diet tips: willpower?

Associate
Joined
17 Jan 2015
Posts
1,547
Actually 12 stone would be the top end at 24 BMI according to the NHS (I put in a 30yo white male, as a guess).

To be fair I did say 'about'.... and it depends on your build. I am reasonably well built so I think 12 stone would be ideal for me, thats about what I was before I re-gained the beer belly anyway! I mean I'm about 14 stone now and nobody would think I was fat (at least clothed), but I do have some extra padding that I am going to get rid of in the coming months.

I still maintain that 9 stone is VERY skinny for a 5'10 man (or woman even).
 
Soldato
Joined
6 Mar 2007
Posts
9,736
Location
Surrey
I'm 5'10 and was 9stone before I started going to the gym. I looked very underweight.

Currently sitting at just under 12stone at around 9% bodyfat and am in the best shape I've ever been!
 
Soldato
Joined
1 Dec 2011
Posts
21,226
Location
SW3
Intermittent fasting has been good for me.

Only eat 1 meal between 6pm and 7pm and then no food at all until 6pm the next day.

Only drinking water and tea without sugar and milk.
Just to quote this again, weighed myself and since Christmas day i have lost 11lb. :)
 
Commissario
Joined
16 Oct 2002
Posts
2,646
Location
In the radio shack
Very happy you've lost the weight but it's because you're eating fewer calories. It doesn't matter a jot whether you eat them throughout the day or just in a one hour period. By definition, fasting is eating less.
 
Soldato
Joined
1 Dec 2011
Posts
21,226
Location
SW3
Very happy you've lost the weight but it's because you're eating fewer calories. It doesn't matter a jot whether you eat them throughout the day or just in a one hour period. By definition, fasting is eating less.
It's not just the weight loss i have noticed, i feel better not eating through out the day, i was always bloated after eating breakfast or lunch but not now i eat at 6pm.
 
Permabanned
Joined
11 Jan 2019
Posts
3,214
Location
bedlam
This is interesting thread, Where could i get more info on the intermittent fasting?
i am 6foot2 and 15.7 st. i dont eat much but what i do is crap and i pick all day long.

i work in front of a screen, so find myself eating bits a rubbish all day.
 
Soldato
Joined
29 Dec 2014
Posts
5,758
Location
Midlands
This is interesting thread, Where could i get more info on the intermittent fasting?
i am 6foot2 and 15.7 st. i dont eat much but what i do is crap and i pick all day long.

i work in front of a screen, so find myself eating bits a rubbish all day.

If you eat crap, anything you do, whether it’s diet, fasting - whatever, will work temporarily because you’ll consume fewer calories.

However, if you continue to eat crap, you’ll more thank likely end up in the same place you started sooner or later, because eating crap is how people become overweight in the first place.

People gain weight through eating crap, because it’s very very easy to overeat with junk, the result is you increase your caloric intake when you eat energy dense snacks that are so hard to resist, this leads to weight gain.

If you want to lose weight, you need to tackle the root cause - junk food, anything else is a half measure and will result in a much lower chance of long term success.
 
Permabanned
Joined
11 Jan 2019
Posts
3,214
Location
bedlam
If you want to lose weight, you need to tackle the root cause - junk food, anything else is a half measure and will result in a much lower chance of long term success.

i 100% agree, i was just wanting info and the fasting.
i know the first step is stopping with the junk. when a say junk i mean at work we eat as we work as many do so i find myself eating a little but often over the 9hr shift, the food in not so much junk its the amount i eat that's probably the problem.

if i look back at what i have eaten over the day its way too much but because your eating little bits all a time your never full and don't really realize volume i have eaten.
 
Soldato
Joined
29 Dec 2014
Posts
5,758
Location
Midlands
i 100% agree, i was just wanting info and the fasting.
i know the first step is stopping with the junk. when a say junk i mean at work we eat as we work as many do so i find myself eating a little but often over the 9hr shift, the food in not so much junk its the amount i eat that's probably the problem.

if i look back at what i have eaten over the day its way too much but because your eating little bits all a time your never full and don't really realize volume i have eaten.

Being organised can be a good way to start, I’d recommend using some sort of tracker to make an honest list of all the things you eat in a day, there are some good app based ones like my fitness pal etc.

Some things work better than others for different people, however the only way to ensure long term success is to understand how you ended up with the problem in the first place, once you understand that you’ll stand more chance of avoiding a regression to previous habits or behaviours, tracking what you eat now - may give you a good insight.

To explain why this is important - is an example of two close friends I know very well. Both were badly overweight, one did a ketogenic diet, the other did a low fat diet with exercise, both lost a lot of weight. Fast forward 12 months, they’ve both regained the weight - the guy who did the keto diet regained more than he lost.

The one thing they have in common, they both went back to their old habits.
 
Soldato
Joined
16 Jun 2005
Posts
23,975
Location
In the middle
i 100% agree, i was just wanting info and the fasting.
i know the first step is stopping with the junk. when a say junk i mean at work we eat as we work as many do so i find myself eating a little but often over the 9hr shift, the food in not so much junk its the amount i eat that's probably the problem.

if i look back at what i have eaten over the day its way too much but because your eating little bits all a time your never full and don't really realize volume i have eaten.
So take no junk food with you to work.
 
Caporegime
Joined
8 Nov 2008
Posts
28,997
The thing that helped me the most of all was to stop eating too much of my daily intake later in the day. I didn't realise it at the time but I was kind of doing intermittent fasting. Two years on and I'm maintaining it, no problems at all. One of the best decisions I have ever made. :)
 
Commissario
Joined
16 Oct 2002
Posts
2,646
Location
In the radio shack
The one thing they have in common, they both went back to their old habits.
This is why the word 'diet' is garbage as well. You have to think of it as lifestyle change.

I mentioned my weight loss earlier and someone did dig out the link to my old thread and it's well worth a look.

https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/ive-done-it-im-half-the-man-i-used-to-be.18633763/

That was a few years ago and I've put on a little bit since my huge loss. Technically, according to BMI I'm back to being overweight but only by one point..certainly nowhere near being morbidly obese as I used to be.

My lifestyle has changed and I still eat all the rubbish, just less of it. I'm healthier than I've been for many many years, I have more energy, life is good.

My 'secret' is still the same. Calories in vs calories out. If I let my intake go up a bit, I gain some weight and when I reduce it back down, I lose it again.

It's not difficult.

Fads are just that, fads. Fasting works because it reduces your calorie intake. Low carb works because it effectively reduces your calorie intake - this is a really good read.

Calories, calories, it's all about calories.
 
Soldato
Joined
29 Dec 2014
Posts
5,758
Location
Midlands
My 'secret' is still the same. Calories in vs calories out. If I let my intake go up a bit, I gain some weight and when I reduce it back down, I lose it again.

It's not difficult.

Fads are just that, fads. Fasting works because it reduces your calorie intake. Low carb works because it effectively reduces your calorie intake - this is a really good read.

Calories, calories, it's all about calories.

To be fair, I think most people know that to lose weight, you eat less calories, to gain weight you consume more calories, I don’t think there’s any confusion over that.

However the fact I like to highlight, is that most people aren’t always clear on why they end up consuming more calories than they need, why they overeat and become overweight, why they end up in the position they’re in and crucially - end up in it so easily.

For example, saying “eat fewer calories” will treat obesity the same way saying “drink less alcohol” will cure alcoholism, however neither “treatment” will deal with the root cause, because the root cause can be a lot more complicated.

The question is - why do people overeat? And crucially - how do they overeat, how is it possible to keep eating food in excess, more than what you need, to the point where you’re badly overweight or obese - and still keep on overeating? Why can people carry on doing it until they literally kill themselves with food? Why don’t their bodies try and stop them?

The answer is, their bodies do try and stop them, unfortunately with junk food - it’s mostly engineered on purpose to defeat the bodies natural satisfaction mechanisms, so you can consume 3000 calories of junk that provides no dietary satisfaction at all, so people just keep eating and eating.

For a normal person to eat 3500 calories of fruit, veg, lean meat and whole grains in one day is absolutely miserable, so people don’t do it, people who eat very healthy diets don’t overeat - because it’s almost impossible to pull off, the body prevents it from happening, because all the hormonal signals that prevent overeating kick in and work properly.

Most people however, have no problem sitting in front of the TV and eating a large pepperoni pizza, with cheesecake and a bottle of coke. (3500cal give or take)

This is why when it comes to weight gain, a calorie is absolutely not a calorie, its one of the main reasons people go back to old habits and regain weight, they don’t understand the importance of eating healthily, they think that the only thing that matters is the number of calories they consume. Its one of the reasons why more than 50% of people who lose weight, regain it all back, and more within a 12-24 months.
 
Associate
Joined
25 Jun 2005
Posts
1,129
Over the past 7 years I've lost about 7 stone and now consistently hover around 14 and a half stone, I'm 6ft 4. I used to be in XXL or XXXL is most things, now I'm L or XL depending on the shop.

I did carb fasting for 15 hours before training for the best part of a year (I train 3 x a week and did this for 2 of 3 sessions) and the weight absolutely dropped off. Once my body got used to that and the weight loss stopped I switched to 5/2 which was much easier than I expected and again the weight loss started again.

Overall willpower for me wasn't too bad. Lots of protein to fill me up, chicken, eggs and fish and I also founding keeping busy on an evening was great, whether it was gaming, cinema or whatever.

Now for overall maintenance I just watch portion size, lots of fruit/veg and protein and eat almost no added sugar. I put on 5 pounds over Christmas and shed it by January 8th - simply no food consumed after 7pm for a week sorted that out. Doing that would actually be a great way to loss weight in itself as you are almost fasting for 12 hours a day. Not possible to do it everyday just because of life, but worth a go.

Everyone is built differently, but avoiding sugar is definitely good for me. It's all about finding what works for you and keep adapting it to keep your body guessing.

I'm 43 and I'm fitter, stronger and happier than ever before.
 
Last edited:
Commissario
Joined
16 Oct 2002
Posts
2,646
Location
In the radio shack
This is why when it comes to weight gain, a calorie is absolutely not a calorie, its one of the main reasons people go back to old habits and regain weight, they don’t understand the importance of eating healthily, they think that the only thing that matters is the number of calories they consume. Its one of the reasons why more than 50% of people who lose weight, regain it all back, and more within a 12-24 months.
I really take issue with this. A calorie is a measure of energy, nothing more. I'm sorry but I have a real problem when anyone says that a calorie is not a calorie. It's like saying that a metre isn't a metre or a minute is not a minute.

The reason people put weight back on is because they stop counting calories and overeat. What other reason can there be? I'm not sure what you're trying to say, you've accepted that to lose weight you consume fewer calories than you expend but then you make the comment I've quoted above and below.

they think that the only thing that matters is the number of calories they consume.
Because the bottom line is that the number of calories you consume determines whether you'll lose, gain or maintain weight. It doesn't matter a flying snowman whether you eat all your calories as protein, or all your calories as carbs or fat or anything. It doesn't matter whether you say you're not going to eat between 19:00 and 07:00. These things are completely and utterly irrelevant and anyone who says different is probably trying to sell you a book with their latest fad diet.

I accept that a lot of people who lose weight put it back on again, but taking it to basics, it's because they get lazy or complacent and stop logging/counting their calories. I know that if I don't count everything I eat, I'll go over my allowance so I just make sure I log everything. Even if I know I'm going over, I'll log it and so I can track the reasons why I've gained a few pounds.
 
Soldato
Joined
16 Jan 2003
Posts
10,561
Location
Nottingham
For a lot of people, myself included being overweight is usually a symptom of something else, usually mental health issues, e.g. depression, or sometimes the result of sexual assault and to protect themselves they will make themselves ugly.

Most of the people on My 600lb life have suffered some sort of abuse..

Now sure there are plenty of cases of people just being greedy, or the weight piles on slowly over the years and the person doesn’t notice it as it’s so gradual.

Calorie counting and exercise, primarily walking helped me to lose 10st and also helped a lot with my depression.
 
Soldato
Joined
29 Dec 2014
Posts
5,758
Location
Midlands
I really take issue with this. A calorie is a measure of energy, nothing more. I'm sorry but I have a real problem when anyone says that a calorie is not a calorie. It's like saying that a metre isn't a metre or a minute is not a minute.

The reason people put weight back on is because they stop counting calories and overeat. What other reason can there be? I'm not sure what you're trying to say, you've accepted that to lose weight you consume fewer calories than you expend but then you make the comment I've quoted above and below.

I think you've misunderstood what I've written I'll try and simplify it;

Certain calories are far easier to eat than others, 2000 calories of pizza is easier to eat than 2000 calories of carrots, (2000 calories of carrots is about 6KG of food for example) so using that example, it's quite easy to show, that despite both foods providing 2000 calories of 'energy' one is easy to binge on, the other is almost impossible to eat at all, so if you have a diet that's high in fruit, veg, fibre - you're far less likely to binge eat because you can't do it.

The reason it's impossible to eat 6KG of carrots, is because by the time you get to around 500-600 grams - the amount of fibre you've eaten, signals hormones in your gut that tell you your full, the further you go - the fuller you get until you have to stop,

The reason it's possible to eat 2000 calories of pizza without batting an eyelid, is because there are no real nutrients or fibre that trigger any of the satisfaction mechanisms that the carrots triggered, so it's easy to eat the pizza and much more pleasurable.

So when it comes to eating a calorie is not a calorie in practical terms, because calories of different foods are metabolised differently and have different effects on the body, so it's unhelpful to say to someone who wants to lose weight "eat what you like, just count calories, nothing else matters" because it ignores the practical realities and differences of certain food groups, and also ignores the reasons why they might be in the position they're in, in the first place.

Because the bottom line is that the number of calories you consume determines whether you'll lose, gain or maintain weight. It doesn't matter a flying snowman whether you eat all your calories as protein, or all your calories as carbs or fat or anything. It doesn't matter whether you say you're not going to eat between 19:00 and 07:00. These things are completely and utterly irrelevant and anyone who says different is probably trying to sell you a book with their latest fad diet.

I would say that's unhelpful and incorrect,

The reason that it's incorrect, is that the vast majority of people who have a weight problem - eat junk food, junk food is mostly comprised of carbs and fat - specifically added sugar, it's also often low in protein (if we were to use crisps, sweets or fast food as an example) it's also low in other nutrients - so it provides no satisfaction at all, so the person eating it - is likely to remain hungry after a meal of junk food compared to feeling satisfied and full after a meal of healthy food, even if both meals provide the same number of calories.

So I would say it does matter where the calories come from, there's a lot of research to show why - healthline have a good write up https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/6-reasons-why-a-calorie-is-not-a-calorie

Also Harvard; https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog...-calories-are-not-created-equal-2016110410602
 
Soldato
Joined
29 Dec 2014
Posts
5,758
Location
Midlands
A calorie is a calorie. Same as a kg is kg whether its kg of steel or kg of sand....

That’s a facile comparison.

A calorie is a measurement of how much heat something generates to raise the temperature of water, but different things burn at different speeds and in different ways.

You wouldn’t burn 1000 calories of petrol, then 1000 calories of rapeseed oil then claim they’re the same, simply because they both burn, one explodes - the other takes ages, there’s a huge difference.
 
Back
Top Bottom