Does weight loss differ for each person?

[kj14]

Perhaps an obvious question, but does the process of losing weight vary depending on the person's initial weight and body type? Is it really always as simple as eating less and healthier, and exercising more and efficiently?

I'm 23F, 145ishlbs, 5'7" and have been gymming for around a month now—some cardio everyday, mixed with strength training, switching between upper/lower body daily as well. Is this the best way to lose weight and get toned?

I'm ideally looking for something in the realm of 120lbs, with a body build more similar to this, this and this. Is that even possible for my body type? I'm incredibly new to working out in any capacity, and find it pretty intimidating with all the different 'types' and claims out there. Any idea what I could do to achieve my goals here?

Info:

Diet-wise, I haven't yet tallied everything but below is the usual:
- I eat sugary desserts daily, usually once or twice (a juice drink, a brownie, etc)
- I eat processed/oily/fried foods multiple times a week
- I eat salads multiple times a week, and eat fruits everyday
- I usually don't eat breakfast

Below is my current routine (one my sister uses):

I do cardio 5 days a week, and alternate upper and lower body strength training during those 5 days too. I walk to and from my house, 20mins uphill also.

• 3 sets of 10 reps for most things
• if 6-8 reps doable, keep working up to 10, and then up by a weight
• you should up a weight every 10 reps
• weights below, '>' meaning moving up a weight/the next gym session's weight

Leg day:
Flex the muscle slowly, and move back to the starting position quicker; do it all slowly, and go as high/low as you can.

• leg curl (4 seat, 2 handle): 17.5>20>25>27.5>30>32.5-35>37.5
• leg extension (4 seat, 2 handle): 20>20>25>27.5>30>32.5>37.5>30-37.5>37.5-40
• core/jetpack: 12.5>10-15>15>17.5>20>17.5-20-22.5>20-22.5
• leg press (seat 3): 20-30>40>50>50>50>50-60
  !! move through the balls of your feet, not toes. Don't push so far as to bow your legs or you'll break them. Height of foot position determines muscle targeted.

Arm day:
- shoulder press: 5-10>5-10>12.5>12.5>12.5-10
- chest press: 12>12>12>15>17.5>20>17.5>20
- tricep cable: 5>7.5>>7.5
- core/jetpack: 12.5>10-15>17.5>20>22.5
- lat pulldown: 20>20>25>20-25
- seated row: 15>15-20>25>25

Running:
- for: 2mins at 3.0 for speed and incline, switch to 10.0 incline and 4.5 speed for 2 mins; alternate for 20mins

 

[nasha]

@kj14 Yes and no.

Lemme explain.

does the process of losing weight vary depending on the person's initial weight

Yes. If you have more weight (eg. 100+ kg), the body will be more willing to let go of the fat. However, if you weight less (eg. your weight is c. 65kg according to google), it will be a bit harder to lose weight, because the body us less willing to let go of the fat and instead starts trying to limit your energy consumption (eg. it starts eating up muscles, because muscles generate heat = consume energy)

and body type?

No. Fat loss doesn't depend on you body type.

Is it really always as simple as eating less and healthier, and exercising more and efficiently?

If you're healthy and not taking meds that interfere with weight loss than yes.

Now on to your physical activities:

some cardio everyday, mixed with strength training, switching between upper/lower body daily as well. Is this the best way to lose weight and get toned?

I wouldn't say this is the best way, but it's not bad.

The thing is that there is such thing as training too much. You gain muscles and cardio endurance by training heavily enough and then RESTING. And doing this consistently. This brings you results faster than doing moderate intensity cardio/weightlifting every day.

If you want to build muscles and cardio endurance you need to let your body rest (so tone down your training to 3 or max 4 times a week), you need to eat enough protein (1.5-2g per 1kg of body weight) and eat enough calories in general. That means eating in a caloric surplus (100-300 cals above maintenance intake).

Yes, this will make you gain fat as well. But once you build enough muscles, slimming down and losing the fat will be easier. Muscles consume energy (calories), thus, the more muscle you have, yhe more food you can eat and not gain fat.

You can't really have both at the same time - build muscles and lose fat. The first one requires eating in a surplus, the other in a deficit. However, some people manage to do something called "body recomposition" or recomp. This means they are eating in a sleight (c. 200 cals) deficit, while training heard and eating enough proteins. This seems to burn fat at a slow rate while building you micles at a slow rate as well. Keep in mind though, that this plan will take you only so far - this seems to be possible only in the first few months of training and for some people doesn't happen at all. Sooner or later you will have to decide whether you want to gain muscles first and lose fat later (recommended for you given the fact that you're not overweight) or the other way around (not a good idea for your current weight).

Is that even possible for my body type?

Yes? People seem to be confused as to what "body type" actually means. It refers to your skeletal construction, and not the quantity/distribution of fat.

Any idea what I could do to achieve my goals here?

Plenty. I started out from a similar starting point as you, so I think I might have some useful advise.

 

[kj14]

@nasha This is really helpful, thank you. So, if I:
- did cardio-based workouts (cycling, walking, treadmill walking, stair-master) most days
- did strength training for upper and lower body 3-4 times a week instead of 6-7
- changed my diet

I'd be in the right spot? What kind of exercises specifically worked for you, if you're happy to share?

My current diet is usually:
- no breakfast (just don't get hungry), maybe a warm drink sometimes
- lunch usually multigrain crackers/rice cakes, ham/tuna/cheese, and a bowl of crisps
- dinner usually a 'bigger' meal like pasta, fried foods, or a salad

I'm constrained cooking-wise and grocery-wise, but if I cut out processed foods altogether would this be beneficial?

 

[nasha]

@kj14 I would say do light cardio most days and 3-4 strength training/week.

Changing the diet is a must.

My current diet is usually: - no breakfast (just don't get hungry), maybe a warm drink sometimes - lunch usually multigrain crackers/rice cakes, ham/tuna/cheese, and a bowl of crisps - dinner usually a 'bigger' meal like pasta, fried foods, or a salad

It's not really bad, but not good either.

You need to consume much more protein if you want to have more muscles/better cardio. For your weight it would be c. 120g of proteins/day. Your diet doesn't seem to come close to that quantity.

but if I cut out processed foods altogether would this be beneficial?

I mean... there is hardly any food that isn't processed. If you want to eat unprocessed food you literally have to kill animals and eat raw meat and eat veggies and fruit without any chemicals.

My point, most food is processed - the crackers you mentioned, the cheese, ham, tuna etc. However some foods are generally healthier than others.

Base your diet around protein intake. Make proteins the main source macronutrient of every meal and add an appropriate amount of carbs and fat for your daily intake.

 

[deovindice95]

@kj14

Perhaps an obvious question, but does the process of losing weight vary depending on the person's initial weight and body type?

Yes but not so much "body type" as "body composition". Also not by that much.

Broadly you will have 3 main sources of energy consumption in your body:

1) Base metabolic rate. This is all the energy your body uses keeping your brain and organs running doing all the task.

2) The energy you expend on daily tasks like getting around the house, lifting things and even just tapping your foot.

3) The energy you expend from exercise.

In terms of the BMR, your body uses more energy retaining muscle than fat. So someone with a high body composition of muscle to fat will simply take a small bit more energy to keep them going even at the same weight. Also the fitter you are the more you will subconsciously move around. So some people will say they have a low metabolism when its most not really being as active as others.

But while there are differences, once you know your rough daily maintenance calories, its really more a matter of trimming down the calories in and upping the calories out from exercise.

So losing weight is generally going to be best done slower than quick, best done by changing your diet to healthier more filling options over the long term than a specific food restriction plan like keto or zero fat or whatever. Those work but are impossible for most to sustain long term.

My advice, the best plan is to work to get the saturated fats and sugars out your diet, to monitor what you eat so you have a rough idea where you are over a week and to aim for around a 3500 kcal deficit over the week. This will be about half a kg.

In terms of "looking toned" that is about removing the fat from your muscle. That and making the muscle bigger.

In terms of muscle growth the basic movement patterns covering the major muscle groups.

Something for the upper front\chest like a bench press.

Something for the upper back like a bent over row or a pull up.

Something for the lower front... squats.

Something for the lower back, dead lift or glute raise if you cannot dead lift.

Then touch ups like curls for the biceps and some kind of shoulder press for the shoulders.

Finally a basic abs routine. Crunches and planks to start. The abs are a functional muscle group to protect your spine, rather than for roided up gym bros to show off.

Its like a pyramid. The base is eat less calories than you consume, hit it from the other side by doing cardio with the aim of getting fitter. You wont burn much when you start... but long term the ability to do sustained intense cardio is very useful. See it as a long term thing rather than being instant results from a gym session twice a week.

The next layer is eat healthier foods that are more filling and nutritious as a long term lifestyle rather than going on funky diets.

Then work on your strength with the basic movement patterns. This will build muscles to give you higher resting metabolism, but also allow you to burn more energy when doing things and sustain you with a healthier body to live inside for your life.

BMR calculator

https://www.calculator.net/bmr-calculator.html

Minus that from your daily maintenance calories will give you a rough idea of your daily expenditure from activities. You can use that to target cutting calories from the diet and adding exercise.

 

[alberto_candelaria]

@kj14 yeah but not by much unless illness or doping is involved

I'm incredibly new to working out in any capacity, and find it pretty intimidating with all the different 'types' and claims out there

start light and slow and stick to the basics and be patient

 

[dinafrancis]

@kj14 Losing weight comes down to eating less than you burn so your body has to go to fat stores. You could lose weight eating nothing but Twinkies so long as you kept the calories down, but you'd be incredibly unhealthy and malnourished.

Focusing on healthier foods will help your overall health, and actually make it a bit easier to maintain a deficit. Ultra processed foods are often designed to make us crave more, and they can also be quite negative to our health. More studies are coming out that basically argue to limit or eliminate ultra processed foods (that is anything with a multi step process... aka bread, pasta, cracker, chips, cereal, sweets, etc). Eating whole foods (meat/fish, eggs, veggies, fruit, nuts, whole grains) and minimally processed foods (dairy like plain yoghurt and cheese) is a much healthier route. Your meals should be protein focused and you should try and hit 100g a day minimum. Don't avoid dietary fats as fat is a necessary macronutrient and used in healthy hormone production. I would, however, avoid seed oils. Olive oil is fine, veggie/canola oil, not so much. Even cooking with butter or lard is much healthier. Carbs are the least important macronutrient, but they aren't the enemy. Eat plenty of veggies and some fruits.. having a starchy carb with a meal isn't a bad thing. But if you're trying to cut calories, carbs are the easiest to cut back on.

Strength training is fantastic to do. I would recommend you follow a routine rather than just winging it. You don't need to work out daily. I personally do 3-4x a week (depending on my routine) and have built plenty of muscle that way. "Toned" is a bullshit word btw, what you want is muscle mass while being lean enough to see it.

The link of what you look like now doesn't work anymore, but you should absolutely be able to get a lean appearance like the videos you linked. It definitely is gonna come down to diet. And to be able to do the handstand and chin ups is gonna be some strength and some just practice and balance. And the lighter you are, the easier lifting yourself up is.

I'm also a 5'7 woman. I was about 165 at my heaviest, I lost weight through diet alone to 135. For me trying to get any lower was just not sustainable for me with how much food I like to eat. I don't know if I could personally get down to 120lbs without being miserable. But if you can maintain the smaller diet, then more power to you! I had a belly pooch at 135lbs still and I wanted it gone, so instead of trying to lose the weight, I decided to gain the muscle instead. I started to bulk up and then cut back down to 135. Now I have a dramatically different body, despite being at the same weight. And like I said, that is with 3-4x a week lifting (and lifting heavy!). Cardio I do for fun. I like long walks pretty regularly and I have picked up cycling and go 1-2x a week between 20-30 miles. Both combined definitely burn a good number of calories to the point where if I eat 2000 cal a day, I lose weight. Whereas my mom (5'8, 135-140lbs) maintains weight around 1800. Now I didn't go from sedentary to burning shit tons of calories a day. I slowly built up to it. I know my limits and listen to my body. Edit: here's a pic of me from my last cut, so about 135lbs https://i.imgur.io/fMgrPJ6_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium way more muscular than I was when I first lost weight. But I'm also working towards getting visibility large and when I'm not flexing, I don't look really muscular at all

So bottom line is you gotta make your diet and activity part of a lifestyle you enjoy. That's the only way you'll get there and then that's the only way you can maintain it.

 

[kj14]

@dinafrancis super beneficial, thank you! for strength training, i'd love some advice too - below is my current routine (one my sister uses):

I do cardio 5 days a week, and alternate upper and lower body strength training during those 5 days too. I walk to and from my house, 20mins uphill also.

• 3 sets of 10 reps for most things
• if 6-8 reps doable, keep working up to 10, and then up by a weight
• you should up a weight every 10 reps
• weights below, '>' meaning moving up a weight/the next gym session's weight

Leg day:
Flex the muscle slowly, and move back to the starting position quicker; do it all slowly, and go as high/low as you can.

• leg curl (4 seat, 2 handle): 17.5>20>25>27.5>30>32.5-35>37.5
• leg extension (4 seat, 2 handle): 20>20>25>27.5>30>32.5>37.5>30-37.5>37.5-40
• core/jetpack: 12.5>10-15>15>17.5>20>17.5-20-22.5>20-22.5
• leg press (seat 3): 20-30>40>50>50>50>50-60
  !! move through the balls of your feet, not toes. Don't push so far as to bow your legs or you'll break them. Height of foot position determines muscle targeted.

Arm day:
- shoulder press: 5-10>5-10>12.5>12.5>12.5-10
- chest press: 12>12>12>15>17.5>20>17.5>20
- tricep cable: 5>7.5>>7.5
- core/jetpack: 12.5>10-15>17.5>20>22.5
- lat pulldown: 20>20>25>20-25
- seated row: 15>15-20>25>25

Running:
- for: 2mins at 3.0 for speed and incline, switch to 10.0 incline and 4.5 speed for 2 mins; alternate for 20mins

 

[dinafrancis]

@kj14 I would look into a proven routine still, but I do like that you've at least got progression going. Also, don't be afraid of free weights!

There's tons of good info and proven routines over on the r/fitness wiki https://thefitness.wiki/

As for running... other than calorie burn, what's your goal? 20 mins of running ultimately isn't much at all. I'd mix in some steady, sustained cardio instead of this alternating thing. And it doesn't have to be running, but if you enjoy running, have at it. You could try following a couch to 5k program, but sounds like you could jump on ahead in that if you can run for 20 mins already.

Also, remember rest is when you are actually building the muscles. Now you can be active and do something every day, you don't need to sit on the couch and do nothing, but just make sure you're managing your fatigue and not overdoing it. And again, make sure it's all sustainable!

 

[dawn16]

@kj14 Just takes time. Cals in < Cals out, coupled with cardio and strength training.