How To Lose Weight

[TrevA]

I've found the above to be the case. I can do 150 to 200 miles a week and not lose weight at all.

There's a difference between fitness and weight loss. If I control my calorie intake to around 1700 calories, then I do lose weight - about 1/2 a pound per day. Again, seems to make little difference to weight loss whether I ride or not.

[Vorpal]

Everyone's different. Exercise makes a big difference to me. It's easier for me to lose weight by upping my exercise than reducing my calories. The only problem with doing it that way is that if I exercise less, I tend to put it back on.

[Mark1978]

Well I've lost 10 pounds in the past two weeks, which is nothing short of amazing compared to me previously losing nothing at all. Although I'm aware a good amount of that is 'water loss'.

The main thing has been a porridge pot for breakfast, and nothing else. No mid-morning snack. A single sandwich for lunch + apple. A reasonably healthy dinner. One mini roll with a cup of tea in the evening!

The other important aspect was the suggestion to get weighed every day (thanks to whoever suggested that!), it's important as it serves as a reminder every day, either encouragement as I've lost, or today more puzzlement as I went from 12st 4oz on Monday to 12st 7oz today

[Paulatic]

Well done Mark. A great start.
A lot of the weight loss must be from your wallet buying porridge pots. Lol
I can't see the advantage of them and they contain sugar. Time wise you've 2or3 mins to boil a kettle, stir for 30 secs, stand for 1 minute. Total time 4-5 mins
For the price of a pot you can buy 500g of real porridge oats put in bowl (2 parts water to 1 part oats) microwave for 1min30sec stir and then another minute. Ready to eat in less time than the pot.

I know you were probably boiling the kettle anyway for your coffee [emoji3]. It's the principal of the thing though. Eat real food and cut out the processors.

[Mark1978]

I see your point but it is really easy as you say it uses the same hot water as my morning coffee so time taken to prepare is about 30 seconds! And importantly I'm doing this in the office when I get to work, where simple things like bowls and spoons take on an entirely different level of difficulty

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Weighing everyday(Same time) shows if your generally losing which is always a pick me up.
Try and gauge it to lose say 2 Ibs a week that's 1/2 a stone a month.
If you lose weight faster then what would you eat to stabilise at desired weight

Porridge............500grm (paper packet) at Lidl is around 40 p....wholegrain.

[RogerThat]

Dieticians would recommend you only weigh yourself twice weekly, at the same time (preferably first thing in the morning after your 'ablutions'!). For some people the 'excretion' (fluids and solids) stage can take many hours to complete, it begins the moment we wake up, crusty eyes, runny nose ect ect as the body is desperately trying to rid itself of the rubbish it has been working hard all night to clean from our system.

This fluctuation in stages of excretion can mean a 400-800gr difference in daily body mass. Also if your diet includes low calorie or low carb components you can become very dehydrated and the body will compensate by retaining as much fluids add possible. This effect can last for 48 hrs. If you're measuring twice a week you're less likely to panic or get depressed because you've 'put on' 400gr, which is in all likelihood merely water retention or perhaps constipation.

I advise my heart bypass/ stent patients to weigh themselves only once a week. So long as the trend is going down, that's all a physician is really interested in. Unfortunately for some of my patients, being a few stones overweight is not just tiresome but ultimately a matter of life and death

[661-Pete]

I think it was I, for my sins, who touted the 'weigh every day' idea originally on this thread; sorry if it gives the wrong idea to some people! But as long as you are aware that there will be a lot of random fluctuations, which a simple spreadsheet can easily iron out, I still see an advantage over a weekly or twice-weekly weigh-in. Trouble is, your weekly weigh-in might still coincide with an upwards fluctuation or a downwards fluctuation, without your knowing, and you'll still end up with a misleading trend. That was one of the criticisms I had of WeightWatchers - they seemed to set much store on the weekly ritual weigh-in at the meeting - I didn't think it made much sense.

If there is a risk of the patient getting disconsolate or elated, depending on which way the fluctuation goes - well then technology ought to be able to supply the answer! Let's have a special set of bathroom scales which don't simply tell you what your current weight is. Instead, they store your daily reading in memory, and then once a week they spit out your weekly average. Best of both worlds, averaging should smooth out the bumps (not literally)! In fact, I'm making my spreadsheet compute a weekly average already: the difference is that I have to type in my daily weigh-ins manually.

Inventors out there, get cracking! It ain't rocket science, the computing power needed would be a tiny fraction of what there already is in a digital watch. In fact, it may have already been done....

[Mark1978]

I put my weight into Endomondo which does graph it as an average for the week.

I can get discouraged if I see my weight going up despite me thinking I've done everything right. But previously that would leave me discouraged for a full week, with consequent slacking and further discouraged the following week. It's easier to stay positive day by day.

One question is how quickly weight gain presents itself. Say I were to gorge on pizza and chocolate for lunch today, how long before it feels through to the scales?

[RogerThat]

Most decent digital scales over £20 have a ten-twenty memory function backed up by a battery. I recommend a budget scale from Watt Brothers at £7.99 which has ten memory function to my patients. You can spend more of course, including body fat monitors.

As for weight fluctuations, you should never weigh yourself after you've eaten any food or consumed fluids. Always first thing in the morning and always after your 'ablutions'.

One thing I would stress is that you start your diet regimen using one set of scales, do NOT change halfway to another!! Even the same model, from the same manufacturer can vary 2-3% depending on how it's calibrated. Also keep your scales in exactly the same position at all times, preferably square, up against a wall, as even a small lateral or horizontal movement on say, linoleum or carpet can affect the calibration. It's easier this way too, if you share your bathroom than it gets knocked about. If you can afford a heavier, multi function digital scale then I'd recommend it, bit the most important thing is to start and end your diet using the same device.

[RogerThat]

These are the scales I use at work (and at home), in my bypass /stent rehab unit. They're not cheap but they will sync over Wifi to my smartphone and laptop, easy to set up and extremely accurate:

http://www.fitbit.com/uk/aria#i.1fu0xbq1e2wdt4

[al_yrpal]

Weighing every morning is very motivational and constantly reminds you that you are on a diet. That's what I did and still do.

Al

[Mark1978]

While the diet is going ok so far, it's always the weekends that pose the biggest challenge. Especially the likes of this weekend where there are family events when you're expected to eat!

[RogerThat]

You should maybe consider a 5+2 diet. It's especially good for people who have 'social lives'! Basically you only need diet two days a week (non consecutive). My patients are losing 2-3lbs a weight quite easily, the only caveat is that you MUST stick to the 600 cals fast for the two days, the rest of the week you can eat your typical diet and STILL lose the weight. We're recording average weight lost of 300-400gr per fast day which is about 50% better than an average calorie controlled deficit diet.

It sounds difficult, but once you've done two weeks of it you won't hardly notice the fast days. For unsuccessful caloric deficit dieters I'd very much recommend it. As with all diets, you must keep yourself very well hydrated to avoid constipation. And better to check with your GP first before commencement.

[Mark1978]

I've thought about it. And tbh I think I would have the ability to stick to it. Maybe later on if I'm struggling.

I've noticed that my walking does have an impact, I'd previously almost dismissed it but I've noticed since weighing myself every day that I don't lose weight after days like yesterday when I haven't been able to get out for a walk because of rain. I generally try to do between 4 and 5 miles cumulative per day, my app tells me that's around, 650kcal, if that's accurate or not I have no idea.