diet tips that have worked for you?

[socorock]

If you know any good ways of dieting that have worked for you, please reply.
I've already had the operation to get rid of my gyne, but im not happy with my weight and would like to lose a stone or 2.
thanks.

[PhillyPUFF]

I would recommend reading an e-book called "burn the fat, feed the muscle" (just google it)...Basically, weight loss is all about calories in vs. calories out. You need to expend more calories than you consume to lose weight. You dont want to stop eating though, because then your metabolism will slow down, and your body will get used to metabolizing a very low amount of calories (exactly what you dont want)

If you dont want to read the e-book, here are some quick tips.


- Do cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach (work your way up to 45 minutes per session) (you should be able to hold a normal conversation while doing your cardio, so get your heart rate up until its just before the point where you wouldnt be able to hold a conversation (talk to yourself)
- Eat smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day. 5-6 meals is ideal. You burn a shit load of calories just digesting food. Incorporate protein into every meal.
- Cycle calories. Instead of eating say 3000 calories per day, eat 2000 one day, 2500 the next, and 3500 the following day and repeat. In 3 days your still eating 9000 calories, but your body wont be able to adapt because your calories are always changing.
- Drink plenty of water throughout the day.
- Train with weights. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn, the more you can eat and still lose weight..

Theres a bunch more stuff, but that should help you out a bit. Feel free to PM if you want me to send you some links, etc...

Good Luck!!

[Blue2]

That's pretty sound advice. The problem is that different things work for different people but generally this is what I have done. I personally am waiting for my gyne surgery which will hopefully take place in early May this year and too have been on the diet trail to try and get as ripped as possible before the big day. So far I have lost 14 lbs in about 6 weeks and this has been done whilst gaining at least 4 - 6 lbs in muscle, so my total fat loss is in the region of 18 - 20 lbs! I have achieved this by following the basic rule of consuming less calories than I burn off. It is a difficult thing to get to grips with, but once you find your level, you will know if you are consuming too many calories and the weight will be slow in coming off.

I train 4 times per week with 3 days being dedicated to 30 mins intensive weight training followed by 25 mins cardio at the highest intensity I can manage! The fact is that the more calories that you burn off during this exercise period the better. I also use the glycimic index to choose foods which are low in the scale during the daytime, and select high GI foods for post workout meals. This helps to replenish your muscles with glycogen quickly and efficiently after your workout. I train 2 body parts per session for the three weight training days and this covers the whole body in a week. I then dedicate the 4th training day to 1 hour of pure cardio.

The other big key to my success has been water! Lots of it. I drink between 6-8 litres of water a day! This not only keeps you hydrated and feeling full of energy, but also helps flush your body of harmful toxins which may hamper your training. Your muscles feel fuller and firmer and the pump you get in the gym is fantastic. I could swear my arms look 2" bigger after a good training session!!! 

Anyway these are just a few tips which I hope have been useful to you. I am not saying this is necessarily the best route for you to take but it has certainly worked for me. 

Good luck.

(P.S. I have never touched steroids, just in case you were wondering!)

[Noseguard]

Two great posts.

I have to agree at the very heart of any weight loss program has to be the fundamental notion that you must burn more calories than you consume.

There are many great websites that will help you figure out your Base Metabolic Rate.  This will give you your starting point.  BMR tells you how many calories you burn just being you in the course of a day.  Then if you start to add incremental exercise to your BMR you add that on.  Most of these sites will also give you calorie content for many popular foods.  Once you know what you are consuming and burning you now have the knowledge to make changes to both sides of the equation to get the caloric deficit you need.

Most stuff I have read suggest that a 1-2lb weight loss is healthiest. For every 500 calories per day you lose (deficit), translates into a 1lb loss PER WEEK.  So, 1000/day would be a 2lb loss per week.

From my experience there are some secondary keys too that are very important.  One, you have to eat healthy.  While it is true that even too much "healthy" food will be stored as fat if you don't burn it off, eating right gives you so many benefits.  You feel full longer.  You have more energy.  You can add more muscle......

Two,  lift weights.  You may add some weight but you will burn the fat.  Lean muscle burns more calories than fat.  Also, if you don't lift and are dieting you will lose lean muscle and make your weight loss journey more difficult.

I, like blue2, have been working out hard to get ready for surgery.  I am shootin for a May operation, and want to lose 16-20lbs by then.  I have already lost 40.

One last thought, a friend gave me the Abs Diet book and I follow the eating plans religiously.  The book is gimmicky but the eating principles are sound (I read some expert reviews of the diet), and I feel great eating the foods.

I don't however follow the weight training.  I work out 6 days week, 45 min lifting each day AND 85min of cardio.  The cardio is a mix of high intensity intervals (anaerobic) and long easier sessions of aerobic.

I shoot for a daily burn of 4000 calories and consumption of 2750.  So far it has worked great.

Good Luck.

[Revelation]

My first post,

Standard tips:

1) buy the book "burn the fat, Feed the muscle" ... I am not promoting the book, but Tom Venuto knows what he is saying, and you won't regret it, great book for life.
2) Sign up at a nearby gym, the higher the fee the better (this way you won't procastrinate going to the gym, because you'll know that you are losing money
3) Go for a 4 days workout routine, I recommend Chad Waterbury's "10x3 For fat loss".
4) Do Your cardio after each workout, preferably HIIT and work your way up to 20 mins/session.
5) Your cardio intensity should increase by time, don't exceed 20 mins/hiit but rather add sessions, like 1 session in the morning and 1 in the evening.
6) Any diet would do, but some body types reacts to some diets greater than others, test your body, to know what suits you best.
7) I am right now using a 40/40/20 (Carb/Prot/Fat), I also used Keto diet 5/60/35 (Carb/Prot/Fat) [<<< which works great if you want to massacre fat, but beware you can't stick long to this diet].
I recommend if you are using the regular Protein power diet (40/40/20) that You carb-cycle (google carb cycling).
9) Don't cheat

[Gyno-more]

One word - Crossfit - google it.