Best Weight Loss Program

[pope04]

I've lost 10-15 lbs this year by keeping it really simple: Lots of water, no eating after 7:30 pm (this was a killer), and exercising more. My body fat on January 1st was around 20%, and now it's around 16%.

[J pold]

A lot of people have stated some pretty staggering results in terms of a huge amount of weight lost in such little time, I was under the impression that losing 20 pounds in 2 weeks is extremely unhealthy but I suppose that could just be from the large amount of mis-information about weight loss

[TimSJ]

Heroin Diet... Most of the Heroin addicts you see are skinny as a rake.

otherwise as many in this thread have said Excercise and healthy eating

[Azure]

Originally Posted by photon

Heh, can't cheat thermodynamics.. if you put in more calories than you burn, you gain, if you burn more than you take in, you lose, easy as that.

You should patent that idea....because in simple terms that is weightloss to a tee.

[photon]

Originally Posted by GreenTeaFrapp

I don't think something like that is a good idea.

My wife had a coworker who went on it. She lost TONS of weight but she also had to have her gallbladder taken out because of it. And as soon as she went off it, the weight came right back on.

I'd rather live life overweight then spend the rest of my life on a 850 calorie a day diet.

I don't know, I'd rather have my gallbladder out than die of a heart attack at 45.. And who said anything about staying on 850 calories for your whole life? Why would they do that? After they've lost what they need to lose, they should eat the 2500 or whatever it is that they normally burn. And if they exercise then they eat more to maintain that.

Plus I doubt the diet was the sole cause of gall bladder problems, it takes a lot longer than a few months of low calorie diets to damage your gall bladder, the diet just put stress on something that was already damaged.

If she gained the weight back on, then it's because she didn't learn anything or change anything. There's two components to the equation, the amount you eat, and the amount you burn.. if she eats more than she burns, she gains, simple as that.

The Dr. B diet is extreme and of course it shouldn't be undertaken without consultation of a good doctor. If someone needs to lose 20 pounds I don't think it's the right thing. But if the person has to lose a lot (100+lbs) and the risks of not losing the weight are more than the risks of 6 months of that diet...

[Ayrahb]

I bought the BodyRX book for $6 at Londong Drugs and found it helpful to get me started. I haven't followed it religiously, but implementing some of the basic recommendations helped me to lose 14 pounds in 5 weeks.

What I followed:

-I cut sugar intake significantly. No sodas, juice, less cofee, and I started reading the labels. They put corn syrup in everything these days and I try to look for products with minimum or no sugar added.

-I eat a lot more protein. Fish and chicken mostly plus a protein supplement. That seems to keep me from overeating.

- I eat more frequently.

-I eat more fibre.

What I haven't followed too much or at all:

-Weight training: Body RX suggests that weights are enough exercise. I did both cardio and weights, but only about five times in those five weeks.

-Supplements other than fibre and protein: I didn't feel comfortable taking some of supplements suggested.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by GreenTeaFrapp

I don't think something like that is a good idea.

My wife had a coworker who went on it. She lost TONS of weight but she also had to have her gallbladder taken out because of it. And as soon as she went off it, the weight came right back on.

I'd rather live life overweight then spend the rest of my life on a 850 calorie a day diet.

5lbs a week is big time not healthy....most doctors like recommend 1-2 lbs per week.

850 calories? Ouch.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by fotze

My entire family has been on diets my whole life and anyone who has ever seen my skinny arse would laugh at that. I am an anomoly. Every diet under the sun was at my house. It sucks be able to eat whatever you want but having to eat diet crap.

My mother and brother are pretty much the Atkins test cases because it is the only thing that has worked. My mom has been big my entire life, up until the past couple years, same with my brother. My brother is the prottotypical atkins guy too, eats piles of bacon and meat but no buns. We will see what the long term affects are.

I hate eating at my folks because everything is Atkinsized and tastes like crap. Also you have to hear about how great Atkins tastes, but I have learned as the skinny guy, you don't ever question anything when it comes to dieting, you just agree.

And don't even mention that Atkins starts you off with a requirement of 12 carbs per day.....12 carbs people....I get 300 every day...and still lose weight.

[photon]

Originally Posted by the_only_turek_fan

People don't accomplish it because of the North American lifestyle. This is another discussion for another day. They number of overweight people in North America is WAY more than Europe and they eat way worst than we do.

Being overweight in most cases is a choice. I used to be really fat. I made changes. If someone has bad knees there are other forms of exercise (not as efficient, but still do work) that they can do like those fancy run/stepper things you see at gyms.

Sorry if I ofended anyone here, but to exercise regularly and eat right is not hard. It is just a choice. Instead of sitting on the couch all day or at a pub go for a walk if that is all you can do at the very least.

I agree with you, I think societies influence is a huge factor.

And I also agree it is a choice, though I don't think it is an easy one for everyone. Different things are easy for some and hard for others. But it is a necessary choice.

I couldn't do that choice myself, self-discipline is something I've never had to learn until now. I need the structure of a plan and the positive feedback of seeing the constant changes over time to motivate me.

I'm down 55 pounds so far, and while exercise was about the furthest thing from my mind when I started, now I actually find myself being more active.. working on things around the house, carrying stuff myself, walking more, etc... Then, even walking around the block was tough, now I'm at the point where I can actually do some exercise and enjoy it without being out of comission for days, or feeling like I'm going to have a heart attack.

[Azure]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-in...erval_training

I've been doing this for about 2 weeks now, and doing HIIT has had amazing results.

Hard to believe that I can do so much in 15-20 min.

[Kaon]

I'd recommend Weight Watchers, I started it about 2 and a half weeks ago to support my girlfriend and have actually been surprised with the results so far. I eat more then I ate before throughout the course of the day and so far after 2 weeks have lost a little over 8 lbs.

Weight Watchers isn't a lazy way out in my opinion. It's more an educational tool. I agree with what others have said in that some people think they're eating healthy but don't actually understand what that means, or they eat healthier foods and give themselves a portion larger then they need to feel satisfied (North American Bigger is Better culture).

Any weight loss plan where I can have 3 full size meals of pretty much whatever I'd like mixed with 3 or 4 snacks and a couple of beers at the end of the day and still lose weight is a good plan in my books. The key is to make sure you eat the full amount of calories recommended though or you honestly do stop losing weight.

If you have any questions send me a message I can answer anything about it so far (still quite new). I do exercise during the week, but when I do it's because it's doing something I enjoy not because it's a chore that I have to complete in order to lose weight.

Just to add, the weight loss does slow after the first 2 to 3 weeks as your body adjusts to eating properly, so I wouldn't expect to lose 4 points a week every week till your set. I think WW says you should expect to lose about 1% of your weight a week after the first 3 weeks

[llama64]

My wife did LA Weight Loss for a year a while back. Worked great for her, but she won't pay for it again. The fee is mostly to cover the one on one attention and checking up. If you need someone watching your progress like a teacher might watch a students learning, go for it, otherwise losing weight is a rather simple process.

- Reduce useless calories (liquid carbs, sugars, high fat)
- Eat more veggies
- exercise (aerobics)

You basically need to manipulate this daily equation:
Caloric Intake - Caloric Expenditure = Calories stored/burned.

[Got Miikka?]

Originally Posted by Ayrahb

I cut sugar intake significantly. No sodas, juice, less cofee, and I started reading the labels. They put corn syrup in everything these days and I try to look for products with minimum or no sugar added.

###. Sugar is the silent killer. Our culture is so hung up on how fat causes obesity, we overlook the fact that sugar, which is a simple carbohydrate, gets converted into fat. And if you do peek at nutrition facts on labels, it's amazing how much sugar is crammed into everything. Individual yogurts, for example - which we're told are supposed to be a healthy alternative - are loaded with sugar. I've seen sugar content in some of these yogurts that exceeds the amount in a regular-sized can of Coke Classic.

When it comes to these diets, I'm certain you can achieve your desired results by following them to the letter, but this may be done - as in the case of the Dr. B diet - at the expense of your health. It is indeed true that you will lose weight provided you burn more calories than you consume, but your body relies on calories - a certain portion of which SHOULD be fat - to maintain optimal health.

The key to losing weight the healthy way is to make a lifestyle change, and this means reevaluating everything from what you eat to how you spend your time. In my opinion, it's fantastic that WeightWatchers offers tailored nutritional advice, because eating properly is paramount, but such advice should be used as a tool to supplement the other changes you will need to make.

Most importantly, you have to be reasonable about what you expect to achieve and how you want to achieve it. Certainly, you can expect the same weight loss results from a modified diet and 3 nights of exercise a week as you could from the same revamped diet and a more active overall lifestyle (ie., walking more, opting to take the stairs rather than the elevator, etc). It depends on what you're willing to undertake and how reasonable such an undertaking is for you.

[14]

The GI Diet, www.gidiet.com, is the best one you can go on. It is not a diet but a lifestyle change. And a minimum one at that. One of the most educational books I have ever read. I highly recommend it. It is a book by a Canadian, the former director of the Heart and Stroke foundation of Ontario. It is not this overpowering marketing machine that wants the diets to remain a yo-yo effect over time. I heard about it on CNN of all places about three years ago. They did a segment on 10 different diets over a year and the results were that this unkown diet form Canada was the best for consistent and long term results. I lost about 25 pounds in 8 months with no change to my exercise routine. The book is based on how your body breaks down food, the Glycemic Index. It is avaialbe all over the place now cause of how well it catches on by word of mouth: Chapter's, Costco, London Drugs, etc.

[Tron_fdc]

Originally Posted by Azure

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-in...erval_training

I've been doing this for about 2 weeks now, and doing HIIT has had amazing results.

Hard to believe that I can do so much in 15-20 min.

I know a few local firefighters are doing that, and are getting really good results. High intensity exercises, usually done to failure, and your workout is done in 20 minutes. I haven't tried it, but I'm hearing good things about it.

As far as "the best" weight loss plan goes...there really isn't one. In my experience, everyone's body is going to respond differently to differnt types of exercise. I can run 5 days a week, up to 15k per session and not lose a pound, but the second I start sprint interval training for sports like rugby I can drop 5-10 lbs in a week. It sounds like TOTF is completely the opposite, and it's not because someone is working harder than the other, but moreso has to do with your genetics. My advice would be to try something, and if you see results stick with it. Just steer clear of th fad diets where you drop loads of weight in short amounts of time, because I can virtually guarantee you'll gain it back (and more) when you come off it.

[Azure]

I think any 'diet' or weightloss problem should be looked at as a 'lifestyle' change.

You can't drop 40 lbs....or whatever your goal is...and once you've accomplished that, suddenly go back eating the same way you were prior to your weight loss.

I think that is what drives people away from the whole weightloss solution. They can't commit to staying away from the fast food each day....etc, etc.

[Russic]

When I began my quest to shed some weight I was blown away by how many calories it takes to maintain muscle. I was working out several times a week and nothing much was happening. However, once I altered my eating habits a little bit the weight started falling off a lot faster than I anticipated.

[Thor]

Definately Body for Life, as its not a diet as much as a change of thinking/lifestyle with a serious workout regiment.

People who go half assed into weight loss almost always fail, I find Body for Life to be the most common sense and hard working method.

If you can follow it for 3-4 months, you'll be stunned at the results.

Not to mention, you can have 1 day a week where you can splurge and eat/drink whatever you want.

[Thor]

Originally Posted by Sainters7

My parents used something called the South Beach Fat Flush, and both lost about 20lbs in two weeks, no joke. Now lots of people they know are on it.

90% of diets fail.

Check their progress 2 months from now.

You have to change your lifestyle, learn about healthy eating/cooking. Have a plan, set up a workout regime.

People who only diet without exercise make me cry, they are missing such a HUGE part of the equasion.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Thor

90% of diets fail.

Check their progress 2 months from now.

You have to change your lifestyle, learn about healthy eating/cooking. Have a plan, set up a workout regime.

People who only diet without exercise make me cry, they are missing such a HUGE part of the equasion.

I do think it is possible to maintain a healthy lifestyle without going to the gym 3 times a week.

I know people who've never exercised in their life....yet they've always remained in decent shape.

Just saying...