Find out where you are. Take a small step towards your goal. Adjust your understanding based on what you learned. Repeat.
Dave Thomas Agile is D...
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It’s really very simple. Diets don’t work and will never work. Americans are greatly confused about food due to marketing and lobbyists in Washington.
The only thing to do to lose weight is burn more calories than you consume in a given day over a period of time. That’s it. No really, that’s it. If you eat better quality food you can consume more instead of feeling like you’re “dieting”. This isn’t a diet, as I said those don’t work. This is a lifestyle change.
Use a TDEE calculator to figure out how many calories you burn a day, then start tracking the calories you consume: tdeecalculator.net/
The more you exercise the better. Everything else is a scam to make money.
Recent science suggests that this is a myth.
Humans tend to have a fixed calories budget per day. If you burn more calories doing physical activities, your body uses less in other areas (brain, organs, immune system, etc).
When you start doing physical activities (after a long pause) you do raise your calories output, but this will normalize back to where you started after a short time. Same when you stop doing them.
This suggests that for sustained weight loss the only thing that matters is the calories input. Nothing else.
Physical activities have other health benefits, which are reason enough to do them. But you shouldn't expect them to be a silver bullet for weight loss.
Source: youtu.be/lPrjP4A_X4s
Also checkout their script. It includes hundreds of scientific sources.
I went through most of these sources and watched the video. It's a bit misleading as many of the snippets they've selected boil down to "the difference between active and non-active is around 100 kcal per day"
100 kcal per day is 36,500 calories per year, 10lbs.
If you had this habit and your twin didn't over the course of a decade there would be a massive delta just based on that small daily delta. The muscle, heart and inflammation benefits also mean a significant long term health impact. In fact all cause mortality is significantly impacted by working out.
The reality of weight gain in the US is based partially on this (long term habits), understanding of nutrition and food supply problems.
TLDR - yes, calories in is a huge element. Fitness, macro's and others also matter a lot.
"Recent science suggests that this is a myth" - correct.
"This suggests that for sustained weight loss the only thing that matters is the calories input" - actually it matters WHAT the calories are. See my previous reply.
Totally agree!
I've started ~half year ago and burned ~17kg (37.5 pounds) by doing just two things.
"The only thing to do to lose weight is burn more calories than you consume in a given day over a period of time"
Sorry, but that's completely wrong. It's believing in that which causes a lot of people to fail. It's not about how much you eat, but WHAT you eat. e.g. resistant starch, monounsaturated fat, low G.I., etc.. Exercise is usually counterproductive in that it makes you hungrier afterwards, and people tend to eat more, not less. Michael Mosley (R.I.P.) always advocated to exercise for health reasons only (such as cardiac health), and DON'T exercise if you're trying to lose weight. The idea that you just expend more calories than consume was only ever an assumption, and it's since been debunked many times. I lost 40kg with diet changes alone, didn't exercise at all in that time. I also did that without paying anyone money for anything - just implemented what I saw in shows by Michael Mosley, the Van Tulleken twins, etc.
So if I eat 10,000 calories of broccoli everyday I’ll lose weight?
At this point friends, it might be good to just say that calorie type and quantity are both relevant factors in a weight loss journey. I appreciate you both
"So if I eat 10,000 calories of broccoli everyday I’ll lose weight?"
Does it contain resistant starch, monounsaturated fat, or is low GI? Maybe the last. Certainly won't be getting all the necessary nutrition from eating just one food though.
The number one problem with this approach is that weight data is noisy and there's no information you can get out of one day cycles.
You are correct, however, that you can't sustain any weight loss that relies on will power. You have to change it by changing your system.
I hope I've called out well that what's important is measuring something in a fine-grained time window. Please use whatever works for you!
An important realization is that you are biological machine, not a furnace.
Meaning that fat loss can be affected by whole lot more than calorie in vs out. It's much more driven by hormones ( insulin which regulates fat storage, leptin which regulates satiety and ghrelin which regulates hunger)
For healthy people it's easy : eat less calories than you burn.
But those people have no real issues losing weight.
When you get you get to the point where you have to lose weight, you likely already have :
This is caused by eating too many carbs, by high stress and too little sleep. All things very familiar to the average software engineer.
I'd like this twice if I could :)
Consistent exercising, better diet(eat better), and live in a better environment which will makes you continue the cycle, this will eventually produce results. (Based on personal experience though still working on it)
Two words - intermittent fasting. The weight loss results are great and consistent. Exercise and dieting just don't work, we all know that. Weight loss is 90% fasting, 5% diet and 5% exercise. For half a year I lost from 130 to 90 three years ago. Dr. Jason Fung - just watch what he says on his YT channel.
"Two words - intermittent fasting. The weight loss results are great and consistent" - only for people who feel full when they've eaten enough. For the <10% of people who don't feel full then fasting doesn't work (because they overcompensate on the non-fasting days).
Of course, that's not the whole picture. The biggest problem with feeling hungry all the time is eating unhealthy foods, so the first step is to get rid of sweet and baked foods in particular, and sugar and starchy foods in general - the main culprits of constant overeating. The second step is to eat as many natural foods as possible - vegetables, milk (not skimmed), cheese, butter, extra virgin olive oil, eggs, meat (the fatter the better) and so on. The third step is to gradually get into the habit of not eating less, but eating less frequently.
And you're missing the part of the picture where it's a genetic issue (which is what I was talking about). You can do ALL those things you said and STILL feel hungry. You literally never get the signal from your stomach that you have consumed enough. For those people, fasting isn't effective, because you STILL have to watch your diet on the non-fasting days. People who do feel full don't need to, so fasting can be effective (their stomach tells them they're full before they go and overcompensate. From memory they typically only eat about 10% more than normal on the non-fasting days, so there's still an overall reduction, and can eat whatever they want on those days).
P.S. I lost 40kg and didn't have to give up sweets, nor ate less frequently. I did have to give up on the idea of ever feeling full (which is what I realised when I saw the doco which mentioned this genetic issue - "Oh! That's me!!").
At the beginning of my weight loss journey I was so curious about what my weight was during the day and week that I weighted myself constantly.
Now that I know that my weight fluxuates throughout the day and even week I am no longer concerned about a possible uptic. As long as I keep track on my journey I know that the longterm results will be met.
I do intermediant fasting, keto diet, cycling and bodybuilding-light.
So farI lost 20kg dat and gained a couple of kg in skeletonmusscle.
"Now that I know that my weight fluxuates throughout the day and even week" - things you eat/drink can be in your system for days, so daily weigh-in is just a rough guide of how you're going - the long-term trend is what matters.
I don't think the experiments are correct - you might have lost/gained 1 pound but you didn't lose/gain 1 pound of fat. Weight fluctuates throughout the day and from day to day for multiple reasons (large part is water), this is completely inconclusive. If you see -1 pound the reality might be +0.5 pound of fat and -1.5 pound of water
This is a totally fair critique, and the reason I tend to run experiments multiple times.
One of the experiments I ran was just adjusting when I drink water, which shifted my weight by about two pounds.
For me, direction is more important than accuracy, so if an experiment stops yielding results, I find a different experiment to run.
I thought about using something more accurate, but everything was either too expensive for me or too much effort day to day. Measuring weight directly has been accurate enough to continue yielding results over a long period of time
My takes after a few years of experiment.
Exercise is the worst and slowest method to lose weight. It helps you to gain confidence, stamina, muscles, and better health, but not weight.
Diet does not work, but fasting works wonders. It may be confusing, but there is a difference between dieting and fasting.
"Exercise is the worst and slowest method to lose weight" - correct. Michael Mosley (R.I.P.) specifically advocated AGAINST exercising whilst trying to lose weight.
"Diet does not work, but fasting works wonders" - diet works if you're following the right advice for you. Fasting didn't work for me because I'm one of those people (less than 10%) who doesn't feel full, like ever. Fasting works for the rest because you don't overcompensate on the non-fasting days - cos you end up feeling full and stop eating before you've overcompensated - doesn't work for those who don't feel full. The only option there is diet changes.
We've definitely seen similar things with exercise - I struggle with depression and exercising works wonders for my mental state, but does almost nothing for my weight
Losing weight does not mean you are healthy but can help you be healthy.
Have Apple cider in the morning. It'll help reduce your blood sugar spikes
Eat less. You don't need to eat 3 times a day.
Practice fasting. If you snack all day your blood sugar is high and you'll crave food as soon as it goes down
Eat more proteins and high fibre carb.
Exercise. It can be as simple as a daily walk
Read the glucose revolution
I'm fortunate to not have any weight issues right now that need solving, but I love the way this article is written. It perfectly maps to my mind. So, I read the whole thing! Thanks for sharing and well done for a brilliant solution. Keep up the good fight 💪🏼
this is a really nice post, I like how it is a feel-good, incremental approach to getting better, instead of a rushed approach thank you.
I love the approach of looking at this problem from a scientific perspective.
It seems like the good ol solution of 'touching grass' works 🤞🏻😂
This was excellent I hope more people can see this , it’s good advice
loved the blog sir, I can also relate I lost around 67 pounds over a period of 1 year and engineers it is a difficult journey but rewarding trust me
Wow! Way to go!
How I Lost 25kg (55lbs) of Fat in 2 Years and Improved My Metabolism
This approach works for "the norm"—people without specific health issues, a bit overweight (up to 30-35% body fat), but not classified as obese.
Eliminate sugar and alcohol. These are the real culprits.
Exercise regularly – do as much as you can without overstraining. Cardio is great for health; strength training is key for reshaping your body. Seriously, strength training is a must.
Consume around 1.6g (this is "my" magic number, it's plenty of other numbers out there, but this comment is mine :D) of protein per kg of body weight, adjusting as needed over time.
Creatine and whey definitely helps—stick to those and save money by avoiding unnecessary supplements.
Include 10-15g of healthy fats per meal, with up to 5 meals a day. This varies depending on your body type. I was an 85kg "skinny fat," now I'm 70kg and fit. I maintained a 1700-1800 kcal diet for nearly two years while exercising A LOT with few pauses (some weeks in where I have been on a strict working schedule).
Stay hydrated – drink at least 2 liters of water daily.
Track everything and gamify your progress (Spreadsheets, Strava, a good scale that tracks body fat, lean mass, and other stats).
Weigh yourself daily at the same time. It’s normal to see fluctuations of 1-2kg in a day, even in a calorie deficit! Focus on the 2-week trend instead.
Cycle through different phases (cutting, reverse dieting, bulking, etc.).
Manage stress to maintain steady progress.
Avoid "cheat days." Instead, differentiate between social events and special occasions.
Do not understimate your genetic. Do a blood panel every 4 or 6 months. Birilubin and Homocysteine are two great underrated indicators on how the quality of your heating is affecting your health.
Follow fit people you like on IG\YT\FB, they know how to cook. Their reels\shorts are often VERY useful and motivational, save them and learn how to cook you too.
Vegetables, vegetables, vegetables. Twice a day vegetables. Lunch and dinner menus MUST have vegetables.
Carbohydrates are not bad, eating too much is. EAT YOUR CARBS. Both your muscles and your brain need them.
Topping sauces are demons in disguise. They are often more caloric than the meal itself. Use them with care. Generally speaking white sauces are BAD, red sauces MAY be good.
Once these habits become ingrained (the hard part), the next step is straightforward:
nice posting, i also had weight issues but i was underweight. what helped for me: eating more calories and starting to work out. a note for everyone with example: you need to find the amount of calories you can eat without gaining or loosing weight. this is the golden spot for your orientation. eat more, you will gain. eat less, you will loose. just remember one thing: when your golden spot is like 2000 calories, dont reduce to like 1300 immediately, always do like -200 calories week for week until you reach the amount you feel comfortable with. otherwise you will kill your metabolism and you will loose / gain the weight pretty slowly or in the worst case you doesnt even loose it. also you need to find the macro your body reacts to, like do you primary gain weight by eating fats or carbs. when its fats, just reduce them in your meals, when its carbs then just reduce the carbs. for fats you could also do like a keto diet, its hard but very effective. this whole thing is no witchcraft, just look at bodybuilders. of course on steroids this process is way faster, but its pretty much the same thing for natural athletes. it just takes longer. they do their off season and eat like sh*t, I always remember jay cutlers legendary picture when he was sitting at the kitchens table eating his meal and having pretty much body fat.
but when they start to prepare for competition, they cut and adjust their calories to loose the bodyfat for all the new muscles to show. just look at some of cutlers competition photos for comparision. you dont need to do sports because the calories thing also works without it, but its also not bad to do it (not just physically, but also psychically) and is a bit faster, but mostly because of cardio. :)
Awesome analysis!
I think losing weight as a man is exceptionally tricky due to a higher calorie and protein intake. Additionally, I have observed that men tend to ignore crucial elements like iron, omega-3 fats or zinc, which are crucial for good physical and mental health.
Of course, everyone needs these elements and an overall healthy diet, but it's also a matter of proportions and good day-to-day nutrition. You can start your journey by browsing different articles, such as this one listonic.com/meal-plans/en/complet.... A sample meal plan suggestion is a nice touch here, cause it really helps you take off. Plus, you can always read more about what to eat, what to avoid, etc.
Good luck everyone!