Losing a stone

McSwaggerty

Don't over complicate things - forget all fad diets, 5 :2 diets, calorie counting, exercise routines etc - in the long term they don't work because you tire of them.

If you want to lose weight - eat less crap and get out for a brisk walk. Its really that simple.

TheMarlin

Look into Low Carb High Fat. Works very well.   Also, intermittent fasting. 5:2 diet...

Dopesick

I've been doing intermittent fasting for nearly a fortnight (1pm til 9pm) and starting meal preps so I don't end up eating too much. The IF is absolute piece of piss - it helps that I'm not a big morning eater anyway but after dinner at 7pm I don't feel hungry at all. Meal prepping is an excellent method as you plan for the week ahead for lunch/supper - this week I'm doing up four lots of chicken fried rice to last me until Thursday. Then something else next week. I checked over the weekend and lost about 5lb so that's a start.

meltedbuzzbox

I've moved to intermittent fasting. Just done one week. 
I am doing it with a pretty hefty weights schedule. I am finding I am absolutely ravenous when I break fast, literally as soon as the food hits my stomach it feels like there are piranhas in my gut. 
Does any else find the hunger cravings are worse when you can eat in the 8 hour window?

ToneControl

you don't need to exercise, just eat less
build new habits, the obvious: stop buying takeaways, no sweets/choc as treats, etc

small amounts of exercise will not really affect your weight. they will affect health and posture.

Grunfeld

meltedbuzzbox said:

I've moved to intermittent fasting. Just done one week. 
I am doing it with a pretty hefty weights schedule....
Does any else find the hunger cravings are worse when you can eat in the 8 hour window?

Type of food definitely makes a huge difference to my feelings of hunger.

It's an old story but carbs, especially refined carbs, really drive hunger whereas fats and proteins don't.

So filling the gap with bread, rice, pasta, potato just drives hunger like crazy.  Satisfied then need more!

However, I have no idea what impact a heavy weight training routine would make on all that.

meltedbuzzbox

ToneControl said:

you don't need to exercise, just eat less
build new habits, the obvious: stop buying takeaways, no sweets/choc as treats, etc

small amounts of exercise will not really affect your weight. they will affect health and posture.

I want to exercise and saying you don't need it is a bit daft. 
The way the human body responds to exercise shows that we do need it. We aren't made for sitting on our arses all day. 

@Grunfield I am steering clear of bread, pasta, chips and generally crap. I do have a small bit of basmati with an evening meal to help with recovery (glycogen and other jazz I dont fully understand). 
Initially I was eating every 3 to 5 hours per my programmes recommendation, small regular meals which was fine, I tended to only eat three meals a day. 
I will persevere and see if it settles this week. 

MattBanshee

ToneControl said:

you don't need to exercise, just eat less
build new habits, the obvious: stop buying takeaways, no sweets/choc as treats, etc

small amounts of exercise will not really affect your weight. they will affect health and posture.

Doing 20 mins run and 20 mins bike at the gym should burn around 500kcal. If you do this 3 times a week, then that is equivalent to about a pound weight loss every fortnight, even without any diet change. Cut down on 300kcal intake per day and you're now losing a pound a week. It really does help when combined with good diet. It won't help if you're going to the pub straight after.

Snap

there is nothing wrong with carbs. this low carb thing is a myth, and its not good for you. The thing to watch is what kid of carbs you eat. They need to be unrefined. Carbs from wholemeal pasta, rice & bread are slow to digest and keep you satisfied. You need them in your diet along with fat and protein. This is about keeping your gut healthy and reducing the risks of cancer and other long term conditions.

Also, its good to keep your metabolism stimulated - little and often, and also spicy and astringent foods. There is a good bady of research to show that actually increasing your intake of fat (alongside exercise program) will increase your fat burn rate. It makes sense - its like putting logs on a fire.

In terms of fat burning cardio is not as effective as large muscle and whole body exercising. You are better off doing a combination of both, but on separate days. So, you could have a regime like this:

a day doing large muscle group and compound exercises = squats, deadlifts, reverse wood chops, lats - doing three sets of 6 or 8 reps of a heavy weight, for around 30 minutes in total.

A day doing circuits - plenty of core work, burpees, kettle bell swings

A day doing cardio like rowing, with your hear rate at 65-75% of maximum (max being 220 minus your age) for 30 minutes.

If you are doing exercises that involve many muscles at once, you burn a lot more calories, and it continues way after the workout.

its important to keep the exercise types on separate days. A mistake commonly made is to combine a cardio session with a weights session - not the most effective.

You should also mix up the routine, so your body (and mind) doesn't get into a rut. Change is good.

Diet is simple - eat fresh, don't pig out. Water. Enjoy treats. Chill the heck out too. If not releaxed and content with it, you will stop doing it. Life is for living, not beating yourself up cos you have a gut.

Honestly, I know this stuff well. I know I can go on about it, but it works. I do this stuff, its got me to 49 year old, 67-9 kg, 10-12% body fat and I've been like this (with a few blips) since I was 20. It does work and its not hard work. You've also got to accept that your weight can fluctuate day to day depending on your water content, if you have been for a dump, etc etc.

There's some good stiff in this thread, showing that small changes and good sense can make big differences.

Easy to get obsessed and depressed, but IMO its just about being sensible and understanding that your body is something that needs looking after, an not stuffing with crap. And once you stop eating the crap, you realise that actually, it doesn't even taste that good!

Beer is great though.

Snap

This is a good read

http://www.menshealth.co.uk/lose-weight/9-things-you-didnt-know-about-losing-weight1?utm_source=crm&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MNH_N_20180821_usethis&utm_content=na&utm_term=na&HearstNode=7010BE33A2D1A7F9749BBE1EC91CB4ECCC2AE0E7B05DE023DF894F5AB512560D

Grunfeld

Snap said:

there is nothing wrong with carbs. this low carb thing is a myth, and its not good for you. The thing to watch is what kid of carbs you eat. They need to be unrefined.

There's a nuance to this:  diabetes. 

Here's my current understanding of it:

The adoption of a low carb diet will make a significant impact on blood glucose. 

Obviously it's not something to go at half-cocked; it's a non-trivial condition.  Understanding is essential.

It's also an idea which runs counter to some versions of orthodoxy, and it may not be free of other issues.  

However, for diabetics, a low carb diet is a workable way to help maintain blood glucose within normal range. 

And keeping blood glucose within normal range is a good thing and definitely good for you.

EDIT -- coincidentally just read a new paper on this tonight.  Not bad at all.