Help - I need to lose weight, fast!

[Speicher]

Indeed that is the key.

Look the best way to lose weight is to cut out all the sh1t like crisps, pizza, ready meals, sandwiches bought at Pret a Manger or Subway, sugary drinks, processed cheese,

I do not eat any of the above, except perhaps one packet of Tyrrells naked (ie no salt crisps per month) and perhaps one ready meal per week. I have no idea where the nearest Subway is, and Pret a Manger, that has yet to arrive here.

cakes, buns and choclit. These I agree need to be cut down.

Then to eat a healthy balanced diet with stuff called fruit, vegetables and salad, don't cut out spuds or treats just REDUCE your portion size. Drink water if you feel the urge to trough and do lots of exercise. Try to eat a proper lunch at lunch time. Don't eat after 7pm so you go to sleep with a belly full of undigested food especially with rubbish such as pizza, chips, processed burger or take aways inside you.

Take aways are a once a month treat.
Processed burghers, yuk! If I have chips it is the 5% oven variety, and about half what I used to have.

Go running in the evening,

Each day I try to walk at least a mile at a very brisk pace. I have mapped out a walk that is slightly up and down hill. Mostly throught fields, so that on a warm day like today, no-one except the odd dog walker will see my chubby pale legs in shorts.

I can easily extend this with a shortish flat section for running.


once home, have a shower, a good drink of water, wind down and go to bed at a reasonable hour so you get a full 8 hours rest. Then do it all again tomorrow. Eat more at breakfast than at the end of the day as your body will burn it off as it needs the energy to function during the day.

I have made serious attempts to cut down the late-night attack of the munchies.

The safest amount of weight the average person can lose each week and remain healthy is 4-5 lbs / 2 - 2.5 kg. Don't confuse weight loss with being dehyrdated. So over a month 15 - 20 lbs / 8 - 10 kg - quite a lot if you are disciplined and don't cheat yourself.

I would be very happy knowing I was losing two or three pounds a week.

As you can see I am taking your comments on board. I know this is a long term strategy. Trying to loose some weight fairly quickly was just a short-term measure.

 

[515mm]

Right,

read a fair proportion of those comments and for the most part good advice. However............

Don't try exercising at any intensity other than dead easy if you ain't eaten any carbohydrate. You will feel horribly weak after a short time and your body will start to metabolise muscle to provide you with energy. i.e you will lose the muscle you worked so hard to build during training. You can tell this is happening because you will feel nauseous due to the enzymes produced during this process.

A safe amount of weight to lose per week is 0.5kg or 1 pound. This equates to a reduction of 500 calories a day from the amount you currently consume to maintain your current weight. Any more than this and you can kiss goodbye to any performance gains and in all probability, your performance will drop. It's no coincidence that Brad Wiggins begins his weight loss programme for the Tour de France(July) in January. It has to be that slow or he's unable to train or race effectively. You are no different.

A pound a week sounds very slow - it ain't, especially as at that rate, weight loss is sustainable, therefore, it happens every week. This is very encouraging. It's good to have a target weight to aim for, but make it achievable in the medium term, say, 3kg or about half a stone. Enjoy the sense of achievement, stay at your new weight for a couple of weeks, (more difficult than it sounds) get used to it, then aim for another reduction if you feel it necessary.

Accept that on days when you succome to the temptation of chocolate or cheese or whatever is your fave high calorie treat you won't lose any weight but, DON'T BEAT YOURSELF UP ABOUT IT! Tomorrow, be stronger. On the days when you've been strong - say to yourself (in the privacy of your own mind though, eh - we're not Americans.)

''I was strong today. I'm doing this, I'm actually making this happen.''

Be proud of your achievement. Lots of little victories along the way are fun to enjoy and make the long haul bearable. If weight loss was easy we'd all be climbing gods. It ain't easy, it's hard and takes determination, so you must encourage yourself as much as you can.

Actually calculate the amount of calories in your food/drink and write it down in the form of a little sum, a running total of calories consumed as you progress through the day. I've found it does focus the mind very effectively once you've got over the feeling that you'll never eat anything ''nice'' again!
Eat little and often and remember that protein will stop hunger far more effectively than carbohydrate. In fact carbs, (especially wheat products for some reason) will make you feel hungry very soon after you've eaten them unless you can combine them with protein. This will keep you sated for longer. Save the carbs for meals which precede exercise. That's when you need them, after all.

Oh, if you find you feel hungry even though you've eaten, try drinking some water. It sounds daft, but the body knows it can get fluids from food - if you ain't been giving it enough water.....................

On days when you do an hours exercise, eat 500 calories more than on the days you don't exercise. If you do 2hrs, eat 1000 calories more and so on. You actually need the extra calories to train effectively. This will also train your body to request fewer calories on the days you don't need them and reinforce the lesson that food is fuel.
Here's a calorie expenditure calculator so you can determine how many you need each day.....

http://nutrition.about.com/od/changeyourdiet/a/calguide.htm

I've found it invaluable. A little while ago, I had a fortnight enforced rest and put on a few pounds through not cutting back on what I normally eat. Six weeks doing what I have described above, I'm 3kg lighter and feel loads faster. This is despite possessing very little will power, especially where chocolate is concerned!

Best of Luck!

 

[MacB]

I did this diet once, it's a two week thing and is claimed to shift weight and speed up metabolism, I don't know the origins. I make no claims for it, healthwise or accuracy of what it does/doesn't do. The notes I had with it said it shouldn't be repeated within 1 year, if you get as far as day 6, but don't complete, then you should wait 6 months before trying again. apart from water what's on the list below is absolutely everything you can have:-

Day1 - Breakfast - black coffee 1 teaspoon of sugar - lunch - 2 x h-boiled eggs, boiled spinach & 1 tomato - dinner - 1 8oz steak, lettuce, 1 teaspoon olive oil with lemon juice
Day2 - Breakfast - black coffee 1 teaspoon of sugar - lunch - 1 slice of ham & 1 small tub of natural yoghurt - dinner - 1 8oz steak, lettuce, 1 teaspoon olive oil with lemon juice
Day3 - Breakfast - black coffee 1 teaspoon of sugar & 1 slice dry white toast - lunch - 1 slice of ham & 2 x hard boiled eggs, lettuce, 1 teaspoon olive oil and lemon juice - dinner - boiled celery, 1 tomato & 1 piece of fruit(I made a smoothy to choke this down)
Day4 - Breakfast - black coffee 1 teaspoon of sugar & 1 slice dry white toast - lunch - 1 tin of fruit in natrual juice and 1 small tub natural yoghurt - dinner - 1 h-boiled egg, 1 grated carrot & 1 small tub of cottage cheese
Day5 - Breakfast - 1 grated carrot with lemon juice - lunch - 1 large piece of boiled cod with lemon juice and small knob of butter - dinner - 1 8oz steak, lettuce and celery
Day6 - Breakfast - black coffee & 1 slice dry white toast - lunch - 2 x h-boiled eggs & 1 carrot - dinner - 1 grilled chicken breast, lettuce with o/oil & lemon juice
Day7 - Breakfast - 1 cup of black tea - lunch - nothing - dinner - 1 large lamb chop & 1 piece of fruit
Day8-Day13 - repeat days 1 to 6

As I don't drink tea or coffee I skipped them but did eat the teaspoon of sugar. At least two litres of water a day and absolutely nothing but the above, no salt, pepper, chewing gum, breath mints, etc. The claim is that you can expect to lose 7 to 20 kg, 1 to 3 stone and that it will continue to work after the 13 days.

I remember a hellish 13 days but a remarkable result

 

[515mm]

I'm impressed you lasted as long as you did MacB - 13 days on that regime must have been hell on Earth. I'm sure the weight loss was spectacular and your advice is meant with the best of intentions but........ but........ but.........

I can't imagine a worse diet for an athlete.

I'll bet you a dime to a dollar you lost more muscle than fat.

I know you felt like a sack of hot, gritty shoot.

No wonder 'they' recommend this is followed no more frequently that once a year. Not for the feint-hearted!

 

[MacB]

Hey, read my disclaimers it was just a possible solution for someone wanting to lose a shedload of weight in a hurry. There's no shortage of sensible, 1lb a week max, balanced diet advice. I actually recall feeling quite good at the end of it, but that's based on zero science.

Sometimes a good start is all a person needs.

 

[515mm]

Fairy 'nuff! I did read your disclaimers and I was glad you included them as I didn't want to give you both barrels, but I would have.
Interesting to hear you felt okay by the end. My own experience with the Atkins was not a pleasant one, hence the warning against extreme diets. I did lose half a stone in the first week but stayed the same weight for following three and felt worse and worse as the days dragged on. This was in the days Before Cycling. I took up riding my bike to work and lost two stone in three months whilst eating normally.

Losing the rest of my adipose tissue requires calorie reduction.

 

[The Jogger]

I also had a bad experience with the Atkins (kidney stone). I intend to kick start the weight loss with alow carb but will eat carb like porridge, then I'll look to ditch the sweets,cakes and biscuits and then cycle plenty. Hopefully that should do the trick.

 

[Speicher]

I do not think I would be able to follow Mac B suggestion. I like my porridge too much, but have tried to cut down generally and eat more healthily.

I do need some new glasses tho'. Ones that help me walk past those caravans at Fairs etc which sell fresh, hot doughnuts. I did only have three smallish ones tho!.

 

[Crankarm]

McB's diet seems potentially life shortening ....... not a shred of fibre in it. Would a victim not pass any solids so be constitpated?

It's not rocket science all you need to do is eat a healthy balanced diet watching the size of your portions and do regular moderate exercise. Ok start small and work to more intense activity. Exercise in itself is a great means of boosting positive well being and contributing to you staying off the unhealthy junk when you see what you can achieve. If you want to cut out deserts or pudding then do so. But don't cut out carbs completely. A couple of small/med boiled potatoes with veg and a decent protein source is a good meal. You need to be wise as to when you eat. The reason so many office workers are the size of elephants is that they eat a huge unhealthy meal at the end of the end day, slob on the sofa in front of the TV, then head to bed soon after when their stomach is still digesting their gross meal . Now the evenings are staying lighter longer go for a walk after supper to walk some of it off so you don't go to sleep on a full stomach.

With respect to healthy and safe weight loss it is 4-5lbs a week. I did a phsyiology and nutrition project as part of my degree as did my fellow students. 500g didn't even figure! I don't know where 500g comes from but it's too insignificant as most domestic bathroom scales cannot accurately measure it for a start and such a small increment could easily be influenced for instance if you have/have not been to the loo or had a long drink of water.

Just eat a normal healthy meal, lots of veg, salad and fruit, it is the season. Don't bother counting calories. Get outside in the warm weather and do some long walks, hiking, cycling, or running, water ever to get your cardiovascular system working and have fun. As has been said a good way to cheat your body is to drink water when you feel hunger pangs coming on. If you are diabetic or suffer from any other medical condition you should of course consult your GP.

 

[e-rider]

Well, I've had over 24 hours to recover and get fully hydrated since the epic cycle ride on Sunday.

Jumped on the scales and..... I really have lost 1/2 stone in the first week.

My diet was essentially no bread or cheese, no sugary foods and limited high carb meals plus one 80 mile cycle ride.

It's the Norwich 100 this weekend so I'll increase the carb intake towards the end of the week. I think 1/4 stone loss per week is probably much healthier. I am (was) 4 stone over weight so I have plenty still to lose.

 

[The Jogger]

I jumped on the scales today after day two, (including a night shift) and have lost 4 lbs. I really have just cut out the bread and spuds. I've been having a big bowl of porridge and honey to start the day, last night I had steak and salad for tea and even had a cocoa and a welsh cake as a treat. No bars of chocolate or loads of biscuits that I usually indulge in. Five portions of fruit and three of veg (big salad) with plenty to drink throughout the day including, skimmed milk, tea and water.

 

[Stig-OT-Dump]

Sometimes buying the right clothing can help inspire you to lose weight. With summer coming up, you could purchase some new swim wear so you can hit the beach looking hot, a bit like this chap...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=JP&hl=ja&v=wsCjQ5KdbUg

 

[e-rider]

If only I could look that good - we can dream I suppose.

 

[The Jogger]

Sometimes buying the right clothing can help inspire you to lose weight. With summer coming up, you could purchase some new swim wear so you can hit the beach looking hot, a bit like this chap...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=JP&hl=ja&v=wsCjQ5KdbUg

I was wondering where my kit went........

 

[jay clock]

Yello said "Don't go switching to skimmed milk just to avoid the fat content of full fat milk. Fat does not make you fat." Agreed re the comment about fat content (although high levels of saturated fat are not a great plus for health) but in terms of calories 500ml of full fat is 330 cals and the same amount of skimmed is 165. Since a pound of fat takes 3500 cals to shift (or add on!) then if your weight was level (ie all things were equal), then changing from full fat to skimmed would mean losing a pound every 3 weeks, ie 17 pounds in a year. (based on 500ml per day, which is my consumption with cereal and coffee and tea)

So fat does not make you fat, agreed, but moving to skimmed may help you lose weight.