E
Ero
Guest
I very much hope that this is in the right forum
Fat loss how-to (not a diet)
I've noticed that a lot of peoples self esteem issues stem from being overweight, or over their desired weight. Now, I am an advocate for loving who you are (non-narcissistically, of course) regardless of weight, perceived beauty, etc. You are beautiful for who you are. BUT, some people want to be healthier, or look better to themselves (looking good is feeling good to some people, myself included).
Losing weight isn't easy, but it isn't balls to the wall hard either. Media has twisted your perception of weight loss to make it seem like this difficult thing that only a select number of people can do, unless you buy their GREAT new product/supplement/diet and meal plan!! That's their tactic. They make you THINK it's impossible unless you buy their honeysuckle, so that you buy their honeysuckle. A lot of the time, those things don't work. This? This works, because it isn't a gimmick, or a meal plan, or a diet, or whatever. It's scientific fact.
*DISCLAIMER*: This is NOT a diet, this is a method of calculating your caloric intake to result in fat loss. AKA Counting calories. I am NOT a doctor. I am NOT a professional. If you are uncomfortable taking this advice, don't. Simple as that. This is NOT a substitute for your current workout/exercise/macronutrient plan. If you are already doing something, unless it is unhealthy and makes you feel like honeysuckle, keep at it. Dedication is key.
First off, a few myths I want to bust for you. Fact of the matter is, while WHAT you eat is directly tied to your overall health and well-being, it actually has little to do with your fat content. While you SHOULD eat a healthy, balanced diet, it is not entirely necessary to lose fat. Fat loss is entirely based on numbers. Cold, hard, factual numbers. It's a big-ass math equation (pun not intended). Also, exercise is not entirely necessary for fat loss either, although it does dramatically increase the ease at which you shed fat. Obviously, burning off calories means you can eat more and still lose weight.
Now, VOCABULARY WORDS! Because eeeverybody loves those, right??
1: Calorie: These little ******* are a unit of measurement used to determine the amount of energy a particular food item contains. For instance, a slice of pizza may have around 300 calories (depending on size and type, obviously). Fun fact: A calorie is the equivalent 4.184 joules.
2: BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate): This is the approximate total number of calories your body burns each day, just to EXIST. This does not include movement/exercise/etc. of ANY kind. To put it simply, its how many calories you would burn in 24 hours, if all you did during that 24 hours was lay there, and not move.
3: TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure): This is your BMR, plus the calories you burn each day when movements/exercise/daily activity is taken in to account. To put it simply, it's how many calories you've burned by the end of the day.
Okay, those were easy, right? Good.
Alright, lets get in to the meat of this how-to guide. Ready??? So I mentioned earlier that this is all about numbers. Don't worry, you don't need to break out that dusty old math textbook, it isn't anything extreme.
Firstly, we need to determine both your BMR and your TDEE. Now, you can do this yourself through the use of mathematical formulas that have been agreed upon by leading scientists, OR you can use calculators that have those exact formulas programmed in, so that you don't have to do any of those fancy math stuffs. You can use any one you like (there are a good number of websites that have them, and they all use the same formulas, so the differences are only by a few negligible calories)
Personally, I trust and use this one: http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/ (the pre-selected formula is the one you want to use). It will tell you both your BMR and TDEE at once.
Now that we have those numbers, we can start losing weight.
You do NOT want to eat less calories than your BMR. While at first, doing this wont produce any side effects besides the occasional hunger pang, long term side effects can be destructive to your health and fitness.
To lose weight, all you have to do is consume less calories than your TDEE. Simple as that. "But ERO, that sounds waaaay too easy!!" Well, that's because it IS easy. If you consume less calories than you burn off in a day, you create a caloric deficit. Your body makes up for this by consuming (burning) your fat reserves for those precious calories that it needs. to lose 1 pound (or 0.45 kilograms) a week, you need to create a deficit of 500 calories per day (or 3500 calories per week total). you do NOT want to exceed losing 2 pounds (approx. 1 kilo) of fat per week, unless you are very overweight. This is considered unhealthy, and should be avoided. 1-2 lbs a week is safe, and a perfectly acceptable pace.
EXAMPLE TIME!
I am 18 years of age, 6 feet and 3 inches tall (approx.190 centimeters) and weigh 189 pounds (approx.86 kilos)
I lift weights 3-4 days a week, with the days in between being off days, where I am mostly lazy.
By these criteria, my BMR is around 1960 calories per day, and my TDEE is around 2700 calories a day.
What this means, is that if i were to eat less than 2700 calories every single day, I would lose weight. If i ate more than that, i would gain weight.
Now you might have the question, "Ero, if you only work out 3-4 days a week, wouldn't your TDEE be different on those rest days?" the answer would be yes. BUT this doesn't matter.
Not only does exercise (i'm talking running, lifting heavy weights, breaking a sweat, not walking up the stairs to get to your office building) increase your metabolism for up to several days depending on type and intensity, but this is all about total calories per week, not daily. These equations take in to account these off days, so you needn't worry about it.
Now, your level of activity only determines your TDEE, NOT your BMR. So, for instance... if i didn't work out at all, my BMR would stay the same (approx. 1960 calories per day) but my TDEE would go down to about 2350 calories a day, from its previous 2700.
An observant reader might say "Ero...that means in order to create the 500 calories a day deficit, you would need to eat below your BMR, and you told us not to!" And they would be correct. This goes back to how earlier, i said exercise makes it a lot easier. You get much more wiggle room. Without exercise, the biggest deficit I could safely create under the second criteria would be about 300 calories, which would obviously mean a slower rate of weight loss than if i were to exercise like i normally do. So to make things easier on yourself, lift weights 3 times a week (there are plenty of forums/blogs/trainers that can help you get started, i was lucky enough to have a father who could teach me) OR, run every other day. (there are plenty of blogs and guides online to get you started, and keep you going). You can also do both, if you feel up to it. THIS IS NOT REQUIRED! You do not need to exercise to lose weight, it just makes it easier. If you don't wanna work out, or don't have time, don't worry about it.
That's pretty much it. Simple, easy to remember. All it takes is perseverance and dedication.
Some notes to finish it all off:
You only need to recalculate your TDEE every 10-15 pounds or so. The difference from pound to pound is pretty negligible.
Don't weigh yourself every day. Once on Monday morning, after you wake up, before you eat or drink anything, without any clothes (these add weight) weigh yourself. This will give you an accurate representation of your weight loss per week.
Drink PLENTY of water. Your body needs to be functioning in top shape to burn fat efficiently. For this, you need to be hydrated. Try drinking as much water as you can (you SHOULD drink about a gallon a day, but it isn't totally necessary). I like to drink 8+ 16 oz bottles/glasses of water a day, which adds up to about a gallon in the end.
RESEARCH! I haven't told you anything that i wasn't absolutely sure was true, but you should still get out and do research on your own. Don't fall prey to fad diets, supplements, etc. be smart about your weight loss.
Yours truly - Ero.
--Feel free to ask questions, point out something i may have missed, or something i said that isn't quite right....or, tell me that something i said made no sense at all~
Fat loss how-to (not a diet)
I've noticed that a lot of peoples self esteem issues stem from being overweight, or over their desired weight. Now, I am an advocate for loving who you are (non-narcissistically, of course) regardless of weight, perceived beauty, etc. You are beautiful for who you are. BUT, some people want to be healthier, or look better to themselves (looking good is feeling good to some people, myself included).
Losing weight isn't easy, but it isn't balls to the wall hard either. Media has twisted your perception of weight loss to make it seem like this difficult thing that only a select number of people can do, unless you buy their GREAT new product/supplement/diet and meal plan!! That's their tactic. They make you THINK it's impossible unless you buy their honeysuckle, so that you buy their honeysuckle. A lot of the time, those things don't work. This? This works, because it isn't a gimmick, or a meal plan, or a diet, or whatever. It's scientific fact.
*DISCLAIMER*: This is NOT a diet, this is a method of calculating your caloric intake to result in fat loss. AKA Counting calories. I am NOT a doctor. I am NOT a professional. If you are uncomfortable taking this advice, don't. Simple as that. This is NOT a substitute for your current workout/exercise/macronutrient plan. If you are already doing something, unless it is unhealthy and makes you feel like honeysuckle, keep at it. Dedication is key.
First off, a few myths I want to bust for you. Fact of the matter is, while WHAT you eat is directly tied to your overall health and well-being, it actually has little to do with your fat content. While you SHOULD eat a healthy, balanced diet, it is not entirely necessary to lose fat. Fat loss is entirely based on numbers. Cold, hard, factual numbers. It's a big-ass math equation (pun not intended). Also, exercise is not entirely necessary for fat loss either, although it does dramatically increase the ease at which you shed fat. Obviously, burning off calories means you can eat more and still lose weight.
Now, VOCABULARY WORDS! Because eeeverybody loves those, right??
1: Calorie: These little ******* are a unit of measurement used to determine the amount of energy a particular food item contains. For instance, a slice of pizza may have around 300 calories (depending on size and type, obviously). Fun fact: A calorie is the equivalent 4.184 joules.
2: BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate): This is the approximate total number of calories your body burns each day, just to EXIST. This does not include movement/exercise/etc. of ANY kind. To put it simply, its how many calories you would burn in 24 hours, if all you did during that 24 hours was lay there, and not move.
3: TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure): This is your BMR, plus the calories you burn each day when movements/exercise/daily activity is taken in to account. To put it simply, it's how many calories you've burned by the end of the day.
Okay, those were easy, right? Good.
Alright, lets get in to the meat of this how-to guide. Ready??? So I mentioned earlier that this is all about numbers. Don't worry, you don't need to break out that dusty old math textbook, it isn't anything extreme.
Firstly, we need to determine both your BMR and your TDEE. Now, you can do this yourself through the use of mathematical formulas that have been agreed upon by leading scientists, OR you can use calculators that have those exact formulas programmed in, so that you don't have to do any of those fancy math stuffs. You can use any one you like (there are a good number of websites that have them, and they all use the same formulas, so the differences are only by a few negligible calories)
Personally, I trust and use this one: http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/ (the pre-selected formula is the one you want to use). It will tell you both your BMR and TDEE at once.
Now that we have those numbers, we can start losing weight.
You do NOT want to eat less calories than your BMR. While at first, doing this wont produce any side effects besides the occasional hunger pang, long term side effects can be destructive to your health and fitness.
To lose weight, all you have to do is consume less calories than your TDEE. Simple as that. "But ERO, that sounds waaaay too easy!!" Well, that's because it IS easy. If you consume less calories than you burn off in a day, you create a caloric deficit. Your body makes up for this by consuming (burning) your fat reserves for those precious calories that it needs. to lose 1 pound (or 0.45 kilograms) a week, you need to create a deficit of 500 calories per day (or 3500 calories per week total). you do NOT want to exceed losing 2 pounds (approx. 1 kilo) of fat per week, unless you are very overweight. This is considered unhealthy, and should be avoided. 1-2 lbs a week is safe, and a perfectly acceptable pace.
EXAMPLE TIME!
I am 18 years of age, 6 feet and 3 inches tall (approx.190 centimeters) and weigh 189 pounds (approx.86 kilos)
I lift weights 3-4 days a week, with the days in between being off days, where I am mostly lazy.
By these criteria, my BMR is around 1960 calories per day, and my TDEE is around 2700 calories a day.
What this means, is that if i were to eat less than 2700 calories every single day, I would lose weight. If i ate more than that, i would gain weight.
Now you might have the question, "Ero, if you only work out 3-4 days a week, wouldn't your TDEE be different on those rest days?" the answer would be yes. BUT this doesn't matter.
Not only does exercise (i'm talking running, lifting heavy weights, breaking a sweat, not walking up the stairs to get to your office building) increase your metabolism for up to several days depending on type and intensity, but this is all about total calories per week, not daily. These equations take in to account these off days, so you needn't worry about it.
Now, your level of activity only determines your TDEE, NOT your BMR. So, for instance... if i didn't work out at all, my BMR would stay the same (approx. 1960 calories per day) but my TDEE would go down to about 2350 calories a day, from its previous 2700.
An observant reader might say "Ero...that means in order to create the 500 calories a day deficit, you would need to eat below your BMR, and you told us not to!" And they would be correct. This goes back to how earlier, i said exercise makes it a lot easier. You get much more wiggle room. Without exercise, the biggest deficit I could safely create under the second criteria would be about 300 calories, which would obviously mean a slower rate of weight loss than if i were to exercise like i normally do. So to make things easier on yourself, lift weights 3 times a week (there are plenty of forums/blogs/trainers that can help you get started, i was lucky enough to have a father who could teach me) OR, run every other day. (there are plenty of blogs and guides online to get you started, and keep you going). You can also do both, if you feel up to it. THIS IS NOT REQUIRED! You do not need to exercise to lose weight, it just makes it easier. If you don't wanna work out, or don't have time, don't worry about it.
That's pretty much it. Simple, easy to remember. All it takes is perseverance and dedication.
Some notes to finish it all off:
You only need to recalculate your TDEE every 10-15 pounds or so. The difference from pound to pound is pretty negligible.
Don't weigh yourself every day. Once on Monday morning, after you wake up, before you eat or drink anything, without any clothes (these add weight) weigh yourself. This will give you an accurate representation of your weight loss per week.
Drink PLENTY of water. Your body needs to be functioning in top shape to burn fat efficiently. For this, you need to be hydrated. Try drinking as much water as you can (you SHOULD drink about a gallon a day, but it isn't totally necessary). I like to drink 8+ 16 oz bottles/glasses of water a day, which adds up to about a gallon in the end.
RESEARCH! I haven't told you anything that i wasn't absolutely sure was true, but you should still get out and do research on your own. Don't fall prey to fad diets, supplements, etc. be smart about your weight loss.
Yours truly - Ero.
--Feel free to ask questions, point out something i may have missed, or something i said that isn't quite right....or, tell me that something i said made no sense at all~
