New York Times: To Lose Weight With Exercise, Aim for 300 Minutes a Week

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/09/well/move/to-lose-weight-with-exercise-aim-for-300-minutes-a-week.html

“Can exercise help us shed pounds? An interesting new study involving overweight men and women found that working out can help us lose weight, in part by remodeling appetite hormones. But to benefit, the study suggests, we most likely have to exercise a lot — burning at least 3,000 calories a week. In the study, that meant working out six days a week for up to an hour, or around 300 minutes a week.

The relationship between working out and our waistlines is famously snarled. The process seems as if it should be straightforward: We exercise, expend calories and, if life and metabolisms were just, develop an energy deficit. At that point, we would start to use stored fat to fuel our bodies’ continuing operations, leaving us leaner.

But our bodies are not always cooperative. Primed by evolution to maintain energy stores in case of famine, our bodies tend to undermine our attempts to drop pounds. Start working out and your appetite rises, so you consume more calories, compensating for those lost.

The upshot, according to many past studies of exercise and weight loss, is that most people who start a new exercise program without also strictly monitoring what they eat do not lose as much weight as they expect — and some pack on pounds.”

...

“In essence, Dr. Flack says, the new experiment “reinforces the earlier finding” that most of us will eat more if we exercise, but only up to about the 1,000-calories-a-week inflection point. If we somehow can manage to burn more than that amount with exercise, we probably can drop weight.”

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The study referenced is here: https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/fulltext/2020/11000/exercise_for_weight_loss__further_evaluating.22.aspx

Discuss

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Sustaining Slow Weight Loss / Temptation to Binge

Hi all,

First post after a long time lurking.

I'm a 5'4' male with a lot of weight to lose (over 100 lbs) and have fallen into a pattern of losing weight fast than gaining most (but not all) of it back. This has led to a gradual downward trend over time; my top weight was 275 lbs in January 2019, now I'm down to 235 lbs. However, I'm concerned that the manner in which I'm losing weight is bad for me psychologically, as I am prone to caloric and macro-nutrient obsessions that end up ruling my life. The problem is when I do lose weight fast I get such a rush that I just want to go harder and faster. I know that's not sustainable in the long term but it always draws me in for some reason. I think part of what drives it is the sheer amount of weight I have to lose (I know some of you have lost more, which is really impressive). Committing to slow and steady weight loss for a year scares me a little; I can't see myself maintaining any form of discipline for that long, so any shortcuts - even if it means putting myself through hell - is tempting.

Does anyone have any advice about how to maintain a steady loss over time (e.g. do you build in cheat days, do you make lifestyle changes gradually etc.) I'd be particularly keen to hear from anyone who has experience overcoming yo-yoing, binge eating and that kind of thing, but any advice is welcome!

If it makes any difference the main approach I've used so far has been CICO and low carb (not low enough for Keto though).

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I can fit into "Slim Fit" clothes now?!

I had to purchase a suit for a funeral but my old one was way too big. Went to my local Macy's and found a "normal" fitting suit that fit my chest, but was still rather big on me. So, I tried on the "Slim Fit" variant and was so surprised to find that it fit damn well! It was such a simple moment, but all of the hard work I've put in over the year came rushing back leaving me feeling a great sense of accomplishment.

I started my weight loss journey in January of 2020 after trying fasting, keto, and working out in the past but always slipped up and gained my weight back. This time would be different. And it was.

Started a new job out of college and had a bit extra money to spend on a more specialized gym and a trainer. While the membership was marginally more expensive than Planet Fitness, I gained way more knowledge and confidence that I ever would have at the cookie cutter gyms. I learned how to create healthy, long term habits to help keep the weight off and my personal trainer helped kick my butt into shape (even virtually with COVID). My trainer moved away so I dropped the membership and picked up running - something I've always wanted to do. It was so tough at first, but I'm proud to say I can run a 10K now. I feel great and keep surprising myself with what I'm able to do. I went from 260lbs in January down to 190lbs now. (70lbs!!!)

My goal weight is 180, but for the winter, I am going to focus on maintaining my weight. If I can stay within a couple of pounds of 190 when it's spring.. great! If not, then I know what needs work. Now its not about "How fast can I lose the weight". Now its "I know I'll get there. Its not a matter of if but when - and I am in no rush". I never thought I would be in this position (or enjoy working out). Seeing all of your posts inspired me to keep going and I hope this one can too :)

Before- December 2019 (260lbs)

Now- December 2020 (190lbs)

​

My "tips to win" mimic what others have posted but they are damn successful.

1.) Count calories every day. (even bad calories and bad days). It's okay to deviate one day, just not every day.

2.) Slowly change 1 thing about your diet a week. I've found that slow change leads to BIG gains in the long run. Change too much at once, and there's a greater chance you'll fall back to your old ways.

3.) Start working out, but do it gradually. Pretty much echoing my last point. Its easier to say "I'll workout at least 1-2 times a week" starting out juxtaposed with "I'm going to work out every day for a month". Slow and gradual change leads to lifestyle changes. Over time, I added workout days because I enjoyed it, not because I had to.

4.) Don't forget to live. Yeah, you'll want to grab some beers with your buddies or celebrate a birthday. Drink the beers or eat the cake. Just make sure you're back on track tomorrow!

5.) Control those portions! I always limited my dinner to one portion. If I was seriously hungry later in the night, I'd have a quick snack. Worst case is that I would eat an extra 100-150 calories, rather than potentially an unneeded 300-600 calories in a second helping.

6.) Stay consistent with your good habits. I know its boring, but it works.

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Seeking advice from other petites who had/have a lot of weight to lose

I'm five feet, middle aged (40). Until 3 years ago I was always a healthy BMI. Combine a severe alcohol problem, mental health issues, a divorce, and then food addiction to replace the alcoholism (in recovery) I quickly gained 60-70 lbs. It's stalled for the last year despite me eating like crap. I don't weigh myself but estimate I'm between 180-200 lbs and a size 14/16. That is a lot for a formerly small framed person.

How do you wrap your head around the idea of losing and it possibly taking forever? The weight loss calculator project it to take up to two years for me to get down to my goal weight 115 lbs. and that is with vigorous exercise and eating 1200 or below. That is unsustainable for me and that timeframe is so defeating.

Has anyone had any success just making lifestyle changes (being more active, making better food choices) and not meticulously counting such a low amount of calories (it will trigger me to binge) and seen substantial loss in a matter of months, not just a couple of pounds here or there? There is a lot of room for improvement for me as I've barely left the house in the past year and have trouble even standing for more than a few minutes due to severe depression that made me immobile for months and led to back problems. I've spent the majority of that time eating takeaway so I'm sure my calories inhaled were up to 4,000 regularly. I'm honestly surprised I'm not more overweight.

I'm just looking for encouragement as I feel trapped. Working on the mental health is the focus right now, but I also want to improve physically. I went from being a very active, healthy person up to my mid-thirties into someone I don't recognize. It's like I forgot all of my healthy habits and just can't break the cycle. Yes, I'm currently in therapy, but my funds are limited as I got laid off from my job during COVID (office professional) and am freelancing to get by until something comes along.

This is really embarrassing for me to write and I'm so guilt-ridden and ashamed.

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How did you lose the last bit of belly fat?

I've hit a bit of a wall in my weight loss journey, and I'm hoping for some advice from the community.

Since March of this year I have gone from 88.8 to 71.5 kilos. I've lost a similar amount of weight before, but this is the lowest that I've been, and the longest I've been here so I'm hoping that this time it sticks.

I eat between 1500 and 1700 calories a day, and follow a 18:6 or 20:4 intermittent fasting strategy almost every day. I attend gym classes three times a week, doing HIIT and circuits for a combined two hours, outside of gym I try to walk for at least 6000 steps each day.

My ultimate goal was to get down below 70 kilos, probably stopping at 68 or 69. The problem that I'm having is that my weight loss has slowed to a crawl, and my waist measurements aren't budging and indeed haven't budged for a while. Over the past few weeks I have managed maybe 0.3 kilos a week, but I don't see what else I can do without putting myself at risk of undereating.

The belly fat thing is a particular concern, as I know that a waist of 90cm or below is considered safe in men and I'm at p89, so fairly close to the edge. There is also a self confidence aspect, in that I've always wanted to have a flat stomach and not worry about my body in that sense.

I understand that experiencing this sort of thing once you get near your goal weight is fairly common, and I wanted to ask how you all got past it?

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Women 5'2-5'5what the hell is up with the 130's?

I have to ask, because I have noticed so many women, generally 5'2-5'5 saying that when they hit 130's (60-64kg), their weight loss just stalls, plateaus, comes to a halt. It just stops. It's still higher end of healthy bmi, so I just wonder why our bodies are so stuck on this number. It's interesting, frustrating and kinda funny all at once.

If you're a woman at this range, have you also been stuck in this weight forever? Asking for me, literally just me.

I felt like when I reached the 130's my weight just completely got stuck, I was more hungry, more unwilling to stick to weight loss and when I did lose weight, it was like a kilo a month, and still is. I decided to maintain for a bit, and it was fine, but trying to lose weight again is the same hell-hole as it was in the summer. What's the big idea?

You guys have any interesting theories? Would love to hear them.

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Choosing a healthy goal weight?

Hi all! I started my weight loss journey pretty recently (October) and have been doing pretty good, I think, and have lost 5kg/11lbs so far. I started at 91kg (ish) and am now down to ~85/6kg. I'm 171cm or 5'7 and 22 years old.

My original goal weight was 60kg (though I considered going as low as 55kg, the lower end of the healthy BMI range). I told my parents my goal weigh this morning, though, and they freaked out. They made me promise not to go lower than 75kg etc. etc., said that 60kg absolutely wasn't a healthy weight for me and not to pay any attention to my BMI etc.

Before you go into "don't take advice from anyone who isn't a licensed professional", my mother is a doctor, so I don't feel like I can dismiss what she's saying out of hand. The point she stressed most was the issues with BMI and how it relates to black people (sometimes very poorly). You can find a lot of articles on this with a quick google search (and I did), including some studies that suggest, "an African-American with a BMI of 28, which the standard chart calls overweight, might be as healthy as a white person with a BMI of 25." [x] [x] [x] [x]

My dad, in particular, has a BMI of like 29, but his doctors never discuss it with him, even after he gets weighed, because it's so clear by looking at him that he's really not in the same universe as Obese I. So I understand where she's coming from with this.

I know that the reasonable thing to do would be to focus on things other than the scale, but I'm like 70% that if I do that, I'll take it way too far. For the same reason that intuitive eating doesn't work for me, but CICO does, I think I need a number to keep myself in check -- a stopping post to say to myself: "Okay, you've done enough, you can stop now."

But after that conversation (and I'll be honest, I haven't really finished dealing with the emotional fallout from it, and might be more reasonable in the morning), the idea of a goal weight is really stressing me out. I don't think that I'd feel comfortable at 75kg, personally. I've only lost 5kg so far and have seen pretty much no physical difference at all, so I'd like to go down to at least 65kg, I think. However, my parents are definitely going to ask and I'd prefer not to lie to them about it, but also I'd rather be happy with my body and actually have some photos of me (a rarity for the past 5 years) that just go along with what they say.

I don't know if I'm just venting or if this is something that you guys can actually help with. I know they're saying this because they're concerned about me and love me, but currently I'm feeling really awful and discouraged about my weight loss, when before today I was excited and motivated :/

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