Please Read Before You Start Your Diet

[Roonytunes]

If you want to go on body weight, from what I understand:

Fat Loss 12-13 kcal per lb of body weight
Maintenance 15-16 kcal per lb of body weight
Gain 18-20 + kcal per lb of body weight

I use a different formula, the Katch-McArdle -BMR based on lean body weight

BMR = 370 + (21.6 x lean mass in kg)

Well, when I use the two formulas up here, they equal to around the same. I know there's no one method that works for everyone, but I'm going with these numbers as a start for now and will tweak later as needed.

T, as everyone else has said, it's nice to get a new perspective and another source of information. You look GREAT, btw!

 

[Tatyana]

Noyhing, NOTHING, works for everyone. No formula, no diet, no training program. Anyone who says this is the only way, the best way to do things is blowing smoke up your ass.

Diet and training are individual. You find a caloric range, and stick with it for awhile. If it is not producing the effects you desire, tweak it. Finding the correct ratio and amounts for you take TIME, PATIENCE, and trial and error.

Thing do need to be adjusted for different body types. I am fortunate enough to have almost a 'pure' mesomorph body type, which means I can basically eat whatever I want whenever I want as long as the quality of the food is good, meaning no hydrogenated fats, nothing deep fried, no processed foods.

Endomorphs (pear shaped) have to be very strict with their diets and may benefit from slightly carbohydrate restricted diets.

Ectomorphs are the tall, thin type of people who can basically eat whatever they want and not gain weight, they often have difficulty in gaining weight.

This is a general summary, there is more information on each body type in numerous books.

Human being have been studied by biologist and physiologist for ages. There are established reference ranges for nearly every parameter about our bodies, height, levels of blood sugars, total protein, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), estrogen, progesterone. THese reference ranges do only apply quite precisely to 95% of the population, some people may function quite well on a slightly higher or lower level.

However, there are general rules of thumb, and our bodies need a certain amount of calories just to function. You might be one of the lucky 1-2% of the population that is able to lose weight (and it would be quick) on a severely calorie restricted diet!

I am lucky in that I have the genetics that have me put on muscle quite easily! More muscle, more calories burned. I have to eat like a P.I.G, and loads and loads of really bad food to gain weight (and I have!!!). I have had to lose weight before, when I first moved to England, I gained about 20 kg, (lost it got to about 15% body fat) and during the last 6 months of my degree I gained about 7 kg. I was eating nearly a half a tub of Hagen Daas with 500 ml of Bailey's every night (this was just after my divorce and I had just moved into my own flat). Oh yes, and probably about a half a bar of Green and Black's choc a night as well! Chips/french fries for lunch, kettle crisps, you name it, I ate loads of it.

I really should have been one of those super obese that you see on Discovery channel, it was only my 'lucky' mesomorphic genetics and all the previous weight training that I had done that saved my ass!!!!

I really don't like to diet and lose weight (except for ripping up for comps now, it's such a trip!), so I finally decided to really apply all that I had learned.

I still eat choc, I still go out for an Indian once a week off season (peshwari naan-YUM). I have just learned these few little 'tricks' and done my homework!!

And I don't spend hours and hours every day doing cardio either!!!

Up to you hun, as I keep saying

DIETS DON'T WORK THEY ONLY MAKE YOU FATTER, AND LOW CARB/ZERO CARB DIETS ARE EVEN MORE EVIL

how hard do you want to be on yourself?

 

[Miss24k]

I may have to post my diet, and keep posting pics of myself as I rip up for a competition as I get the feeling you ladies still need some convincing.

As I said before, DIETS DON'T WORK AND ONLY MAKE YOU FATTER

WHY MAKE IT ANY MORE DIFFICULT THAN IT HAS TO BE

You seem to think your approach is the only approach since you think these ladies need you to convince them that you are right, and they are wrong. What works for you will not work for everyone.

 

[*MissFit*]

I think we all agree diets don't work.. u have to change the way u eat for life..

some people r luckier than others and can eat whatever they want and some have to count calories.. there is no tricks.. the stickies r great tools bu each ladie in this forum must do what works for her..

We look to each other for guideance and advice.. the forum is great for that and we have all learn at least something from reading these threads...

u look great..

Miss 24k looks great, Daisy looks great Sassy and bunny looks great and so on.. but each one has used slightly different methods to achieve those goals.. same toals.. but different formulas..

 

[RottenWillow]

I'm reminded of a show I loved when I was little, Clarisa Explains It All.

 

[Daisy_Girl]

You seem to think your approach is the only approach since you think these ladies need you to convince them that you are right, and they are wrong. What works for you will not work for everyone.

Exactly what I was trying to get at.

I love seeing more ideas, more approaches, more information. The more information you have, the better off you are. BUT .....

You can post all the pics in the world - but that does not make your approach THE ONLY ONE. It is ONE out of many possibles. You obviously have worked very hard to get to where you are - congrats on that. You have good information, but chill on the way it is delivered. You are coming across as a self-perceived "know it all". All the degrees in the world don't make a bit of difference.

 

[caligirl]

The whole topic is subjective...... fitness/BB/figure/sport/nutrition/diet..... it's endless.
That is why so many books have been written, so many "experts" have their opinions, so many different approaches.... I think Scorpio girl summed it up here with the patients comment, and I think everyone else has said it at some point, what works for you, may not work for me.
What Tatiana posted can be found in most any personal training manual, BMR, calories expended formulas. To be fit and healthy is a lifestyle, to what level you want to take it to is a personal choice.
Did that sound bitchy? I have PMS... not intended to be bitchy... ; )


Rooneytunes,
don't be confused, stay on your track you found whats works for you, and are making great progress by being consistant!

 

[*Bunny*]

The whole topic is subjective...... fitness/BB/figure/sport/nutrition/diet..... it's endless.
That is why so many books have been written, so many "experts" have their opinions, so many different approaches.... I think Scorpio girl summed it up here with the patients comment, and I think everyone else has said it at some point, what works for you, may not work for me.
What Tatiana posted can be found in most any personal training manual, BMR, calories expended formulas. To be fit and healthy is a lifestyle, to what level you want to take it to is a personal choice.
Did that sound bitchy? I have PMS... not intended to be bitchy... ; )
Nope, not at all...

Rooneytunes,
don't be confused, stay on your track you found whats works for you, and are making great progress by being consistant! EXACTLY

 

[Sassy69]

Yep, pretty much T- you say you can eat all you want and build muscle. I've experimented w/ several different diets under different trainers and stuff I play w/ myself - conclusion: I can build crazy muscle, if I eat 2-3000 cals I can lift like crazy, but I get "thick". I cut on 17-1800 cals. That's it. Anymore I can't drop bodyfat, any less, I get light-headed, start to lose muscle mass and generally starve.

Its probably a good guess that say 85% of the people (women I'm thinking of right now, but I'd venture that its pretty high for the guys too - they may know how to train & cycle, but they dont' know squat about nutrition) come to EF w/ a goal of "losing weight and toning up", they are armed w/ the myths & crap that society & the media pound into our heads about how you have to follow some canned program to even consider losing weight and girls aren't supposed to have any shape in their arms and if they do anything besides lift pink weights & do cardio, they will turn into Hulkette.

But as we learn things from various places, I think the cross section of all that each of us brings to the boards is very close to what T is posting as methodology & guidelines, and then we have to try what works for each of us in our lives, our lifestyles & our own bodychemistry.

 

[Tatyana]

You seem to think your approach is the only approach since you think these ladies need you to convince them that you are right, and they are wrong. What works for you will not work for everyone.

not my approach hun, just basic physiology. I didn't make any of this stuff up, I found it!!

However, all the studies have shown that people that go on calorie restrictive diets that end up 'rebounding' and gaining more weight

Don't kill the messenger