[F80Dreamer]

I'm having a very hard time getting my body fat % to go lower, despite lots of activity (half marathon training plus sprint triathlons, weights twice per week) and a "decent" diet. I say decent because I eat pretty well (modified paleo)but I do allow myself one small sweet treat a day. After some research, I am wondering if my insulin levels are spiking with this treat, which in turn slows down my fat burning ability. I am about to go on a sugar detox diet after Christmas to see if that helps. Any thoughts on the above? FWIW, I am in my mid 40's, 6"2, 215 lbs with high teen body fat %. Thx!

[TheNus]

Never did it directly but did a long term Ketogenic diet at 45 total net carbs a day. No room for sugar there. You will probably have headaches cravings and and some irritability for a few days.

That said, unless you are way off the reservation with your modified paleo and your daily treat; which BTW if it's daily it isn't a treat, is excessive I don't think that's your issue. Are you setting yourself up to burn fat with your macros? Another item to consider is your age. You may want to have your estrogen and T levels checked. I wish you the best whatever route you choose.

[antych]

"one small treat" shouldn't be an issue. I mean, I wouldn't eat it at all, but it should be ok if you can't help it, especially if it's once a day. Although I've heard about American portion sizes, so how small is it? How many g of sugar, carbs and total calories?

There isn't really such a thing as sugar detox, if you mean refined and added sugar. It makes almost no difference if you still feast on fruit and other carb rich foods. Avoiding refined food is good, but you can still get the high insulin response from other food.

What modifications did you do to Paleo? I suspect there are other problems with your diet than one time snacks.

[hau_nguyen91]

Drink a lot of water and replace sugar with saturated fat / proteins.

[angelr]

This. I might consume at most 35 grams of total carbs daily, instead lots of fat and protein. You stay lean and your energy levels are much more consistent after you acclimate to it after 2 weeks or so.

Originally Posted by hau_nguyen91

Drink a lot of water and replace sugar with saturated fat / proteins.

[TheNus]

Originally Posted by angelr

This. I might consume at most 35 grams of total carbs daily, instead lots of fat and protein. You stay lean and your energy levels are much more consistent after you acclimate to it after 2 weeks or so.

OP - This is known as the Ketogenic Diet or simply Keto because you have introduced A state of ketosis. Due to the lack of carbohydrates for use as energy, your body begins to break down fat for energy. The high protein keeps your body from going catabolic which is when your body breaks down muscle for energy. This is the basis for the once popular and effective South Beach Diet. Most articles state that you can easily engage in the runner's lifestyle once you are fully in ketosis.

Just a side note, I have read quite a few articles regarding distance runners who actually gain fat. Many people tend to overdo it in carb loading, running supplements (simple carbs like gatoraid and gummy chews) and post run refeed.

[TSM330i]

I've drastically cut the amount of sugar I consume about 20 years ago. It was quite difficult at first and the cravings lasted more than a month. Once you kick the habit and stay away for a long time, you can't go back to eating sugar again. I cannot even stomach a sip of soda (I can't eat anything with Nutrasweet as it gives me a headache).
I'm sure you already know the roller-coaster of insulin your body goes through when you eat sugar. When you're getting off sugar, try substituting a piece of fruit and don't eat it on an empty stomach. This should help quite a bit.

I've read articles recently that basically point out that as we age, we just don't have the ability to burn as many calories as when we were younger (present company included). Our metabolism slows no matter what we do.
http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/health...f6d746bc27516d
Try cutting the amount of calories you take in for an entire day. Get off the sugar. If you're having a hard time losing weight then a "once a day treat" is hurting you. I've cut the amount of calories I've taken in over the years. I can see the difference rather quickly in my mid-section.

I concentrate on eating very healthy all the time. I don't eat junk as it just makes me feel terrible (physically). I barely drink alcohol anymore too (I had NO idea how many calories are in even hard liquor).

Basically try this:
Of course, eat a balanced diet
Eat fruit instead of any refined sugar
Snack on nuts such as walnuts or almonds - very good health effects
Eat less calories - cut portions down
Drink lots of water
Make sure you get enough sleep - major problem for wait gain
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-li...n/faq-20058198

I am 47, 6'1" and 175lbs. I workout 4-5 days a week and cross-train all the time (play ice hockey, volleyball, weight training, off-road running).
I primarily train for Spartan races (sprint, super, beast) and run off road between 8 - 10 miles at a time (will go up to 15+ miles for longer race). Sometimes I carry a 50lb. sandbag for 30 minutes too. I also mix in burpees and other moves to help with my flexibility etc. I've never finished worse than the top 20% of finishers in any of the races I've entered. The last race I finished in the top 10%.

[F80Dreamer]

Originally Posted by TSM330i

I've drastically cut the amount of sugar I consume about 20 years ago. It was quite difficult at first and the cravings lasted more than a month. Once you kick the habit and stay away for a long time, you can't go back to eating sugar again. I cannot even stomach a sip of soda (I can't eat anything with Nutrasweet as it gives me a headache).
I'm sure you already know the roller-coaster of insulin your body goes through when you eat sugar. When you're getting off sugar, try substituting a piece of fruit and don't eat it on an empty stomach. This should help quite a bit.

I've read articles recently that basically point out that as we age, we just don't have the ability to burn as many calories as when we were younger (present company included). Our metabolism slows no matter what we do.
http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/health...f6d746bc27516d
Try cutting the amount of calories you take in for an entire day. Get off the sugar. If you're having a hard time losing weight then a "once a day treat" is hurting you. I've cut the amount of calories I've taken in over the years. I can see the difference rather quickly in my mid-section.

I concentrate on eating very healthy all the time. I don't eat junk as it just makes me feel terrible (physically). I barely drink alcohol anymore too (I had NO idea how many calories are in even hard liquor).

Basically try this:
Of course, eat a balanced diet
Eat fruit instead of any refined sugar
Snack on nuts such as walnuts or almonds - very good health effects
Eat less calories - cut portions down
Drink lots of water
Make sure you get enough sleep - major problem for wait gain
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-li...n/faq-20058198

I am 47, 6'1" and 175lbs. I workout 4-5 days a week and cross-train all the time (play ice hockey, volleyball, weight training, off-road running).
I primarily train for Spartan races (sprint, super, beast) and run off road between 8 - 10 miles at a time (will go up to 15+ miles for longer race). Sometimes I carry a 50lb. sandbag for 30 minutes too. I also mix in burpees and other moves to help with my flexibility etc. I've never finished worse than the top 20% of finishers in any of the races I've entered. The last race I finished in the top 10%.

Thank you for the detailed response! I am 46, 6'2 and around 215...so have a long way to go. I have actually just started a more strict routine and am a week in. Cravings are starting to decrease.

[///MPhatic]

1. Sugar probably isn't your problem.
2. You need a 5 hour eating window with nothing on either side of that window other than water.
3. Swap your 2-day weight training with a much lighter load and do it 7 days a week.
4. Cut down your eating events. 2 meals only. Don't sip on coffee/tea/soda, each sip is an eating event and therefore an insulin spike.
5. After each eating event walk briskly for 10 minutes to keep your insulin from spiking.
6. Minimum of 15K steps a day.

The volume of food you eat could be a problem as well, but only you know that.

[Kick 6]

This thread has made me say "Wow." It really doesn't matter what form of calories you eat, what matters is the total amount relative to your metabolism. You can eat chocolate cake and lose weight, you just may not be able to eat much of it. You need to examine your total daily caloric intake. It should be approximately 12 times your body weight. You aren't lean enough yet to have to reset leptin levels, so just shore up your diet and you should continue to drop weight for a little while. You will have to spike leptin at some point but that is often under 15% bf. We're all different so it can vary slightly.

There are two trains of eating patterns we should all identify with. Eating for health, and eating for weight loss. They are often very different but can be tailored to be similar. Many people think they are eating "clean" but don't examine what they are doing to their GI bacterial ratios. This is a deep subject that most don't study. I'm always learning, but there are many pieces to this puzzle.

[Ric in RVA]

Originally Posted by TheNus

Another item to consider is your age. You may want to have your estrogen and T levels checked. I wish you the best whatever route you choose.

57yo Male

And Thyroid.

I was hypothyroid and low t. Started synthroid and some less drastic ways to boost T than replacement. Synthroid made a decent difference. Ended up doing .5ml T subcutaneous/ 1x wk. Numbers look great now.

Cut out all added sugar, limited fruits. Very occasionally I'll bake something from a family recipe. (Gingersnaps from my GGGrandma) and binge. Cut out all refined flour, added nuts. Inetermittent fasting daily and One Meal a day on most days.

Learned golf last winter on a sim with a pro. Started golfing carrying bag, rowing, pushups, etc.

Had hit 270. Now at 220. Feel about 30 years old too.

Doesn't feel like a diet. Feels like living life the way it was meant to be lived.

[Dlpfcb]

This whole thread is very over thought and complicated. Weight loss is simple Calories in vs Calories out. Period! Eat healthy you can intake more food, pretty straight forward. Every excess of 3500 calories you gain a pound or lose a pound. Diet is 80% and fitness is only 20%. As an Ultra Runner myself and train at times upwards of 90 miles a week. Cutting sugar will cause big energy problems with your runs. You may need to add 1-2 days of higher intensity training and heavy lifting 1-2 days a week as well. Remember running burns about 100 calories per mile. So people tend to think...oh I ran 3 miles I can eat like crazy today? That's basically 1 single candy bar and you voided the whole run. Just my 2 cents.

[chassis]

Originally Posted by Dlpfcb

This whole thread is very over thought and complicated. Weight loss is simple Calories in vs Calories out. Period! Eat healthy you can intake more food, pretty straight forward. Every excess of 3500 calories you gain a pound or lose a pound. Diet is 80% and fitness is only 20%. As an Ultra Runner myself and train at times upwards of 90 miles a week. Cutting sugar will cause big energy problems with your runs. You may need to add 1-2 days of higher intensity training and heavy lifting 1-2 days a week as well. Remember running burns about 100 calories per mile. So people tend to think...oh I ran 3 miles I can eat like crazy today? That's basically 1 single candy bar and you voided the whole run. Just my 2 cents.

Spot on.

[Bootboot340]

Do you have a functional liver? Then no need for any type of "detox" at all.

[floridaorange]

Originally Posted by F80Dreamer

I'm having a very hard time getting my body fat % to go lower, despite lots of activity (half marathon training plus sprint triathlons, weights twice per week) and a "decent" diet. I say decent because I eat pretty well (modified paleo)but I do allow myself one small sweet treat a day. After some research, I am wondering if my insulin levels are spiking with this treat, which in turn slows down my fat burning ability. I am about to go on a sugar detox diet after Christmas to see if that helps. Any thoughts on the above? FWIW, I am in my mid 40's, 6"2, 215 lbs with high teen body fat %. Thx!

Get some kettlebells. Use them daily. Start with a single 30-40lbs if you are strong. 30 is probably ideal. I just ordered my second 40lbs kb. There are lots of workouts on kettlebell kings youtube channel and some great ppl to follow on instagram actually. I have been working out mostly consistently for 24 yrs. Kettlebells are a real game changer. As for the sugar part. I think the more you invest in working out - really working out - you won't want the sugar as bad. Additionally, make sure you are not intaking any nutrisweet or sucralose (fake sugar). I'm 6'2 just shy of 200 lbs. I know if I eat nutrisweet or any kind of artificial sweeteners, my body tends to crash and then crave REAL sugars for some reason. Maybe try Monkfruit for sweetening carbonated water. But only reward yourself with a sweet treat once a week for a while.

Good luck! A healthy habit will likely take twice as long to break as it took to form.