Losing weight.

[BrandonC]

I know that vegans/vegetarians usually gaining weight but I am having the opposite problem. I am quite overweight and I eat alot of pasta and other high carb foods since tofu costs quite alot here (2.50 per block). Does anybody here have any advice on losing weight, like diet plans, excersise etc...

 

Would be very apprectiated!

[kollision]

Hello BrandonC,

 

1 lb of fat is 3,500 calories.

 

First, I would need your body fat in order to figure out your BMR (basal metabolic rate) which dictates how much calories you burn at rest as well as how much you way (kg or lbs). Then I would need to know how active you are, then I could give you your recommended calorie range.

 

Knowing such, we can zig zag your calories so you can lose weight as well as let you know how many calories to injest and such.

[BrandonC]

How would I calculate my body fat?

 

I weigh 208lbs ashamed to say I do!

[kollision]

Bah, 208? You are not heavy bro.

 

As far as body fat, you can use calipers or measuring tape (the latter I have no idea how). Some people here know how to use it with measuring tape, so maybe they can help in that regard. Calipers pinch the skin fold and give measurements that you input in a formulat to get your body fat percentage. There are many ways to find out how, but these seem to be the cheapest avenue.

[kylie]

what kind of cardio are you doing bro? that's the first thing I consider if I want to drop a few lbs. if you are not doing any, do yourself a favor and start - today. another thing I might suggest is to switch the high GI carbs to strictly whole grains. oats are king. here's what you do: get yourself enough oats to feed a horse, then get you a coffee grinder, grind em up about a cup at a time or so, then pour some boiling water into them and whip em up. let em sit for a minute to cook, then mix in some rice milk or soy if you prefer til you get a thin consistency, you're going to be drinking this. down the hatch. just do that whenever you want carbs. don't tell me oats are too expensive for you now or we'll have to start a charity thread for ya. (for one, i'd break you off if you were that broke). by replacing the high GI carbs with a more complex carb you will lower insulin sensitivity and you will stop storing carbs as fat. possibly consider upping your protein, wait, no don't consider it: do it. I love to pimp coconut oil also, I will tell you to replace all of your oils with this one. It does not need to be digested the same as other fats as it contains mostly MCTs. these medium chain triglycerides are converted straight to energy in the liver and do not have the same tendency to be stored as adipose tissue as other fats such as olive oil. olive oil is great, but it shouldn't be your main fat if you want to cut. coconut oil will satisfy you and not fatten you. fo shizzle me nizzle.

[kollision]

In addition to what Kylie said, High GI carbs also have a place in your diet, generally speaking, after your workouts with protein. What it will do is increase the protein uptake which is drained. Either than that, as Kylie pointed out, stick to Complex Carbs.

[offense74]

I love to pimp coconut oil also, I will tell you to replace all of your oils with this one. It does not need to be digested the same as other fats as it contains mostly MCTs. these medium chain triglycerides are converted straight to energy in the liver and do not have the same tendency to be stored as adipose tissue as other fats such as olive oil.

Ah, coconut.

I love to pimp that too. I don't believe the hype on the "unhelthy coconuts".

 

They have been around for ages everywhere where humans lived. They're easy to get by. They are nutritios powerhouses. They taste good. They store well (compared to other foods that humans have consumed).

Monosaturated fats (i.e. lauric acid ) are also present in human breast milk, so how bad can it be?

 

Coconut oil

Coconut

 

"You put the beer in the coconut and throw the can away."

- Homer Simpson

[_raVen_]

Brandon, cut down on the processed carbs! That alone will help. You can cut it out slowly so as not to go into shock, lol.

I would just start filling your tummy with lots of vegetables (add in a lot of raw, if you can; it fills you faster with less than does cooked vegetables) and fruit for your carbs.

 

Try green smoothies This will give you LOTS of minerals and feed your cells; it's a good way to "get your daily greens" without suffering! I posted about it HERE

 

A very good very healthy plan is Dr. FUHRMAN'S plan; here it is in a nutshell:

 

"Basically, the goal of Eat to Live is to eat foods that have a very high nutrition to calorie ratio and avoid foods that don't provide much nutrition for the calories they contain. Fruits and vegetables pack the most nutrition, so the diet is based on them. The goal is to... eat at least 1 pound daily of raw vegetables; 1 pound of cooked, non-starchy vegetables; 4 servings of fruit; and 1 cup of beans. Those foods are unlimited.

 

The plan limits other foods: ... 1 ounce of raw nuts and seeds, and 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseeds. All animal products and refined oils are off limits, and refined grain products, such as bread, are not encouraged. (but 1 cup maximum of starchy vegetables or whole grains" is allowed) After a person has reached a healthy weight, very limited amounts of less-healthy food may be added in (for those who absolutely will not give them up.)" - taken from fatfree vegan.com"

 

[kollision]

Smoothies are good, but like all drinks compared to the real food, the real food is better. More nutrients, and also it gets you fuller quicker than the drink. You could probably drink a couple of cups of those, and thats a little too much which would go towards weight gain than weight loss. Unless you are good with planning your diet, drinks should be a minimal when you can eat the real food.

[kylie]

"Try green smoothies This will give you LOTS of minerals and feed your cells; it's a good way to "get your daily greens" without suffering!"

 

 

this is a great suggestion Raven " title="Applause" /> ...nice recipes you got. i'm gonna try me the pear kale mint smoothie...

 

i love to do this with red cabbage and grapefruit - with this one tho you will need more liquid like o.j. or grapefruit juice. also what i do is save up my broccoli stems - you know, the organic ones for some reason they leave the stem on them, also kale stems and make green smoothies out of em. so next time you fix up some veg, don't throw the scraps away, you gotta save that stuff. if you don't like smoothies at least you can make a good veg stock out of them. at the last job i worked at we saved all the veg scraps and herb stems and stuff and cooked up a big batch of vegetable stock in the steam kettle, we used everything but peelings cuz those leave a bitter flavor. you may have to chop up the broccoli stems first depending on your blender or food processor - they can be pretty tough. this is a fast and convenient way to get your greens. i just make up a pitcher and keep it in the fridge. very useful info Raven, thank you. these drinks have very few calories and are nutrient dense also being raw you've got the enzymes intact and you have no nutrient loss due to the cooking process. this advice will go a long way in helping you get where you want to be brandon.

[BrandonC]

Thanks for the great advice guys!

 

As for cardio, how much should I do every day? Also datys that I do cardio should I lift weights also?

Sorry if that sounds stupid, when it comes to fitness I am a wee bit confused!

[kylie]

Thanks for the great advice guys!

 

As for cardio, how much should I do every day? Also datys that I do cardio should I lift weights also?

Sorry if that sounds stupid, when it comes to fitness I am a wee bit confused!

 

hey, there's no stupid questions buddeeee...if you're jus startin out, you may want to start easy so as not to overdo it and get all frustrated and quit. if you wanna lift on the same day you certainly can, just depends on where you're at. you might want to set yourself some easy goals and make those first, like say, for instance, run 1 mile every day. then if you still have some ambition after that, have a shake and do some lifting. when you get a little more confident with it all, you may wanna do your lifting first, but for right now i would say do the cardio, trim down to where you want to be and then start clean bulking. oh, you may want to start out with some body weight exercises first: push-ups, crunches, chin-ups, dips etc. good luck B.

[_raVen_]

Hey, kylie, that's great you drink the Green Smoothies! I shall never forsake my green smoothies! I've gotten too much from them to ever give them up.

I don't use the stems of tougher greens like kale and collards or bok choy; but I do use the parsley, cilantro, or baby greens, like spinach. I get more green that way . But, I do eat the bok choy stems; they are an excellent source of natural sodium, which I do need since I engage in endurance activities. I chop them up and eat them in my salads; they taste good and are very crispy-crunchy.

If I were still cooking, I would definitely save the softer stems for broths and soups. I used to do that all the time -- no waste!

[Holle]

I think VERY good excersising is walking with empty stomach.

 

At morning when u wake up, go out and walk. Maybe u can take some coffeine before that. Walk that fast u can talk at same time without gasping. I think good time for that is 45-60 minutes.

 

After that, wait about 30 minutes before u have a breakfast. This works with me.

 

Remember drink water a lot during day.