Help With Weight Loss

W

WeightMaintainer

New member
Hello Everyone,

First time poster :)

I am hoping I can get some insight on my struggle to lose some excess weight. I'm a 23 years old Male, 5'11" (on a good day, lol), and 220lbs. I'm really looking to lose a good 20-30 pounds, which is seemingly staying with me no matter what I have done. Hence my name- WeightMaintainer.

Some Background: I was always big as a kid, strength, size (weight), and height. Then I eventually leveled out and stopped growing. The only time I ever really lost weight was by not eating enough, for a year or so I was down at around 170lbs.. Soon as I started eating again it went back up, fast! Metabolism issue?

Things I have changed: For over a couple months now I've been working out at the gym. On average 4 days a week- doing cardio + weights. On cardio machines I'll "burn" anywhere from 500-800 calories in a workout. I feel better, but I'ts just not showing on the scale.

For the longest time I've always skipped breakfast, now I usually start the day off with a protein shake, followed by a mid morning snack (apple/bananna). Ive also made a solid effort to eat lunch every day (home made deli sandwich), I used to just work through lunch all the time. And for dinner I will usually have eggs, a tuna wrap, salad, or cereal.. I am not big on making real meals, which could be an issue for sure. Whats crazy for me, is I'm usually not even hungry through out the day.. And I am an active worker/active guy in general. I've also limited drinking to a couple nights a week at most.

I appreciate any help that is offered, and I'm sorry for torturing you all with such a long post :angel::rant:
 
Welcome to the forum :)

at first glance your eating looks ok but more detailed tracking would help pin down any specific problems, including macro's and total calories

for your exercise, is your cardio steady or HIIT ? and what are you doing for the rest of your workout ?
 
Honestly, I dont spend a lot of time keeping tracks of calories/macros I consime.. I always have my protein shake in the AM, (120 calories 20g protein 4g carbs) and usually an apple and or bananna mid morning/afternoon.

Generally I dont have lunch, I recently started having a sandwich for lunch but I dont feel like I'm craving it-or that it has helped my metabolism (which is why I started doing it)

Dinner is usually a chicken cabob salad w/some feta, ranch dressing. Or three egg omelet with cheese, a tuna wrap with pickles, or cereal. Im pretty plain and boring lol. Although I will cheat a little on maybe friday/saturday nighy.
 
I dont combine those dinner choices btw, I may have worded thay incorrectly.

I dont know what you mean by HIIT, but I generally do cardio everytime I go to the gym. I usually mix it up with treadmill, alyptical (dont know if I spelled that one right lol), bicycle, and row machine. I generally get at least 500 calories- up to 800. Sometimes I do some weight training, and I take another protein shake after my workout.

Thanks for the help :)
 
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HIIT is High Intensity Interval Training and it is more effective for fat burning than spending hours on a treadmill/bike/elliptical etc you will not only burn a heap of calories during the exercise you will also burn more calories afterwards.

as for food, it would be a good idea to track exactly what you eat for a couple of weeks just to get a better idea of where there may be any problems

For your weight training sessions, these are very important, as a young male I am sure your general appearance is probably more important than the actual weight on the scales. Yon need to be lifting heavy to maintain your muscle while you are trying to loose the fat. if you loose muscle the whole process becomes a lot harder.
 
Thanks for the help :)

I dont have any HIIT sessions going on at the gym that Im aware of. Do you have any programs you might recommend?

I can definitely start keeping better track of what Im consuming throught the day, I know calorie wise its somewhere in the 1500 range.

As for the weight training, I feel you are totally spot on with that. Im not looking to get huge, just maintain what I have.. I would rather be more lean muscle, than mass.. I dont feel that my body handles all the extra food/protein well, even with intense workouts. I think at about 190-200 pounds I will have slimmed down, but still be solid.. Which is what Im looking for. I dont think I ever wanna be 170 again lol
 
It is almost midnight for me here at the moment, I will get back to you with some suggestions tomorrow :)
 
I may be able to help.. sounds like you have a slow metabolism rather tan a fast one. And your calories seem to low. I do macros I'm 5'7 and 154lbs my calories at a 30% deficit are 1700. 200-220g carb 160-190g protein 20-40g fats (less than 20% of my daily intake) an easy way to work your calorie intake is 0.8cal per pound of body weight.
For protein synthesis to occur you need complex carbs that is the only way you are going to maintain muscle (l-argenine works well to help this) so basically fruits and veg carbs only as they have all the nutrients for P.S to take place.
To help your metabolism go high protein. As protein is hard to digest it causes your metabolic rate to "rev up" which in turn uses more energy. (Also increases protein synthesis) see where I'm going with this..haha.
So basically
More calories = your body works a little bit harder
More carb= you function better and train harder
More protein = your metabolism speeds up and you gain muscle.

I tried low carb and on further research it breaks down muscle before burning fat.

On this method In 3 weeks I've come down from 178lbs to 154lbs, gained strength and energy, I work out harder keeping a high intensity through out. 10-12 reps 4 sets last set till fail 20 sec rest periods, Cardio after. Hope this helps. Good luck!
 
Complete and utter BS

Protein is essential but it does not "rev up" the metabolism, more carbs does not mean a better workout, and low carb does not meanlow energy and it does not cause the loss of muscle.

The latest review of all major trials of low carb diets show improved weight AND improvement of all major risk factors for heart disease:


And an just a smple of studies for weight loss

Studies showing significantly more weight loss with low carb diets
  1. Shai I, et al. Weight loss with a low-carbohydrate, mediterranean, or low-fat diet. N Engl J Med 2008;359(3);229–41.
  2. Gardner CD, et al. Comparison of the Atkins, Zone, Ornish, and learn Diets for Change in Weight and Related Risk Factors Among Overweight Premenopausal Women. The a to z Weight Loss Study: A Randomized Trial. JAMA. 2007;297:969–977.
  3. Brehm BJ, et al. A Randomized Trial Comparing a Very Low Carbohydrate Diet and a Calorie-Restricted Low Fat Diet on Body Weight and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Healthy Women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2003;88:1617–1623.
  4. Samaha FF, et al. A Low-Carbohydrate as Compared with a Low-Fat Diet in Severe Obesity. N Engl J Med 2003;348:2074–81.
  5. Sondike SB, et al. Effects of a low-carbohydrate diet on weight loss and cardiovascular risk factor in overweight adolescents. J Pediatr. 2003 Mar;142(3):253–8.
  6. Aude YW, et al. The National Cholesterol Education Program Diet vs a Diet Lower in Carbohydrates and Higher in Protein and Monounsaturated Fat. A Randomized Trial. Arch Intern Med. 2004;164:2141–2146.
  7. Volek JS, et al. Comparison of energy-restricted very low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets on weight loss and body composition in overweight men and women. Nutrition & Metabolism 2004, 1:13.
  8. Yancy WS Jr, et al. A Low-Carbohydrate, Ketogenic Diet versus a Low-Fat Diet To Treat Obesity and Hyperlipidemia. A Randomized, Controlled Trial. Ann Intern Med. 2004;140:769–777.

And a long term study

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2716748/



As for muscle loss

Myth: Low carb diets cause muscle wasting.

In fact, low carb diets are better at preserving and even increasing lean muscle mass. In this study published in 1984, a team of scientists from MIT and Harvard studied two groups of overweight women. They put one group on a low carb diet, and the other group on a high carb diet. Each diet allowed 700 calories per day. Even with a severe caloric deficit, the greater percentage of protein consumed on the low carb diet and the effects of ketosis resulted in a greater retention of muscle mass for the subjects on the low carb diet. In other words, the subjects on the high carb diet lost more muscle mass because the carbs they were eating displaced some of the protein that would have helped them retain muscle mass.
 
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I'm not going to waste my time posting links against low carb there are hundreds of studies from hundreds of people.
If low carb diets are good for retaining mass then how come bodybuilders carb load in a bulking phase ??
How many pro athletes eat low carbs?

Of course protein holds well on low carb since most the calories you take in are proteins!

Low carb diets work by eating sat fats to lose fat? Fat + Fat =less fat? It's ridiculous.

Works great on sedimentary people because for each gram of carb your body needs 3g of water..no carb you loose water weight....drastically bit as they are sedimentary they don't need the energy . ketosis is toxic and breaks down muscle tissue for glycogen. Glycogen also increases brain function. So with your body becoming low on Glycogen it can cause all sorts of problems its not sustainable.

I think you have missed my point on this low carb thing..since you have been posting back to argue on everytime I've put it.
Look at the people I'm saying it to.. they are not drastically over weight, they work out and are active people looking for a healthy lean fat loss. Low carb will not benefit these people! Also coming from someone who trains athletes you should know this! I'm not saying cram in pasta rice and grains. Complex carbs, nutritious diet, high protein and low fat works easily together! It creates all the correct reactions to synthesise protien, heigten testosterone which teamed up with a low fat diet (30%) promotes lean muscle growth. Its sustainable! No binging. It's healthy.
 
Low carb does not equal high fat, quality muscle can and does get built on low carb, there is no need for a bulking phase as such, muscle can be built without a bulk phase and without the muscle loss associated with a cut phase.

as for athletes here are just a few

Ultramarathon Champion Timothy Olson
LA Lakers
professional cyclist Dave Zabriskie
The Australian Cricket Team
Norwegian Soccer team
Ben Saunders (ok, not specifically an athlete but treking to the south pole and back is athletic)
Novak Djokovic
IFBB Pro Lee Banks


http://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-9-34 Ketogenic diet does not affect strength performance in elite gymnasts
 
Under 10 athletes out of how many in the world? Exactly my point some people will flourish on low carb down to their genetics and dietary needs. A small portion. Along with a lot of supplements. You can get it all from eating a healthy balanced low fat diet. You may say there is no need for a bulk phase, but I'm sure every bodybuilder out their disagrees with you... bulk - cut - shread (pre comp). I'm sorry but you will not convince me of a low carb diet, it's impossible to get all your nutrients without supplementation, without carbs the amount of sat fats go through the rough because to hit the correct calorie amount the carbs have to be substituted.
It may work for you and those handful of athletes. That does not mean that the rest of the world is eating wrong or are ill informed. A healthy nutritious balanced diet will always be be the best thing for you. It promotes good health and well being because you are not cutting out a food group that gives you the correct vitamins and minerals for cell rejuvenation and growth without the need for supplementation. Simple carbs I agree are not needed I don't eat those. But high complex carb fruits and vegetables are essential for body function and maintenance.
If it works for you then great, more power to you. I wish you all the best. But for the majority who will "diet" to loose weight will occasionally binge and once the do that the weight comes flooding back because it confuses the metabolism and brings the body out of ketosis. That's what I mean by it not being sustainable. A healthy balanced nutritious diet is. That is all im saying.
 
I take a brief hiatus from the forum and I return to severe differences of opinion….this is interesting!!

Firstly, to the OP. Hello and welcome to the forum. I hope you find help, advice and experiences of others useful in allowing you to achieve your weight loss.

You’ve already received great advice from Trusylver, in suggesting that you incorporate HIIT into your training regime, as the activity exercises your anaerobic energy system, allowing you to burn fat and glucose at a considerably higher rate than steady state cardio. The activity also increases insulin sensitivity, meaning that the carbohydrate consumed 24-48 hours afterwards is used to replenish depleted glycogen reserves as opposed to being stored as fat.

You don’t need to attend HIIT classes either, since the activity can be performed upon any of the cardio machines you’ve mentioned. However, I’d opt for bike and treadmill over the other two pieces of equipment.

So long as you’re consuming sufficient calories to satisfy your BMR, whilst ensuring the deficit introduced from your TDEE doesn’t fall below your BMR (research BMR/TDEE calculators), you will lose weight. That said, based upon efforts in the gym, coupled with the fact that your profession requires you to be active, it’s possible that your daily intake isn’t sufficient enough to meet your energy requirements, hence why you’re not witnessing the progress you’d expect.

As you’ve no doubt witnessed, you could ask ten different people and no doubt receive ten different answers on how best to achieve weight loss. Regardless of which weight loss method/program you choose, they’re all based upon the same thing: achieving the correct energy balance, between units of energy (calories) consumed and those expended.

Concerning the differences of opinion, whilst everyone has their own way, some of the advice offered thus far is largely misguided, not least the suggestion that carbohydrate is needed for protein synthesis. It isn’t. Nor, does non-consumption of carbohydrate after cardio or resistance training lead to the breakdown of muscle.

Granted, I understand Daniel’s reason for suggesting that it does, based upon the argument he put forward for body builders adhering to bulking phases, since a belief exists that leucine (a chief branched chain amino acid) requires the presence of insulin to modulate protein synthesis. Again, studies have determined this not the case, at least not through carbohydrate supplementation alone.

Even on a diet relatively low in carbohydrate, the body still produces insulin in sufficient amounts, to allow leucine to moderate the synthesis of protein and to prevent the increased breakdown after exercise.

Whilst it has its uses for those who compete in body building contests, bulking and cutting for the wider population is a phenomenon that’s largely flawed.

The regular exerciser should simply be aiming for the repeated and progressive overload of the muscles, to ensure gains in size and strength, concentrating upon achieving a full and controlled range of movement throughout, while ensuring that their calorific intake sufficiently meets their level of endeavour.

As for L’ Arginine, whilst it can assist in the maintenance of muscle mass, as it’s a semi-essential amino acid (one the body is able to manufacture), it’s not nearly as important as leucine, valine and isoleucine (all essential amino acids) in helping to encourage growth and maintenance of muscle fibres. Although it’s a semi-essential amino acid, L’ Glutamine is more effective than L’ Arginine at helping to maintain muscle mass, since it’s the most abundantly occurring amino acid in skeletal muscle.

L’ Arginine still has its uses, but it’s more effective in ensuring the dilation of blood vessels, thus, allowing for faster venous return of de-oxygenated blood to the heart/lungs during cardiovascular exercise.

Moving on to the subject of protein increasing metabolism. I do understand the reasons behind your statement, Daniel. However, your lack of explanation has led to the difference(s) in opinion.

Due to its chemical structure, protein always will take longer to be broken down than both simple and complex carbohydrates. However, the length of time taken to break down protein doesn’t increase one’s metabolism.

Metabolism is improved/increased by the amount of lean muscle mass that one possesses, in addition to how active that mass happens to be. Increased muscle mass will always require additional calories, regardless of whether it’s resting or active. As such, this is how metabolism increases. If you think about it, the more active one is, the more calories they’ll require upon a daily basis.

As for Trusylver missing point of your argument, as I’ve already stated, you can ask ten different opinions upon weight loss and receive ten different answers. You may not like or agree with some of the answers received, but it’s something you must accept.

Whilst I agree that a diet should be wholesome, one that includes sources from both the main macronutrient and micronutrient groups, provided simple carbohydrates are largely eliminated from dietary intake, the respective goals we’ve all set for ourselves can be achieved and maintained, regardless of our chosen route.

You appear to have found a route that works for you, while Trusylver has long adhered to a diet that suits her training regime. Simply accept it, since you’re not going to change her opinion.
 
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Everyone, thank you for your knowledge.. It is greatly appreciated! I knew a post like mine could potentially lead to some controversy, because the internet is full of it when it comes to weight loss. There does not seem to "a" answer for it, as everyones body is different.

I believe I have always had a slow metabolism, and Ive never known what to do about it. The one time I got down to 170 I was barely eating a meal a day, and doing intense football workouts daily. Most people my current size eat a lot more than I do, and barely (if ever) work out.

I am going to research HIIT a bit, and start doing that at the gym. As for my diet, I have made a change that seems to be working for me so far.. I start off my mornings now with a casein protein shake (as apposed to whey), which seems to help me throught the day. Then around lunch time I have an apple and peanut butter. Doing this has led to just about 5lbs weight lost. I have yet to vary my dinner meals. In the past I have tried eating more throught the day to "boost" my metabolism and "keep it going," but it has not worked well for me. I either maintain/gain weight.

I see that people have lots of knowledge, I guess Im looking for the right pieces that will work for me. Thanks again everyone :)
 
Brian, thanks for the response! Its funny (not really though), I have 2 brothers and a sister that can't gain weight if they tried. I am just the opposite.

As for dead lifts, that is a great idea! I havent done those since high school, and it was always one of my strong suits. I'll give it a shot tomorrow.

Thank you for the link! I didnt get to read the whole thing yet, but I'm very interested! I typically stay away from beer as it just makes me feel bloated, Jack and Jameson and my drinking buddies :)
 
I understand the reasons why casein keeps you fulfilled throughout the morning, since it releases protein at far slower rate than whey. However, casein is best taken in the evening, as it slowly releases protein to repair and replenish muscle fibres while you sleep.

On a morning, when insulin sensitivity levels are at their highest, I'd opt for whey over casein, since whey is delivered to the muscles much quicker than casein, thus allowing for greater synthesis of muscle. Mixed with milk, as opposed to water, whey powder will leave you feeling just as satiated on a morning.

You may dismiss my suggestion, but since muscle fibres remain active throughout the day, they require a quick releasing protein to replenish, build and maintain mass. Moreover, whey, not casein, is consumed both before and after resistance workouts, largely since it's easily digested and quickly delivered to the muscles, thus, preventing excessive breakdown of fibres, whilst also allowing damaged fibres to repair themselves.

If you're seeking to incorporate HIIT into your schedule (which you should), you certainly need to address your calorie intake, WeightMainter, since it's not nearly sufficient enough to meet your energy demands, largely due to the huge energy deficit that the activity creates.

As stated in my initial reply, research BMR and TDEE calculators, in order to gain a clearer idea of how many calories you should consume on a daily basis, based upon your level of activity, introducing a daily deficit of around 500Kcal from your TDEE in order to ensure a consistent loss each week.
 
MrNiceGuy, thanks for the suggestions. Before I started taking casein in the mornings (with milk), I was taking whey (with water). I can give whey and milk a shot in the AM instead and see how my body reacts. I did try casein at night, but each time I took it I woke up feeling bloated and like my muscles didnt recover any better with it. It probably doesnt help that I have dinner fairly late most nights due to my work/gym schedule. For my workouts, I always have a whey shake post-workout. I feel like a pre-workout shake actually brings me down. Does that make any sense?

I think I am going to try mixing up my morning protein shake, and give aerobic HIIT a shot while continuing to weight train. Does this sound like a good plan?

I will also look into better meals I can prepare for myself. I feel that at the very least, I have been getting stronger. My arms and core especially have shown improvement.. My legs have been, and always will be tree stumps. Lol thanks for the help everyone!
 
So today at the gym I gave a shot at a couple different HIIT excercises. I went in 30-45 second intervals on the treadmill/bike and really worked up a good sweat in a short amount of time, followed by some weight training. I hope to do this a couple times a week and see if an improvement arises. I really appreciate everyones input, this is a great thread!

Is it me, or did Brians post disappear?
 
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