How much exercise to lose weight

[AloeSvea]

for weight loss more important is, lifestyle change and portion size. sort of be more active and eat less in tandem with walking is good.
"normal" walking pace is 3-1/2 mph you can easily put this up to 5 mph though 7 mph is better but needs concentration for walking any distance, say 10 miles. Oh! Whilst walking use a mixture of pace and short busts of intense walking.
and the "bad news", I have just lost 41kgs and it's costing me "a fortune" in new clothes.

Great 'bad news' there Verdesca!

I just want to remind us all that people can be rather different in response to exercise and around weight (and blood glucose!) issues, and so on - what with body type differences and ethnic differences and so on.

I did not concern myself with portion size, at all, when I lost the most weight (15-20 kg in 3 months), I concentrated on the quality of food, and was even eating a moderate (rather than low) amount of carbs (maybe around 100 g a day in hindsight). I have an athletic body type, so was able to walk a lot straight away, on diagnosis, even though I was a big girl (bmi of around 30-31), and develop the necessary musculature to walk even longer distances in a relatively short time. This is not true for everyone. A relatively high level of protein works well for me (i was using a paleo model of way of eating), but this does not work for everyone either. (And that is probably better for my muscles than for my liver/blood glucose - but I didn't know anything about that or about LCHF at the time.) But I could not have walked as much as I did and ate less. (This is still true for me today, with the wider variety of exercise and muscle building that I do.) I eat fantastic quality, and am grateful for this addition to my life, even if I had to get really sick to reach this level of eating fantastic tasting healthy food. But there is no way I eat less. (I currently have a bmi of 24, with obvious muscles.)

What is so wonderful about this forum is it is diabetics talking to each other about what has worked, or not, or is enjoyable, or not, etc, for them in order for us to improve our health, and our lives. The beauty of the forum too is that once you get to know different posters, you can find ones who most closely fit your own profile, in terms of health, or lack of, and pay closer attention to those who most closely resemble you and see if what works for them also works for you. (Age, gender, activity levels, complications, HBA1c etc etc.) Or folk who are particularly inspiring, or just who you plain old like (or not!).

I am not saying portion control is wrong, please note. Just that it is not important or necessary for everyone. It wasn't, at all, for me. It might not be for Richard077 either.

Just a note though - when losing the 15-20 kg in a 3 month period, my triglycerides went mad and were so high at one blood test reading, the lab couldn't measure my cholesterol. No-one said why this was so at the time, but I have gathered since that it is what happens when your body is using up the fat stores - the fat is getting out of the fat cells and into the bloodstream, and will then be used up as energy - to feed the muscles doing all that walking, presumably. But there can be a super high triglyceride period. (The following one, after doing a 30 day Paleo diet experiment, no portion control, was the best lipids reading I have ever had, with a very healthy triglyceride level.) Just in case Richard, or anyone, is thinking about getting out there and beating the pavements and park lanes etc, as a way of getting healthier with diabetes. (Just be prepared for a temporary lipid abnormality if a big girl or boy.) Obviously, I highly recommend it. If you like the walking!

 

[Prem51]

If you can afford to get yourself a bike some good deals at Halfords and a garmin Edge cycle computer to go on it tells you miles cycled etc and best all calories burnt...........

I live in London and wouldn't ride a bike here because of the traffic pollution and danger from drivers who can't see people on two wheels.

 

[RuthW]

I live in London and wouldn't ride a bike here because of the traffic pollution and danger from drivers who can't see people on two wheels.

I rode in London for about thirty years (though not non-stop, obviously ). I was impressed by how generous most car drivers are. Plus cycle shops sell helmets and great maps with suggested routes. Also, there was research into the effects of pollution on cyclists years ago, and it showed that cyclists have fewer pollutants from car fumes in their blood stream than car drivers do. Apparently, because your blood circulation is faster, you eliminate them quicker, but you don't actually breathe in any more than people sitting in cars do.
I'm not saying you should cycle if you don't want to, though. Just that the pollution is not really a big factor. I did once get hit by someone who hadn't seen me, but I had seen her and was taking evasive action so I only got a wet bum from landing in a puddle.

 

[rogbert]

over the years I have used various diets to lose weight without success after my heart attack my weight went up to 20 stone losing weight got serious I joined a slimming club I'm not advertising it its about food optimising you have to eat various foods in order to lose weight excercise only gets you fitter you eat lots of vegtables and fruit no fat or oil low sugar and not too much meat over a course of 24 weeks my weight has gone down to 16 st 9 lbs and my blood sugars have reduced by 40% I hope over time to lose a further 4 stone which I hope to achieve by july next year

 

[TorqPenderloin]

over the years I have used various diets to lose weight without success after my heart attack my weight went up to 20 stone losing weight got serious I joined a slimming club I'm not advertising it its about food optimising you have to eat various foods in order to lose weight excercise only gets you fitter you eat lots of vegtables and fruit no fat or oil low sugar and not too much meat over a course of 24 weeks my weight has gone down to 16 st 9 lbs and my blood sugars have reduced by 40% I hope over time to lose a further 4 stone which I hope to achieve by july next year

I'd be very curious to know what the name of this diet is.

Forgive my skepticism, but I read several red flags:
-Eating "lots of fruit" and "low sugar" are a bit contradictory
-I'm not aware of any 21st century research that suggests a "no fat" diet is healthy. I have to question it's general effectiveness and especially its effectiveness for a type 2 diabetic.
-It sounds like the diet is most effective because it limits total calories.

I'll try to maintain an open mind and I'm glad it's working for you. However, I have to wonder if there are "more effective" approaches. Either way, it's certainly unique in its own right.

 

[verdesca]

LP - my post was just a work-out that worked for me. Hopefully it gave the orignal Poster an idea of what is possible.
Incidently, I mentioned to my Doctor that was considering LCHF. She didn't say No but was singularly unimpressed so I wont

 

[rogbert]

Torq its not really a diet its slimming world which has been running successfully for over 50 years

 

[TorqPenderloin]

Torq its not really a diet its slimming world which has been running successfully for over 50 years

I looked it up and their basic rules are a bit different than what you described. The central theme is a low fat diet (let's not call it a "lifestyle change" for the sake of this conversation). It's actually a diet that promotes a high carbohydrate intake.

Again, I'm glad it's working for you, but it's quite literally the opposite of a LCHF diet. I'm not suggesting that's good/bad, just different than what most type 2 forum members choose to follow.

"Foods that can be eaten freely include:

All lean red meats
All lean poultry and pork – including bacon
Fresh fish/seafood
Eggs
Potatoes and pasta
Rice
Quorn mince/Quorn pieces
Vegetables
Fruit
Some fat free yogurts"

Sometimes you have to remind yourself that just because it works doesn't mean there aren't most-effective approaches. That's a general statement and not directed toward you.

 

[SunnyExpat]

I looked it up and their basic rules are a bit different than what you described. The central theme is a low fat diet (let's not call it a "lifestyle change" for the sake of this conversation). It's actually a diet that promotes a high carbohydrate intake.

Again, I'm glad it's working for you, but it's quite literally the opposite of a LCHF diet. I'm not suggesting that's good/bad, just different than what most type 2 forum members choose to follow.

"Foods that can be eaten freely include:

All lean red meats
All lean poultry and pork – including bacon
Fresh fish/seafood
Eggs
Potatoes and pasta
Rice
Quorn mince/Quorn pieces
Vegetables
Fruit
Some fat free yogurts"

Sometimes you have to remind yourself that just because it works doesn't mean there aren't most-effective approaches. That's a general statement and not directed toward you.

Then again, if it works, it is the most effective approach if it works for you.
One - it works
Two - you can obviously stick to it.

 

[RuthW]

To be fair, when they say "low sugar", they are probably referring to sucrose or "added sugar." That will cut out cakes, biscuits, confectionery, ice cream, sweets, milk chocolate, etc. If they allow fruit, it's no biggie for most dieters. The diet would still be much better. T2Ds can have problems with fruit, true, but I still see what SW means and why it works. My sister has just lost about 40lb on the SW diet.

 

[Wayne78]

I found that there are some great suggestions here.
The thing that helped me is walk for 2 minutes and run 1 minute. I found it more beneficial than walking alone and with each session covering 4.38 km, the time keep reducing and felt much better.
The best thing of all, it has encouraged me to eat much healthier and reduced my dependence on medication.

 

[mfactor]

The trouble with diets is , that they are "diets" and more and more research has shown that it may not be the best way to go about things, yes you will probably lose weight, but then put it back on again, when you come off the "diet"..........

Robert above says, "over the years I have used various diets to lose weight without success" , that is a running theme when you read up about dieting, then add in the quote "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." ................

As Wayne says above "healthy eating" is probably the best way to go"

I am LCHF but don't look at it as a diet , I see it as a way of healthy living for me living with T2, if I were not T2 I would have a few more carbs, but again the jury on grains is still out.........(ie inflammatory for the body)


From the Beeb site




Keeping the weight off seems to be the big issue. A 2007 study by Weight Watchers, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, looked at the success of their programme over five years. Dr Carl Heneghan, director of the Centre for Evidence-based Medicine at Oxford University, has analysed these figures.

"What it shows is that [after] two years… about 20% of them maintain their goal weight. By five years that goes down to 16%," says Heneghan. "So basically you pick the best people, the lifelong members and actually even they struggle, with the majority of people not obtaining their long-term goal weight. After 40 years of them when are people going to wake up and say this is not the answer?"


Full article http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23463006

 

[Sean01]

Hi the only excersie I do is walking could any one give advice on how long u should walk for and how many times in week to lose weight any advice appreciate new to site thanks

Hi there. I'm new too (6th Oct 2015 T2, weight loss so far - over 3 stone). I like walking but in the winter, I'm happy on a treadmill. I have a home gym with a tv/dvd at my treadmill station and I love watching 'walking films' or films with journeys through life: like Gladiator. Centurion, Spartacus (the series) etc etc and I can get lost in these for ages. I typically walk for an hour every morning and time permitting, for longer at the week ends.Having previously walked the Loch Ness Marathon (7hours 24!), I was training up to 6 hours as my long walk on a Sunday morning. It''s a great way to clear your head, just keep an eye on energy levels. The only problem I found was that it was next to useless for weight loss - even on a healthy diet. I am now lighter than I was when I did my last marathon in 2012. I may go back in a few years and see if I can do it quicker ( I would be at least 100 lbs lighter so I hope so.) I think the secret to weight loss on a walking programme is to restrict calories rather than think you can burn off the excess. Even at my old weight, a fair pace (5.8km/h) and a steep incline, I wasn't burning more than 1,000 calories a session, and with the appetite you can get from walking, it's all too easy to put that back on in a single meal. Good luck.

 

[mfactor]

Correct @Sean01

Google "you cant out exercise bad diet"

 

[Sean01]

Correct @Sean01

Google "you cant out exercise bad diet"

Thank you. Does your avatar hint at who/what you are (and by the way, I am not a Victorian Jew who runs a poorly disciplined house of thieves, but since diagnosis, I am reviewing the situation!!) If so, we have have an old lifestyle in common. I practically lived at Golds Gym Covent Garden from 1984 - 1988 and trained with the biggest names in UK and world body building. UK Francoise Chung, David Gouder, Andrew Searle, Carolyn Cheshire. On the world stage: Olev Annus, Tom Platz, Johnny Fuller and whoever else flew into town. Fantastic memories from a long long time ago

 

[mfactor]

Hi, Arnold I am not , but have been lifting all my life and got pretty serious a few years back ..., well more than a few lol ,


Some great names there,, Golds Gym cool , I was just starting in 84, where's the time go....


I guess there is nothing much about nutrition that I can tell you .............


ATB Jase

 

[Sean01]

Hi, Arnold I am not , but have been lifting all my life and got pretty serious a few years back ..., well more than a few lol ,


Some great names there,, Golds Gym cool , I was just starting in 84, where's the time go....


I guess there is nothing much about nutrition that I can tell you .............


ATB Jase

Hello. Good old days. I started in 84, got good, then got better (West England intermediate runner up 1986 (magazines and fame for a few months. Went on to prepare for the Stars of Tomorrow (Porstsmouth) but got run over 3 weeks out. Game changer. Switched back to rugby until 1995 then told to stop or spend the rest of my life in a wheel chair. Proping days were over. The strong man but only training, no competition, just for fun - great years. Then heart attack (mid 40's and told to switch to walking - hence marathons (one mostly finished and one completed - Loch Ness - now that was a walk!. Now thinking about completing the circle - inspiration was Yates, now it might be Tim Belknap - that should ring a few bells from the beginning of your journey.

 

[mfactor]

Yep lots of memories, but I was (nearly) always a dungeon gym lifter, you know the thing dinosaur training and all that......so my memories are more along the lines of donkey jacket , wooly hat and gloves in my outdoor gym at 5 in the morning with frost on my power rack , got a bit more civilised these days tho, .....

Lost a lot of muscle after getting T2D 3 years ago but getting things back in order over the last few months,,tho the aim is to get down to a sensible weight without losing too much muscle.. gggrrr

Truth be told I am the walking truth of the old saying "too fat to be a bodybuilder, too weak to be a powerlifter" just never had the genetics I guess, small boned , rubbish insertion points etc.... and look more like my hero Geoff Capes (or Kaz) than Arnold....

But love the game so its all good.......................

 

[AloeSvea]

@richard077, and @TorqPenderloin - I just started reading Gary Taubes' 'Why We Get Fat: And what to do about it' last night, and thought of our discussions in here.

Torq - you would love the scientific explanations btw - I highly recommend it to you.

But the major 'take home' point I can summarise -

There's nothing scientific about the 'calories in/calories out' theory - and he explains why (I have read this in many places also, I just didn't think about it when writing about exercise in this thread.) Basically because fat regulation is pretty complex and involves the where, and then of fat deposits - hormone and gene regulated.

'Good calories, Bad calories' by the same author is another classic in the field.

His answers? Carbohydrate restriction. Eating healthy fats for feeling full and for energy. Really good take home points for we diabetics. (Fat burning rather than glucose burning for good health.)

But he talks about something that is absolutely true for me, and true for animals and humans generally apparently - you can't cut calories and at the same time up the activity - cutting calories makes you tired and no energy - and you need food for fuel when active. Makes total sense. I can understand why diet regimens of that nature don't work. Another way of saying - 'portion control' while being active generally doesn't work - for very scientific reasons.

 

[AloeSvea]

Oh, and the 'three laws of adiposity' Taubes uses to replace what he argues is the inaccurate one of thermodynamics when used in regard to people and animals:

1. Body fat is carefully regulated if not exquisitely so.
2. Obesity can be caused by a regulatory defect so small that it would be undetectable so small it would be undetected by any technique yet invented.
3. Whatever makes us both fatter and heavier also makes us overeat.