Posts Tagged ‘lose body fat’

Weight Loss Blocks We Have To Smash Through

Friday, April 30th, 2010

I am fond of saying weight loss is simple, but it is not easy, so today in this rather delayed post, I am going to try and explain more of what I mean, and how I believe that our mindset  plays a greater role in losing weight, than the food we eat.

Today was the first time I have stepped on the scales since my last post on April the 9th.  After the 12 week target I had set myself for losing 7lbs, I decided I was not going to keep stepping on the scales every Friday to judge progress. One reason for this was because I was losing body fat slowly ( around 0.5lbs per week ) the scales are unlikely to track this correctly, so I switched to using my clothes and the mirror as a guide.

Today my weight is 168lbs or 12 stone exactly or 76 kilos for you metric heads. My BMI is  now 24.11. The Abs ? well as I mentioned in the last post, they are close but not quite there, and I think I need to be 165lb, but this is just a guess so I will go by the mirror. The only thing I have learnt is you can be pretty sure whatever weight you think you need to be, chances are you will need to be lower.

So it actually took me 3 extra weeks to hit the 168lbs level. That means  I needed 15 weeks to lose 7 lbs of fat.  As I now look back on yet another target reached, all be it 3 weeks later than I thought, am I happy ? You bet I am, but what I wanted to highlight here is my planning, and mindset to lose this 7lbs.

First, back in January I set a 12 week target to lose those 7lbs. I did not look to lose it in one month, or even 2 months. I set 3 months because I had already lost a large amount of weight, and I had a good idea of my calorie levels. I used one diet fact, that to lose 1lb of fat you need to cut around 3,500 calories for your Maintenance calories.  Based on my current lifestyle, and my retired dieter principles, I could not  see how on a consistent weekly basis I could cut a further 3,500 calories a week from my plan. As it has turned  I needed 15 weeks, not 12.

What I am trying to say here is that many people set unrealistic goals for losing weight, then become frustrated and disheartened. It is my own personal view that this is caused by  a lack of basic weight loss understanding ( calories in v calories out ) largely caused by false advertising claims like ” lose 18lbs in 18 days ”  and reading too many conflicting weight loss theories in weight loss forums. One reason I believe this to be the case is because I was no different. Only when I stopped “dieting”, and stopped reading about different weight loss plans and health claims did I finally start to lose the weight.

How you think about weight loss, and how you approach it, will determine your success far more than what you eat.

Let me give you one example of how I failed in the past, and why this time was different.

One of the best diets I followed in terms of losing weight quickly was Atkins, and going low carb certainly brought me fast results at the start ( what I know now was a large amount of this fast weight loss was water ).  I was losing for about the first 10 weeks without a problem and was down about 24lbs, then the weight loss stopped. after 3 weeks of no changes, my mindset was…

”  I am not losing weight anymore, and I want a pizza, if I am not losing weight when I have cut out carbs, then I may aswell go and eat what I want.”

And that is what I did. I had restricted a food choice, and when the weight loss slowed down, I was missing the food I was deprived of.  The truth was I just like carbs too much to ever give them up on a long term basis.

As a retired dieter my main rule was no food was off limits, and of course there was no diet. The only focus was to eat less and move more.  I also set a realistic weight loss target of 56lbs in 52 weeks.  I didn’t hit my first weight loss plateau for 6 months but when I did, my view was very different.  This time there was no diet to come off, no food or drink had been eliminated from my diet. I also knew that for 6 months what I was doing had worked, so what was there to change ? . All I had to do was more of the same, maybe mix it up a little and accept that I had to look harder at calories in v calories out and make another cut or move more. That is all I have continued to do since, but at no time did I go searching for some magic solution. My mindset remained focused on losing steadily.

I had , and still have only a small set of things I remind myself of on a regular basis.

1 Calories in V Calories out

No matter what anyone says, your primary focus has to be calories in v calories out, if you eat less than your body needs you will lose weight, one way or another you firstly have to create a calorie deficit. In plain English, just eat less than you do now ( Not too many people who know me argue with me on this one anymore. Losing over 60lbs tends to give you a  bit more credibility with that claim )

2 Fat Loss, Not Weight Loss.

to lose 1lb of fat takes a calorie deficit of  approx 3,500 calories  from your current  requirements.  likewise to gain 1lb of fat you would need to consume 3,500 calories more than your current requirements.  If the scales show you lost 4lbs in 7 days, remember it will not all be fat, not unless you somehow created a calorie deficit of  14000 calories in a week.  You can also have a week where you lose 1lb of fat , but the scales show no change or even that you are heavier. This can be water weight, hence fat loss not weight loss. The scales are a guide, but like with most things to do with weight loss,week to week they are not always reliable.

So here is my take home message from this post.

If you have a large amount of weight to lose, make  a realistic goal. I have lost over 60lbs in 16 months, but I gained 60lbs in 20 years.  I initially lost 56lbs in 10 months. I consider that fast weight loss. If you fall for the diet hype and try and lose 30lbs in 2 months it will end with you feeling you failed. You have to understand that no matter how much we would all love to believe it,  it is just not a realistic weight loss target  and you would put too much pressure on yourself.  I know it may not be what you want to hear, but I can tell you that  1 or 2lb of fat loss per week  is hard enough , but it is possible, in my personal experience anything else is just not realistic long term.

If you are trying to lose those last few stubborn pounds of fat, remember they are going to take longer, and you will need to keep calories low, and most likely go lower than you are now, or increase how much you move. I am 5ft 10 inches and I my maintenance BMR is around 1700 calories a day, that is not many.

So my next goal is  165lbs. My next weigh in will be Friday May 28th.  Now that the weather is warmer I will be outside more and I do expect to hit the 165lbs target 4 weeks from today.

Over the next 4 weeks I will post more about my thoughts on weight loss, and the challenges we all face in reaching our goals.

As always, please feel free to leave a comment and  if you have any private questions, email me on the following  retireddieter[at]gmail.com

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Intermittent Fasting – Keeping Weight Off

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

Just a quick update as I have not posted any intermittent fasting updates since hitting my target weight back in October. I am still doing 2 fasts per week, Sunday evening to Monday evening, and usually Thursday evening to Friday. I have just continued with my usual routine, and was pleased to see that not only am I keeping the weight off, but had lost another 1lb. This means I am 12 stone 6lbs or 174lbs – 79 kilos.

As we enter the holiday season, I am interested to see how my weight changes, I have noticed these days that I am more aware that when I have had a heavy couple of days socially, that I offset it with days where I eat less, and that really is what has changed for me this year. I now don’t look at the Holidays with dread of breaking a diet, because I retired from dieting a year ago. Now I will simply use my flexible eating process to help control my weight over the Holidays

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Intermittent Fasting Week 36 It’s Yo Yo Time.

Saturday, September 5th, 2009

Intermittent Fasting Week 36 , oh boy is this last 10 lbs or so proving hard to move. This week, according to the scales I have once again put back the 2lb lost the previous week. When I look in the mirror, if anything I think I look leaner. It was a bank holiday weekend here last weekend, it was also my wedding anniversary, so , yes I did indulge, but I also added in one extra fast during the week to compensate it. One of the great things with Intermittent Fasting is you are more aware of what you have consumed, after all, if you fasted, you didn’t eat anything, so not exactly hard to keep a track if it. !

In addition to the extra fasting day I also did my usual 5 mile walk every day, I do the walking because I enjoy it, not because I want to burn calories, but  it does burn at least 500 calories  ( depending on which website guide you use ) So with the fasting and the exercise ,what I know is that I have not eaten  an extra 7000 calories above my maintence level, so I am going to assume this is more about fluid retention, and perhaps some muscle gain , than an increase in body fat.  My belt is always a good indicator, and I am not having to loosen it a notch.

I know we are told not to go by the scales too much, but the fact is , we do, and even though I am sitting here writing that I am ok with it, I am still disappointed when the scales show I gained weight.

On the bodyweight exercises, I am getting stronger, I can do 7 pull ups on my first set. A month ago I could not do a single pull up without assistance, so I am very pleased with myself on this. Of course, yesterday I tried to get ahead of myself, and after posting about the Bar Barians the other day , I tried to do my first muscle up, let’s just say I need to walk before I can run.  They make it look so easy, but trust me , it isn’t ;)   I could not do one. I know there is a technique involved too, but no way am I strong enough, but I have set a goal to do it before the end of the year.

I think Jaz in this video below is safe from me showing him up on Bondi Beach for a while yet !

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Break A Weight Loss Plateau

Tuesday, July 7th, 2009

As I mentioned last week, I have now hit my first  weight loss plateau. It has taken 6 months, but now, with only around 11lbs left to lose, my body seems to be saying no more !.

A weight loss plateau is not unusual when you decide to lose weight. The fact it has taken almost 6 months before I have hit one shows how affective intermittent fasting for weight loss has been for me.

In order to move past this block, I need to make some changes, but I also need to be sure that the weight loss plateau is not just caused by simply eating more calories than I need. Many times a weight loss plateau is no more than you eating too many calories for losing weight.

To be sure my weight loss plateau is not because of a problem in my diet, I first have to monitor my calories to ensure I am still in a calorie defecit for losing weight.

As I have lost 46lbs ( 21 kilos) I no longer need the same amount of calories I did 6 months ago.  At the start of the year when I weighed 231lbs ( 105 kilos)  my maintainence calories would be around 3,200 calories per day. Today at 185 lbs ( 84 kilos) and my current activity leval that  number is now around 2600, so 600 calories a day less.

My target now is only to lose 1lb a week, and when you realise that just to maintain the weight I am now I would need to be eating 600 calories a day less than 6 months ago, it is a unrealistic to expect to lose much more. This a good example of why my weight loss goes from 2lb per week, down to 1lb. The number of calories we need does not remain static, it moves along with our weight.

If you are looking to lose weight yourself, please remember that 1lb ( approx 0.5 kilos) per week is a healthy and realistic target. When I started using intermittent fasting, I had a large amount of weight to lose, and the first few weeks the weight came off quickly but I always knew it would change, that is why I set 52 weeks to lose 56lbs, it is realistic.

I now know a  20% reduction in calories from that total  ( 2600 calories) would give me a 1lb per week weight loss.  It also means that my current calorie intake to achieve this should be around 1850 per day ( 185 llb x 10 cals per lb ).

So with this figure as my benchmark, the next thing I had to do was to look at the actual calories I am eating. To do this I simply keep a food diary, and write down everything I eat and drink . I have done this for the last 14 days  This has shown I am not going over the 1850 per day average. On weekends my intake is higher, but weekdays when using Intermittent Fasting and a condensed eating window my calorie intake is lower with an avg of 1500. So now that I know it is not too many calories that are causing the weight loss plateau, I can now look into how I am going to beat it.

In case you are wondering what these figures I am quoting are based on, I take them from Lyle Mcdonald at  bodyrecompasition.com Lyle is an expert in his field, and one of only a few people who’s advice  I respect in terms of losing body fat. Lyle has also written a number of books on the subject which you can find on his. website here

So How to Break A Weight Loss Plateau ?

Well once you have established that the plateau is not because you are eating too many calories, you have to look at what else can be a problem.  Since the end of February of this year I have  used a condensed eating window during the week, and then eaten normally on a weekend. This fits my lifestyle and has been very successful for me, but I think my body has  now got used to the routine. It is time to shake things up.

Since Friday I have taken a break from fasting, but have still monitored my calories to ensure I am at maintenance. My next fast will be from Sunday evening 12th of July to Monday 13th July. [ Update ] I did not do this fast due to a party

From an exercise point of view, I have altered my body weight exercise routine and made it harder. If I am honest, I have not changed it enough in recent weeks. One of the drawbacks of bodyweight exercises is , they get easier to do as you lose fat !.  Take a regular push up for example, I am now pushing up 46 lbs less than I was 6 months ago, but I am fitter and stronger than when I started. When you use weights, it is a progression, you increase the weights you use as you get stronger , but when using your own body weight , it is the opposite.

The way to ensure this is not a problem is to make the exercise more difficult, for example a one arm push up, or doing the push up on a decline etc.

I also have purchased some suspension straps. I can use them in the local park, and it is far cheaper and easier than a gym membership. At this time of year I enjoy doing my workout outdoors.

I use this book for my body weight exercises. I only do about 20 minutes 3 times per week to maintain muscle .

So this is my plan to break my weight loss plateau. This is the first time in 6 months I have looked at the amount of calories I am eating. The reason for doing so, was to be certain I was not eating more calories than I thought, even when using Intermittent Fasting it is possible to gain weight. As a retired dieter I don’t intend to spend the rest of my days counting calories. This exercise was neccasery to confirm my regular meals are not the cause of the wieght loss plateau.  If you have been using intermittent fasting and are not losing weight, or even gaining weight, then you are consuming more calories than you need on your eating days, and you need to look at ways to reduce this.

For me intermittent fasting is the perfect way to control my calorie intake, but with still wanting to lose 11 more lbs I need to alter my current routine a little to get the results I want. What I won’t be doing is restricting any foods I like. I am still, and always will be a retired dieter !.

I expect to remain the same weight for another 2 weeks and then see the final few lbs start to melt away… at least that is the plan, only time will tell, either way I will post the results.

Update Jan 2010

I did reach my weight loss target in Oct 2009 It took me 41 weeks to lose the 56lbs of fat. You can see my weight loss transformation pictures here

The weight loss plateau lasted for a little over 2 months. It was the toughest part of my weight loss journey, but my advice now looking back is to stick with what has worked, and be patient.

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Intermittent Fasting Week 26

Friday, June 26th, 2009

Well I have reached the halfway point of the year using Intermittent Fasting for weight loss. I just have weighed in for the 26th week and  It seems that last weekends over indulgence has not done too much damage.

I remained the same weight, which considering I did not hold back last weekend, I am happy with.  I also think I am reaching a point where my body is changing more than the scales. The scales register no change today, but I have moved another notch down on my belt, and when I look in the mirror, there is no doubt I am leaner than a month ago, even though I have only lost about 1lb in the last 4 weeks. I don’t do measurements  or body fat every week,  but I will get them done at the end of the month.

Intermittent Fasting is only one way to lose body fat, but for me it works. I did want to say that no matter what method you use to control your weight, the weight loss does slow down.  Since my post on May 1st I have only lost 2 kilos, but  it is still a loss, and it is a loss that has been achieved without cutting out any of the foods or drinks that I enjoy.

If you are reading this and you have alot of weight to lose, please remember that you will see your weight loss slow down too, but you have to look at it from the point of view of your weight it is under control, you are not gaining, you are losing fat, all be it more slowly, but this is to be expected.

Intermittent Fasting is now part of my normal lifestyle, and it will remain so. I set a target to lose 56lbs. by the end of the year. I am only 11 lbs ( approx 5 kilos ) off that target, and I still have 26 weeks to do it. It may take as long to lose this last 5 kilos of body fat  as it did to lose the first 45lbs but I am prepared for that.

I still have holidays and some weekend breaks to come, so I even expect the odd week where I may gain some weight in the coming couple of months. Again the important thing to remember is the long term target. As long as the overal trend is downwards ,I will be happy. With only a small amount of weight left to lose, I am now looking at the trend over a month rather than by the week.

I am a retired dieter, and I have found a way to lose weight while still enjoying the foods I love, a few party weekends does not change it.

If you are new to Intermittent Fasting and  want to use I.F to lose or control your weight, then to start I suggest the book Eat Stop Eat by Brad Pilon. Reading about intermittent fasting in his book helped me understand the science behind Intermittent Fasting, and gave the grounding to go on and achieve the success I have had to date.  Brad also offers a 60 day money back guarantee, you can read more here.

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Intermittent Fasting June 19th

Friday, June 19th, 2009

Is the plateau broken ?

Just completed my weigh in for this week and I have lost 1lb ( 0.5 kilos).

Current Weight is 84 kilos approx 185lbs .

After 2 weeks of staying the same, This week the scales have moved down.

As I mentioned in my post earlier in the week This was the first time I have experienced a plateau since I became a retired dieter and started using intermittent fasting for weight loss.

My weight loss has slowed down now, but I expected this, and if you are looking to lose weight long term, then you should too. The fast weight loss at the start is a great motivator, but you do have to remember as you lose the weight, the rate you lose at will slow down.

I will say though , when I lose body fat now, even when it is only 1lb, I can notice the difference.

I do not expect to lose more than 1lb ( 0.5 kilos) per week now, but I am happy with this. We do have to remember that to lose 1lb I need to cut approx 3,500 calories per week from my diet. As my body weight has reduced , I am using less calories than previously, so to lose more than this would now be very difficult.

I have been a retired dieter for almost 6 months now, and the weight loss for that time is 46lbs , so I am only 10lbs off my 12 month target.  When you hit a plateau like I did, it is good to remember your original goals. This will stop you getting  disheartened by a couple of weeks where the scales don’t move.  It may take me the rest of the year to lose that 10lbs, or it my take 10 weeks. What I do know is I won’t lose it quick, but when I look at what I have achieved over the last months I can be patient.

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Intermittent Fasting June 2009 Update

Monday, June 15th, 2009

Sorry for the lack up of updates over the last month , but work wise I have been focused on helping a new client with their online marketing campaign and sadly I didn’t find the time to  update.  I now have things set up, so can return to adding some blog posts on my progress. Rather like London buses, now you have waited for one for a while, 3 will come along in quick succession !.

Even though I have been very busy with work I continue to use Intermittent Fasting to reduce my weight. I have continued to weight in on a weekly basis, so here is a summary of the last 5 weeks.

Friday June 12th I weighed 84.5 Kilos or   186lbs ( 13st 4lb)

I was losing weight at the rate of about 1lb ( 0.5 kilos) per week through May, but as I entered June, I have hit my fist plateau. My last 2 weigh ins have been the same.

I expected a plateau at some point, but to be honest, I thought it would have come long before 5 months of continued weight loss.  So how do I feel about the plateau ?.

Well I simply look at the bigger picture, which is the last 5 months, not the last 2 weeks. In 5  months I have lost 45lbs, I have still not gained any weight, so I am fine with it. I know I am not overeating, but if I remain the same weight over the month of June, I will see what I can do to move past it. So far I am ahead of my target, so I am not too worried. I know I have not done anything different, so it is not the fact I have increased the calories I eat, but I am of course over 3 kilos lighter, and I am fitter, so I actually don’t need as many calories to move my body around as I did !.

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Intermittent Fasting v 6 Small Meals A Day.

Tuesday, February 17th, 2009

 

Intermittent Fasting is clearly at the opposite end of the spectrum to the frequent small meals throughout the day dieting plans. It is not my intention in this post to go into the debate about the effects on the metabolism of a person following either plan. In this post I wanted to explain my own experiences with using both methods.

 I tried  the 6 small meals a day way of eating 3 years ago, back in January 2006. In the same way as I am doing now, I kept a record of following the process. I found through my own experience of trying to follow this regime that it was not practical for me at all.By the second week I had wrote that  I was finding it difficult to stick to. One occasion I was in a meeting that went on longer than I planned, and I missed one of my eating windows. I also found that food was constantly on my mind, either because I was preparing what I was going to eat next, or looking at my watch to see if it was time to eat. If I missed a meal I would fret about it, thinking I had done some damage to my regime. Looking back I just could not follow the system at all. Even if I had planned ahead and taken food with me to a meeting, I could not exactly stop half way through in order to eat half a chicken breast and rice. I found that trying to follow a system of eating 6 meals a day began to dominate my life. On Friday evenings when I would go out, I would have to break off from socialising with my friends to eat my 6th meal of the day, looking back on it now, it is clear how ridiculous it was, but at the time, the desire to lose weight meant I was happy to try it. I also found the rate of weight loss to be no different to other diet plans I had followed. I do not believe that this method of eating provided any improved results. Even if there were benefits to eating this way , what is very clear to me, is that this system is not practical for me, and indeed the vast majority of people to follow.

In contrast when I compare my notes of the last 6 weeks for intermittent fasting, I have found a way of eating that has been very easy to stick to, If I am fasting and a meeting was to take longer, instead of worrying about missing my time to eat, I take comfort in knowing I just extended my fat burning period !what a difference. In my opinion this shows that the psychological effect of a diet does play an important role. My own findings with intermittent fasting are that the psychological aspects are positive. I find during periods of intermittent fasting that my focus on food is greatly reduced. I think this is down to the fact, as I am not eating, I don’t have to think about what is the right or wrong foods to choose at a meal time, simply because there is no meal time for 24hrs. To give a real life example , last Tuesday I was fasting, I had eaten Monday evening at 6.30 so the next meal would be 6.30  Tuesday. Tuesday afternoon I was actually at my Sons school for the parents teachers evening. I should have been back home for 6.30 but as is often the case with these things, the appointments were running late, and It was over an hour later when I got home. Instead of worrying I had not eaten, I found the extra hour or so no problem at all, and was knew that the extended fasting period had only been a benefit. Intermittent Fasting for me is proving to be a practical way for me to reduce body fat, that is not something I can say about eating 6 small meals a day.

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Intermittent Fasting Week 6

Thursday, February 12th, 2009

Just a quick update on using fasting for weight loss.

Today is 6 weeks to the day that I did my first fast . I lost a further 2lb this week ( approx 1 kilo )  I have now lost a total of 23lb or appox 11 kilos during those 6 weeks.  In the past when trying to lose weight, I found following a low carb diet, produced the greatest amount of weight loss during the same time frame I have been following the Intermittent Fasting lifestyle.

The difference however between low carb dieting and intermittent fasting is that on a low carb diet, there were always times where I felt restricted. In a period of 6 weeks, I can’t honestly say there would not be times where I craved some fresh baked bread, or roasted potatoes. Sunday was always a problem,  Yorkshire pudding hardly fits the low carb lifestyle. Yes you can come up with a low carb version, but I don’t care what anybody says, it’s just not the same. In my experience, the Yorkshire pudding is perfect example of the benefits of intermittent fasting. What I mean by that is, a food that I see as essential to my enjoyment of a Sunday Roast dinner, is not off limits. Last night , our family meal was roast shoulder of pork, roast potatoes, carrots, peas, and broccoli, which i gave a liberal coating of gravy made from the meat juices.  If I was on a low carb diet, there is no doubt that I would have felt deprived, passing up the roast potatoes. We are all different and maybe for you it would not be a problem, but for me it is, that is why using Intermittent Fasting is proving to be my best way of reducing body fat.

The problem with going on a diet, be it low carb,  GI or any other current hot trend is the fact , that it is hard to stick to for any sustainable length of time, and that is why we view it that we fail. My suggestion is you should not view it as you have failed, more that the diet has failed, and the reason it failed is because long term, it simply isn’t feasibly to eat that way. If you love sushi, how do you eat sushi every week and follow a low carb diet  ? It ends up you eat is as a treat, you either have it, when you have attained your target weight, or you ” come off the diet ” but will go back on it tomorrow. I know this because I was the same, but in truth, if I want to eat sushi once a week, twice a week, or every day, it should not be I feel I am breaking some rule if I do so. I have found that many of the problems with dieting come from how we view the food we eat. The last 6 weeks I have felt strangely liberated , knowing that I can enjoy any food I choose, and there is nothing wrong in eating it.

So why is Intermittent Fasting easier to follow for losing body fat ?

In my opinion , once you have completed one fast of 24hrs you have achieved your first target. Many of your preconceived ideas about fasting are removed. You find it wasn’t as hard as you thought it would be, and more importantly , after you have done it once, you know you can do it again. I am sure for different people, fasting for weight loss will easier for some and harder for others, all I can say is, it does get easier, and with 6 weeks completed, it now is second nature for me

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