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Ask YC: How do you lose weight?

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Re: Ask YC: How do you lose weight?

#151

Post by scott_s »

wumi wrote: post #106
scott_s wrote: post #3

First of all, exercise. You can't get in good shape through diet alone. Exercise is more than just cardio; strength training increases the amount of muscle mass you have, which allows you to burn more calories. "Diets" don't work because the word implies a temporary change in your eating habits. In order to maintain weight loss, you need to change your eating habits for the rest of your life . Further, in order to be…

"diet" implies your normal eating habits, not a change in eating habits. go to a nutritionist and they will ask you "what's your diet like?"

In the context I was using it, "diet" implies a temporary change in eating habits. I'm aware of the definition of the word and it's technical usage, but I'm also aware of how it's actually used.

Re: Ask YC: How do you lose weight?

#152

Post by kingnothing »

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…

>Most people don't want to get a huge ass and well muscled but still protruding gut.

You're not going to get huge overnight. It just doesn't happen and isn't something that anyone should even be remotely concerned with.

Re: Ask YC: How do you lose weight?

#153

Post by donw »

j1o1h1n wrote: post #145
donw wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Oh, yeah, there's tons of horrible food in Japan. But there's also a lot of much healthier dining options that nominally cost less. For example, I tend to eat a lot of Bi-Bim-Don at Matsuya, with a side of salad. Costs less than 500 yen (about $5 US), really healthy, and tastes great.

You also left out Okonomiyaki, which is not only delicious, but surprisingly healthy. And onigiri...

Damnit, now I miss Japanese food again. :)

Re: Ask YC: How do you lose weight?

#154

Post by justindz »

wanorris wrote: post #82
justindz wrote: post #42

Be vegan and don't snack or drink soda. I graduated college at 5'10" and 140lbs. ;-) Actually, here's what I would recommend: - Stop drinking soda. Drink less beer and more wine and whiskey. Hoooyah. - Don't snack and do get in to things like organic dark chocolate instead of Snickers for dessert. - Set a goal to do something like 100 sit-ups and 25 push-ups a day, no matter what. - As much as possible, eat locally-g…

> don't snack I have often heard the exact opposite advice: eat smaller meals and have more between meal snacks, though obviously with a focus on healthy snacks. Why do you find this to be a more effective approach?

Eating smaller meals isn't a bad approach. Don't snack should have been "don't eat packaged snack food" because it's more likely to be junk.

So, we agree. If you want to slice up some cucumber and dip some humus, that's probably fine. If you're staring at a bag of chips, that's probably trouble.

One of the best methods to make snacking benign is to not stock anything unhealthy. Like, if it's crap, don't buy it and then you won't have to worry about avoiding eating it at home later.

Re: Ask YC: How do you lose weight?

#155

Post by megamark16 »

cmos wrote: post #50

weightwatchers It helps you figure out how much to eat, and let's you indulge occasionally so you don't go crazy. Their new online site is fairly geeky, and there are some great recipes as well. No meetings or anything. Just online. It works!

My wife and I both started Weight Watchers about 5 months ago because she wanted to drop the baby weight she put on while pregnant with our son. To date I have lost 40 pounds and am in better shape then I was in high school. My wife has lost over 30 pounds and is also thinner then in high school, and she's still losing weight (she is about 3 lbs from her target weight). I have hit my target weight and am now maintaining by adding additional points and continuing the exercise routine. Weight Watchers has been great for us because we can eat whatever we want, but we only get so many points per day so we have to make decisions about what we eat. I can have Taco Bell for lunch for 14 points, or I can have a turkey sub from Subway (hold the Mayo) for 10 points and have an ice cream sandwich for 4 points after dinner. The biggest change hasn't so much been what we eat, or even how much we eat (although we eat much more appropriate portions now), instead the biggest change has been how I think about food, how I perceive foods that are inherently unhealthy versus more healthy options. It's been a life changing process and I'm never going back.

Thanks Mark

Re: Ask YC: How do you lose weight?

#156

Post by dejb »

kingkongrevenge wrote: post #118
dejb wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that many people who over-eat because of 'nervous energy' and the calming effect of moderate exercise can help these people eat less. Also as far as I understand it, exercise raises your metabolism for a considerable period (maybe even days). And of course any extra muscle mass developed through exercise will also increase metabolism. So I think you may be underestimating the impact of exercise on weight. I c…

It's more than just metabolism. Slow twitch exercise like distance running and cycling causes your body to shed weight in excess of calories metabolized. Your body says "Hey, I seem to be carrying this extra weight around long distances. Better get rid of it as an efficiency measure."

Makes some intuitive sense but I'd like to see a reference.
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