Metabolism was an excuse when we could not reliably estimate it outside laboratory; today we can do that too, for completely free (we run a public benefit app for this).
In fact, our claim on the app is results within 2-5 weeks for both weight gain and weight loss; I've yet to find a guy who did not achieve success with this.
Calorie deficit is the most effective method for weight loss.
What's funny is when people actually measure their metabolism with this approach, they realize they aren't far off from the average!
The claim is usually that A) people have an inflexible appetite and will be increasingly driven to eat while at a caloric deficit, B) at some point this is almost involuntary and that point differs between people (e.g. consider not eating for three weeks; some people can do it on a hunger strike or a fast, but it really sucks), and C) some people have a slower metabolism which puts them under greater pressure to eat.
I don't disagree that calorie restriction is effective. I just think that you're dropping appetite from the equation when GLP-1 agonists have proven that reducing appetite is effective too.
I'd caution: GLPs reduce your appetite, but they do not fix your diet.
I am not anti-GLP, someone who believes using GLP drugs is cheating and people should achieve that with blood, tears, and sweat. I see it as a "tool" in the arsenal. I've no use for GLP as I've no problem sustaining deficits as large as 600-700kcal for long. But I've met people who can't do this, so for them GLP is a valid choice, but I'd recommend they pair it with proper dieting and lifestyle changes.
You want to eat good stuff and avoid stuff not good for you; blanket reducing appetite may result in loss of both good and bad.
The guide linked in the above post is macrocodex's prototype method, which was later formalized into an app.
I don't want to make strong claims on this, but using GLPs may increase the risk of developing gallbladder stones, as GLPs make it very easy to eat far less than necessary.
A proper macro and calorie balanced diet can give you better results with a smaller GLP dose.
Use GLPs if your actual problem is staying on a "sustainable deficit." Many people who use macrocodex report they do not feel hungry when on such a small deficit, but there are a few who are hungry even at a deficit as low as 300 kcal; for them, GLPs are more suitable, but not a replacement for proper dieting and lifestyle changes.
Most importantly for A) is dropping sugar. Calorie restriction doesn't have to mean being hungry all the time. First drop sugar, you'll be hungry all the time until the withdrawal subsides, then eat at a slight calorie deficit. It doesn't feel different than a slight calorie surplus at this point. I do that and I am in complete control over my weight. This whole discussion seems totally misguided to me.
I'm not quite sure why or how estimating metabolism helps here?
I mean, observing the weightloss / gain or lack thereof itself will tell you whether you need more of a calorie deficit or surplus. What does an independent metabolism estimate buy you?
When a person figures out their maintenance calories and looks for the average metabolic rate / maintenance calories for their height, weight, and gender, they realize they are not "genetically inferior" or have some serious issue which is stopping them from progressing if their maintenance calories are within average range!
Just knowing that there is nothing wrong with your metabolism gives people enough push to continuously walk on this path and achieve their goal.
>I mean, observing the weightloss / gain or lack thereof itself will tell you whether you need more of a calorie deficit or surplus.
You can read app reviews and these will tell you, complete newbies are having great success with this approach.
If you ask a layman on the street, they'll tell you eat less to lose weight, eat more to gain weight.
The question is: what is less, and what is more? How many calories precisely do we need to eat to achieve 1lb per week of weight loss?
Your total calorie burn for the day changes week to week; people don't know how to make the right adjustments.
Many people crash diet; they lose weight, then they cannot sustain it for long, binge eat, and gain it all back.
What key knowledge are they missing? Sustainable deficit. If you apply a sustainable deficit over a longer period of time, you may not "suffer" as much as you would otherwise
I am not saying drastic deficits are not useful; they are to those who are experienced. Let's say an MMA guy or bodybuilder can do it just fine!
Also, for lean bulking in natural bodybuilding, you need a specific rate of weight gain; let's say for a beginner it's a weight gain of 0.25–0.5% of body weight/week. It's hard for many to achieve this precise range because your maintenance calories are changing all the time!
And if you are an advanced lifter, then the rate of gain you want to target is even smaller: 0.1–0.25%/week.
That's why pro natural bodybuilders use Macrocodex and find it useful.
seems like a very reductionist view of human metabolism. human body weight is composed of many factors that don't directly depend on metabolism in the sense of "burning calories", as i am sure you are aware.
for those that aren't, you can't actually measure metabolic rates this way.
they were forced labor camps plagued with disease and malnutrition. so, not a great thing to base an argument of caloric intake and weight loss on, and honestly, a horrific thing to bring up casually as a means to make a point.
Metabolism was an excuse when we could not reliably estimate it outside laboratory; today we can do that too, for completely free (we run a public benefit app for this).
Method here: https://macrocodex.app/knowledge/rethink/adaptive-tdee/
People can find the algorithm here: https://macrocodex.app/knowledge/macrocodex/smart-calorie-bu...
In fact, our claim on the app is results within 2-5 weeks for both weight gain and weight loss; I've yet to find a guy who did not achieve success with this.
Calorie deficit is the most effective method for weight loss.
What's funny is when people actually measure their metabolism with this approach, they realize they aren't far off from the average!
The claim is usually that A) people have an inflexible appetite and will be increasingly driven to eat while at a caloric deficit, B) at some point this is almost involuntary and that point differs between people (e.g. consider not eating for three weeks; some people can do it on a hunger strike or a fast, but it really sucks), and C) some people have a slower metabolism which puts them under greater pressure to eat.
I don't disagree that calorie restriction is effective. I just think that you're dropping appetite from the equation when GLP-1 agonists have proven that reducing appetite is effective too.
I'd caution: GLPs reduce your appetite, but they do not fix your diet.
I am not anti-GLP, someone who believes using GLP drugs is cheating and people should achieve that with blood, tears, and sweat. I see it as a "tool" in the arsenal. I've no use for GLP as I've no problem sustaining deficits as large as 600-700kcal for long. But I've met people who can't do this, so for them GLP is a valid choice, but I'd recommend they pair it with proper dieting and lifestyle changes.
You want to eat good stuff and avoid stuff not good for you; blanket reducing appetite may result in loss of both good and bad.
Here's what GLP users say about the macrocodex method: https://www.reddit.com/r/tirzepatidecompound/comments/1omfgx...
The guide linked in the above post is macrocodex's prototype method, which was later formalized into an app.
I don't want to make strong claims on this, but using GLPs may increase the risk of developing gallbladder stones, as GLPs make it very easy to eat far less than necessary.
A proper macro and calorie balanced diet can give you better results with a smaller GLP dose.
Use GLPs if your actual problem is staying on a "sustainable deficit." Many people who use macrocodex report they do not feel hungry when on such a small deficit, but there are a few who are hungry even at a deficit as low as 300 kcal; for them, GLPs are more suitable, but not a replacement for proper dieting and lifestyle changes.
Most importantly for A) is dropping sugar. Calorie restriction doesn't have to mean being hungry all the time. First drop sugar, you'll be hungry all the time until the withdrawal subsides, then eat at a slight calorie deficit. It doesn't feel different than a slight calorie surplus at this point. I do that and I am in complete control over my weight. This whole discussion seems totally misguided to me.
I'm not quite sure why or how estimating metabolism helps here?
I mean, observing the weightloss / gain or lack thereof itself will tell you whether you need more of a calorie deficit or surplus. What does an independent metabolism estimate buy you?
macrocodex helps you figure out your "total calorie burn in 24 hours."
How difficult is it? Just eat below the orange line to lose weight and eat above the orange line to gain weight: https://macrocodex.app/assets/hero-tdee-line.v3.1b8c60c2271f... In the image, you see the app continuously updates maintenance calories from observed evidence; on the homescreen, it provides the calorie and macro targets you need to follow: https://macrocodex.app/assets/flow-targets.v3.edc3f34458a1.p...
It was never this easy, imho. Many people used TDEE calculators in past, which suffer from the limitation described here: https://macrocodex.app/knowledge/rethink/adaptive-tdee/#tdee...
It's useful for both Newbies and Pros.
When a person figures out their maintenance calories and looks for the average metabolic rate / maintenance calories for their height, weight, and gender, they realize they are not "genetically inferior" or have some serious issue which is stopping them from progressing if their maintenance calories are within average range!
Just knowing that there is nothing wrong with your metabolism gives people enough push to continuously walk on this path and achieve their goal.
>I mean, observing the weightloss / gain or lack thereof itself will tell you whether you need more of a calorie deficit or surplus.
You can read app reviews and these will tell you, complete newbies are having great success with this approach.
If you ask a layman on the street, they'll tell you eat less to lose weight, eat more to gain weight.
The question is: what is less, and what is more? How many calories precisely do we need to eat to achieve 1lb per week of weight loss?
Your total calorie burn for the day changes week to week; people don't know how to make the right adjustments.
Many people crash diet; they lose weight, then they cannot sustain it for long, binge eat, and gain it all back.
What key knowledge are they missing? Sustainable deficit. If you apply a sustainable deficit over a longer period of time, you may not "suffer" as much as you would otherwise
I am not saying drastic deficits are not useful; they are to those who are experienced. Let's say an MMA guy or bodybuilder can do it just fine!
Also, for lean bulking in natural bodybuilding, you need a specific rate of weight gain; let's say for a beginner it's a weight gain of 0.25–0.5% of body weight/week. It's hard for many to achieve this precise range because your maintenance calories are changing all the time!
And if you are an advanced lifter, then the rate of gain you want to target is even smaller: 0.1–0.25%/week.
That's why pro natural bodybuilders use Macrocodex and find it useful.
seems like a very reductionist view of human metabolism. human body weight is composed of many factors that don't directly depend on metabolism in the sense of "burning calories", as i am sure you are aware.
for those that aren't, you can't actually measure metabolic rates this way.
for a way to actually measure it see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indirect_calorimetry
I've linked the method above; let me know which part you disagree with.
they were forced labor camps plagued with disease and malnutrition. so, not a great thing to base an argument of caloric intake and weight loss on, and honestly, a horrific thing to bring up casually as a means to make a point.
You misunderstand what you're calling an excuse.