How to lose weight... really?

[houseman]

Nearing the end of the 6th week.

18lbs down in total. 3" on the waist.

Got a cheat meal coming up this Saturday. Fuck me am I looking forward to that. mmm steak!

 

[EJFan]

no steak on your cut, huh. somehow that strikes me as strange... but i'm not a competitor. whatever works though, right?

my cheat days are always held as giant events at the chinese buffet. people come from miles around. nothing to do with me, but they come there anyway... to eat, i presume.

 

[houseman]

Nope. no steak on this. Fat is 10% of total cals and it all comes from flax oil right now.

I'd dig a chinese buffet right now. I could easily pile through about 10 plates without issue. But the bigger the chear, the bigger the setback too.

no steak on your cut, huh. somehow that strikes me as strange... but i'm not a competitor. whatever works though, right?

my cheat days are always held as giant events at the chinese buffet. people come from miles around. nothing to do with me, but they come there anyway... to eat, i presume.

 

[kinkyme79]

I use the 2-4-6-8 diet. I eat 200 calories on the first day, 400 on the second day, 600 on the third, 800 on the fourth, and back to 200 on the fifth... Just keep repeating the 2,4,6,8. I also drink lots of water and walk a lot.

 

[Guest]

 

[houseman]

I use the 2-4-6-8 diet. I eat 200 calories on the first day, 400 on the second day, 600 on the third, 800 on the fourth, and back to 200 on the fifth... Just keep repeating the 2,4,6,8. I also drink lots of water and walk a lot.

Holy fuck!

A new born baby eats more than you.

Proper nutrition has no roots in starving yourself to achieve results.

Man... everyone, THIS IS NOT the way to go.

 

[EJFan]

I use the 2-4-6-8 diet. I eat 200 calories on the first day, 400 on the second day, 600 on the third, 800 on the fourth, and back to 200 on the fifth... Just keep repeating the 2,4,6,8. I also drink lots of water and walk a lot.

i agree with houseman. STOP THIS! where'd the concept come from? have you seen any clinical studies that support this as being healthy?

i've heard about a select few people who have sustained themselves on a 600 cal/day diet eating sprouts and shit like that. i could accept that maybe that works for a VERY small percentage of the population if your body and metabolism are JUST RIGHT... but there's no long-term study (that i've seen) that suggests this is plausible for anyone at all.

 

[Lynxie]

I use the 2-4-6-8 diet. I eat 200 calories on the first day, 400 on the second day, 600 on the third, 800 on the fourth, and back to 200 on the fifth... Just keep repeating the 2,4,6,8. I also drink lots of water and walk a lot.

That's seriously a scary thought. I have a friend that's dealing with anorexia, and this is the kind of thing she did to herself (though I'm not sure she let herself eat as much as 800 cals). From doing this for so long, she grew lots of hair all over her body (a fine peach-fuzz, but still creepy looking on a 25-yr-old woman), and she stopped having her period altogether. She spent 3 months in rehab to re-learn how to eat, but she's still recovering from the ordeal, even a year later. The doctors told her she may never be fully healthy again, and her chances at ever being fertile are slim to none. Starving yourself is serious business.

 

[Eilan]

I use the 2-4-6-8 diet. I eat 200 calories on the first day, 400 on the second day, 600 on the third, 800 on the fourth, and back to 200 on the fifth... Just keep repeating the 2,4,6,8. I also drink lots of water and walk a lot.

Are you serious? This thread is about HEALTHY ways to lose weight.

Maybe I'm overreacting, but if you can't stop yourself from doing this, seek help. Seriously. What good is being thin if you're not healthy enough to enjoy it?

 

[averageblonde]

Hey everyone. I am looking for a way to lose 8 pounds in 2 weeks. Is that healthy? I need to lose that much because I am an actressand for my costume I need to weigh a certain amount and I need to lose 8 pounds to do so. Is it probable to think that I will lose the weight by then? How should I do it? I am open to anything except for pills/drinks. I don't want to do the Hollywood diet where you drink that shit for 48 hours and lose 10 pounds.

 

[EJFan]

not really. a pound or two a week is pretty much optimal.

it's definitely possible... and you don't need to use any weird drugs to do it... it's just not recommended.

 

[Flora]

Hey

I found the weight loss thread! Very informative, I wish I had found it months ago.

So a question ( I apologize if it's been asked before and I missed it). Does it matter WHEN you work out? Like is it better to work out first thing in the morning, at night, afternooon?
Is it better to eat right before working out or after?

 

[EJFan]

it really depends on what kind of workout you're doing...

if you're doing cardio (and i assume you are, based on your other thread) then morning is best. houseman may want to correct me here but i THINK i'm right when i say you should do cardio on a light or empty stomach for optimum returns.

if you're doing anaerobic workouts (like weightlifting) then there's a lot more nutrient timing that comes into play... high GI carbs before and after workout... fast absorbing (whey) protein after... some do a little whey before lifting as well. the point here is to stop the catabolic state and induce anabolism after the workout. the high GI carbs spike insulin (which you want in this case) and replenish glycogen that gets depleted from the workout... the whey helps to start rebuilding the muscle tissue you just ripped to shreads.

 

[Succulent-one]

I guess I am miss boring....I do Weight Watchers, and I walk 30 minutes a day at a decent pace. The doctor told me it is the continuous motion you want. You want to breathe a little heavy but you still want to be able to carry on a conversation. I average about 2 pounds per week.

 

[houseman]

Hey everyone. I am looking for a way to lose 8 pounds in 2 weeks. Is that healthy? I need to lose that much because I am an actressand for my costume I need to weigh a certain amount and I need to lose 8 pounds to do so. Is it probable to think that I will lose the weight by then? How should I do it? I am open to anything except for pills/drinks. I don't want to do the Hollywood diet where you drink that shit for 48 hours and lose 10 pounds.

Big difference between fat weight and water weight.

Easy to drop 8lbs if it's water. Not to easy to drop 8lbs if it's fat.

 

[averageblonde]

Big difference between fat weight and water weight.

Easy to drop 8lbs if it's water. Not to easy to drop 8lbs if it's fat.

It's definitely water weight. I drink about 2 gallons of water a day, and i went off of it for a while, lost weight, started it up again and gained all the weight. So how do I lose it if it is water weight?

 

[houseman]

It's definitely water weight. I drink about 2 gallons of water a day, and i went off of it for a while, lost weight, started it up again and gained all the weight. So how do I lose it if it is water weight?

If it's JUST for this one thing I suggest:

Up your water intake to over 3 gallons/day.
Lower carb intake to 100 grams/day (or up it to 100 grams/day if you are at less already)

2 days before your event, drop to 1 gallon day and reduce carbs to 50 grams
1 day before event drop to 1 litre/day and reduce carbs to 0 grams (all carbs from green leafy veggies - eg: broccoli

I do not advise this but for extreme situtations where you MUST meet a desired weight requirement and need to come in dry.

Also note that the more water you drink the less water you retain.

HTH

 

[EJFan]

If it's JUST for this one thing I suggest:

Up your water intake to over 3 gallons/day.
Lower carb intake to 100 grams/day (or up it to 100 grams/day if you are at less already)

2 days before your event, drop to 1 gallon day and reduce carbs to 50 grams
1 day before event drop to 1 litre/day and reduce carbs to 0 grams (all carbs from green leafy veggies - eg: broccoli

I do not advise this but for extreme situtations where you MUST meet a desired weight requirement and need to come in dry.

Also note that the more water you drink the less water you retain.

HTH

houseman: the resident biochemist-slash-physiologist.

i love the fact that you know your shit inside and out... not just cursory bullshit but actual information.

btw... did you have your competition thing yet? how'd it go?

 

[Lynxie]

Alright you water gurus, I've got a question for you. How can I get myself to drink more water on a daily basis? I'm pretty much constantly dehydrated, and sometimes only drink as little as 8 or 16 ounces a day (of any liquid, not just water). Some days I'm fine, but for the most part I'm not getting even the bare minimum recommended amount.

I've tried mixing no-calorie mixers in water to make things interesting, but that didn't help. It's not an issue of me liking water. When I'm thirsty, I have no problem with water. It's just a matter of getting me to drink more regularly. I've tried always having water with me (i.e. carrying around a water bottle wherever I go), but it still didn't seem to help. I think part of my problem is that I have no desire to need to use the little girls' room every 10 minutes.

Is it possible for me to break my habits and make drinking a routine? I don't know of anyone else that does this, and really can't explain it in myself, either. Ideas, advice, or smacks upside the head are all welcome.

 

[EJFan]

Alright you water gurus, I've got a question for you. How can I get myself to drink more water on a daily basis?

well... speaking for myself, i drink about 130 to 150 oz a day. i bottle it all at night and carry a bottle with me EVERYWHERE. a sip here, a sip there and it disappears by bed time. and i'm talkin' ONLY water here... i'm not counting coffee, tea, water-rich fruits/veggies etc.

it sounds like, as you said, you're not getting NEARLY enough water. you just have to make a point to drink and before you know it, it'll be habit. up your consumption a little at a time and you'll have your RDA soon enough.

 

[houseman]

Alright you water gurus, I've got a question for you. How can I get myself to drink more water on a daily basis? I'm pretty much constantly dehydrated, and sometimes only drink as little as 8 or 16 ounces a day (of any liquid, not just water). Some days I'm fine, but for the most part I'm not getting even the bare minimum recommended amount.

I've tried mixing no-calorie mixers in water to make things interesting, but that didn't help. It's not an issue of me liking water. When I'm thirsty, I have no problem with water. It's just a matter of getting me to drink more regularly. I've tried always having water with me (i.e. carrying around a water bottle wherever I go), but it still didn't seem to help. I think part of my problem is that I have no desire to need to use the little girls' room every 10 minutes.

Is it possible for me to break my habits and make drinking a routine? I don't know of anyone else that does this, and really can't explain it in myself, either. Ideas, advice, or smacks upside the head are all welcome.

In the words of Nike - just DO it!

Seriously, you have to consciously remind yourself to drink and drink and drink.

I have 2 4 litre water bottles I carry with me. One while at work and one at home/gym. You just have to get intot he habit of drinking more. Nothing is going to MAKE you want to drink... you just have to train your mind to do it.

I find that if you do what I do (2 bottles of water)... you say to yourself, before I leave work for the day this bottle must be done. And before I go to bed at night, this bottle must be done.

You might not need 8 litres but the more the better

 

[houseman]

houseman: the resident biochemist-slash-physiologist.

i love the fact that you know your shit inside and out... not just cursory bullshit but actual information.

btw... did you have your competition thing yet? how'd it go?

Thanks. I appreciate your kind words. It's been my life for the past 15 years. Eat, sleep and breath it. I'd hope to know one or two things by now. lol

No comp yet. Just dieting down in a competiting diet mode to drop some BF before I start bulking again. The 16 weekd of dieting will help get the body ready to pack on more muscle - makes it incredibly anabolic by the time you begin bulk eating again.

9 more weeks. I can't wait. lol

 

[EJFan]

Thanks. I appreciate your kind words. It's been my life for the past 15 years. Eat, sleep and breath it. I'd hope to know one or two things by now. lol

No comp yet. Just dieting down in a competiting diet mode to drop some BF before I start bulking again. The 16 weekd of dieting will help get the body ready to pack on more muscle - makes it incredibly anabolic by the time you begin bulk eating again.

9 more weeks. I can't wait. lol

yeah... i couldn't remember the time line and didn't feel like hunting for the post where you mentioned it.

is that 16 week cut more or less a standard or just what you've discovered for yourself? i can't remember when i started my cut but i think i'm done with it. summer's over... screw it. lol. my commitment is overwhelming, ain't it?

nah... i just don't have anything to compete about so i can't take it TOO seriously. i think i may start my cut a little earlier next year... like march maybe. i have to check my book but i think i started this cut around may-ish.

when you have more lean mass, do the cut/bulk cycles last longer? i feel like my cut went very slowly... but i never had a HUGE bulk, just a sort of "slow bulk"... so i did a slow cut so to speak. it would seem to me, and correct me if i'm wrong, that the more lean mass you have to feed under the fat that resulted from bulking, the longer the cycles would get. true or false?

 

[houseman]

yeah... i couldn't remember the time line and didn't feel like hunting for the post where you mentioned it.

is that 16 week cut more or less a standard or just what you've discovered for yourself? i can't remember when i started my cut but i think i'm done with it. summer's over... screw it. lol. my commitment is overwhelming, ain't it?

!6 weeks just to trim up and begin the anabolism process all over again. In the year following my cut I am going to be trying hard to pack on an additional 10lbs of muscle naturally. 10lbs of muscle/year is difficult to do in general - natural or not - and even more so when you are reaching the end of your natural genetic rope. This 16 weeks of dieting should really kick start this in the right direction.

In order to compete against guys 5 and 6 inches shorter than I... I need every ounce of muscle I can get. Thanksfully my legs are rock solid from that standpoint. My best feature I'd say. Especially when sliced and diced.

when you have more lean mass, do the cut/bulk cycles last longer? i feel like my cut went very slowly... but i never had a HUGE bulk, just a sort of "slow bulk"... so i did a slow cut so to speak. it would seem to me, and correct me if i'm wrong, that the more lean mass you have to feed under the fat that resulted from bulking, the longer the cycles would get. true or false?

Contest dieting is anywhere from 16-24 weeks. What determines this, usually, is the amount of bodyfat you have. It is best to diet for a longer period of time in the 16-20-24 weeks range. The slower and more controlled you do it, the less chance of mega muscle muscle. The quicker you go the bigger loss in muscle. I work hard for every bit of muscle I got... burning it away because I was lazy, not strict or started dieting too late would be a waste to me.

If I am "enhanced"? You could fairly easily do it in 12-16 weeks.

 

[dramaqueen47]

I was wondering if there is any way to "jumpstart" your weight loss. I know when I went on Weight Watchers, I lost 6 pounds the first week, but I really don't want to count points (unless I absolutely have to) Is there something that I can do that will help me lose 4-6 pounds in my first week of my diet? Thanks!