Another "why a...
 

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[Closed] Another "why am I fat" thread...

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" which said that the quality of food eaten was actually more important than the quantity as an indicator of a likely healthy weight. ie eating less processed food and more vegetables was likely to be a better way of losing weight than calorie counting without thinking about the contents. "

Reason that works is unless your medically broken its almost impossible to eat enough bulk of veg and real clean food to get fat.

they just aint calorie dense enough if prepared well.


 
Posted : 15/04/2013 9:22 am
 Solo
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[i]but I'd suggest you need to get your diet sorted first.

To the OP, to couter this a little bit, the only time I successfully lose weight is when I get the exercise right. Then I don't even have to be particularly strict with the diet, I still lose weight.[/i]

Always arguing 🙄

Grips, Getting your diet correct (something you seem not to have done yourself, yet) is vital, no matter what your sports/exercise goals are. Getting you diet right is something to get right for the rest of your life.

So, telling someone that getting their diet isn't important is just very poor advise.
😐


 
Posted : 15/04/2013 9:28 am
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i agree with mol in a way - its not as simple as calories in needs to be less than calories out.

It has to be clean calories.

talking as someone who has existed on a diet of mars bars and coke for short periods(due to non-availiblity of decent food) theres nothing quite like the lethargy induced by a sugar filled diet. - and i was eating about 3 times my normal calories and still hungry a lot of the time.

The joy of getting back on a clean veg and nutriant filled diet was great - felt much more energetic , full and more likely to exercise than on my mars bar diet.


 
Posted : 15/04/2013 9:31 am
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I've read most of the thread, but thought you might be interested in my experience.

I have lost over 22lbs in the last two months.

Don't eat much carbs these days, very little, eat mostly fish and chicken and veg.

No snacking.

Also been using Herbalife life protien shakes for breakfast and midday food.

Steady lose of weight with good energy levels.

Works for me, I was skeptical - but a friend in work had tried Herbalife and it worked for her.

Only another 7 lbs to go.


 
Posted : 15/04/2013 9:35 am
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Take up Deadlifting as a hobby, never found anything which both tires me out so much and increases my appetite so much - biggest metabolic kick I've ever experienced....


 
Posted : 15/04/2013 9:44 am
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So, telling someone that getting their diet isn't important is just very poor advise.

I didn't say it wasn't important, I've been saying how important it is for ages. I dispute that it's MORE important than exercise. Your exercise and diet have to work together. It's mis-matching the two that will cause problems with either performance or weight. If a diet helps one person lose weight, it might hinder another person's training.

It's like saying that the key is more important than the lock...

and continue with my Z2's at the weekend but feed on the bike - with the exception of a pre ride porridge brekki of course

I wouldn't do this - the 45 minute rule applies to all riding. So skip breakfast, don't take any carbs in the first 45 minutes, and then eat however you want after that. Have some fast carbs immediately you get back, and you should be able to eat plenty after that to re-fuel.

Exercising without carbs and insulin swilling around my bloodstream is the one thing that's had the biggest effect on my riding and my weight.


 
Posted : 15/04/2013 9:53 am
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Interestingly, on he first day of "normal" eating even though my legs we aching from a 50 miles effort yesterday, I popped out (at 6pm) and did a 16 mile 200m climbed windy TT style thrash immediately after work, with nothing but a plum and a satsuma to eat since lunch at 12:30.

29kph average with one direction into the wind and I was cranking them over like a riding god. I remember now, in the first 8 years of MTB I never ate breakfast before a ride. Perhaps there's something in molgrips advice eh...?


 
Posted : 15/04/2013 7:21 pm
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I too recently started riding first thing on an empty stomach, i,e. without a pre-ride breakfast. Thought I wouldnt last more than half an hour but was surprised that I can go about 2hrs before i start to feel really hungry. Lost over a stone in just a few weeks, doing that.

However, I have noticed that my energy levels do start to dip after an hour or so, so if you are trying to get fit rather than just shed weight, then eating something after 45mins is advisable.

Out of interest have you measured your basal temperature?, i.e. your temperature before you get out of bed first thing.

I too have a reasonably low resting HR, especially as I am not that fit and my BMI is not too different to yours. I discovered that my basal temperature is sub 35 deg C.

So clearly my body/metablolism/BMR is downregulated. Never really got the bottom of it, but I know my cortisol levels are low and cortisol is required to help the thyriod hormones, resulting in a low metablic rate/hypothyriod type symptoms even though the thyriod hormones are within "normal range".

To counter this I make sure I eat some fast carbs, every so often, even though my diet is mainly devoid of refined carbs, just to keep my BMR ticking over. If I dont my BMR seems to rapidly drop off.


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 7:53 am
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Get on a keto diet and cut down your calories, it should start to come off. I've been on a CKD for the past few months eating about 1650 calories a day and it's fine. You feel pretty drained on rides to start with but it gets better. I only do about 70-80 miles a week as well as stronglifts 5x5 and don't really feel any worse than I did when eating more calories and carbs. My arms and legs are getting ripped, veiny and awesome now as well 😀 5'9" and still 12 stone here - haven't lost any weight on this diet but the fat is going. I'm that annoying "skinny fat" where I look fine with clothes on but without I have a fair bit of fat lurking on the stomach and chest.


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 7:58 am
 grum
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Personally the not eating before exercise thing doesn't work for me at all it just means I feel like crap doing the exercise (unless its very minimal) then get insanely hungry afterwards.


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 8:01 am
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Start smoking - End of thread.


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 8:09 am
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Personally the not eating before exercise thing doesn't work for me at all it just means I feel like crap doing the exercise (unless its very minimal) then get insanely hungry afterwards.

I think there's a degree of adaption involved. I used to be fuelled almost entirely by carbs it seems, and I had the same issues as you. I could never conceive of riding without breakfast. However, after iDieting it for a bit, and doing some rides following the 45 minute rule, it started to get much better.

I still don't think I can be quite as free from fast carbs as some folk manage though - I'm calling it genetics.


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 8:17 am
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[i]I dispute that it's MORE important than exercise.[/i]

And there you are calling other people [i]ignorant[/i] 🙄

Diet is very important, we all agree on this. Furthermore, diet, eating food, is an habitual behaviour. We tend to go back to eating foods from quite a short list of foods we have come to prefer. However, those preferences aren't always very [i]healthy[/i] or conducive to maintaining a good B/F %. So establishing good habits, establishing a tendancy to choose to eat the right foods, dare I say it, [i]healthy[/i] foods. Is more important than exercise.
A good diet will nourish your body as it requires, a good diet will reduce systemic inflammation and bring your body into a better state of homeostasis. Its not just about Strava, diet is about nourishing your body correctly. Then, left to its own devices, on a good diet, a person's body should enjoy a moderate B/F %, when everything is working correctly ! on a good diet, you should't be over weight.

That's why diet is important, because, no matter how active you are, throughout different stages in your life. If you are nourishing your body correctly, you shouldn't suffer excessive B/F.

Now, that your diet is sorted, one shouldn't overlook that exercise is an important facet of daily life. We're designed to move about a bit, and theres lots of evidence that its really quite good for us.
Exercise is an essential addition to a life lead while consuming a good diet. And on a good diet, a person should be able to sustain a moderate level of exercise, enough to again support a good degree of physical [i]health[/i].

So, that ^^ is about people who, imo, should seek to eat well and exercise a bit in order to enjoy a [i]healthy[/i] lifestyle.

I am not describing people who wish to enter competition. This is a different goal which requires a different strategy. looking at specific dietary needs and specific structuring of exercise / training programs to achieve a certain level of physical performance to enable a person to compete.

Now, as per the title of this thread, the subject is about controlling or reducing body fat. Therefore I suggest that diet be the first port of call, supplemented with exercise.

To suggest that a poor diet is of no matter, so long as exercise is elevated into the stratosphere is cobblers !
😀


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 8:33 am
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Most people call it cake....


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 8:34 am
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Ofc it's about calories in vs calories out. HIIT raising BMR post-exercise is still part of that equation.
2300 is too much for the amount of exercise you're doing given that you're trying to lose weight. What you cut that down to depends on a lot of factors but no harm in reducing it gradually (say to 2000 for a couple of weeks and see how you get on).
There still seems a lot of crap being typed about burning fat to, that's irrelevant for someone trying to lose weight - it's burning calories that matters. The fat burning zone is NOT about burning fat for weight loss it's about training the efficiency of your fat burning so you don't have to switch to carbs as your exercise fuel source.
You still use fat anyway at higher intensities, you just use less as a percentage of meeting your energy requirement as your body starts burning more carbs to keep up with the demands.
I'd say try and get three sessions in a week, one 3-5 hour ride at the weekend at a steady pace, one 2 x 20min interval session mid week (overall session is about an hour inc. warm-up & down) and one HIIT interval session (using a tabata protocol or similar) so can be done in under 30 mins. Just make sure you have at least one rest day between the interval sessions. If you feel fine doing that on 2000 calories then maybe try dropping more but if you feel hanging then don't add more calories too readily - switching to interval training takes a while for your body to adapt anyway so can feel rough no matter how much you're eating.


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 8:57 am
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To suggest that a poor diet is of no matter, so long as exercise is elevated into the stratosphere is cobblers !

That's why I'm not suggesting it!

FuzzyWuzzy's advice is mostly good, but don't overlook the type of calories you are eating. 2000 calories of 50% fat, 40% protein and 10% carbs will have a very different effect on your body and your riding than 10% fat, 30% protein and 50% carbs.


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 9:12 am
 loum
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[i]I dispute that it's MORE important than exercise.[/i]

weight loss is about 60% diet and 30% exercise


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 9:43 am
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weight loss is about 60% diet and 30% exercise
I'm intrigued... what's the other 10%?


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 9:50 am
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[i][s]weight[/s] [b]Fat[/b] loss is about 80% diet and 20% exercise[/i]
🙂


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 9:57 am
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[i]Ofc it's about calories in vs calories out. HIIT raising BMR post-exercise is still part of that equation.[/i]
To achieve what ?

[i]There still seems a lot of crap being typed about burning fat to, that's irrelevant for someone trying to lose weight[/i]
Very relevant though for a thread titled
"[i][b]Another "why am I fat" thread...[/b][/i]"

[i]it's burning calories that matters.[/i]
Surely the source of those calories is important ?, ie, to source as many spent calories as you can, from your fat deposits, ie, reduce your body fat.


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 11:08 am
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I'm intrigued... what's the other 10%?

Arguing on the internet will push your heart rate and metabolism up enough to account for that. 🙂


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 11:23 am
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@solo:

To achieve what ?

To burn more calories...

As for the rest - the important thing is to create a calorie deficit, you'll then lose the fat stores anyway - you don't need to specifically target burning fat during the exercise. In fact that can be detrimental to weight loss, especially to someone with a limited amount of time to exercise as if, for example, they only have 5 hours a week to train they'll burn a lot more calories from doing the 3 sessions I posted earlier than just doing 5 hours z2 and they'll lose weight faster as a result.


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 2:59 pm
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the important thing is to create a calorie deficit, you'll then lose the fat stores anyway

Yeah but your body could make that much harder for you if you have lots of insulin floating around your blood stream.


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 3:18 pm
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Nice one fuzzywuzzy. What about leading up to an endurance event though? I don't want to lead the thread into something specific about this, but I'm doing BORS on May 12 (132k MTB. It strikes me that during the tapering week I should be eating more cals in order to load up and forget the diet for a bit.

Or should I?


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 3:56 pm
 loum
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zilog6128 - Member
I'm intrigued... what's the other 10%?

Nothing special, and certainly not a "one size fits all answer": that "other" is personal and varies for individuals.
Could include drugs, hormone levels, stress, ...
Won't be exactly 10% for everyone, but it's a near enough figure.
The point was that diet's most important, exercise next, but there can be other significant factors too.


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 4:38 pm
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[i]To burn more calories...[/i]
where are the calories coming from ? baring in mind that there are more cals stored in fat per unit of weight than in protein or carbohydrates.

Also, the OP wants to lose some B/F, hence the phrase in the thread title "[i]why am I fat[/i]".

[i]you don't need to specifically target burning fat during the exercise.[/i]
The OP wants to reduce B/F. What else do we want to be [i]burning[/i] ?

[i]In fact that can be detrimental to weight loss[/i]
You're saying burning fat is detrimental to losing weight. So if you're not burning fat, in order to lose weight, what are you [i]burning[/i] so as to lose weight ?.
Not withstanding that the OP wants to lose.... some body fat.
🙂


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 5:09 pm
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Indeed ^^.

This describes me perfectly:

I'm that annoying "skinny fat" where I look fine with clothes on but without I have a fair bit of fat lurking on the stomach...

Did I mention I've a 36" waist? 😯


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 5:13 pm
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Kryton57: Are you me?


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 5:30 pm
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SaxonRider - Member
Kryton57: Are you me?

I don't know, *looks in mirror* maybe?

Embarrasingly last night I picked up a pair of club bibs from a guy the same size as me. He wanted rid becasue they were to saggy around his waist. The fitted me perfectly. 😐


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 5:33 pm
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I must admit, after 2 days with lower carbs (yet still clean) I'm feeling a bit more "awake" than has usually been of late.


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 5:37 pm
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I'm following this thread with interest. I started a diet 3 weeks ago and have lost just over a stone so far. 2 more to go. I've done it by limiting my calories to under 1000 for 5 days a week with 2 free days. Also riding 80 odd miles a week (spread over 5 days) as fast as I can courtesy of strava. Make sure that my food is good, clean basic ingredients with lots and lots of greens and lean meat.

I feel great, bloody fantastic actually. The reduction in calories only really affects me in the last hour at work where I stride round looking for things, people, anything to eat. 🙂

I suppose that my diet is one I've sort of made up with elements from a variety of others. Do other people do this or is that not a good idea?


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 6:21 pm
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I started with the iDiet, yossarian, and modified it to suit my riding. In fact, I have followed the general principles of reducing insulin when it's not needed, by reducing high GI foods, and to fuel the training I want to do I eat high GI foods at the right times.

It works, but my biggest issue is finding time and a routine.

If you understand the principles behind a diet or training, you can make food and exercise work for you. If you don't you have to follow the recipes to the letter I suppose. The fasting diet that people were talking about probably works for the same reasons as the iDiet does, even though the recipe is different.


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 6:38 pm
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Interesting that the people losing weight on this thread are doing it counting calories, and the people arguing the toss, aren't....


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 6:44 pm
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[quote=nickc ]Interesting that the people losing weight on this thread are doing it counting calories, and the people arguing the toss, aren't....

I'm not counting calories at all and I managed to lose 1st in around 6 weeks. I'm now happy with where I'm at and maintaining it by [i]reducing[/i] my carb intake.


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 6:48 pm
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If you are a stone or more overweight, the weight comes off more quickly and easily than if you only need to lose a few pounds.


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 6:51 pm
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Interesting that the people losing weight on this thread are doing it counting calories, and the people arguing the toss, aren't....

I lost 2stone not counting calories, I just ate better with reduced quantity.


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 6:53 pm
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Interesting that the people losing weight on this thread are doing it counting calories, and the people arguing the toss, aren't....

Apparently not.

Tried MFP for a while and according to it's "highly accurate knowledge of my metabolic rate and my biochemical individuality" it was telling me, based on the calories in/out move more principle, that in 4 weeks I would be lighter than I've been since I was 14 and I'm now 45. Which just didn't happen. So something is clearly wrong with that oversimplified theory (for me).

Switched over to reducing my body's insulin response, aka idiet and lost a stone in next to no time.

What is obvious from this thread is that people are understandably very positive about what works for them, but there's zero guarantee that it'll work for someone else.


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 6:53 pm
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[i]not counting calories, I just ate better with [b]reduced[/b] quantity. [/i]

semantics...

[i]I'm at and maintaining it by reducing my carb intake.[/i]

so, eating less..?


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 6:56 pm
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What is obvious from this thread is that people are understandably very positive about what works for them, but there's zero guarantee that it'll work for someone else.

Careful now, when I tried to point out that people are very different, I got accused of thinking I was 'special' and making excuses.

I'm at and maintaining it by reducing my carb intake.

so, eating less..?

Eating less carbs doesn't necessarily mean eating fewer calories now does it?


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 7:20 pm
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[quote=nickc ]
> I'm at and maintaining it by reducing my carb intake.
so, eating less..?
No - eating [i]different[/i]. More fat, more protein, fewer carbs.


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 7:21 pm
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Haven't read all of this, but posting height and weight is quite meaningless. Someone could weigh 14 stone at 6 foot and be under weight, someone else could weigh 13 stone at the same height and be fat.

Get a set of these body fat calipers , measure the same way each week in the morning after you've re-hydrated (2/3 glasses of water) and after urinating. Follow same routine each week - eg weigh 30 mins after glasses of water to ensure you are hydrated.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Accu-Measure-Fitness-Personal-Tester/dp/B000G7YW74

Also take a photo front and back, and measure - particularly your waist and hips.

You can tell from the pics/body fat charts if you are over weight. Anything over 15% body fat is going to make biking hard.

Use something like training peaks to measure your calorie intake.

If your'e not losing weight, increase your exercise/reduce your calorie intake gradually and you [b]will[/b] get to a point where you will start to lose weight.

Good luck.


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 8:17 pm
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🙂


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 8:22 pm
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You can tell from the pics/body fat charts if you are over weight. Anything over 15% body fat is going to make biking hard.

My scales say 23%. That's bad then?


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 9:15 pm
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I think 23% is slightly above average

Fit(ish) recreation cyclists probably in the region of 15-20%

14% and below is starting into athlete turf, and the plain old skinny


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 9:20 pm
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🙁


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 9:24 pm
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[quote=Kryton57 ] 😥

Those bathroom scales are notoriously bad at getting Body Fat measurements correct - so don't be too sad. Mine have an "Athlete" setting to compensate. I reckon I've moved from around 22% to around 16% this year.


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 9:34 pm
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For a more accurate test.

Stand in front of a mirror, lift up your shirt and do the truffle shuffle 💡

Gauge your fat levels by how many simultaneous ripples you can achieve.


 
Posted : 16/04/2013 9:37 pm
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Did I mention I've a 36" waist?

I'm a 32" waist and size small in everything and I still have belly fat/spare tyre and small moobs. It's so frustrating getting rid of this last bit. The keto is working a bit, just slowly. Not sure whether to switch to the iDiet which would possibly give me more energy to ride harder/lift heavier. But then wouldn't be in ketosis due to the amount of sugar in the fruit..


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 12:19 am
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Haven't read all of this, but posting height and weight is quite meaningless. Someone could weigh 14 stone at 6 foot and be under weight, someone else could weigh 13 stone at the same height and be fat.

Back to what I said on page 1 find a better measure. I have been the same height all my adult life but my weight has varied by about 15kg. When I was lean and scrawny climbing all the time I was about 70kg and thought I was as fit as I could be, few years down the line with lots of biking I'm up over 80 and still as fit as I could be having spent 7 months not working and riding my bike every other day.

The missus paid up for one of those online diet/motivation/exercise plans. I ended up doing it too in part. The food was limited to 1200 calories for women and 1500 for men, coupled with lots of exercise. The food was balanced nothing completely excluded. It worked. The most important part was actually measuring stuff. It's too easy to guess what a portion is, only to find you have eaten heaps more than you needed to. The other good point was all the food was fresh and easy to make with nothing taking more than 30mins to prepare. Kicking out the normal excuse of I don't have time.


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 12:41 am
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I looked after my parents place for 2 weeks and it was full of Ice cream, biccies, cheese, wine, all the good stuff. I promptly went a bit too relaxed and ate loads of stuff that I never usually can afford or really buy, cos it WAS THERE! that, and the comfy leather sofa, blazing fire and on-demand sky telly. . Put on a few pounds of gen-eew-iine blubber, because I changed my lifestyle for a bit.

If you live my 2 week excessive type lifestyle a lot, then you'll get very fat! That's it. People have to be really honest with themselves about what they are sticking in their gob. I reckon I was downing 4000 Kcals+ a day and feeling quite cosy and happy about that. Far too easy to make too much palatable energy available to yourself and not realise it.


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 1:03 am
 JCL
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Spin your ass off 100rpm sub 150bpm 100km a week x 2 minimum and eat half what you normally do. Go to bed hungry and ride without any breakfast. If you're serious MTFU.


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 1:19 am
 Solo
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[i]I stride round looking for things, people, anything to eat.[/i]
😆

[i]If you are a stone or more overweight, the weight comes off more quickly and easily than if you only need to lose a few pounds.[/i]
Yes, well you see, B/F is your body's survival insurance policy, because famine could be '[i]around the corner[/i]' so best keep something in reserve. (remember, we are stone agers living in the space age).
That reserve is body fat and the less you have, the more difficult your body makes it to lose any more.

[i]Eating less carbs doesn't necessarily mean eating fewer calories now does it?[/i]
Ha !, Excellent. The Troll, properly pwned.
😀

[i]Those bathroom scales are notoriously bad at getting Body Fat measurements correct - so don't be too sad.[/i]
Aye, I have scales that offer to measure all types of stuff. I just stick with body weight.

[i]But then wouldn't be in ketosis due to the amount of sugar in the fruit..[/i]
iDave diet cuts out fruit cept for your day off when a bit of fruit shouldn't damage any attempt to reduce B/F.

[i]Spin your ass off 100rpm sub 150bpm 100km a week x 2 minimum and eat half what you normally do. Go to bed hungry and ride without any breakfast. If you're serious MTFU.[/i]
Ooo. Thats tough.
😉


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 8:11 am
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Ah it was the standard paleo diet I got the idiet confused with. Out of interest have you tried a standard keto (or cyclical keto) diet, and if so did you find the iDiet better for losing fat?

Again it still seems that you won't be in ketosis with the carbs from the beans, chickpeas etc but then does that matter if it provides you with the energy to work harder?


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 8:35 am
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I'm having ice cream with cookies crumbled in it for breakfast. That's why I'm fat.


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 8:40 am
 Solo
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[i]Ah it was the standard paleo diet I got the idiet confused with. Out of interest have you tried a standard keto (or cyclical keto) diet, and if so did you find the iDiet better for losing fat?[/i]

I haven't tried the Keto stuff, if you have a link to a 101 style page on it, I'd be interested to read it.
The iDave diet worked very well [b]for me[/b]. I'm not predisposed to calorie counting, so iDave diet suited me. I wasn't massively heavy in the first place, but just wanted to shed some lard. It worked.
I'm now on a kinda loose hybrid of a leangains / iDave diet / paleo themed style of diet. I exercise mostly on the bike and move weights occasionally. Its all worked out to be a change that I can happily keep going. Some weeks I slack off on the exercise, others I'm diligent. But all the while, I'm happy about what I'm doing and eating and I'm leaner now.

[i]Again it still seems that you won't be in ketosis with the carbs from the beans, chickpeas etc but then does that matter if it provides you with the energy to work harder?[/i]

That's a loaded question. As I know very little about keto diets, I can't speculate on whether its a good thing to be in a state of ketosis, most of the time (if that's how that diet works). I feel some carbs in the diet is a good thing if for no other reason that it should prevent your body from seeing and using protein as an energy / carbohydrate source via gluconeogenesis.
As for working harder, are you referring to preparation to compete ?.
If so, then imo, thats a whole new ball of string. Preparing for competition, is going require a structured and focused approach to diet and exercise, imo.
🙂


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 8:48 am
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Here's a link to the basics of a keto diet - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aiHSPoto_YqsNTDvL-g60nytMnyH-CJcCbiAx1IEUYM/edit

I may just stick with it til I get back from holiday then go over to the idiet to see how that works out. I don't think I can get rid of cheese or cream though, they're too good!

Like you I'm not particularly heavy or big any more but I just have the last bits of fat I want to get rid of (as I mentioned in the thread earlier, I'm "skinny fat" as it seems to be known).

As for working harder I didn't mean prep to compete or anything, just interested as to whether the extra few carbs would benefit my normal rides/runs and stronglifts 5x5 sessions and thus help burn more than just sitting in ketosis and not always feeling like I can put 100% into the exercise..


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 9:01 am
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MTFUing and working harder on less food can be very counter productive. If you over do it your performance will collapse.

Tom - the iDiet bans cheese, but if you look at the only internet published study on insulin index, cheese comes in very low. So to me, that means you can eat it in moderation. Moderation, because it's high in calories generally.

It certainly helps enormously with satiety on the iDiet in my experience.


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 9:01 am
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I've not read all 6 pages so this may have been covered previously but to lose that last bit of fat I've found doing 3x weight sessions per week works really well to tone and build some muscle.

Keep it relatively light with the weights and high reps, keep the form good and aim for big compound exercises like squats, pull-ups, dead lifts and chest press. I see so many people fail by going into the gym more often than me who stand chatting with a mate and seeing who can lift the most on the bicep machine with awful technique... Might even be worth getting a personal trainer for the first few sessions to put you on the right lines, there is an excellent workout named Tentigers (look it up).

It will take time so try not to lose patience but as noted on here, once you have a good base its much easier to maintain as you are buring more calories at rest and have that feel good factor about working out.

Its often not easy to fit in these kind of work-outs into your dailly routine but if you want to make it work you can, whether that be going at 5.30am before work (I do this quite a lot) or at lunch time or the twilight shift like 10pm at night.

To echo the comments on here, reduce calories and work hard and the results will show.


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 9:07 am
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[i]Ha !, Excellent. The Troll, properly pwned.[/i]

I'll bet that a good number of folk cut alcohol , fizzy drinks and the shit snacks out of their diets when they start to think about losing weight and whether you call that calorie counting or paleo or clean eating, that's a reduction in intake of calories.


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 9:19 am
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I'm going to try the Gwyneth Paltrow diet next...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/apr/16/gwyneth-paltrow-laughable-diet-genius

No coffee, no alcohol, no dairy, no eggs, no sugar, no shellfish, no deep water fish, no wheat, no meat, no soy, nothing processed at all. 😕


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 9:28 am
 Solo
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[i]that's a reduction in intake of calories.[/i]
Nick. For you its about the calories. Thats fine if thats how you keep in shape. No one here is going to tell you that you're wrong, because you've demonstrated to yourself that it works [b]for you[/b].
Peace.
🙂

As for Dairy. I usually avoid any of it now. I'm currently reading "The Paleo Answer" by Prof Loren Cordain. The chapters about milk and vegetarianism would make the keyboards of some of the folk here, melt.
I don't really miss cheese anymore and thats from someone who use to really enjoy it. As for any satiety benefits, personally, I'd rather eat a some meat or fish.

EDIT:
Tom, thanks for the link, I'll give it a look.
🙂


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 9:32 am
 Solo
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[i]No coffee, no alcohol, no dairy, no eggs, no sugar, no shellfish, no deep water fish, no wheat, no meat, no soy, nothing processed at all.[/i]
😯

The list of what's in must be very short.


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 9:35 am
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Meat is pretty expensive, solo. I've found a breakfast of scrambled eggs is a bit so-so, but put cheese on top and it's delicious and keeps me going all day.


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 9:43 am
 Solo
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[i]Meat is pretty expensive, solo.[/i]
And not just in monetary terms.

I see that some cheddar is around £1 per 100g, I have a tin of mackerel in my desk, 95p for 90g, drained.
Each to their own 😀

Just out of interest, how would you characterize your current level of B/F ? is it where you want/need it to be or have you some work to do ?


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 9:48 am
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My Asda usually has one of the beautiful relatively local small producer mature cheddars on special offer, I will pay £3/lb or so. Good value for money imo.

I'm still trying to lose kgs, of course - because I'm not consistent with what I do. Partly because of work, partly because of family and lifestyle issues, and partly down to me and my state of mind.


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 9:53 am
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That Paltrow diet looks like loads of Joy How the hours must fly by at the Chris and Gywneth house of fun.

Thanks Solo, does that mean you and Molly aren't going to dismiss my contributions with accusations of condescension and trolling because we disagree? Would be nice, huh?


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 9:53 am
 Solo
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[i]I'm still trying to lose kgs, of course - because I'm not consistent with what I do. Partly because of work, partly because of family and lifestyle issues, and partly down to me and my state of mind.[/i]
A refreshing appraisal, but I'm sure you will get it sorted when you're ready.
🙂

[i]Would be nice, huh?[/i]
It would indeed, especially without:
[i]Interesting that the people losing weight on this thread are doing it counting calories, and the people arguing the toss, aren't....[/i]
So, if being labelled Troll isn't your style, try to offer more constructive posts.
🙂


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 10:40 am
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Interesting that the people losing weight on this thread are doing it counting calories, and the people arguing the toss, aren't...

If you search the forum, you'll find loads and loads of people who had great success with iDiet and 5:2 where they failed with calorie counting.

iDiet works better for me than calorie counting.

nickc - I'm not attempting to condescend (seriously) or accuse you of troll (unlike Solo I know what that actually means 🙂 )


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 10:43 am
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Where do I get details of iDiet? I thought (apologies in advance if I'm wrong) I'd seen some negative press about it.....?


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 10:54 am
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If you search the forum, you'll find loads and loads of people who had great success with iDiet and 5:2 where they failed with calorie counting.

iDiet works better for me than calorie counting.

yep.. idave diet worked wonders for me. A few years ago i decided i wanted to have go a some road races.. I was 76kg in the december. I always did circuit training twice week, lots of mountain biking and running at lunch. I never lost any weight or fat through this!

I then did the idiet and lost 6kg in 3 months and 4 inches off my waist.

Despite not being on the diet at all now I stay at 67kg. Strangely i never put on any weight even when i go crazy on food at christmas/ birthdays. I still eat cake, ice cream, chocolate. The only thing i kept from the idiet was ditching cereals for breakfast and eating a protein rich breakfast (I eat eggs every morning and have done for 2 years now)

A couple of mates have done this diet as well and it also worked for them.


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 11:01 am
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I'd seen some negative press about it.....?

Negative press about iDave (the man) but the iDiet (the man's eating plan) has never been in doubt.

Long story.

I don't have the doc any more, but it goes like this:

[list][*]No 'white' carbs ie no bread (whole meal or white), no pasta, no rice, no potatoes, no grains.[/*]

[*]No fruit (the traditional definition not the biological one - tomatoes, squash etc are allowed)[/*]

[*]No dairy[/*]

[*]Oddball banned things include sweetcorn, due to the high fructose content.. can't think of the others.[/*]

[*]No booze apart from red wine[/*]

[*]Eat as much as you want of everything else.[/*]

[*]One day a week, go nuts, fill your face with whatever you like. The more you binge, the better your diet will work. This not a concession to weakness, it's an integral part of the diet and is as important as the rest of it.[/*]

[/list]

You get your carbs from low GI sources like legumes and root veg.

Also take fast carbs after exercise. He does give some figures in the original doc but I've found them not to be enough for my high intensity workouts, and I eat carbs until I feel re-fuelled AFTER workouts. Obv the harder the workout the more carbs I might take. Following the 45 minute rule is crucial ime.


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 11:09 am
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Molly, I'd argue that idiet is a calorie restriction diet. I think mentally people who are dieting tend towards smaller portions, and when it involves men specifically, the sorts of foods, names of diets and ranges of food available are just as important as they they are for all the So called fad diets that men sometimes mock women about.

Make it macho or science based and I think it intrinsically appeals more to a certain type of male mind. Minute analysis of food types to keep interest, sports and training references, all play a part.

Whatever works, go for it, keep it simple or read all the journals and do all the science bit. Choices. Counting cals works for me, and has and will work for others


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 11:12 am
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Molly, I'd argue that idiet is a calorie restriction diet

Not at all. You do end up with fewer calories than if you fill your ace with pies, but that's not the main reason for losing weight. If you ate 2,500 calories with traditional carby diet and 2,500 calories with the iDiet, you would lose way more weight with iDiet, no question.

Bear in mind that we called it iDiet because iDave came up with it. It is NOT the same as the commercial fad diet with the same name that comes up when you google it.


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 11:16 am
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Diets are so last year!

Seriously get yourself on Strava and have an explore at what segments are around you and get out and go for it. You will quickly find a segment that you can get near the top on, then you will get KOM and dance up hills the next day. Then you will think right, cat 4, out of the saddle, push a bit more and surprise yourself.

Its addictive


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 11:28 am
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If you are 13 stone with a bit of a gut on you then go on a diet you can end up as 12 stone with a bit of a gut on you . Perhaps you need to stop thinking about diet and try sit ups and other exercises to tone up the stomach area .
I found cutting out bread in my diet helped a lot with weight loss , and generally stopped me feeling bloated and farting all day , the wife approved of this . When mentioning this to many of my cycling friends I was surprised by how many of them have also cut out bread for the same reasons .
Also I think many people massively over use energy products , you can do a pretty long ride on just water as long as you're not going absolutely balls out , I always carry gels and bars but don't use them unless it's really necessary .


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 11:45 am
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Perhaps you need to stop thinking about diet and try sit ups and other exercises to tone up the stomach area .

That will not do much for the fat.


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 11:49 am
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It will, cyclists all get bellies as it doesnt get a work out, try doing sit ups and you will be surprised


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 11:57 am
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Fat accumulates around your belly because that's where your body likes to put it. Your stomach muscles may be a little slack, but that's not the same as belly flab.

The only think that gets my belly to stick out less is losing weight. I've done sit-ups for years, they made no difference. Except to my strength and ability to do situps 🙂


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 12:07 pm
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Perhaps you need to stop thinking about diet and try sit ups and other exercises to tone up the stomach area .
cyclists all get bellies as it doesnt get a work out, try doing sit ups and you will be surprised
Do people seriously still believe this is how it works?


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 12:13 pm
 Solo
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[i]unlike Solo I know what that actually means[/i]
Grips. I'd tell you you were wrong, I'd remind you that you're not telepathetic. But we know you're never wrong and that you know what everyone is thinking.
*Reckons Grips is still sore from the overtaking thread*
😉

[i]Molly, I'd argue that idiet is a calorie restriction diet.[/i]
Nick, for you its about the calories. Its not so simple for others though. We understand you, can we move on please.

Kryton.
Mail me if you want a copy of the iDave diet.
(you asked, I'm just offering the info as I have a copy to hand)


 
Posted : 17/04/2013 12:15 pm
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