with no loss of weight is some thing few people are able to achieve.
Weight loss is a lot easier to do, but if you lose fat and muscle, you are worse off from where you started.

I know its really good if you can gain enough muscle to compensate for fat loss that there is no actual weight loss seen. But that procedure demands very high intensity work out which you cannot continue for a longer duration. Its almost as if you are preparing for a contest! Also you bulk up even more as there is muscle along with the excess fat! So its better that you follow a proper diet and exercise or even walk/jog regularly for losing weight. and once you have lost enough weight, start toning up using light weights first and increasing gradually. any form of exercise is good, but you also need to follow the right diet in order to lose weight. This is what any good trainer will also suggest you.

[Samurai]

Feed your inner bacteria right, to lose weight.

http://www.naturalnews.com/046618_gu...ebiotics.html#

[noopster]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Have you tried Stevia? If you ever need something to ruin the taste, then that is it!

Not after watching Breaking Bad, no way!

Originally Posted by magikrider

I know its really good if you can gain enough muscle to compensate for fat loss that there is no actual weight loss seen. But that procedure demands very high intensity work out which you cannot continue for a longer duration.

Actually that is not how I have observed it works. In my case at least the weight loss is rapid in the first couple of weeks. Then the rate of weight loss drops as the low-hanging fruit (water weight and excess fat loss) are consumed. After a while, the same exercise does nothing to drop weight further so either the diet needs to change or the exercise regimen. There may even be a slight increase in weight thanks to muscle build-up. Beyond this is a long, painful plateau. Once you plow through that (could take weeks) you will continue to drop weight, though at a significantly less rate than before. The good thing is you have more energy so you are able to exercise even more. THis is around the time you hit your target weight. Move to maintenance mode then; because if you get complacent, you will start piling on the pounds SLOWLY and before you know it, are back to square one.

Trust me, have been there at least 3 times in my life now!

[magikrider]

Originally Posted by noopster

Not after watching Breaking Bad, no way!


Actually that is not how I have observed it works. In my case at least the weight loss is rapid in the first couple of weeks. Then the rate of weight loss drops as the low-hanging fruit (water weight and excess fat loss) are consumed. After a while, the same exercise does nothing to drop weight further so either the diet needs to change or the exercise regimen. There may even be a slight increase in weight thanks to muscle build-up. Beyond this is a long, painful plateau. Once you plow through that (could take weeks) you will continue to drop weight, though at a significantly less rate than before. The good thing is you have more energy so you are able to exercise even more. THis is around the time you hit your target weight. Move to maintenance mode then; because if you get complacent, you will start piling on the pounds SLOWLY and before you know it, are back to square one.

Trust me, have been there at least 3 times in my life now!

In my case the weight loss is very slow. the muscle gain is fast comparatively so the loss in weight is not seen as its compensated by the gain in muscle weight. and yeah if you leave in between, weight gain is inevitable, as its happened with me many times!

[Accent Martin]

Those of you who hit the gym, please ensure your trainers know physiotherapy. This is very important as only a proper physiotherapist will be able to access your muscle and tissue strength to do exercises. Your trainer might tell you ' come on, you can do it, one more come on. ' But instead of reducing your abs, you might have injured your back.
From what i heard, Good gyms like Gold's and Talwalkar's will have physiotherapists

Lean is in!