OT: Macronutrients.

[Meat]

Honestly some terrible advice getting thrown around here. If your goal is to lose weight all you have to do is change your diet and nothing more. You dont have to touch a single weight if you dont want to. If you want to lose weight consume less calories, its no secret. How far you want to take things with your diet is up to you. If you posted what your diet currently looks like it would be easier to offer up suggestions for you. In general its easiest to start eating less carbs like breads/pastas as they are high in calories and dont carry nutritional value. Simply replacing some of your bread/pasta consumption for vegetables works wonders.

Totally on the same side as this guy.

Also, muscle weighs more than fat. So if you are simply trying to have the scale say you are losing weight, adding bulk is not really the way to go. I think weights are good, and it will help most of the fat burn and convert to muscle but if won't really help you lose weight.

How do you get to work/school/around? Is riding a bike possible? Do you ever play basketball? Thats great cardio. If its to physically taxing, ultimate frisbee or soccer are both really great sources of cardio that are less physical but keep you constantly running. Or just run the track or treadmill/stairmaster/bike at a gym.

Obviously eating healthy is important, try to cook your own meals, bring lunch to school/work, stay away from foods high in fat, eat veggies, fruits and nuts instead of chips, crackers, candy bars (most pre packaged food).

If you drink, drink hard ciders, wine, gin and tonics, whiskey sodas, etc. Light beers you need to drink more of to get drunk so if youre drinking to get drink and want beer, maybe as well drink less of the good stuff, its pretty much the same thing.

It can be a lifestyle change, but its a nice lifestyle to live, and it will help you keep the weight down for good instead of losing it and getting it back.

ignore 99% of this, firstly convert to muscle? you're under the impression that fat can be converted to muscle? are you perchance an alchemist?

you cant tell someone to stay away from fats then say eat nuts. secondly do not stay away from fats, fats are essential to human function and health (that's why they're called essential fats). good sources of fats are nuts(peanuts are not nuts, they're legumes), fish(fresh tuna, salmon, swordfish) and grass fed meat

[Meat]

Keep it to 1700-1800 calories. You need at least 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight if you would like to maintain muscle. Cut out simple carbs. Lift at least 3x a week (best fat burner is weight training) and do HIIT (sprint/walk intervals for 15min, burns more fat than cardio) 2-3x per week as well.

It's not about the quantity of calories but how much nutrition you get per calorie. You're better off eating 2,500 calories of mackerel, chicken and eggs because of the healthy fats and lean protein, iron and minerals, instead of 1800 calories of potato chips and a Naked smoothie that is loaded with empty calories oil, starch and sugars.

Losing weight is very simple...everyone, depending on their metabolism and workout frequency has a caloric threshold. The baseline is what calories you need to maintain weight. Anything over and you gain, and under you lose. What nutrients you take in, workout quality and rest dictate what turns into muscle and what turns to fat.

In the past 3 months I've gained 37lbs, mostly muscle (bench went from 190x5 to 260x5), and did it very simply. 3500-4000 calories a day, at least 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight, and very consisyent lifting. Losing weight is very similar, although you gotta be more cautious on the nutrient end. But the primary factors are calories, protein and excersise.

you cannot gain 37lbs of muscle in a 5 years much less 3 months, you're kidding yourself. pro bodybuilders on steroids, insulin and hgh don't gain 2lbs of muscle a year

[Nitro1118]

It's not about the quantity of calories but how much nutrition you get per calorie. You're better off eating 2,500 calories of mackerel, chicken and eggs because of the healthy fats and lean protein, iron and minerals, instead of 1800 calories of potato chips and a Naked smoothie that is loaded with empty calories oil, starch and sugars.

Losing weight is very simple...everyone, depending on their metabolism and workout frequency has a caloric threshold. The baseline is what calories you need to maintain weight. Anything over and you gain, and under you lose. What nutrients you take in, workout quality and rest dictate what turns into muscle and what turns to fat.

In the past 3 months I've gained 37lbs, mostly muscle (bench went from 190x5 to 260x5), and did it very simply. 3500-4000 calories a day, at least 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight, and very consisyent lifting. Losing weight is very similar, although you gotta be more cautious on the nutrient end. But the primary factors are calories, protein and excersise.

you cannot gain 37lbs of muscle in a 5 years much less 3 months, you're kidding yourself. pro bodybuilders on steroids, insulin and hgh don't gain 2lbs of muscle a year

It is much more difficult for bodybuilders to gain due to muscles becoming accustom to lifting. I have great muscle memory because I lifted for years, over 300lbs bench and 400lbs squat at one point. Recently kicked a drug habit where I simply wasn't eating, and so the calories + lifting + muscle memory did it. As I said, not every pound is muscle, but the majority is, and my huge jumps in strength are the proof.

As I said, muscle memory played a big part. The past few weeks I've continued gaining strength, but the muscle gain has slowed down. Regardless, many bodybuilding experts say 2lbs a week is a normal average if you follow the right dieting and excercise routine (No steroids involved).

[rapz101]

Start with the basics. Alot of advice being thrown out here, but to me, it seems like some are throwing advanced quantum phsycis at you when you should start with the basics. When you see some progress, if your anything like myself, you'll want to learn more and more..

For starters, calories are the bottom line.
I recommend you download "MyFitnessPal" app. Makes it very simple to track calories, and furthermore, macronutrients. It gets addictive, in a good way.

For the simple facts.
1 pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories.
if you want to burn 1 pound of fat per week, that equates to being at a 500 calorie deficit each and every day. This is the most realistic way you will lose weight, both physically and psychologically.

I recently dropped from 180 to 170 over the course of 8 weeks. Here is my typical week, for all 8 weeks, with a hiccup here or there.

Exercise wise, here is what I did. Besides that, I work in an office and am on my ass all day (sedentary)...

Sun- rest
Mon - 45 min cardio (eliptical) in the morning + 90 minutes pickup b-ball @ night
Tues-45 min cardio (eliptical) in the morning + weight training @ night
Wed- b-ball game @ night
Thurs - 45 min cardio (eliptical) in the morning + weight training @ night
Fri- 45 min cardio (eliptical) in the morning
Sat- 30 min cardio (eliptical) + weight training

It doesnt matter how you split it up, but do something like the above in total for the week.

Food wise, my wife and I made a committment to eat healthy and clean foods. Tpyically buy everyhing on Sunday, prep meals for the week. This saves time in the long haul, and also takes the excuse away that we dont feel like prepping a healthy meal and just getting chinese on some random week day.

Typical Monday-Friday meals...
7am - 1 scoop "Complete Whey" protein powder with water
9:30am - egg white omelet (with 1 whole egg), 3 oz chicken breast, onions, 1 slice provolone cheese + half of an avocado
1:00pm - large salad containing 1 whole lettuce "heart", 1 cup chopped peppers, 5 oz chicken breats, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1/4 cup fat free Feta cheese
4:30pm - x1 Kashi-brand Chocolate Almond & Sea Salt granola bar, 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk (Silk brand)
7:30pm - dinner is some combination of 4 oz of some kind of meat (chicken, shrimp, turkey burger, ground chicken or ground turkey, occasionally some lean beef) and a vegatable (salad, broccoli, vegatable medley, small controlled portion of couscous of brown rice)
** if working out, add in an extra protein shake after afternoon workout.

My total caloric intake for the day is approximately 1800-1900 calories. I estimate I burn about 2,300-2,700 calories on my average, active day as described above. Keep in mind I am a 5'6, 170 lb man with a muscular/medium frame


It would take forever to write everything, but if your day looks something like what I typed above, then you'll lose 1-2 lbs a week... which means you should lose those 25 lbs over the course of 4-6 months, provided you stick to the program. the occasionaly cheat meal (not entire day!) will not kill you, just make sure to ge tback on the diet right after and keep your portions in control.

The following is something to focus on AFTER you get your calories in order.. calories come 1st and foremost, then you can worry about the macronutrients as you "master" the game)

to further break this down, i would personally recommend you eat your body weight in protein in terms of grams. I weight 170, so I strive to get 170 grams of protein in my diet, each and every day.

Limit your carb intake.

Limit your sugars as close to 0 grams as you can each and everyday, unless they are coming from whole fruits. For a realistic measure, strive to get under 20-25 grams of sugar a day. I won't deliver some broscience here, but the bottom line is sugar is bad and the real true enemy.

When you look at fats on a label, make a point of realizing that monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are not bad. You will get these unsaturated fats from foods like avocados, peanut butter, almonds, various nuts. All are good in small proportions.

Drink lots of water, all day long.

If you want to stop snacking at night, follow this "weird" tip (jeez i sound like one of those scam ads!)... BRUSH YOUR TEETH RIGHT AFTER DINNER! No one likes to eat food right after they brush there teeth, plus if you eat, you know your going to have to brush your teeth AGAIN and who wants to do that? Phsycologically, it works for me.

I can go all day, if you got more questions, just ask.

As the OP said his main goal is to lose weight not gain muscle, so for everyone talking about building muscle that's not his goal.

This is probably the best post i've seen in this thread and most applicable to the OP.

The 500kcal reduction is the best way to go for losing weight along with at least 150min of cardio-based exercise per week. Keep Trans fats to basically 0 and saturated fats should come to 7% or lower of your total caloric total, so if you get 1900kcal/day, then saturated fat should be 7% of that (food labels should be your best friend , all sat fats are written there).

[St Knick]

if your ultimate goal is to LOOK better and be HEALTHIER, stop focusing so much on the number on the scale.
the approach i provided isnt going to make you look like arnold.
but the bottom line is, if you want quicker and sustainable results, youd be much better served with some weight training. whether that means low-rep/high-weight (for big muscle gains) or high-rip/low-weight (for lean mass).
the more muscle you have on your body, the more calories your body will burn doing the same activities.
yes, having more muscle will add to the number on your scale, but its just a FREAKING number.
the only situation I can think of where the # is the ultimate indicator of your success is if you are a wrestler or boxer trying to make a certain weight.
the weight on the scale is one of many measurement tools for looking better. you can also take measurements of your neck, chest and waist <--- much better indicator of success. I judge my progress more on the way my pants fit my waist.
hope that sinks in.

[King of Canada]

Only eat loads at night, and you'll drop some weight fast. No more snacks. Just loads.

[St Knick]

Only eat loads at night, and you'll drop some weight fast. No more snacks. Just loads.

[NYKinMIA]

Only eat loads at night, and you'll drop some weight fast. No more snacks. Just loads.

[Houston99]

hey guys..i weigh 165 and im prolly between 18-20% bodyfat. what are the macros for keeping my wieght but loosing body fat?

[Houston99]

i want to be roughly around 10-12%

[frogfood]

you cannot gain 37lbs of muscle in a 5 years much less 3 months, you're kidding yourself. pro bodybuilders on steroids, insulin and hgh don't gain 2lbs of muscle a year

One weird trick....

[frogfood]

Only eat loads at night, and you'll drop some weight fast. No more snacks. Just loads.

Fellas...In Canada, I'm pretty sure "loads" means semen aiiight

[Nyk4lyfe]

hey guys..i weigh 165 and im prolly between 18-20% bodyfat. what are the macros for keeping my wieght but loosing body fat?

Try 2000 calories, 200g protein, 150g carbs, 67g fat. Everyone's body is different but a combo of this diet (plus lifting 4x a week with 0 cardio) has kept me at same weight (but less bf%)

[NYKinMIA]

Only eat loads at night, and you'll drop some weight fast. No more snacks. Just loads.

[img]Boshwantsloads.gif[/img]

Fellas...In Canada, I'm pretty sure "loads" means semen aiiight

No doubt the reason Bosh flourished during his time up north.

[nykballa2k4]

Honestly some terrible advice getting thrown around here. If your goal is to lose weight all you have to do is change your diet and nothing more. You dont have to touch a single weight if you dont want to. If you want to lose weight consume less calories, its no secret. How far you want to take things with your diet is up to you. If you posted what your diet currently looks like it would be easier to offer up suggestions for you. In general its easiest to start eating less carbs like breads/pastas as they are high in calories and dont carry nutritional value. Simply replacing some of your bread/pasta consumption for vegetables works wonders.

no need to be condescending.

It is simple: Either take in less or produce more. Usually people losing weight want to do both.
Thus "Eat less, exercise more"

As we all know, it isn't always about how much we eat, but WHAT we eat.
Easy ways to trim calories is to substitute stevia or spelnda in your coffee/drinks.
Drink only water when you are thirsty.

Either remove snacking OR make meals smaller

Maintain a balance. As people here are saying higher protiens.

Be more active. 20 minutes walking on a treadmill can burn over 100 calories and it's easy. If you have a gym membership, by watching Knick games and posting in our game threads via tapatalk or w/e voice feature you have, you will easily burn over 200 calories AND cut out the 200+ most people consume while watching a sporting event/2.5 hour long TV (popcorn, junk food, booze, soda etc). Thats a 400 calorie swing!

In Knick terms it would be like never fouling in the back court or on the perimeter, saving us from the penalty and saving us 6 ppg (and we lose on average by 5.3 ppg, so chew on that)

[ReturnofMVP3]

The only diet I'd ever reccomend to lose weight. Basically you cut almost all carbs out and stick to protein, and fruits, dairy, and some veggies. Your body burns the fat since there are no carbs to burn. Eat as much as you need to get full and exercise, you'll see results.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketogenic_diet

It also helps may reduce seizures in epileptics.


I know a lot of people who have done this diet and have lost insane amounts of weight in a month.

[Houston99]

hey guys..i weigh 165 and im prolly between 18-20% bodyfat. what are the macros for keeping my wieght but loosing body fat?

Try 2000 calories, 200g protein, 150g carbs, 67g fat. Everyone's body is different but a combo of this diet (plus lifting 4x a week with 0 cardio) has kept me at same weight (but less bf%)

sounds good...i think the carbs a little high though.. i might keep carbs at 100 gams but the other number sound good. thanks man

[CharlesOakley]

Cardio tears down muscle tissue more than weight lifting. This is why endurance athletes don't look as buff as sprinters or lifters. If weight loss is your goal I suggest it's the wrong goal. Body composition should be your goal. Cardio is okay in moderation but doing hours of it a week will get you skinny without resulting in a better looking body. Weight lifting or high intensity interval training should be the focus of your exercise component. Cardio tends to promote the production of more cortisol and less testosterone whereas weightlifting or HIIT promote the opposite.

It's not just calories in/calories out. You can drink a bottle of olive oil every day and you won't get orca fat. You will get explosive diarrhea. Different foods absorb at different rates and trigger different hormonal responses. Eating sugar is usually bad as it creates an insulin spike which results in elevated cortisol levels. However if you do an intense workout, using this insulin response (by ingesting simple carbohydrates immediately after a workout) will replace glycogen stores in your muscles very quickly and mitigates muscle loss. If the amount of carbs is correct this will not become fat and your muscles will be refueled for your next workout. Eating low fat has been proven to (on average) increase body fat percentage.

We need fats, carbs and protein to function at a high level. Weston A. Price did research on indigenous cultures and found that the healthiest indigenous people ate a high percentage of lean animal protein (including organ meats). Calorie counting is only one aspect of health. What you put in your body matters although it may not show on the scale. (Don't forget micronutrients are important too).

There really are too many people here chiming in that don't know much about diet and exercise so please do your own research.

[Meat]

The only diet I'd ever reccomend to lose weight. Basically you cut almost all carbs out and stick to protein, and fruits, dairy, and some veggies. Your body burns the fat since there are no carbs to burn. Eat as much as you need to get full and exercise, you'll see results.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketogenic_diet

It also helps may reduce seizures in epileptics.


I know a lot of people who have done this diet and have lost insane amounts of weight in a month.

keto with fruit isnt keto, it's at best paleo. fruits are almost all carbs and most non iifym diets are anti dairy

[Meat]

Cardio tears down muscle tissue more than weight lifting. This is why endurance athletes don't look as buff as sprinters or lifters. If weight loss is your goal I suggest it's the wrong goal. Body composition should be your goal. Cardio is okay in moderation but doing hours of it a week will get you skinny without resulting in a better looking body. Weight lifting or high intensity interval training should be the focus of your exercise component. Cardio tends to promote the production of more cortisol and less testosterone whereas weightlifting or HIIT promote the opposite.

It's not just calories in/calories out. You can drink a bottle of olive oil every day and you won't get orca fat. You will get explosive diarrhea. Different foods absorb at different rates and trigger different hormonal responses. Eating sugar is usually bad as it creates an insulin spike which results in elevated cortisol levels. However if you do an intense workout, using this insulin response (by ingesting simple carbohydrates immediately after a workout) will replace glycogen stores in your muscles very quickly and mitigates muscle loss. If the amount of carbs is correct this will not become fat and your muscles will be refueled for your next workout. Eating low fat has been proven to (on average) increase body fat percentage.

We need fats, carbs and protein to function at a high level. Weston A. Price did research on indigenous cultures and found that the healthiest indigenous people ate a high percentage of lean animal protein (including organ meats). Calorie counting is only one aspect of health. What you put in your body matters although it may not show on the scale. (Don't forget micronutrients are important too).

There really are too many people here chiming in that don't know much about diet and exercise so please do your own research.

some great stuff here, i'd throw in though that liss cardio does have it's place when it comes to overall health values