Body Transformation - Weight Loss

I am really wanting to lose weight, but I am finding it very difficult.

I know what to eat and what to do, but I confess to being very lazy. I have seen many body transformation programs (12 week programs) where you have a personal trainer and nutritional accompaniment. Having someone there with me helping me is something I've never tried.

Has anyone ever done one of these programs?

I see the pictures but I find it hard to believe that you really transform yourself (lose that much weight) in a short period of time.

Amazing 12 type programs ( https://www.amazing12.com/ )

Has anyone ever done one of these programs? Or have you done something that really worked?

Thanks!

Comments

  • +14

    There is a reason the weight loss industry is a multi billion dollar industry. If it actually worked, no one would ever return to try again.

    Those 12 week challenges may work for the 12 weeks but most people quickly put it back on, and often times put on more.

    You need to do something that is sustainable for the rest of your life, of which many diets and challenges are not.

    • +2

      OP needs to set realistic goals/expectations. I started using a free app (mynetdiary) to set weight goals, track what I eat etc… and I found it helps putting things in perspective and especially seeing where things go when I'm/was overeating.

      An interesting feature of the app is that it explicitly won't provide any forecast for weight loss estimates over 1.5kg/week, and it will ask the user to add more calories to their diet. Remember though that calories are not all the same from a nutritional point of view.

      N.B. this is not medical advice, or any other kind of advice.

    • +1

      Even worse, as I'm sure you know, lots of the transformation before and after pics are digitally altered, or are weight loss after a serious bulk by an expert trainer, or are people regaining weight they lost "muscle memory", or are tricks of camera and lighting along with changes in pose and posture.

      Or the oldest trick in the book, get fit, take a picture - get fat, take a picture. Swap the before and after and "presto". Another sucker signing up to some program you don't need.

      Just work out basic metabolic rate. Calculators Online.

      Then understand the following.

      1g carb is 4 kcal (what most people/nonphysicists call a "calorie")
      1g protein is 4kcal (ish)
      1g fat is 9 kcal.

      Try keto

      Start with 150g protein
      120g fat
      20-50g carbs

      If you don't lose weight after 1 week, decrease fat by 10g.

      If still no loss, decrease fat another 10g.

      Of you don't want to do keto, you could try

      100g carbs
      100g protein
      100g fat (max)
      And adjust fat down to lose weight.

      EZ depending on your tolerance for writing your food or alternatively for eating the same thing again and again).

      NOTE: if you are trying to lose fat and retain muscle, do weight training.

      Without weight training you will lose approximately equal amounts of fat and muscle (not good)

      With weight training and keeping protein at approx 1g per pound of lean body mass. You will lose 80-90% fat and 10-20% from muscle.

      Good luck.

      And remember, you're beautiful, you just don't like how you look.

      And do it for you.
      Nobody else is worth doing it for.

  • +10

    Download the Easy Diet Diary which is Australian and free. Pop in fake details (doesn't need to be verified to work).

    Set your calorie intake to either 1200 or 1500 (men and women vary, GP can advise).

    Enter weight. Count calories. Don't lie to yourself.

    I have always been a poor eater. As in, one meal a day since I was 12 but it ruins your liver. My Dr said I needed to eat more often, eat better but still watch the calories.

    I've been doing this since October and have gone down 5kgs. It's slow and sustained. No exercise outside of everyday life. I can't exercise until I lose more weight. If you can exercise safely this may expedite your loss but it needs to become life long so I'm starting with the food and eating first.

    Good luck đź‘Ť

      • -2

        Indeed it has been proven over and over again to be one of the least effective ways to lose weight.

        • +3

          Versus vague points systems that plus or minus this and that for doing whatever?

          Having seen a dietician, one of my biggest issues was I simply didn't know what it was I was eating. Sure, I wasn't eating a lot, but obviously what I was eating was so high in calories it was blowing away any potential improvements I might have had.

          It's important not to conflate 'counting calories' with becoming educated and being observant. I am more concern about my sugar intake (being pre-diabetic) and the tracker allows me to monitor carb and sugar numbers. I can also monitor the free sugars. This is important having moved to low FODMAP on the direction of specialists.

          What watching caloric intake does do is makes you mindful of what you are putting into your body. You don't have to cut anything out. I had half a pizza the other day. But at 750 calories, it meant that maybe, it was a day to not have a string of lattes or to choose a salad instead of a sandwich for lunch.

          Every system offers something different and may/may not work. I am a numbers person who requires a logical reason for doing/not doing something. Emotions and simply saying it is bad is a complete waste of time for me. Show me the math, and I'm there.

          • @Benoffie: I think people need to understand that the human body is a very complex machine. Counting calories is far too simplistic a model to work with. One of the most important factors to consider is how fat storage and fat usage occurs. There are hormones that signal hunger and satiety and of course there's the all important insulin for regulating blood sugar which is central in the fat storage mechanism that has evolved for survival in times of lack.

            A calorie is not a calorie in the way the human body responds to it, and this simplification has caused a lot of disappointment and harm to people wanting to lose wight and be healthier. I'd also add that being healthier should be the primary goal rather than losing weight. To be sustainable it needs to be a lifestyle change, not simply a diet.

            • +1

              @Karfaffel: I'm more than aware considering the amount of health issues. But if people have advice from specialists and are under guidance, then frankly, their decisions to keep food journals is on them.
              And for many of us, losing weight is about surviving, not merely 'being healthy'. If we don't shift the extra kgs, we'll die. Personally, that's something I'd like to avoid if I can help it!

          • +1

            @Benoffie: It's not about how much you are eating but the quality of the food you are eating.
            Saying 500g of donuts is the same as 500g of steak is what makes this scenario absolute rubbish.

            You need to look at the types of food you are eating. Cut out grains/gluten, processed carbs, vegetable/seed oils.
            Consume healthy fats, grass fed/organic/free range meats and minimal healthy carbs.

            You waste your money seeing conventional dieticians, they still tell you to consume wholemeal grains and eat plenty of carbs.

      • This guy doesn't understand the third law of thermodynamics.

        • huh? You think it's appropriate to reduce the human body's complexity to the 3rd law of thermodynamics?

  • +1

    A lot of those results are hard to believe because they’re fake. A lot of the “amazing” results in a short period of time are done in reverse where they pay someone who is in fantastic shape to put on weight instead, not to mention the differences in lightning, poses and airbrushing.
    Obviously diet and exercise work but I wouldn’t compare yourself to the photos they show on websites. Even if they are real, they haven’t selected the average results to display how good their program is.

    • +2

      Paying people to put on weight? Really? That sounds unlikely. It would be easier to sift through the hundreds of customers and just pick the outliers that achieve significant results.

      • +1

        I don't think they even pay people to out on weight, a combination of lighting, fasting and exercise are used to produce before and after photos all in one day.

        I would say more are fake then real, plenty of example of this on the internet and tutorials on how to do this on YouTube. Nobody comes out of a 12 week program looking ripped.

        I have seen some great real life cases but they don't finish with a Hollywood body.

    • A lot of the “amazing” results in a short period of time are done in reverse where they pay someone who is in fantastic shape to >put on weight instead, not to mention the differences in lightning, poses and airbrushing.

      Here is a tea supplement that promises the “amazing” results:

      https://oldnwise.com/web-stories/tea-burn-for-weight-loss-re…

      Did you or anyone you know tried this?

      • Ain't no such thing as a miracle tea. Losing weight takes discipline and knowledge about food groups.

  • +3

    We all know what we have to do to lose weight.. but there is no quick solution. Just a lot of self control and will power… which Im lacking both.

    as someone said its a billion $ industry for a reason..

    But you need to change your whole lifestyle, or once you stop ANY diet, you'll put the weight back on

    If you can deal with it, I did the Optifast shakes 3 times a day and lost 15 kg in few months several years back…
    sadly need to lose a lot more than 15kgs now

  • Myfitnesspal to track caloric requirement + gym routine (strength and cardio; for metabolism) + clean diet (high protein, medium fats, low carb for energy). If daily caloric intake is less than daily requirement, net result is weight loss.

  • +1

    How much weight do you want to lose? (What is your current age/BMI?)

    I know what to eat and what to do, but I confess to being very lazy.

    This is very important to acknowledge. Most people wonder why they can't lose weight when they are "eating healthy" but in reality they are not.

    You definitely can lose a large amount of weight in 12 weeks. This basically comes down to creating an adequate calorie deficit, mainly by reducing caloric intake but exercise can help to a certain degree.

    If you want to get you weight down over the next 3 months I would look into a very low calorie meal replacement program such as optifast.
    https://www.optifast.com.au/healthcare-professionals/clinica…
    https://baker.edu.au/health-hub/fact-sheets/vled-program

    It's best to have meal replacement program supervised by a certified dietitian or even a GP (who has an interest in weight management). This is mainly just in case you have some health problems which need to be addressed first and also helps keep you accountable.

    On a side note. For most people, exercise isn't particularly helpful to reduce your weight. Obviously has other benefits but in general to reduce your weight you need to change your diet. So basically money spent on physical training for weight loss is largely a gimmick. (Basically gives a PT opportunity to charge you for time spent exercising but in reality the weight loss happens with diet)

  • +1

    ABS are made in the kitchen.
    You don't need a personal trainer to lose weight.
    If you know what to do (diet wise) and can't, then no one can help you.

    Unless a medical condition or you have metabolic damage.

    Calories In v Calories Out. SIMPLES

    • -1

      This is the old simplistic model which has been shown to rarely work. It's much more complicated than that.

  • +3

    Don't eat as much, keep away from sugar, drink lots of water and try to run/walk/jog at least 3 days a week

  • +1

    There are Meetup groups on meetup.com for walking hiking etc. You can meet like-minded people there.

  • Have a mate who was 200+ pounds and now working as a PT, turn your PM's on. He's much cheaper than those 'programs' and can probably relate and help you out alot more than those set programs.

  • +3

    Here's one weird trick that will help you lose weight … eat less and exercise more! Sounds crazy, but some people I know swear by it!

    • +1

      OP knows this but he is being lazy.

    • Some people have good appetite though, can't eat less.

      I can't gain weight because of poor appetite and it's difficult to eat, I envy people that are able to gain weight easily.

      • This could change with age. I was very skinny when I was young.
        Now I am fat. Every time I go to the doctor, they ask me to lose weight.

        • If only it was as easy as the Doc says… im in same boat.

    • +1

      eat less and exercise more!

      We need to move away from this simple interpretation. People are too focused on counting carbs and trying to cancel out an unhealthy diet with exercise. You can't run off a cheeseburger and donuts. Even if you deplete the calories you consumed, the effects of the diet will remain.

      What people are finding is that minimal or no exercise can still lose weight if you simply start eating correctly. Go on a low carb diet. Ideally less than 20g of carbs per day. I guarantee you'll see better results after 12 weeks than any other fad diet. You'll lose weight rapidly and your hunger cravings will level out. Carbs not only make you fat on their own, they make you hungry more often by spiking your blood sugar and then dropping it right back down.

      • +1

        Yes, agree with this so much.

        Protein leads to satiety.
        Fat leads to satiety.
        Carbs lead to being hungry for more carbs.

        Carbs are fuel. It is the one macronutrient you DONT NEED.

        you need fat
        You need protein

        Carbs are fuel on top of you're doing lots of exercise / physical work, which. Let's face it, most people are not doing.

        • A lot of pro athletes eat low carb too. It's still possible to push your body to the physical limit using ketones.

          Habitually, working in an office seems to be the worst possible choice for people who want to control their weight. You don't see many fat tradies because they don't have much time to eat, whereas in an office we can eat round the clock. When I see a vending machine filled with coke and chips at these places it just makes me feel so bad for everyone. It's entrapment.

  • -1

    Just start dating blind women, who also don't have a sense of touch so they can't feel how big you are either.

    • Also has benefits if you are challenged for size elsewhere…

  • +4

    12 week programs might help you quickly lose weight but you'll put it straight back on and more. Reason being if you lose weight that fast you will lose muscle and also reduce your metabolism. When you go back to normal eating, even if you were maintaining before, now it will be a weight-gaining diet as you have less muscle to burn energy with and a lower resting metabolism than before.

    If you want to pay as little money as possible but have a decent chance of success, get your GP to refer you to a dietician, get them to tell you what macros and kJ to aim for, then start logging all your food with myfitnesspal. You'll have to do some research to find foods that will help you with this or have the dietician give you some recipes.

    If this is too much admin for you, and you don't mind paying some money to get long term success, give weight watchers a go. Logging is much easier - you can preplan days ahead, log previous meals, etc. No kJ or macro counting - this is taken care of with the points system. Things with high fibre, high protein or low carbs are less points so it is easy to choose better foods. There are also hundreds of recipes available and you can create your own for easy logging (tbf myfitnesspal also has the ability to create your own recipes). There are coaches available to chat to, training and workouts. And there's a social media element which you can choose to take part in or not. I am finding it really easy to use - I can find foods that I am quite happy eating, that are decently sized but still under my points limit and I am never hungry at the end of the day. If I run out of points, veggies and plain baked chicken are free, and a cup of strawberries or grapes are only 1 point (out of 47 for the day). So never need to be hungry (or I can walk 2-3k and get 3 or 4 extra points). I have been losing average of 800g a week on it. You can get someone to refer you and get half price for whatever length of time you choose to commit for.

    • Absolutely endorse the GP dietician route, particularly if you have to lose weight for health reasons. With a plan and referral, a significant amount of the cost is covered by Medicare, and generally, you only need a few visits to set up the regimen, tweak, and monitor.

      It's about a sustainable lifestyle, not crash dieting, and a qualified dietician can ensure what you eat is well-balanced nutritionally, and cater for specific dietary needs, e.g. diagnosed lactose intolerance. They can also help you with exercise and other strategies to help build a healthier lifestyle.

      Steer clear of instant weight loss, as it's usually instant weight gain once you stop the diet, because of the restrictions and/or soecialbdiet food, like shakes.

      Hope it goes well for you.

  • +12

    I was 92kg in dec 2015. I'm only 167cm so it wasn't a good look.

    I started walking the 2.5km to the station and back rather than driving. I got fitter (first day nearly killed me and I crawled the last 500m to the station) but didn't lose weight for 4 months. Then I adjusted my food intake and lost up to 1kg every month. By mid-2018 I was at 72-73kg.

    In 2020 I went back up to 79kg. :-(
    At the start of 2021 I commenced group outdoor fitness classes (2-3 45 min "sweaty" sessions and 1 yoga class) and changed my diet a bit more (even more vegetables, even less red meat, more oily fish, less pizzas, less snacks, less booze). I'm back down to a consistent 74kg but am aiming for 72kg.
    No man boobs, shaped biceps, good core, good endurance.
    It doesn't sound like much but I'm 60 years old and once you turn 50 it's a hard slog (IMO). You just have to work at it.

  • +1

    I know what to eat and what to do, but I confess to being very lazy.

    This is the main problem you need to tackle, if you can't make a commitment to yourself and keep it in relation to diet or exercise then why will paying someone for 12 weeks magically change that? And more importantly, what happens after the 12 weeks?

    I see the pictures but I find it hard to believe that you really transform yourself (lose that much weight) in a short period of time.

    It's possible, but I would imagine that 95% of people who sign up for these programs do not achieve those results. I also wonder how many of those in the 'before' and 'after' pics are people with an athletic background who may have just recovered from an injury…

    Has anyone ever done one of these programs?

    Yes and I wouldn't do another one, I would recommend a good MMA gym over an F45 place any day of the week because one of those teaches you a functional skill while you're exercising, the other just teaches you how to be the best at exercising with no specific end goal in mind.

  • I've got a pretty nasty disability, which makes exercising difficult. I manage to cycle (about a 1hr round trip) a few times a week, but am pretty much sedentary the rest of the time. My specialist put me on Duromine a few years ago, and I lost 25kg in 3 months (you can only be on it for 3 months at a time). I had lots of baggy skin, but I felt amazing, and kept it off for about 2 years until my condition got worse and I very quickly put it all back on - not watching what I was eating, and exercising less. I just started another 3 month batch today, and will try very hard to keep it off this time. It's not a miracle pill, and you still need to watch what you eat and (try to!) exercise. It might be worth talking to your doctor about it - it's not for everyone, and you need to watch for negative side effects, like heart issues, etc. But it certainly helped me when "eat less, exercise more" was physically impossible.

    • +1

      I am in the same boat as I have a very bad left knee so until this issue is fixed even walking around the house is difficult.
      I am loving reading all these helpful tips. I particularly like the thought of the vlcd shakes.
      Daughters wedding May so would love to look ok for then.
      I have been not having breakfast until midday (shake or cereal) hoping that this long break between meals is helping and of course being sensible about dinner too.

    • Our body use about 8000kj to just function daily. If your intake is 7900 a day you will lose weight with no exercise.

  • Can you give us some information?

    Age, Sex, Location, Disability Status, Family, Living Arrangement, Work Requirements, etc etc.

    • It's not tinder bro.

      • I mean, we have forums for Hot Discussion as well as Dating & Relationships, so…

        But on a serious note, body transformation is very affected by the factors I listed above. The short answer is to live in a caloric deficiency. But the longer answer would be to give specific hacks, things to track, and goals to target.

  • Haven't come across this one in particular, but a lot of do work to some degree (I do think the pics are fake) having been thru similar programs in the past. What I found was while these take the kgs off the transition after the 8/12 weeks is key,if you return to eating how you used too then when it all piles on.

    I've managed to keep my weight off for 5 years by transitioning to a balanced diet after the very strict 12 weeks, this is the hard part as the tenancy is to go back to how we lived before

    In terms of motivation, this will be key as everyone will reach some point where the switch turns on and loosing weight just just has to happen, maybe you are not there yet?

    Definitely joining a gym/program with others involved will help keep you motivated. As people will be going thru similar ordeals and you can all motive each other.

    Good luck

  • As someone who has been where you are and gone through my own transformation and now studying health and nutrition, I can recommend you read the book, The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson. This book changed my life and allowed me to drop off 35kgs in under six months with very little exercise at all.

  • +1

    I am currently doing Noom. Got a discount to about $60AUD for 8 month enrollment.
    Currently down >16kgs since early October.
    It is not a diet program, instead focuses on a healthy regime of exercise and psychology based lessons on when and why you eat and provides tips on how to curb some of those impulses to eat a whole bag of corn chips on front of the TV.
    Has been the only thing to ever work for me, definitely recommend doing the free trial at least.

  • +1

    Just eat better, and exercise more.

    Last year I realised that I wasn't exercising enough, and addressed that. At the same time my wife wanted to try a healthier diet - the main benefit being that we cut out all junk food.

    I recently heard of something called habit stacking: just cut out 1 bad habit, and/or add 1 good habit. When that becomes routine, add another good habit or drop another bad habit.

    Last year I went from not being able to run 1 km to doing weekly 5k, and dropped several sizes around the waist. I didn't weigh myself once nor monitor what I was eating. I just addressed a couple of things that weren't good in my life.

  • +1

    Just eat better, and exercise more.
    Last year I realised that I wasn't exercising enough, and addressed that. At the same time my wife wanted to try a healthier diet - the main benefit being that we cut out all junk food.>
    I have done the same thing. My wife & I walk 4 Km/day for 5 days a week. This is not only beneficial for physical health, but also for mental state. We discuss and 'solve all the worlds problems' . It took some time for us to cut back, and now we consciously eat small helpings. No sugar, less salt, no booze.

  • +1

    Small incremental changes that you can maintain over time. It's the secret to many important things in your life be it finance, relationships or body weight. Have a look at your typical week and you will find low hanging fruit to increase your activity slightly and reduce your calorie intake. An opportunity to walk rather than drive. Drink water instead of anything else really. These early easy successes will make the subsequent ones easier and over time you will lose weight, feel fitter and have changed your lifestyle permanently without much effort.

  • +2

    .

    Ive lost 60 kilos since Jan 2020 and have kept it off it really all came down to mindset I got to a point where enough was enough and that is what made the real difference.

    Potion control is the main thing that worked for me and because I was only letting myself eat so much I started choosing better quality foods.

    I drive trucks and machinery for a living so I needed to pack my lunch box with pre cooked meals and healthier snacks as healthy takeaway options are not always available and the temptation to have the poor choices is always there.

    It needs to be the healthy options you like dont eat a food you can't stand just because they say it's healthy.

    Also the problem with these programs is its for 8, 10 or 12 weeks the changes that need to be made are for the rest of your life.

    Don't get caught up in weighing yourself every day in the past I did that years ago on one of my failed diets I got down to 87 kilos i could see my abs but the gp said before I went on the diet said I should be 78 kilos. Tough calorie controlled diet with lots of exercise. It had a good chance of failure.

    The way you feel about yourself is more important than a number.

    My weight loss is 90% diet and 10% exercise. I dont go to a gym or have a exercise program but I do keep moving walk to the shops, don't park directly out the front of you destination it all adds up.

    Commitment is the key but also what works for one person may not work for you.

  • +1

    Cut out sugar, processed fats, and eat less. Simple.

    • -4

      Why do you feel the need to comment when you have nothing useful to offer?

      • +1

        Nothing useful? So adding sugar, processed fats and eating more will be help with weight loss?

        The truth is tough, ignore it at your peril, in this case, someone's life depends on it.

        • -1

          You're not really contributing with any useful information that people aren't aware of and then you summarise the topic as simple. This is all quite unhelpful and pointless.

          • @Karfaffel: It is a simple solution, we all have 100% over what goes into our mouths. I'm sure the OP has unique habits and struggles that need to be changed or removed and I'm sure they can figure it out.

            You don't need to pay any to tell you to stop pigging out on junk food.

  • I struggled for 20 years trying to lose weight. Eating healthy foods much of that time, visiting a dietitian for a year, walking, joined a Gym for 2 years gave that up when no weight loss. I tried dieting, keto, calorie counting and even meal replacements. Could not drop more then 5K's and then when I would get frustrated after a year and go back to my old habits the weight just came back sometimes doubling. I was so tired of being told to eat less… I was hungry all the time and miserable and still never lost more them 5k!!!

    In 2020 I had finally had enough. I went down the surgery road. I am currently down 26K since then. Still struggling to lose the last 8k so as not to be considered obese or overweight; but I could never have dropped the 26K without the surgery. I do not care what anyone says. Losing weight for me was impossible with my genes, my age and the "HUNGER"! Surgery removed the hunger now I just have to be patient and eat smaller portioned healthy foods… minimal carbs, loads of protein and vitamins.

    Some people can use programs/diets/exercise to help with weight loss but it is not so easy for everyone.

    1st stop is your GP!

  • I have thought about going to a hypnotist that does "virtual" stomach stapling. Apparently if you are lucky enough to be susceptible to hypnosis, then your body believes you have had surgery to reduce your stomach size and therefore your hunger.

  • After an injury I get a bit fat but I lost a lot of weight eating high protein/low carb Mediterranean diet and toned up just using the old Xbox 360 Kinect fitness games. Morning and evening weighing makes a big difference. You can notice big changes even after about 6 weeks.

  • I've lost 65 kilos since Jan 2020 and kept it off. I only weigh myself very 3 or 4 months the weight loss for me is 90% diet. That diet is for the rest of your life not a 12 program so it's got to be sustainable.

    First step for me was make my own lunches to take to work. Sadly covid was good for me in this case as I reduced my potential exposure by not going into takeaway shops.

    It's a case of not one thing will help you lose weight.

    *Potion control I use a small plate at dinner time,
    *Better food choices,
    *Avoid temptations,
    *Have small treats so you don't turn around and completely blow the diet ( i take 2 chocolate biscuits a day to work).
    * look for different options for snacks.
    *Have as much fruit as you like. Yes the diet experts will say some have a lot of sugar but you can't tell me it's a worse option than takeaway.
    Eat as many vegetables as you like.
    *The 100% perfect diet doesn't work in the long term but you have to consistently choose a better food option it may not be the perfect option but don't choose the worst option.
    *Take left overs for lunch (save money and more likely to be better for you) less wastage.
    *Park further away from shops I've seen people park directly out the front of a shop then hop back in the car drive 200m down the road to go in another shop. Keep moving every extra step helps.
    *People say join a gym or do sports but if you can't see yourself doing that in 5-10 years from now it's not the answer unless you love doing it. Try to do things you enjoy it's the rest of your life.

  • OP, If you are serious. Then don't follow any diets or programmes. Don't count calories.
    Just don't eat anything which is not cooked at home from scratch. Just do this single thing and you will see massive improvements.
    Later if you want to take it to next level you can introduce IF to your lifestyle.
    You can boost another level with strength training.

  • Think of it as a mathematical exercise. You can eat whatever you want but your calorie intake must be less than the daily calories you burn.

    The bigger the deficit the bigger the loss. It’s pure maths.

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