"Diets" don't work because the word implies a temporary change in your eating habits. In order to maintain weight loss, you need to change your eating habits for the rest of your life.

Further, in order to be in good shape - not just maintain "low weight" - you need to eat well and exercise. For the rest of your life.

The math just doesnt work out, go and run hardcore for about 3 miles at 250 lbs bodyweight and you are looking at burning about 500 calories. While thats a good amount its the same as maybe 2 bottles of soda. Its a lot easier to cut out 100 calories from 5 meals then to run 3 miles...

So I never advocate exercise for weight loss purposes as much as diet. I greatly advocate exercise for all the other benefits plus the motivation it helps with in dieting.

Really as someone else stated, if you are overweight you need to make a lifestyle change. Cut out all the crap esp empty calories like soda (sugar) pastries, and other junk.

Also, please note there is more to exercise than cardio.

However, excercise does have other effects, possibly including reducing cravings and changing hormone levels and maybe (over the long term) gene expression.

Of course proper diet does have a huge effect in weight loss though.

I can and have lost eight pounds (not water) in three days. I could do it right now. I call BS on whatever research.

A pound of fat is roughly 3500 calories. In order to lose eight pounds of fat in three days, you would have had to induce a caloric deficit of over 9000 calories per day.

A note to everyone: The most weight you can healthily lose is about two pounds per week. More than that and you're going to start losing a measurable amount of muscle mass. The exception is when you first start out exercising and eating properly, but that should only last for a couple of weeks.

I specifically said it was not water.

In other words, sorry if you don't believe me, but much of what you lost was water.

The problem with exercise, like many endeavors, is that the results are from long hard work. Many times as soon as the initial results slow to a crawl people will lose pretty much all motivation. Its the same as anything else really, burnout is not caused by the work but by the months of seeing no results.

I mainly exercise with weight training (5-6 days a week) and cardio maybe 2-3 times a week. I have been exercising regularly for probably about 8 years now. I don't do it for muscle or weight loss anymore (but of course I enjoy those effects) I do it to get away from everything. Its the time when I can really clear my mind and do something is mentally very easy (although many times physically difficult).

I think exercise is the best thing for people that spend many hours doing mentally challenging but physically non-challenging work like programmers or engineers.

On more than one occasion, I've made relatively mild cuts to my caloric intake (say, 250 Cal/day), and lost significant (>10 lbs) amounts of weight in 1-2 month time periods (and I've kept it off for years). Right now, I maintain my weight (6'2", 180lbs) by eating about 2,300 Calories per day. I don't count Calories anymore (I can estimate pretty well), but by weighing myself daily, I adjust what I eat to maintain.

People think that calorie restriction doesn't work, because they don't give it enough time, they aren't careful about it (i.e. sloppy record keeping), or they cheat. But if you're diligent, patient and honest, it's the most effective weight loss routine you can establish. I recommend using something like calorie-count.com to keep track of everything that you eat for a week or two, then cutting back on that number by a small amount (say, 250-500 Cal.) for a month. You'll be surprised at the results.

Just cut back on soda. Eat half a burrito instead of guzzling the whole thing. Eat proper meals instead of snacking on candy bars.

Just the basics.

I've never dieted, but I'm down at 177 pounds from 189, since I thought I was getting a bit heavy, just through using the techniques above.

I suspect the largest contribution is from not eating an entire Chipotle burrito every couple of days, but instead eating just half, which is still a pretty good meal.

So I think you may be underestimating the impact of exercise on weight. I certainly haven't done as much as you but I feel exercise has helped me lose weight.

so yea, at least in my case, exercise doesn't do much for weight. re: stress though, that's a different issue

Sure you were.

You still may have to make some diet changes: sucking down sodas all day long is not a good idea no matter how much exercise you do.

The other thing to realize is that your body will try to adapt to exercising every day. If you are routinely active, your body is going to be less likely to store energy in fat.

I wouldn't focus on being a certain weight or losing a certain weight - you should initially be staying about even since you will be increasing muscle mass while reducing fat mass.

Part of the problem is that most people have no idea how to do the basic lifts, and most personal trainers don't teach them. Another problem is a basic lack of structure, which is why I advocate focusing on the basic lifts: bench, squat, deadlift and maybe clean & press.

Doing both cardio and strength training is important, but I think most people already understand the basics of cardio.

For the average dude just trying to stay in shape, nothing beats the full olympic lifts. Take the barbell from the ground to over your head with snatches and cleans. Do it right and you'll be stronger than 90% of the people in the gym from 10 minutes three times a week.

FYI: The kind of lifts you see most people do in a gym are derived from body building routines, not proper strength training for athletic purposes. Such lifts will puff up muscles through sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. These slow movement high volume exercises actually decrease peak force, and puffed up muscles will slow you down and decrease aerobic efficiency. Hence the terms "blown-up" or "puffed-up" fighter.

Strength is more a neurological matter than people realize. Achieving higher explosive strength is almost more about training the nervous system than the muscles. The explosive lifts done properly achieve this training, whereas slow heavy-weight movements simply don't.

To equivocate, just snatches and cleans will lead to accommodation quickly. Variations will be necessary. But I will stand by my assertion that ten minute strength training routines done three times a week can leave you stronger than most of the people in a typical gym. You won't necessarily puff up bigger, but you will throw a much harder punch.

p.s.

I like how you admit to being a newbie elsewhere yet you're contradicting me with confidence. I'm not just talking out my ass. This is knowledge I use to win in the ring.

go to a nutritionist and they will ask you "what's your diet like?"

If you want to lose weight you need to include both exercise and proper nutrition in your life (I don't like the word "diet").

Running, weights, PT, biking, swimming, etc. Brisk walking is great. Just do something!

My best advice regarding exercise is to make it a habit by including it in your daily routine. At first you'll feel worse when you do exercise than when you don't, but if you persist you'll soon feel worse when you don't. That's when you've succeeded.

The body's a machine, and with proper fuel and maintenance you have the best chance for a long and productive life.

When I'm eating that salad every day during lunch I just tell myself it's "brain food," and I notice the difference in the afternoon.

I also believe being a balanced and well-rounded person gives you the best chance of being a successful entrepreneur. You can only sprint for so long--think instead of "what I'm going to do for the next 40, 50, or 60 years."

Right now I'm still getting "newbie gains", but I can't even begin to describe how great it feels to know that every day I'm stronger and healthier than I've ever been in my life. I'm also happier and handle stress better than ever. Really, exercise is that miracle drug everyone seems to be searching for.

"Fit for life" is a good mantra, because fitness--a balance of stamina and strength--improves every aspect of life.

It's probably not quite "that simple." How else to explain the epidemic of obesity? Lifestyle hasn't changed that much since the 70s. It's dietary changes, most conspicuously much lower fat intake. Composition of calories matters a whole lot. So many people have difficulty executing on weight loss because they are malnourished in various ways.

I hate this guy and think he's a self promoting huckster, but he does an adequate job of making the point on calories here: http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2008/02/25/the-science-...

From what I read and experienced over time there are some conclusions to be drawn:

1. Most diets are short-medium term, and for long term they're inefficient or (if at least one study is to be believed) even detrimental.

2. Excercise does help. The single most efficient thing you can do, with long term results and no side-effects is to build up your muscle mass. Aerob (resistance) exercise helps too, but I'm not sure yet how much.

3. Meta-diets are more efficient. Instead of following a certain diet, make long-term smaller changes to the way you eat. A few things you can try:

- Add more variety. That's btw what all the doctors say: a balanced diet is a healthy diet.

- Switch starting/stopping a meal from external cues to internal cues. Eat when you're hungry, not when you are offered food or the favorite show is on. Stop eating when you're full, not when the plate is empty. If you can, don't do anything when eating, like watching tv or reading. Hurts the above-mentioned internal cues.

- Don't base your diet on willpower. Willpower is a limited commodity, and it's best kept for other things (really, it's cognitive science).

A good way of combining all of the above is to plan what you're going to eat, but not from a diet standpoint but from a gourmand one. Eat only delicious food. Eat whatever you feel like at the moment. Enjoy eating. By that i don't men stuff yourself with the same hamburgers all the time, but cook your own food and actively search new eating places and foods.

It's very simple to describe: 1. I stopped eating crap: no chips, pop, snacks, a bit less high-fat stuff etc. 2. I scaled back the portions: I was amazed as how much less food I needed to be full and have energy when I started cutting back. I am not a small person (6'4"), but I find lunch portions in most restaurants are a bit too big and dinner portions are often times insane. 3. Started exercising seriously - last summer I ran about 10km 5 days a week, the year before I biked about 120km-150km/week. It may be tough to get started, but after a while it actually gets easier.

As for losing weight, I remember that he writes that people with a mostly plant based diet tend to actually eat more calories than meat eaters, but stay slimmer nevertheless - the energy is used in a different way. He also criticizes some popular diets, for example while Atkins dieters lost weight in studies, what is less known is that they also lost critical amounts of calcium. Overall, Atkins is apparently very unhealthy.

Also, apparently people who switch to plants based diets also lose weight, without calories counting.

Of course I am not a health scientist, so I can't judge the book. But it sounded convincing to me, also because even before I read it I had a feeling I should try to avoid dairy products. I did some google searches but found no refutations of The China Study (it has a section on the grip of the food industry on the dieting market).

In fact, I would be interested in hearing other people's opinions.

He pretty much did the South Beach Diet. It's kinda faddy, but it really is approximately what humans were designed to eat. You should pick up the book, but approximately: no white flour, no white sugar, no rice, no potatoes. First two weeks are pure carb-free (painful) but the rest of the time, complex carbs are okay in moderation.

This really kicked me in the ass to drop weight. I did a fair bit of research into diets and really detested the idea of a fad type diet. But, for me - the South Beach diet allowed me to eat the food I enjoy and not feel like I was starving myself.

Fast forward to April 12th I had lost 42.6 pounds and had my blood retested. My triglycerides were down to 76 (a drop in over 300 points) and my cholesterol was down to 153. Granted triglycerides can range fairly broadly from day to day, but the doctor was very impressed with my progress.

This week, I started a morning exercise routine as outlined by the Hacker Diet ( http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/www/chapter1_2_5.html#Exerc... ). My goal is to drop an additional 25-30 pounds, which will get me to 170-175, over the next year by eating right and exercise.

During those two weeks, it was hard to focus + I would get headaches from the withdrawl. Nowadays it's much easier to find whole grain/lean meat alternatives at every restaurant. All you need is will power to make the right choices.

and humans weren't approximately designed to sit in chairs for 10-12 hours day typing away staring at a computer screen.

the diet matched the activity.

People ate high fat preserved food. Cheeses, pemmican, manteca, bacon, etc. Also pickled stuff.

So if all you do is sit around, try living off tubs of lard and sauerkraut.

I would actually repeat the South Beach just for this wine tasting experience :)

Aside from that I've made sure I'm comfortable with my diet throughout the initial weight loss. To maintain the loss I've realized that I need to decide to change my lifestyle and my diet permanently. So that excludes diets that deprive my body off essential nutrients and which I can not maintain long-term. I've started to eat more salads for my meals - the salads always include protein (grilled chicken or grilled steak) and sometimes carbs too (sweet fruits). I always make sure my meal contains some form of veggies. I try to avoid fat and greasy things totally (but not always). For desert or just increasing my sugar level when I'm feeling lethargic I take sugar in the form of fruits - mostly apples, oranges or anything else that is sitting in the fridge. I've developed a new appreciation for fruits and veggies during the last 6 months. For breakfast I've shifted to having boiled egg whites and recently have started to include brown bread too.

I think the first comment hit the nail on the head - to maintain the loss you need to change your habits permanently. You should pick a routine _now_ that you are comfortable with and plan to carry it with you long term. You can keep tweaking the routine to suit your needs as you go along but anything that you can not carry with you long term should be avoided.

The exercise plan involved a lot of balance, stretching and unconventional weight training. For instance, rather than just pumping iron, the trainer had me do things like stand on a wobbly platform and lift "kettlebells."

Prior to getting fat, I was relatively athletic and went to the gym regularly. I would use the treadmill and lift weights. The new training methods my trainer introduced were much more effective than what I was doing on my own, and I'm now much stronger and more flexible than I ever have been in the past.

I highly recommend this approach if you are serious about getting into shape. Look for a trainer who is into balance, flexibility, "core fitness" and who knows something about nutrition. Most hackers I know are very DIY-independent and are skeptical about hiring someone to help them achieve goals. I am this way, but I found that having a trainer really helped me much more than I was able to achieve on my own.

2. I stopped drinking soda

People who move and then lose weight probably just don't like the food in the country where they moved.

That said, when I stopped drinking soda, I dropped a surprising amount of bodyfat, and felt better overall.

Moving can have a big influence on someone's body/appetite, but moving specifically to Europe has other advantages. There's a book called The French (don't) Diet. I haven't read it, but I know people who have. The basic idea is that French food (and presumably much of Europe's food overall) is naturally healthy. It's not filled with preservatives or infused with high-fructose corn syrup. Those artificial ingredients in most American foods are hard for our bodies to digest, so they move to fat where they are almost never digested. The French food is made of natural ingredients that our bodies can actually use for nutrition and energy, so we don't store the food away - we use it.

The funny thing is that in America, we don't have this artificial food because it tastes better. We have it here because it's cheaper.

On another note, why is this on HN? I know it's tangentially related to the hacker diet, but an Ask YC: How do you lose weight? thread doesn't seem like it would belong here.

Not true in my case because I moved to France and food is _good_. But I've noticed three important differences from the US:

1. Portions are smaller 2. People eat more slowly 3. Meals are more varied (given #1 it's quite normal to eat starter + main course + dessert in a restaurant because all are relatively small).

You also left out Okonomiyaki, which is not only delicious, but surprisingly healthy. And onigiri...

Damnit, now I miss Japanese food again. :)

My home work desk is configured for standing... right now I'm experimenting with mini-steppers though I have a feeling that I either need to hack a full blown stepper or that I need to buy a treadmill. The problem is that most mini-steppers have bad design and will probably break in a month, though if you want a treadmill that doesn't break after prolonged use; I've heard you need to spend a few grand...

Ideas:

- http://www.engadget.com/2005/06/08/the-treadmill-workstation...

- here's one guys hack: http://webworkerdaily.com/2007/07/31/web-workout-make-a-work...

- http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/3634

- http://www.buzzfeed.com/buzz/Treadmill_Workstation

I also use a combination of Wii and a mini exercise cyle (not usable for most desks and it's too loud for the office) when I play xbox 360 video games.

http://www.amazon.com/Brookstone-Mini-Exercise-Bike/dp/B0000...

Once I knew I'd be using the treadmill long-term, I bought a Nordic Track A2350 treadmill online, along with a 4-year extended warranty (added to the year that's already included). There is little chance the treadmill will actually last through 5 years of 5-8h daily usage, so I expect to get my value out of the extended warranty. The whole thing cost about $950 delivered. Far less than a treadmill that's actually built to tolerate this sort of long-term usage.

http://www.shovelglove.com/

His logical, noncommercial, do-it-yourself attitude reminds me a lot of the Hacker's Diet.

I began (in December of 2006/January of 2007) with 15-35 minutes of cardio, three-four days a week (with intensive weight lifting). That got me back into the pace of exercise; weight lifting created muscles which consume fat when I do cardio. I also targeted the muscles closest to the biggest fat deposits (abdominals, legs) more. After I built up more strength and created a pace (roughly March 2007), I switched to nearly daily work outs with 30-45 minutes of cardio, which grew to an hour of cardio. At this pace I was doing at least 3500 calories a week.

In mid-to-early May, I've reached my initial goal, a normal BMI (for my height it's 174 lbs, down from 200+ lbs). Weight loss became even more rapid after that. 165 lbs by mid-to-late June, 155 lbs during the fall and (stably, since mid-December) 145 lbs. I've remained at that weight since. (The only way I know the dates is I've kept a private diary).

It's been the second greatest improvement I've made to my life (the first greatest improvement would be going to college): I've gained enough confidence to resume dating, I've found myself having more time, I've found myself having more energy to do work. I work 8-10 hour days followed - with occasional crunch time and hackathons - while doing a masters part-time: about equivalent, if not greater, work load than one would have as a startup founder (This brings me to another point, yes you do have time to work out).

As for diet, the only real changes were: - As little white flour as possible (substituted with whole weat). There is minimal difference in taste/enjoyment, but there are less of the "bad" carbs. - As little refined sugar as possible, no high fructose corn syrup at all. Splenda in it's place. In reality this means: make your own tea, drink water (and in the worst case, diet Coke). Dump the junk drinks (and that means dump Bawls and Jolt Cola too - diet Rockstar). - Moderation: don't eat when not hungry, don't starve myself (starvation only puts your body into an energy conservation mode). Less eating at night, less snacking. Smaller portions.

In case you want proof: http://rn86.net/~af/badge.jpg (April 2006, this wasn't even at my worst! Just as I began working full-time) http://rn86.net/~af/photobooth.jpg (few weeks ago)

Hmm, perhaps this deserves a full fledge blog-post.

One, I now walk for a long time (1-2 hours) every few days. I go around the neighborhood, up hills and such, so it's not a huge strain but not trivial either. I find a 2 hour walk all at once is much better than, say, 4 days of 30 minute walks, because your body only has to "ramp up" once and spends most of the time at a higher metabolic rate.

Two, I reduced, but did not eliminate, the "bad" things from my diet, permanently. For example, I like soda; but I drink mini-bar cans (100 calories) instead of bottles. I'm slimming anyway; soda is fine, as long as you don't drink so much that there's no calories left for real food. Sure, maybe I could slim down a week or two faster without it, but I wouldn't be happy, so why go through that? :)

Aerobic exercise is great, but you shouldn't do it to lose weight. Do it for the benefits to the cardiovascular system. Anaerobic exercise will add muscle mass which in turn increases your metabolism. Also, by strenuously using your muscles every week, your body has to continuously repair them.

That is important because our bodies are designed for survival. What I mean is that when forced to lose weight, your body will first burn whatever muscle it doesn't need, then resort to the fat. It takes less effort for your body to break down muscle than fat, so it does so first. Your body puts a priority on repairing itself, so it's going to be forced to not burn the muscles it is repairing and instead break down fat for the energy it needs because you're eating less than you need to maintain your weight.

If you want a good weight lifting routine, check out www.wannabebig.com. Specifically, take a look at this routine: http://www.wannabebig.com/article.php?articleid=25

> Aerobic exercise is great, but you shouldn't do it to lose weight.

WTF? Distance is THE way to lose weight. There are a ton of bloated guys throwing around barbells. I never see a fat person making good time on the trails.

You're not going to get huge overnight. It just doesn't happen and isn't something that anyone should even be remotely concerned with.

-Don't eat reduced-fat or "diet" foods. Most of them reduce satiety. I have found, personally, that fats make me feel full, but I can eat an unlimited amount of carbs. Unsaturated fats are ideal. I avoid trans fats everywhere possible.

-smaller plate-size hack http://fooddemocracy.wordpress.com/2008/02/29/mindless-eatin...

-eat breakfast (oatmeal or something with fiber)

-avoid white carbs in favor of whole grains (release energy slowly) and swap out white pasta for whole grain pasta and white breads for whole grain breads. View white bread as a rare treat.

-cut out soda and high fructose corn syrup as much as possible (corn syrup is a more recent addition to our diets that may mess up insulin/satiety)

-weight training--I had great return on exercise (ROE) with the four hour work week's 30 minute regimen from his blog and I seem to need to do this and run to stay slim.

-run (3x a week at least)

-get all required sleep, with naps (some research indicates that over-eating and sleep deprivation are linked)

I'm far from thin (BMI 24.2), but I don't have time to exercise more for now.

edit: my most important weight loss at once was while doing the Oslo-Trondheim pilgrimage in 2006, 640km in 18 days, even while eating an ice-cream each day made me loose 10kg. But you need time and money.

Frankly, most of us are professional sitters. We essentially do nothing physical every day. If we were, historically, designing the human system, we would have never expected it to expend so little energy in a day. We have systems to manage and regulate weight but our activity level is below the expected minimum and they fail. Design-wise--we are not what was expected, so we must consciously do more.

This is to say that medicine and science can help you tremendously with 1) but you need to get your head in a different place if you want to succeed at 2) and that is hard++.

In addition to your efforts at 1), I would _strongly_ recommend working on new habits. One I continually recommend is getting the habit of doing something physical for an hour a day on average. If you can't do an hour at first, do a half-hour on average. By something I mean literally that: bounce a ball against a wall, go for a walk, go for a run, hit the weights, jump rope, bicycle, etc. Just make sure you are fairly constantly active for the period. I think this something idea is more effective because it is much easier goal to keep. People fail at 2) because they cannot stick to their goals for new habits.

This is already more than I intended to write, but I have one last point. Focus on developing a truthful awareness of what you are putting into your body. Eating is an amazingly subtle and powerful mental process. Forcing yourself to be aware of what goes into your body will help you engage better habits.

Actually, here's what I would recommend:

- Stop drinking soda. Drink less beer and more wine and whiskey. Hoooyah. - Don't snack and do get in to things like organic dark chocolate instead of Snickers for dessert. - Set a goal to do something like 100 sit-ups and 25 push-ups a day, no matter what. - As much as possible, eat locally-grown foods. Fat, salt and other undesirables are used to counter the loss of flavor in most food that's packed, shipped, frozen, etc. - Drink a full glass of water before every meal. - Eat more slowly. Using chopsticks helps with this, until you get really good with chopsticks. - Get some exercise band/tube things. You can loop them under your chair and do shoulder presses at about 25-35lbs. resistance while puzzling through an intellectual problem in your code, or while staring at some stupid YouTube video.

The rest is all just about being more active. If you do that well and your metabolism goes up, you don't even have to be as picky about dieting. On top of it, some increase in muscle mass will cause you to shed more calories across the board.

I have often heard the exact opposite advice: eat smaller meals and have more between meal snacks, though obviously with a focus on healthy snacks.

Why do you find this to be a more effective approach?

So, we agree. If you want to slice up some cucumber and dip some humus, that's probably fine. If you're staring at a bag of chips, that's probably trouble.

One of the best methods to make snacking benign is to not stock anything unhealthy. Like, if it's crap, don't buy it and then you won't have to worry about avoiding eating it at home later.

Why then, do some people lose weight during stressful phases of their life, and others gain weight? The explanation put forward is that people might experience stress in different ways. The one kind really experience a prolonged stress experience, so they forget to eat (stress suppresses the hunger). The other kind of people experiences lots of small stress events. For example driving to work: first red traffic light - stress, second red traffic light - stress, call customer - stress. So they have lots of short stress experiences, each one followed with the natural hunger reaction after stress. So they tend to eat a lot, and gain weight.

There are many myths and pieces of information out there on dieting. Yes, keeping protein intake up, to a point that many people would even consider disgusting, is important. It's ultimately pure thermodynamics: eating less than you burn. However, it is a big mistake to try and do too much in the gym. The eating is by far the most important part of the equation.

Another big key is that certain diet patterns are much easier to follow. Low carb works very well for me (after a week or two of adjustment where I'm absolutely fried). Once it's locked in, all cravings for high carb and junk foods just disappear. But I have to be careful, because any break from this leads to extreme temptation again.

Weight training has similar effects. The body can be in an anabolic mode with a caloric surplus, and in that case, yes it's good to work hard in the gym. (Most people shouldn't go to failure very often if ever though.) But when you are in a catabolic mode, working out very hard with weights is going to lead to adherence issues again, e.g. dreading the workouts. You don't really need to do all that much to maintain muscle mass, as opposed to building it when you are approaching your genetic limit. Three times in the gym per week at 30-45 minutes per session would be just fine in my opinion.

In summary, picking something you can adhere to is far more important than trying to optimize the equations in a way that someone with infinite willpower might manage.

My issue is not length, but intensity. I understood "not doing too much in the gym" to mean "don't work too hard." If instead you meant use your time in the gym wisely, then that I agree with. But if you want to see continued improvement, then you need to increase the intensity over time. Despite being in the gym the same amount as some people, I'm in better shape because I work harder.

I agree with your summary, but I would stress "work hard." I've found that working hard and continually trying to improve actually makes workouts more fun.

There's a time for intensity. As someone starts to get diminishing returns, the needs increase for higher intensity, probably higher volume, and higher complexity e.g. periodization or something even more complicated than that. The time for intensity is not when you are just starting weight training, in which case anything will work (but someone should do exercises properly of course.) The time for intensity is doubly not when your primarily goal is to lose weight, in which case the body isn't going to have its full resources to repair itself.

As a counter-example to what you said about intensity, check out the video for The Captain: http://www.gymjones.com/video.php

I also like this essay: http://www.gymjones.com/knowledge.php?id=36

The exercise regimen is very practical. It requires 30 mins 3 times a week. All exercises can be done at home with the addition of an exercise ball and chair-no need to buy expensive equip AND they can be done even when I'm away from home. The exercieses also increase in difficulty as time progresses so you don't feel stagnant. I've definitely seen results.

All the details on the program are here:http://bellyoff.menshealth.com

I've made several changes in my life that I feel contribute to my loss. I don't know which changes have the most effect, but like anything I think it's a little bit of all of them.

First up, Eat real food, not too much, mostly plants. The book "In Defense of Food" changed my life. It's not a diet at all, but guidelines to how to eat better for yourself and the environment. I feel this has had the most impact on my weight loss. I eat way more fruits and vegetables now but less food overall. I try (it's damn hard) to stop eating when I'm full.

I also go to the gym every day. I don't have a in-depth program. I just have day 1 and day 2. Day 1 is 25-30 minutes of cardio and some simple weight training. I typically hit each major muscle set with one set of reps. Day two rests my weight training -- I do 40-45 minutes of cardio. I should also clarify that I don't hit the gym every day; I don't always go if I'm doing some other physical activity that day.

I've been working from home since mid-January. I use the gym in my building at lunch. Again, I do it every day. Commuting and lack of showers in my office were a huge mental barrier for me doing this in the past.

I've also been reliably and visually recording my weight. Every Monday I weigh in when I get up. I put my weight into a google spread sheet and it draws a graph for me. Seeing my progress has been a great reinforcement.

On top of the spreadsheet, I said in January that I want to be 190lbs by May 1 (I'm a pound off track right now). I used the spreadsheet to track where my progress should be. I purposely set my goals for roughly a pound a week. I was able to do a quick formula to show me where I should be every week. This allowed my to check my progress in bite sized pieces.

Good luck!

a. cut the gratuitously bad stuff out of your diet. Drop sodas, chips, candy, etc. If you eat fast food, get a grilled chicken sandwich and a salad instead of a double cheeseburger and fries.

B. add some exercise. It doesn't have to be a lot, but what has worked well for me over the years is walking on a treadmill, and gradually upping the incline to increase the resistance as my conditioning improves; and/or increasing my speed or adding time to my sessions.

You'd be amazed how much weight you can lose if you walk on a treadmill for an hour at 3.5 MPH, with the incline set all the way up, 4-5 times a week. Just be patient. Trying to lose more than 2 lbs a week is probably not a good idea, and it takes some fairly hard work (see above) to lose even 2 lbs a week.

Exercise. Establishing a lasting exercise routine is the only way to stay healthy for life. I was about 40 pounds overweight for 5 years and tried all sorts of diet changes, and nothing lasted for more than a month or so.

Instead of going on another diet, I started running. The above route is almost 6 miles that I ran last week. In February, I could barely run a half mile. It didn't take that long to get into great running shape, and I feel fantastic. I've only lost about 10 pounds, but I figure I've gained about 10 pounds of muscle and lost about 20 pounds of fat. Instead of concentrating merely on what's on the scale, concentrate on how you feel- the scale will come around eventually.

Use BMR info to find daily calorie needs: http://tinyurl.com/yxrujb

Subtract the total daily calorie amount by 250-500 and eat that many calories per day. Yes, you'll have to count calories.

Make sure to get enough protein (at least 1g per pound of bodyweight) and healthy fats (olive oil, peanut butter, nuts, etc) and a moderate amount of carbohydrates.

Do weight lifting 3 days a week, cardio the other 3, and take one day off to rest.

Losing weight is very simple: just make sure you're eating below your maintenance calories. There's no need to follow any special 'diets'.

Huge numbers of people have being-fat related diseases. Never have I heard of someone succumbing to this protein myth.

Saturated fat is healthy fat. It's a lot easier to eat properly once you understand butter and suet are great.

Edit: I also don't drink soda, diet or regular.

A morning after a booze and pizza filled night, my buddy and I were feeling particularly fat. So we placed a bet, the one who loses most will win a bet. He invited another fat friend. So three of us each put $500 into a envelope ($1,500 all in), and we had 6 weeks to lose as much as possible. We weighed in immediately (3 times each, taking the average, very anal about the details). 6 weeks later one had lost 8lbs, one 20lbs and I lost 23lbs (I was completely dehydrated!), but we were skinny and I was rich. It was the easiest way of losing weight ever.

Watched videos on the archos while doing cardio at the gym...Add regular weightlifting where the weight increases over time (just find a program you like from one of the usual muscle mags from the newstands)... and be sure to do cardio with alternating sprints/jogs along with watching your diet. If you are new to lifting, or haven't much before then take it slow and make sure you use good form to avoid injury.

As a note of interest, if you do nothing but watch all the star trek episodes and ride an exercise bike with minimal effort you will end up burning over 50 fat-lbs worth of calories. I still haven't made it through the first series I picked yet ;)

For diet, I ate mostly multigrain pasta, chicken, turkey, bread and vegetables. I didn't worry about eating too many complex carbs. You may want to avoid sugars, but otherwise if you like carbs, all you have to do is get enough exercise. I would also suggest beans (though I didn't at the time). Black beans are one of the best foods you can eat.

kettle bells. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/mahler56.htm Seriously makes so much sense compared to running. Covers both bases (cardio and strength). Only trick is getting them, hopefully you can find them somewhere locally. I managed to find some at sports authority at a mall of all places!

Why cant you do it the normal way of increased exercise and moderated eating, while you avoid eating junk food and rich desserts? And if you eat desserts & junk, you'll only eat it during weekends or something.

1. Turn off the TV (constant bombardment by food ads)

2. Don't eat out at restaurants (huge caloric intake/ ridiculous portions)

3. Learn to cook/ cook a majority of your foods

4. Don't eat processed foods. (high fructose corn syrop, partially hydrogenated oils, carbonated water especially)

5. find a sport/exercise you ENJOY -- snowboarding, biking, etc.

6. try to combine excercise work or excercise/entertainment. (ride a stationary bike while you watch a movie)

7. have fun and enjoy life and don't be worried about how you look

The book is worthwhile but I don't know about any of the other stuff that Dr Joel Fuhrman sells. You don't even really need the book as you can find enough web resources to get started if you google 'eat to live'.

http://www.drfuhrman.com/

http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/04/06/how-to-lose-...

in addition to this type of diet and exercise, lift weights to build muscle. more muscle = more calories burned. because of this, make sure to take in extra protein, and during the one "break" day, eat minimal protein.

change around the food and such as you like, but keep the principles the same.

I think a big part of losing weight (and keeping it off) is changing your routines. Thus, if you want to lose weight, you might also try changing other aspects of your life at the same time (e.g., moving to a new city or starting a new job).

Switch out breads and starches for veggies. Eat a meat with spinach and tomato, instead of fries / pasta. Skip the soda, skip dressing and use more spices for flavor.

If you're gonna go for a gimmicky diet, I recommend the caveman diet: http://www.earth360.com/diet_paleodiet_balzer.html

Step 1: See a real nutritionist and have them develop a nutrition plan for you.

Step 2: Exercise.

It's pretty much that easy. And the nice thing is that once you've got those 2 steps figured out, you'll find you don't have to worry about losing weight ever again because you'll know how to maintain your weight.

How do you keep weight off? Understand there is no short cuts. Basically, follow a steady diet that maintains your weight.

In short cut out manufactured foods e.g. chocolate, soda, cakes, breads, pasta, pizza, burgers etc. Eat simple foods for the most part with water.

Most fat people do not know how to eat/exercise.

In terms of workouts, try hard intervals for both cardio and weights. It's the ideal way to both lose weight and keep your muscle toned.

I'm curious how your diet is different from other no-carbs and especially curious as to what they suggest you'd do after you are off the diet.

It helps you figure out how much to eat, and let's you indulge occasionally so you don't go crazy. Their new online site is fairly geeky, and there are some great recipes as well.

No meetings or anything. Just online. It works!

Thanks Mark

Lookout for hidden calories. Soda, juice, etc can contain about 250 cals per glass. It takes probably about 15 minutes of running to counteract that.

So, to balance those scales of calorie intake (or tip them into your favour) focus on eating better and drink mostly water, coffees and teas.

Exercise is a must. Do whatever form you can do regularly.

Patience is the final piece the puzzle, you can't healthily lose more than a few pounds a week.

http://www.naturalnews.com/022836.html

http://www.hfcsfacts.com/UofWResearchAJCN.html

Pretty much every drink other than water is empty calories.

Being active gives you more "slop." Further, being inactive changes what your body does with those calories.

How to do it is a different question.

My way is to eat mostly fresh food, highest quality meat and fish and very moderate amounts of all. The most important thing: no sugar, and when I say no I mean no! No yoghurt with sugar, no drinks with sugar and also no artificial sweeteners. They ruin the taste and you will always want sweet things. Better have two bad weeks without any sweet things. After that sweet tasts ugly. This is one really big step. If you don't like sweet any more, the whole diet will become more healty.

I do understand this is very hard to achieve in the US. But for me this is very important. Without sugar I can eat enough without high calorie intake. Similar things are true for alcohol. Especially in the evenings its billions of calories.

I run twice a week (10 miles) and swim twice a week (1 mile) . My weight is 145 lbs at 5ft 10. Running and swimming does not burn a lot, but the regeneration phase does (repair, build muscles, refill energy reservoirs etc.). Plus you 'll soon be in great shape and can take the stairs instead of the elevator ;o). Or the bike instead of a car.

Well, and it takes a lot of time and patience. But in the end it works.

Monks life? ;o). Not at all. Fresh milk with cereals and fresh fruits (strawberries, melons) in the morning taste absolutely great. Fresh salad with barbecued fish and a glass of chilly white wine is fantastic in the evenings.

Good luck.

There are are some extremely effective substances you can use but they are a bit harder to get.

Clenbuterol will shed pounds like crazy but it's not something to stay on long-term. So plan to maintain your weight after you have help losing it.

Human Growth Hormone is a very effective fat-burner but it's also expensive from a reputable source. Most black market HGH is fake (usually HCG is substituted).

The diet industry doesn't want you to have these products because it would put them out of business. So you need a prescription, and most people are unaware of those options entirely.

Hormones are extremely influential when it comes to fat storage. If your stress level rises, your body will automatically store fat to compensate and burn muscle for fuel.

So getting rid of stress is critical.

If you are already tired but force yourself to work out, it may help your mental stress, but it does add MORE physical stress so your body may break down muscle and store fat. A lot of people have heard about overtraining but don't realize you don't already have to work out a lot in order to overtrain yourself. Simply being stressed/exhausted can cause overtraining with any vigorous exercise you perform in that state.

Avoid processed food. The more fresh whole foods you eat, the harder it is to overeat, and the vitamins and minerals will make your body stop feeling hungry in a way that doesn't happen when you eat something processed and devoid of nutrition..

Any kind of sugary drinks are a big problem. This includes fruit juice, which typically has all the sugar with none of the fiber. You can drink hundreds of calories of fruit juice in seconds, whereas if you eat whole oranges it takes a lot more work!

Exercise is key. You won't lose much weight because your appetite increases commensurately, but all sorts of things go wrong when you don't exercise. Exercise is a body regulation mechanism. If you don't do it you are guaranteed to have problems.

That's pretty much the most important thing you need to lose weight.

Exercising burns calories when you do it, and then your body burns more calories just by itself when your muscles are bigger and so on.

It's like owning a website which brings you income just by chugging along!

Also, whenever you really yearn for something delicious to stuff your face with, try eating some kind of fruit instead of that chocolate bar.

Fruit can be delicious too, and will most likely be less fattening than, well, anything that you can't pick up from a tree/bush/the ground.

If you really want to go hard-core, eat lots of carrots.

They're definitely not delicious, but at least they provide you with the sensation of Eating, and keep your mouth busy, thus preventing it from devouring sweets.

I believe most diets are just an illusion - or bullshit - pick one.

You don't "diet". Here are the rules (and they work):

1- eat anything you want (don't eat diet crap)

2- eat when you're hungry (no emotional eating)

3- eat mindfully (one bite at a time, put your fork down, chew 20 times or so, taste your food)

4- stop when you are full.

The rest is elaboration. Exercise helps, of course, and learning to enjoy exercise will help you in a lot of ways (disease prevention etc.).

But the big thing for me has been learning how to eat. That conquered, the rest comes naturally.

Well basically that's it. I go to dancing classes. It's not hard and effect is not instant, but I rate that better than gym.