ALCON,
If you could create a caloric deficit w/o reducing your caloric intake or exercising more, would you be interested?

BTW, info is free but as always, you should check with your doctor. They know everything!
I am a physical fitness leader for the military and also teach seminars.

Very interested... But how? I understand it's all about calories reduction (portion control) and exercise. Please let us know how... Thanks.

Doesn't sound possible, unless it's a drug that inhibits caloric absorption. The problem with losing weight that way (or even with fixed-food diets like Jenny Craig) is that once you stop, you gain back the weight.

As far as I'm aware, the only way to permanently and safely lose weight is to make a lifestyle change- exercise more and change your eating habits.

And speaking of exercise, I should now go take the dog for a walk.

-Erik

Erik,
Although it sounds impossible, it is not.
Yes, a life style change...changing your eating habits is vital, but execising more is what most people thing and they are WAY off!
Let's start with eating,ok?
Here is one secret. Your body burns MORE calories digesting 200 calories of protein than 200 calories of carbs. What this means to you is if you replace carbs or fats with protein, you create a caloric deficit w/o having to reduce the number of calories. Additionally, by balancing proteins, carbs and fat, you stabalize blood sugar levels. Another secret, it to increase fiber which blocks calories. Again, replace bad carbs with good carbs. In fact, by replacing the types of fats can help. Eating smaller meals through out the day and NOT skipping breakfast is key.
Additionally, any eating plan ( the first 3 letters of the word diet are DIE)must allow you freedom. Weightwatchers allows you free points, but if people move them to 1 day(classic body for life secret), they'll actually lose weight faster!
Any one interested in exercise secrets?
MSgt Bloom

JSBLOOM-
Gotcha. You're talking about low-glycemic index foods- the type of diet advocated in the Atkins and South Beach diet (and a lot of other diet programs have adopted the same ideology.)

I've lost and kept off (for the most part) weight through the South Beach plan. Technically, it's geared towards an actual reduction in caloric intake by controlling your blood sugar levels- preventing you from getting hungry and snacking or eating huge meals.

From my understanding, Atkins is similar, though the initial phase gives you rapid weight loss through ketosis- your body needs specific carbs to function, but since you're not eating any at all, your fat stores get directly converted into the nutrients you need. It's not the healthiest way to lose weight, and some of the people I know who went on Atkins experienced some temporary loss in mental function (absent-mindedness and reduced critical-thinking skills) until they started eating carbs again.

So you're right when you say to balance proteins, carbs, and fat. It's also better to eat whole-grain carbs than processed carbs- rye is better than white bread. I found the South Beach diet only required me to make some minor changes to my eating habits, so it's easy to stick to.

The toughest part of dieting, I feel, is sticking to a diet when your significant other is on a different one (or not one at all!) Having at least one shared meal a day is usually a substantial part of family life. How do people manage it when they've got to coordinate different nutritional needs in that one shared meal?

-Erik

Although the body for life eating plan is IMHO the best out there, the easiest one to adapt to the shared meal ifs the carbohydrates addict diet. In short, you get one cheat meal a day and limit carb intake on other meals. Think ATKINS plus a free meal. Again, during the shared meal is where discipline needs to kick in BIG TIME. Obviuosly, it is tough enought to eat healthy, but EVEN tougher when eating around those with diffrent desires.

Now, let's get to a couple exercise secrets.
Working out first thing on an empty stomache has been shown to triple fatloss!
Interval training has been shown to burn fat 9 times faster!
Caffeinne has been shown to double fat loss.
Although aerbic activity is important,it does NOT build muscle. As we get older, if we do not strength train we lose muscle which means our metabolism slows down.
Does this make sense?

Erik:

Regarding your question about shared meals, I don't know about the logistics. However, it was my wife's dedication to sensible eating that overcame my poor dietary habits. (She began Weight Watchers several years ago.)

She never made a fuss about the rich foods I tended to fix for dinner, but simply declined the meals I made in favour of lighter, healthier fare she made herself. Initially, I saw this as an affront; I'm an accomplished cook and people turning their noses up at my meals just doesn't compute.

However, she dropped 30 pounds and I dropped the attitude, and learned to prepare meals that were lighter without sacrificing taste.

Again, I can't help with the logistics or the family dynamics involved, but will simply note that good habits can spread at the dinner table.

FWIW,
Leland

Hi Maggot,
Drill Sgt Sorceress here...
I LOVE this post of yours! I actually keep my weight down this way! I learned what we know about nutrition and noticed how things work with me and my conclusion was to stay empty, use caffeine and by eating a lot of protein, I am satisfied. Thank you vey much for posting this. Please add more. I just love learning from someone with so much expertise. Thank you for sharing!

Sorceress,
PYR.....
Just so people know who I am. I teach "fit to fight" at Keesler AFB for the Top 3 for their NCOPD seminars. I have written exercise regimens for the exercise physiologists at Hurlburt field. I learned at a young age, it is not what you do, it is how you do it.
Focus on quality not quantity. Look towards the future. I have seen many people that work out a lot more than I do, but can not control waht they put in the ir mouth so their blood sugar level are at the point where their body will not burn fat.

I'm intrested in exercise secrets. I've shed over 50 lbs and I'm working out. I'd like to cut into the last bit of fat and start adding some solid muscle. I eat pretty well, but I don't know a lot of dieting "secrets".

Any tips to increase the efficency of my workouts to get better results? Should I supplement with protien drinks, muscle milk, or anything like that? I'm weak as a kitten, I need to power up.

@Vandy,
Great job at losing all that weight! Will you be so kind to respond with your eating plan? How about your current work out regimen and we'll go from there?
Everyone please remember to check with your doctor before making changes and remember small changes over time add up to HUGE results.

I PM'd you the specifics.

ALCON,
Let's talk about strength training. Seroius people track what they do. The key is to get stronger. You stimulate growth when you lift. You grow when you rest.
The nice thing is 1 set done to MMF is all you need whether you do sets to warm up first or not. The key is to have 1 test to guage if you are getting stronger and if you are not, chances are you need to add an extra day of rest. For example, here is a push up routine. All repetition is done slow,up on 2, down on 3 seconds. You'll need a stop watch. Do ten in the air. Do ten against the wall at minute number 2. At minute 4, try for 10 on your knees. If you can't, that's ok! Write down how many you did and the next work out, your goal is to do more without sacrifycing form! If you get ten, then go for ten normal!
Other great workouts can be found on bodyforlife.com
Now, there is no need to buy the book or buy EAS products;however, this site has a wealth of knowleadge on it regarding eating ect....
Standard BFL training is 12,10,8,6,12,12 reps which is great, but I have changed it slightly to simplify when I start my sets.

Aother important factor. For example, in the push up routine.
Set 2 starts at 2 minute. Set 3 (knees) at 4 minute. Suppose you have hit 10 on your knees, but you can not do a fair push up for set 4 starting at minute 6. What are your options? You could decrease your rest and start set 3 earlier like 3:50. Another thing is you could do the up portion on your knees, straighten your back and lower your self like a normal push up!
Your negative (lowering) strength is a lot greater than your positive( lifting)which is why BFL training is done on a 2/3 count and nautilus on a 2/4 count.

I listed the top 5 killers, with some stats that people might find interesting to learn. They are posted on Longevity post and Best Advice post.

Be sure to watch Penn and Tellers exercise versus Genitics