It's Gotten Harder to Lose Weight- And Not for the Reasons You Think

[backscatter712]

33. I've also been following some of the fitness and bodybuilding circles.

Mr. Universe I am not, but they have useful advice.

On top of cutting sweets and carbs, and eating more fruits and vegetables, I found personally that I wasn't getting enough protein.

Bodybuilders will do bulking and cutting cycles. When they bulk, they deliberately eat more than they burn, with a protein-heavy diet, and pound the hell out of the weights at the gym, to induce their bodies to build muscle. Of course, some of those extra calories get stored as fat, so after bulking for a while, they go into a cut cycle, where they go on an old fashioned calorie-restriction diet, exercise, but not as hard, maybe switching to more cardio, and burn off the extra fat. But even on the cut cycles, the rule is to eat lots of protein. Too little protein, and the muscle bulk you've worked hard to build is lost.

It does help when some of the pounds I've put on are in the form of muscle.

I will also say that if you really want to lose weight, exercise is absolutely necessary. Yes, it's technically possible to lose weight sitting on your couch, and taking in fewer calories than you burn, even if the calories you take in are in the form of Twinkies. Practically, if you try that, you'll drive yourself crazy, and you'll fall off the wagon.

Eat right, cut the carbs, eat more veggies, and get a proper balance of the macros - carbs (you have to have some, just not too much), fat (same as with carbs) and protein (I had to adjust to eat more protein). Make sure you're restricting your calories, so track everything you eat, count your calories, and watch your portion sizes - it's easy to eat double what you think you're eating if you're not measuring and keeping track.

And hit the gym! Or do something that involves pushing your body hard and sweating. If you're not sweating, you're not doing it right. Cardio is good. Running, biking, even walking is very efficient at burning calories. Hitting the weights is also good, though it doesn't really burn much in calories, but it builds up your muscles, which over time increases your metabolism. But exercise also gives you a psychological boost that among other things, helps you stay on the diet wagon. Gotta love that dopamine & endorphin high.