Need advice about losing weight through the treadmill.

[Alex95]

i'm taking notes in this thread because i'm doing a similar thing.

biggest difference is that i weigh like, almost 100 pounds more then TC, but i think i'm losing weight.

I should be taking notes myself as my body is in terrible condition, haha... I'm 21, 6'3", and weigh ~180lbs. which I think is okay? But I know I can do better.

[Loopulk]

That is correct, 3,500 calories burned is equal to a pound of weight lost. You could burn it all in one day, but you would never want to. Your goal in losing weight should be a consistent routine that yields greater loss over a longer period of time. That means working out 3-5 days a week, with the remaining days left for recuperation. As you lose weight and become more interested in the feld you might find you like routines that target specific groups exclusively to mold yourself more closely. Until then, though, you should focus on general core exercises to build a strong base for healthy exercise.

He didn't mention calories because he was looking for information on weight loss. The only way to lose weight is through maintaining a caloric deficit, and the best way to maintain a caloric deficit is to know exactly how much energy you are putting in your body. I don't care how you insist you're able to eat whatever you want and keep the weight off. It's great for you that you're keeping yourself healthy, but it's not relevant to the topic and you're leading him astray by insisting he can do whatever he wants so long as he just uses common sense. He needs to develop a routine and good eating habits, and if he had them in the first place he wouldn't be trying to lose weight. He needs to monitor what he is eating, full stop. Calorie counting will let him do that.

LOL I didn't say I eat whatever I want. I eat how much I want. You should never have to not eat when you're hungry in a normal situation It's simply not normal and our bodies are not made to be hungry for extended periods of time. Good eating habits means eating healthy food. I don't know why you insist that he do something that causes eating disorders. Calorie counting is artificial and unnatural. Why can't people just trust their bodies? We get hungry and full for a reason! Do you not trust that thousands (millions?) of years of evolution could tackle something as simple as eating?

What I'm saying is relevant to the topic because it's important to feel good too! How is he going to exercise if he feels like trash? He's not. He needs to feel good and fueled and refreshed. He needs to feel inspired, and by constantly counting calories instead of eating and drinking healthy things, he won't feel those things.

Zerxen, why did you gain the weight? Was it because of poor eating? Eat better then. Lack of exercise? Exercise more often and more intelligently. Maybe lack of sleep? Sleep more. Water? Drink more (especially in the morning) so that you don't feel thirsty unless you're in an exceptional situation.

[Zerxen]

LOL I didn't say I eat whatever I want. I eat how much I want. You should never have to not eat when you're hungry in a normal situation It's simply not normal and our bodies are not made to be hungry for extended periods of time. Good eating habits means eating healthy food. I don't know why you insist that he do something that causes eating disorders. Calorie counting is artificial and unnatural. Why can't people just trust their bodies? We get hungry and full for a reason! Do you not trust that thousands (millions?) of years of evolution could tackle something as simple as eating?

What I'm saying is relevant to the topic because it's important to feel good too! How is he going to exercise if he feels like trash? He's not. He needs to feel good and fueled and refreshed. He needs to feel inspired, and by constantly counting calories instead of eating and drinking healthy things, he won't feel those things.

Zerxen, why did you gain the weight? Was it because of poor eating? Eat better then. Lack of exercise? Exercise more often and more intelligently. Maybe lack of sleep? Sleep more. Water? Drink more (especially in the morning) so that you don't feel thirsty unless you're in an exceptional situation.

To be fair, humans long ago had to hunt and gather their food. Given that junk food didn't exist until recently, I doubt overweight people existed thousands of years ago. I am no doctor or physician, but calorie counting gives you an estimate of where you are at. Calories do not make you full, fiber does. You could have eaten 3000 calories in one day, yet if you lacked fiber, you will starve. Edited June 27, 2016 by Zerxen

[Esau of Isaac]

There are a lot of things we're not made to do. There are an incredible host of things that are artificial and unnatural. We're not made to read alphabets. We're not made to communicate over long distances. We're not made to fly, or to kill much bigger, stronger predators. We do all of this through the use of information. I am insisting that he make consistent efforts at knowing what he is putting into his body, and regulating the energy that he takes in while also that which he expends. For the record, the human body IS made to be made hungry for extended periods of time. Humans in the past were an animal that had very intermittent periods of eating, which resulted in a series of "feast and famine" events that would happen over any human's lifetime. Even if I were to take you at your insane notions of dieting, as though we should be left to the whimsy of nature, you would still be wrong. Nevertheless, I was not insisting that he starve himself for long periods of time. He should eat regularly, and ideally he would not be hungry. But if he's twenty or thirty pounds overweight, he's probably going to end up hungry at a time when he shouldn't eat. That's just the way it's going to go, and if he doesn't want to keep the weight he's probably going to have to deal with a grumbly stomach for a few months. It's not a big deal and you're acting like everyone is telling him to eat a handful of chickpeas a week. It's ridiculous.

You can feel good while also counting calories and eating less. He is trying to lose weight and improve his health and athleticism. He can get inspiration from any number of things, I have no idea what the hell you're talking about with all of this deluge of emotional nonsense. He's trying to lose weight, not make friends with his food. Jesus Christ.

Edited June 27, 2016 by Esau of Isaac

[Rezzy]

I should be taking notes myself as my body is in terrible condition, haha... I'm 21, 6'3", and weigh ~180lbs. which I think is okay? But I know I can do better.

Gosh, you're tall. 180lbs is perfectly fine for 6'3". You could try building muscle mass, but your weight is perfectly healthy.

Not sure if you have trouble finding clothes that fit, like me.

[Alex95]

Gosh, you're tall. 180lbs is perfectly fine for 6'3". You could try building muscle mass, but your weight is perfectly healthy.

Not sure if you have trouble finding clothes that fit, like me.

Well, I can bench my own weight, so there's that. :) I need to eat healthier, too, as my allergies are terrible. That's really what I need to work on the most. Good to know I'm around the average though.

Shirts, not really. Pants? Oh, yes. Incredibly lanky legs, haha.

[Esau of Isaac]

You're higher than the average, if we're going by the total population. The ideal standard to be measured by is 1.5x bodyweight, but the average person can probably only bench about 1x, if that. Most people are pretty out of shape, so they tend to push that bell curve leftwards haha

[Rezzy]

Well, I can bench my own weight, so there's that. :) I need to eat healthier, too, as my allergies are terrible. That's really what I need to work on the most. Good to know I'm around the average though.

Shirts, not really. Pants? Oh, yes. Incredibly lanky legs, haha.

My legs are pretty long, too. I think my torso length is about average. One thing that bothers me is socks/stockings. Thigh highs barely go above my knee, or come right to my knee and don't really look good when it's right at the joint.

You're higher than the average, if we're going by the total population. The ideal standard to be measured by is 1.5x bodyweight, but the average person can probably only bench about 1x, if that. Most people are pretty out of shape, so they tend to push that bell curve leftwards haha

I have no idea what I can bench press. I've never really lifted weights. I think my legs are probably stronger than my arms. Edited June 28, 2016 by Rezzy

[Zerxen]

Hey guys, do you know how much calories Orange Chicken has? I had some for dinner and I ate about either 1/4 or 1/3 of the whole serving. This was from Chinese restaurant nearby.

Edited June 28, 2016 by Zerxen

[Rezzy]

Hey guys, do you know how much calories Orange Chicken has? I had some for dinner and I ate about either 1/4 or 1/3 of the whole serving. This was from Chinese restaurant nearby.

Some restaurants list calories, otherwise you'll just have to guess. You could try looking up similar restaurants for a ballpark figure.

[Zerxen]

Some restaurants list calories, otherwise you'll just have to guess. You could try looking up similar restaurants for a ballpark figure.

I am just gonna assume 500 for what I ate, this isnt exactly a well known restaurant and I dont know how their dishes compare to others.

[Loopulk]

There are a lot of things we're not made to do. There are an incredible host of things that are artificial and unnatural. We're not made to read alphabets. We're not made to communicate over long distances. We're not made to fly, or to kill much bigger, stronger predators. We do all of this through the use of information. I am insisting that he make consistent efforts at knowing what he is putting into his body, and regulating the energy that he takes in while also that which he expends. For the record, the human body IS made to be made hungry for extended periods of time. Humans in the past were an animal that had very intermittent periods of eating, which resulted in a series of "feast and famine" events that would happen over any human's lifetime. Even if I were to take you at your insane notions of dieting, as though we should be left to the whimsy of nature, you would still be wrong. Nevertheless, I was not insisting that he starve himself for long periods of time. He should eat regularly, and ideally he would not be hungry. But if he's twenty or thirty pounds overweight, he's probably going to end up hungry at a time when he shouldn't eat. That's just the way it's going to go, and if he doesn't want to keep the weight he's probably going to have to deal with a grumbly stomach for a few months. It's not a big deal and you're acting like everyone is telling him to eat a handful of chickpeas a week. It's ridiculous.

You can feel good while also counting calories and eating less. He is trying to lose weight and improve his health and athleticism. He can get inspiration from any number of things, I have no idea what the hell you're talking about with all of this deluge of emotional nonsense. He's trying to lose weight, not make friends with his food. Jesus Christ.

Humans were made to survive if starved. That doesn't mean it was healthy to do so. If there was no junk food back then and they were healthy, then that's a clear indicator that junk food made people fat.

As for your comparison to other things (reading, flying), we're talking about something that old humans did do and were evolved to do compared to what you are doing in that same activity. With flying and reading, there is nothing from back then to which we can compare them while we can compared eating back then to eating today.

Hey guys, do you know how much calories Orange Chicken has? I had some for dinner and I ate about either 1/4 or 1/3 of the whole serving. This was from Chinese restaurant nearby.

This is a main problem with Calorie counting. You won't often know how many Calories are in a meal. It's unneeded stress. Plus, do you really think that the restaurant owners care about your health? Most do not. They want good tasting food because that's what brings people back.

Edited June 28, 2016 by Loopulk

[Alex95]

Who cares what humans are "meant" to do or not? The point of the thread is to help Zerxen get healtier, eat better. Instead of picking a fight with one another, how about we actually give him good advice and answer his questions?

I don't know how much Calories orange chicken normally has. But I think you should keep track of the calories you eat. It'll help keep your mind on the things you should eat. But it takes true dedication to adjust your lifestyle to compensate for these new habits. Don't give in and you'll reach your goal, maybe exceed it, before you know it.

[Loopulk]

Who cares what humans are "meant" to do or not? The point of the thread is to help Zerxen get healtier, eat better. Instead of picking a fight with one another, how about we actually give him good advice and answer his questions?

I don't know how much Calories orange chicken normally has. But I think you should keep track of the calories you eat. It'll help keep your mind on the things you should eat. But it takes true dedication to adjust your lifestyle to compensate for these new habits. Don't give in and you'll reach your goal, maybe exceed it, before you know it.

Let's give him advice that won't give him an eating disorder. If he is overweight and eats when he's bored (he admitted that to me in a PM), then he might already have an eating disorder, so let's not replace that one with another.

Our bodies have evolved so that if we eat when we're hungry and stop eating when we're full, we'll be at a healthy weight assuming that we're not eating junk. Why can't you trust thousands of years of evolution?

Swap out previous junk food with healthy food. Drink more water and get more sleep if needed. Exercise more. I really don't see why limiting our food intake based strictly on energy is required.

Edited June 28, 2016 by Loopulk

[Zerxen]

Let's give him advice that won't give him an eating disorder. If he is overweight and eats when he's bored (he admitted that to me in a PM), then he might already have an eating disorder, so let's not replace that one with another.

Our bodies have evolved so that if we eat when we're hungry and stop eating when we're full, we'll be at a healthy weight assuming that we're not eating junk. Why can't you trust thousands of years of evolution?

Swap out previous junk food with healthy food. Drink more water and get more sleep if needed. Exercise more. I really don't see why limiting our food intake based strictly on energy is required.

I am getting tired of your arrogance. I do not eat when I am bored. I only eat when I am hungry. Stop acting like you are some sort of doctor because I can tell you are not. Clearly you misread my PM.

[Loopulk]

I am getting tired of your arrogance. I do not eat when I am bored. I only eat when I am hungry. Stop acting like you are some sort of doctor because I can tell you are not. Clearly you misread my PM.

"All calorie counting does is prevent me from eating while bored."

Implying that you did eat when bored previously.

[Zerxen]

"All calorie counting does is prevent me from eating while bored."

Implying that you did eat when bored previously.

When I started working out weeks ago, I never calorie counted, I started counting yesterday. Around that time I long stopped eating if bored.

[Esau of Isaac]

My legs are pretty long, too. I think my torso length is about average. One thing that bothers me is socks/stockings. Thigh highs barely go above my knee, or come right to my knee and don't really look good when it's right at the joint.

I have no idea what I can bench press. I've never really lifted weights. I think my legs are probably stronger than my arms.

If you don't know, then it's probably not very much. If you don't use the muscle group, of course it will not be very developed. That's not a huge problem, but it's definitely an uphill battle when you first get into the gym and look to build some muscle. And your legs are definitely stronger than your arms, if you were able to bench press more than you can leg press then you're the upside-down pyramid looking guy that never does leg day haha.

Hey guys, do you know how much calories Orange Chicken has? I had some for dinner and I ate about either 1/4 or 1/3 of the whole serving. This was from Chinese restaurant nearby.

Quite a bit. If you're looking to shave pounds off you're going to want to steer clear of most chinese food in general. While it is delicious, it's extremely calorie dense. I remember when I worked years ago and used to have a meal of rice, teriyaki and orange chicken. I felt full after eating it of course, but it wasn't until I looked up the nutritional information that I found it weighed in at over 1,500 calories! Pretty nuts.

Humans were made to survive if starved. That doesn't mean it was healthy to do so. If there was no junk food back then and they were healthy, then that's a clear indicator that junk food made people fat.

Humans were made to eat whatever they could to fatten up before they were forced to not eat for another extended period. If people could get fat back then, they would. That's what the function is there for. It's not because of junk food, it's because of excess calories to store energy for later use. That's what we were adapted to do. Survival is what we are made for. And frankly, it's a poor metric for overall fitness and health, regardless.

As for your comparison to other things (reading, flying), we're talking about something that old humans did do and were evolved to do compared to what you are doing in that same activity. With flying and reading, there is nothing from back then to which we can compare them while we can compared eating back then to eating today.

Holy shit no one cares what old humans did do, you're arguing not to count calories because old humans didn't. It doesn't matter that prehistoric humans didn't count calories, because they didn't need to. They were fighting to survive. In an age where calorie-dense food is readily available and prevalent, the presence of fat stores becomes a nuisance. He's trying to burn fat, and he's only going to do that by eating less calories than he takes in. Period.

Our bodies have evolved so that if we eat when we're hungry and stop eating when we're full, we'll be at a healthy weight assuming that we're not eating junk. Why can't you trust thousands of years of evolution?

Our bodies have evolved so that we tend to grow impacted wisdom teeth, are you not going to get them removed when they grow in wrong? We literally have a vestigial organ just sitting in our body doing nothing. Mine tried to kill me, the rebellious little bastard. Nobody cares what people did thousands of years ago when they had to do something. He doesn't care what Ug did in 100,000 BC, he's trying to burn fat. Ug wouldn't do that, we know. Ug also wouldn't use a developed language and probably shit where he ate.

Edit: Also, Zerxen, you should check out some resources such as this handy dandy calculator here. It gives you a good baseline to use for weight loss, and gives some good tips for meal planning.

Edited June 28, 2016 by Esau of Isaac

[Rezzy]

If you don't know, then it's probably not very much. If you don't use the muscle group, of course it will not be very developed. That's not a huge problem, but it's definitely an uphill battle when you first get into the gym and look to build some muscle. And your legs are definitely stronger than your arms, if you were able to bench press more than you can leg press then you're the upside-down pyramid looking guy that never does leg day haha.

Yeah, I never felt the need to be super muscular, and guys tend to have more upper body strength in general, so I never bothered. I always stuck to cardio based stuff and swimming, in addition to just the chaos of work and raising a baby.

Anyway, while it's safe to lift weights while pregnant, it's not the best time to start if you've never done it, so I think I'll steer clear.

[Esau of Isaac]

Guys tend to have more muscle in general, but you shouldn't let that get in the way of you! I've seen some chicks that can lift just as much as me before! Granted, they spent way more time cultivating that kind of muscle, but I was still quite impressed. They didn't even look all that huge at all.

But yeah, I do agree. While it's not innately bad to work out while pregnant, that's not something you want to jump into at that time. And personally, even if it's not unhealthy, I'd still be worried about hitting the leg press while I have a little person growing in my body!

[Junkhead]

Is it bad to eat late night snacks? I heard it messes up your metabolism. Sometimes I would get hungry at like 9 PM, causing me to resort to eating boiled eggs. I kinda stopped eating sweets and cereals so late at night after reading it was unhealthy. Anyway I started counting calories like you guys said I should do and I realized I only had 1546 calories today; I burnt about 350-400 calories from my exercises so it's only like 1200 calories I had. Baby steps.

Did you calculate your TDEE, yet? You need to know how much energy your body needs to maintain it's weight. Like, if your TDEE were of 2000, I'd say an 800 calorie deficit is a bit too much. 500 would be alright, for now. and yes, don't worry. You can eat any time of the day you want, as long as calories are in check. There were countless amount of times I would eat after midnight and I would still be at a deficit.

Also how exactly does losing weight work? It is my knowledge that 3500 calories is what it takes to lose or gain a pound. Does 3500 calories have to be in one day or is it over the course of week/month? I need someone to explain the process to me.

I don't think you can lose it all in one day. The way me and many others see it, there's only so much energy your body is willing to burn before it starts eating on your own muscle tissue. The ideal would be 1lb/w, unless you happen to be overweight (like, actually obese). 1lb/w assumes you are burning 500 calories a day.

[Loopulk]

When I started working out weeks ago, I never calorie counted, I started counting yesterday. Around that time I long stopped eating if bored.

Wow! Two days! What a reliable time to determine if something is a habit or not. Two days? Really?

And to Esau, my original argument wasn't based on evolution. I simply tried that because you didn't believe that people could get eating disorders by rigidly limiting food intake based on energy alone. Many things we do simply out of habit. Once we don't do that thing, not doing it just feels wrong. Calorie counting is the same thing. Once you're in a place where you cannot count Calories, you'll feel groggy, and since you're associating it with health, you'll feel stressed out too (not healthy).

Also, it does matter when you eat. For the next month (so we can see results), I dare you to not eat anything until 30 minutes before you go to sleep if you truly believe that eating time does not matter.

One more thing, Zerxen. Are you not able to walk/run outside? Being on a treadmill is boring and often leads to a less natural running form (one that humans were not evolved to do) such as bouncing and over-striding.

Edited June 29, 2016 by Loopulk

[Esau of Isaac]

I didn't say that people can't get eating disorders from counting calories. I don't care that people can get eating disorders from counting calories. People can also get eating disorders from eating until they feel full. Counting calories is the most effective way to regulate the amount of energy that someone is taking into their body. The entire purpose of a diet is to correct poor habits. He is asking for help in losing weight, not in seeking a spiritual balance, or whatever equally inane garbage you are peddling. I also didn't say that he should consume all of his food at one particular time. Regardless of how and when he eats, being that he is overweight he's going to feel hungry from eating at a caloric deficit, especially if he's trying to a more rapid weight loss.

I eat a caloric deficit whenever I am trying to lose weight, and I doubt I feel any groggier or stressed out than you do. Probably less, since I have a consistent diet that produces satisfying results.

[Zerxen]

I didn't say that people can't get eating disorders from counting calories. I don't care that people can get eating disorders from counting calories. People can also get eating disorders from eating until they feel full. Counting calories is the most effective way to regulate the amount of energy that someone is taking into their body. The entire purpose of a diet is to correct poor habits. He is asking for help in losing weight, not in seeking a spiritual balance, or whatever equally inane garbage you are peddling. I also didn't say that he should consume all of his food at one particular time. Regardless of how and when he eats, being that he is overweight he's going to feel hungry from eating at a caloric deficit, especially if he's trying to a more rapid weight loss.

I eat a caloric deficit whenever I am trying to lose weight, and I doubt I feel any groggier or stressed out than you do. Probably less, since I have a consistent diet that produces satisfying results.

I agree with you 100 percent. Ever since I started exercising and counting calories, I have learned how to watch what I eat. I have not developed any eating disorders, I just developed new healthy habits. This is going to sound silly but I hardly feel stressed at all. I am overweight because I have a sweet tooth; I overcame that by eating more fruits. Loopulk, can you please stop giving your "advice". Quick research shows that your thinking is full of garbage. If you think that eating while bored, something that is common, is an eating disorder, obviously you don't know what is or isn't an eating disorder. Calories are very important for losing weight. It doesn't have to be accurate, just an estimate of what you are putting in your body. You probably don't know much about this since you most likely never been overweight and never learned how to deal with these struggles.

Edited June 29, 2016 by Zerxen

[Rezzy]

When I went down 30 pounds around age 18, a big part of it for me was portion sizes. I used to just eat whatever was on my plate until it was gone. It's an easy way to eat too much. Knowing how many calories are in those portions is how you go about planning your meals.

Getting a smaller plate helps a lot, or if you are eating out, ask for a box right off the bat, and put half of the meal into the box. (I'm not sure what it's like where you are, but here in the USA, half a restaurant dish is usually more than enough for dinner.) And when you do teat yourself, get the small. A small treat is good, and adds less calories than a jumbo size.