Where's my Shoes? - Weight Loss Thread
 

Sensitive subject I know, but how about a thread on weight loss. How much better would your swing be without the extra baggage? We have some excellent resources on this site for anyone interested in shedding a few pounds.

Vickie!

Easy questions but there are those "situational" factors.

What does the body prefer to burn in the form of energy? Fat, Carbohydrate/Glucose, or Protein?

If I walk a flat 18 holes, am I getting a good fat burning workout?

If I spend an hour on the range, what source of energy do you estimate I'm using the most?

I love this subject so watch out!

Bagger

The First Tee
 

At least 20 views and no one bites. Pun intended.

Come on. Anyone curious how to shed a few? Just a hint...Like golf, there are quick fixes and long term fixes. The quick fix can be bought over the counter and through "pop" instruction. Most quick fixes can be harmful and don't last.

Let me explain why I started this thread. Over 60% of us are overweight. According to the CDC 1 in 3 of us are obese. Some of it from excess, but I would argue that it's lack of good information and of course, lifestyle...ouch.

Again, it's not hard to shed fat and pounds with the right information in hand. This thread, like the rest of the site is to make you a better golfing machine regardless of age or ability. Tune up time! The holidays are fast approaching.

Tee it up.

Bagger

Very brave of you Bagger and as you might have guessed I have much to say. Since I don't believe in a quick fix I have to wait until my work day is complete to contribute so I will be home later today and will post most enormously. Thanks for suggesting this conversation. Vik

Really quite simple
 

If you take in more calories than you consume, you put on weight. Simple eh?

I know that most Americans eat portions larger than they should...

I know that most Americans eat way too much fats...

I know that I cut the size of my portions unless it is a special occassion.

I have started eating more fruits

Haven't eaten anything out of a can in a year or so.

Drink water not soda's.

Still haven't completely converted to whole wheat products. Still have some processed or refined flour contents.

Now if I can only quit the Triple Cholocate Banana Splits I will probably be okay.

Also have been walking for exercise and in the past 3 weeks or so have for the first time in about 30 years starting walking and carrying the golf bag. The course being hilly has limited me to 9 holes so far, but with the exercise that Vickie as given along with a few others, the pounds are dropping and I feel better.

Re: Really quite simple
 

True. And if you take in less than you burn, you lose weight. But if you're concerned about actually keeping some muscle on, those foods have to be good ones. 1500 calories of fast food is going to be less calories than you burn, but good luck losing weight doing that.

Basically you need to do some cardio minimum 2-3 times a week - any type will do. Also, you obviously need to watch what you're eating. No junk, no simple sugars, nothing high in saturated fat, etc.

tongzilla's brief guide to fat loss
 

Indeed, where you get your calories is important too, but unless you understand the calorie concept, nothing else matters.

There are so many opinions about how to lose body fat that many people end up completely confused and they don't do anything!

They've read about 27 ways to diet, 34 ways to do cardio, 101 ways to lift weights and 79 supplements to take. But they still don't have a clue how to start.

The "paralysis by analysis" syndrome.

The most important thing you can do is take action. Just begin the journey and figure it out as you go.

Actually, losing fat is not that complicated. You don't need a PhD in exercise physiology to figure out that any exercise is better than no exercise. You don't have to be a genius in nutritional biochemistry to figure out that an apple is better than a pop tart. Getting lean is simple: Exercise. Eat healthier foods. Eat smaller portions. Isn't this stuff just common sense? Didn't your mother tell you this?

The most important dietary factor in fat loss is not how many grams of carbohydrate, protein or fat you eat, the most important factor for fat loss is calories.

I'm appalled at how many people claim to sincerely want to lose body fat who admit they haven't a clue how many calories they eat.

Get serious! If you don't have the faintest idea how much you're eating, how can you expect to make any progress?

Did it ever occur to you that your ONLY problem might be overeating!

Do you realize that too much of anything gets stored as fat?

That's right - even if you're eating nothing but "natural and healthy" foods, if you eat too many of them, you're still going to get fat.

Portion control, my friend, portion control!

On the other hand, if you're under-eating you may be slowing down your metabolism. There's a fine line.

Don't get caught up in minutia - focus on fundamentals.

Paying attention to detail is important in G.O.L.F. -- and it is good advice. Unless you haven't mastered the fundamentals yet. In that case, it's the worst advice you could follow. Exactly the same in fat loss.

Emerson said, "The height of the pinnacle is determined by the breadth of the base." The heights you reach will depend entirely on how broad a foundation you build.

Forget about supplement dosages
Forget about macronutrient cycling
Forget about tempo manipulation
Forget about glycemic indexes
Forget about the latest Bulgarian or Russian periodization program
Forget about ALL the minutia until you have the fundamentals down cold!

Master the fundamentals first!

And what are the fundamentals to fat loss? In my opinion, they are:

(1) Burn more calories than you consume
(2) Do your cardio
(3) Lift weights
(4) Eat small, frequent meals and never skip meals
(5) Keep your fat intake low, but include adequate amounts of essential fats
(6) Eat natural foods; avoid processed & refined foods
(7) Eat more natural complex carbs, fruits & vegetables
(8) Eat lean proteins with each meal
(9) Think positive: visualize yourself as you would like to be.

If you're not doing all these things, and you're looking for the perfect supplement stack or the optimum periodization plan, I'm afraid you're barking up the wrong tree.

It's not that details don't matter -- of course they do. The Law of Accumulation states that every success is a matter of hundreds or even thousands of tiny efforts that often go unnoticed or unappreciated. Everything counts. Everything either helps or hurts. Nothing is neutral.

The problem is when you get bogged down in minutia before you've even learned the basics. Minor details produce minor results. Major fundamentals produce major results.

Don't major in minor things. Lay your foundation first, then move on to the finer points. And remember, as Jim Rohn says, always be suspicious of someone who says they've found a "new fundamental."

Rx For Life
 

Hall of Fame post, Leo. Thanks!

Tongzilla has posted a complete answer for you Bagger. I agree that most people start focusing on minutia before just setting up a three point plan. Don't skip meals, don't overeat, and eat your food in it's purest form possible. I think it was Martee that said he wasn't eating out of cans. This leans toward the glycemic efffects of foods but I will add this. When you eat clean, fresh foods, your body receives all of the nutrients that it is looking for in the calories you consume. If your food is deficient in nutritional value, as Matt suggested fast foods are low in nutrients and high in calories, your body will keep craving more and more calories as a way to satisfy it's chemical needs (vitamins and minerals, and even
water).

Here's an over simplified review of clinical nutritional information that directly addresses your question Bagger.:

The fact is that your body needs all three macronutrients (fat, carbs, and protein) to appropriately and efficiently provide energy to your body. Additionally, your body is always burning a mix of fat and blood sugar (glucose in the blood stream that has been converted from stored glycogen in the muscles that it makes from carbohydrates with the help of fats and proteins.) The proportion of fat and sugar (and carbs are sugar plain and simple whether it's broccoli, bread or candy; the molecular structure determines it's ultimate effect in your diet and on your waistline) is determined by your level of health and fitness, your level of physical exertion in life and in exercise and in recreation, and your eating patterns. Carbohydrates are always touted as the energy food which has caused much confusion in a climate of the low carbohydrate diet craze. You may have heard of BMR (basal metabaolic rate) which addresses the most vital of your caloric needs to beat your heart, provide cell regeneration and all of the life providing body functions. Additional calories are necessary for movement which is why everyone's life requires a different caloric intake.

Now a quicky about fat burn. The body, in it's infinate wisdom, recognizes continuous movement that raises your heart rate to a specified point above your usual oxygen requirements to require more energy / calories. This type of activity is called aerobic (with oxygen) Since we have a seemingly unlimited capacity to store fat (and I will add that one gram of fat supplies twice the fuel effeciency of one gram of carbohydrate or protein) your body will begin to mix in more fat and less sugar when you are in an aerobic capacity. The problem with walking 18 holes is that you stop and your heart rate recovers so you don't maintain your aerobic output and you don't go as effeciently into fat burn. However, if you continuously walked the distance of 18 holes without stopping to hit the ball or wait on your partners, your heart rate would stay elevated and your body will mix in more fat and continue to burn more fat to keep you moving while preserving the limited sugar required by the muscles to function.

Golf does add life activity which is always preferable to a sedentary lifestyle so it has great value. More movement means more calories burned period. More movement also means a healthier body and a stronger system and, I believe a healthier person all around. Golf should not be considered your opportunity for cardiovascular/aerobic exercise that is for the purpose of fat burn because it's not continuous. Range work is going to be anaerobic (unless you have a thousand balls lined up and just hit one after the other without proper set up for address and what's the good of that in your practice?hum?) and while it burns more calories than watching TV it will not require 'significant' additional calories to'significantly' impact your fat output.

One of the simplest ways to start controlling your nutritional needs was coined by weight watchers. Your meat portion should not be larger than the back of your fist (yes this means a larger person needs more calories but don't go overboard) your starchy foods (potatoes, rice, pasta, bread) should look smaller on your plate than your meat, and your vegetables (broccoli etc.) should take up twice as much space as your meat.

Your body has a mechinism to trigger the brain that it's nutritional needs have been satisfied. But over the years of imbalanced eating it has gotten lazy and confused. It may take a few days before you feel like you are getting enough food when you cut out larger portions. But after about 3-5 days you will begin to find that you feel better after you eat and that in fact you are satisfied and your energy will be balanced throughout the day.. The body can adjust it just needs a little time and consistency.

The simplist way to keep from over eating is to make sure you eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. Skipping meals indicates to your body that there is a need to increase the energy reserve system and that means your fat cells. Again, your body has a limited capacity to store non fat energy resources (carbs) in your muscles and liver (the resource for brain energy) so if it thinks you're not feeding it frequently enough it will accomodate you and build up a spare tire in case it needs emergency reserves.

Even though I create a body composition analysis for every client where we set the quantity and food choices I wait two to four weeks into the workout program. Prior to this I use the same suggestions I just listed) Why? Because it is as Tongzilla said. Unless the individual has begun to take care of the simpler aspects of making logical food choices, the other stuff just complicates the process. Once I have a five day diet journal that shows portion control, high quality food choices, and no trash foods (fast food, chips, soda's) we take a baby step forward.

Trust me, When I studied nutrition 30 years ago I thought I had to put everybody on a specific diet on Day 1. The results would be very effective but short lived because the patient didn't have a personal understanding of the process. Now my people feel much more in control from the start and have a clear understanding of what is working and when they make good and bad choices so that they don' have to keep starting over with a new plan.

Eat variety, eat slowly, eat clean foods, eat frequently, eat smaller portions, . . . eat like a grown up. Get regular exercise, cardiovascular, strength and flexibility. ENERGY IN (calories in food) - ENERGY OUT(calories burned in activity) It's all about balance. As in golf, as in life.

Vickie

A common profile
 

Tong and Vickie - You always exceed my expectations! Thanks for the time and calories expended on these posts. :D

Let me give you a profile. This was me a couple of years ago and it may mirror many on this site.

Middle aged Male
20 - 25% over ideal weight
Light weekend activities
Eating relatively healthy, balanced meals
Not much attention to quantities consumed
Had an occasional sweet tooth
Average 1 alcoholic drink/day.
Dined with clients once or twice a week
No regular exercise program
Desk job

Where should this person start and what can he expect after following your advice after 6 months, 1 year?

Many Thanks!

Bagger