The more you know.

The below is a copy of a comment I gave to someone from another sub. I am just throwing it out there because I don't believe that there is one perfect way to lose weight and for those folks that are lost at how to start or what to do...this is just the manner that worked for me.

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The person was asking for a beginner's guide to Intermittent Fasting - and my response.

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"I researched a lot before I started. Lot of sites about IF , and that led to autophagy ( 2016 nobel prize in biology was awarded for a study on this ), all about insulin and fasting and the effects of low insulin levels with respect to elevated HGH production and enhanced autophagy. Watched different vids from Dr Fung and if you want a laugh search for IF vids from the hodge twins. I researched fasted workouts. Fasting and longevity...etc...everything ran off to tangents and led to other things.

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After all that - when I started I decided to eat low glycemic since it is all about insulin levels ( keeping them low ) and that seemed a perfect fit for IF.

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I would recommend ( if you want to maximize your results )...start slow with 16/8 and slowly build your fasting window out.

THe first month is the worst - it will get easier.

stay off the scale as much as you can - water weight will be all over the place and it will drive you crazy. The fat loss really picks up once you get your fasting hours past 20 hours.

Insulin levels and glycogen drop low enough after 12 hours that you start accessing fat - so a 16/8 window gives you about 4 hours of fat burn,

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If you exercise - try to do it at the end of your fasting window...hgh levels have been ramping up every hour you are in a fasted state and you want to take advantage of that.

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If life interrupts and you cant do it for a day or so ...don't sweat it ...just get back on it once your routine normalizes.

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I am a firm believer in the clean fast...artificial sweetners may cause an insulin response and break the fast. Only water, black coffee or plain green tea for best results during your fasting window.

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What you eat is up to you ---the healthier choices the better but focus on a dietary style you can sustain long term. Eat at a calorie deficit - the body will make up the missing calories from fat and not have to touch your metabolism - slow it down due to less energy coming in.

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DONT TELL ANYONE YOU ARE FASTING. - not until you have a handle on it...too many well meaning, ignortant folks will try to save you from killing yourself.

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I am 55...heavy and soft all my life...I crushed this and am still stunned at the results.

Have been in maintenance since June and it has been easy to maintain this weight loss.

Have been doing IF for 14 months - I have been in perfect health that entire time..not even a headache...the biggest benefit to fasting is the immune system boost.

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Feel free to reach out if you have questions.

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https://www.reddit.com/r/OverFifty/comments/a6sj04/new_years_resolutions/

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from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2MWz7ex

Healthy Dessert Recipes for Valentine's Day

No matter how you choose to celebrate Valentine’s Day, it can definitely be an overwhelming holiday when trying to plan an extravagant date night, find the perfect gift or simply do everything in your power to withhold from overindulging in all of the tempting treats you’ll come in contact with.

from Life Time Weight Loss Blog http://bit.ly/2th9Q5v

Can you gain weight when you’re sick despite being at a calorie deficit?

I’ve been losing weight pretty steadily for a while now by eating 1200 calories per day and working out around five times per week. However, for the past ten days or so, I’ve been ill with a throath infection and a bad wisdom tooth infection, and I was put on two different antibiotics. I’ve been at my usual 1200 kcal throughout this, only difference is that I haven’t been able to hit the gym. My BMR is still around 2100, so I figured this shouldn’t affect the weight loss massively.

I thought I would have probably lost a couple pounds in ten days, but I weighed myself today and yesterday, and I seem to have gained 2 lbs? I don’t know how that’s possible. The scale also showed my body fat percentage at around 3% higher than usual, and my BMR as 400 kcal lower. I’m wondering if this is just water weight that will woosh off as soon as I get healthy, or if it’s actually possible to gain fat at 1200 kcal if you’re ill and on medication?

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from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2GmolOn

I finally figured out that exercising is as important as CICO for me

Hello there,

I'm new here, but I would like to share my weight loss journey with you!

2 years ago I lost around 15 pounds (went from 180 to 165 pounds) by doing CICO and not exercising at all. It felt great, I was able to enjoy my body on the pictures again and such, but it slowly went to hell once Christmas started. I pretty much stopped counting calories, started overeating and gained it all back. Food and cooking itself is my hobby, and it is not easy to not want to eat those delicious slowly baked ribs that have been marinated in tons of sugar overnight.

Another "problem" is that my long life partner sees me as beautiful no matter how much weight I put on. He says he enjoys my curves and loves my body, even when I feel ashamed of it. He himself is really slim and same height as me (has a desk job and does not work out at all) and I swear that if I eat the same he does, I gain 5 lbs while he still weighs the same! Not sure how he does it, but it is so unfair, haha.

Well anyway, this year I decided I've had enough. I'm getting old after all, I suffer from back pain when doing chores and I can't go for longer/harder hikes, because I simply don't have the stamina for it. Which really sucks, because we have beautiful nature surrounding us, and I want to do those!

And so I started not only doing CICO, but also exercising 5 days a week. I decided to follow one of the Fitness Blender programs, and let me tell you, that it was pretty hard the first two weeks. Everyone tells you that you feel energized and happy after exercising, right? Nope, not the case for me! Even when I tried to take it easy + eat high protein meal within an hour after exercising, I still felt like shit for the rest of the day, I honestly hated it. Every day I had to have an inner dialogue to push myself to exercise.

This (third) week my body is finally slowly getting used to the routine, and I actually feel good after exercising, yay!

I still gotta convince myself to exercise every day, but what really keeps me going is that I noticed a lot of good changes in my body (which didn't happen before when I was only doing CICO) in such a short time! For example, I don't have as much back pain anymore, I am way more flexible (I can touch my toes without cheating and bending my knees!) and sex life has dramatically improved too - I can finally do certain positions without my thighs killing me after a few minutes. I am also stronger and my arms don't feel like completely useless noodles anymore.

And this is what is important for me. Not the fact that I am gonna look better and be able to wear my old clothes (even though that's definitely a good perk!), but the fact that I will be able to do activities I love without running out of breath and feeling completely dead afterwards. I also want to start skiing next season (since I finally have some money to buy the gear and season pass) after being on slopes again this year (after a 15y break) and finding out that I still REALLY love mountains! The only problem was that I could barely walk for the next two days and took almost a full week to recover from just one full day of skiing, so that really needs to change, lol.

I must admit I still have food cravings and go to my favorite sushi restaurant once a week (I'm a sushi maniac), so I end up eating at my maintenance level that day, but it helps me tremendously with my diet for the rest of the week. Sometimes I am still 200 calories under at the end of the day and don't feel hungry at all. I don't limit myself to certain meals, I just modify them a little bit and take a LOT of time eating it. That way I end up enjoying the food and eat only half of what I used to. For example, I still enjoy eating pizza (I make my own healthier version), I can have roasted potatoes (I just barely use any oil and they still taste delicious) and my protein bars I eat after exercising are coconut/dark chocolate flavor (only 190 calories with 20g protein), so my cravings for sweets are satisfied then too.

I also do 24h IF on Saturday or Sunday when I take a 2 day break from exercising, and just drink a lot all day. Surprisingly it has been really easy for me to do so, even though I never tried IF before. Hot tea is a game changer!

So yeah, while CICO is definitely important in weight loss, don't forget to move a bit too, haha! Don't exercise to lose weight, exercise to be able to enjoy activities you couldn't before and to make yourself stronger.

Thanks for reading all this, I am gonna go work out now, even though I would rather continue sitting at my computer reading Reddit, haha!

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P.S. If you own a VR headset, try Beat Saber! If you exaggerate your every move, it is a great and extremely enjoyable exercise (with custom songs). I play sometimes on my off days or when I still have a little bit of energy left after working out :)

submitted by /u/Quelaag77
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from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2N35GYp

30 pounds down and it's had a major effect on my attitude.

39M 225lbs to 190lbs.

Even though I'm not yet to my target weight, I've been maintaining at 190 for a bit for a multitude of reasons. Although now I'm gearing up mentally to make the final push to the 175-180 range where I really want to be.

In the meantime, I noticed something about myself this morning: for the first time in over 10 years, I actually care about my appearance. It's not just that, however, I'm actually taking pride in how I look. I've started dressing better. I'm doing other stuff to improve my look.

For example: my entire wardrobe consisted of tan or khaki cargo pants and black, loose fitting shirts (either polo or with some clever print). While I still love my pop-culture reference shirts, I've been dressing more like someone in their late 30s should be dressing. I own jeans for the first time in 15 years, for example. Not just that but jeans that fit appropriately and aren't baggy. Some of them are even slim fit. I found out how polo shirts are actually supposed to fit and have been wearing them properly as well.

Beyond that, I've started taking proper care of my skin with scrubs and moisturizers and such.

Finally, I was balding. I tried a few things that didn't work out so I said "screw it. I'm going bald on my own terms" and just shaved it. Although the wife isn't thrilled on that (she's very averse to sudden/drastic changes), I'm happy with the look and it seems to have shaved some years off my appearance.

I'm getting compliments now. Actual compliments. From strangers even.

The weight loss was the catalyst. It all started with me saying "I'm tired of looking and feeling like this." I've gone from hating myself to pride. I'm standing up straighter and walking with confidence.

It's a weird feeling but I like it.

submitted by /u/MisterCrispy
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from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2Sy8WQD

What's been your game changer?

I've been stacking several strategies for weight loss. I have strategies for eating out/drinking, getting to the gym, cooking lower calorie dense food for me while also cooking "regular" for my family, and now, drinking more water.

I want to know for you, what was your "game changer" that ONE thing that significantly made the process of losing weight soooooo much easier/more enjoyable?

For example, we may know CICO, drink more water, exercise, etc., but what specific tactics made these methods EASY?

For me, it was habit science. Learning more about this topic and observing myself and lowering the activation energy for the desired behaviors really made the difference. Activation energy is the energy required to start a task.

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from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2Bt1oon

A Part of Me is Afraid to Lose Weight

Hey all. This isn't my first rodeo with weight loss and while I'm excited to make this time the one that sticks, there are parts of me that are afraid of what might happen when I do get down to my goal.

To put it bluntly, I am terrifed of being seen. Anyone that's been significantly overweight knows what I'm talking about. I've been fat my enitre life and I'm also hella introverted and like the invisibility that my weight currently gives me. Don't get me wrong, I have great friends and am friendly but I almost feel that might get me into more trouble. I get along with guys really well, probably moreso than girls. Some of my best friends are female but I can strike up conversation and talk to guys a little easier. Right now I'm the 'cool girl' in a lot of my male friend's eyes. But what happens when I lose weight? What happens if I become pretty and desirable? I'm already engaged to a wonderful guy and I really hate that sort of attention. The very few times I have been hit on, I get very uncomfortable and one time even ran to my car and hid until my friends were done shopping.

I know that it's much better to be healthy and I do want to lose the weight more than anything. But I am legitimately afraid of what I might have to face when it happens. Does anyone have advice on this? What about you guys, is there anything that you're afraid of when you lose weight?

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from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2terzdT