I lost 45kg/100lbs and you can too! Here's how...

[Patricia]

Thread title sounds like a late night infomercial doesn't it really?

I have lost about 45kg - small avatar is me 'before and after.' below



I hate posts where a person is all self-grandeur, but for the purpose of an introduction here goes

I lost the 45kg giving me the actual perspective of having walked the path. I also have 15 years experience working as a personal trainer and nutritionist, working with varied people from the obese to Olympic athletes. I am certified in both those arenas, as well as a number of others such as pilates, yoga, sports nutrition etc. Studied in both the UK and New York. Competed yes, and won as well.

So, that's an obnoxious wrap up of me.

My reason for boring people with my intro - is I am going to be starting a daily post over the next couple of months - covering from the basics of weight loss through diet, and then moving on to the nitty gritty details of getting onstage...

So, off to get started!

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As I intend to go in great detail on various aspects of diet/supps/training etc, I will provide a hyperlink to each post so as thread grows to a zillion pages it is easy to navigate.

Individual Post Links

#1 - Stop Being Delusional
#2 - Just Do It
#3 - Which Diet is Best For Me?
#4 - Boring Basic Technical Stuff You Need to Know
#5 - How Many Calories a Day Should I Eat?
#6 - How to Divide Your Daily Calories
#7 - So What Exactly Should I Eat?
#8 - Eat Protein at [almost] Every Meal
#9 - What to Eat For Breakfast

[Patricia]

Tip #1 - Stop Being Delusional

I swear 50% of the hold up with average people losing weight is...they are delusional!



I realize this sounds basic to anyone who will read this soon - as forum is new most people here are pretty advanced - but think of most overweight people and what they say/think.

No, no, no a "magic pill" cannot make you lose weight. The "magic ab machine" shown on the infomercial that promises to give you a six pack in "only 2 mins a day!" will not work. There are no deep secrets to weight loss.

The only "secret" that works is this - solid eating and exercise. That simple.

Unfortunately many people [including myself] spend years seeking some magic quick solution - wasting time.

I spent 3 years with my fat self trying all sorts of nonsense, and compared to many others 3 years is short, some spend their whole lives haha! Only way I succeeded - is when I gained a brain and did what was required.

People will spend years looking for the "magic trick" - when they could lose their excess weight in 6 months of dieting properly - but instead they spend years being fat and hunting for the impossible "easy way" to lose weight.

Most things in life worth having - whether it be a nice house, great well mannered kids, a impressive career - take work. Same with a nice body - apart from a lucky few, most people with great bodies bust their butt to achieve it.

So, step 1 to lose weight - accept the fact you will have to diet and exercise consistently for as long as it takes.

Sounds simple - it's not to many. They spend millions on dumb ass weight loss products that don't work, pop pills, try some stupid diet for 4 days their friend told them about etc etc.

Same to an extent with competing. Uh, no "dropping water" won't make a fat [fat as in for stage fat] person shredded. Taking a diuretic won't chisel you to death if you are not lean enough. To look damn good onstage - takes work, not magic last minute tricks.

To lose weight = exercise and eat right. It's the only way. Once a delusional person [which many overweight people are] gets that through their head - that is half the battle.

[nzmusclemonster]

So what was the turning point.... You talk about the problem with people losing weight is they can be delusional. How does an overweight person snap out of that? How did you do it?

[Patricia]

Originally Posted by nzmusclemonster

So what was the turning point.... You talk about the problem with people losing weight is they can be delusional. How does an overweight person snap out of that? How did you do it?

You know, I have thought about that alot.....and I don't really know?

I went through all the stages; insisting I was 'big boned and not fat', blaming genetics etc before I even realized how fat I was.

I think it was a combo of a lot of things....

Being 20 yrs old all my friends wearing cute outfits to the nightclubs and me out dressed like a granny as I was fat and had to shop in the 'plus size' section.

Making fake excuses to avoid going to the beach.

Physical discomfort, it was at the point I couldn't cross my legs, I got tired walking 5 mins etc.

So many things....

I just plain old got sick and tired of being fat basically

[Patricia]

Tip #2 - Just Do It



"Just do it" - a familiar phrase....Sounds simple right?

Nike built a 65 billion dollar company on it - reason, it's such a seemingly simple, but huge thing.

Barring kids and completely uneducated people [which anyone reading this thread isn't] everyone knows the beginning basics of dieting and exercise.

• Everyone knows eating salads is better then eating chocolate cake.
• Everyone knows eating vegetables is better then eating a massive pizza
• Everyone knows drinking a glass of water is better then a beer.
• Everyone knows going for a walk is better then lounging on the couch

The kicker comes down to "Just do it".

• How many times have you skipped exercise knowing you should?
• How many times have you eaten junk food knowing you shouldn't?

If you are human - tons of times!!!

I know people will read this, and be like 'oh shut up with the motivational mumbo jumbo, just tell me a diet that works'....

75% of what you need to know to lose weight are these first 2 points; There are no magic tricks, you need to diet and exercise and just do it!!!

Don't talk about it, don't plan it - skip the junk food, choose the healthy food options, drink the water, get out and exercise and keep it up day after day...month after month....year after year if need be.

Even if you don't know much about dieting, you will make great progress just doing that.

But - that said - that's the end of my mental aspects posts, tomorrow I will start with various posts exactly how to structure your diet/supps/training for most optimal and quickest results.

[Patricia]

Tip #3 - Which Diet is Best for Me?



There are a zillion diet plans around, and you know what the main aim of most are? To make money for the company, that simple. Notice they all come with books, pills and products attached? Weight loss is a multi billion dollar industry - and one of the few industries predicated on failure. Sounds nuts? Uh, no - it's not - think if all overweight people went on a diet, lost all their weight...it's not good for the merchants at all.

This is just a sample of 30 Diet Plans wafting around. There are many more then this, but I was too lazy to make a bigger list

1. Atkins diet
2. Blood Type diet
3. Body for Life diet
4. Carb Cycling diet
5. Detox diet
6. Edenic diet
7. Fit for Life diet
8. Food combining diet
9. Glycemic Index diet
10. Grapefruit diet
11. Jenny Craig diet
12. Ketogenic diet
13. Low-carbohydrate diet
14. Low-fat diet
15. Low sodium diet
16. Low-protein diet
17. Liquid diet
18. Macrobiotic diet
19. Medifast diet
20. Mediterranean diet
21. Natural Foods diet
22. Negative calorie diet
23. Organic food diet
24. Plant-based diet
25. Rice diet
26. Scarsdale Medical diet
27. South Beach diet
28. Warrior diet
29. Weight Watchers diet
30. Zone diet

Lots to choose from. Some are quite good programs, some are utter crap. Either way, I recommend none of them.

Sounds mad possibly, but I am speaking from someone who lost 45kg/100lbs and spent 15 years assisting others losing weight, and so this is what I have learned.

More importantly I can say this as I have *zero* financial motivation and not trying to pimp a product or a service, unlike 95% of weight loss writers/websites etc.

The best diet for a person - is an individual one for themselves.

Taking into account a number of things:

• Technical details; what works and what doesn't
• Your personal tastes
• Your personal strengths and weaknesses
• Your lifestyle

Clients always expected to write up a strict diet for them. Eg: 8am 1 cup oats, 3 strawberries. 10am: 1 apple with 1/2 tsp of peanut butter etc. I never did - we are not robots, we are human, and most people won't last a week like that. There also isn't really a need to. Eating an orange vs an apple isn't exactly a huge difference.

Most the fancy specific diets out there, are sheer marketing, have to make things look special to get people to open their wallets.

The biggest hindrance to weight loss - is people do NOT stick to the diet. That is 99% of the problem for millions of people. The key to a successful weight loss diet - is one you will stick to.

Therefore, set one up

Assuming you are not a total moron, it's pretty easy to set your own [good, effective and maintainable] diet once you know how. That's the new thing I will rant about - all the specific details on doing that.

Recall, a diet only works if you stick to it. So - set up one you can stick to.

[LThomas]

Good stuff Patricia, my wife is looking to trim down after the baby so this is good timing.

[joshdickinson]

thats fantastic patricia, do you have any before and after pics?

[Patricia]

Originally Posted by joshdickinson

thats fantastic patricia, do you have any before and after pics?

<------------

Thanks, I am not too much of a photo person, but my avatar is a split of me before and after

I avoided cameras like the plague when I was fat for obvious reasons

[Patricia]

Tip #4 - Boring Basic Technical Stuff You Need to Know

Yes, this stuff is boring - but you need to know it. It's the basics of being able to set your own diet program.

Metabolism is the rate at which you body burns calories to function. Ever known some skinny person who eats tons of food? It's as they have a high metabolism and burn calories fast. People like myself have a slow metabolism and our bodies burn less calories to function hence why we have to watch our weight. Not too cool, but tough luck for us.

A calories is unit and 3,500 make up a pound of weight. Basically, you generally need to reduce 3,500 calories to lose a pound.

Everything burns calories, even laying around doing nothing you burn calories....and generally speaking the harder you are working/more you are doing more calories you will burn. Eg: walking burns more then sitting, and then sprinting burns more then walking. That's why exercise is a good idea - as it burns calories plus helps your body to achieve a more "toned" look and other benefits.

The end sum is [a very oversimplified version] is you basically need to consume less calories then your body expends each day, to force your body to use your excess fat to function. [there's a lot more to it, but that's the basic gist]

More to it? Yes...you can't just say "well I won't eat for a week" or anything like that. Meal timing, what you eat also plays in etc. There's a host of boring technical reasons why...but these details do matter.