Best way to lose weight for over 55 year olds

[ZRod]

Here is something I do that I honestly don't recommend for anyone else but I have figured it out that it works for me.

I don't eat ANYTHING before noon.

I know...I know....Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Well, what I do is don't eat anything till noon. I will then eat a very light lunch like a salad or wrap. I try to keep it to around 500-600 calories. I then eat a fairly normal meal in the evening with the family that will be around 1000 calories. So, I end up with around 1500 calories for which is always my goal. The maximum I ever want to go is 2000 calories. This leaves me some room if I see something I want to snack on in the afternoon.

Again....it works for me but I don't recommend it.

What I find is if I eat breakfast, I really don't change what I eat the rest of the day and I end up with more calories than I want.

I've heard actually that is a bad idea, because it gets the body to slow its metabolism. I don't know how true that is, but I try to start my day with something, however small, soon after waking up. But, again, what works for one may not work for another. I like the idea of maybe having a smaller dinner than lunch, but that rarely works for me.

Not eating breakfast is a terrible idea. After a night of sleep, your body is starving for something to fuel itself.

What I typically try to do is eat breakfast, but try to have my biggest meal of the day at lunch, and then eat a light dinner. I have all afternoon/evening to burn the calories from lunch, and then I try to go to bed slightly hungry.

Anything in your stomach first thing in the morning kick-starts the metabolism & digestive processes. Not doing this causes your body to think it needs to store fat. It gets your metabolism & digestive system working against you. You don't need to eat a lot but gotta eat something.

As far as going to bed hungry, be careful with that. You want to be satiated when you go to bed or you can fall into the same issues as not eating breakfast...

This isn't necessarily true. Intermittent fasting may have some merit to it. Not eating for a 16 hour period can have your body burning fat stores. There aren't a whole lot of studies out there on it, but some show decreases in body fat and increase in insulin sensitivity.

Two different things - Intermittent vs Consistent. Fasting will typically cause the body to burn stored nutrients. Doing this intermittently might not cause the "rebound" where your metabolism stays slow once you eat to store fat. Doing this consistenly will typically cause this rebound. Consistent Fasting without excercise increases the likelihood that muscle gets burned before fat reserves are touched.

Intermittent fasting has quite a few different meanings and one of the is what BRB is describing. Essentially not eating for an extended period of time everyday, but consuming what you need with in a window during the daytime. Nobody is talking about doing these diets without exercise. That's obviously an option but like you said your going to lose your muscle mass, as you would on any extended diet.

Sorry Zrod, you are referencing the fad diet/dieting pattern group. I did not realize that until this last post.

It's still totally different. Skipping breakfast just cuz is very different than going with a fad diet/dieting pattern with presciptive calorie/intake guidelines. It's passive vs active diet management...

No, it's exactly the same. You're not eating for an extended period of time and then eating throughout the day. Either way there's enough evidence to suggest that when it comes to losing weight it doesn't matter whether or not you eat breakfast. If it works for you not to eat breakfast then do it, if not that's fine too.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2014/06/05/skipping-breakfast-may-not-be-so-bad-for-weight-loss-study-finds/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-berardi-phd/breakfast-health_b_4436439.html

https://www.yahoo.com/health/5-reasons-to-skip-breakfast-97835884338.html

I'm not into the fad stuff like Paleo, etc. you're body doesn't really know the difference between "good" carbs and "bad" carbs it just knows the differential in amounts. But personally I've tried IF for a little while and I like way that I felt and looked, it just wasn't practical for me to do it.

 

[DaveH]

Here is something I do that I honestly don't recommend for anyone else but I have figured it out that it works for me.

I don't eat ANYTHING before noon.

I know...I know....Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Well, what I do is don't eat anything till noon. I will then eat a very light lunch like a salad or wrap. I try to keep it to around 500-600 calories. I then eat a fairly normal meal in the evening with the family that will be around 1000 calories. So, I end up with around 1500 calories for which is always my goal. The maximum I ever want to go is 2000 calories. This leaves me some room if I see something I want to snack on in the afternoon.

Again....it works for me but I don't recommend it.

What I find is if I eat breakfast, I really don't change what I eat the rest of the day and I end up with more calories than I want.

I've heard actually that is a bad idea, because it gets the body to slow its metabolism. I don't know how true that is, but I try to start my day with something, however small, soon after waking up. But, again, what works for one may not work for another. I like the idea of maybe having a smaller dinner than lunch, but that rarely works for me.

Not eating breakfast is a terrible idea. After a night of sleep, your body is starving for something to fuel itself.

What I typically try to do is eat breakfast, but try to have my biggest meal of the day at lunch, and then eat a light dinner. I have all afternoon/evening to burn the calories from lunch, and then I try to go to bed slightly hungry.

Anything in your stomach first thing in the morning kick-starts the metabolism & digestive processes. Not doing this causes your body to think it needs to store fat. It gets your metabolism & digestive system working against you. You don't need to eat a lot but gotta eat something.

As far as going to bed hungry, be careful with that. You want to be satiated when you go to bed or you can fall into the same issues as not eating breakfast...

This isn't necessarily true. Intermittent fasting may have some merit to it. Not eating for a 16 hour period can have your body burning fat stores. There aren't a whole lot of studies out there on it, but some show decreases in body fat and increase in insulin sensitivity.

Two different things - Intermittent vs Consistent. Fasting will typically cause the body to burn stored nutrients. Doing this intermittently might not cause the "rebound" where your metabolism stays slow once you eat to store fat. Doing this consistenly will typically cause this rebound. Consistent Fasting without excercise increases the likelihood that muscle gets burned before fat reserves are touched.

Intermittent fasting has quite a few different meanings and one of the is what BRB is describing. Essentially not eating for an extended period of time everyday, but consuming what you need with in a window during the daytime. Nobody is talking about doing these diets without exercise. That's obviously an option but like you said your going to lose your muscle mass, as you would on any extended diet.

Sorry Zrod, you are referencing the fad diet/dieting pattern group. I did not realize that until this last post.

It's still totally different. Skipping breakfast just cuz is very different than going with a fad diet/dieting pattern with presciptive calorie/intake guidelines. It's passive vs active diet management...

No, it's exactly the same. You're not eating for an extended period of time and then eating throughout the day. Either way there's enough evidence to suggest that when it comes to losing weight it doesn't matter whether or not you eat breakfast. If it works for you not to eat breakfast then do it, if not that's fine too.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2014/06/05/skipping-breakfast-may-not-be-so-bad-for-weight-loss-study-finds/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-berardi-phd/breakfast-health_b_4436439.html

https://www.yahoo.com/health/5-reasons-to-skip-breakfast-97835884338.html

I'm not into the fad stuff like Paleo, etc. you're body doesn't really know the difference between "good" carbs and "bad" carbs it just knows the differential in amounts. But personally I've tried IF for a little while and I like way that I felt and looked, it just wasn't practical for me to do it.

See, this is reasonable. Some people like IF, some people don't. There is no magic, really. If it works for you in terms of driving compliance with your overall calorie\macro goals then great. If not, that's cool too. It likely doesn't matter that much.

What does matter is long term commitment and working hard both in the kitchen and the gym.

 

[ColoNoCoHusker]

Here is something I do that I honestly don't recommend for anyone else but I have figured it out that it works for me.

I don't eat ANYTHING before noon.

I know...I know....Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Well, what I do is don't eat anything till noon. I will then eat a very light lunch like a salad or wrap. I try to keep it to around 500-600 calories. I then eat a fairly normal meal in the evening with the family that will be around 1000 calories. So, I end up with around 1500 calories for which is always my goal. The maximum I ever want to go is 2000 calories. This leaves me some room if I see something I want to snack on in the afternoon.

Again....it works for me but I don't recommend it.

What I find is if I eat breakfast, I really don't change what I eat the rest of the day and I end up with more calories than I want.

I've heard actually that is a bad idea, because it gets the body to slow its metabolism. I don't know how true that is, but I try to start my day with something, however small, soon after waking up. But, again, what works for one may not work for another. I like the idea of maybe having a smaller dinner than lunch, but that rarely works for me.

Not eating breakfast is a terrible idea. After a night of sleep, your body is starving for something to fuel itself.

What I typically try to do is eat breakfast, but try to have my biggest meal of the day at lunch, and then eat a light dinner. I have all afternoon/evening to burn the calories from lunch, and then I try to go to bed slightly hungry.

Anything in your stomach first thing in the morning kick-starts the metabolism & digestive processes. Not doing this causes your body to think it needs to store fat. It gets your metabolism & digestive system working against you. You don't need to eat a lot but gotta eat something.

As far as going to bed hungry, be careful with that. You want to be satiated when you go to bed or you can fall into the same issues as not eating breakfast...

This isn't necessarily true. Intermittent fasting may have some merit to it. Not eating for a 16 hour period can have your body burning fat stores. There aren't a whole lot of studies out there on it, but some show decreases in body fat and increase in insulin sensitivity.

Two different things - Intermittent vs Consistent. Fasting will typically cause the body to burn stored nutrients. Doing this intermittently might not cause the "rebound" where your metabolism stays slow once you eat to store fat. Doing this consistenly will typically cause this rebound. Consistent Fasting without excercise increases the likelihood that muscle gets burned before fat reserves are touched.

Intermittent fasting has quite a few different meanings and one of the is what BRB is describing. Essentially not eating for an extended period of time everyday, but consuming what you need with in a window during the daytime. Nobody is talking about doing these diets without exercise. That's obviously an option but like you said your going to lose your muscle mass, as you would on any extended diet.

Sorry Zrod, you are referencing the fad diet/dieting pattern group. I did not realize that until this last post.

It's still totally different. Skipping breakfast just cuz is very different than going with a fad diet/dieting pattern with presciptive calorie/intake guidelines. It's passive vs active diet management...

No, it's exactly the same. You're not eating for an extended period of time and then eating throughout the day. Either way there's enough evidence to suggest that when it comes to losing weight it doesn't matter whether or not you eat breakfast. If it works for you not to eat breakfast then do it, if not that's fine too.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2014/06/05/skipping-breakfast-may-not-be-so-bad-for-weight-loss-study-finds/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-berardi-phd/breakfast-health_b_4436439.html

https://www.yahoo.com/health/5-reasons-to-skip-breakfast-97835884338.html

I'm not into the fad stuff like Paleo, etc. you're body doesn't really know the difference between "good" carbs and "bad" carbs it just knows the differential in amounts. But personally I've tried IF for a little while and I like way that I felt and looked, it just wasn't practical for me to do it.

I disagree. Active diet management is completely different than passive. I don't understand how you think they are the same. Those articles also state this.

 

[DaveH]

I disagree. Active diet management is completely different than passive. I don't understand how you think they are the same. Those articles also state this.

What do you mean by active versus passive diet management?

 

[TGHusker]

Here is something I do that I honestly don't recommend for anyone else but I have figured it out that it works for me.

I don't eat ANYTHING before noon.

I know...I know....Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Well, what I do is don't eat anything till noon. I will then eat a very light lunch like a salad or wrap. I try to keep it to around 500-600 calories. I then eat a fairly normal meal in the evening with the family that will be around 1000 calories. So, I end up with around 1500 calories for which is always my goal. The maximum I ever want to go is 2000 calories. This leaves me some room if I see something I want to snack on in the afternoon.

Again....it works for me but I don't recommend it.

What I find is if I eat breakfast, I really don't change what I eat the rest of the day and I end up with more calories than I want.

I've heard actually that is a bad idea, because it gets the body to slow its metabolism. I don't know how true that is, but I try to start my day with something, however small, soon after waking up. But, again, what works for one may not work for another. I like the idea of maybe having a smaller dinner than lunch, but that rarely works for me.

Not eating breakfast is a terrible idea. After a night of sleep, your body is starving for something to fuel itself.

What I typically try to do is eat breakfast, but try to have my biggest meal of the day at lunch, and then eat a light dinner. I have all afternoon/evening to burn the calories from lunch, and then I try to go to bed slightly hungry.

Anything in your stomach first thing in the morning kick-starts the metabolism & digestive processes. Not doing this causes your body to think it needs to store fat. It gets your metabolism & digestive system working against you. You don't need to eat a lot but gotta eat something.

As far as going to bed hungry, be careful with that. You want to be satiated when you go to bed or you can fall into the same issues as not eating breakfast...

Eating in bed can be fun, but it may not provide much caloric intake, if you know what I mean.

- kind of got off topic

 

[TGHusker]

Guys - lot of great discussion here and ideas. I think I'll take NUance's advise and start a Biggest Loser thread. I'll throw out the idea and we can determine the rules on who lost the most - is it by total pounds (obvious answer) or by % of goal met, or beginning weight vs ending weight ratio, etc. If you guys have a best way of doing this, chip in on the thread. I'll start it.

 

[NoLongerN]

We could start a DietBet as well. Good idea TGHusker.

 

[TGHusker]

We could start a DietBet as well. Good idea TGHusker.

I just started the tread, put your ideas on it and we can work the details out

 

[ColoNoCoHusker]

I disagree. Active diet management is completely different than passive. I don't understand how you think they are the same. Those articles also state this.

What do you mean by active versus passive diet management?

Active diet management - Tracking calories/what is consumed/how much/when consumed...

Passive diet management - Eating without regard to any of these areas

 

[DaveH]

I disagree. Active diet management is completely different than passive. I don't understand how you think they are the same. Those articles also state this.

What do you mean by active versus passive diet management?

Active diet management - Tracking calories/what is consumed/how much/when consumed...

Passive diet management - Eating without regard to any of these areas

Duh. I didn't even think there'd be a term for eating whatever you want. ha!