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As an older guy I've finally figured out weight-loss

riknieu.com

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Re: As an older guy I've finally figured out weight-loss

#91

Post by tallanvor »

PaulKeeble wrote: post #31
tallanvor wrote: post #15

The problem with these types of posts is that while there's a grain of truth in there (burn more calories than you take in), we're still not able to easily determine a number of key pieces of information that would allow us to really understand how to be successful: 1) How many calories do you need at your target weight? 2) What is your basal metabolic rate? 3) As you cut out calories and lose weight, how much is you…

The various studies done also show that most people regain the weight back 6 months to a year down the line. Right now the only thing we can be sure of is that weight loss only works for the minority in the long term and the only way to be slim is to always be that way. We did at least work out why processed foods appeared to be more calories, turns out we spend about 20% more energy digesting food that isn't highly…

Yes, keeping weight off over the long haul is extremely difficult, and only gets harder the more weight you lose. I know that for myself, beyond having to try and watch what I'm eating, I also have to stay much more active than the average person because I know that I have a slow metabolism - my body wants to hang on to every bit of energy it can.

I think there is proper research going on when it comes to food science, and weight loss, but finding the good studies among the junk is difficult. We do know that there are some drugs and supplements that have moderate effects, but mostly by acting as an appetite suppressant.

Re: As an older guy I've finally figured out weight-loss

#92

Post by RikNieu »

giantDinosaur wrote: post #87
RikNieu wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't that like saying doing exercise is a poor model for getting fit because people don't stick to it?

It depends. Do you see losing weight as a purely physical phenomenon, or do you see it as one that's heavily influenced by psychology and other such factors? The actual physical act of losing weight i.e. reducing one's mass needs to be distinguished, in my opinion, from all the factors that actually go into that. If it turns out that in response to hunger that your brain secretes a hormone that makes you much more hu…

Of course psychology comes into play. I'd know, that's what kept me from making progress with this for years. But that does not subtract from the fact that to lose weight you need to consume less calories.

> If it turns out that in response to hunger that your brain secretes a hormone that makes you much more hungry than the average, the psychological aspect of losing weight has been compromised, even while the physical laws stay the same.

I don't agree. You lose weight by eating less calories. If you need to manage your implementation of that technique because you have some condition that deviates from the norm, sure, that's something you have to deal with.

To return to my exercise analogy, I have a medical condition that makes exercise difficult. So I have to work around my unique limitation. But I don't go around saying that doing cardio and working out is not the correct way of getting fit.

Re: As an older guy I've finally figured out weight-loss

#93

Post by maqp »

RikNieu wrote: post #40
PeterStuer wrote: post #18

Caloric restriction worked great pre-1980's. If you could stick to 'simple foods', like the author advocates, it still works. The reason why so many people dismiss it is that from the 1980's onward food was starting to get designed for overeating, and labeling requirements were starting to be gamed so the calories listed on these designed foods (and that includes nearly everything today) no longer have as high straig…

Exactly. And that's where I suspect the "not all calories are equal" thing comes from. I don't trust labels much, especially in my part of the world.

It has more to do with the glycemic index of the food, that is now satient it is. 300kcal of rye bread (low GI) keeps your blood sugar much more even much longer than 300kcal candy bar (high GI). Both are "processed foods" but one is much more healthy than the other. Whole foods like fruits, vegetables etc. have almost always low GI: https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/glyce...

Re: As an older guy I've finally figured out weight-loss

#94

Post by giantDinosaur »

RikNieu wrote: post #92
giantDinosaur wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It depends. Do you see losing weight as a purely physical phenomenon, or do you see it as one that's heavily influenced by psychology and other such factors? The actual physical act of losing weight i.e. reducing one's mass needs to be distinguished, in my opinion, from all the factors that actually go into that. If it turns out that in response to hunger that your brain secretes a hormone that makes you much more hu…

Of course psychology comes into play. I'd know, that's what kept me from making progress with this for years. But that does not subtract from the fact that to lose weight you need to consume less calories. > If it turns out that in response to hunger that your brain secretes a hormone that makes you much more hungry than the average, the psychological aspect of losing weight has been compromised, even while the physi…

My point isn't that 'cardio and working out' are not how one gets fit, it's that achieving 'fitness' is more than 'cardio and working out'. The words are overloaded, and I think your very last sentence illustrates that well. I also tossed up between physiological and psychological, but reasoned for my purposes they were similar enough to get the point across - i.e. that despite the physical laws being simple, the actual process is not.

Re: As an older guy I've finally figured out weight-loss

#95

Post by maqp »

wombatmobile wrote: post #89
maqp wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

AFAIK it's just fructose in the absence of fiber that mostly goes into fat by default. Glucose is mostly stored as glycogen in muscle and liver, but excess glucose is also stored as fat. I fully agree with you wrt sweet foods, they don't make you satient. In general, avoid everything that has High Fructose Corn Syrup in it. It's one of the biggest contributors to the obesity epidemic of the US. For eating large amoun…

> I found small amount of grated parmigiano reggiano on top makes it incredibly enjoyable. Thanks for the tip, maqp. I'll try that!

You're welcome. It looks like it's actually a common use case for the cheese https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parmigiano-Reggiano#Uses

I just discovered it when I threw in some greens on top of my pasta+ragu and forgot to put in the cheese before the greens. Funny.

Re: As an older guy I've finally figured out weight-loss

#96

Post by superasn »

I've had amazing results with myfitnesspal (free). The only discipline you need is to enter the calories and keep under the daily calories it tells you.

It's so scientific, linear and predictable that it makes you wonder why people bother with all these weight loss shenanigans when weight loss is as simple as calories in vs calories out (at least that's how it was in my case)

Re: As an older guy I've finally figured out weight-loss

#97

Post by timbit42 »

AnIdiotOnTheNet wrote: post #70
Jedd wrote: post #11

> First principles suggested I stop faffing around with diets that operate on clever narratives, assumptions and "magic" rules, and just look at what the science said. And the science was pretty consistent - calories matter above all else. I don't believe 'the science' is consistent about this at all. Tim Ferris cites lots of science when writing 'The Four Hour Body' a decade ago, and decades before that Atkins had a…

> not all calories are equal. Irrelevant. You can eat nothing but twinkies and still lose weight as long as you maintain a caloric deficit. Certain foods are going to make that easier and healthier, but that's orthogonal to the actual weight loss.

You can but you will be hungry and it will be very difficult. You want to avoid carbs and sugar because carbs get turned into sugar and they spike your sugar levels, causing your pancreas to produce insulin to tell your body to store the excess sugar in your fat cells. Then when the excess sugar is all stored, you get the crash and you're hungry again. This is why people want to snack between meals.

Instead, avoid carbs and eat proteins and healthy fats. You won't get the sugar spike and crash, and will last hours without getting hungry. It is easy to eat only twice a day this way.

This video of Dr. Sarah Hallberg explains it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da1vvigy5tQ

Re: As an older guy I've finally figured out weight-loss

#98

Post by nradov »

tallanvor wrote: post #15

The problem with these types of posts is that while there's a grain of truth in there (burn more calories than you take in), we're still not able to easily determine a number of key pieces of information that would allow us to really understand how to be successful: 1) How many calories do you need at your target weight? 2) What is your basal metabolic rate? 3) As you cut out calories and lose weight, how much is you…

That's mostly wrong. Everyone is predisposed to store excess energy as fat. Cutting back calories doesn't cause a significant increase in metabolic efficiency (unless you're really suffering from starvation which wouldn't apply to anyone on a regular calorie restriction diet). The reason that weight loss tends to slow down for most people on diets is that it simply takes less energy to maintain a lower body mass. So to sustain the same rate of weight loss they would have to keep decreasing calorie intake.

Resting metabolic rate tests are widely available for about $75. You just sit in a chair for a few minutes while a machine measures your exhalations. This is worth doing occasionally if you can afford it to establish an accurate baseline. A lot of people blame their failure to lose weight on a "slow metabolism" which is almost never correct: metabolic rates for individuals with a given height, weight, and sex differ by only a few percent.

Re: As an older guy I've finally figured out weight-loss

#99

Post by meowfly »

josefrichter wrote: post #42

I lost 30 kg. Crucial components: ZERO cheating. Not a single beer. Not a single extra bite. Managed this for 3 months, losing 15 kg. Then occasional cheating for 6 months, losing 0 kg... Then managed once more for 3 months, lost another 15 kg. This is the hard part, I managed by introducing the following habits: Same "default" meal every day. Chicken with broccoli, day in day out. It's not the best nutrition advice,…

I've lost about the same amount but have since regained about 12kg and have been sitting about 7kg more than I would like for some time.

I've been asked what I did to lose weight but I really don't have a good answer for it. At a couple points in my life I've decided to take dieting very seriously. "ZERO cheating" works when you are serious. Other times I've started "seriously" and the eventual work party, birthday, vacation, etc throws me off and I lose motivation.

I wish I could tell someone what I did to make the mindset change necessary to diet seriously, but I can't figure it out myself.

Re: As an older guy I've finally figured out weight-loss

#100

Post by justacog »

RikNieu wrote: post #33
makach wrote: post #17

Sheesh! OLDER GUY?! You're a young 38yo!

Ha, was waiting for that one, XD I said older because the weight-loss plans I came across usually only referred to case studies where people are in their 20s. And from what I could gather, most people past 35 really start struggling with their weight.

I'm 58 and I've lost over 30 lbs (180 - 149) in the last 5 months. I've used basically the same technique you describe. I've tracked every calorie and learned how to prepare mostly plant-based (raw, whole food) meals. However, I exercised more than you describe. I like to walk so I've been walking 25-40 miles/week. When I walk I can eat more and stay within my calorie deficit goal It became a virtuous motivational feedback loop for me. The other benefit of the exercise is that I haven't seen any indication of muscle or strength loss while losing the fat.
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