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I'm going to jump right into the idea of fasting for 6 days and the unfortunate reality that most people in our field(s) don't. 1. know how to lose weight (rea

I'm going to jump right into the idea of fasting for 6 days and the unfortunate reality that most people in our field(s) don't. 1. know how to lose weight (really) 2. know how to eat 3. know how to workout Here, if you want to try fasting, which I do recommend, give this a shot. http://www.leangains.com/ http://www.leangains.com/ or do the Warrior diet (one huge meal a day). A 16/8 fast is great. Heck, I sometimes even do an eat-stop-eat way and skip an entire day after I had a cheat day. If you want to lose weight, it isn't about a crash diet, it most DEFINITELY is not about cardio and will never, ever be about low fat. Here it is, in a nutshell, to lose weight and maintain decent muscle mass through life. Eat whole foods in these categories only. Veggies, organic/grassfed meats (chicken, beef, fish etc), organic eggs. Some fruit (don't go nuts) and, only if you tolerate it, very little dairy. Some rules: every meal has protein, no exceptions. Fat is your friend. Carbs from veggies and fruit only. Now, exercise like this: Hard, very, very hard. And short. Think lifting big weights in a complex manner like squats and deadlifts. If someone says you should be doing front shoulder raises, run..... And sprint...bike REALLY fast for a short period of time, or jump rope really fast...something intense and short. Kettlebell swings in the 150-250 range would be great. Do that a couple of days a week (2-3) there are awesome programs out there so don't think too much about this, rather just do it. 5x5 programs, strong lifts, or even the leangains guide has some. There are awesome ways to get lost in details in all this, but that is like a 10 minute guide that I wish someone gave to me when I was 14. It literally took me this long to unlearn all the damage the high-carb, low-fat movement in the 80s did to us.

jamesbkel 15y ago
As someone who managed to lose over 100lbs through trying various techniques and adjusting by trial and error, I largely agree with your advice. I rely on a diet of yogurt in the morning to get my day going, then one large meal for dinner. As long as you don't go overboard on the dinner, that generally leaves enough room for a "cheat day" each week. Also, the "sprinting" technique worked wonders for me. I used a stationary bicycle and would do ~5min sprints/~2min breaks while watching TV or listening to music. If you live in an apt building and want to do that on the cheap, I've found running stairs works well too. [edit: One last thing. The water fasting technique works quite well. If you are trying to drop some weight, get one of those filtered water jugs that fit in the refrigerator. Every time you feel hungry but know that you shouldn't be eating, drink a glass of cold water. ]
tptacek 15y ago
I'm about as serious a high-quality protein advocate as probably exists in the leaderboard for this site (neither "organic" nor "grassfed" are particularly important adjectives for me, so much as "local" and "humane"), and I do not understand what this has to do with diet and weight loss. Do you actually believe you're more likely to lose weight eating organic protein?
- dextorious 15y ago
  """Do you actually believe you're more likely to lose weight eating organic protein?""" You are more likely to remain healthy while losing weight eating organic protein.
  - tptacek 15y ago
    Do you really believe that? Maybe the antibiotics in the chicken --- although truly healthy chicken is spectacularly expensive, and even products labeled "organic" can still be flooded with antibiotics "to prevent disease outbreaks" which are inevitable in factory farms. Other than antibiotics, I generally call BS on the health benefits of "organic" and "grass fed" protein. You should eat organic --- or, VERY preferably, local --- but you should do it (a) because it tastes better, (b) to support local family farming, and (c) because it's more humane. Not because of some supposed health benefit.
    - dextorious 15y ago
      Do you think a) chicken fed not with grass/organic food but with whatever's cheaper and convenient (in Europe there were several scandals where they even found that they used machine oil in chicken feed), b) packed by the thousands in small cages, c) full off antibiotics and hormones to grow them fatter, are totally as healthy as organic chicken? (I used to have a chicken den (sp?), with 10-15 chickens in my backyard (in Europe, that is), raising them organic style. I have also visited a couple of huge chicken "factories". I'd never even begin to compare the two methods, much less the quality of their output.)
      - deleted 15y ago
ebbv 15y ago
Your advice to workout hard and short instead of cardio is wrong. Working out at all is better than not working out. But cardio exercise (e.g. running and/or biking) for sustained periods of time will burn much more calories. And that's what weight loss is all about. Calories in vs. calories out. I speak from not only the obvious facts but also experience, I lost over 100lbs from January 2009 to July 2010 and got healthy in the process.
- z0r 15y ago
  http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1526539 http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1526539 Summary: resistance training is most effective, then interval training (high intensity and lower intensity), and then steady state high intensity cardio training, and finally least effective steady state low intensity cardio training.
  - ebbv 15y ago
    What a shock that a body building website would say that. I can't believe it. Let me ask Microsoft if I should use Linux for my servers or not, hold on BRB. The reality is that an hour of cardio is going to burn many, many more calories than 15 minutes of lifting. Now, if you hate cardio and can't stand to do it for an hour, but you love lifting, then obviously you're better off lifting. But if you can learn to enjoy cardio, or if you want to do the workout that's the most effective for burning calories, you should be biking/running.
    - hmottestad 15y ago
      Keep in mind secondary and tertiary effects. 1. How many calories used to rebuild and strengthen the muscles? 2. How many more calories do your bigger and stronger muscles burn even when not in use? This goes for both cardio and weight lifting.
      - dhs 15y ago
        re. 2: Not many, according to the sources I can find on that. Example: "[M]uscle tissue has been observed to burn roughly seven to 10 calories per pound per day, compared to two to three calories per pound per day for fat. Therefore, if you replace a pound of fat with a pound of muscle, you can expect to burn only approximately four to six more calories a day." Source: http://www.acefitness.org/fitnessqanda/fitnessqanda_display.aspx?itemid=358 http://www.acefitness.org/fitnessqanda/fitnessqanda_display....
sorbits 15y ago
The diet you describe appears to be http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleolithic_diet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleolithic_diet (figured a label and link would be good for people who wish to research further)
stevengg 15y ago
mark rippetoe of starting strength fame did an AMA on r/fitness yesterday. http://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/comments/n13d8/i_am_mark_rippetoe_author_of_starting_strength/ http://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/comments/n13d8/i_am_mark_rip...
- gadders 15y ago
  Awesome. Thanks for the link!
wavephorm 15y ago
every meal has protein Contrary to popular belief, meat doesn't need to be eaten with every meal. The idea that humans require huge amounts of protein is a popular day myth. Vegetables do contain protein, even an average potato has 3g protein. Almost universally, everyone who is overweight eats entirely too much meat and dairy.
- twelvechairs 15y ago
  Agreed. You don't need huge amounts of protein if your main goal is weight loss or health (as opposed to muscle gain).... There are way too many of these 'fitness' people out there who think that everyone should eat as much protein as possible and aim their body towards being a mountain of underutilised muscle (apparently this counts as 'fitness' in some circles)..... Protein is fine, but you don't need an awful lot of it to lose weight. A little muscle gain can be helpful to make sure you can exercise more, but you can achieve this on a pretty low-protein diet anyway.
- jscn 15y ago
  On the other hand, protein and fat increase satiety better than carbohydrates, so if you want to feel fuller on fewer calories, protein is a good bet.
  - wavephorm 15y ago
    Not exactly. Meat isn't the only thing that causes satiation. A full stomach causes satiation too. Vegetables, especially green, leafy ones with lots of fiber and water them will fill your stomach faster than a fatty piece of meat. The carbohydrates in green beans and lettuce for example are largely fiber which doesn't even get absorbed by your body.
yummyfajitas 15y ago
This is generally good advice, but avoiding carbs is unnecessary. There is basically no compelling evidence that avoiding carbs causes people to lose weight faster than other diets, and there is quite a bit of evidence that properly consumed carbs help muscle growth. Carbs before heavy weightlifting make sure your glycogen stores are replenished, i.e. you are more likely to hit your reps. For some people, compliance with a low carb diet may be easier. I.e., it may take less willpower to stick to a low carb diet than a low fat diet. But that's the only benefit, and that benefit depends strongly on your personal tastes in food. Making sure that calorie in < calories out is the main thing you need to do to lose weight. Calories in > calories out + sufficient protein is the thing to do to gain muscle. Everything else is small change, only worth thinking about if you are a bodybuilder or boxer. The fact of the matter is that we were far thinner than today when we had an extremely high carb diet. https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnpp.usda.gov%2Fpublications%2Ffoodsupply%2Ffoodsupply1909-2004report.pdf https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnpp.usd...
- hmottestad 15y ago
  I presume it's a matter of complex vs. simple carbs. Also there is a great factor in the amount of fiber in the food. Unless you are actually exercising, foods that take long to digest and slowly release energy are better for your mood and concentration. A spike in the blood sugar is followed by a drop in the blood sugar which leads to cravings. I guess the blood sugar analysis in the body is a based on calculus.
- Cushman 15y ago
  Do you have a response to Gary Taubes et al. who have observed in recent years that the "calories in vs. calories out" hypothesis has no basis in the science of human metabolism, and that insulin, the hormone secreted in response to consumption of carbohydrates, has a very well-understood and primary role in fat storage?
  - js2 15y ago
    You might want to read the conclusion (last paragraph) here, then go back and read how Stephan arrived at it: http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2011/08/carbohydrate-hypothesis-of-obesity.html http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2011/08/carbohydrate-h...
emp_ 15y ago
I was just thinking about this, will give the Warrior diet a try (never did a diet, at 211 lbs 5'9") but mostly because I've been eating really little (fish+rice+lettuce salad) in the past 3 months without much effect. The idea of only eating a nice meal at night is great to me since I hate the food around work (from fast to fancy), and dislike bringing it everyday from home even tho I absolutely love the wife's cooking skills, anyway thanks for the ideas!
- MatthewPhillips 15y ago
  Did you already lose your water weight? If not, drink 10 8-ounce glasses of water a day, and you'll lose 10-15 in less than a month. I don't know about this "one big meal a day" stuff. I used to do that as my normal diet in my early to mid 20s (not trying to lose weight) and it did not keep me in shape. I lost weight when I started eating more, normal sized meals (yogurt or granola for breakfast, sandwich and apple for lunch, fish and rice for dinner).
  - emp_ 15y ago
    Thanks Matthew, will pay more attention to the water. Also, I'm in Brazil and our culture is to eat the big 1000+ calorie meal at lunch and very little in the morning or at night, I eat pretty much what you described but the rice/fish is for lunch and sandwich/apple for dinner, I do go a little off on weekends with the eventual pizza/pasta/barbecue (the Brazilian type, which I think is rather unique) in rational portions. The one thing I have the most trouble is that I usually drink a can of soda everyday day (10 ounces I think?) and have been trying to move that to weekends only -- this is the thing I have been struggling the most, I don't drink/smoke so it probably counts as my only addiction. And to everyone trying to hack their diet, internet hugs to them.
    - MatthewPhillips 15y ago
      Yeah, my experience has always been that it's the seemingly little things that get you. I used to be addicted to ice tea. I'd drink a pitcher a day by myself. It's a liquid after all, you don't get fat from liquids, right? 5 ice-cream scoops of sugar per pitcher. Now I have no desire for it, ever.
gizmo 15y ago
This is exactly the kind of situation where a little advice can be dangerous. Going from a sedentary lifestyle to sprinting, deadlifts, kettlebell exercises or other intense activities is a recipe for disaster. I agree with most of your advice and the implicit part that carbohydrates are the enemy and fat/protein your friend. However, the part that's dangerously missing is that your body takes a lot longer to recover from exercise than you think and that overtraining can set you back weeks or even lead to permanent injuries.
- mahyarm 15y ago
  You ramp it up then, and go see a doctor first if your really bad/old. Instead of 150 kettlebell swings, you do 20 and add 10 every few days, etc.
  - gizmo 15y ago
    "Oh, I'll just ramp up slowly". That's what everybody thinks. It's common sense. But it's terrible advice. Nobody is stupid enough to start on day one with the biggest kettlebell. The point is you have to warn people, over and over again, in order to drive the point home about the dangers of overtraining. Why? Because the first time you start exercising again it feels good and you start full of energy and so forth. So the day after you feel like exercising again, you got that itch, even though you "know" your body hasn't recovered yet and you're still sore in a few spots. This is where it really takes discipline to stick to the plan. Sometimes you'll go to the gym and realize you're still sore from 2 days ago. If you start lifting weights anyway the odds are you're either going to outright injure yourself or you're going to lift in a lopsided pose to compensate for a sore shoulder or something. It takes discipline to go home and skip a workout just after you've decided to get (back) into shape. If you tell people to just ramp it up and add a couple of swings every couple of days they're still going to make predictable and preventable mistakes and injure themselves.

jamesbkel 15y ago

As someone who managed to lose over 100lbs through trying various techniques and adjusting by trial and error, I largely agree with your advice. I rely on a diet of yogurt in the morning to get my day going, then one large meal for dinner. As long as you don't go overboard on the dinner, that generally leaves enough room for a "cheat day" each week. Also, the "sprinting" technique worked wonders for me. I used a stationary bicycle and would do ~5min sprints/~2min breaks while watching TV or listening to music. If you live in an apt building and want to do that on the cheap, I've found running stairs works well too. [edit: One last thing. The water fasting technique works quite well. If you are trying to drop some weight, get one of those filtered water jugs that fit in the refrigerator. Every time you feel hungry but know that you shouldn't be eating, drink a glass of cold water. ]

tptacek 15y ago

I'm about as serious a high-quality protein advocate as probably exists in the leaderboard for this site (neither "organic" nor "grassfed" are particularly important adjectives for me, so much as "local" and "humane"), and I do not understand what this has to do with diet and weight loss. Do you actually believe you're more likely to lose weight eating organic protein?

dextorious 15y ago
"""Do you actually believe you're more likely to lose weight eating organic protein?""" You are more likely to remain healthy while losing weight eating organic protein.
- tptacek 15y ago
  Do you really believe that? Maybe the antibiotics in the chicken --- although truly healthy chicken is spectacularly expensive, and even products labeled "organic" can still be flooded with antibiotics "to prevent disease outbreaks" which are inevitable in factory farms. Other than antibiotics, I generally call BS on the health benefits of "organic" and "grass fed" protein. You should eat organic --- or, VERY preferably, local --- but you should do it (a) because it tastes better, (b) to support local family farming, and (c) because it's more humane. Not because of some supposed health benefit.
  - dextorious 15y ago
    Do you think a) chicken fed not with grass/organic food but with whatever's cheaper and convenient (in Europe there were several scandals where they even found that they used machine oil in chicken feed), b) packed by the thousands in small cages, c) full off antibiotics and hormones to grow them fatter, are totally as healthy as organic chicken? (I used to have a chicken den (sp?), with 10-15 chickens in my backyard (in Europe, that is), raising them organic style. I have also visited a couple of huge chicken "factories". I'd never even begin to compare the two methods, much less the quality of their output.)
    - deleted 15y ago

ebbv 15y ago

Your advice to workout hard and short instead of cardio is wrong. Working out at all is better than not working out. But cardio exercise (e.g. running and/or biking) for sustained periods of time will burn much more calories. And that's what weight loss is all about. Calories in vs. calories out. I speak from not only the obvious facts but also experience, I lost over 100lbs from January 2009 to July 2010 and got healthy in the process.

z0r 15y ago
http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1526539 http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1526539 Summary: resistance training is most effective, then interval training (high intensity and lower intensity), and then steady state high intensity cardio training, and finally least effective steady state low intensity cardio training.
- ebbv 15y ago
  What a shock that a body building website would say that. I can't believe it. Let me ask Microsoft if I should use Linux for my servers or not, hold on BRB. The reality is that an hour of cardio is going to burn many, many more calories than 15 minutes of lifting. Now, if you hate cardio and can't stand to do it for an hour, but you love lifting, then obviously you're better off lifting. But if you can learn to enjoy cardio, or if you want to do the workout that's the most effective for burning calories, you should be biking/running.
  - hmottestad 15y ago
    Keep in mind secondary and tertiary effects. 1. How many calories used to rebuild and strengthen the muscles? 2. How many more calories do your bigger and stronger muscles burn even when not in use? This goes for both cardio and weight lifting.
    - dhs 15y ago
      re. 2: Not many, according to the sources I can find on that. Example: "[M]uscle tissue has been observed to burn roughly seven to 10 calories per pound per day, compared to two to three calories per pound per day for fat. Therefore, if you replace a pound of fat with a pound of muscle, you can expect to burn only approximately four to six more calories a day." Source: http://www.acefitness.org/fitnessqanda/fitnessqanda_display.aspx?itemid=358 http://www.acefitness.org/fitnessqanda/fitnessqanda_display....

sorbits 15y ago

The diet you describe appears to be http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleolithic_diet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleolithic_diet (figured a label and link would be good for people who wish to research further)

stevengg 15y ago

mark rippetoe of starting strength fame did an AMA on r/fitness yesterday. http://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/comments/n13d8/i_am_mark_rippetoe_author_of_starting_strength/ http://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/comments/n13d8/i_am_mark_rip...

gadders 15y ago
Awesome. Thanks for the link!

wavephorm 15y ago

every meal has protein Contrary to popular belief, meat doesn't need to be eaten with every meal. The idea that humans require huge amounts of protein is a popular day myth. Vegetables do contain protein, even an average potato has 3g protein. Almost universally, everyone who is overweight eats entirely too much meat and dairy.

twelvechairs 15y ago
Agreed. You don't need huge amounts of protein if your main goal is weight loss or health (as opposed to muscle gain).... There are way too many of these 'fitness' people out there who think that everyone should eat as much protein as possible and aim their body towards being a mountain of underutilised muscle (apparently this counts as 'fitness' in some circles)..... Protein is fine, but you don't need an awful lot of it to lose weight. A little muscle gain can be helpful to make sure you can exercise more, but you can achieve this on a pretty low-protein diet anyway.
jscn 15y ago
On the other hand, protein and fat increase satiety better than carbohydrates, so if you want to feel fuller on fewer calories, protein is a good bet.
- wavephorm 15y ago
  Not exactly. Meat isn't the only thing that causes satiation. A full stomach causes satiation too. Vegetables, especially green, leafy ones with lots of fiber and water them will fill your stomach faster than a fatty piece of meat. The carbohydrates in green beans and lettuce for example are largely fiber which doesn't even get absorbed by your body.

yummyfajitas 15y ago

This is generally good advice, but avoiding carbs is unnecessary. There is basically no compelling evidence that avoiding carbs causes people to lose weight faster than other diets, and there is quite a bit of evidence that properly consumed carbs help muscle growth. Carbs before heavy weightlifting make sure your glycogen stores are replenished, i.e. you are more likely to hit your reps. For some people, compliance with a low carb diet may be easier. I.e., it may take less willpower to stick to a low carb diet than a low fat diet. But that's the only benefit, and that benefit depends strongly on your personal tastes in food. Making sure that calorie in < calories out is the main thing you need to do to lose weight. Calories in > calories out + sufficient protein is the thing to do to gain muscle. Everything else is small change, only worth thinking about if you are a bodybuilder or boxer. The fact of the matter is that we were far thinner than today when we had an extremely high carb diet. https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnpp.usda.gov%2Fpublications%2Ffoodsupply%2Ffoodsupply1909-2004report.pdf https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnpp.usd...

hmottestad 15y ago
I presume it's a matter of complex vs. simple carbs. Also there is a great factor in the amount of fiber in the food. Unless you are actually exercising, foods that take long to digest and slowly release energy are better for your mood and concentration. A spike in the blood sugar is followed by a drop in the blood sugar which leads to cravings. I guess the blood sugar analysis in the body is a based on calculus.
Cushman 15y ago
Do you have a response to Gary Taubes et al. who have observed in recent years that the "calories in vs. calories out" hypothesis has no basis in the science of human metabolism, and that insulin, the hormone secreted in response to consumption of carbohydrates, has a very well-understood and primary role in fat storage?
- js2 15y ago
  You might want to read the conclusion (last paragraph) here, then go back and read how Stephan arrived at it: http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2011/08/carbohydrate-hypothesis-of-obesity.html http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2011/08/carbohydrate-h...

emp_ 15y ago

I was just thinking about this, will give the Warrior diet a try (never did a diet, at 211 lbs 5'9") but mostly because I've been eating really little (fish+rice+lettuce salad) in the past 3 months without much effect. The idea of only eating a nice meal at night is great to me since I hate the food around work (from fast to fancy), and dislike bringing it everyday from home even tho I absolutely love the wife's cooking skills, anyway thanks for the ideas!

MatthewPhillips 15y ago
Did you already lose your water weight? If not, drink 10 8-ounce glasses of water a day, and you'll lose 10-15 in less than a month. I don't know about this "one big meal a day" stuff. I used to do that as my normal diet in my early to mid 20s (not trying to lose weight) and it did not keep me in shape. I lost weight when I started eating more, normal sized meals (yogurt or granola for breakfast, sandwich and apple for lunch, fish and rice for dinner).
- emp_ 15y ago
  Thanks Matthew, will pay more attention to the water. Also, I'm in Brazil and our culture is to eat the big 1000+ calorie meal at lunch and very little in the morning or at night, I eat pretty much what you described but the rice/fish is for lunch and sandwich/apple for dinner, I do go a little off on weekends with the eventual pizza/pasta/barbecue (the Brazilian type, which I think is rather unique) in rational portions. The one thing I have the most trouble is that I usually drink a can of soda everyday day (10 ounces I think?) and have been trying to move that to weekends only -- this is the thing I have been struggling the most, I don't drink/smoke so it probably counts as my only addiction. And to everyone trying to hack their diet, internet hugs to them.
  - MatthewPhillips 15y ago
    Yeah, my experience has always been that it's the seemingly little things that get you. I used to be addicted to ice tea. I'd drink a pitcher a day by myself. It's a liquid after all, you don't get fat from liquids, right? 5 ice-cream scoops of sugar per pitcher. Now I have no desire for it, ever.

gizmo 15y ago

This is exactly the kind of situation where a little advice can be dangerous. Going from a sedentary lifestyle to sprinting, deadlifts, kettlebell exercises or other intense activities is a recipe for disaster. I agree with most of your advice and the implicit part that carbohydrates are the enemy and fat/protein your friend. However, the part that's dangerously missing is that your body takes a lot longer to recover from exercise than you think and that overtraining can set you back weeks or even lead to permanent injuries.

mahyarm 15y ago
You ramp it up then, and go see a doctor first if your really bad/old. Instead of 150 kettlebell swings, you do 20 and add 10 every few days, etc.
- gizmo 15y ago
  "Oh, I'll just ramp up slowly". That's what everybody thinks. It's common sense. But it's terrible advice. Nobody is stupid enough to start on day one with the biggest kettlebell. The point is you have to warn people, over and over again, in order to drive the point home about the dangers of overtraining. Why? Because the first time you start exercising again it feels good and you start full of energy and so forth. So the day after you feel like exercising again, you got that itch, even though you "know" your body hasn't recovered yet and you're still sore in a few spots. This is where it really takes discipline to stick to the plan. Sometimes you'll go to the gym and realize you're still sore from 2 days ago. If you start lifting weights anyway the odds are you're either going to outright injure yourself or you're going to lift in a lopsided pose to compensate for a sore shoulder or something. It takes discipline to go home and skip a workout just after you've decided to get (back) into shape. If you tell people to just ramp it up and add a couple of swings every couple of days they're still going to make predictable and preventable mistakes and injure themselves.