How I Lost 30 Pounds....Over 20% Body Fat...And Still Keep It Off...Tips And Tricks

So I decided to make this thread after I saw another thread on diet. Roughly 6 months ago I weighed over 200 pounds. I lost nearly 30 and my Body Fat % is roughly 11-13%.

This is what I have done, this is how I eat....copy it and I'll be surprised if you DON'T lose weight.

Diet first...the most important aspect:

1) Throw away all cookies, chips, sodas, bottled 'juice', crackers, cakes, pies, pastry and pastas NOW. That includes all pasta, even 'wheat' or "brown rice". Sodas are crap, full of high fructose corn syrup and extra calories you simply don't need.
Bottled juices are CRAP...same reasons. First step should be this. Toss them all out now and NEVER buy these things again...for now at least.

THESE FOODS ARE GARBAGE NO MATTER HOW 'HEALTHY' THEY HAVE BEEN MADE TO SOUND, NO MATTER WHAT SECTION OF 'TRADER JOES' THEY HAPPEN TO BE IN. IT'S PURE CRAP AND ALWAYS HIGH IN CALORIES.

2) Now...use a caloric calculator like this one www.freedieting.com...

Get a measure of what calories you need to be in the fat burning zone. Start there. Take note calories you need to lose weight. Write it down or BURN the number in your head daily.

3) Go shopping. If you have the money now, or if you plan on going shopping soon take full account of EVERYTHING you buy. Learn how to read calories vs. serving sizes. If by example you found that your required caloric intake is 1600 calories per day to lose weight, buy meals based on that number.

That means you can eat 4 x 400 calories a day or a little over 5 x 300 a day. If you buy frozen lunch meals make sure they are around that caloric count per serving. This is not hard to do.

What Foods To Buy?

There are certain foods that burn fat more, belly fat more specifically. There are different types of fat in your body.
Some is more 'hard' and is more of a health threat than 'flab' around your love handles. Research online what the difference is...but that's another story.

Foods and fat that you should eat include...Broccoli, Avocado, Almonds, Peppers, Garlic, Onion, Chilis and Chili Powder, Green Tea (very good). There are more, research it.

If you buy meat, try and buy lean meats. If you can afford Grass Fed Beef, replace usually meet with it. Much better for you...Google the health benefits.

DO NOT buy Soy based products, especially juice. More allergens and causes increased estrogen levels...not good for men.

If you enjoy cereal in the morning. I suggest only eating it's serving size or a little above. A whole huge BOWL is not needed to start your day. I also suggest picking up almond milk as rice milk and soy milk are loaded with Soy derivatives.

A cereal that has a balance of Fiber compared to it's SUGARS is great. A "good" cereal is one where the Fiber is greater than it's sugars. 7 Fiber vs 1 Sugar for example.

The cereals I stick to are made by Ezekiel. They also make a great bread which is low in calories. Their cereals need a little taste, but adding almond milk with a little honey, makes it just fine.

KASHI also makes some good cereals with a better fiber to sugar ratio.

START DRINKING WATER

Get a water bottle, a good quality metal one is what I use. Make it your daily sipper. Add squeezed lemon for taste and drink a lot during the day.

A few hints: Don't drink too much without replacing it with salt or electrolites. You'll flush out all your energy...literally. The lemon is high in alkaline which cleanses your body for the day. The water also acts as an appetite suppressor since many people eat when they're THIRSTY...not hungry.

FOLLOW YOUR CALORIC INTAKE DAILY

Screw all talk of 'carbs', fats, sugars, proteins, "light", blah blah blah.

Just concentrate on calories for now. Hit your goal every day for the first few weeks.

FAT PEOPLE WHO DON'T EAT...EAT MORE

Shocking huh? All you that are overweight. Think of a few things for a sec.

Did the meals you ate DECREASE when you started GAINING weight? Did you maybe 'forget' to eat a meal here and there and did something else instead? Smoke Cigs? Drink a Beer? Go to bed? Did this habit become a lifestyle after months or years?

Eating LESS is a bad habit when we get busy or lazy. But eating LESS might be making you fat. I hear people all the time say "But I don't eat anything"....and therein might be the problem.

You have slowed your metabolism down to almost a grinding halt. The metabolic rates of some people who are overweight have been shown to be nearly non existent. As little as burning 100 calories a day at resting rates.

Start eating frequently again. I know it sounds counter-intuitive and scary, but you're shifting your metabolic needs and rate.

I'm NOT saying to overeat. I'm saying that if your caloric requirement (calculator above) is 1600 calories a day, then HIT THAT mark.

No more 600- 800 calorie days. You may have even grown TIRED of eating and don't want to eat. well, you're putting yourself into starvation mode and your body is going to hold onto everything it can. It's wondering when the next 'hunt' is going to happen. even if it takes effort....EAT MORE TO LOSE WEIGHT.

CHOOSE A DAY A WEEK TO GO CRAZY AND PIG OUT

Here's the interesting part and a part that most people MISS when cutting calories.

Your body get's used to being at a certain rate. After about a week of hitting your calorie mark, your body adjusts to the intake and output. Even with exercise after a month, you'll notice that the pounds aren't coming off anymore.

AHAAAA!!! Not many people know, you need to trick your body AGAIN. You need to SHOCK it once a week to let it know it's not in danger. So choose one day a week to go nuts.

There are 3500 calories in a pound, we know that. But it takes effort to eat that much in 'normal' food.
You'll find from a calorie calculator what amount of calories it take to MAINTAIN weight loss. You'll also learn what it takes to STAY at current weight, meaning a ZERO SUM/ ZERO GAINED day.

THAT is your goal on your pig out day. So if 2600-2800 is your MAINTENANCE mark. Eat that...and a little more.

Eat a pizza...a whole one. Eat fried foods. Eat Burgers...fries. Yes....be a fatty for a day.

The shocker is, you might wake up the next morning and find you actually are THINNER. It happens to me and it's hilarious. Your body knows it can keep burning again and it boosts on (usually in your sleep I have found).
I go out on those days and when I eat people stare at me and wonder why I've eaten so much and not fat. I tell them, this is my "FAT A** DAY!!"

Which Types Of Exercise

Screw "Cardio"...period. Cardio takes a toll on your body over time, it has almost no results for fat loss, it does not increase you resting metabolic rate for long term, it zaps you of energy and makes you crave high calorie foods after doing it, has been show to decrease lung capacity.

It really sucks as a weight loss tool

You need LARGE muscle group activation or what is known as High Intensity Interval Training (If you're going to do Cardio at all) This involves things like "boot camp" training, P90X and such.

But I think people should work into such a program, not right off the bat.

If you haven't worked out in a while I suggest hiking or walking to start off. Walking is great for health and never hurt anyone. Start with walking for a couple weeks and try and get into "Boot Camp" style stuff.

You can search YouTube for free videos on it, there are many. If you want to get into something like P90X I would suggest at least getting into it after you're used to working out again.

Whatever you choose though, get your large muscle groups moving. This speeds up metabolism WAY more than just watching calories. It also adds muscle mass to boost resting rate too.

You can lose weight just from calorie watching, but it takes longer. Why not incorporate H.I.I.T. type of stuff to lose weight faster?

Add all these techniques up and I'll be shocked if you don't lose weight. If you do what I do HONESTLY and don't lie to yourself, and report no weight loss, I'd almost say it's impossible barring some hereditary illness.

HOME EQUIPMENT TO USE?

Don't join a gym. Save your money and YouTube some videos to do at home. "Boot Camp" workouts, interval, and muscle related routines.

This girl is AWESOME and should be paid attention to.

www.youtube.com...

If you need home equipment try getting some push up 'wheels' (I forget the name), pull up bars you cana put in your doorway, some little weights (I Don't use them but you may want to), abs tethers for the pull up doorway bars.

Chairs and stuff make great additions. Most "boot camp" style stuff can be done at home or like I do, on top of a hill.



HOW MUCH DO I WORK OUT?

Some people have said an hour a day. I don't believe so.

If you kick butt for 20-30 minutes using the above regimens, every OTHER day, you should be fine.

Like I said, screw "cardio", don't waste your time.

Summary

I wrote this thread because I have seen the results in my own life, you might have a different outcome, but I HIGHLY doubt it. If you're honest with yourself and changing your lifestyle, it will work. When you hit a goal of lower % Body Fat, you'll find you don't need to do as much 'exercise" only work out very little now but just remember the metabolic diet tricks. The more muscle you have, the more you'll find the same is true. It just becomes an issue of maintenance after a few months or until you reach the goal.

I also would say to check with your Doctor before doing any fitness program, but that's as far as I would go.

There are plenty of things I missed mentioning and I could go on, but I gotta get working and I'm not getting paid to post.

Good Luck!

ETA:

If you have an IPhone or Android and want help when watching calories when there are NO labels on the food (eating in restaurants, bars, drive through, etc.) search your phone's "Marketplace" for free APPS which help tell what calories you're consuming.

Many of these APPS name foods for just about every restaurant that exists. A very good tool to use.

I thought avacado was one of the biggest foods to avoid. While an avacado has about 280 calories in a serving (med sized), it supplies almost half of your daily fat intake in one item. A little fiber and a little protein. Are you share avacado is a diet food? What makes you recommend avacado since it is almost all fat.

avocodo is full of good fats - in moderation it is very good for you.

also, very good OP- i agree about "shocking" the body - i think today will be my pig out day : )

reply to post by damwel


It turns out avacodos are one of the healthy fats that will actually help lower your bad (LDL) cholesterol. Plus they help satisfy hunger.

www.webmd.com...

45 volunteers who ate avocados every day for a week experienced an average 17% drop in total blood cholesterol. Their cholesterol ratio also changed in a healthy way: Their levels of LDL (low-density lipoprotein, or "bad fat") and triglycerides, both associated with heart disease, went down. Their HDL (high-density lipoprotein, or "good fat") levels, which tend to lower the risk of heart disease, climbed.

reply to post by damwel



See, another myth. Yes Avocados are high in 'fat', but which type of fat is it? Google "MUFA Foods"... certain fats fight deep belly fat...Avocado is one of them.

And since you're watching calories...why are you concentrating on FAT? Fat is not the issue. Energy storage(calories) is what matters when it comes to weight loss.

As I said in the OP...fat, 'carbs', proteins, and all the stuff we've been told from the old days are not accurate when it comes to weight loss. Those adjustments should be made later for better health AFTER you've lost weight.

Originally posted by tonypazzo
avocodo is full of good fats - in moderation it is very good for you.

also, very good OP- i agree about "shocking" the body - i think today will be my pig out day : )

LOL just don't get sick. Pig out with steak....or cheese...if you haven't had greasy foods in a while. Ice cream too...brownies....just make sure you hit that mark so you're body goes "ahhhh we just hunted and everything is okay I can relax now"

Well done OP for having the will power and determination to change. This is the third thread today on changing a lifestyle, (one of them was chemicals in bottles/cartons). The other one led me to the perfect 10 diet which sounds really good, going by the reviews it got on amazon.


Reminds me, the end of my folded rowing machine hit me on the head today. Something needs to change in my life. I'm getting all these messages at once, lol.

I just had a three egg omelet with jalapenos and butter, with a whole small avocado on top, after a minimal 20 minute exercise.

I bet you my body is going to kick into overdrive for the day.

Originally posted by wigit
Well done OP for having the will power and determination to change. This is the third thread today on changing a lifestyle, (one of them was chemicals in bottles/cartons). The other one led me to the perfect 10 diet which sounds really good, going by the reviews it got on amazon.


Reminds me, the end of my folded rowing machine hit me on the head today. Something needs to change in my life. I'm getting all these messages at once, lol.

Hey , you'll also find that eating low calorie/high mass food will save you money too.

I live off of $300-375 bucks a month for food since I changed...and I'm hungry ALL THE TIME.

Haven't touched fast food for two months.

..and it saves if you know how to cook soups, stews, and make combined meals you can store away.

hi everyone,

great op, it reads a lot like the Tim ferris website info found here www.fourhourworkweek.com... and its titled
How to Lose 20 lbs. of Fat in 30 Days… Without Doing Any Exercise

Fats do not cause you to be fat in a general sense, its all about having too many carbs in the diet. Personally I only eat carbs after exercise and on my DIET DAY OFF!!!

People nearly always fail in diets because there is no diet day off and subsequently there is an opposition in the subconscious mindset and the will to diet falls away.

6 small meals a day, carbs only when you deserve them, protein to maintain muscle, any type of exercise that does not leave you bored as hell, plenty of vegetables and a reason to lose weight - but i've been reading a bit about hypnosis and its unfortunate because often over-eating is a over a symptom of a larger issue and the weight gain fulfills some sort of secondary gain ie a person gains weight due to abuse in a subconscious effort to protect against the abuse.

Many issues involved, but its mostly eating well, most shelves in a supermarket should be banned because they are dangerous to our physical and also mental health,

Anyways peace.

reply to post by yyyyyyyyyy


300 calories of carbs is the same as 300 calories as protein....is the same as 300 calories of fat.

Otherwise....we agree

Screw cardio? I think cardio in moderation is very beneficial. I run a mile and a half daily. It works for me. My lungs have increased their capacity. I'm losing my love handles. My GF's not complaining.

reply to post by Unknown Origin


Long term cardio without any intervals will eventually kill you slowly and attack your lung capacity.

Sure you may have lost weight...but your resting metabolic rate is not as high as someone who for instance does a circuit program or weight training.

Your average weight loss will be minimal compared to the methods I stated....

Why lose 500 calories running and panting for an hour and a half, when you could lose 1000-1200 busting your A** for a HALF hour and have a longer lasting burn effect for days, as compared to a few hours of burn zone after jogging?

Makes no sense for losing weight NOW and fast.

Star and flag for you OP. Good job, educate the people.

reply to post by Prove_It_NOW


Some of your assertions are horrible.

For one; Pasta, rice, ect are good things. I'd like to see you go run half a marathon on chicken and protein shakes. Do it, I dare you. Your muscles will be stinging after the first mile unless you're a highly conditioned runner. Which probably would let you know that: You need carbohydrates. Hell, bread is one of the best sources of energy I've found.

HIIT is for athletes. I don't mean "I lift weights every other day, and bench 2x my body weight" I mean "I need to be able to sprint a mile in under four minutes for a competition" athletes. Even sprinters do plenty of long distance running.

Some of your ideas are good. And some are completely retarded, and clearly you've been spending too much time talking to the "Bro-Scientists" over at Bodybuilding.com.



"Screw "Cardio"...period. Cardio takes a toll on your body over time, it has almost no results for fat loss, it does not increase you resting metabolic rate for long term, it zaps you of energy and makes you crave high calorie foods after doing it, has been show to decrease lung capacity."

Cardio CONDITIONS you entire body in a multitude of ways. Don't screw it. I run five miles every other day. I have seen; Extremely increased lung capacity, weight loss, increased muscle strength, stamina, and after a long time most of my chronic joint problems, which included a bad knee and ankle have pretty much gone to the fields to die. I have no knee problems and an every day, all day limping ankle pain has turned into a slightly sore ankle in the morning, SOMETIMES.

Despite what you have seen. This is especially true for fat people, cardio does -not- burn muscle first. It is a very bad source of energy. Do you know what is a good source of energy? Fat. And that's what your body burns. You should only be worried about muscles being burned if you have 6-8% bodyfat. But I would never go that low, because only a moron purposefully sheds one of his most important survival mechanisms.

I can't disagree with P90X, it's a great conditioning tool. Very good, and strenuous workout.

If you don't to any cardio, I think you're horribly mistaken. Your muscles are worthless in a fight if you cannot move.

You have slowed your metabolism down to almost a grinding halt. The metabolic rates of some people who are overweight have been shown to be nearly non existent. As little as burning 100 calories a day at resting rates.

Wut? That's not even physically possible. If someone who was lazy burned 100 calories a day, the average diet is about 2000 calories a day. They would be gaining over half a pound a day. Which means lazy people would weigh 400 pounds over the course of 3 years. How many people do you know that are lazy that you watched go up to 400 lbs? probably someone out there, but general even lazy people can burn more than you. I have a friend who sits around in class, plays online games while drinking 2-3 gallons of soda DAILY for the past 5 years that weighs about 150 lbs at about 5'7.

I suggest you go take a SCIENTIFIC class concerning biology.

Originally posted by kimish
Star and flag for you OP. Good job, educate the people.

Please don't flag this guy, Its shockingly apparent that his theories are not based in any bit of scientific fact, and are probably based off of reading bodybuilding forums and magazines.

Listening to people like him is what set me on the wrong route to losing weight for several years. When I finally did it my way, I lost lets see.. 50 lbs.

Originally posted by Miraj

For one; Pasta, rice, ect are good things. I'd like to see you go run half a marathon on chicken and protein shakes. Do it, I dare you. Your muscles will be stinging after the first mile unless you're a highly conditioned runner. Which probably would let you know that: You need carbohydrates. Hell, bread is one of the best sources of energy I've found.

Yep, the usual response I've seen. You know, there are other forms of carbs right? Fruit can give enough energy for a workout...and if you're working out, breads and cereals are okay....but as someone just changing diet...nope.

And no crap people needs carbs for energy...who said otherwise?

HIIT is for athletes. I don't mean "I lift weights every other day, and bench 2x my body weight" I mean "I need to be able to sprint a mile in under four minutes for a competition" athletes. Even sprinters do plenty of long distance running.

Some of your ideas are good. And some are completely retarded, and clearly you've been spending too much time talking to the "Bro-Scientists" over at Bodybuilding.com.

HIIT is for athletes????? LOL

BTW, I don't own any 'weights'....just so you know. I'm not a bodybuilder and haven't been to a gym in years....but thanks

Cardio CONDITIONS you entire body in a multitude of ways. Don't screw it. I run five miles every other day. I have seen; Extremely increased lung capacity, weight loss, increased muscle strength, stamina, and after a long time most of my chronic joint problems, which included a bad knee and ankle have pretty much gone to the fields to die. I have no knee problems and an every day, all day limping ankle pain has turned into a slightly sore ankle in the morning, SOMETIMES.

Compare the health of the average long distance runner to sprinter or someone who employs the methods I mentioned. No contest as far as muscle tone and weight loss goes.

If you don't to any cardio, I think you're horribly mistaken. Your muscles are worthless in a fight if you cannot move.

I trained in multiple disciplines...I'll be fine.

Long distance runners who practice PROLONGED cardio usually get offended by such heresy.

The biggest and best way to keep trim and fit is to develop your self image as such.
I did this when I was in my teens.
I'm now retirement age and have NEVER had a problem.
I could eat all day long and not get fat.
When I did eat a lot, like over the holidays, my appitite slowed down for the next week.

It was when I was a teen that I took notice of all those women who were fat and I didn't like what I saw, and so vowed that I would Never be like that.

For you who are having a problem,you like were accepting of this condition in others.
Maybe your parents and other relatives were fat, so this looked normal to you.

It is your subconscious mind you have to work on. Get it on track and you will never have to think about it.
Check these out - there are more on the page.
www.youtube.com...

www.youtube.com...
Also these:
www.holisticonline.com...

www.nlpco.com...

reply to post by OhZone


You're right, it's all about the 'mind'.....my thread is worthless.