As an older guy I've finally figured out weight-loss • Hacker News Board

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

#101

Post by nradov » Mon, Nov 02, 2020, 4:50 PM UTC

tallanvor wrote: post #91

PaulKeeble wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 scienc…

It is highly unlikely that you really have a "slow metabolism". Outside of a few rare medical conditions, metabolic rates only vary by a few percent for a given height, weight, and sex. It's more likely that you're underestimating calorie consumption. I recommend getting a resting metabolic rate test to accurately quantify your baseline.

https://www.dexafit.com/services/rmr-metabolic-test

SGLT-2 inhibitors are effective for weight loss and don't suppress appetite.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40265-019-1057-0

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

#102

Post by drago-1 » Mon, Nov 02, 2020, 4:59 PM UTC

The OP description matches my experience fairly accurately - I lost ~9 kg in 4 months (yay!) using essentially the same routine.

Prior to this, I've done IF (18:6) for 18 months without any visible weight loss simply because I was ingesting the same amount of food just in a shorter interval.

It really started working when, in addition to the IF (which I kept for other benefits), I started restricting my calorie intake - not counting calories, but simply setting a reasonable portion size and sticking to it, only reducing slightly after 7-10 days of lack of progress.

Other things that helped me greatly:

-don't sit at the eating table while being (really) hungry!

I have a snack (fresh fruits, vegetables, various nuts) 1 hour before the actual meal, such that when sat at the table I am in control, and can stop eating easily.

-prepare your food, place it on a plate, take a picture and send it to a friend before starting to eat!

I used to start eating as I was preparing the food, and it becomes hard to keep track of how much you ingested. Plus, when you take a picture to send it to someone else, you look at it with different eyes, and it jumps out at you: Hey,this is a lot of food!)

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

#103

Post by RikNieu » Mon, Nov 02, 2020, 5:09 PM UTC

giantDinosaur wrote: post #94

RikNieu wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 act…

Fair enough. Guess that's why it's so hard.

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

#104

Post by davidivadavid » Mon, Nov 02, 2020, 5:17 PM UTC

RikNieu wrote: post #61

flexie wrote: post #56

Calorie counting: How do you do? I mean, when I buy a sandwich, I don't know how many calories it contain. Not even roughly. When having dinner, I don't know how many grams of potatoes are in my plate or how much meat is on my plate. Do you guys weigh it? I certainly don't know how much "a serving" is, and I do suspect that if my idea of a serving size was normal, I wouldn't need weight loss in the first place.

I don't buy sandwiches or most prepared meals exactly because I have no idea what's in there. But stuff like chicken breasts, steak, broccoli, watermelon - those are all pretty standardised calorie-wise. And yep, I weigh my food with a digital kitchen scale.

If you're already not buying sandwiches and eating chicken breast, steak, broccoli and watermelon, do you really need to weigh your food anymore? (Only half tongue in cheek)

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

#105

Post by drago-1 » Mon, Nov 02, 2020, 5:18 PM UTC

scottlocklin wrote: post #86

TLDR: dude ate less (careful tracking with no cheating) and got some strength training in. Strict discipline and doing some work actually generalizes.

Exactly! In addition to what you said, it requires persistence - many times the motivation falls below the watermark before the results start showing.

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

#106

Post by graeme » Mon, Nov 02, 2020, 5:23 PM UTC

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,…

What’s your other food apart from the default meal?

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

#107

Post by drago-1 » Mon, Nov 02, 2020, 5:28 PM UTC

RikNieu wrote: post #52

codecamper wrote: post #3

you missed the 16/8 eating window. read up.

I didn't. I do do IF, I just don't believe it makes a difference with regards to weight-loss. It's all still just about calories. IF is just a hack to help me keep my meals large enough to be satisfying.

I agree. IF helped, though, by reducing the time window where I need to preocuppy myself with food/eating topics. Basically outside of my eating interval I don't think/worry about food at all, I can focus on something else. IF does require some getting used to, though.

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

#108

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Nov 02, 2020, 5:50 PM UTC

coldtea wrote: post #26

> Most studies suggested that for most people, the amount of calories consumed determines your weight. Hormonal factor exist, but they're either negligible or for a very, very, VERY small part of the population. You're likely not it. And the correlary: "Tons of people will nevertheless protest that that's it their case even when it isn't". It's the "It's not my program, it's a compiler bug" of dieting...

[deleted]

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

#109

Post by drago-1 » Mon, Nov 02, 2020, 6:01 PM UTC

loxs wrote: post #25

Are you joking? You are 1 month in and you already declared a victory? Wait at least for 2 years before that. So far I've lost 10-15kg 4 times before gaining them back. Every single time :)

I think that the reason OP is excited is not the weight loss per se, but because of the realisation that it happened in a way that feels sustainable long term.

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

#110

Post by andmarios » Mon, Nov 02, 2020, 6:45 PM UTC

RikNieu wrote: post #58

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,…

Yes, exactly! Zero cheating and accurate measurements seem to be paramount. I'm glad for some of the others posters who could take a more lax approach and only eyeball stuff or vaguely count macro, but that didn't work for me at all.

This is why I wrote it's a journey.

It is indeed true that calorific deficit and accurate measurements is the best way to predictable weight loss.

But can you eat chicken and brocoli for the rest of your life? Can you do zero cheating and accurate measurements for ever? Is losing 15 kgrs in 3 months healthy? It is very easy to take the weight back and then some. There is a reason we have the term yo-yo dieting. :(

Food is sustainance, but also is enjoyment. Following a more lax approach where you ease into a better diet and keep enjoying food is a more sustainable long-term approach. Lose 15kgrs in one year instead of 3 months and magical things will happen. After 3 months of hard dieting you will probably reach for a chocolate during a crave. After 12 months of moderate dieting, you will reach for an apple and you will enjoy it as much as a chocolate. Reprogramming ourselves takes time.