Mathematical Model Predicts Weight With Varying Diet, Exercise Changes; Findings Challenge One-Size-

Mathematical Model Predicts Weight With Varying Diet, Exercise Changes; Findings Challenge One-Size-Fits-All Weight Assumptions

www.sciencedaily.com

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have created a mathematical model -- and an accompanying online weight simulation tool -- of what happens when people of varying weights, diets and exercise habits try to change their weight. The findings challenge the commonly held belief that eating 3,500 fewer calories -- or burning them off exercising -- will always result in a pound of weight loss.

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Related News Links:
bwsimulator.niddk.nih.gov
www.niddk.nih.gov

I remember many years ago when many like me were required to control our weight according to a chart which unequivocally pointed to what our "ideal weight' was according to our measured height.

It made no allowances for scoliosis or any 'irregularities' that might affect how tall you stood. It did not consider allow for genetic predisposition , or anything as esoteric as a persons 'build.'

Eventually, many ended up on these "cookie cutter" diets that slashed your weight ... you know the type... "lose 10 pounds in three days" just follow this "exact diet" and viola!

Surprisingly, the few times I resorted to that tactic it did work... but the cost to my health was noticeable... weakness, out of breath, tired... I began to think the truth was, we are each individuals who must not be forced to fit a mold because that caused more stress and injury than it 'prevented' via "good weight." This new model seems to show that at least, there is something to be said for re-evaluating diet 'regimens' to which each person's body may or may not conform....

"This research helps us understand why one person may lose weight faster or slower than another, even when they eat the same diet and do the same exercise," said Kevin Hall, Ph.D., an obesity researcher and physicist at the NIH's National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and the paper's first author. "Our computer simulations can then be used to help design personalized weight management programs to address individual needs and goals."

Take a look at bwsimulator.niddk.nih.gov... and tell us what you think.

MM

www.sciencedaily.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Great thread, SnF. I always find it interesting how frozen food, diet food and the likes become a part of the diet! Such as jenny criag, weight watcher and others! Frozen food, processed and aspartame filled products probably hinder weight loss than usual.

As a person who has been fighting weight, I would suggest just hitting the gym regularly, I am still at my weight (i hate starving and I am hyperglycemic) but my belly looks and feels smaller.

This is so cool! Thanks for posting!
I struggle with my weight (not much) because I LOVE good food. And I don't have too much time to get a good workout in. I do things here and there and multi-task. But it's been difficult lately to get into a routine.

The best advice for "foodies" such as myself is hit the gym, lift weights for a year, build mass (cause you are eating good foods, proteins) Then when you are at an optimal health, hit the cardio for the season.

Right now I have been building mass for 1.5 years as a bodybuilder, but due to a injury, i've hit the treadmill. works wonders and will go back to BB soon

The ultimate "cure" for weight problems is a -sensible- diet and exercise. The first thing people need to do is simply block the food labels from their mind - they are, more or less, useless. That may sound rather crazy to many, but it becomes a psychological burden that makes a diet a chore rather than a lifestyle.

A sensible diet is going to vary from person to person, but one should attempt to have a salad or some kind of leafy vegetables with both lunch and dinner (or as a tie-over between meals if you find yourself prone to growing hungry quickly). Water, or some hydrating liquid, should be consumed in relative abundance. One of the easiest ways to stimulate your metabolism and stave off hunger is to keep a consistent supply of water going through your system.

Using common sense and limiting your intake of sugary and obviously 'dense' foods (fried foods and the like - the kind generally demonized). That is, if you're on a weight loss program. For skinny guys, like me, in an active environment, I have to look for the biggest bang for the meal I can find. My metabolism will chew through a meal in nothing flat.

Anyway - people get carried away with what is "good" and "bad" for you and simply forget to have fun eating a range of food. If it's a chore, it will ultimately fail - if not before you reach your weight goal, then afterward. Also, people need to be tolerant of their own body's structure. Some guys and gals simply aren't built to be wiry. It's just not going to happen, and it's not realistic to try and attain that.

The same is true of exercise - if it's a chore, then it's going to fail. It's probably not the best idea for a 300lb person to focus on running as one of their primary cardio workouts. The risk of injury is high, unnecessary pain is pretty much guaranteed, and it can have some pretty nasty long-term effects on the joints. Swimming is a much better alternative if available. Low-impact exercises like elliptical machines are a close second.

As for strength training... that one really depends upon what theories you subscribe to. True - building muscle helps to burn calories even while idle, but effective cardiovascular exercises help immensely in bolstering one's metabolism and helping them combat fatigue and other detractors from physical activity, in general.

A balanced approach is usually best, in my experience. A lot of guys in my fitness class focus on the weight training and completely neglect cardio. I do several laps and break to run a set or two down the line of machines, then go run a few more laps - repeat. It mimics our workout routines in the military - though I sometimes forego the machines and drop on the side of the track and run some routines ingrained into my person.

That's another thing - people don't need a gym membership or a home gym. It certainly helps with access to machines that can work specific groups or provide low-impact solutions that are more important for older people and obese people to utilize - but a lot of effective strength and endurance training can be done, almost literally, by rolling around on the ground. I remember how a "back wiggle" exercise absolutely destroyed me one session - it was a group that had not really been worked at all during any of my training. You'd be amazed how having stronger back and side (linticular? I forget the terminology) muscles can reduce walking/standing stress.

At first - it does hurt and makes things sore... but there's few feelings better than working yourself to fatigue before cooling down and hopping in a warm shower.

The problem I find with most weight loss programs is that they seek to turn weight loss into a chore. We should really just develop and teach 'weight and fitness management' - staying true to the title.

reply to post by Jordan River

The best advice for "foodies" such as myself is hit the gym, lift weights for a year, build mass (cause you are eating good foods, proteins) Then when you are at an optimal health, hit the cardio for the season. Right now I have been building mass for 1.5 years as a bodybuilder, but due to a injury, i've hit the treadmill. works wonders and will go back to BB soon

This is why I shudder every time ATS has a thread about health. If you want to be healthy you don't wait until you are the optimal health to do cardio. You CANT be at optimal health without cardio. If you are serious about losing weight and getting fit, go talk to a doctor and follow the advice given. Weight training is an excellent way to lose pounds as the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest, but cardio is ESSENTIAL to being healthy. Cardio doesn't have to be intensive, you just need to raise that pulse rate (safely) as often as your doc recommends.

Ive been Playing world of warcraft for 5 years, almost all the time I sat on a computer doing nothing but pressing buttons. There was a time i had a crap load of ramen, but little by little i started to forget to eat until my mind settled that I only needed to eat when I was hungry, in which i did get my fill untill the next time my tummy went "Rawr".

I barely took on pounds that year without stressing myself, had I added a bit of excersize there I would be fit myself. It just goes to show you do not need to stress your body in order to lose weight. All you need is discipline and you are set.

I started playing basketball again after years of not touching the ball, at first I was at a loss of energy and sat down when I needed, 4 days later I had enough stamina to go on longer. Just play some sports or something you enjoy. Swimming is good too,

Interesting, maths never lies.
With that said, i need to go on a diet

I went from eating well over the recommended amount of calories and being unable to gain weight to now eating 1200-1500 calories and unable to lose weight. I halved my intake and put on weight and thats all down to the metabolism and drop in exercise.

So I can totally testify that just eating less will not make you lose weight.

Ill try to change my diet as its been the same for a long time and see if that helps.

Originally posted by Domo1
reply to post by Jordan River

 

This is why I shudder every time ATS has a thread about health. If you want to be healthy you don't wait until you are the optimal health to do cardio. You CANT be at optimal health without cardio. If you are serious about losing weight and getting fit, go talk to a doctor and follow the advice given. Weight training is an excellent way to lose pounds as the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest, but cardio is ESSENTIAL to being healthy. Cardio doesn't have to be intensive, you just need to raise that pulse rate (safely) as often as your doc recommends.

Heart rate increases while pushing iron as well not only that, muscle eats fat as well and assist fat loss

I did the simulation and remarkably the drop down it is telling me in order to lose the weight I want in 90 days is miniscule compared to diets I've tried in the past. What is even more interesting is that it is telling me that to maintain that weight once I get there, I should be eating more calories than I am currently eating now. Doesn't make much sense to me, but I suppose it would also have to do with the foods you are eating.

Which leads me to a question that nobody seems to be able to answer in the field of weight loss. What does one do if they can't eat fruits and vegetables?

Throughout my life I used to eat vegetables but I always hated the taste of all fruits (except bananas). Now, the only vegetables I can eat are peas and green beans. Every single other vegetable I try to consume produces a gag reflex and I am unable to consume it without losing my earlier meals in the process. I have tried it all and I have tried smothering it all in whatever I can find to no avail.

Because of this, I have pretty much been killed by all diets in the past that suggest eating fruits or vegetables as snacks or meal substitutes. I have even tried V8 as a supplement and while I can down it, I am gagging the entire time. Anyone have similar problems? Anyone have any advice?

As for the simulation, I will certainly give it a shot. S&F.

Originally posted by gwydionblack
I did the simulation and remarkably the drop down it is telling me in order to lose the weight I want in 90 days is miniscule compared to diets I've tried in the past. What is even more interesting is that it is telling me that to maintain that weight once I get there, I should be eating more calories than I am currently eating now. Doesn't make much sense to me, but I suppose it would also have to do with the foods you are eating.

Which leads me to a question that nobody seems to be able to answer in the field of weight loss. What does one do if they can't eat fruits and vegetables?

Throughout my life I used to eat vegetables but I always hated the taste of all fruits (except bananas). Now, the only vegetables I can eat are peas and green beans. Every single other vegetable I try to consume produces a gag reflex and I am unable to consume it without losing my earlier meals in the process. I have tried it all and I have tried smothering it all in whatever I can find to no avail.

Because of this, I have pretty much been killed by all diets in the past that suggest eating fruits or vegetables as snacks or meal substitutes. I have even tried V8 as a supplement and while I can down it, I am gagging the entire time. Anyone have similar problems? Anyone have any advice?

As for the simulation, I will certainly give it a shot. S&F.

Hey gwydionblack,

I actually had the same exact problem, when I wanted to start body building. I couldn't eat any vegetables except corn, which is about a worthless vegetable as they go and potatoes.
I tried everything, and couldn't down any. something about the texture and the weird taste.

I know this may sound like a BS thing that will obviously not work, but it actually worked great for me.
Self hypnosis...... yeah,...I know. But really it worked.

At first I had to spend like 5 minutes doing it before I would even try and what I did eat were those frozen mixed veggies in the bag. peas,carrots corn. After about a week of that I found i could eat them no problem.

Here I am now, been a body builder for 15 years now and I carb cycle all the time with a large variety of fruits and vegetables. Of course I still can't handle celery or asparagus, or cauliflower, or egg plant or even Okra for GODS sake! LOL
But I can at least have broccoli and carrots and most fruit now.
Might want to research self hypnosis and give it a try. I thought it was BS but i was desperate and as it turned out it was a winning idea.
Good luck.

This is NOT news. I've been aware of this for years. It depends on many factors.

One that I've been aware of for at least 5 years, is that anaerobic activities increase basal metabolism rates for up to 72 hours after.

I just bike hardcore, or do a high-intensity interval session at least once a week. In addition I do a few hundred pushups, and about a hundred curls each week. That's enough to develop the fast-twitch muscles all over my body, and stay super fit as well.

Whatever you do, just try to sweat every day. It's our bodies only means of excreting the 80,000+ synthetic chemicals which are usually just stored in our soft tissues.

Well, I was curious about this, until I tried 4 times to install the freaking java plugin that was missing.
Then I was given all kinds of BS from my computer and still left with nothing.

So, yeah,....Now I'm so pissed at Java and my computer I could literally cry.

Whatever, doesn't matter anyway I know what works for me.

No semi educated person uses BMI anymore. Or even bothers to weight themselves.

Body Composition Tests took over years ago.

Originally posted by Flyer
I went from eating well over the recommended amount of calories and being unable to gain weight to now eating 1200-1500 calories and unable to lose weight. I halved my intake and put on weight and thats all down to the metabolism and drop in exercise.

So I can totally testify that just eating less will not make you lose weight.

Ill try to change my diet as its been the same for a long time and see if that helps.

And I can totally testify that just eating less and healthy WILL make you lose weight.

Since I was diagnosed last December with diabetes. I immediately changed my diet after leaving the doctors office. With doing absolutely no exercise and only maintaining 1600-1700 calories a day. I was able to loose nearly 50lbs in roughly 5 months. I have since in the past month and a half started hitting the weights and doing cardio 4-5 times a week and still trying to stay close to 1700 calories and have gone down from 280 in December to now 220.

If anybody is really serious about getting in shape they should go to forum.bodybuilding.com... and not really take advice from posts on ATS imho.

Originally posted by Jordan River
The best advice for "foodies" such as myself is hit the gym, lift weights for a year, build mass (cause you are eating good foods, proteins) Then when you are at an optimal health, hit the cardio for the season.

Right now I have been building mass for 1.5 years as a bodybuilder, but due to a injury, i've hit the treadmill. works wonders and will go back to BB soon

the best way to lose weight is not lifting weights, its aerobic exercise. if you lift your body will react to your diet even more. it will store fat even more if you lift and starve yourself. go out, go for a walk or hike. bike, whatever. that will help you lose weight. youre doing whats good for you because youre a bodybuilder, which is cool. but for losing weight in general aerobic exercise would be better.

reply to post by Question Fate


Actually, anaerobic cardio is the best way to lose weight.

HIIT is proven to be much better at losing the belly fat, than steady state aerobic cardio, in many studies over the years.

Originally posted by Question Fate

Originally posted by Jordan River
The best advice for "foodies" such as myself is hit the gym, lift weights for a year, build mass (cause you are eating good foods, proteins) Then when you are at an optimal health, hit the cardio for the season.

Right now I have been building mass for 1.5 years as a bodybuilder, but due to a injury, i've hit the treadmill. works wonders and will go back to BB soon

the best way to lose weight is not lifting weights, its aerobic exercise. if you lift your body will react to your diet even more. it will store fat even more if you lift and starve yourself. go out, go for a walk or hike. bike, whatever. that will help you lose weight. youre doing whats good for you because youre a bodybuilder, which is cool. but for losing weight in general aerobic exercise would be better.

That is absolutely wrong. Doing weights or cardio is going to make you loose weight. In fact you will burn more calories in the long run by lifting weights. When you do strength training you build muscle mass which speeds up your metabolism and burns more calories just being stationary. If you just did nothing but cardio you are going to cause your body to eat muscle as it burns protein for energy. Doing a good mix of cardio and strength training is what you need for healthy weight loss. If all you can do is cardio than so be it. But don't ever neglect your primary source for strength, balance, posture, movement and heat for the body to keep warm.

Like I said in my previous post. For anybody serious about getting in shape don't listen to people here on ATS. You need to go to a forum that specializes in this subject matter. Not a conspiracy theory site.

forum.bodybuilding.com...