Avatar cosplay inspired weight loss thread

[Sarah Noel]

Originally Posted by Fkeu'itan

Hey guys...
Firstly, I have a lot of problems with putting weight on in the chest and lower stomach region, but my legs and arms stay largely lean and tough. I was wondering if there was any way to specifically target this area, other than general weight-loss.

The ONLY way to get fat off an area is general fat reduction, you cannot reduce fat from just one area of the body of your choosing, when you take the proper steps to reduce fat, the whole body will slim down, some parts faster then others, the parts you're worried about will eventually get smaller too given enough time. To reduce fat, your energy output must be bigger then your energy input (food). Things high in fat and sugar have high energy. (calories)

You can target an area for muscle growth for specific areas, e.g. sit ups for the ab area, but ripped abs will not show up under the layer fat.

Originally Posted by Fkeu'itan

I really wish to eat a more Na'vi diet I seem to be alright with things like Banana, Mango, Melon, and all vegetables are fine. Nuts also have the ability to do this to me, but so far, I haven't had a problem with peanuts or cashews. It's things like almonds, hazelnuts, brazil nuts etc... B) I am pescatarian, which means I have to rely on sources other than meats for proteins.

If you want to eat more like a Na'vi, then eat more like a Na'vi. Fresh produce eaten raw, steamed or grilled. Raw being the preferred option. Lean skinless meat (I cannot think of a fish that is not considered lean meat, so that one should be easy for you), baked, grilled or boiled, never fried. Eggs that aren't fried are also a good choice, just don't eat too many at once.

Reduce processed foods and things with high fat, like whole milk, cream and butter. Switch from white breads and pastas to whole grain, although bread is cut entirely from a true Paleolithic diet, (the closest thing to a Na'vi diet) but I like bread too much to ever cut it out entirely.

Skip the foods you react badly with. You may have "pollen food allergy" specifically to Alder pollen and Birch Pollen, which encompass most regular fruit, but not many of the fruit you mention. I really don't know much though, that's really just one google search's worth of "only allergic to some fruits" and reading the first result. Oral allergy syndrome - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia scroll down the page for the fruit lists

Drink water. Eliminate soda or switch to diet, it has a TON of hidden sugar, and since it's a liquid your body doesn't even register that it just had a meal's worth of energy. Diet soda has a type of synthetic sugar we taste, but cannot process, making it have 0 energy content (calories). It's still better to drink water. Reduce alcohol consumption too, it's in a very similar boat, with the added bonus of reducing self control of food once intoxicated. Also, eat slowly and stop eating when you feel full, don't feel compelled to clean your plate, just save it for later.

Originally Posted by Fkeu'itan

I *really* am not into the whole 'scientific' weight-loss thing, I do really enjoy walking/hiking, a lot of dancing and also things in the natural environment... but I don't know if these activities really do a lot for muscle toning

The only natural activity that I can think of that really tones muscles is rock/mountain climbing, where you're scaling mountains and things and frequently need to lift your own body weight with a combination of your arms and legs.

Walking tones the legs, but you need to get in a lot of walking to "break" the muscle groups as I call it (not a scientific term at all), it's when they feel sore after you stop. When it recovers from the stress after, the muscle cells heal bigger, provided they have enough protein in your diet for them to work with. For lean muscles, just increasing general activity should suffice, if you really want to bulk up, I don't have much experience there. My link should though.

Originally Posted by Fkeu'itan

Any suggestions/links you could throw out there would be of massive help to me.

The link I put in the beginning of this thread really is a great starting point for any body improvement question you may have. It does have a lot of "science diet" in it, but I'd recommend reading the whole page at least once, just so you have some general knowledge, and understand why certain things work and others don't. You don't need to count calories really if you cut the crappy food out and eat like a Na'vi. I tried to keep the "science diet" out of my advice as much as possible for this post. (I only mentioned "calorie" twice!)
Beginner's Health and Fitness Guide

TL;DR: eat unprocessed foods, like fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish and eggs. Cut fat, sugars, and simple carbs, like white bread and white pasta. Drink water, not soda. Get exercise.

[Moco Loco]

I haven't counted calories before this day, but I wanted to see how I've been stacking up lately, and this kind of day has been regular for me recently:
Lemonade - 200 calories (WTF)
Cheeseburger - 400 calories
Porkchop - 400 calories
scoop Icecream - 400 calories
which totals 1400 calories. You may think, "meh, Moco, that's normal for girls, you won't lose any weight that way", but you don't know me. I've been living on a ridiculous number of calories my whole life. This is a drastic change.

Also, I know today wasn't particularly healthy, but most days there is some plant life involved

As far as exercise goes, I've been biking regularly about four miles a day at the worst time of year, August, 90 degrees minimum and humidity 100%. All the streets around my house are fissured and full of gaping holes covered in gravel for no reason whatsoever so it's like super balance endurance obstacle course with a dragon breathing fire directly in my face.
This doesn't really have any weight loss value, just wanted to share it with you all for the lol.

[Sarah Noel]

Moco, at your height at a "super hot" weight you're Basal Metabolic Rate would be about 1200 calories a day. At 1400 you'll lose gradual weight, but you might start tapering off at spot you're not yet satisfied with. Combine 1400 food with -200 calories of daily exercise though and that'd do it.

Edit: this is generally speaking, your metabolism may very. Also, so many typos I just fixed, there are probably more, it's late. Also, also, keep in mind where you're getting your calorie information from, underestimation is common, and keep track of how much is in a serving. There are about 100 calories in 8oz of coke, but a .99 cent bottle has 16oz, but most labels give calorie content for 1 8oz serving. And I do know your potential eating habits, congratulations on the change, keep it up and don't cheat and you'll see results. It's science! yay

[Human No More]

I don't have any way of knowing if I've lost anything or not. I've been trying to eat less, but it's really hard...

[Fiyerwall]

It is hard to eat less especially when my hormones go haywire every month. It's not something I can prevent, but it would make weight loss easier without it. That's just how it affects me.

[Fkeu'itan]

Thanks guys, this is some awesome advice. I'm looking into going more Na'vi in terms of diet at the moment...

I think I might have discovered my weaknesses though. Basically, the main one is snacking.

I rarely eat a proper lunch, it is either something quick and out of a can (usually on toast. ) or it is something in the vein of a typical 'working lunch. Really junk-foody, usually sandwiches from a local shop, a pack of crisps, chocolate more often than not, and a drink - but usually fruit juice, as it's cheaper - which are incredibly unhealthy (not to mention bread, crisps as a non-Na'vi foodstuff.) but I feel like I need to eat a lot to keep me going, as a pretty tall and heavy-set person.

So I guess my question is; How can I still eat Na'vi, but keep myself feeling satisfied for the time I need?

[Human No More]

I have that same problem, I feel hungry right after eating if I haven't eaten properly, which just makes me eat more often in the day.

[Fiyerwall]

So far, I've managed to drop 4 pounds. It's not much, but it's a start.

[Fkeu'itan]

4 pounds is good.

Well, any loss is good I guess.

[Moco Loco]

OH NO!

Quick weight loss presents its own problems. A common complaint from people who lose a lot of weight quickly from extreme dieting is that their skin doesn’t tighten up. Dieters are left with unsightly loose and hanging skin. It doesn’t seem fair to overweight people who have worked so hard to drop the weight.
Tighten Skin After Losing Weight: Quick Weight Loss Leaves Loose Hanging Skin | Suite101.com

Arrrgh I totally forgot about this potentially happening. I was going to start officially in late February, but well, looks like my diet starts right now.

[Human No More]

Makes sense, I guess.

I really need to try and do a bit more myself... I need to find a way to distract myself from being hungry.

[Fiyerwall]

Originally Posted by Human No More

I really need to try and do a bit more myself... I need to find a way to distract myself from being hungry.

HNM, the best distraction I have for hunger is working on my Na'vi outfit. It keeps me busy and reminds me that I need to stay in shape or else I won't be able to wear it next July.

[Fighter-of-Wars]

Originally Posted by Fkeu'itan

So I guess my question is; How can I still eat Na'vi, but keep myself feeling satisfied for the time I need?

I dunno the best way, but what I did, was just eat less all together, used to for a meal, I would have a main course which could either be a meat or grain and have a side and still be a little hungry afterwords. This was when I was around 205 lbs.

I just cut back, ate less for meals, drank more water and for a few weeks I just felt a little more hungry during the day. But over time I'm down to where I can eat a small sandwich for lunch and be full, but then I start to feel hungry again about 4:30 to which I might have some sunflower seeds, or a very light snack.

When I feel a bit of hunger come on I drink water and that puts the hunger away for atleast an hour or so which is usually good enough to hold me off till meal time.

That worked good for about 35 lbs, now that my abs are starting to peak through and shoulder muscles are starting to surface, no matter what I do I can't lose these last 10 pounds, running for miles every night has little effect, weight lifting has little effect, and I can't cut back anymore on eating other wise I won't have enough energy to make it through the day. I'm very active with lots of physical labor in my job. But some days I look different than others in the mirror, especially after working out hard, the next morning I look like I have a little less fat, but by the end of the day it's back. I don't like it.

This winter when I have more free time I'm planning on hitting the workouts hard again to finally get to look like Tsu'tey. That's my inspiration, whenever I get low on motivation, I just bring up some screens of him and I'm ready to run 3 miles. (Which I do sometimes)

[Sarah Noel]

I just got an iPod touch and I wanted to sing my praises for this app. My Fitness Pal is a free app that allows you to catalog everything you eat and the calories consumed, as well as calories spent in exercising. Even in offline mode, the food database is very big. I've only been using it for a day, but it's great so far. This makes calorie counting easier, and sort of fun to some extent. You can also apparently sync the data to an account on their website, but I doubt I'll use this feature. Just thought I'd mention it here, since I really like it so far, and it's free.

[Ateyo leSyaksyuk]

ARG! WHERE IS EVERYONE!? I am planning to lose at least 25 pounds before July. I am a participant in SparkPeople.com and I recently found NERD FITNESS.com
The second one also recommends the Paleo diet. Niri Te si Oe rey mi West Texas, out in the middle of no where! I am built like Trudy Chacon, except heavier, now. I need to get back to my "fighting weight" (no I don't box)
SQUATS! yes! And I also want to learn how climb a rope and do chin-ups.
OETSYIP
ATEYO ;D