Calorie Diet and Type of Cardio?

[melloyell08]

Ok I am simply on a diet right now of just restricting my calories everyday. I worked out my bmr before and im eating give or take about 600-1000 calories less then that a day plus weight training for an hour a day and usually cardio for about an hour a day. My question is from what ive read to lose weight in a cardio aspect you should run around 55-65% of your max heart rate and you should run slow and long and that will burn off the fat. The problem is though when I do that I dont seem to be sweating that much or working very hard. Also I dont see how by running at like 60% of my max for an hour I will lose very many calories which is my main goal right. Would I be better off doing interval training or just running a lot harder for a shorter amount of time or just run as much as I can. Because I feel like when I bust my but and work really hard it feels like it would be more beneficial for me because I feel like im working a lot harder. Does anyone have any suggestions of what I should be doing for cardio?

[xlxBigSexyxlx]

HIIT Cardio.

[gbrice75]

I have a few problems with your post.

1) When you say you're "simply on a diet right now of just restricting my calories everyday" - does that mean you're paying no attention to what you eat? If so, I can tell you first hand that's a mistake. I've seen people eat below their maintenance and STILL gained bodyfat. That's right, GAINED. Overall, they lost weight - mostly LBM, while adding some bodyfat. They get on the scale, see the number going down, and think they're doing good, not realizing that their body composition is getting EVEN WORSE!

We're not interested in losing weight. We're interested in losing bodyfat.

2) You said you worked out your BMR and are eating 600-1000 calories below that. I am ASSUMING you mean your TDEE/maintenance calories. BMR is your basal metabolic rate - meaning the amount of energy (calories) required for your body to perform life's functions (breathing, heart beating, etc). Adding activities (standing up, sitting down, walking around, working out, etc) into the mix gives you your TDEE which is the number you need to be concerned with.

3) Assuming you meant TDEE, 600-1000 calories is too much of a restriction. You risk burning LBM at 600, and you can count on it at a 1000 calorie deficit. I would not go below 500, let cardio do the rest. If you did in fact (mistakenly) mean BMR - then you are eating WAYYYY too little. Can you share the numbers with us?

Sorry I didn't address your actual question, but as soon as I read the first few sentences I had to respond.

[melloyell08]

My BMR is 2009. Im really only eating like 2 meals a day somewhat 3. I know I should have like 5 or 6 smalls meals but i dont have the time for that or money. Usually my first meal of the day is a can of campbell's chunky soup different kinds. I eat the whole can which is 2 serving and that comes out to usually 250 calories. My next meal usually around dinner time I eat a chicken breast grilled with some grilled green and red peppers and some onions. Then usually if I get more hungry at night I will eat a handful of sunflower seeds or eat an egg. For instance today I had a cup of soup from the student union for lunch around 1 " dont have time to go home and soup is really the only option I have as being health and I also am on the run I bring the soup to class with me." and now I am going to cook some chicken and some peppers for dinner and later tonight depending on how im feeling I might have an egg much on sunflower seeds maybe a small can of soup.

Im not sure how much calories I am eating everyday but thats the usual and I know I should eat more and what not. And I know that this is probably considered not safe but either is drinking about 100 beers in a week and thats basically what I was doing for the past 10 weeks. Usually on Sunday and Tuesday were the only days I wasn't going out or drinking so I know this is not safe but I feel like its better then my drinking. The reason why I am doing this is because I want/need results fast and dont want to wait 8 months to lose 30 pounds. This is just kind of a kick start to initially start losing the weight and see some results within a couple of weeks or so thats what I am shooting for. I hope that helps you somewhat of where I am coming from and also its hard for me to go out there and buy fresh veggies and good meats and be able to eat that everyday currently I have $85 in my bank account so Im kind of limited on the food I can and can not buy. any help is greatly appreciated thanks.

[gbrice75]

Ok bro, you need alot of help. Do you currently workout at all? Are you interested in building a nice body, or do you just want to lose weight and don't care how you look?

I ask, because your logic about 'kickstarting' is WAY off. Read again what I said above - doing what you're doing, you will burn alot more then just fat - you'll burn your muscle and just wind up looking like a smaller version of how you look now. Is that what you want?

I understand your predicament with money and choices, but there are ALOT of guys right on this board who go to school and have a limited budget, and while they might not have the IDEAL setup, they're making it go much further then you are right now.

Use the info below to educate yourself on proper diet and nutrition. It's a long read, but necessary. In fact, read it twice. Read it until you understand it. It's worth if if you're serious about your goals. (Thanks to Damienm05 for putting it together.)

Lastly - what are your stats? Age? Height? Weight? Do you know your bodyfat percentage? Here you go:

BMR/TDEE formula:

Let’s start with BMR. This is your Basal Metabolic Rate. AKA – how many calories you burn each day by just sitting on your ass. In order to figure out your BMR, you need to know what your lean body mass is. In turn, you need to know what your body fat percentage is.

If you don’t know your body fat percentage, go to your gym and get tested (please don’t use electronic scales to get your bf % checked, they're horrible). If you don’t have a gym that offers this service; ask me and I’ll give you a pretty good estimate.

With your bf % in hand, here’s the formula:

BMR (men and women) = 370 + (21.6 X lean mass in kg)

Total weight x bf % in decimal form = total bf weight

Total weight - total bf weight = total lean body mass

For example:

I am 6'1 210 lbs at 10% body fat... so I would multiply 210 by .10 (converted from percent to decimal) = 21 lbs
210 – 21 = 189 lbs lean body weight

189 / 2.2 = 86.0 lean mass in kg

370 + (21.6 x 86) = 2227.6 BMR (this is high for the average person)

Now that we have a BMR figure, we can move on to TDEE. Total Daily Energy Expenditure. This is how many calories we actually use during the day via our BMR and activities such as work, exercise and various tasks. We can figure this number out with simple math but be honest because this figure is to be the cornerstone of your diet and healthy lifestyle. We need to determine your activity level. We’ll choose from a few levels:

§ If you are sedentary (little or no exercise): Calorie - Calculation = BMR x 1.2
§ If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week): Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
§ If you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week): Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
§ If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week): Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
§ If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training): Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

For example:

I train with weights 5 days for 90 minutes per week. I play hockey three times per week
for 90 minutes. I do 60 minutes of cardio training 5 times per week as well. I also practice my sport 3 times per week for 90 minutes. Either via skating or puck/shooting drills. All are high-intensity. I am between very and extra active. Let’s say BMR x 1.8. My TDEE is 4010.

In terms of food choices, here goes:

I love analogies. Let’s use a good one. Think of your perfect body as a house that you must build. You’ve figured out your BMR and TDEE, so you know the exact specs of the property you have to work with. You know how exercise affects weight loss and how much of a caloric deficit/surplus we must create to lose/gain said weight; so you know how to build - you understand architecture. You also know the pace you intend on losing/gaining weight at based on these other factors, so you know it will be harder to get your house built in weeks as opposed to months. The only thing left is the tools/building material you must use and because you don’t know how to eat, you still can’t build anything. At least, not well. Sure, you can starve yourself for a few months but you’ll just gain all the weight back in a couple weeks of binge drinking and shitty eating on a vacation – you’re house will fall down!

So, let’s talk tools baby. Let’s talk food. First off, there are only 3 types of foods/macronutrients. Protein. Carbohydrates. Fat. That’s it.

Protein – 4 calories per gram - Building material. Bricks. You can’t gain energy from protein, you can only use it to build muscle/skin/hair/nails. It’s basically just amino acids and it’s what our bodies are made of. As such, we need lots of it. 1g of protein per body lb is a good number to shoot for . Go as high as 2g per body lb if you’re lifting weights and trying to build muscle. For example, I am 207 lbs and I eat between 300-400 grams per day. Our body can only break down so much at one time however, so we want to eat 20-40 grams of protein in every meal, several times per day. Protein, being building material only and not energy/labor – the body can rarely find a reason for it to be stored as fat. If you must over-eat – make it lean meat/fish.

Carbs – 4 calories per gram - Think of these as human labor for your house. Think of sugar as dudes you pick up out front of home depot and oatmeal as a skilled carpenter. Both are carbs, both serve very different purposes. Carbs help transport essential nutrients to the muscles, create glycogen stores, and as such, increase protein synthesis but do not build muscle; they are simply an energy source. As such, they should only be eaten/used when we need energy. Any carbs we ingest before bed or before watching a movie, or something sedentary are not used as energy, and as such, are more likely to be stored in the body as glycogen (glucose/water in our muscles that we will use when doing high-intensity exercise). Once our glycogen reserves are full, they will spill over and be stored as fat. Yes, they will make you fat. Carbs can be your best friend or your worst enemy.

Fats – 9 calories per gram - Like carbs, fats are an energy source, not a building material like protein. They provide nowhere near as much energy as carbs however. Ask anyone who's on a ketogenic diet. With regard to our house, think of fats as the glue/cement. They provide much needed essential fatty acids, which are great for joint/organ health and increase our protein synthesis. Going back to our analogy, cement/glue increases the effectiveness of bricks! If we give our bodies the right fats, it will be able to burn stored body fat quickly as it won’t see any use in keeping it. Remember, like carbs – not all fat is good and ALL fat is high in calories so watch out. A tablespoon of peanut butter can be a good addition to a meal. Snacking on 5-6 tablespoons, however, means you’ve just eaten over your TDEE for the day.

Acceptable proteins for your healthy lifestyle diet:

The goal is to eat lean protein. Meats/other sources low in fat/carbs.

§ Ground beef (93% lean or better)
§ Lean steak (Flank, flat iron, or top sirloin)
§ Bison sirloin (the highest quality red meat)
§ Chicken breast
§ Turkey breast
§ Tuna (canned or sushi grade)
§ Salmon
§ Tilapia (mostly all white fish)
§ All shellfish
§ Venison
§ Whey protein (post-workout recovery purposes only)
§ Casein/Cottage cheese (before bed only)

Black-List Protein sources. Do not eat these because they are high in fat. And not the
good kind we find in nuts and olive oil – I’m talking about cholesterol raising saturated
fat!

§ Bacon
§ Sausage
§ Expensive fat-marbled Steaks (Ribeye, Strip, Filet)
§ Pork and beef ribs
§ Pork/Lamb chops
§ Restaurant ground beef (80/20 fat – most burgers)
§ Duck
§ Chicken legs/thighs
§ Chicken skin
§ Cheese

Acceptable Carbs for your healthy lifestlyle:

Complex carbs are now your creed. These are slower-digesting, natural, low on the glycemic index carbohydrates that digest slowly and provide us with sustained energy. They do not drastically affect our blood sugar and do not cause insulin spikes. Thus our body sees no reason to store them as fat, it would rather burn them for energy. Simple carbs such as enriched white breads/pastas/rice/potatoes/sugars (including most fruit) cause insulin spikes and are high GI foods. They should not be eaten when on a strict diet. Fruit can be consumed early in the day or pre/post-workout because of it’s high nutritional value but should usually be avoided due to being a form of simple sugar. Remember, healthy, low-calorie foods aren’t always the correct foods and such is the case with fruit.

§ Oats/Oatmeal
§ Grits/Cornmeal
§ Unsalted/non-buttered popcorn (great, low-cal snack)
§ Sweet potato (the best choice)
§ Butternut squash
§ Whole wheat pasta (not enriched)
§ Organic whole wheat bread (not enriched wonder bread crap)
§ Brown rice
§ Ezekiel bread
§ Swedish grain bread
§ Gluten free bread
§ Wheat couscous
§ Corn
§ Quinoa
§ Lentils
§ Beans
§ Many more, look up the GI (glycemic index) for healthy choices

Black List:

§ White pasta
§ White bread
§ Baguette
§ Bagels
§ Cookies, cake, muffins, cupcakes, all sweets basically.
§ White couscous
§ White rice
§ You get the idea…

Don’t get discouraged upon reading this list. I still make desserts all the time with whole
grain flour and splenda. I buy bagels and baguettes at the health food store that use
complex carbs as a base. If you’re dedicated, you don’t have to miss out 100%

Acceptable fats for your healthy lifestyle:

We look for fat sources that are high in omega-3, 6, and 9 fatty acids. Also, many are high in protein. We do not want saturated fats such as butter, cream, meat fat. We don’t want test tube fats like trans (the worst). We want mono/polyunsaturated fats that our body can use for something other than calories. Remember, even good fats are high in calories.

§ Natural peanut butter (no sugar added, just roasted peanuts)
§ Natural almond butter
§ Cashews
§ Almonds
§ Peanuts
§ Flax seeds
§ Flax seed oil
§ Salmon and Trout (great fatty proteins)
§ Fish oil
§ Extra virgin olive oil (should be used on all veggies/salads)
§ Chia seeds
§ Grapeseed oil
§ Macadamia nut oil

Acceptable miscellaneous foods:

These foods don’t provide much as far as macronutrients but are great for adding vitamins/minerals and taste. Notice some of these other foods are dairy. Dairy is another animal’s milk. We lack the enzymes to digest it as they do and it’s high in fat/sugar. It should only be eaten early in the day for nutrient purposes with the exception of whey and casein (cottage cheese).

§ Skim milk (Hood brand is only 45 calories and 3g of sugar per cup)
§ Greek yogurt (no sugar added)
§ Berries (all berries are much lower in sugar than other fruits and packed with fiber/nutrients – eat berries)
§ Green Vegetables. These are technically carbs but they are packed with fiber (a type of carb that isn’t used as energy or stored). In bodybuilding/nutrition – we refer to most vegetables as fibrous carbohydrates. While a serving of Broccoli may have 6g of carbs, 5 are from fiber. Meaning that it contains only 1g of storable carbohydrates. In addition, green vegetables are a calorie neutral/negative food (our body uses more calories to digest them than they contain – think celery). Veggies should be eaten with every meal. Every day. If you do this, you can become almost impervious to getting sick. Some vegetables are better than others for healthy diets.
§ Many non-green vegetables. Most are fine – just check labels, some have a good bit of sugar and should be eaten in moderation only (carrots)

[melloyell08]

Hey no offense Ive read this before when you have posted this on other people post i totally get it and I understand what I should eat and what I shouldn't understand all of that stuff i know the calories per gram. I think its my fault i havent explained well enough. Like im not concerned with losing muscle mass which i think is hard to do because I have not been physically active for about 4 years now. Whatever muscle I ever did have I lost it all. Im like the equivalent of a freshman in high school at strength level right now. For the last 4 years i would go to class eat food drink beer and watch tv. So if I can look how I do now but just smaller then that is better then what I look like now. If I can stay the same height and lose weight and keep the same muscle or lose some muscle Im going to look better then having a gut now. I know its going to take me months to gain muscle and even longer to see the physical attributes of gaining muscle.

To answer your other question just this semester I had my body fat calculated I cant find the print out I got from the lab right now but I believe I was right on the percentage of borderline obese to over weight I think it was like 29%. Thats either right or it was saying I could lose 29 pounds. I could get you a for sure answer on that tomorrow but I believe that is what it was.

[gbrice75]

Well, I have to start by saying i'm sorry to see your response. I think you'd be much happier with the results if you did it the right way, which is all i'll recommend. However, since you're only concerned with losing weight, could care less about losing (or gaining) muscle, then what you're doing is fine - starving your body will work to a point. However...

You are slowing your metabolism and thereby lowering your BMR. SO...

when you start eating a 'normal' diet again (and trust me, you will), it will be that much easier to store bodyfat because you will be eating over your maintenance calories.

I don't condone what you're planning to do at all, but it's your body and I wish you luck. I don't mean that sarcastically either. Keep us posted with your progress.

[SergeantCarbs]

Black-List Protein sources. Do not eat these because they are high in fat. And not the good kind we find in nuts and olive oil – I’m talking about cholesterol raising saturated fat!

§ Bacon
§ Sausage
§ Expensive fat-marbled Steaks (Ribeye, Strip, Filet)
§ Pork and beef ribs
§ Pork/Lamb chops
§ Restaurant ground beef (80/20 fat – most burgers)
§ Duck
§ Chicken legs/thighs
§ Chicken skin
§ Cheese

I'd have to disagree with this black list. I've been having alot of positive results regularly eating some of the items in this list over the last year.

[gbrice75]

I'd have to disagree with this black list. I've been having alot of positive results regularly eating some of the items in this list over the last year.

Such as?

Some people might fare better then others with different foods, you being an example. However, as a general rule of thumb, none of the black listed foods would ever be considered lean protein sources and for most people should be avoided IMO.

[melloyell08]

yea i totally agree with you its not a healthy way to do it. I just have the typical American attitude that were impatient and want results fast. Im also a kind of person that if i commit to something I will commit 100%. I know my bmr will slow down because im starving myself and once I see that on the scale and im not dropping anymore weight I will change it up and try to do things to boost my metabolism and probable try to eat a lot more often then what i am now. I told you I would get you those specs today right now I am at 200lbs 5 foot 6', BMI 31.7, body fat percent is 18.1%, body fat mass 36 lbs. I know bmi doesnt really mean anything but it was on there so i thought id throw it in.

[SergeantCarbs]

Such as?

Some people might fare better then others with different foods, you being an example. However, as a general rule of thumb, none of the black listed foods would ever be considered lean protein sources and for most people should be avoided IMO.

Such as the breakfast meats & cheese. I'll have bacon, sausage & even scrapple and also cheese. I dont eat anything else from that list. And agreed, I dont think of them as my main source of protein.

I agree for the most part, I think what you have listed is generally considered the better/healthier choices (I'm just such a god damn picky eater). With my own weight loss, I concern myself more with restricting carbs though then worrying about the fat or how lean the meat is. Seems to be working so far, as best I can calculate by bf% results each week, only about 10% of the last 55-60 lbs I've lost has come from lbm.

[gbrice75]

Such as the breakfast meats & cheese. I'll have bacon, sausage & even scrapple and also cheese. I dont eat anything else from that list. And agreed, I dont think of them as my main source of protein.

I agree for the most part, I think what you have listed is generally considered the better/healthier choices (I'm just such a god damn picky eater). With my own weight loss, I concern myself more with restricting carbs though then worrying about the fat or how lean the meat is. Seems to be working so far, as best I can calculate by bf% results each week, only about 10% of the last 55-60 lbs I've lost has come from lbm.

Nice, congrats on the loss, those are good numbers. I kind of restrict both to a degree - like I have no carbs in my last 2 meals of the day. The amount of carbs I eat with each carb meal tapers down as the day goes on, etc. I am not one of those 'fat is the enemy' people, but I do watch it and think it needs to be closely monitored, simply because it's so easy to overeat (example peanut butter).

[SergeantCarbs]

Thanks buddy & same back at ya - Ive been following your great progress. Havent touched things like peanut butter to say either way. I'm pretty strict with eating basically the same things each day, only differences is really what ever the protein the wife is making for dinner. I stay in ketosis throughout the week and bump it up on the weekend with some good carbs. Most of my carbs though I do have at dinner time, I wonder if eating them earlier in the day would make a difference. Granted I probably stay under 20-30g per day so I dont know if it would make a difference.

[gbrice75]

Thanks buddy & same back at ya - Ive been following your great progress. Havent touched things like peanut butter to say either way. I'm pretty strict with eating basically the same things each day, only differences is really what ever the protein the wife is making for dinner. I stay in ketosis throughout the week and bump it up on the weekend with some good carbs. Most of my carbs though I do have at dinner time, I wonder if eating them earlier in the day would make a difference. Granted I probably stay under 20-30g per day so I dont know if it would make a difference.

Oh wow, I didn't realize you were running a keto diet. Any particular 'flavor' (i.e. palumbo, ckd, etc), or just your own variation? How long do you run your carb ups for - full weekend?

At 20-30g per day, I don't think it would make any difference whatsoever when you consume them, with the exception of right before bed (I'd avoid that one). What do they mostly consist of? Fiberous veggies, or just 'collateral' carbs from foods throughout the day?

OP, sorry for the hijack bro. =(