Gadgets for weight loss

[Luckysilk]

My daughter need to shed a few kilos (15 max)

 

I'm interested which gadgets members have used beyond their smart phone pedometer.

 

Seems to be sensible approach and I just read the UK armed forces is using something for their soldiers.

 

I don't need the band talk or the she'll never keep the weight off nonsense - she gained the weight because of a bad break up and needs to her back in shape.

 

" The Fitbits have been issued to troops who face being discharged for failing Army fitness tests 
The devices track the distance a soldier walks and the number of calories burned"

 

Obese soldiers get £100 Fitbits in battle of bulge

http://dailym.ai/2e3Rein

[robblok]

a fitbit may help... but she has to combine it with eating less (or better) and some exercise. A fitbit alone wont help much if no extra action is taken. Many people like the fitbit.. i do find it overestimates the calories burned. But if you just compare days and so on then its good.

 

 

[fishbrando]

My friend has lost considerable weight with his Wii Fit.

 

If you have room in your house, a treadmill is not a bad idea.  You can put it in front of the TV and have her walk while watching a show or a movie.  An elliptical machine might work as well.  It's an easy way to burn a few hundred calories per hour.

[singa-traz]

Does she, or you think she needs to lose a few kgs? ... there is a difference.

 

As for the gadgets:

• A pair of running shoes
• Fitbit or similar
• and sign-up her to a few 5km fun race event for a start (http://www.jogandjoy.com/index.php)

She will meet plenty of people there.

 

Even better, join her on the event, make it a family event.

[Luckysilk]

7 hours ago, robblok said:

a fitbit may help... but she has to combine it with eating less (or better) and some exercise. A fitbit alone wont help much if no extra action is taken. Many people like the fitbit.. i do find it overestimates the calories burned. But if you just compare days and so on then its good.

 

 

Thanks for the information and I'll keep it in mind about the overestimate bit.

 

She will be doing half an hour to start on the treadmill - not sure the burn rate but every bit helps.

[Luckysilk]

2 hours ago, singa-traz said:

Does she, or you think she needs to lose a few kgs? ... there is a difference.

 

As for the gadgets:

• A pair of running shoes
• Fitbit or similar
• and sign-up her to a few 5km fun race event for a start (http://www.jogandjoy.com/index.php)

She will meet plenty of people there.

 

Even better, join her on the event, make it a family event.

She needs to lose the weight, it piled on so quickly we hardly noticed with poor diet habits she's picked up since we moved back to Thailand.

 

She used to run and I'll share the link - many thanks. We are supporting her every step and our family diet has changed as well which is all good.

 

She was upset reading some weight loss forums and felt defeated as many take the approach she won't keep it off and commented that it's like the warden on release day saying to the prisoner you'll be back.

 

Thanks for the positive feed back.

 

 

[JSixpack]

May have some totemic value but little more. She's not going to exercise enough to make much difference; in fact exercising may just make her eat more. 'Marathon training made me fat!': Women who took up long-distance running ended up piling ON the pounds instead of losing weight. What does "work up an appetite" mean anyway? Not to say exercising isn't a good thing in general.

 

She'll need to focus on diet for weight loss. Many people find low-carb easiest. To that, she can add a form of intermittent fasting, such as 5:2. Do those, and she could lose (or "loose" to use conventional TVF spelling) the 15 kilos in 6 months without much difficulty and thereafter maintain a healthy weight. Could track her diet in an online diet planner if necessary to satisfy the technological urge. Good to work on this ASAP for a number of reasons.

Edited October 16, 2016 by JSixpack

[JSixpack]

5 hours ago, singa-traz said:

As for the gadgets:

• A pair of running shoes
• Fitbit or similar
• and sign-up her to a few 5km fun race event for a start (http://www.jogandjoy.com/index.php)

She will meet plenty of people there.

 

How well that's going to work is evidenced by singa-traz' success at shedding his own unwanted kilos. Here he is touting it in 2013:

 

On Sunday, September 15, 2013 at 10:01 PM, singa-traz said:

. . . I have build and use a motivation network and set of rewards:

• Friends know when I go running via social networks, and cheers me up.
• I exercice once a week with the family
• Everytime I exercice, I will eat a very juicy orange, or two (whole fruit)
• I track every progress (distance, weight, size, etc ...)
• Set a challenge: Register in a race to run 10km in about 1Hourish.

 

while making it a point not to count calories or give up rice, fruit juice, and his beloved pasta, among other things.

Three years and untold kilometers later, he had lost a total of--2.5 kg.

 

As for gadgets, he progressed all the way from mobile apps to a fitbit to a GPS watch (Garmin). (Might get lost during all that running.) So then in Jan. 2016 he attempts a MAJOR new push to lose weight, the "2016 Challenge," which just meant doing even more of the same. It meant, oh, running 4-5 times a week instead of 2-3 and even some marathon running. He switched from white rice to brown rice and tried to "cut down" on his breakfast while keeping the sugary fruit & juice + 2 slices of toast w/ butter & jam. And he vowed to "eat more slowly."  After 7 months of the "surge," he plateaued with a total weight loss of--2 kg (+/- 0.5 kg).

No further updates on the 2016 Challenge since July, heh. So, Luckysilk, with intense dedication your daughter might lose 15 kg in 11.6 years (+/-.5 years).

 

[singa-traz]

4 minutes ago, JSixpack said:

 

How well that's going to work is evidenced by singa-traz' success at shedding his own unwanted kilos. Here he is touting it in 2013:

 

 

while making it a point not to count calories or give up rice, fruit juice, and his beloved pasta, among other things.

Three years and untold kilometers later, he had lost a total of--2.5 kg.

 

As for gadgets, he progressed all the way from mobile apps to a fitbit to a GPS watch (Garmin). (Might get lost during all that running.) So then in Jan. 2016 he attempts a MAJOR new push to lose weight, the "2016 Challenge," which just meant doing even more of the same. It meant, oh, running 4-5 times a week instead of 2-3 and even some marathon running. He switched from white rice to brown rice and tried to "cut down" on his breakfast while keeping the sugary fruit & juice + 2 slices of toast w/ butter & jam. And he vowed to "eat more slowly."  After 7 months of the "surge," he plateaued with a total weight loss of--2 kg (+/- 0.5 kg).

No further updates on the 2016 Challenge since July, heh. So, Luckysilk, with intense dedication your daughter might lose 15 kg in 11.6 years (+/-.5 years).

 

 

Just for you, "jsixpack', an update: 

 

I don't really focus on marathons anymore ... Now, I don't stop at 42KM :-)

 

Trust me, you feel much lighter at the 50,60 or 70++ km mark.

 

But I guess my knees are going to break anytime soon and I should be in a wheelchair already.

 

And by your recent post, I should also be more than obese by now, since you gain weight by running, right?

 

To be a bit more serious, Running is much more than just loosing the few extra pounds and that can really help people, including in making better food choices. You get to meet people who are more conscious about what they eat, what they do. Many people start running to lose weight, initially, and continue for others reasons.

 

What I have gained during all those KM ran, may not necessary show up today on the scale, but it's ok.

 

Still, a few KG less would improve my marathon time. Sub 4 would be nice ... tomorrow morning, I will go running again.

 

But at the moment, the prospect of crossing the line after a 100KM race is much more important to me than the fluctuation of any number on the scale. Yeah, I heard you, the knees ... you make me smile :-)

 

"Running" would definitely bring more to LuckySilk's daughter than just losing a few pounds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[robblok]

@Jsixpack

 

If you exercise its more then likely you gain some muscle.. so just weight alone is not an indication. I wish I had access to a bodpod, because for someone like me who exercises with heavy weights and gets enough protein gaining (some even at my levels) muscle does happen and messes it all up. Also you have no Idea how lean Singa traz is already.. believe me the last few kgs to go to superlean are far harder to lose then the other ones. Just measuring KG's doesn't get you far.

 

I do agree that diet plays a larger role then exercise.. but as you know the benefits of exercise are much more than just weight loss.. but getting better insulin resistance is one of them not to mention cardio vascular health and so on.

 

I still eat my carbs too and I have not lost much (not much to lose anymore but i like to go for the impossible). Low carb is not good for people who exercise seriously. Carbs are a great fuel for exercise so eating them around exercise time is not a problem at all. Also insulin is not always bad like low carb people like us to believe.. the insulin helps to get nutrients in the muscle and is anabolic at that time. Insulin is driven by carbs its a double edge blade.. it can stop fat loss.. but can help to gain muscle too. You need it. By timing carbs and not overdoing it you can get great results. 

 

There is no one way for everyone we are all a bit different how we respond to diet and training. Some are lucky that insulin only helps to store nutrients in muscles while others have the problem it stores fat. All genetic depends on nutrient partitioning, of course exercise and timing can improve.. but genetic play a large role too.

 

Fact is low carb is not for everyone its not needed to lose weight it can be a good tool. People should just try and see what works for them. I tried low carb and its benefits were just not existent for me (no hunger and so on.. not true in my case). Training and work suffered when low carb (more then the few days needed for a switch). Now I wont go high carb.. but no - real low carb... never again. Also not all carbs are the same.. and how we respond to them is different too.. (can be measured with a gluco meter and test strips as I have done)

 

But we do agree.. diet first then exercise.. if we are just talking about losing weight alone.. but even better is a combination of both.

[JSixpack]

13 hours ago, singa-traz said:

 To be a bit more serious, Running is much more than just loosing the few extra pounds and that can really help people, including in making better food choices.

   

Been there, done that long before you even started. Beat your as-yet-unachieved goal of sub-4 by 46 min. Been continuously physically fit for the last 40 years.

Hasn't done anything of note to improve your food choices (it shows) or enabled you to achieve your weight-loss goal (yours, not mine) after 3 years, all that planning (with graphs!) and SO many KM. :)

 

Quote

Many people start running to lose weight, initially, and continue for others reasons.

 

Might as well just start right away with dieting to lose weight, as dieting is going to work, and continue dieting to keep it off. Exercise is always good as I said but there's no reason to think it's going to do a lot in her case--even with a GPS watch.

 

Exercise enthusiasts tend to love justifying what they do. Paying too much attention to them, however, misleads the average person (you aren't average, obviously) into thinking it's necessary and really important for weight loss, even as the risk of injury rises according to degree of excess weight. Exercise can lead to weight gain, as I noted (no, not just muscle) and be even more discouraging than dieting, BTW, esp. if you get injured.

 

Quote

Still, a few KG less would improve my marathon time. Sub 4 would be nice ... tomorrow morning, I will go running again.

  

Edited October 17, 2016 by JSixpack

[JSixpack]

4 hours ago, robblok said:

Also you have no Idea how lean Singa traz is already.. believe me the last few kgs to go to superlean are far harder to lose then the other ones. Just measuring KG's doesn't get you far.

 

I don't need to have that idea as singa-traz himself does and has said he's too fat hence has had this goal for the last 3 years.

 

Quote

Low carb is not good for people who exercise seriously.

 

But some serious exercise buffs, probably more fit than yourself, say that it is.

 

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ask-the-super-strong-guy-low-carb-diet.html

http://www.davedraper.com/ketogenic-training.html

 

The problem is that nearly all studies that have found a drop in exercise performance on low-carb diets were short term, lasting from three days to two weeks. It takes some time for the body to make a metabolic switch from using mainly carbs to other fuel sources, such as ketones.

--http://www.ironmanmag.com.au/nutrition/26-nutrition-tips/707-can-you-train-hard-without-carbs

 

Quote

There is no one way for everyone we are all a bit different how we respond to diet and training. Some are lucky that insulin only helps to store nutrients in muscles while others have the problem it stores fat. All genetic depends on nutrient partitioning, of course exercise and timing can improve.. but genetic play a large role too.

 

Quite true. But what percentage of people do you imagine have such a blessed metabolism whereby insulin only helps store nutrients in muscles, not fat? The point is that anyone coming here surely doesn't have such a metabolism. These aren't serious exercisers at all either (except perhaps the extraordinary singa-traz ). So there's no point in treating them as if they are. Perhaps they can become so, but it'll be a lot easier and safer after they've lost weight. Yes, some exercise is always good. Big believer it in myself.  

 

Any of the well-known and respected diets if followed will work, safely. The breatharian diet will certainly work at the cost of one's survival. Be great if Luckysilk's daughter can find one suitable she can maintain.

 

I mention low-carb because it's got some good science behind it, is well-documented now, used to be the accepted diet to fight obesity, and has currently the best record for compliance in the longer term, because so many people find it easiest after they've gotten over the carb addiction. I've also personally seen it work well when others have failed, as indeed singa-traz's diet has--according to his own goal, not mine.

 

Hence I'd recommend someone try it first. But I'm no means married to it. :)

Edited October 17, 2016 by JSixpack

[singa-traz]

8 minutes ago, JSixpack said:

   

Been there, done that long before you even started. Beat your as-yet-unachieved goal of sub-4 by 46 min. Been continuously physically fit for the last 40 years.

Hasn't done anything of note to improve your food choices (it shows) or enabled you to achieve your weight-loss goal (yours, not mine) after 3 years and SO many KM. :)

 

 

Might as well just start right away with dieting to lose weight, as dieting is going to work, and continue dieting to keep it off. Exercise is always good as I said but there's no reason to think it's going to do a lot in her case--even with a GPS watch.

 

Exercise enthusiasts tend to love justifying what they do. Paying too much attention to them, however, misleads the average person (you aren't average, obviously) into thinking it's necessary and really important for weight loss, even as the risk of injury rises according to degree of excess weight. Exercise can lead to weight gain, as I noted (no, not just muscle) and be even more discouraging than dieting, BTW, esp. if you get injured.

 

  

 

Jsixpack, I appreciate your encouragement.

 

Runners are usually nice people, but, hey, there can be exception.

 

When I started running, I was at 96 and now around 86 kg and "stabilise" there without any drastic diet changes, and in the same time went from 0km to ultra marathon distance. You can imagine, that I'm pretty down with my under-achievement :-)

 

I find the "no carb" not the best option ... especially when you live in the largest rice producer country.

 

I'm really not an exercice enthusiast, I just enjoy the benefits of the activities and the social network that emerged from it. Be assure that if I was so focused on performance,  I have all the necessary support to go sub 4 and even closer to your PR time (congratulation, you are the first ex-runner I meet who is bragging about his PR time to belittle another runner).

But hey, sometime, fitter person does not mean better.

 

To come back on point, my view on running, or any other exercices, is that more than the few pound lost, it will help people in getting the confidence, strength and will power to make the other required changes, such as adapting/modifying their diets. Yes, I find the exercice part easier than the diet part.

 

Why do you think so many people fail at their diet?

 

To talk about myself, I never planned nor imagined I would be able to run a marathon, nor even being able to follow the required training. To run ultra, you need a bit of mental power, to be on the road for 10+ hours. When you can do this, it's much easier to take the challenge to change your diet.

 

For his daughter, running is not going to help her to lose the all 15kg, but it will help her to feel better about her body, and from the rough time she had, rebuild her confidence.

 

To finish with me, my weight is still around 85/86, but it does not mean that my body did not change during the process. My legs are stronger, my arms feels bigger, my face is slimmer, and people who have not meet me for a couple of months, still tells me I lost weight, even if the scale tells otherwise.

 

I'm not in a rush to lose the last few kg, it's not a competition, I don't have hard deadline, and changing my diet will take a bit more time. So, what?

 

I still wonder why I'm not obese with all the pasta I keep eating :-) Don't you think I should be fatter with all those carbs?

 

But thanks for your comments, I will thing about it and how much I'm "a loser" when I cross the 100KM mark.

 

Jsixpack ... I like your name. It tells so much about you.

 

 

 

[JSixpack]

2 minutes ago, singa-traz said:

I'm not in a rush to lose the last few kg,

   

Truer words were never spoken, eh.

 

Quote

it's not a competition, I don't have hard deadline, and changing my diet will take a bit more time. So, what?

 

Each person is in a competition against himself. Now I did give Luckysilk's daughter 11.6 years (+/-.5 years). Maybe that's OK.

 

I didn't give you any hard deadline (I wouldn't presume!), but you did, you see, after about 3 years of trying to lose: Goal is to get around 80KG, within this year (2016) by refining slightly my diet, as well as increase the effort during exercices.

 

[robblok]

3 hours ago, JSixpack said:

 

I don't need to have that idea as singa-traz himself does and has said he's too fat hence has had this goal for the last 3 years.

 

 

But some serious exercise buffs, probably more fit than yourself, say that it is.

 

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ask-the-super-strong-guy-low-carb-diet.html

http://www.davedraper.com/ketogenic-training.html

 

The problem is that nearly all studies that have found a drop in exercise performance on low-carb diets were short term, lasting from three days to two weeks. It takes some time for the body to make a metabolic switch from using mainly carbs to other fuel sources, such as ketones.

--http://www.ironmanmag.com.au/nutrition/26-nutrition-tips/707-can-you-train-hard-without-carbs

 

 

Quite true. But what percentage of people do you imagine have such a blessed metabolism whereby insulin only helps store nutrients in muscles, not fat? The point is that anyone coming here surely doesn't have such a metabolism. These aren't serious exercisers at all either (except perhaps the extraordinary singa-traz ). So there's no point in treating them as if they are. Perhaps they can become so, but it'll be a lot easier and safer after they've lost weight. Yes, some exercise is always good. Big believer it in myself.  

 

Any of the well-known and respected diets if followed will work, safely. The breatharian diet will certainly work at the cost of one's survival. Be great if Luckysilk's daughter can find one suitable she can maintain.

 

I mention low-carb because it's got some good science behind it, is well-documented now, used to be the accepted diet to fight obesity, and has currently the best record for compliance in the longer term, because so many people find it easiest after they've gotten over the carb addiction. I've also personally seen it work well when others have failed, as indeed singa-traz's diet has--according to his own goal, not mine.

 

Hence I'd recommend someone try it first. But I'm no means married to it. :)

 

About the exercise and carbs.. people in better shape then those guys will argue its bad in general carbs are far better fuel. Just check how many olympic athletes go low carb.. how many sprinters and such... this is a point you wont win. Just some people on the fringe go low carb and do extreme sports.. but the smart people don't because our body just works better on carbs than on fats (unless we are talking endurance)

 

Other points we can agree on any diet will work.. some are easier to work with than others. 

 

 

[JSixpack]

2 hours ago, robblok said:

 

About the exercise and carbs.. people in better shape then those guys will argue its bad in general carbs are far better fuel. Just check how many olympic athletes go low carb.. how many sprinters and such... this is a point you wont win. Just some people on the fringe go low carb and do extreme sports.. but the smart people don't because our body just works better on carbs than on fats (unless we are talking endurance)

 

Other points we can agree on any diet will work.. some are easier to work with than others. 

 

 

 

Now you've gone from "people who exercise seriously," refuted by some examples of some low-carbers who do, to "olympic atheletes . . . sprinters." Good gawd. It all just has nothing at all to do with anyone who comes seeking help in the Fat Loss Forum! They AREN'T Olympic atheletes and sprinters and never will be. Hence your low-carb caveats, repeated continuously, are totally irrelevant here and are even harmful in that, as I said earlier re: exercise, they tend to mislead the kind of person who comes here seeking help into thinking it applies to him/her. They shouldn't care; I don't care; who around here does care what applies to Olympic atheletes and sprinters?

 

The point I made for Luckysilk is that singna-traz's equipment and methods haven't even led to his achieving his own weight-loss goals despite nearly 4 years and even marathoning. He's therefore rather a good example of how dieting is so much better than exercise purely for losing excess weight. He refuses to try low-carb not because of any supposed "won't work"  or "not good" but simply this: I don't have the will power to stop carb. (Low carb isn't "stop carb" of course.) Now he thinks maybe that running an ultramarathon will somehow help him find the willpower. Really. For Luckysilk's daughter I might suggest some of the low-carb forums if she needs support; they're full of supportive average and knowledgeable people a lot more helpful than weightlifters and marathoners here.   Similarly w/ the fasting forums. 

 

[robblok]

11 hours ago, JSixpack said:

 

Now you've gone from "people who exercise seriously," refuted by some examples of some low-carbers who do, to "olympic atheletes . . . sprinters." Good gawd. It all just has nothing at all to do with anyone who comes seeking help in the Fat Loss Forum! They AREN'T Olympic atheletes and sprinters and never will be. Hence your low-carb caveats, repeated continuously, are totally irrelevant here and are even harmful in that, as I said earlier re: exercise, they tend to mislead the kind of person who comes here seeking help into thinking it applies to him/her. They shouldn't care; I don't care; who around here does care what applies to Olympic atheletes and sprinters?

 

The point I made for Luckysilk is that singna-traz's equipment and methods haven't even led to his achieving his own weight-loss goals despite nearly 4 years and even marathoning. He's therefore rather a good example of how dieting is so much better than exercise purely for losing excess weight. He refuses to try low-carb not because of any supposed "won't work"  or "not good" but simply this: I don't have the will power to stop carb. (Low carb isn't "stop carb" of course.) Now he thinks maybe that running an ultramarathon will somehow help him find the willpower. Really. For Luckysilk's daughter I might suggest some of the low-carb forums if she needs support; they're full of supportive average and knowledgeable people a lot more helpful than weightlifters and marathoners here.   Similarly w/ the fasting forums. 

 

You brought people into it who supposedly were fitter then me (quite possible) to make a stupid point.. i brought in people who are more fit than them. Anyone who does explosive sports and wants to put on some muscle or get better recovery will not neglect taking carbs.  Carbs are the preferred fuel for explosive exercises now ketones are a second !!!!! choice.. says enough actually.

 

Also the anabolic  effect of insulin.. remember carbs influence insulin is important in gaining muscle.. and recovering muscle. Without it you impede recovery.  Carbs are not as evil like you want to depict them. Taking them around exercise will only help people. The anabolic actions of insulin combined with protein and exercise will only help to build muscle and that in turn helps against fat. 

 

You won't get any arguments from me that processed or even normal carbs are real high doses are bad. But the notion that carbs are so evil is a myth that low carb sect people like to believe. It might be true if you want to lose weight and not exercise.. otherwise there is no reason to exclude good carbs around the exercise period. Before and after exercise all carbs will be converted and stored in the muscle not fat. Also the more muscle you have and the more exercise you do the less problems you have processing carbs. 

 

Just setting the record straight here about the "evil" carb and the "bad" insulin that mantra gets a bit old. Also you got carbs and carbs.. processed ones are bad.. oats.. not so much  (especially with cinamon for extra slow release of insulin). However too much carbs can be bad and people who are real fat often benefit from low carb because they got a messed up insulin system.  But people who exercise regularly don't have that problem. 

 

 

[tropo]

On 10/16/2016 at 11:24 PM, singa-traz said:

 

Just for you, "jsixpack', an update: 

 

I don't really focus on marathons anymore ... Now, I don't stop at 42KM :-)

 

Trust me, you feel much lighter at the 50,60 or 70++ km mark.

 

But I guess my knees are going to break anytime soon and I should be in a wheelchair already.

 

And by your recent post, I should also be more than obese by now, since you gain weight by running, right?

 

To be a bit more serious, Running is much more than just loosing the few extra pounds and that can really help people, including in making better food choices. You get to meet people who are more conscious about what they eat, what they do. Many people start running to lose weight, initially, and continue for others reasons.

 

What I have gained during all those KM ran, may not necessary show up today on the scale, but it's ok.

 

Still, a few KG less would improve my marathon time. Sub 4 would be nice ... tomorrow morning, I will go running again.

 

But at the moment, the prospect of crossing the line after a 100KM race is much more important to me than the fluctuation of any number on the scale. Yeah, I heard you, the knees ... you make me smile :-)

 

"Running" would definitely bring more to LuckySilk's daughter than just losing a few pounds.

 

Let's not forget that staying the same weight or losing just a little is still a win. Overweight people (and even normal weight people) usually get fatter over the years and halting that trend is a win.

 

Without doing anything at all, all people lose muscle and most gain fat as they age. The body weight can stay the same as the percentages change.