[avisidhu]

I have my father's experience to share which might put a few things in perspective. He retired Feb 2015, and was touching 100kg then (height 6 feet). The last few years were spent away from home, and erratic eating schedules combined with outside eating had taken its toll.

Back home, he started walking around 40-45 mins in the evening. Of course food at home 3 times a day. He has no clue about stuff like BMI, Calorie deficit or Carb intake, so he's never gone on a 'diet' as such. Around 10 months later he was around 79. Right now he's at 81-82.

So how did a 60 year old manage to reduce his weight substantially when most of us at even half his age struggle? My theory is that it all boils down to lifestyle. He can 'happily' have home made food 3 times a day for months on end, unless some occasion demands eating outside. At our home, we get outside food/snacks very rarely. Same for fried or sweet stuff. It's just simple dal/sabzi/roti 3 times and all days. I must also mention here that he's the kind of person who doesn't refuse any food item if offered, so he would have had a fair share of sweets or outside food at gatherings during this year.

I know for a fact that my dietary habits are far worse than my parents in this aspect (a consequence of having moved from our hometown almost 20 years back and never returned), and if I look around I notice most people are even worse than me. Our bulging waistlines are a direct result of the diet changes our generation has embraced, and going back to the same routines would be the only savior for most. Exercise will help only so much.

[rajushank84]

@avisidhu - good and insightful post, thanks! Whatever you posted is definitely correct. However I have a few varying thoughts.

Originally Posted by avisidhu

Our bulging waistlines are a direct result of the diet changes our generation has embraced.

I completely agree with this!

Originally Posted by avisidhu

...and going back to the same routines would be the only savior for most.

I beg to differ. In my opinion, our elders' and ancestors' diets worked for them for their lifestyles and their needs. Our world is different. We have less need for activity, more pollution, more temptations and way more bad habits. We have somehow romanticized things like smoking and drinking, and made them mainstream activities. But at the same time we also have way more resources than previous generations had. We have the Internet. We have a wealth of knowledge, apps that can track our intake. We can engineer exactly how many pounds to gain/lose/maintain at will. We know how to train specific muscle groups, and what used to be trade secrets of professional bodybuilders is now common knowledge available to the common man.

We could try and go back to a previous generation's lifestyle (which would work too), but I think it is more practical and sustainable to design our lifestyle around our current needs and the current environment. Personally, I would definitely not stick with any plan that doesn't allow for donuts .

Secondly, we could possibly do better than our ancestors because we have more resources. Sure they were healthy, but let's be honest - how many of us have only health in mind? Especially younger people. We do have aesthetics in mind. If we can put in a bit more effort to look aesthetically better then why not?

No disrespect to our elders but from all photos I have seen, they were healthy but they didn't look great. Personally, I want to do better than that. Again, health and aesthetics are two different things that can go together but don't necessarily all the time.

Originally Posted by avisidhu

Exercise will help only so much.

This part I agree and disagree both, to some extent. When people think about weight loss I have noticed they tend to focus more on "exercise" (typically cardio or just walking), and neglect the nutrition part. I know a girl who is trying to rapidly lose weight for her wedding, after two months she asked me why she is not losing any weight despite a lot of cycling. She said she is "eating well and exercising well". When I went over what she is eating, it turns out by "eating well" she really means "eating a lot". No puzzle here. Eating a lot, exercise can only do so much, you are still eating more than your body needs, so you are still putting on fat. So yeah, I agree, exercise can only do so much, you have to get your intake and nutrition in order first.

However, having said that. I think exercise is important if your goal is to look good. You will just look skinny with loose muscle (no "tone") if you lose weight without exercise. Exercise is what helps retain muscle and also keeps metabolism high, keeps us flexible and energetic. Especially with our current lifestyle as you mentioned, where we hardly have to do any physical activity. Our bodies aren't supposed to be in this state of atrophied disuse that we have put them into. For that reason, I do think exercise is important.

[phamilyman]

https://www.facebook.com/groups/squatsjc/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/DietfoodD3/
I found these groups and pages recently. Seems quite interesting. Very good community of folks focused on fitness - boat load of positive testimonials as well. Worth a dekko.

I was directed here from https://www.facebook.com/LCHFLifeStyleManagementCoach/ - the FB page of a buddy (who was as overweight) who suddenly turned into a lean muscled dude at the young age of 45, in just a few months, and has started this page to share fitness tips.

Needless to say, am inspired and excited. Let's see.

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

I was directed here from https://www.facebook.com/LCHFLifeStyleManagementCoach/ - the FB page of a buddy (who was as overweight) who suddenly turned into a lean muscled dude at the young age of 45, in just a few months, and has started this page to share fitness tips.

Needless to say, am inspired and excited. Let's see.

Oh jeebus, another Paleo/Keto/Atkins fad ...
Yes it works, but why it works - does the horde know it?

[tifosikrishna]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

https://www.facebook.com/groups/squatsjc/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/DietfoodD3/
I found these groups and pages recently. Seems quite interesting. Very good community of folks focused on fitness - boat load of positive testimonials as well. Worth a dekko.

I was directed here from https://www.facebook.com/LCHFLifeStyleManagementCoach/ - the FB page of a buddy (who was as overweight) who suddenly turned into a lean muscled dude at the young age of 45, in just a few months, and has started this page to share fitness tips.

Needless to say, am inspired and excited. Let's see.

Not following this thread, but it popped up in my TL, hence sharing my 2 bits. Recently read a book by name "Why we get fat & what do we do about it" because of strong recommendation bordering persuasion. Gave it a try and it was an eye opener. My knowledge of food/diet was limited but my notion of what is good/bad in terms of weight management pov was always fat is bad, which seems to be totally incorrect.

Do give it a try. Personally I gave up sugar after reading and lost close 3 to 4 kilos in very short time.

[gautamkhadse]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

https://www.facebook.com/groups/squatsjc/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/DietfoodD3/
I found these groups and pages recently. Seems quite interesting. Very good community of folks focused on fitness - boat load of positive testimonials as well. Worth a dekko.

I was directed here from https://www.facebook.com/LCHFLifeStyleManagementCoach/ - the FB page of a buddy (who was as overweight) who suddenly turned into a lean muscled dude at the young age of 45, in just a few months, and has started this page to share fitness tips.

Needless to say, am inspired and excited. Let's see.

Squats is a well established group . I've personally done the Keto diet for 3 months and went down by 18 kilos . But you have to be disciplined in your approach .
Heavy workouts
no cardio
counting macros ( if you cant do it yourself , you have mentors to help you with keeping a track of your macros )
You can hire a mentor for 6000 INR for a period of 3 months

However as with everything , this is a lifestyle change , once you lose the weight , the maintenance is your responsibility . Its not about fixing it and screwing up again and fixing it again . YOu need to tighten up .

If you're interested you can check out www.squats.in

BTW , i enrolled for a ISSA Sports Nutrition certification and studied all material but never went through the certification . Its really an eye opener , all our knowldedge about diet is bull crap .

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by tifosikrishna

Recently read a book by name "Why we get fat & what do we do about it" because of strong recommendation bordering persuasion. Gave it a try and it was an eye opener. My knowledge of food/diet was limited but my notion of what is good/bad in terms of weight management pov was always fat is bad, which seems to be totally incorrect.

Naturally, I was very skeptical at first. Then I saw the book rating at Amazon.com, which 4.5 from 1911 people. That was a crazy rating enough to convince me to buy it on Kindle.

This book turned upside down every thing I thought I knew about fat, and I don't think I am alone...

A sample...

[bblost]

I watched a video on YouTube about a phenomenon called wheat belly.
That day we had pizza for lunch at office.

As I ate a couple of slices a lightbulb went off in my head. I was addicted to this stuff. I wanted to eat as much as I could. As an ex smoker, I knew what this means.

Decided to watch more about the wheat belly and by evening I was going to remove wheat from my diet.

It's not easy.

Sometimes you just have no choice like when the kids leave something on their plate.

But I am holding strong.

In ten days I am down 1.3 kilos.

My waist size is reducing.

I searched for the topic above on YouTube.
Found a long video but reading a post by Samurai and Krishna, I watched it all.

So I have decided to remove a few more things from my diet.

No wheat, potatoes and sweets. Reduced rice consumption.

It's a little easy because I cook own meals and thankfully my wife loves what I cook.

I will keep updating about my journey.

[Samurai]

Actually, I lost 4Kg in July simply by reducing my food intake by 50-65% than my usual, and have maintained that weight since then. But I didn't understand the reason behind that easy reduction until I read the book. My main food is carbs, I had cut it down by half unwittingly.

[bblost]

I agree that the carbs are something we tend to overlook.
Even my personal experience is that too eat healthy I will choose an extra roti instead of an extra serving of meat.
Eating healthy would mean having bread for dinner instead of grill chicken.

In the past few days I have turned this around. So I am actually eating more but losing weight. I plan to continue this for a longer period.
Best part is that I am eating foods I actually like and skipping the stuff I don't really enjoy as much.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by bblost

Even my personal experience is that too eat healthy I will choose an extra roti instead of an extra serving of meat.
Eating healthy would mean having bread for dinner instead of grill chicken.

Yup, who knew the above conventional wisdom was completely wrong. Now am I able to eat egg/ghee/cheese/meat without any guilt.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by bblost

I agree that the carbs are something we tend to overlook.

Best part is that I am eating foods I actually like and skipping the stuff I don't really enjoy as much.

Originally Posted by Samurai

Yup, who knew the above conventional wisdom was completely wrong. Now am I able to eat egg/ghee/cheese/meat without any guilt.

Over the last few years I have undergone multiple opinions, and attempts with different routines and diets and realized one key learning - there is no one-solution-fits-all method for getting fitter.

There are three key areas which work differently for every individual - your metabolism, your diet and your exercise.

2007 - 2013 :
- Tried several gyms paying ransom amounts
- Tried different sports and activities sporadically
- Tried several different diets and what nots.
- My weight remains around 94-96kg. Heavily overweight and very un-fit
- Waist between 38 - 40 inches

2013 - 2014 :
- Started cycling starting with 5 km sessions and gradually worked on to doing 200 km brevets.
- No change to diet, was eating pretty much anything and everything
- Weight comes down by 15kgs to lower 80s
- Waist 36 inches

Q1 2015 - Q3 2015 :
- Started running starting with 2km sessions and gradually working up to half marathons
- Started trying to focus on diet with smaller portions and more green than meat
- Weight stays around lower 80s
- Waist 36 inches

Q4 2015 - Q1 2016 :
- Continued running habits with a schedule of one half marathon every month with regular practice
- By end 2015 went on a slow-carb diet
- Weight goes down by 2-3 kgs, body becomes more slim
- Waist 34 - 36 inches

Q2 2016 - till date :
- Stopped slow-carb diet but stayed on a vegetarian diet
- Running went down to once a week runs (8 - 10 kms runs)
- Last month switched to a liquid only diet (5 weeks and running)
- Weight dropped tremendously by 10 kgs, with currently at 72 kgs
- Waist at 32 - 33 inches

So from 96kgs and 40 inches back in end 2013 I'm at 72 kgs and 32 inches as of date.
My friends and family can't literally recognize me - folks on the street treat me like I'm a 25 year old ( even got a W*F reaction from a cop when he was checking my id )

When people ask me - I tell them that multiple things have worked for me, but I don't think I can compare them and state one is better than the other.
What works for me might not work efficiently for you.

However the idea is to eat well, keep exercising or pick a sport that one likes and play regularly and continue on the same. The idea is to get fitter not necessarily slimmer.

[rrsteer]

Hello.

Thought the readers of this thread may like this:

http://www.economist.com/news/scienc...standingorders

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Over the last few years I have undergone multiple opinions, and attempts with different routines and diets and realized one key learning - there is no one-solution-fits-all method for getting fitter.

Please read that book, then you will realize what we are talking about. Right now you are thinking like I did two weeks ago. This is irrespective of exercising.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

- Last month switched to a liquid only diet (5 weeks and running)

The question is can you sustain this? If not, then wont at some point in time, its bound to go back?

But apart from that, really impressive to hear about how you have gone up on your endurance levels.