The Biggest LOOSER -- running weight loss thread

[bigpern23]

Beef, I saw this quote and it made me think of you:

If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for 20 years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run.

 

[prettyB]

I loved the show. I learned a lot from their activities and challenges in order for them to lose weight.

 

[Dick Whitman]

Great advice on the plate Gomer. I'm the same way as BB ... if it's in front of me on my plate, I'm probably going to eat it, no matter how much is there. Smaller plates force me to eat smaller portions.

Also, BB, I'm not sure what your finances are like, but if you can afford it, start crushing protein shakes. A 2 lb. bucket of protein powder costs about $25, so they're expensive, but you should be consuming 1.5 times your weight in grams of protein. So, at your weight, you'd want to be getting about 400g of protein a day. That's exceedingly difficult to do, but protein is the primary fuel to build muscle, so you need to be getting a lot of it.

I use Body Fortress powder, which has 30g of protein, no fat and 1g of carbs per scoop (I usually mix two scoops into a shake or water four times daily). You always want to consume a good amount of protein within a half hour after you work out since it helps your muscles rebuild bigger and faster. An hour or so before you go to bed and within a half hour of waking up are also good times because we lose muscle mass when we sleep.

Bigpern, no one can question your results, but I think that there has been some serious scientific doubt cast on the amount of protein you are recommending. I had always heard one gram per day per pound of body weight. You are recommending 1.5. Now, I've read that it should actually be one gram per pound of lean body weight, not just body weight in general. There is also serious doubt - to the point of practically debunking - the idea that "muscle burns fat."

I think it is extremely hard for people to build muscle and burn fat simultaneously, although evidence shows that it might not be as difficult for people first starting out. But even in that case, they don't have to go overboard with the protein to the tune of 1.5 grams per pound of body weight to see gains.

 

[bigpern23]

Great advice on the plate Gomer. I'm the same way as BB ... if it's in front of me on my plate, I'm probably going to eat it, no matter how much is there. Smaller plates force me to eat smaller portions.

Also, BB, I'm not sure what your finances are like, but if you can afford it, start crushing protein shakes. A 2 lb. bucket of protein powder costs about $25, so they're expensive, but you should be consuming 1.5 times your weight in grams of protein. So, at your weight, you'd want to be getting about 400g of protein a day. That's exceedingly difficult to do, but protein is the primary fuel to build muscle, so you need to be getting a lot of it.

I use Body Fortress powder, which has 30g of protein, no fat and 1g of carbs per scoop (I usually mix two scoops into a shake or water four times daily). You always want to consume a good amount of protein within a half hour after you work out since it helps your muscles rebuild bigger and faster. An hour or so before you go to bed and within a half hour of waking up are also good times because we lose muscle mass when we sleep.

Bigpern, no one can question your results, but I think that there has been some serious scientific doubt cast on the amount of protein you are recommending. I had always heard one gram per day per pound of body weight. You are recommending 1.5. Now, I've read that it should actually be one gram per pound of lean body weight, not just body weight in general. There is also serious doubt - to the point of practically debunking - the idea that "muscle burns fat."

I think it is extremely hard for people to build muscle and burn fat simultaneously, although evidence shows that it might not be as difficult for people first starting out. But even in that case, they don't have to go overboard with the protein to the tune of 1.5 grams per pound of body weight to see gains.

As with anything, it's all about recommendations and finding what works. As I said, for BB, consuming 1.5g per pound of body weight would be extremely difficult. I've found that with nutrition and exercise there are no "rules," only guidelines. If 1g of protein per pound works instead of 1.5g, then great, it'll certainly save money. Getting 1.5g certainly wouldn't be bad thing, though.

I can say that, from my experience, the protein has made a big difference. And no matter how much protein BB is consuming, getting some immediately after a workout is essential, I believe.

Also, I don't think I ever suggested that muscle burns fat. I said muscle burns calories more efficiently than fat does, making it easier to lose/maintain weight.

 

[Dick Whitman]

Great advice on the plate Gomer. I'm the same way as BB ... if it's in front of me on my plate, I'm probably going to eat it, no matter how much is there. Smaller plates force me to eat smaller portions.

Also, BB, I'm not sure what your finances are like, but if you can afford it, start crushing protein shakes. A 2 lb. bucket of protein powder costs about $25, so they're expensive, but you should be consuming 1.5 times your weight in grams of protein. So, at your weight, you'd want to be getting about 400g of protein a day. That's exceedingly difficult to do, but protein is the primary fuel to build muscle, so you need to be getting a lot of it.

I use Body Fortress powder, which has 30g of protein, no fat and 1g of carbs per scoop (I usually mix two scoops into a shake or water four times daily). You always want to consume a good amount of protein within a half hour after you work out since it helps your muscles rebuild bigger and faster. An hour or so before you go to bed and within a half hour of waking up are also good times because we lose muscle mass when we sleep.

Bigpern, no one can question your results, but I think that there has been some serious scientific doubt cast on the amount of protein you are recommending. I had always heard one gram per day per pound of body weight. You are recommending 1.5. Now, I've read that it should actually be one gram per pound of lean body weight, not just body weight in general. There is also serious doubt - to the point of practically debunking - the idea that "muscle burns fat."

I think it is extremely hard for people to build muscle and burn fat simultaneously, although evidence shows that it might not be as difficult for people first starting out. But even in that case, they don't have to go overboard with the protein to the tune of 1.5 grams per pound of body weight to see gains.

Also, I don't think I ever suggested that muscle burns fat. I said muscle burns calories more efficiently than fat does, making it easier to lose/maintain weight.

Right, and apparently there is some real doubt about the calorie-burning quality of muscle. Apparently it is actually only about seven extra calories per day per pound of muscle.

 

[bigpern23]

I think I'm failing to see what your argument is here. You recommend 1g of protein per pound per day. I'm recommending, and I use, about 1.5g per pound per day. I've read different articles that recommend as low as 1g and as much as 2g. Again, it kind of depends on your budget, how much you're working out and whether you are trying to gain muscle mass or maintain it.

But I haven't seen anything to suggest that consuming 1.5g as opposed to 1g would be "overdoing it."

I guess you might be saying he should concentrate on shedding weight first and then building muscle? If so, I agree with you. But getting enough protein is part of a good diet and most people don't get anywhere near even 1g per pound of protein in a day. It's difficult to EAT that much protein, which is why the powders are a good option.

 

[Dick Whitman]

I guess you might be saying he should concentrate on shedding weight first and then building muscle? If so, I agree with you. But getting enough protein is part of a good diet and most people don't get anywhere near even 1g per pound of protein in a day. It's difficult to EAT that much protein, which is why the powders are a good option.

That's what I'm saying, yes.

But I'm also saying that I've seen modern doctors and scientists say that the 1g/day has no basis in fact, that it's something that the supplement companies have repeated so long and so persistently that it has been accepted as fact. Not that you shouldn't eat protein at all, or more than most people eat, but there's a school of thought out there with pretty sound scientific basis that at some point the excess protein is a waste because the body can only process so much per day.

 

[21]

deck--I would love to see credible scientific evidence for what you're suggesting.

The knock on supplement companies is that all 'protein' is not created equal, and much of what you get in the powders and bars is compromised because of the way it's heated during manufacturing. The best and most reliable source of protein is still food, because you know what you're getting.

At some point, almost anything in excess is a waste, and the body sheds what it doesn't need (except for carbs and fat, we get to store those, yay). In the meantime, that protein stabilizes your blood sugar, minimizes food cravings, keeps you feeling full longer, etc. Not really understanding what your issue is here.

 

[Dick Whitman]

deck--I would love to see credible scientific evidence for what you're suggesting.

The knock on supplement companies is that all 'protein' is not created equal, and much of what you get in the powders and bars is compromised because of the way it's heated during manufacturing. The best and most reliable source of protein is still food, because you know what you're getting.

At some point, almost anything in excess is a waste, and the body sheds what it doesn't need (except for carbs and fat, we get to store those, yay). In the meantime, that protein stabilizes your blood sugar, minimizes food cravings, keeps you feeling full longer, etc. Not really understanding what your issue is here.

My issue is that if something isn't true it just isn't true, as much as we'd like it to be true.

http://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com/news/cals.htm

 

[21]

If there was one 'truth' about fitness and weight loss, everyone would be fit and thin.

That link reminds me of the so-called workout programs that promise you only need 6 minutes a day to lose weight and get in shape.

Well, if you weigh 350 and you spend most of the day on the couch polishing off an entire box of Triscuits, and suddenly you do something physical for 6 minutes a day and only eat HALF a box of Triscuits, you will indeed lose weight. You may stop losing weight when you hit 335, but you will have proven the claim that you can lose weight by exercising 6 minutes a day, and maybe even blog famously about your Triscuit Weight Loss Plan.

But no chance a fit person is going to lose weight eating Triscuits or working out 6 minutes a day. I would gain 20 pounds in a month.

Metabolism, body chemistry, hormones, age, genetics....you can't calculate the 'science' for each individual without accounting for all of those variables.

 

[Dick Whitman]

21 - No doubt. Everyone has to tinker to find their best plan, within the common sense parameters that you should: (1) Exercise more; (2) Eat less/better.

But if there is no universal truth, unfortunately that also includes the universal truth - because it is so frequently stated as such - that "muscle burns (50/100/200) calories a day." Because reliable scientific research, which I linked to, shows that, in general, it doesn't. I wish it did. It just doesn't.

 

[Dick Whitman]

http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/07/29/nevin.weight.loss.irprt/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

This guy loves two things:

(1) Losing weight.
(2) Wearing Express clothes.

I can spot that brand from a mile away.