How to lose weight... really?

[EJFan]

Is there something that I can do that will help me lose 4-6 pounds in my first week of my diet? Thanks!

two things:

first... why would you want to lose 4-6 pounds in a week? if you read through this thread you'll find all kinds of reasons why this is bad.

second... WW has you count points as a gimmick. it's really not any different from counting calories... just a different unit of measure... like celsius vs. farenheit. it's absurd, really, but if it works, go with it.

if you want to lose weight, you have to know what calories you're eating, what cals you're burning, and what cals makes maintenance for you. a person who doesn't have a weight issue doesn't have to worry about this... but (as was the case with me) if you have a weight problem, the only REAL way around it is to know what food does, know how much you're eating, know how much you're burning and eat according to your goals and what the math dictates.

anyway... i can't give you a suggestion because your goals aren't really that prudent. if you want to burn a pound or two of fat a week, then there's a healthy approach you can take... and it'll be permanent... and you won't have to work within the confines of any special program, you'll have a universal way to approach food everywhere you go.

 

[houseman]

You lost water weight. Not fat. There is a difference. I suggest learning that.

I was wondering if there is any way to "jumpstart" your weight loss. I know when I went on Weight Watchers, I lost 6 pounds the first week, but I really don't want to count points (unless I absolutely have to) Is there something that I can do that will help me lose 4-6 pounds in my first week of my diet? Thanks!

 

[houseman]

Regarding weight watchers or any other "points" like system.

It's fine for people just starting out but I don't recommend this as a long-term solution. Maintaining a healthy weight, losing weight or trying to gain weight (muscle) requires lifestyle changes.

If you're to be truly successful you should learn to count calories and understand exactly what's going in your body. That's not to say you need to be anal about it like I am (only really anal when dieting down) but you need to figure out how many calories your body requires ust to get up, go to work, come home, etc (resting caloric expenditure) and the only true way of determining this is through trial and error.

When I was age 16-22, I could eat and eat and eat and barely gain much in the way of fat. Our metabolic rate is much much higher then we are younger. As we age, our metabolic rate starts to decrease which is why you see the majority of people put on weight over the years even though they might not seem as though they are eating that much.

When you eat the same things every day for a period of time, you will gain a sense of where your caloric requirement lay which then allows you to adjust accordingly. Weight watchers is great for beginners and those just starting out but you need to evolve into knowing your carb/protein/fat intake to be really successful long-term IF you don't want to always revert back to the weight watchers type system.

 

[dramaqueen47]

two things:

first... why would you want to lose 4-6 pounds in a week? if you read through this thread you'll find all kinds of reasons why this is bad.

I like to have the jumpstart because it gives me extra motivation. I hate doing all the work to find that I have lost about 1 pound. It frustrates me to no end because I have been struggling with my weight since I was 8 and nothing really seems to work. I yo-yo (which I know isn't good) but I am really trying now to maintain a steady weight.

 

[dramaqueen47]

You lost water weight. Not fat. There is a difference. I suggest learning that.

What is the difference between water weight and fat? How do you tell the difference between the two? Also, I have been on a diuretic for 8 years now (Chlorthalidone 100 mg) so my doctor says that I basically have no water weight.

 

[popeyesgirl]

You must eat right and most of all exercise!! At least 30 mins a day!!
Set a realisitic goal for loosing, not 4-6 lbs per week, but 20 lbs in 6 months etc.. eat smaller meals and more frequently thru-out the day.
all the best

 

[Lynxie]

Regarding weight watchers or any other "points" like system.

It's fine for people just starting out but I don't recommend this as a long-term solution. Maintaining a healthy weight, losing weight or trying to gain weight (muscle) requires lifestyle changes.

Just to clarify, Weight Watchers is designed to be a lifestyle change. It's certainly not a short-term program. The idea is that the points help you keep track of what you put into your body. As you lose weight, the amount of points you get each day is gradually reduced. While you're in the weight loss phase of WW, they recommend that you aim to lose 1 or 2 lbs each week to stay healthy. Once you've reached your goal, you are expected to maintain that weight, within a couple of pounds. WW gives you motivation to keep maintaining by giving you lifetime status after you've successfully stayed the same weight for 6 months (lifetime means you get to go to meetings for free, and you get some sort of little reward certificate). Essentially it teaches you how to control your portions and pay attention to nutritional information, and how to make that part of your daily life.

As a side note, WW is the only commercial weight loss plan that's been scientifically proven to be healthy in the long term (yes, I know this is partially because it's one of the ONLY plans that's been around long enough to have actually been scientifically tested).

 

[houseman]

What is the difference between water weight and fat? How do you tell the difference between the two? Also, I have been on a diuretic for 8 years now (Chlorthalidone 100 mg) so my doctor says that I basically have no water weight.

How do I know? Well, I guess I can't really, 100% know but I'd bet a good 99%

Fat equals 3500 calories which means in order to lose 5lbs of fat, you have to burn 17,500 calories either through diet and/or exercise. If you wanted to lose 5lbs of fat in one week, you'd literally have to eat virtually nothing except water and do cardio a couple hours a day and even then it wouldn't be possible because at some point the body starts hoarding onto everything and anything by going into starvation mode.

It is impossible, through convental means, to lose 4-6lbs of FAT per week. You can lose 4-6lbs the first week through a combination of things: water weight/fat loss/muscle loss/glycogen depletion.

Anyone who has ever had to diet (or even gain weight - muscle) would like to see instant and immediate results in as little as a week but we need to be realistic. As a female, your problem is compounded by this fact. Women have a much more difficult time with weight/fat loss because they usually don't require the caloric needs of say, a man. When your caloric needs are low to begin with, there's only to many caloric you can remove before the body goes into starvation mode. Women will need to exercise to burn fat than the average male will

Also note, weight training + cardio is MUCH MUCH better than simply cardio alone. Consider that as an option if its not already and no, you don't get big and bulky just because you lift weights. Big misconception.

Set yourself some realistic goals of trying to lose 1lb/week. There will be weeks where you stall out for a bit but keep at it and it'll come. A good, clean and balanced diet with weight training and cardio will get you 80% of where you want to go. You just need to be willing to make the committment to change.

Good luck.

 

[EJFan]

I like to have the jumpstart because it gives me extra motivation. I hate doing all the work to find that I have lost about 1 pound. It frustrates me to no end because I have been struggling with my weight since I was 8 and nothing really seems to work. I yo-yo (which I know isn't good) but I am really trying now to maintain a steady weight.

i know it's a struggle... and it's not the easiest thing to accomplish. trust me, though, if you diet at the rate you're suggesting, you're doing many things...

1. it's not healthy
2. you'll not lose FAT, you'll lose muscle and/or water
3. you'll be engaging in eating habits that won't be functional to replace the BAD habits you have now.

what you need to do is go slow and steady. it's healthier, lasts for the long term and you'll get the fat off. there's no point is losing weight if you're losing GOOD tissue that your body needs. your body doesn't need excess fat and THAT'S what you have to get rid of. just hitting a target weight, or targeted loss, isn't enough... it has to leave you healthier than you were when you started. period.

if you want to do things in an unhealthy way, just don't eat 'til you get dizzy and then have a saltine. you'll lose the weight you're trying to lose but you'll be much worse off and probably die of the littany of diseases you're opening yourself up to by malnourishing yourself.

 

[EJFan]

Just to clarify, Weight Watchers is designed to be a lifestyle change. It's certainly not a short-term program. The idea is that the points help you keep track of what you put into your body. As you lose weight, the amount of points you get each day is gradually reduced. While you're in the weight loss phase of WW, they recommend that you aim to lose 1 or 2 lbs each week to stay healthy. Once you've reached your goal, you are expected to maintain that weight, within a couple of pounds. WW gives you motivation to keep maintaining by giving you lifetime status after you've successfully stayed the same weight for 6 months (lifetime means you get to go to meetings for free, and you get some sort of little reward certificate). Essentially it teaches you how to control your portions and pay attention to nutritional information, and how to make that part of your daily life.

As a side note, WW is the only commercial weight loss plan that's been scientifically proven to be healthy in the long term (yes, I know this is partially because it's one of the ONLY plans that's been around long enough to have actually been scientifically tested).

this is true, lynxie... WW isn't a "bad" program. but a lot of what they've done is simply reduce the calorie counting issue to something that is easier to understand. points... calories... preportioned meals... it all goes to the same end result. if you know calories, know what your body does with them, and know how the two interact, you can accomplish the same thing w/o paying for it.

whatever works is fine... i'm just suggesting that there's a cheaper way to accomplish the same thing.

 

[Lynxie]

this is true, lynxie... WW isn't a "bad" program. but a lot of what they've done is simply reduce the calorie counting issue to something that is easier to understand. points... calories... preportioned meals... it all goes to the same end result. if you know calories, know what your body does with them, and know how the two interact, you can accomplish the same thing w/o paying for it.

whatever works is fine... i'm just suggesting that there's a cheaper way to accomplish the same thing.

Oh, I agree wholeheartedly. I'm currently paying for the online version of the program (cheaper than meetings, but still too expensive, imo), but my only reason for doing so is to have access to their recipe collection. I'm comfortable enough tracking calories, fat & fiber on my own (though I do translate it into points to keep the numbers easier to work with), but I really like WW's extensive recipe libraries. Eventually I'll copy/paste enough of them so I don't have to pay anymore.

Cheaper is always better. WW sells their own brand of food products (frozen meals, breads, candies, etc, etc), but I don't buy them. There's simply no need, and it's much more practical (and more fun, and cheaper) to learn how to cook nutritious, healthy foods with normal ingredients. WW is wonderfully flexible, and it makes it easy to adapt the concepts to fit your daily life.

 

[houseman]

I must also point out to those people currently and those in future who might read this...

Changing your body is likely the most difficult thing you will ever do in life. From weight loss to muscle gain.... it's hard, hard work that takes a long time to accomplish.

Think of it like a dyke or trying to re-route a river's natural path. You are forcing nature (in this instance, your body) to do something it's not meant to do. If it was, you'd look the way you WANT to look

Things don't happen in days or weeks, they happen in months and sometimes years depending on where you're starting from.

Be patient. Take it slow and you'll find it easier to maintain and hold onto. Too quick and you'll lose it. You body needs time to adapt and adjust to your "new" body.

 

[Lynxie]

I must also point out to those people currently and those in future who might read this...

Changing your body is likely the most difficult thing you will ever do in life. From weight loss to muscle gain.... it's hard, hard work that takes a long time to accomplish.

Think of it like a dyke or trying to re-route a river's natural path. You are forcing nature (in this instance, your body) to do something it's not meant to do. If it was, you'd look the way you WANT to look

Things don't happen in days or weeks, they happen in months and sometimes years depending on where you're starting from.

Be patient. Take it slow and you'll find it easier to maintain and hold onto. Too quick and you'll lose it. You body needs time to adapt and adjust to your "new" body.

Very well-said, Houseman. My fatal flaw in the past was that I was always seeking faster results - that's why I kept falling farther and farther from my goal. Now, I'm taking it slow and steady, and I'm seeing better results. I feel healthier, I'm not starving, and the pounds and inches are starting to come off. It's a long, slow, difficult process, but it's not impossible with the right attitude and expectations.

 

[dramaqueen47]

Houseman and EJFan, thanks so much for your advice. I really appreciate it. I realize that 4-6 pounds is a lot (and extremely dangerous). Thanks so much for your opinions and all of that. After this I am going to schedule an appointment with my doctor so I can get in the right track. Thanks again!

 

[houseman]

Houseman and EJFan, thanks so much for your advice. I really appreciate it. I realize that 4-6 pounds is a lot (and extremely dangerous). Thanks so much for your opinions and all of that. After this I am going to schedule an appointment with my doctor so I can get in the right track. Thanks again!

Do as you wish but my personal opinion of doctors when it comes to this sort of stuff is they are basically fucked out of their minds.

I realized this 8 or so years ago when I was in University and I had a doctor tell me I was fat/obease. I was hovering around the 250lbs range at 6'3". I had visable abdominals, veins popping out all over the place and I venture bofyfat % at the time was hovering around 9%.

I got dressed and left.

I try not to go back often

 

[Lynxie]

My father-in-law's doctor just put him on the Southbeach Diet. The very fact that a doctor is instructing a patient to omit an entire category of foods (carbs) really scares me.

 

[EJFan]

My father-in-law's doctor just put him on the Southbeach Diet. The very fact that a doctor is instructing a patient to omit an entire category of foods (carbs) really scares me.

i agree with you, lynx. i have a fundamental problem with the same thing... and docs do this with drugs too. a person needing a drug, a diet, whatever, will get it from the company that the doctor gets the coolest free shit from.

do you know if there's any MEDICAL reason why the doc recommended SB diet? or was it just a "you need to lose weight, do it this way" sorta thing?

 

[EJFan]

can anyone (houseman?) explain the science behind the macro pairing issue? i know that it's optimal to pair protein w/carbs... or protein w/fat... but not fat w/carbs.

i don't split these hairs with my diet but i've wondered what the reasoning for it was.

 

[Lynxie]

i agree with you, lynx. i have a fundamental problem with the same thing... and docs do this with drugs too. a person needing a drug, a diet, whatever, will get it from the company that the doctor gets the coolest free shit from.

do you know if there's any MEDICAL reason why the doc recommended SB diet? or was it just a "you need to lose weight, do it this way" sorta thing?

I guess it was because he was already trying to cut carbs out of his diet, and his doctor felt he should have some structure to his plan. I guess it's better than nothing, but it's kind of like having a doc tell you how to hold the saw while you slice your own leg off...

I dunno, cutting carbs may help you lose weight in the short term, but your brain functions on carbohydrates. I can only imagine what sort of side effects will crop up after these diets have been around for 20 years. At least South Beach encourages you to avoid fatty foods... Atkins suggests that you go for the full-fat bacon, cheese, sausage, or whatever. Ick! Eating bacon and only bacon for three meals a day does not sound like a long-term way to stay healthy.

 

[houseman]

Well, I had a nice little bit of a cheat this weekend. Only meant to have a cheat meal but ended up having a cheat meal + cheat day

Can really tell the day and a half of all out eating (kept it mildly clean.... very low on the sugar and all out fat scale) jacked my metabolism into a higher gear. Two meals in today and feels like I haven't had a drop to eat since yesterday

End of my 8th week was Saturday in which I was down 25lbs in total from when I started. Nicely on target to be in the 40lbs weight drop by end of the 16th week.

After that, I'll maintain for a month and stabilize my bodyweight and then jump into bulking with a goal of extreme anabolism and new muscle growth.

 

[houseman]

I guess it was because he was already trying to cut carbs out of his diet, and his doctor felt he should have some structure to his plan. I guess it's better than nothing, but it's kind of like having a doc tell you how to hold the saw while you slice your own leg off...

I dunno, cutting carbs may help you lose weight in the short term, but your brain functions on carbohydrates. I can only imagine what sort of side effects will crop up after these diets have been around for 20 years. At least South Beach encourages you to avoid fatty foods... Atkins suggests that you go for the full-fat bacon, cheese, sausage, or whatever. Ick! Eating bacon and only bacon for three meals a day does not sound like a long-term way to stay healthy.

You are right. Cutting carbs... you will drop weight...initially.

The problem with this type of eating which people don't understand is when you stop this way of eating (after you've achieved whatever weight loss oyu wanted) and go back to eating regular foods... the weight you lost will rebound.

Low/no carb dieting doesn't work long-term. People want instant results but forget that the weight they gained didn't get there over night. If you didn't put it on over night how can you expect to take it off overnight? Realistic expectations are what people need and if you are female... you need to be more realistic in that women have a harder time losing weight compared to men. Men can easily drop 1-2lbs a week (in a healthy way) whereas most women should strive for 1lb/week. Caloric requirements, energy expenditure and thermodynamics are very vastly different in men and women.

 

[mickwannabe]

You are right. Cutting carbs... you will drop weight...initially.

The problem with this type of eating which people don't understand is when you stop this way of eating (after you've achieved whatever weight loss oyu wanted) and go back to eating regular foods... the weight you lost will rebound.

Low/no carb dieting doesn't work long-term. People want instant results but forget that the weight they gained didn't get there over night. If you didn't put it on over night how can you expect to take it off overnight? Realistic expectations are what people need and if you are female... you need to be more realistic in that women have a harder time losing weight compared to men. Men can easily drop 1-2lbs a week (in a healthy way) whereas most women should strive for 1lb/week. Caloric requirements, energy expenditure and thermodynamics are very vastly different in men and women.

Personally, I would advise cutting simple carbs (processed flour, sugar, etc). So no more poptarts and sugary cereals, but feel free to eat a serving of whole wheat spaghetti with sauce. Someone in this topic above said something about the brain running on carbohydrates, which is true. Many many body functions need carbs to happen, just like your body needs fats for many other functions (the lining of nerve cells comes to mind). So instead of cutting out all carbs, just cut out the carbs you know are useless.

At the end of the day you'll lose weight as long as you've eaten fewer calories than you've burned through exercise and just living.

 

[tenchikoi]

There is no magic cure to losing weight. You have to burn more calories than you're taking in. Which means portion control, healthy food choices, and lots of physical activity. It's a lot of hard work and there aren't any short cuts if you want lasting results. Lazy people look for easy options. Driven people do what it takes no matter what. Which one are you?

 

[fallen_1]

I'm having pretty good success eating strictly organic. I don't have to avoid my favorite foods cause you can get most stuff in organic anymore.

My calories have probably gone down because I'm getting more nourishment so Don't have to eat as much either. I have a way to go, but am happy with how its going so far.

 

[mickwannabe]

I guess it was because he was already trying to cut carbs out of his diet, and his doctor felt he should have some structure to his plan. I guess it's better than nothing, but it's kind of like having a doc tell you how to hold the saw while you slice your own leg off...

I dunno, cutting carbs may help you lose weight in the short term, but your brain functions on carbohydrates. I can only imagine what sort of side effects will crop up after these diets have been around for 20 years. At least South Beach encourages you to avoid fatty foods... Atkins suggests that you go for the full-fat bacon, cheese, sausage, or whatever. Ick! Eating bacon and only bacon for three meals a day does not sound like a long-term way to stay healthy.

To my knowledge the SB diet is better than Atkins in the respect of avoiding most high-fat foods in large quantities like you said. The SB diet is somewhat restricting like Atkins for the first bit, but after that the carbs you are allowed to eat is reasonable. Pretty much if whomever would cut out the simple carbs like refined sugar and bread, in addition to decreasing the portion size I think that person would find a lifestyle change and not simply a diet to stick to until they "cheat".

The most important thing about changing your eating habits is that it has to be a change for life or else it won't work. No sense going on atkins or sb or anything for a month and then stopping. My advice is to make small modifications to your diet like whole wheat bread instead of white. Eat a fist sized portion of your meal carb instead of two or three. Then if you feel like eating something that isn't the healthiest for you, just do it! It's not "cheating", just know that you then need to eat a lil more strictly the rest of the day or hit the gym a lil harder that day.