Weight loss support thread

[KillaSmoke]

Can you expand on this no-man's land a bit more. About too may carbs to be in ketosis but not enough to use as the main energy source?

If your body is outside of ketosis, the human brain uses about 120 g of glucose per day. Of course, in any discussion about biology, numbers are always going to be a bit fuzzy. Some of that can come from amino acids, via gluconeogenesis. And if you've got a lot of muscle serving as a glucose sink, or high levels of physical activity driving glucose use, you can potentially sustain ketosis with greater than normal amounts of carbohydrate intake. And if your body is metabolically flexible, you can switch in and out of ketosis much more easily.

But as a general rule of thumb, somewhere around 50-100 g of carbs/day, most people are probably going to feel kinda rough. I'm not sure if its because they're going in and out of ketosis throughout the day, or never fully entering it, but they'll typically have low energy, difficulty focusing, increased carb cravings, that type of thing.

Again, these numbers are all pretty fuzzy, and individual context makes a huge difference. And if you're talking about ketosis as a medical intervention, for epilepsy, or psych issues, rather than a diet strategy, its much more important to keep carbs super low, effectively zero

 

[Overly Serious]

If your body is outside of ketosis, the human brain uses about 120 g of glucose per day. Of course, in any discussion about biology, numbers are always going to be a bit fuzzy. Some of that can come from amino acids, via gluconeogenesis. And if you've got a lot of muscle serving as a glucose sink, or high levels of physical activity driving glucose use, you can potentially sustain ketosis with greater than normal amounts of carbohydrate intake. And if your body is metabolically flexible, you can switch in and out of ketosis much more easily.

But as a general rule of thumb, somewhere around 50-100 g of carbs/day, most people are probably going to feel kinda rough. I'm not sure if its because they're going in and out of ketosis throughout the day, or never fully entering it, but they'll typically have low energy, difficulty focusing, increased carb cravings, that type of thing.

Again, these numbers are all pretty fuzzy, and individual context makes a huge difference. And if you're talking about ketosis as a medical intervention, for epilepsy, or psych issues, rather than a diet strategy, its much more important to keep carbs super low, effectively zero

That's very interesting. 120g of glucose sounds a lot, btw. So in a state of ketosis, the body reduces the amount of glucose delivered to the brain? Reading wikipedia on this and it states that the brain isn't able to use fatty acids for energy the way other cells of the body can. So ketosis kicks in when you're not getting enough of your energy from carbs, even if you have enough energy overall. Okay, I get your meaning a bit better now. That's interesting and something to think about.

 

[Nique la mere de Macron]

I started Wegovy yesterday. Finally. We'll see if it quiets the "food noise."

 

[GemstoneEddie88]

Been out the gym since around August of last year. Everyone’s got a story, and everyone’s got an excuse - mine is that I got a job with more hours and a longer commute. I realized recently that I was definitely getting out of shape again, and I stopped liking how I looked in the mirror. At my heaviest (beginning of 2023) I was 265~ pounds. From April 2023 to August of 2024, I dropped down to 179 pounds. I maintained a strict 1600 calorie limit daily (for most of it, towards the end I pushed the calories up a bit).

I maintained a 4 day workout split of Legs/Back and Biceps/Chest and Triceps/Shoulders (this fourth day was kind of a cleanup day, but it was mostly side and rear delts and any other muscles I missed through the week like calves or front delts, etc.) with 30 minutes of cardio at the end of each workout (usually incline walking at 12 incline at 3mph, sometimes I ran and sometimes I used the bike instead). I tried to get into the gym every day but realistically this turned into me working out 4-6 times a week.

Also for protein goals/macros, I mostly tried to hit my goal body weight in grams of protein a day, which was around 170~. Almost my entire diet consisted of red meats or chicken mixed with rice and greens (broccoli and spinach) and protein shakes.

Nobody likes the “I’m locked in now” guy that has to re-lock in every couple months but I’m really “locked in” right now guys, for real this time. I’m hovering around 220 pounds right now, which at 6’1” isn’t the worst thing in the world, but I’ve never carried my body fat super well (lot of it is my gut). I’ve cut way back on drinking, and I don’t drink throughout the week anymore. On Saturdays, I will enjoy 2-5 beers though, usually miller lites as I know those are 96 calories a piece.

I’m aiming to get back to my skinniest adult weight (179 pounds) by the beginning of March of next year. I’m going to a music festival in Houston at the end of that month and I really like the idea of looking good and skinny for that, and summer would be right around the corner!

Right now my diet consists of a stir fry I meal prep that has ground beef sirloin or chuck with onions, spinach, and rice. I portion everything out so each meal or portion of this stir fry has about 750 calories and 50 grams of protein. Then I get the rest of my protein with 50-65g shake in the morning before my workout, and the rest with a shake I make when I get home after work. My split right now is Push/Pull/Legs. I mostly just follow what guys I want to look like do for exercises.

 

[The Repeated Meme]

Switched to a low carb, low sugar diet and I feel great; haven't looked back and so far I'm down 5 pounds.

I feel pumped; optimistic, over the depression and anxiety I've historically struggled with. I'm still overweight; but who the fuck cares? I get plenty of exercise at work.

I've always drank zero calorie soda, so no change there: but I'm switching out hot chocolate mix and hazelnut creamer for sugar free hazelnut syrup and organic whole milk with dha. We'll see how it goes. If I don't react well to dairy I'll maybe try a lactose-free solution; but I'm hopeful that this'll be fine.

 

[Maori Kiwifruit Growers]

Could you lose weight just eating soup? I assume the water weight would be a lot but I'm talking fat here

 

[Bloo]

Could you lose weight just eating soup? I assume the water weight would be a lot but I'm talking fat here

Sure, you could. I wouldn’t recommend it as you’d probably be starving. If you insist on eating a lot of soup then I’d recommend making sure it contains a lot protein to fill you up longer.

I found out that I prefer the soy protein shakes. I’m not a huge fan of the protein taste and the soy masks it pretty well. I already like chocolate soy milk. I know I should try and eat more protein from actual food but it’s really difficult to hit my goals with that alone.

My BMI is now 28 btw! It’s crazy how close I am to a healthy BMI again,

 

[KillaSmoke]

Could you lose weight just eating soup? I assume the water weight would be a lot but I'm talking fat here

You can lose weight eating whatever you want. You might be more or less hungry, depending on what you choose to eat

Water weight doesn't necessarily go up just because you taking more water. That can actually often actually cause it to decrease. Its an end product of the ratios between the water you take in, all of the different electrolytes, and a handful of various hormone levels.

If your soup is reasonably high protein, and has a decent amount of fiber (an example off the top of my head might be chicken soup, with lots of vegetables), then that's probably going to do a decent job of filling you up on relatively few calories, and work pretty well for a fat loss diet.

If your soup is, like, water, some salt, and a few scraps of cabbage, you'll still lose lots of fat, but potentially be at greater risk of muscle loss, and almost certainly a really unpleasant combination of super uncomfortably bloated full, but also still ravenously hungry

 

[Maori Kiwifruit Growers]

You can lose weight eating whatever you want. You might be more or less hungry, depending on what you choose to eat

Water weight doesn't necessarily go up just because you taking more water. That can actually often actually cause it to decrease. Its an end product of the ratios between the water you take in, all of the different electrolytes, and a handful of various hormone levels.

If your soup is reasonably high protein, and has a decent amount of fiber (an example off the top of my head might be chicken soup, with lots of vegetables), then that's probably going to do a decent job of filling you up on relatively few calories, and work pretty well for a fat loss diet.

If your soup is, like, water, some salt, and a few scraps of cabbage, you'll still lose lots of fat, but potentially be at greater risk of muscle loss, and almost certainly a really unpleasant combination of super uncomfortably bloated full, but also still ravenously hungry

I was thinking bean soup or those "instant soups" (ham beans not instant ramen).

 

[cactus]

I was thinking bean soup or those "instant soups" (ham beans not instant ramen).

Bruh, just learn how to cook, then you can make whatever soup you want and it'll fill you up if you put the right things in it.

 

[IdiotPlusPlus]

Could you lose weight just eating soup? I assume the water weight would be a lot but I'm talking fat here

Recommendation from my nutritionist was to add beans to soup for protein, for context this came up when they found out because of other issues I had been too exhausted to do much cooking and gave up and put 2kg of diced frozen vege and stock in a crock pot/slow cooker to have at least something to eat over a week.

Apparently eating the equivalent of 'water and water with fibre' was not a particularly great option, and they emphasized a rough 1: 1: 2 volumetric ratio of a 'handful' of carbs: protein: vege/salad for a healthy meal

 

[Maori Kiwifruit Growers]

Bruh, just learn how to cook, then you can make whatever soup you want and it'll fill you up if you put the right things in it.

I already know how to cook. That's how I got to this in the first place. I was just eating something easy and it got me thinking.

Recommendation from my nutritionist was to add beans to soup for protein, for context this came up when they found out because of other issues I had been too exhausted to do much cooking and gave up and put 2kg of diced frozen vege and stock in a crock pot/slow cooker to have at least something to eat over a week.

Apparently eating the equivalent of 'water and water with fibre' was not a particularly great option, and they emphasized a rough 1: 1: 2 volumetric ratio of a 'handful' of carbs: protein: vege/salad for a healthy meal

So did you lose weight?

 

[IdiotPlusPlus]

I already know how to cook. That's how I got to this in the first place. I was just eating something easy and it got me thinking.

So did you lose weight?

The long and short of it, is I have some frustrating medical stuff going on that is fucking up my life, keeping those in mind did help but I have also been put on ozempic to counter some concerning weight gain related to my medical stuff to try and keep me stable while other things are being sorted out.

So I'm not going to say 'oh yeah I lost X' as I can't honestly say if it was just diet changes or the combination of medical issues and/or medications(one of which was causing hunger despite being full to the point of vomiting, hence the ozempic to try and counteract it). And a week of just eating Vege soup didn't move the needle on weight, it's too short of a period to show much change anyways.

Speaking with the Nutritionist tho was handy to confirm what I was doing right(healthy foods) and what I needed help with prior to getting sick(mostly portion size tbh) It was also handy to bounce options off them, for example A fairly plain homemade Burger with a bowl of steamed vegies would hit that ratio, and good portion size(approximately a closed fist worth each of carb, protein, and 2 of vege/salad).

 

[Hate Campaign]

Broke into the 130s this past week, at 139.4!
Just five more pounds until I hit the original goal weight I set out for myself (135). Unfortunately I’m already sensing that I’m going to want to go down to 130 so I can be in that 130-135 range for day to day weight fluctuation, rather than a 135-140 range.

 

[SOLDIER OF WALES]

I only lost .5lbs this week, not very happy even though its progress. I try to weigh myself empty of waste and I didn't expel all of my waste so it could be more like 0.6/0.7 but still. Usually lose between 1.1-1.3lbs a week but I kept eating unfortunately.

Just 3 more months and I'm done and I will NEVER dirty bulk again.

 

[HTTP Error 404]

I keep hitting plateaus, but all told when I zoom out the trend is downwards. So at least there's that. I've stared adding weights to my walks. Figure if I get my weight + carried weight to match my old weight well, 1. I'll die and 2. I might lose weight faster?

 

[Sneaky lurker]

Where do you go to get the factual, scientifically accurate(and peer reviewed) data on weight loss? Like, what food has x amount of calories, what exercise burns y amount of fat in z amount of time with w consistency? If I get those tips from youtube I feel like I may be scammed by an idiotic roidhead.

 

[cactus]

Where do you go to get the factual, scientifically accurate(and peer reviewed) data on weight loss? Like, what food has x amount of calories, what exercise burns y amount of fat in z amount of time with w consistency? If I get those tips from youtube I feel like I may be scammed by an idiotic roidhead.

Can't get scammed if you don't give people money. But usually from people who lost weight themselves who talk about it, both from a combination of YouTube and r/loseit.

 

[Overly Serious]

I keep hitting plateaus, but all told when I zoom out the trend is downwards. So at least there's that. I've stared adding weights to my walks. Figure if I get my weight + carried weight to match my old weight well, 1. I'll die and 2. I might lose weight faster?

Plateaus are normal and mini-plateaus where you just level off for a few days are also normal. That's why I always advocate for using weekly averages and comparing them to each other rather than day to day. If the general trend is downwards and you keep it that way over a long period of time, you're doing well. The hardest thing with weight loss is not dropping a bit from one day to the next, but doing so consistently. Losing half a pound a week and doing so for a year is a Hell of a lot better than losing 5lbs in a month and then putting it back on the next.

About adding weights to your walk - sound good, just be wary of doing that if you run. Ex-army mate of mine is a big lad and used to be made to do lots of running with full pack. These days his knees are fucked. Walking should be fine, though. Might want to use something that isn't too dense and therefore doesn't bounce around too much. Or else pad it in your backpack or whatever. Imagine feeling a weight disk bumping into the small of your back every step would get old fast.

Where do you go to get the factual, scientifically accurate(and peer reviewed) data on weight loss? Like, what food has x amount of calories, what exercise burns y amount of fat in z amount of time with w consistency? If I get those tips from youtube I feel like I may be scammed by an idiotic roidhead.

You can find the official nutritional information used by various bodies online. A simple search will turn things up. I typically use this one:

https://www.nutritiontable.com/nutritions/nutrient/?id=76

Over time, I build up a library of most things I eat and can just add them easily in the app I use to track daily calories.

For exercise, everything will be an estimate to some extent. Cardio equipment in the gym you can enter your weight and it'll give you a running calorie count as you exercise but it can't completely take account of how efficiently you exercise or energy burning after the exercise. But doesn't need to be perfectly accurate. Just give yourself an estimate.

Generally exercises that bring in all muscle groups are going to be a bit more calorie intense. E.g. rowing > running. But then most people are more able to do 40 minutes running than 40 minutes rowing! For exercise I would focus on just getting into good physical fitness first. The weight-loss effect of improved fitness is in many ways a secondary effect than a first - bigger muscles means higher basal calorie consumption, distance running builds more glucose storage in the muscles which helps avoid sugar spikes, etc. etc.

People love to repeat that food intake not exercise is what drives weight loss. And they're not without reason to say such things: it's incredibly easy to put back all of the calories you just burned in a run with a couple of Mars Bars. But I feel this undersells how important exercise is. Resistance training will help the weight loss be fat and not muscle, cardio gives you a higher basic calorie burning rate. You actually feel better and more capable, not just thinner. And exercise can also delay hunger pangs or get you through them.

So I would focus on calorie tracking for a couple of weeks, keeping refined sugars out of your diet, and see how much weight you lose and how quickly. But keep exercising, ideally in a fairly routine way in what amounts you're able to do. After a few weeks you should have a rough estimate of what your actual daily calorie needs are including with exercise, and that will let you say "I want to be 300KCal below this every day." Or whatever you settle on. It's not possible to get a 100% accurate idea of your caloric needs from height, weight, exercise. It is possible to get very close to a precise caloric intake so long as you weigh and track things. So start on the second one asap so that over a few weeks you can learn the former. Comparing your caloric intake with how much weight you're losing or if you're just holding in place, will tell you what you need to know and realistically is the only way you can outside of a lab.

 

[Brahma]

Where do you go to get the factual, scientifically accurate(and peer reviewed) data on weight loss? Like, what food has x amount of calories, what exercise burns y amount of fat in z amount of time with w consistency? If I get those tips from youtube I feel like I may be scammed by an idiotic roidhead.

So it exists but it still can only be a guideline.

You and I, all other factors weight, height etc being equal, could run for 30 minutes on the treadmill and I could lose less calories if I'm a formerly well trained runner. Maybe you'd burn 400 and I'd burn 300.

Likewise with food. If we're the same weight etc but my microbiome is different, we could eat the same food and I could extract more calories because my little guys are better at fermenting scfas then yours are. They've run experiments on calorie controlled mice where you put the microbiome of a fat mouse into a skinny one and the skinny one gets fat on the exact same calorie controlled diet!

This is all to say, you need to treat yourself like a science experiment.

Start with the best known data, but don't be a slave to it.

Calculate your calorie needs.

Track your food at accurately as possible.

Weigh yourself regularly. At the same time, on a schedule. When you get up it's a great time

If you need 2500 a day, and you track your food and only eat 2000, you should have run a deficit of 3500. That's a pound of fat.

If you do a week of that.

Then regardless of the trend, do another week because one week isn't enough data to identify a trend.

You're not going to get a smooth plotline because the body is complicated. Hormones, gut, intolerance, all effect your metabolism.

You want at least a couple of weeks data to identify a trend. When you plateau especially, give it a couple of weeks ideally 4 before you go cutting calories again