Quickest way to lose weight?
 

Hey all

Just a general question really

What's the quickest way to lose weight?
I know that's a rather general question and I know the answer is dieting and exercise, but is there any specific exercise and/or diet you can recommend?

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

Anything Cardiovascular related, its different for everyone, i enjoy cycling, just when i can be bothered to do it really.

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

The answer is not dieting and exercise, it's eating proper food and exercising.

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

Yeah definitely agree with you there Richard.

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

Right
I assumed the main exercise would be cardio based, i'm thinking of either getting a bike or an exercise bike
Anyone know of a paticular good model exercise bike?? I was thinking of getting one of the sit down bikes, er...recumbent? ones.

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

A real bike is better cos you are actually getting somewhere for your efforts (so long as you don't go cycling to MacDonalds).

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

LOL, very true

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

lift weights... build muscle to burn fat (fat cannot turn to muscle and vice versa btw). You'll get rid of fat and add shape that CV can't do. CV burns muscle and fat.

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

Well I went to the gym for six months and didn't notice any difference in weight (I'm still going by the way) ;)

Then I went to uni last September and it meant lot of walking to lectures and that has lost me quite a bit of my stomach. I'm still eating properly :D

So I would say give walking a go and like Richard M says eating properly is important. Should see the crap thing people eat at uni and not very much and they are all putting on the pounds :)

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

Why dont you try swimming, everyone starts with good intentions on excercise bikes, but they are boring.

I'd say your best bet is to put a bit of effort into cooking decent meals for yourself, and then to join some sort of a club, so you arent alone, maybe a swimming or cycling club, (on a real bike mind)

Best of luck!

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

It's not only what you eat, it's also how much you eat ;)

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

probably worth mentioning that exercise won't necessarily lead to weight loss (gaining heavier muscle, losing fat), but will make you more healthy.

i guess what i'm saying is, keep at it even if you don't immediately shed pounds... it's worth it :)

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

Thanks for the advice/tips, everyone
I was also told by a friend that if you eat smaller portions, but the same amount, it helps, because you're not downing one large portion of food in one go, so rather than having 3 meals a day, you spread it out to like 5 or more small ones.
I'm thinking of going on the Atkins diet again, although that's somewhat controversial, it does work, but no doubt it's not healthy in the long run, so i'll probably go on that and lose the majority, then switch to a healthy balance of fruit/veg etc (yeuck:P)

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

Don't ask me!I'm still trying to lose weight.Been trying since I was 20 and now I'm 52.

Wish will power came in tablet form... :(

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

I actually did it a few years ago, I somehow found the willpower to stop eating and get walking and once I had lost weight it was great. But nowadays, I have been on about 10 diets in the past 6 months and all have failed. I love food too much, simply :D

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

the final stage of atkins is healthy, and just comes down to common sense really. if you were to keep up the initial stages for a long time, now that would be unhealthy! :erm:

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Oh and I'm very lazy.

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Yea, doesn't help that I dislike the good foods, like salad and vegetables
I can tolerate salard, but only with salard cream or mayonnaise, which kinda defeats the object
With vegetables, I can only eat those with HP sauce and gravy, hehe

Which is why I like the atkins diet, but on that, I really miss bread :(

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

Lost over 4 stone twice in my lifetime...But here I am again.:bigcry:

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

Definatly!
Although when you think about it, if the body is basically burning fat all the time, how can it be UNhealthy?
I don't know, I do know it works and it's the easiest diet i've been on, except it's expensive and hard to stick to, especially when there's fresh bread in the house.

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

My missus has been overweight for years, then suddenly lost 3 1/2 stone in 3 months just by cutting out all fats and fatty foods.

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

Damn, that's impressive
Congrats to your wife.

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

i have been tinkering with my wieght recently in trying to put on wieght...

my recommendations for losing weight is to eat moderatly i noticed my eating habits change and i tend to lose and gain wieght frequently...

so what i think you should do is decrease the amount of food you eat, in the morning eat a banana or a piece of fruit, then for lunch have a sandwhich prefrebly salad based only with no cream or fattening substances like cheese, then for your evening meal pasta or something to that extent, just rotate things around a little ensure that you leave space in your stomach and dont overfill it at once.

try new things go shopping regulary and look for heathy options, its about self control and will power you can treat yourself once in a while mind....

*goes off to dig out some chocolate

:D

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

Eat sensibly, excersise enough and lift big, big weights :)

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

Oh stuff it! I'm just going to put some money by for a reinforced coffin.. ;)

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Oh......and diets don't work! :D

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

Well they do.It's the bit between diets that don't work. :(

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

If you're going for a low-carb diet, remember that the way they work is that carbs are the body's 'normal' fuel - when they run out your body starts burning stored fat instead - which is the idea of the diet of course.

The problem is that when you reach this point your body says to itself 'uh, oh; looks like winter's coming along; no food; better slow down' so your metabolism slows. So if you aren't really disciplined you'll become less active, so the weight you lose by burning stored fat you would have burned off anyway in your normal day to day activity.

Plus your brain likes lots of calories to keep sharp, which you normally get burning carbs. Burning fat is much less efficient, so you might start to lose concentration, focus, etc.

So if you're going to go on a low carb diet, make sure you're got the self discipline to keep up your activity level and make sure you get enough sleep and cut down on caffeine etc so you can stay sharp throughout the day.

If you don't have the self discipline, walk to work/get off 2 stops earlier - recommended anyway now the weather's getting better since you see so much more of what's going on around you/use the stairs instead of the lift/have a lot more sex ;)

Oh, and don't eat any cookies ..... :)

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

Thanks Cookie, good advice
Ironically enough though, the low card diet makes you feel more active, well, at least for me anyways
As for the cookies, a company actually makes low carb cookies and they're pretty good!
heh

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

AFAIK it is a little more complicated than that, but your advice about maintaining metabolic rate & increasing activity levels, is 'spot on'.

IIRC the last study I saw about why a 'low carb' diet works is that you replace carbohydrate with protein, both have the same number of calories, but protein makes you feel full, quicker, so you eat less, overall. i.e. assuming fat consumption stays the same, you will be reducing the overall number of calories consumed.

Don't believe the 'eat as much fat as you like', sometimes associated with this style of diet, advice for this remains the same - keep saturated & trans fats to a minimum, try to stick with mono or polyunsaturated fats & remember the omega 3's in oily fish are good for you at the recommended two portions a week.

The Food Standards Agency http://www.food.gov.uk/ has lots of good advice about healthy eating.

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

Adam D:

Diet: do not diet as in a diet sense of the word, but eat healthily. cut down on salt, too much fatty foods, eg; chocolate/crisps/curries etc, instead eat healthily.

Carbohydrates are the most common way to gain fat, because we in this country eat a lot of carbs, we tend to hold a bit of fat. try to cut down on your carbohydrate intake; rice/pasta/bread/potatoes are the worst offenderS. notice I said cut down, NOT STOP ALTOGETHER.

Fats are really good for you, as long as they are not saturated fats, like chips/crisps/chocolate etc, but eat things like Nuts/olive oil dressings/oily fish things like this.

Protein is good for you, but not all of the time. what I mean by this is that do not stay on the Atkins diet, of pure meat, just change your portions.

Portions:
Carbohydrates 30%
Protien 40-50%%
fats 20%
this is about right to lose weight, not unless your an athlete, then these portions change.

eat smaller meals but more frequently like 6 portions a day, this will keep your metabolism up high so that you are constantly burning fat and have energy, just don't do the whole 3 meals a day thing, that does not work, it actually slows down your metabolism and stores fat.
Also DO NOT eat after 8pm cause you do not burn it all off before going to bed.

your body needs 1500 calories just to stay alive, but you should intake around 2000 for the average person per day, so try to do more physical activity to burn the excess calories off, this will help with your weight management.

exercise:
the best way to get fit is cardiovascular exercise, like swimming/jogging/cycling etc, but try to work at a high repetition rate, do not put lots of force into your cv workout, it should not be too light either, but make sure that speed is the main thing, not big resistences to put power on to your muscles. doing it fast improves your stamina of the muscles and burns more calories, therefore you need more energy, and the body will provide this energy from your energy reserve that you have within your mitochondria (something inside your muscle cells) then use your glycogen system, then your fat reserves.
This is also great for getting you fit and healthy which is the best benifit.

programme:
try to mix and match your CV programme, some places tell you to do about 30 mins, which is great, but for best results, try to work very hard for less time, like sprinting.
I would initially aim for 20-30 mins of CV trying to work your Heart rate at 65-80% of your Maximum Heart rate (220-age = MHR) this is your original target area for working your heart.
when you become fitter try doing 15-25 mins at 75-90% of MHR.
and try some longer periods as well like 60-80% of MHR for about an hour with no resistence work.

Resistence:
using weights is actually good for improving your metabolism. because you are generating more muscle cells, then your body needs more energy to keep those muscles alive and healthy, so therefore your body when it needs it, will use your fat reserve to feed your newly made muscles. also doing weights will add definition on to your muscles which makes your body look and feel better.

programme: starting with 12 reps and 2-3 sets on the major muscle groups, e.g. chest press/seated row/leg press/leg curl/abs/lower back/biceps/triceps using a weight that is hard to finish the 2-3 sets of 12 reps, then increase your reps every couple of weeks to 14/16/18/20/22/24 then go back to 12 and increase your weights.
try and do some pilates, this is a great class for strengthening your core muscles, which will help you have a slimmer waistline, or in failing that use a swiss ball to do your core muscles abs/back/obliques.

this is the pretty in depth, but not too in depth, god I have jsut finished work and now I am at it again, can I get overtime?

ik

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

Wow, thanks ikthius
Much appreciated!

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

no probs, not the most indepth info, but part of my job as a fitness instructor.

ik

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

yes, very good :tu:, good forum this - we even get a personal trainer :)

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

Exactly! Which is why diets, ultimately, don't work--'cos you can't stay on the buggers! :D
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Brilliant post ikthius :tu: :)

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

Liposuction, its pretty quick

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

From using a personal trainer - the CV stuff is important, but it is the level and time that you soon realise, by yourself you don't hit in the same way.

For me to lose weight I need to run 20 mins at about 10.5kph and it starts hurting at about 14 mins. Thats the run with a warm up brisk walk at 5.6kph and cool down thas about 30 mins on the treadmill.

Another good one on the tredmill is 3 mins at say 9.5k and 1 min at 14kph then repeat for about 4 times (16 mins).

Weights - if you can lift 3 sets of 8 reps easily it is time to put the weight up.

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

The quickest way?

Have a trip down your local woodyard, lay on the cutting bench, push the Green button & roll.

You will also lose some limbs, but hey that weight loss was damn quick. :D

Otherwise what ikthius says etc. ;)

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

The best way ?

go to "a hot and sandy place" for 4-5 months - eat army food, drink 10L of water a day, walk approx 15k a day, oh and spend part of that time in a charcoal lined suit with all extremeties covered in rubber... :naughty:

worked for me - I lost over 3 stone in 4 and a bit months ;)

(problem was when I got home to a desk job and a wife who is a good cook, I put it back on in 8 months.... :( )

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

FFS :mad:

Why is it that supposedly "healthy" food is now on the do not go there list. In my diet (as in food i eat as opposed to a slimming regime) i have started eating baked potatos with Tuna (no butter), pasta and chicken, rice and chicken etc - cut out sugar in my tea - less soft drinks and more water etc. But now you saying that baked tats, pasta and rice are not good for you.

Nothings good for you is the impression i get unless its a leaf and its green and tastes like nothing. (Assuming your not allergic to pesticides).

I want to eat healthily - but - what the hell am i supposed to eat then?

Nuts are high in fat are they not (>50%), so that leaves leafs and oily fish. Great.

Additionally - i though if you excersised a lot that Carbs were good for you?

Food advice in this country is so confused - i dont know what i should eat.

I appreciate your advice ikthius, its just so damn confusing to know what to do, lots of mixed messages.

Additionally, the fitness instructior at our gym (who incidentally is absolutely stunning so i may have missed most of what she said to me) said that the best program was a sort of high/low resistance workout - so for example if your on the cross trainer you would get a really easy bit - then it ramps up for a while so its hard, then and easy bit and so on... and i have to admit that when i tried this that it REALLY felt like i was working.

Which is different from what you suggest - lower resistance - faster pace.

HELP!

(incidentally ikthius - i just noticed your in Glasgow - what gym do you goto? PM me the details if you dont want to say it here)

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

Interval Training is very effective - its not an easy bit then hard it is a slightly lower than your usual level then a good bit higher.
As I said above my running pace is about 10.5kph steady
To interval train I would run at 9.5 for 3 min and 14 for 1 min and repeat.
Other intervals on a running machine could be done by increasing and decreasing the gradient for example. On a cross trainer changing the RPM (or the newer ones are in kph).
Your diet sounds good - less than three cups of coffee/tea a day - no sugar, and healthy food. The key things we seem to be missing in diet these days are IMHO quality ingredients, for example, organic chicken costs loads more but actually tastes of something and moderation. Portions are getting bigger and fattier and we are still clearing our plates. Eat until your needs are sated, not until you can eat no more. Oh and booze - the calories in beer and spirits...

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

:tu:

Dont stop eating food, just eat food thats better for you and start excercising

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

That's excellent advice. Almost exactly the same as the advice given to me by a friend (who is a bodybuilder) and my cousin (who used to run half-marathons for the Blackheath Harriers).

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

Adsa do low fat low cal soups that make excellent bases for meals ,the thai chicken curry one is great it allows you to still eat curry lol Ive totally cut out junk just eat heathly and snack on fruit if i get the munchies lol Ive lost a stone in a month
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an import point was not made in the first post on this page,I used to be 21 stone if i followed the advice about exercise i could have killed myself lol lol<its important if your overweight to see a doctor before you take on to much exercise

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

Carbs are fine, as long a you are active enough to burn off the energy they give you. Otherwise, you will store the energy as fat instead...

Just make sure that you only have one portion of carbs in a meal ie, no chips with pasta, no pasta with bread, no bread with potatoes etc etc.

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

I think theres a point thats been missed here,if you consume more than your body uses wether carb fat or protein its stored as fat,Carbs sugar quickest so its used first(so its unlikely unless you eat loads that its the carbs make you fat lol ) everything you eat turns to glycogen before its used as energy

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

carbohydrates are good for you, but in this country we eat lots of carbs, like a plate full of chips, a few sandwiches, big baked potatoes, lots of rice a plate full of pasta.

I just said that if you do not burn it all off, then it will store as fat. carbohydrates store as fat quicker than protein.

Protein is broken down by the body first, and the carbohydrates take ages to be broken down, especially complex carbohydrtaes like pasta.

that is why you should eat less of them, not get rid of them.

and the programme i gave out is like a starter programme, when you become fitter and healthier I would constantly change it to make it hard for the body to get used to it, and it will always get fitter.

I have PM'd you were I work.

ik

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

My wife decded to go on yet another diet a month or so ago and I decided to join her. This was to make it easier for her to keep to it. What we did was cut out sweets, chocolate, biscuits and the frying pan. Instead we had more fruit and vegetables and we cut down ot the size of the helpings we ate. I think many of us are guilty of eating far more than we need to and we soon become accustomed to large portions.

I have lost a stone in the last month and can certainly feel the difference that it has made. For some reason food tastes much better as well. Having the two of us doing this together has made it much easier as we can support each other in our weaker moments.

Many vegetables such as carrots, cauliflower and cabbage I prefer to eat raw to having them cooked. Which is the healthier option?

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

well the raw is the healthier, but you do not loose a lot of nutrients by heating them up, but boiling them may lose some of the nutrients.

ik

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

IIRC - i heard that for every 10 minutes you boil vegetables they loose half their vitamin content.

I suppose thats why you should never boil soup.... :shrug:

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

aaaaaargh - there aren't many vegetables you have to boil for 10 minutes, where vitamins are important - tubers being the notable exception, potatoes are a source of vitamin C and sweet potatoes have vitamin A, for example..

- but the aaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh was really for the 'don't boil soup' instruction - the canning process involves pressure cooking the soup at 120°C for however long - boiling is only 100°C - what they mean is, we have already taken out most of the flavour, don't you go making it any worse ;)

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

carbs are broken down first in the body and used for energy before fats then protein last why do you think atkins work for so many.They cut the carbs so fat is burned protein in absorbed and used last

http://www.wyethnutritionals.com/answers/q5.htm

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/planet30.htm

http://www.sparknotes.com/health/car...section2.rhtml this link shows how intake of carbs lowers use of protein as energy proving carbs are burned first
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http://www.purchon.com/biology/diet.htm in depth discriptive this one goes well deep

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

Speak to you doctor before trying to lose weight, they may point you to a dietition.

(Chip are not unhealthy if cooked propely and eaten in moderation, when I have chips I use a good quality oil and heat it to 190 degrees (thermo controled) cooking at this temperature seals the outside and makes the inside light and fluffy, if cooked a low temperature they will absorb the oil.

Losing to much weight to fast may be harmful to your health.

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

the last link is the best, it actually talks some sense :tu:

'carbs are burned first' is a very sweeping statement, which takes no account of the glycaemic index concept, slow release carbohydrates, especially when associated with 'soluble fibre' can be beneficial - balance is the thing :)

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

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my post was in responce to this one btw:)

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

so when people are going for a marathon, and they are told to eat a lot of pasta, the complex carboyhydrates are not broken down as quickly as say a peice of meat, this is why they eat pasta the night before a race, because it is slow burning calories!

but then again, they change their mind so damn often with fitness and nutrition it is hard to kepp up most of the time.

but what I said, I stick with and it has never done me anything wrong, and in fact it makes me lose weight when I need to, so I stick by it. I have also helped other this way.

ik

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

the scientific information is in the last link goes into a lot of detail,people who run marathons burn a lot of energy they are told to eat carbs because this is the primary source for energy and will be burnt most efficiently by the body,please read scientific information

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

OOOOooooooo (lifts handbag to chin) :walk::Sprint:

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

suits you sir :)

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

Come on guys, be serious............. losing weight is easy!! strength of mind, sensible food and reasonable excercise is all that is needed.


Oh, and the will power to maintain the regime for ever.

So come on you fat slobs see what you can do.

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

You speaking to me..better not be..or me and my 20+ stone will be sitting on you... :p:

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

this is just the kind of gentle exercise which should be encouraged :cool: :D

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

Gentle?You think 20+ stone on your chest is gentle?Can't imagine what you think was rough! :D

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

- just as well you maintain that innocence ;) :angel: :D

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

Eat right and get plenty of exercise. It's worked for me!

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

Weight Watchers worked for Mrs T and me. There's nothing faddy about it, its basically just simplified calorie/fat counting. I used to know a Cambridge maths graduate who reverse-engineered the WW points calculator and discovered the formula behind it, so you can count Weight Watchers points without actually joining up ... ;)

Look at the label of any food ... you need the values for calories and saturated fat. If you don't see a value for saturated fat, assume it to be 50% of the total fat content.

Then, divide calories by 70.
Next, divide saturated fat by 4.
Add the two results together and round up to the nearest 0.5. This is the Weight Watchers points value for the food in your hand.

Where you fall flat a bit is that you still need to know how many points a day you can have. At 5"7' and almost 13st, I started on 28 and went down to 26 when I got below 11st. You can earn extra points with exercise ... a brisk, half-hour walk earns you an extra 2 points.

The most distressing thing I discovered while doing WW is that a single Snickers bar contains almost your entire daily allowance of points. Yikes!

Re: Quickest way to lose weight?
 

Mrs Gaz has a couple of their recipe books - there are some really tasty, but simple & quick to do meals in there.

- so apart from the 'weight watching' they also encourage people to be a bit more adventurous with what they eat.

- one favourite is a monkfish, chickpea & tomato 'stew', it takes 20 minutes to make from scratch & is delicious. There's a nice Nasi Goreng, as well, for something a bit more spicy. :)