View Full Version : Weight loss
ServerError
25-11-16, 21:21
Not sure if this is the right place to ask this as it's not directly related to anxiety, but I thought there might some thoughts or opinions worth hearing among you folk.
I recently began getting back into running. I love running and am happy to do it for the enjoyment of it above all else. But I do also wish I was in better shape. I was a healthy kid until the age of about 18 (as soon as I became an adult essentially), when I noticed myself putting weight on. For a long time, I didn't really care and just ate what I wanted. But now I do care, and I'd love to just look a little better and be in better general health. I suspect I'd qualify as official obese, although to the man or woman on the street I probably look "chubby".
What bothers me is that, in the process of looking into the subject of weight loss, I've come across articles and studies from bright minds saying that weight loss is basically impossible and that the tiny handful of people who achieve it are anomalies, a bit like lottery winners.
Even though I intend to keep running for the pleasure it gives me and the positive impact it has on my mental health, I can't help but feel demotivated, as if I'm stuck with this blubber forever, no matter what I do. I've no interest at all in becoming a well-sculpted beefcake. I just want to shift fat from my torso.
Has anyone ever had any weight loss success or have any useful advice at all, as this has actually gotten me down a little.
My partner at 32 started running, he lost over 3 stone and he has maintained this with exercise and diet. Nothing major in terms of diet, just cutting out week night alcohol and late snacking.
Whether you lose weight or not, this is something you enjoy and it can only make you fitter and healthier.
Xxx
I've found low carb one of the best ways to lose weight and keep it off. Not zero carb just cutting back on potatoes bread and pasta. The BBC website has some good info if you are interested. It's a way of eating that the medical world is starting to show a lot of interest in. Low fat diets are one of the worst ways to diet as they make me permanently hungry. :)
Losing weight is definitely not an anomaly. In my body building days, I initially lost over 30 pounds and then put on lean muscle mass. The key is the nutritional aspect of your diet, Higher protein and low glycemic carbs as well as eating smaller meals more often through the day. Essentially you have to fool your body into releasing the fat. If you don't eat enough, your body will hold onto the fat. So, by feeding your body the proper diet and spread out over smaller meals, it never senses you're denying it anything. That along with exercise will help you gain lean mass and muscle burns more fat calories.
Positive thoughts
What bothers me is that, in the process of looking into the subject of weight loss, I've come across articles and studies from bright minds saying that weight loss is basically impossible and that the tiny handful of people who achieve it are anomalies, a bit like lottery winners.
Interesting! Surely though if you start eating right(cutting out crap) and exercising more then you are bound to lose weight? I know it can be much slower for some people, and others have health issues contributing to their weight
My partner cut out sugar, drank more water and started going for runs in the mornings and within two weeks he lost 6lbs. He never continued it like that everyday, but whenever he has decided to start exercising more he's always lost some weight.
Cutting big meals at night(which is what we always had) was a huge help, we never really eat unhealthy it's more portion sizes.
But yeah morning exercises and more water definitely made him lose some weight as well as the sugar thing, if he would stick to it everyday then he would be at his ideal weight but it's easier said than done when life gets in the way!
He enjoys running too, wish I had the motivation for it because he always says how good it feels and although my weight is fine improving my fitness is definitely something I want/need to do. People don't believe me when I say I can't run because I'm slim, I really can't!
MyNameIsTerry
25-11-16, 23:03
It's basic science, eat under your calorific need and your body starts to break down your body to feed itself. This can mean breaking down proteins from muscle too but if you have a high fat % it's going to hit that more.
For any article to claim that is not the case is quite frankly bullocks. :winks: It's well proven science that's been around ages.
The problem tends to be attitude. Some people go for more extreme quick win dieting but these just rebound if you don't adjust and they will always rebound some anyway as those diets are starving the body below it's healthy requirements.
Also the weight you very quickly lose its water and that will very quickly adjust back again.
Build some muscle, your daily calorific needs will increase as muscle burns calories each day. This may be a factor in how calorific needs drop too when your body starts breaking down proteins when dieting more extremely.
Look into your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) which is your normal rate. This will rise the more active you are on a regular basis. This means you will burn more calories. Running burns calories mostly when you do it, like all cardiovascular exercise, but some exercises can cause a rise in your BMR for a period after and this means your body is working harder to repair itself and you burn more calories than normal over a longer period. This is why HIIT is very popular.
I've lost 2 stone over the last 4months by going to Slimming World.
We have men going as well as women and the leader really motivates us.
You never need to feel hungry,and can still eat potatoes, pasta,and rice.
Would recommend it.
I've lost 2 stone over the last 4months by going to Slimming World.
We have men going as well as women and the leader really motivates us.
You never need to feel hungry,and can still eat potatoes, pasta,and rice.
Would recommend it.
I've done this in the past and you can eat massive portions and still lose weight. I couldn't stick with it long term but can attest that it does yield great results and you need never go hungry.
I would like to either lose a little weight or simply tone up (I'm a size smaller on the top and feel like it makes me look weird). I've been walking 2-4 miles (in addition to my usual walking such as school run) each day for 3 weeks now. I'm going to wait another week and find my tape measure to see if I have lost inches and if I have I'll be over the moon. I'm the same weight I was prior to my 2nd antidepressant weight gain but I look bigger now and the only difference from then and now is that I used to speed walk to and from the bus stops when I went to work. So even if you don't lose weight you'll notice a difference to your physique.
Yes weight loss is absolutely possible. I work for a large weight loss company that has been around more than 50 years.
I see success every day that I work.
Weight loss is complex, there are many psychological aspects and dealing with them for the long haul makes sustained weight loss challenging.
To look at it plainly, it's a mathematical equation. Burn more calories then you take in... I only wish it stopped there. It does not.
Again.. the answer to your question is yes. It must be viewed as a journey to health that has a beginning but no end.
Everything you do to lose weight, you must continue doing to keep it off.
Multuple levels of support go a long way in holding you up when you're ready to throw in the towel.
ServerError
26-11-16, 21:45
Thank you for the positive messages, guys. I realise now it was silly to let these articles get to me. I'm gonna just keep getting out there for the fun of it and the challenge. Oh, and it's given me a real boost already in terms of how I feel psychologically.
MyNameIsTerry
27-11-16, 04:42
You are well on your way then. Most of us stop exercising because it's a chore, so if you enjoy it you will stay committed.
...and when it's time for sponsored marathon we can all get our hands in out pockets! :yesyes:
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