What does your diet look like? If you're still supplying it with a fair amount of carbs/sugars (which is highly possible even in a typical "balanced" diet), it's going to use that first for energy and your metabolism will never get very efficient at burning fat.

To accelerate that process, you need to be following a more ketogenic diet. This doesn't mean that you go all the way into full-blown ketosis, it just means that you restrict carbs enough that your body begins accessing body fat to be converted into fatty acids and ketones for energy. Eating a diet higher in (healthy) fats and much lower in carbs and sugars helps by forcing your body to turn on the fat->energy metabolic pathway.

tl;dr --

Cut grain-based carbs and white potatoes.
Cut sugars and artificial sweeteners.
Cut unhealthy fats (vegetable oils).
Add clean protein.
Add healthy fats (lard, butter, avacado, coconut).


It's worth mentioning, though, that many if not most people suffer what's commonly called a "carb flu" for a few days (headache, lethargy, "brain fog", etc.) as the body switches over to the new energy source.

calories in calories out!

I'm going to change my diet to this:

2000 calories of coke and donuts per day plus a daily multivitamin



or maybe I should do this:

800 calories of chicken + 800 calories of dark leafy greens + 400 calories of brightly colored starchy tubers

I wonder which one will lose me more weight?

Ketogenic diet. Lift weights. Really heavy weights.

I'll send you a PM with stuff to get you started.
https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/i...CIXGsiNtnKvHpG

This x2

Good lord, it's like we are nutrition brothers.

This may be the issue but I am not entirely sure. My usual food intake would look like this:

Breakfast:
1 large glass of milk
2 slices of real whole wheat bread with whole grains
a thin layer of natural peanut butter on each slice (just peanuts lightly salted grinded into a peanut paste with nothing else)

Snack 1: banana/apple/peach (whichever I feel like taking that day)

Lunch:
2 slices of previous bread
thin layer of mustard on 1 slice
thin layer of real mayo on other slice
2-3 ounces of Boar's head meat usually plain low salt turkey or low salt chicken
2 full length pickle slices
1 piece of boar's head cheese (asiago or picante provolone usually)
2 tablespoons of sauerkraut

Snack 2:
small cup of low fat yogurt
real granola bar

Dinner:
Large spinach based salad and very little (2 talespoons max) of some various low fat dressing

The workout usually looked like this:
20 minutes of intense cardio (sustained 170-180 heart rate)
25 minutes of weight training (rotate area)

5-6 times a week.

Just a bit of background. I am currently working 50 hour weeks and taking 3 master's classes. My time is limited so legitimately cooking is hard to do.

EDIT: I also consistently drink at a minimum a gallon of water a day. Rarely I will get up to 2 gallons in a day.

I also did tend to eat out on Saturday due to socializing and to be honest I would usually eat something not so healthy like wings or a burger but that is one meal in the entire week.

Too much starch/grains.
Too little fat.
You must have fat and protein at every meal/snack.

Starch and sugar cause a blood sugar spike which the body then deposits into fat.

You need to turn into a fat burning monster:
What Does it Mean to Be Fat-Adapted? | Mark's Daily Apple

Cut the breads, add an egg or two. Really worked for me, and I don't exercise much.

Good on the natural peanut butter, but almond or cashew butter would be better. Hope the milk is whole milk. That toast is the killer.

No problem here. There's a good amount of sugar in fruit, but there's also an appropriate amount of fiber and lots of good nutrients.

Again, the bread's the killer. Mustard's fine. Most store-bought mayo isn't great (vegetable oils), but that's a relatively small thing. Meat's fine, pickle's fine, cheese is fine, sauerkraut is fine. It'd be awesome if it was true fermented sauerkraut, but that's another fairly small thing.

Yogurt should be full fat, unsweetened, active cultures. Greek yogurt would be best. If you want a bit of sweet with it, drizzle a little raw unpasteurized honey (not processed honey). What's in the granola bar? I'm betting it's not helping you.

No protein? No fat? The low-fat dressing isn't helping -- the issue isn't the total amount of fat, it's the type of fat. In this case, I'm 98% sure it's more processed vegetable oils. Extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar would be way better.

Don't overdo the water. Drink when you are thirsty. Don't freak out over the color of your urine -- unless it's really dark and infrequent, the color can vary depending on your diet and nutrient levels.

You should be able to "cheat" once a week and still lose weight. But there are better options. Treat yourself and order a steak rather than a burger. Hell, a steak, a couple vegetables, and a salad isn't even a cheat.

Milk is sugar water. Replace it with water. Bread = fat.
Bananas are a big no-no for losing weight. Skip the fruit, replace with fat/protein.
Bread=fat. Lunch meat is horrible, replace it.
I'm noticing a trend. LOW FAT = (usually) high carb/high sugar. Skip the yogurt and granola bar. That's just carbs and sugar.
You should be using a FULL fat dressing.

Your diet is stereotypical of what people are told is "healthy". Fat =/= getting fat.
Too much cardio at the wrong heart level. You need to be doing interval training. It's 3x's more effective than solid state and you won't be wearing your knees/back out because it can be done in much less time. Lift weights for 45 minutes, focus on one muscle group a day or do split days. Heavy sets, none of this "light weight/more reps TONE UP bull shit" it's a myth.
You gotta cook. Seriously.
wings and burger (minus bun) is not a cheat. Hell, your normal meals are what I would consider a cheat.

Edit: I am obviously more strict than Mark. But that makes sense as I had a lot of weight to lose. You said you only wanted to lose 30lbs so you don't have to be all Adolf Hitler about it like I am, but it's up to you. You need to cut the carbs, add some fat/protein and change your work out routine.

:makeout:

Yup. I didn't even need to lose much weight at all, but I feel 200% better since I cut the grains and sugar back to basically zero. Stable energy levels all day.

Eggs are almost a perfect food. Don't screw around with egg whites, egg replacers, or any of that nonsense. Fry up some bacon, then cook the eggs in the bacon grease.

Well I will be taking this advice. I knew I was getting too little protein and that the bread probably was not the best idea but it was just convenient when I am in a time crunch. Avoiding low fat food is something I have not really heard so I learned something new with that.

I will change up my workout too and see how that works. I have heard so much back and forth over solid state cardio vs interval training that I can never sort out the facts. I might just try to get back into a set routine like insanity because I know it works and then I am not guessing.

Thanks for all the information. I guess I just have to make time to cook.

It's the right choice. There's tons and tons of good information on the internet for free.

I'm a big fan of Mark Sisson, Chris Kresser, and Robb Wolf.

A good place to start reading would be the Primal Blueprint 101.

Carbs are easy to eat and will keep you full for a while, but it's unfortunate how bad they are for you. Low fat is just a trend. It's a collection of ignorance that is exploited by diet food companies that they use to keep repeat customers. It's sad.

I hear you on the time thing. I work from 3pm to 12am, so I decided to start making my meals ahead of time.

I've lost 113lbs using interval training as part of my routine. Fact is, it works ;) and don't let some bro-science snob tell you that your overall fitness and running abilities will suffer. That is pure BULL SHIT. My mile times are consistently in the 7 minute range (6ft-220lbs) and I do cardio for maybe an hour a week tops (14-16 minutes on the treadmill after a lifting session- 4.5 incline, 2 minute jog, 2 minute run-repeat)
I used insanity to get me started and some what in shape before I started lifting heavy again. Insanity is AWESOME. I still go back and do it in spurts for a week.
I really, really, really wish I had asked people a few years ago about this stuff. Never, ever be afraid to ask questions.

You'll be getting a PM soon with a routine.

First, Ryan_G (and everyone else doing so), you are to be commended for making (not "finding") the time to incorporate fitness in your schedule. I'm a desk jockey that works long hours so I understand the challenge.

I will second Insanity. I definitely thought it was a worthwhile investment and, like VoM, I still go back and pop in one of the DVDs every now and then and punish myself. I will also say my cardio endurance was really improved versus steady state training. I used it to help get into shape for my first sprint mini-triathlon.

Not too long ago, it occured to me that, before Insanity and P90-X were ever invented or I had heard the acronym "HIIT," really fit guys were doing high intensity interval training. My personal experience is with Thai boxing training. You go at a high pace (hitting the heavy bag, the pads, an opponent, skipping rope, plyo, etc) for a few minutes, then rest. Then repeat.

I will also say that cooking your own food ahead of time is a big help with that "last bit of weight." I'm on board with most of Mark's critique to your diet as well.

I'll finish with, "Listen to people who have seen results using the methods they are recommending."

Sunflower / Pumpkin / Flax / Chia seeds are all awesome sources of protein. Add a handful of sunflower seeds to your salads

If you want to lose fat, its calories in vs. calories out. Period.

If you want to gain muscle, work out. Period.

Combine both and win at life.

Would you rather be fat and healthy, or skinny and not healthy. I'd rather not be gross, even if it took 10 years off my life.

That's a false dilemma -- you can't really be fat and healthy. Following a healthy diet and exercise plan will make you skinny and healthy (or, muscular and healthy, depending on your goals).

EDIT: I should add, I'm not particularly concerned with adding or subtracting years from my life. I could get hit by a bus tomorrow. But while I'm here, I want to feel good and look good. CICO won't get me there.

It was a thought experiment. People want to be thin. They don't really care how they get there, but they know they want to be thin.



My recommendation is to either work out, or have a "real" job, which involves physical labor. I work as a mechanic, and when it's not terrible out I take a 2 mile walk after work. I eat what I want, and sprinkle in some fruit to keep my immune system up.

I live by the "bus dilemma". If you don't live the life you want, it's not worth living.

Why are people asking and taking advice from a car forum?

Im way out of shape at the moment, the stresses of general life over the last 6 months have gotten my self discipline down.

However in the past I was 210lb and 8% body fat, 6'1'.
That was big enough, and fit enough for me.

I dont know why so many people have arguments about how to be fit.

Let me ask a question

List 5 things that make you fat and unhealthy.

Guess what? The opposite makes you skinny and PROBABLY healthy.

Replace fast carbs with slow carbs, eat lots of protein and fat.

30% protein, 40% carbs, 30% fat.

1.5g of protein per LB of healthy strong body weight that you are hoping to achieve.

Then go and lift big 4 days a week for an hour and do some cardio like ride to work or to the gym.

It just isnt complicated, its all Excuses vs Self Discipline, check my opening statement again, you will understand.

If anyone wants to start lifting big and getting fit google stronglifts, I know for a lot of noobies they are intimidated by showing up and not knowing what do do, so start with stronglifts and go from there.

Dann