How do I find out how many calories I burn while sedentary? I've tried losing weight in the past but it never works, I stay the same (Though I dont get more body mass either). Like how do i find out how may calories I burn a day so that I can calculate an appropiate Calorie intake?
And are you supossed to do exercise everyday? Doesnt that fuck your muscles up? (not in a good way) Like some people say do cardio everyday, I've tried that. But say I do a circuit the day before, then the next day I do cardio and my legs hurt too much, not the feels-good pain you get while exercising, but rather an acute pain on the muscle of the legs. That cant be good right?
I remember there was a point too where I was doing a lot of exercise and I was actually gaining more weight, that went on for about a month or two with the same diet I had while I didn't exercise. My gym coach told me it was cause my body thought I needed more energy it started saving more fat.
It doesn't help that I'm autistic so I have trouble getting the right position for some exercises.
I'm not in a bad shape, and I exercise 3-4 times a week, but I feel like I will never loose weight. Thankfully I've built some muscle lol.
But agorafit bros, where to look in order to lose weight? I think the first thing is to figure out the metabolism of your body, but how do I do that?
To find your sedentary calories, you can do either of two things. You could 1)
https://tdeecalculator.net/ use this website and get a close approximation, or 2) go to a doctor and have them use a machine to analyze your BMI/caloric burn. I would recommend the TDEE, as it is less of a hassle and is accurate(with some approximations). From there, you can choose if you want to lose, gain, or maintain. To do any of these, follow the basic rules of thermodynamics: calories in, calories out. If you are burning more than you eat, you lose weight. If you are burning less than you eat, you gain. If you are burning about the same as you eat, you maintain. The TDEE calculator will tell you your maintenance calories. Choose a goal, and then choose how you are going to achieve that. Some people cannot lose weight and that could be a medical problem. TALK TO A DOCTOR BEFORE TRYING A DIET.
To achieve weight loss(or "cut" as bodybuilders call it), eat less than you burn. Track everything you eat. Put it into an app like MyFitnessPal(I use this one and it has absolutely helped, just remember to put in what you eat) and adjust accordingly. Don't starve yourself. DO NOT GO ANY LOWER THAN YOUR BASAL METABOLIC RATE. Talk to a doctor beforehand to ensure that what you will be doing is healthy and they might give you a meal plan. Make sure your doctor knows what you are doing. Losing too much weight in a short period of time is not healthy or sustainable. Currently, with the advice of a doctor, I am trying to eat around 200 calories less. I am in a caloric deficit, although I have not been getting my calories close to that number(I eat roughly 1500 calories a day, but I am not doing this on purpose, I am just not that hungry). It is healthy what I am doing, but if it becomes an eating disorder my doctor will step in. If you are trying to gain(or "bulk" as bodybuilders call it), you would generally eat a tiny bit more than usual. Usually 200 calories more a day gets you where you would want. A bulk allows you to build muscle much faster and better than a cut. It depends on what your goals are, however, you cannot do both at the same time. If you are super fat, then cut as you will have grown your muscle as you work out. If you are super lanky, do a bulk if you want to gain muscle. In terms of macronutrients, your doctor should also go over this with you before you start ANY diet. It is IMPERATIVE that you do not malnourish yourself.
In terms of exercising, this is up to you to decide. If you cannot handle daily exercise, that is perfectly fine. I train weights every other day. That gives me about 48 hours for my muscles to repair and strengthen(When you lift weights, tiny tears in your muscle do happen, which when repaired, makes you gain muscle mass). Some work out every day, others 3 times a week. Some focus on cardio, others focus on weights, and some do both. Some like yoga. Whatever you choose, you are exercising. Nobody will judge you on it. The saying "No pain no gain" is absolutely true, however, it is more of an ache like your body gets tired. Not an ouch pain. If you feel bad pain, then you should do it less intensely or stop it altogether. If you are injuring yourself constantly that will fuck you up. Nobody wants a torn bicep. Whatever you do, I would recommend that you make your own workout plan based on what a personal trainer says(CERTIFIED****** CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. I know people who bought theirs online and it sucked ass because those "trainers" were not personalizing their workouts), and when you want to change things up and align better with your goals, form your own. I did that and I kept some exercises I used to do on day 1 and I added and removed a few others. It all depends on what you enjoy. Exercising should be fun, not a chore.
Before I post this, I do want to add: Wherever you are in your fitness journey, you are doing great. Most people do not ever go to a gym. The fact you showed up even on days you didn't feel like it is already impressive. Don't do supplements or steroids or whatever else(this is for everyone if absolute beginners see this), most supplements are not FDA-approved and manufacturers can sneak in whatever they like in them. The fitness industry is full of lies and truth. The truth is easy to find when you sift through the lies(More Plates More Dates on YT explains a lot of things, especially about steroid use as he used steroids in the past, much like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Noel Deyzel, who I also recommend you watch. Both Noel and MPMD have great advice). Lower expectations. You will not look like a Gymshark model after 6 months. Nobody does, almost all of them took something or spent many years (5 or more) to get to where they are. Fitness requires dedication and as you keep going through the motions it does get easier to accomplish.
I will say, one thing that shocked me after I started my diet and eating less garbage was how different soda and chips taste. Those get you at a young age, but when you stop eating them for a while and eat them again, they taste usually worse. Sprite does not hit as hard as it used to. I have lately been craving pickles, which is something I have never liked since my childhood(the dill kind) and now they slap so hard. When your tastes change, that actually can help you avoid those foods easier. Although don't deprive yourself of them, you can eat unhealthy stuff every once in a while.
The key is moderation. When I started my diet I was at 172 and I dropped to 158. This was over the course of 2 years (I took a very long break between my last loss which got me down to 140) and I gained a little. But I have been losing weight consistently for about a month now, dropping from 165 to 158. Good luck, I believe in you bro.