Ask YC: How do you lose weight? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask YC: How do you lose weight?

#141

Post by kingkongrevenge » Sun, Apr 20, 2008, 1:21 AM UTC

kingnothing wrote: post #122

Losing weight is as simple as eating less and doing anaerobic exercise for up to an hour a day, 3 to 4 days a week. If you're lifting hard, then the only variable is your diet. Drop a couple hundred calories off of your intake every day for a week - if you aren't losing 1 - 2 pounds per week, take another couple hundred calories off. I would say, in general, no man should eat less than 1800 calories per day, however.…

That is a body building routine. Most people don't want to get a huge ass and well muscled but still protruding gut. It's also absurdly split up and apparently designed for someone already huge. Two different sets of squats AND deadlifts in the same day?! That is for some puffed up monster. That's just a complete waste of time for an athlete or someone going for fitness.

> Aerobic exercise is great, but you shouldn't do it to lose weight.

WTF? Distance is THE way to lose weight. There are a ton of bloated guys throwing around barbells. I never see a fat person making good time on the trails.

Re: Ask YC: How do you lose weight?

#142

Post by attack » Sun, Apr 20, 2008, 1:26 AM UTC

kingkongrevenge wrote: post #141

kingnothing wrote: post #122

Losing weight is as simple as eating less and doing anaerobic exercise for up to an hour a day, 3 to 4 days a week. If you're lifting hard, then the only variable is your diet. Drop a couple hundred calories off of your intake every day for a week - if you aren't losing 1 - 2 pounds per week, take another couple hundred calories off. I would say, in general, no man should eat less than 1800 calories per day, however.…

That is a body building routine. Most people don't want to get a huge ass and well muscled but still protruding gut. It's also absurdly split up and apparently designed for someone already huge. Two different sets of squats AND deadlifts in the same day?! That is for some puffed up monster. That's just a complete waste of time for an athlete or someone going for fitness. > Aerobic exercise is great, but you shouldn't…

Actually, I saw quite a few fat people on the trails today. Not making good time, well that's physics.

Re: Ask YC: How do you lose weight?

#143

Post by kingkongrevenge » Sun, Apr 20, 2008, 1:32 AM UTC

kingkongrevenge wrote: post #141

kingnothing wrote: post #122

Losing weight is as simple as eating less and doing anaerobic exercise for up to an hour a day, 3 to 4 days a week. If you're lifting hard, then the only variable is your diet. Drop a couple hundred calories off of your intake every day for a week - if you aren't losing 1 - 2 pounds per week, take another couple hundred calories off. I would say, in general, no man should eat less than 1800 calories per day, however.…

That is a body building routine. Most people don't want to get a huge ass and well muscled but still protruding gut. It's also absurdly split up and apparently designed for someone already huge. Two different sets of squats AND deadlifts in the same day?! That is for some puffed up monster. That's just a complete waste of time for an athlete or someone going for fitness. > Aerobic exercise is great, but you shouldn't…

I'll qualify that a lot of genuinely fat people have insulin sensitivity issues and increasing muscle mass is actually a higher priority than aerobic training for that reason. But if you're just pudgy? Distance burns that off lickety split.

Re: Ask YC: How do you lose weight?

#144

Post by mindcrime » Sun, Apr 20, 2008, 3:11 AM UTC

A nice, basic, simple (but not easy) way is this:

a. cut the gratuitously bad stuff out of your diet. Drop sodas, chips, candy, etc. If you eat fast food, get a grilled chicken sandwich and a salad instead of a double cheeseburger and fries.

B. add some exercise. It doesn't have to be a lot, but what has worked well for me over the years is walking on a treadmill, and gradually upping the incline to increase the resistance as my conditioning improves; and/or increasing my speed or adding time to my sessions.

You'd be amazed how much weight you can lose if you walk on a treadmill for an hour at 3.5 MPH, with the incline set all the way up, 4-5 times a week. Just be patient. Trying to lose more than 2 lbs a week is probably not a good idea, and it takes some fairly hard work (see above) to lose even 2 lbs a week.

Re: Ask YC: How do you lose weight?

#145

Post by j1o1h1n » Sun, Apr 20, 2008, 4:33 AM UTC

donw wrote: post #47

jgrahamc wrote: post #16

1. I moved to Europe 2. I stopped drinking soda

Heh. Every time I go to Japan, coming from the United States, I gain weight. Part of this is because I probably get less exercise while in Japan (since I don't lift while I'm there), and part of this is because I love Japanese food, and so I tend to eat a lot while I'm there. People who move and then lose weight probably just don't like the food in the country where they moved. That said, when I stopped drinking soda…

People seem to think Japan = Miso, Green Tea and Sushi, but let me present some popular alternatives - Tonkatsu - deep-fried pork cutlet - ice-cream bread (a loaf of white bread with the centre filled with ice-cream) - endless convenience store aisles of two-minute noodle bowl - prized marbled beef (which always looks to be 50% fat!), etc. Though it is true I eat a lot of cabbage here.

Re: Ask YC: How do you lose weight?

#146

Post by WilliamLP » Sun, Apr 20, 2008, 6:02 AM UTC

scott_s wrote: post #61

WilliamLP wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Doing an hour of cardio every day might be too much. (I'm talking about something which is higher intensity than fast walking... That would be great.) Half an hour three times a week would be fine. The issue is with adherence, and also the body's negative response to this much exercise. In many people (including me for sure) it triggers an adaptation that makes them try to conserve calories by making them feel sluggi…

Don't buy into the "genetic limit" line of thinking. The limit on the amount of muscle mass you can pack onto your body is much higher than most people have the will to achieve. My issue is not length, but intensity. I understood "not doing too much in the gym" to mean "don't work too hard." If instead you meant use your time in the gym wisely, then that I agree with. But if you want to see continued improvement, the…

Everyone has a genetic limit. I'm not going to bench press 700 pounds. Therefore the set of all things I could do (naturally) in my lifetime to raise it has a least upper bound. QED:)

There's a time for intensity. As someone starts to get diminishing returns, the needs increase for higher intensity, probably higher volume, and higher complexity e.g. periodization or something even more complicated than that. The time for intensity is not when you are just starting weight training, in which case anything will work (but someone should do exercises properly of course.) The time for intensity is doubly not when your primarily goal is to lose weight, in which case the body isn't going to have its full resources to repair itself.

Re: Ask YC: How do you lose weight?

#147

Post by optimal » Sun, Apr 20, 2008, 11:45 AM UTC

kingnothing wrote: post #127

optimal wrote: post #25

Move more, eat less. It really is that simple. If you want to lose weight you need to include both exercise and proper nutrition in your life (I don't like the word "diet"). Running, weights, PT, biking, swimming, etc. Brisk walking is great. Just do something! My best advice regarding exercise is to make it a habit by including it in your daily routine. At first you'll feel worse when you do exercise than when you d…

Thinking down the road is what got me off my ass and in the gym. I realized that I'd been 40 pounds overweight for the past seven years and that there is no magical weight loss fairy who would wave her wand at me and make me wake up one day without that fat. Right now I'm still getting "newbie gains", but I can't even begin to describe how great it feels to know that every day I'm stronger and healthier than I've eve…

That's so awesome.

"Fit for life" is a good mantra, because fitness--a balance of stamina and strength--improves every aspect of life.

Re: Ask YC: How do you lose weight?

#148

Post by rob » Sun, Apr 20, 2008, 1:33 PM UTC

kingnothing wrote: post #130

rob wrote: post #97

Find BMR: http://tinyurl.com/2uc7ps Use BMR info to find daily calorie needs: http://tinyurl.com/yxrujb Subtract the total daily calorie amount by 250-500 and eat that many calories per day. Yes, you'll have to count calories. Make sure to get enough protein (at least 1g per pound of bodyweight) and healthy fats (olive oil, peanut butter, nuts, etc) and a moderate amount of carbohydrates. Do weight lifting 3 days a w…

You're advising too much protein: One to one and a half grams per kilogram is enough for almost anyone except the most devout lifters (read: those who compete). As for determining calories, most people eat a similar amount every week, so all they need to do is track their calories for a week then subtract from there until they're losing one to two pounds per week; not counting the first one or two weeks where they'll…

1 gram per pound of body-weight is a good amount for someone who lifts weights (not only those who compete) and is not hard to achieve every day. Would you rather they overload on carbs all day? It's even more important if you're trying to lose weight: cutting too many calories and not getting enough protein will most likely result in you losing a lot of muscle mass.

Re: Ask YC: How do you lose weight?

#149

Post by scott_s » Sun, Apr 20, 2008, 6:10 PM UTC

WilliamLP wrote: post #146

scott_s wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't buy into the "genetic limit" line of thinking. The limit on the amount of muscle mass you can pack onto your body is much higher than most people have the will to achieve. My issue is not length, but intensity. I understood "not doing too much in the gym" to mean "don't work too hard." If instead you meant use your time in the gym wisely, then that I agree with. But if you want to see continued improvement, the…

Everyone has a genetic limit. I'm not going to bench press 700 pounds. Therefore the set of all things I could do (naturally) in my lifetime to raise it has a least upper bound. QED:) There's a time for intensity. As someone starts to get diminishing returns, the needs increase for higher intensity, probably higher volume, and higher complexity e.g. periodization or something even more complicated than that. The time…

Quoting myself, adding emphasis, "The limit on the amount of muscle mass you can pack onto your body is much higher than most people have the will to achieve." A 700 pound bench press is actually humanly possible, as the record for a raw, drug tested bench is 711 pounds. If you said 2000 pounds, then I'd agree with you; I think that's beyond human capacity. But 700 pounds is within human capacity, and your limit is your will.

As a counter-example to what you said about intensity, check out the video for The Captain: http://www.gymjones.com/video.php

I also like this essay: http://www.gymjones.com/knowledge.php?id=36

Re: Ask YC: How do you lose weight?

#150

Post by scott_s » Sun, Apr 20, 2008, 6:14 PM UTC

kingkongrevenge wrote: post #121

scott_s wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also think that for many people strength training can be more fun, and consequently, are more likely to continue doing it. It's more visceral than most cardio, and the goal/reward system of increasing weight and reps gives faster gratification. Part of the problem is that most people have no idea how to do the basic lifts, and most personal trainers don't teach them. Another problem is a basic lack of structure, wh…

> I advocate focusing on the basic lifts For the average dude just trying to stay in shape, nothing beats the full olympic lifts. Take the barbell from the ground to over your head with snatches and cleans. Do it right and you'll be stronger than 90% of the people in the gym from 10 minutes three times a week. FYI: The kind of lifts you see most people do in a gym are derived from body building routines, not proper s…

The Olympic lifts are great, but I've found they often require a base level of fitness to do them at all. Plus, it's a lot easier to teach yourself how to squat or deadlift than to do a proper clean (squat clean, not power clean).