Diet or calorie counting to lose weight?

[Emily S]

Calorie counting does not work in the long run. When you say you want to lose weight do you mean tone up, slim down or a physical number on the scales?

Anyway you have probably heard before how muscle weighs more then fat right? Well guess what, it also helps burn fat. Fat is literally your fuel source to hold muscle. Then you have your anabolic (building up) and catatonic (breaking down) phases. It is not about the amount of calories you eat but much rather then timing that you eat and what you eat verses the physical activity you do. I know a girl who is tiny, weight trains and eats a whole roast chicken in one meal because she has the muscle to do so.

My fitnesspal is crap. It's inaccurate and dumb. It told em I needed to eat 1200cal. I need more then that just to function without doing anything excluding laying their without breathing. It's an app that helps create eating disorders in my opinion.

I have used My Fitness Pal and have found it great to lose weight, great to maintain the loss and most of all it has helped with knowing what the 'better choices' of foods are!

What works for one person may not work for another but it has definitely helped me to train my mind to realise how bad some of my meals and portion sizes were, all without going hungry and starving myself - there's certainly no eating disorder here, just a 16/17lb weight loss and a much more balanced diet!

 

[Wendythebarber]

I've been using myfitnesspal for calorie counting, and I work out regularly. I have lost 40 pounds since January. I still have 55 pounds to go but I am off to a great start. I am calorie counting, at 1300 calories a day. I also have a Fitbit I use to help count my steps and keep me motivated to move more, on top of my regular workouts.

 

[Reidebot]

I have used My Fitness Pal and have found it great to lose weight, great to maintain the loss and most of all it has helped with knowing what the 'better choices' of foods are!

What works for one person may not work for another but it has definitely helped me to train my mind to realise how bad some of my meals and portion sizes were, all without going hungry and starving myself - there's certainly no eating disorder here, just a 16/17lb weight loss and a much more balanced diet!

The problem with myfitnesspal is not the app itself but the fact that anyone can add to it. I could upload a banana with 4000 cals for instance as an example. Hearing you're on a balanced diet is awesome. Sorry I get really passionate over this stuff.

 

[Emily S]

The problem with myfitnesspal is not the app itself but the fact that anyone can add to it. I could upload a banana with 4000 cals for instance as an example. Hearing you're on a balanced diet is awesome. Sorry I get really passionate over this stuff.

Ah I get what you mean! Yes, I do try choose the verified options or average it out if there seems to be a varying answer but on the whole it's taught me to make much better choices.

Like this evening, I got the kids fish and chips whilst I had a prawn salad .. I did pinch a teeny bit of fish without the batter though, just cause I couldn't resist

I've always known fish and chips would be bad but never realised exactly how bad they were and what a 'normal' sized allowance of chips would be in comparison to the mountain take aways serve! It's really changed my mind set to realise that no matter how big or small that sneaky bit of chocolate, sweet, chip etc, it all counts!! :o

 

[Lizzyxoxo]

Calorie counting does not work in the long run. When you say you want to lose weight do you mean tone up, slim down or a physical number on the scales?

Anyway you have probably heard before how muscle weighs more then fat right? Well guess what, it also helps burn fat. Fat is literally your fuel source to hold muscle. Then you have your anabolic (building up) and catatonic (breaking down) phases. It is not about the amount of calories you eat but much rather then timing that you eat and what you eat verses the physical activity you do. I know a girl who is tiny, weight trains and eats a whole roast chicken in one meal because she has the muscle to do so.

My fitnesspal is crap. It's inaccurate and dumb. It told em I needed to eat 1200cal. I need more then that just to function without doing anything excluding laying their without breathing. It's an app that helps create eating disorders in my opinion.

Tablets suck. They are bad for your and only make you lose water weight. You need a lifestyle change to slim down, not a magic pill.

Realistically diet is 70-85% of health and exercise/training is 15-30% of your health (hence abs are made in the kitchen). You can't out train a bad diet and you can't use crap to fix a lifestyle of bad habits (just generalising here). Basically a clean diet, plenty of water and consistent training (hypertrophy and strength.... not this cardio bunny thing) is best. Look after your body and it will become the best it can.

Good luck.

Thanks for your reply! I have back problems so struggle with lifting heavy weights i can manage light dumbbells but not sure if that would really work? xx

 

[cassies97]

Calorie counting does not work in the long run. When you say you want to lose weight do you mean tone up, slim down or a physical number on the scales?

Anyway you have probably heard before how muscle weighs more then fat right? Well guess what, it also helps burn fat. Fat is literally your fuel source to hold muscle. Then you have your anabolic (building up) and catatonic (breaking down) phases. It is not about the amount of calories you eat but much rather then timing that you eat and what you eat verses the physical activity you do. I know a girl who is tiny, weight trains and eats a whole roast chicken in one meal because she has the muscle to do so.

My fitnesspal is crap. It's inaccurate and dumb. It told em I needed to eat 1200cal. I need more then that just to function without doing anything excluding laying their without breathing. It's an app that helps create eating disorders in my opinion.

Tablets suck. They are bad for your and only make you lose water weight. You need a lifestyle change to slim down, not a magic pill.

Realistically diet is 70-85% of health and exercise/training is 15-30% of your health (hence abs are made in the kitchen). You can't out train a bad diet and you can't use crap to fix a lifestyle of bad habits (just generalising here). Basically a clean diet, plenty of water and consistent training (hypertrophy and strength.... not this cardio bunny thing) is best. Look after your body and it will become the best it can.

Good luck.

I agree with everything apart from the comment about cardio.

It depends what you want to look like. A lot of women don't want the broad shoulders and lean physiques that come with hypertrophy and strength training if someone doesn't know how to do it properly.

The best method for keeping a very feminine physique is jogging.

 

[Reidebot]

I agree with everything apart from the comment about cardio.

It depends what you want to look like. A lot of women don't want the broad shoulders and lean physiques that come with hypertrophy and strength training if someone doesn't know how to do it properly.

The best method for keeping a very feminine physique is jogging.

"Cardio bunny" is a term for someone who goes to the gym and just uses cadio for a short amount of time to feel better about themselves rather then actually putting work into their body. I don't know if it's just an Aussie term.

I'm a personal trainer. The best way for a feminine figure is 100% definitely not jogging. Jogging is very limited. The best movement to keep a feminine physique is probably squatting with a load because it causes you work the most muscles in the body with the most effective weight and range of movement. Jogging burns a small amount of calories while activating the lactate system. You can only do it in short bursts and it is very limited with what you can actually increase. A marathon runner may train for years and only improve by a few seconds. This really relies on your slow and fast twitch muscle fibres. And I really want an excuse not to jog ;P

I agree that a lot of women may not want the broad shoulders etc but that comes to play with how much you load per session. As an example I add 2.5kg to my squat per session and go in 3 times a week. I will increase muscle more quickly then someone who only comes in once a week increasing by .5kg. Diet is also a huge role. My personal trainer is always hassling me saying to aim for 150grams of protein because I'm a vegan. Genetics also take part too. I can gain fat and loose fat really quickly. Then you hear about those people who can eat 3 pizzas in a meal while still looking like a twig.

Sorry if this is long. I just like writing about this stuff.

 

[Reidebot]

Thanks for your reply! I have back problems so struggle with lifting heavy weights i can manage light dumbbells but not sure if that would really work? xx

Now I am not able to see you and am not going to prescribe you heavy weights. But what I can say is this. Through my training I have learned that you generally can adapt a movement to the pain. We had this guy today who had a shoulder/back issue. We changed his low bar squat to a high bar squat and it fixed up. That pain could potentially be to do with muscle weakness too. We had a women with fibomalagia, severe knee issues and back issues do body weight squats, overhead press and dead lifts. We also had this other lady, 74 years old dong back squats. I'm not saying you should start without investigating your ability to do so. But the biggest feedback I have hears is that training has helped with back problems.

 

[cassies97]

"Cardio bunny" is a term for someone who goes to the gym and just uses cadio for a short amount of time to feel better about themselves rather then actually putting work into their body. I don't know if it's just an Aussie term.

I'm a personal trainer. The best way for a feminine figure is 100% definitely not jogging. Jogging is very limited. The best movement to keep a feminine physique is probably squatting with a load because it causes you work the most muscles in the body with the most effective weight and range of movement. Jogging burns a small amount of calories while activating the lactate system. You can only do it in short bursts and it is very limited with what you can actually increase. A marathon runner may train for years and only improve by a few seconds. This really relies on your slow and fast twitch muscle fibres. And I really want an excuse not to jog ;P

I agree that a lot of women may not want the broad shoulders etc but that comes to play with how much you load per session. As an example I add 2.5kg to my squat per session and go in 3 times a week. I will increase muscle more quickly then someone who only comes in once a week increasing by .5kg. Diet is also a huge role. My personal trainer is always hassling me saying to aim for 150grams of protein because I'm a vegan. Genetics also take part too. I can gain fat and loose fat really quickly. Then you hear about those people who can eat 3 pizzas in a meal while still looking like a twig.

Sorry if this is long. I just like writing about this stuff.

Ah right i've never heard the term before.

Yeah you're probably right actually, squats will be better for gaining a more feminine figure.

What about HIIT though?

How did you become a personal trainer so fast after leaving hairdressing?

 

[Reidebot]

Ah I get what you mean! Yes, I do try choose the verified options or average it out if there seems to be a varying answer but on the whole it's taught me to make much better choices.

Like this evening, I got the kids fish and chips whilst I had a prawn salad .. I did pinch a teeny bit of fish without the batter though, just cause I couldn't resist

I've always known fish and chips would be bad but never realised exactly how bad they were and what a 'normal' sized allowance of chips would be in comparison to the mountain take aways serve! It's really changed my mind set to realise that no matter how big or small that sneaky bit of chocolate, sweet, chip etc, it all counts!!

Between you and I, I eat deep fried chips here and there. I don't even calorie count either and macros are for nerds (jk). Cheat meals are okay as restriction can lead to binging in my eyes. I'm a vegan who doesn't eat palm oil.... so junk food is really hard to come by. My meals also fill a blender.

For chocolate, we actually learned in school (I'm not even kidding, we legit learned this) that if you eat 85% dark chocolate and thin skinned fruit, it helps you build abs. But a little bit here and there is fine as you want to live a happy lifestyle while keeping it balanced and healthy.

 

[Reidebot]

Ah right i've never heard the term before.

Yeah you're probably right actually, squats will be better for gaining a more feminine figure.

What about HIIT though?

How did you become a personal trainer so fast after leaving hairdressing?

the PT course is only 10 weeks to 6 months in australia and I have had some really awesome placements. It's almost a year since I left hairdressing anyway according to my papers. I was unofficially staffed but that was not working out for me with school as I was at both at the same time. I donated my mannequins there the other day and it was mouse infested though....

HIIT will get you results (any movement gets results for the first 6 weeks) but there is a difference between exercise and training. Training maintains and builds long term results. Exercise just smashes you. HIIT has its place but it depends on how its used and if the trainers are competent. There is always the good and the bad.

 

[byKaty]

I agree with everything apart from the comment about cardio.

It depends what you want to look like. A lot of women don't want the broad shoulders and lean physiques that come with hypertrophy and strength training if someone doesn't know how to do it properly.

The best method for keeping a very feminine physique is jogging.

Jogging is the worst for a female trying to drop body fat. While it's grand for cv health it's not for body fat. Especially in the lower body. Same with aerobics classes.
Strength training doesn't make you bulky. Unless you are training and eating specifically for that goal. And taking drugs.

 

[cassies97]

Jogging is the worst for a female trying to drop body fat. While it's grand for cv health it's not for body fat. Especially in the lower body. Same with aerobics classes.
Strength training doesn't make you bulky. Unless you are training and eating specifically for that goal. And taking drugs.

I already admitted i was wrong on the jogging.

Like i previously said too if people don't know how to so it properly then they will end up with broad shoulders and masculine backs... And most people don't know how to do it properly.

 

[byKaty]

I already admitted i was wrong on the jogging.

Like i previously said too if people don't know how to so it properly then they will end up with broad shoulders and masculine backs... And most people don't know how to do it properly.

It's nothing to do with doing it properly. It doesn't make you manly looking but will give you curves in right places.
Too many females believe that weight training will make them look like men so they train with the silly pink dumbbells and do lots of reps etc. If they even lift. Pts are the worst for telling them to do it. Grinds my gears.
Look at the bikini competitors at the bodybuilding shows and tell me they don't look femine.

Not ranting at you cams btw. Same as earlier post, wasn't to get at you.
I fooking hate cardio lol. Give me a prowler or a tyre to flip instead. That **** burns fat like nothing else.
I used to have to do the treadmill etc for competing and I just wanted to kill my self after 10 min lol.

 

[cassies97]

Yeah I know what you're saying i agree with you completely!