Weight loss??

[Crazyredhead]

http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/7813/123gifs0136fr.gifI couldn't find the getting back in shape thread, so I am going to ask a question here. Do you thing that losing 10 pounds by 24 April is to much? I finally got my appointment at Vanderbilt and would like to go in at around 155lbs. I'm 165 for now. I'm trying to lose weight before my surgery so that I won't lose ground during recovery.

[draftermatt]

I don't think that's too much. I've lost more quicker. Just don't do it by starving yourself, etc.

Disclaimer: Not a doctor, and thinks you should check with a health care pro.

[strawbabies]

I'm not a doctor, but I believe the rule of thumb is that it's safe to lose up to 10 lbs every 2 weeks.

[iradney]

Actually, docs say that losing more than a kilogram a week (which is 2.2 pounds) is actually not healthy. You're not losing fat, you're losing water and muscle mass. Also, the faster you drop the weight, the quicker you put it back on, as quick weight loss is normally the result of drastic calorie cutting. When you go back to eating normally you tend to pick up the weight again.

Best thing to do is make a lifestyle change like cut 100 - 500 calories from your diet (eg instead of having that Whopper for lunch, make yourself a wrap at home, instead of the candy bar for a snack, have a yoghurt etc etc), and try and do mild exercise for 20 minutes a day etc etc.



*Not a doc, but speaking from experience and a crap load of research. Plus, I checked with some of the Father's colleagues about the healthy weight loss per week thingamie

[Crazyredhead]

If I cut 100-500 calories from my diet, I might just starve to death. I have been told that I don't eat enough. I actually need to add about 1000 to my diet. It is hard for me to eat more, I get about 1200 a day and feel sick if I try to eat more. I am a runner and need more calories. I'm currently looking into different foods. I want a 2000-2500 calorie diet a day, to make up for the 6+ miles of running (not every day) I do.

In the past couple of months I have gotten used to eating breakfast. I used to skip it cause I was never hungry.

Now don't get me wrong, I can eat like a grazing buffalo when I want to. I can pack it away, but I love all the wrong foods. I am country and eat country. Homemade gravy, fried chicken/porkchops, the fat strip off of ham and other meats. I'm also a nibbler, I don't just stop at dinner, I keep nibbling in the pot until it is either all gone or put away, my grandfather was the same way and he ended up diabetic, almost died from it.

My side of the family is almost all morbidly obese. My bio mother was overweight and my grandparents to. My father was the only one that was tall and thin. But then, my bio family is uncharted territory, and no one is giving up any info.

[iradney]

If I cut 100-500 calories from my diet, I might just starve to death. I have been told that I don't eat enough. I actually need to add about 1000 to my diet. It is hard for me to eat more, I get about 1200 a day and feel sick if I try to eat more. I am a runner and need more calories. I'm currently looking into different foods. I want a 2000-2500 calorie diet a day, to make up for the 6+ miles of running (not every day) I do.



Good lord woman, I wish I could that :P
Have you considered seeing a dietician who can reccomend foods that are a little more calorie heavy without being unhealthy? For example, you could try having a protein shake once a day as an extra meal?

[powerboy]

Hell, I need to lose also.

[Greenday]

10 pounds in a month? No problem. I mean, hell, 5 pounds of me is water weight. If I stopped drinking soda like a madman, stopped eating crap, and started going for runs, I'd lose 10 pounds really quick.

My record weight loss is 15 pounds in a week. I went from 165 to 150. But I had mono and I couldn't keep any food down for the first week.

But as a quick tip, it is a lot better to eat a bunch of really small meals a day than just 2 or 3 huge meals a day. The body can only metabolize so many calories at a time, so if you eat 1,000 calories in one go (a.k.a. fast food), your body will get break down some of it and the rest is stored as fat. If you just do a bunch of small meals, your body will be able to metabolize the food and your metabolism becomes somewhat quicker.

[TeslaRecoil]

Gotcha beat ... 18 lbs in 5 days ... that was not fun ...

Anyway, it may not be the healthiest thing in the world, but it's more than reasonable. When I first started my weight loss, I dropped about 15 lbs in the first month. Yes, the first few pounds were water weight, and are easily lost, but you'd be surprised what you can lose by making simple changes.

Don't skip breakfast ... or any meal for that matter. It's not going to help. Your body is smarter than you are and if it thinks you're trying to starve it, it's gonna hold on to every source of energy it can ... be it muscle or fat. Try not to make your meals huge. Try speading out what you eat, say every 2-3 hours or so. This gives you a chance to be slightly hungry again, but not so hungry that you needtoeat an entire side of beef.

Cut the soda, sweet drinks, and yes, even alcohol. That was the biggest thing for me. I switched from regular soda to diet iced tea, and cut out alcohol entirely. Yes, it sucked, but itwasworth it in the end.

What's going to trouble you most in losing the 10 lbs is your current exercise regimen. You say you're already a runner. Well, then your body must have a semi-decent metabolism already ... more so than a couch potato. You're going to have to work harder at this than someone who has never exercised before.

Try changing up your running. If you're a jogger, mix in jogging with sprinting (i.e. jog 1/2mile, then sprint 1/4 mile). If you usually run on flat surfaces, try mixing in some hills. If you have a gym membership, I'd recommend using an eliptical machine where you can vary the incline and resistance. This will work wonders. I hit aplateau after running for 3months. I switched up my routine like I mentioned above, and I broke right through.

The more muscle you have on your body, the more efficiently your body makes use of what you put in it. Weight and/or resistance training could help. If you have access to a gym, I'd recommend seeing if they offer a circuit training program (total body in ~40 minutes). It's not the most ideal program out there, but it'll help you get the jump you want. If you don't have a gym membership, you can certainly get a semi-decent workout in your own home. Pushups work well. Vary the position of your arms, and try elevating your feet to it different muslces. Lunges are easy enough to do, as is the wall-sit. You can do curls and extensions with any number of objects. A gallon of milk/water could be useful here.

The best recommendation I can give you ... hot sauce. You're going to have to put your beloved country foods aside for a while. Grilled chicken is gonna help you meet your goal, but fried chicken wont. But the hot sauce will make it bearable. Just be careful of the sodium content.

I could go on for hours, but that should be enough to get you started. It worked for me.

I was at 240, and in 5 months, I got down to 198. I put some back on when I hurt my knee, so I can definitely tell you how easy it comes back on if you don't watch yourself. Just be careful before the surgery, and even more so during recovery.

Other than that, good luck with your weight loss and best wishes for your surgery.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Atkins DONE CORRECTLY would probably take that off in less than a month, no problem. And you won't have to cut down calories. In fact, you could probably add them.

DONE CORRECTLY is the key. Don't do it unless you read the book.

[jayel]

Some may not agree with my method, but this is what I do when I feel like I've been eating to much and need to get back on track. It's kind of hard to do to start with, but it works for me.

I pick a day and fast. NO eating, I drink water, coffee, and maybe some diet V- Splash for flavor, fluids, and something to do with my mouth to keep me occupied. (Insert nasty joke/ other sugestion here if you must :D ) If my stomach is growling, I eat a few Ritz crackers, especially if I feel nauseous from the coffee. Also, chew sugar free gum. When you go to bed that night, you might think you are starving and can't wait for breakfast, but when you wake up you probably won't be interested in food. Maybe not until lunch. And the fasting helps shrink your stomach so that you are satisfied with less food than usual, so you will eat smaller meals. Continue to drink lots of coffee; it kills my appetite and makes me feel full. Sometimes just a bowl of healthy cereal is satisfying. Best thing is, I'm eating just a little of whatever I want, so it's not very restrictive but still cutting calories. But I do stay away from sugar because it will hold you back.

In addition to this, do an hour or more of exercise a day. EVERY day. Include muscle toning exercises. You will start to notice how tight your body feels when you wake up in the morning and it will encourage you. Also weigh yourself daily, preferably on a digital scale so you can be excited by even the loss of ounces that take place.

You may or may not agree with me, but it has worked for me in the past. And yes I think ten pounds in a month is reasonable. I did twenty in six to eight weeks before. I may even try it with you at this time, because I'm feeling out of shape again. ;) Good luck!

[BookstoreEscapee]

Well, if you think about it, 10 pounds in 4 weeks is 2.5 a week. That's about the upper end of what the ubiquitous "they" generally recommend. I have my 10 year college reunion at the end of April. I'll be working along with you ;).

I think a session with a dietician would probably be a good idea, especially since you are concerned with not eating enough/eating too much of the wrong stuff. There's also a book called Volumetrics, basically the premise is to eat foods that have volume, so it looks and feels like you are eating more, and you end up more satisfied (think a big bunch of grapes vs. a handful of raisins) for fewer calories. If you're a soda drinker, like Greenday said, cut it out. I'm trying to drink more water, but I've been getting into a soda habit lately. I've been going to the park after work and walking lately, too. I'd like to start running. I have absolutely no stamina, though. I get up the stairs at work and I'm ready to die. :rolleyes: Plus I need new sneakers and I can't find any that I like. Nike usually works for me but they are letting me down this season :(

[Writer Cath]

Well, you can start with some crunches. You start with fifteen and add one every day. I've been doing that for a while now and have noticed a pretty dramatic effect. It certainly couldn't hurt any.

[powerboy]

I have done the fasting alot and it does help. I think, that I will try to eat smaller healthier foods, which I try to do all the time. I am really starting to exercise a lot more. Soda's, I am cutting back on. I know this tread is for the OP, but you guys are helping me also.