One of the most common questions I have heard in the 20+ years I’ve been in the fitness industry is, “Should I do total-body workouts or training splits (splits for short)?” It doesn’t matter if it is asked from a fitness enthusiast who has been working out for six months or six-plus years, the question gets asked all the time, so I will answer it in this article.Today is your Day 1?
Welcome to r/Loseit!
So you aren’t sure of how to start? Don’t worry! “How do I get started?” is our most asked question. r/Loseit has helped our users lose over 1,000,000 recorded pounds and these are the steps that we’ve found most useful for getting started.
Our bodies are amazing (yes, yours too!). In order to survive before supermarkets, we had to be able to store energy to get us through lean times, we store this energy as adipose fat tissue. If you put more energy into your body than it needs, it stores it, for (potential) later use. When you put in less than it needs, it uses the stored energy. The more energy you have stored, the more overweight you are. The trick is to get your body to use the stored energy, which can only be done if you give it less energy than it needs, consistently.
The very first step is calculating your calorie needs. You can do that HERE. This will give you an approximation of your calorie needs for the day. The next step is to figure how quickly you want to lose the fat. One pound of fat is equal to 3500 calories. So to lose 1 pound of fat per week you will need to consume 500 calories less than your TDEE (daily calorie needs from the link above). 750 calories less will result in 1.5 pounds and 1000 calories is an aggressive 2 pounds per week.
Here is where it begins to resemble work. The most efficient way to lose the weight you desire is to track your calorie intake. This has gotten much simpler over the years and today it can be done right from your smartphone or computer. r/loseit recommends an app like MyFitnessPal, Loseit! (unaffiliated), or Cronometer. Create an account and be honest with it about your current stats, activities, and goals. This is your tracker and no one else needs to see it so don’t cheat the numbers. You’ll find large user created databases that make logging and tracking your food and drinks easy with just the tap of the screen or the push of a button. We also highly recommend the use of a digital kitchen scale for accuracy. Knowing how much of what you're eating is more important than what you're eating. Why? This may explain it.
How do you create a deficit? This is up to you. r/loseit has a few recommendations but ultimately that decision is yours. There is no perfect diet for everyone. There is a perfect diet for you and you can create it. You can eat less of exactly what you eat now. If you like pizza you can have pizza. Have 2 slices instead of 4. You can try lower calorie replacements for calorie dense foods. Some of the communities favorites are cauliflower rice, zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash in place of their more calorie rich cousins. If it appeals to you an entire dietary change like Keto, Paleo, Vegetarian.
The most important thing to remember is that this selection of foods works for you. Sustainability is the key to long term weight management success. If you hate what you’re eating you won’t stick to it.
Is NOT mandatory. You can lose fat and create a deficit through diet alone. There is no requirement of exercise to lose weight.
It has it’s own benefits though. You will burn extra calories. Exercise is shown to be beneficial to mental health and creates an endorphin rush as well. It makes people feel awesome and has been linked to higher rates of long term success when physical activity is included in lifestyle changes.
It can seem like one needs to make a 180 degree course correction to find success. That isn’t necessarily true. Many of our users find that creating small initial changes that build a foundation allows them to progress forward in even, sustained, increments.
You will struggle. We have all struggled. This is natural. There is no tip or trick to get through this though. We encourage you to recognize why you are struggling and forgive yourself for whatever reason that may be. If you overindulged at your last meal that is ok. You can resolve to make the next meal better.
Do not let the pursuit of perfect get in the way of progress. We don’t need perfect. We just want better.
Now you’re ready to do this. Here are more details, that may help you refine your plan.
Things are going pretty well for my weight loss to date. According to HappyScale, and thanks to CICO and this forum, I've lost 0.2 pounds in seven days, 6.6 in 30 days, and 17.0 in 90 days. Though I've been on a plateau for more than two weeks, I'm in this for the long term (i.e., Healthy BMI for Life) and I'm trusting the process. That said, I do keep a list of the best advice I've found in this forum and in books, and I turn to it whenever I wish my weight loss was progressing more quickly. Here's my list, and please add to it in the comments.
[1]
Remember the Four Ds: Distance, Distract, Delay, Decide what's important.
[2]
Write out and review your list of reasons for the weight loss at least once a week.
[3]
Keep a list of smaller rewards for 5- and 10-pound goals, and larger ones for larger goals. So far, I've used the savings from lunches out and junk food to buy a new bag and a new pair of sneakers. When I reach my next milestone, I'm buying a chin-up bar, and the next one after that will be an elliptical machine. When I reach my final goal and enter Maintenance, which will be sometime next year, I'm getting my first nice watch and first nice swim trunks in my life.
[4]
One day a a time. Practice consistency over perfection. If you have one bad day, go right back to business as usual.
[5]
Anticipate life’s certain though tragedies in the future so they don't throw off our nutrition/fitness/logging goals. "We cannot change the wind, but we can adjust our sails”.
[6]
Track and journal for six months after meeting your final goal to train yourself what the new and right way feels like, after a whole adult life of wrong. Join the national weight loss registry after one year of Maintenance for accountability.
[7]
Love food or love your body. It’s up to you!
[8]
Select only Premium fuel for my roaring inner bonfire.
[9]
By not giving in right now, I’m strengthening my resolve.
[10]
Big satisfying meals. Hunger between is NOT emergency or starvation. Appropriate hunger for each meal. Body well equipped to go WEEKS without food. (Georgie Fear)
[11]
On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 starving and 10 overstuffed, aim to go from a 3 to a 7 at any given meal. Eat just until satisfied. "More food isn’t more fun."
[12]
You can have the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. Your choice.
[13]
Think about the last 10 pounds as practice for maintenance. When you are in maintenance you will still have to stick to a calorie goal (your TDEE), without the reward of seeing the scale change. And you will have to do it for the rest of your life. So what's the rush all of a sudden?
[14]
Be careful about monitoring your intake of foods with natural sugars like fruit, and simple carbohydrates that act metabolically like sugar in your body, namely flour and white rice. Limit to 30g a day or less.
[15]
It became a question of sugar-or my life. I chose life.
[16]
Sugar is not love. Keep the fun; omit the sugar.
[17]
Make your food boring and your life interesting. Lose the weight.
[18]
The pain of pushing through? Or the pain of giving up?
[19]
There is always chaos (in my case, yo-yo weight loss/gain) before order. See the last two years as a setback, nothing more. Even necessary.
[20]
You’re coming home to your true self.
[21]
I fight at the table instead of at the fitting room or closet.
[22]
Motivation starts this thing. Discipline gets you through to the end.
[23]
Weight loss and maintenance as a permanent “practice” instead of as a profession or learning of trade.
[24]
I’d rather wear whatever I want than eat whatever I want.
[25]
“I’m as happy with my lean habits as I am with the way my smallest jeans fit.”
[26]
4.2 grams of sugar=1 teaspoon of sugar (easier to visualize)
[27]
Need to wait six MONTHS for real results (i.e., April 2019), with mini monthly goals in interim.
[28]
Live on an "energy of the spirit" more than on an overabundance of calorie-dense food. “Now I eat mostly fruits, nuts, vegetables and grains (preferably organically grown), and perhaps a bit of milk and cheese. That is what I live on and walk on.” - Peace Pilgrim
[29]
Get psyched! It's SOUP SEASON!!!! I love soups so much. Soup is life. Soup is everything. Craving a loaded baked potato? Turn that craving into a lower calorie soup! How about lasagna? Soup to the rescue! Macaroni and cheese? SOUP IT UP BABY! And You can get tea that smells like anything. ANYTHING. Get stoked. The season of yummy warm things that are like 70% water and 30% actual calories is upon us! losers rejoice!
[30]
Brown rice, sweet potatoes, whole wheat pasta.
[31]
Every meal, for nutrition and satiety: Grains, Greens, Fats, Fiber, Protein. Hydrate with fresh cold water all day.
[32]
I have a chronic health issue. My obesity is in remission.
[33]
Slip-ups are not give-ups.
[34]
Up and down on the scale? Bad day? Trust the laws of thermogenics. It’ll go down. Anything higher than your lowest weight is water.
[35]
If I want to weigh X pounds, then I need to eat like a X-pound person.
[36]
Hungry? Eat an apple. Doesn’t sound good? Then you’re not hungry.
[37]
The incorrect 95-98% obesity recidivism rate is from 1959, and it was debunked by the study author in the NYT.
[38]
Either this food choice will help advance my goals or it will slow me down.
[39]
Decay is optional. Body does default to it in your 40s and 50s, but we can still fight against it and grow. (Younger Next Year)
[40]
The keys to overriding the decay code are daily exercise, emotional commitment, reasonable nutrition, and a real engagement with living. But it starts with exercise. (Younger Next Year)
[41]
Thing is, you need to do something every day to tell your body it’s springtime. That’s the key. It isn’t complicated, but you have to work at it every day. (Younger Next Year)
[42]
Exercise six days a week for the rest of your life. Sorry, but that’s it. No negotiations. No give. No excuses. Six days, serious exercise, until you die. You have to put a strain on the lines of your life so that your anchor will hold in that tide we talked about. (Younger Next Year)
[43]
This is not a diet; it's a lifestyle change. Slow and steady. You didn't gain all of the extra weight quickly, so you shouldn't lose it super quickly, either. Your new way of living is sustainable and permanent.
First time poster - I was unsure whether this was appropriate for the subreddit but here is goes.
I'll start with saying I am currently on my own weight loss journey! After a change of routine lead me to gain 15kgs over the course of 10 months. I knew I had to face reality with a complete life style change, and as a result I have now lost 10kgs in the past few months, and only another 5kgs to go until I reach my goal weight of 65kgs.
I have done this through cutting down my calories, avoiding processed foods and going to the gym almost every day.
This has, in turn, made me a lot more receptive to peoples eating habits around me. Something I started to notice was the excuses one of my friends had been making in regards to diet/lifestyle. She has always been bigger but has recently wanted to make a change to lose 30kgs - I was so proud of her and was willing to do what I could to help, especially considering I was currently focusing on the same thing.
What i'm faced with now though, seems to be a whole lot of misinformation and excuses.
Although she doesn't exercise, she will try to relate to me in regards to meals and it is becoming really difficult not to correct her. As an example, a healthy 'weight loss' breakfast for her will consist of two pieces of white bread, 3 egg scramble, bacon, smothered in hollandaise sauce and a caramel coffee. (Not to mention the tablespoon of butter put into the pan to cook the egg).
While on the other hand, I will have an egg white and vegetable scramble with some grilled chicken for breakfast, and she will claim that it's not 'sustainable'.
She is not seeing results because of this yet each time I try to help: 'Maybe try not to put so much butter in the pan its already non stick' or 'Have you tried a different kind of sauce, one that isn't so creamy'. I'm met with a range of excuses such as: 'Eggs are good for you though'.
It seems that because she doesnt want to sacrifice oversized portions and unhealthy food choices, she convinces herself that because its not 'fast food' it must be okay.
Has anyone experienced a friend/family member being like this in regards to losing weight/eating habits before? Or if you have had the same thought process of my friend while in a similar situation, what was it that made you change your thinking for the better?
My dog is overweight. We've been told to put him on a weight loss diet immediately. So here's how the appointment went....
Vet: He needs to lose weight. Here is the exact number of calories to feed him per day to lose weight. Be very careful with weighing, get a food scale if you can. Come back in 2 months. The important thing is to stick to the number of calories.
Me: So no treats?
Vet: If one treat fits into the number of calories, sure. The important thing is to stick to the number of calories.
Me: Ok. How about more exercise?
Vet: Take him for walks because it is good for his health, but that doesn't need to be a calculation in the weight loss. The important thing is to stick to the number of calories.
Me: But if I walk him more, won't he lose more weight?
Vet: Well, possibly. But the amount you are going to walk him (he's a small toy dog) isn't going to make that much of a difference. The important thing is to stick to the number of calories.
Me: How about special foods? Are there any diet kibbles I could give him that would help?
Vet: You can give him whatever approved dog food you want, just make sure you only give him this number of calories a day. The important thing is to stick to the number of calories.
Me: What times of day should I feed him?
Vet: Whenever is convenient for you or him. The important thing is to stick to the number of calories.
I think you can see the trend here : )
I consider this a huge success, honestly. Sorry if this is long and rambly.
My husband is 6'1", and weighed in at 326.8 lbs this morning. That shocked him, and I could see the disappointment on his face. Last year he was down to under 290 thanks to the assistance of phentermine, but you can't be on appetite suppressants forever... We moved away from his doctor, phentermine went away, and of course he gained all the weight back. I've tried and tried all summer to get him to just weigh himself after I could see the weight coming back, but he wouldn't. I found out he was eating fast food every day for lunch without any idea of how many calories he was consuming.
I figured he wasn't going to start making changes on his own, so I started getting up earlier to have time to go to the gym and do my thing, come home and have time to make him a healthy breakfast and pack him a healthy lunch. We both quit drinking together, and I'm immensely proud of him for that... but, I think he (like me) assumed that cutting the wine calories would be enough to be reflected on the scale. Such is of course not the case, if you're still eating like 3000 calories a day in shit.
He watched me stop drinking juice, wine, soda, EVERYTHING except water. He watched me meal prep for myself on Sundays. He saw me getting up at 5:30 to get to the gym for C25k (I start week 4 next week!!). But I couldn't get him to at least weigh himself. His idea of a "snack" would be a peanut butter sandwich with a TON of peanut butter. That comes in at about 620 calories! No matter what I did, I could NOT get him to pay attention.
Finally, this morning, he weighed himself. He snapped at me, said he hated "that look" on my face, then disappeared to take a shower. I went into the kitchen and started to put together his lunch and wrote down every calorie that went into it. He came into the kitchen and said that he wants to start counting calories with me! I showed him the piece of paper, and told him I will help him.
We are going to do this together (thank god, so hard when a partner won't ditch unhealthy habits!). I'm going to help him with counting calories, and he's going to join me for a mile walk in the evenings (before the Wisconsin winters take over).
I want him to take accountability, because I can't lose weight for him... but this is a start!
Hi European loseit friends, How are you doing today? Welcome to regulars and new joiners alike. No matter where you are on your weight loss journey, I hope this accountability thread can be helpful for you.
For anyone new who wants to join today, this is a daily post where you can track your goals, keep yourself accountable, get support and have a chat with friendly people at times that are convenient for European time zones. Check in daily, weekly, or whatever works best for you. Anyone and everyone is welcome! Tell us about yourself and your goals and join us already :) And it's all more fun when you comment on each other's posts, so let's encourage each other too!
And on to the accountability part...how's your day going? Let us know how you're getting on with your goals, if you have any questions, need to vent, have a SV or NSV to share, etc. And feel free to just have a chat about how your day went! We got this :D
I’ll start: I just met with my new language buddy and she was nice so that was good. Now I need to get out of the house because I have tasted the zucchini bread (cake really) that I cooked last night. I’m already fighting off the excuses my brain is making to justify eating more. But first I will cook the rest of today’s food so that I’m not further tempted by random stuff while I’m out. Then it’s a gardening afternoon for me as I have lots to do at the allotment and it’s free exercise. Have a great day everyone!
