Generally speaking, weight loss is difficult, and it is very complex because there are lots of variables involved. The good thing is, it is much easier while you are young(er) because your metabolism is naturally faster.
Radeng has a good point, intermittent fasting may work, at least up to some point. The thing is, our bodies are smart, after some while they adjust to our effort and no matter what we do, we hit a wall...
There are good articles on T-Nation on various topics including weight loss, in summary I believe that the trick is to include Fintess as well as diet:
FITNESS:
(1) First lift heavy weights for some 15-20 mins to release fat, burn glucose and deplete glycogen storage, and stimulate muscles. Squats, dead-lifts, overhead, pull-ups. Do not increase load while losing weight, only keep maintenance
(2) Do HIIT for 15-20 minutes to keep muscles while burning fat. Sprints, stairs,...
(3) Finish with walking 15-20 while heart rate is between 140-160 to burn fat from bloodstream
* Alternate, make different variation of exercises, don't get stuck on one style as body will adjust to it
* For longer term weight loss, build muscles first. You will actually gain some weight by building muscles
DIET:
Always keep balanced diet, you always need Proteins + Healthy Fats + Complex Carbohydrates. Eat lots of veggies, some fruits. Eat lean meat. Eat fresh and unprocessed food. Drink lots of cold water daily. Cold water burns extra calories itself as body has to generate heat. Avoid sodas, even diet sodas. Avoid all forms of sugar, no sweets. Also alternate you diet to 'shock' the body. If intermediate dieting no longer works, switch to different style
AVOID low fat and/or low carbohydrate diets, they don't work. If you e.g. restrict carbohydrates, you will decrease thyroid function (resulting in lower metabolism), increase in cortisol output (break down of muscles), and decrease in testosterone (no stimulating of new muscles). Immune system will be suppressed and mood/cognitive function will be impaired
LONG TERM:
Think long term, make it a habit. Avoid losing 20-30 pounds in one month, it doesn't work
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I made some notes for myself from various articles, here are some important bullet-points in more details:
* You are either gaining mass (weight lifting) or losing mass (dieting), doing both at the same time is almost impossible
* While losing weight, just keep maintenance weights (if you bench 200, don't increase weights) to keep muscles
* Muscles itself burn lots of calories per day; Some sources claim that one pound of muscles can burn up to 30-50, even 70 calories per day. If you first build 10 extra pounds of muscles before you start losing weight, your body will burn extra calories per day without any effort. Others claim that it is a myth. I believe it because I tested it on myself, it just makes sense that muscles burn calories.
* HIIT is great for keeping/building muscles while burning fat (repeat cycles of sprinting and walking)
* Lift heavier weights at the beginning of exercise for some 15-20 minutes to burn glucose and release fat into bloodstream. Then do cardio (HIIT) to burn fat that was released into bloodstream; Even walking is good for burning fat that was released into bloodstream.
* Heart rate is what's burning fat. Max heart rate is calculated by: 220 - your age. So if you are 20, your max heart rate is 200. Fat burning occurs while your heart rate is approx. 60-90% of your max, so at the age of 20 it would be between 120 and 180 beats per minute.
* There are different hormones involved while exercising. (A) While lifting heavy weights or sprinting for shorter period of time (below 45 minutes), anabolic hormones (testosterone, growth hormone + insulin) are released, these hormones build muscles but also retain fat. See how massive are power-lifters, they have lots of muscles but also fat. (B) While doing long(er) cardio such as running or biking, catabolic hormones (cortisol) are released. They break down both muscles and fat. See how light and skinny are long distant runners or bikers, they have no muscles and no fat. (C) While doing HIIT such as sprinting, lots of fat is burned while most of muscle mass remains untouched. See how muscular are sprinters while having low fat. So ideally you want to do HIIT for fat loss (keep muscles while having low fat). ... So when you want to build mass while staying long time in fitness, you are actually being counterproductive. First 45 minutes you "build" mass (testosterone), and anything after that you are burning (cortisol)
* HIIT example: Sprint for about 20 seconds, then walk 10-20 seconds. Repeat 10x. Then do walking for some 20 minutes to burn fat that was released into the bloodstream.
* High volume squats is great for anabolic effect. If you weigh 200, do squats with 200 pounds. 5 series x 10-12 reps as a maintenance.
* Do compound exercises, avoid isolated. Do overhead press in stead of bench press
* To burn more fat and build muscles do higher number of reps, 6-12 or more. Glycogen is depleted and protein synthesis is stimulated. To gain more power (but also fat) do 1-5 reps.
* Split exercise into 2 parts if possible. In stead of doing 90 minutes at once, do 45 mins in AM and 45 mins in PM.
* Alternate diet strategy
* DIET DOESN'T WORK. 90-95% of people who are on some sort of diet will eventually gain weight after some time
* Eat Protein (30%) + Complex Carbohydrates (40%) + Healthy Fats (30%). ANY food in access will make you fat (duh)
* Starving: Lower Growth hormone levels, lower Testosterone levels - leads to major increase in amino acid (muscles) breakdown. Body is breaking down more muscles and less fat. So starving may actually make you more fat
* Low carbohydrate diet is NOT efficient in longer term. It decreases T3 (thyroid hormone) which is responsible for faster metabolism. So by removing carbs from your diet you are slowing down your metabolism, you are starving while your body doesn't burn any fat
* High protein diet is efficient, however in longer term it may decrease testosterone
* You need both proteins and carbohydrates to keep thyroid functioning (faster metabolism), thus low carbo diet doesn't work
* Counting calories is useless. Do not cut too many calories while losing fat, don't starve. For example, if you weigh 230 and would be in good shape at say 200, take 200 and multiply it by 12 to get 2400 cal/day as a minimum. If fat loss is not fast enough at this intake, increase physical activity rather than cut calories further.
Body weight calorie intake - Keep it simple:
If you weigh 200 pounds, your calorie intake is 2000 calories per day (approx 30% proteins, 30% fats, 40% complex carbos)
If you weigh 170 pounds, your calorie intake is 1700 calories per day
