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Thoughts on appetite suppressants...
- Thread starter Rererara
- Start date
What makes you think 1200kcal/day is the right thing to do? That's probably such a drastically low calorie intake that your metabolism's slowed down to compensate for it. Most people shouldn't be eating any less than about 2,000kcal/day if they're training regularly. Particularly small framed people or people with already low body fat levels may need to go down lower, to about 1,500kcal, but that's about as low as anyone's ever likely to benefit from.
If I were you, I'd start eating more. Don't just start binging, but go up to 1,500kcal on training days, and 2,000-2,500kcal once a week. You might initially gain some weight, but if you're training properly, it'll be the right kind of weight, and it'll help to reset your metabolism.
Training-wise, you should be doing intense resistance training and intense cardio.
I'd recommend doing proper fullbody strength training 2-3x per week, with the honest goal of improving your squats, bench press, deadlift, overhead press, pull ups and rows. If you can't even do all those exercises, then work on being able to do the exercises with good form first, then worry about increasing weight/volume. This is the stuff that spares lean body mass, so that any weight lost is coming from fat.
You should also be doing metabolic resistance training (eg circuit training, Tabata training with resistance exercises), high intensity interval training, or some combination of the two. This is the stuff that shoots your metabolic rate up. There's some conflicting information out there as to how long lasting the effects are...some studies indicate a very short-term increase in metabolic rate, others indicate anywhere between 12 and 36 hours of increased metabolism (by about 10% above normal) after training. Ease into it, and just like strength training, make sure you do everything with good form before you worry about doing it hard and fast to minimise the risk of injury.
If I were you, I'd start eating more. Don't just start binging, but go up to 1,500kcal on training days, and 2,000-2,500kcal once a week. You might initially gain some weight, but if you're training properly, it'll be the right kind of weight, and it'll help to reset your metabolism.
Training-wise, you should be doing intense resistance training and intense cardio.
I'd recommend doing proper fullbody strength training 2-3x per week, with the honest goal of improving your squats, bench press, deadlift, overhead press, pull ups and rows. If you can't even do all those exercises, then work on being able to do the exercises with good form first, then worry about increasing weight/volume. This is the stuff that spares lean body mass, so that any weight lost is coming from fat.
You should also be doing metabolic resistance training (eg circuit training, Tabata training with resistance exercises), high intensity interval training, or some combination of the two. This is the stuff that shoots your metabolic rate up. There's some conflicting information out there as to how long lasting the effects are...some studies indicate a very short-term increase in metabolic rate, others indicate anywhere between 12 and 36 hours of increased metabolism (by about 10% above normal) after training. Ease into it, and just like strength training, make sure you do everything with good form before you worry about doing it hard and fast to minimise the risk of injury.
What makes you think 1200kcal/day is the right thing to do? That's probably such a drastically low calorie intake that your metabolism's slowed down to compensate for it. Most people shouldn't be eating any less than about 2,000kcal/day if they're training regularly. Particularly small framed people or people with already low body fat levels may need to go down lower, to about 1,500kcal, but that's about as low as anyone's ever likely to benefit from.
If I were you, I'd start eating more. Don't just start binging, but go up to 1,500kcal on training days, and 2,000-2,500kcal once a week. You might initially gain some weight, but if you're training properly, it'll be the right kind of weight, and it'll help to reset your metabolism.
Training-wise, you should be doing intense resistance training and intense cardio.
I'd recommend doing proper fullbody strength training 2-3x per week, with the honest goal of improving your squats, bench press, deadlift, overhead press, pull ups and rows. If you can't even do all those exercises, then work on being able to do the exercises with good form first, then worry about increasing weight/volume. This is the stuff that spares lean body mass, so that any weight lost is coming from fat.
You should also be doing metabolic resistance training (eg circuit training, Tabata training with resistance exercises), high intensity interval training, or some combination of the two. This is the stuff that shoots your metabolic rate up. There's some conflicting information out there as to how long lasting the effects are...some studies indicate a very short-term increase in metabolic rate, others indicate anywhere between 12 and 36 hours of increased metabolism (by about 10% above normal) after training. Ease into it, and just like strength training, make sure you do everything with good form before you worry about doing it hard and fast to minimise the risk of injury.
Hi goldfish!
Thanks for the input. I've been on 1200cals a day as I've calculated my BMR which should be ca. 1700-1900 cals a day. I figured that in order to lose weight 500cals would be appropriate to cut. If I don't cut any calories and just work out I'll just mantain, won't I? Plus I don't want to take 13 months to lose 13 kgs.
I know, you might think that this is just another one who wants a quick fix without changing their diet etc. - but tbh, I'm actually a very healthy eater, not because I force myself to be but because I prefer healthy foods (lots of veg, pulses, legumes, whole grains, fish, fruit daily) and its still hard for me to lose weight.
I have been doing 40mins HIIT at my gym since starting my 'regime' - I admit that I haven't been doing any anabolic work (due to severe dislike of weights & general embarrassment)...
Your BMR is what you'd burn lying in a coma. Your daily metabolic rate is always going to be higher than that. Just wanted to clear that up before I proceed to talk about anything else.
I'm guessing that the 1,700-1,900kcal/day what you burn throughout the day just doing normal stuff, without exercising. A 40min training session will burn about 200-400kcal, on average, so if we assume your metabolic rate before training is 1,800, and the training session costs 300kcal (not factoring in the aforementioned possible 10% increase to overall metabolic rate caused by training), then you've effectively pushed your metabolic rate for that day up to 2,200kcal. If you still ate for a maintenance of 1,800kcal, then you'd be in a 300kcal deficit.
So, to answer your question, no, you won't just maintain weight if you don't cut any dietary calories and just exercise. Using exercise alone as the means to weight loss is definitely the slow road, but it does get people there.
If you were eating 1,500kcal/day, and all of the above math were accurate (not to say that it is, since it's all largely based around assumptions, which are bad things to make), then you'd be at a 300kcal deficit on non-training days, and a 600kcal deficit on training days. If you were training every other day, that'd average out to a 450kcal/day deficit.
I'd rather you get over your hangups about strength training than go on appetite suppressants (I know, easier said than done, but so are most things worth doing). Strength training is good for you, even if you don't like it. Appetite suppressants are probably not so good for you, even if you do like them. Sorry to be blunt and dry on this one, but tough love is still love.
I'm guessing that the 1,700-1,900kcal/day what you burn throughout the day just doing normal stuff, without exercising. A 40min training session will burn about 200-400kcal, on average, so if we assume your metabolic rate before training is 1,800, and the training session costs 300kcal (not factoring in the aforementioned possible 10% increase to overall metabolic rate caused by training), then you've effectively pushed your metabolic rate for that day up to 2,200kcal. If you still ate for a maintenance of 1,800kcal, then you'd be in a 300kcal deficit.
So, to answer your question, no, you won't just maintain weight if you don't cut any dietary calories and just exercise. Using exercise alone as the means to weight loss is definitely the slow road, but it does get people there.
If you were eating 1,500kcal/day, and all of the above math were accurate (not to say that it is, since it's all largely based around assumptions, which are bad things to make), then you'd be at a 300kcal deficit on non-training days, and a 600kcal deficit on training days. If you were training every other day, that'd average out to a 450kcal/day deficit.
I'd rather you get over your hangups about strength training than go on appetite suppressants (I know, easier said than done, but so are most things worth doing). Strength training is good for you, even if you don't like it. Appetite suppressants are probably not so good for you, even if you do like them. Sorry to be blunt and dry on this one, but tough love is still love.
Hi goldfish!
Thanks for the input. I've been on 1200cals a day as I've calculated my BMR which should be ca. 1700-1900 cals a day. I figured that in order to lose weight 500cals would be appropriate to cut. If I don't cut any calories and just work out I'll just mantain, won't I? Plus I don't want to take 13 months to lose 13 kgs.
I know, you might think that this is just another one who wants a quick fix without changing their diet etc. - but tbh, I'm actually a very healthy eater, not because I force myself to be but because I prefer healthy foods (lots of veg, pulses, legumes, whole grains, fish, fruit daily) and its still hard for me to lose weight.
I have been doing 40mins HIIT at my gym since starting my 'regime' - I admit that I haven't been doing any anabolic work (due to severe dislike of weights & general embarrassment)...
Omg, why are you doing 40 mins of HIIT on such a low caloric intake if you're not severely overweight? If you're going that low, then an appetite suppressant is the last thing you should consider...and excessive training can increase hunger in some people.
Ok, I am assuming you are a girl? If you used an online calculator (like: http://www.fitness.com/tools/calories_per_day/ work out your weight loss calorie level then you would have been asked to enter your weight, height, age, activity level and how much weight you want to lose per week. In that case, depending on your statistics 1500 may be correct. In most cases the calculators work out your BMR at your current weight and then subtract roughly 500 calories in order to put you in deficit to lose around 500 grams a week. I am a small person, 163cm (5'4) and if I put my stats in at moderate activity my weight loss calorie level would be 1600. For males this would obviously seem extremely low.
So if your diet is ok, eating 5-6 small meals a day, protein with every meal, complex carbs and lots of vegetables/salad, then perhaps it is your workout that you need to take more notice of. I know you said you don't like weights because of embarrassment at the gym and finding them boring? Well, I used to be exactly the same until I started doing group fitness classes at the gym and then just used workout DVDs at home, which I am still doing after 20 years! I have a huge variety of workout DVDs so that I don't get bored. I just bought minimal equipment: some adjustable weight dumbbells, a step that doubles as a bench, a barbell, and some resistance bands. You don't even need to get all of these at once, just slowly add to your equipment. The key is to find a workout DVD instructor that you really like and then stick to them. My absolute favorite is Cathe Friedrich. She has a huge range of DVDs that you can choose from. You can have a look at some of the clips on you tube so you know what you are buying and also read the reviews.
I guarantee that if you add strength training to your routine you will definitely start seeing some results. The more lean muscle you have the more calories your body will burn even at rest. If you do your hitt 3 times a week and total body weights 2 times a week, you'll be set. Just make sure to re-calculate your weight loss calorie intake if you increase the number of days you exercise.
I definitely do not recommend appetite suppressants. Unless you are planning on taking them for the rest of your life they are pretty pointless. Even if you lose some weight to start off with, you will just put it all back on when you come off them. Quick fixes never work!
So if your diet is ok, eating 5-6 small meals a day, protein with every meal, complex carbs and lots of vegetables/salad, then perhaps it is your workout that you need to take more notice of. I know you said you don't like weights because of embarrassment at the gym and finding them boring? Well, I used to be exactly the same until I started doing group fitness classes at the gym and then just used workout DVDs at home, which I am still doing after 20 years! I have a huge variety of workout DVDs so that I don't get bored. I just bought minimal equipment: some adjustable weight dumbbells, a step that doubles as a bench, a barbell, and some resistance bands. You don't even need to get all of these at once, just slowly add to your equipment. The key is to find a workout DVD instructor that you really like and then stick to them. My absolute favorite is Cathe Friedrich. She has a huge range of DVDs that you can choose from. You can have a look at some of the clips on you tube so you know what you are buying and also read the reviews.
I guarantee that if you add strength training to your routine you will definitely start seeing some results. The more lean muscle you have the more calories your body will burn even at rest. If you do your hitt 3 times a week and total body weights 2 times a week, you'll be set. Just make sure to re-calculate your weight loss calorie intake if you increase the number of days you exercise.
I definitely do not recommend appetite suppressants. Unless you are planning on taking them for the rest of your life they are pretty pointless. Even if you lose some weight to start off with, you will just put it all back on when you come off them. Quick fixes never work!
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Weight loss is not an overnight process. It is a journey, a lifestyle change, a commitment and discipline. There are natural aids to weight loss such as foods which keeps the metabolism up: green tea and spicy foods. Also try building muscle by lifting weights.