need to lose weight fast

kamakazeekim

Hi ladies,

I've been working for over a year and a half to lose weight in order to have a gastric bypass. I've lost about 10 pounds so far by my doctor wants me to lose another 20 before he'll do the surgery because he's worried my liver will be too fatty.

I'm graduating from grad school in May and I REALLY wanted to feel and look good. I wanted to be able to wear normal size clothes and go to the beach and not feel like an elephant. I also want to have a baby but I'm not going to have one while I'm so heavy. Does anyone have any ideas how to lose 20 pounds in the next 2 months, even if it's not sustainable? I've been seeing a nutritionist every month and she's at a loss...she has no idea what I should do differently. I need help!!!!

Dragonwolf

First of all, I'd seriously consider if you actually need gastric bypass, or if you're just trying to do it as a quick weight loss measure. I know several people who have had it, and aside from the risks (which your doctor has probably/hopefully already gone over with you), there are a number of side effects of having it, such as all the loose skin from losing weight so fast, and having to seriously watch what and how much you eat.

If you want to feel and look good, I highly recommend going about weight loss the natural way, and try other things before going the gastric bypass route. Stop starving yourself (both in terms of calories and nutrition - the food you are eating, according to your log, are pretty devoid of nutrition), start doing light exercise every day and moderate to intense (including strength training) a few times a week, and try a low carb/high fat diet (which is one of the more effective diets for women with PCOS who have trouble losing weight). It might also be worth talking to your doctor about Metformin if you aren't already on it.

If you want to be a good influence on your kids, start by making good food and exercise choices. Pick whole foods over processed stuff (for the love of all that is good in this world, eat some fruits and vegetables!), go for daily walks or start doing something like Yoga daily (and get them doing it!), etc.

miranda_mom

^^^ I agree. Having now just looked at your diary, you are not eating enough and what you are eating (if your diary is accurate) is not the best for you nutritionally.
I am pregnant and beforehand I was not worried about being a particular weight. I was worried about eating healthy and exercising. I did 1 1/2 hours cardio and 1 1/2 hours lifting a week. (This has been reduced somewhat since I got pregnant but I still get in an hour a week of lifting an hour a week on the elliptical and a half hour every day of walking). I would recommend you look into getting your blood sugar regulated, which is going to mean spreading out your carbs over the course of the day, eating small meals (I eat six small meals a day), and doing light exercise every day (I walk after every meal for 10 minutes, no matter how the weather is). Like dragonwolf mentioned, Metformin can be an important part of the puzzle (and was for me).

kamakazeekim

The surgery isn't a quick fix for me....I've been working towards this for a very long time. It is a tool and cannot be relied on as a fix-all. People abuse it which gives the general public a bad view of it for everyone. I love to workout and play sports...I've been laid up recently because of an injury I got in a bad car accident. I don't believe in fad diets and I have always stuck to the science. Each person is genetically and environmentally different than the next and the same approach doesn't work for all people. My body is screwed up in all kinds of ways. For example, all the common pain medication doesn't work for me...it makes me gross, sweaty and itchy but it doesn't touch the pain. Calories in vs calories out doesn't work for me...never has. I try to keep my carbs within reason...generally under 100 but if I drop too low I end up with severe ketosis which puts me in the ER. In the summer, I compete in 5Ks and mud-runs. I'm not your average "fat" person. The doctor says that because the surgery not only limits your food intake, it also changes the way your body absorbs calories and fat which will hopefully be the key for me.

Sabine_Stroehm

If your log is even remotely accurate I would say, as the others have: you've got to eat. And eat to fuel your body. Real food. I understand you're limiting your carbs, but you really do need to eat vegetables, whole grains (some), and lean meats, low fat dairy...and enough of it. Your log shows 450-800 calories a day.
You say you rely on science. Where's the science of a very very low calorie diet where several hundred of the calories is atkins chocolates? You have days like that. 500 calories, with 150 of them in chocolates. I'm not trying to be hurtful, just don't want you to hurt yourself.
Your body may be "different" but it isn't magical. It still needs to be fueled. Please be careful with it.

miranda_mom

I have gestational diabetes which could be viewed as the extreme form of the insulin resistance involved with PCOS. Here's what I was told to eat every day - 30 g carbs for breakfast, 15 g carbs for morning snack, 45 g carbs for lunch, 30 g carbs for afternoon snack, 45 g carbs for dinner, and 45 g carbs for evening snack. I check my blood sugar every morning when I get up and after breakfast, lunch, and dinner. So far, it's been great so I am controlling my sugar through this "diet". I eat whole grain bread, whole grain pasta, some potatoes (this seems to affect me more than the others though). I do try to stay away from sweets because that really sends my blood sugar through the roof! It's a pain but maybe your doctor could write a script for you to check your sugar after each meal? (The equipment is not cheap so hopefully you have good insurance). I have learned so much about my body and how it works. Aside from the diabetes (which I think was caused by the PCOS - gestational diabetes is diagnosed when your body cannot react correctly to the hormones of pregnancy), I have had a very healthy pregnancy. Like I said before, I walk a half an hour a day and also do an hour weight lifting a week and an hour on the elliptical. I feel great (especially since I started eating right with the diabetes). I think the problem for those of us with PCOS comes in not when we eat carbs in moderation (as I do now) but when we eat tons of carbs at one meal (huge plate of white pasta) and then skip the next meal or eat next to no carbs. That is going to send your blood sugar all over the place! What I've found is that keeping my blood sugar level has been very helpful.

Dragonwolf

The surgery isn't a quick fix for me....I've been working towards this for a very long time. It is a tool and cannot be relied on as a fix-all. People abuse it which gives the general public a bad view of it for everyone. I love to workout and play sports...I've been laid up recently because of an injury I got in a bad car accident. I don't believe in fad diets and I have always stuck to the science. Each person is genetically and environmentally different than the next and the same approach doesn't work for all people. My body is screwed up in all kinds of ways. For example, all the common pain medication doesn't work for me...it makes me gross, sweaty and itchy but it doesn't touch the pain. Calories in vs calories out doesn't work for me...never has. I try to keep my carbs within reason...generally under 100 but if I drop too low I end up with severe ketosis which puts me in the ER. In the summer, I compete in 5Ks and mud-runs. I'm not your average "fat" person. The doctor says that because the surgery not only limits your food intake, it also changes the way your body absorbs calories and fat which will hopefully be the key for me.

Working towards bariatric surgery? That's your first mistake. Work toward health, instead. You say you were always active. If your log is any indication, that's no longer the case. Get yourself a good strength training program, supplement with some high-quality cardio if your strength training program allows it, eat right and to fuel your body properly. You'll be doing both yourself and your kids a bigger favor by taking care of yourself properly.

As Sabine said, your body really isn't that different from other people's. As other women with PCOS, you have a hard time losing weight using the standard "calories in, calories out" method. That's not uncommon, let alone unique to you.

Nutritional ketosis is in no way dangerous, and many people confuse it with ketoacidosis, which is a state of too many ketones and the absence of insulin. If you were actually in ketoacidosis, then you have bigger problems than your weight, because ketoacidosis almost exclusively presents in Diabetics - usually Type 1 (which I doubt you have, since a hallmark of T1D is generally weight loss), though sometimes Type 2 (which likely has to be severe enough to require insulin, and those that are prone to it don't require a trigger).

That, and your recent food logs, suggest that you probably suffered from rabbit starvation (aka - protein poisoning), by decreasing carbs without increasing fat intake, resulting in eating basically nothing but protein. Ketosis is the body's response to a lack of carbohydrates, so ketones are present in any case where the body isn't getting enough dietary carbs. However, there is no way to tell by ketones alone whether the person achieved a state of ketosis though healthy (high fat, low carb, moderate protein) or disordered (protein-only, actual starvation, etc) means. Diarrhea, headache, low blood pressure, low heart rate, fatigue, and cravings for carbs and fat are signs of rabbit starvation, not ketosis. Feeling faint (and actually fainting), low blood pressure, anemia, and diarrhea (among other things) are signs of actual starvation. So, if you had anything of the previous sets of symptoms, the associated issues were more likely the cause, not ketosis.

As for the pain medication, that sounds like an allergy. Not at all uncommon (I know a person who's allergic to NSAIDs in general, so the only over the counter meds she can take is Tylenol).

How do you think gastric bypass is going to help you lose weight? I'm beginning to wonder if you're actually aware of how gastric bypass works (other than "make my stomach smaller") and the actual mechanisms by which it makes a person lose weight. Simply put, it decreases the amount of food you can eat at once, and decreases the amount of nutrients you absorb. It's basically controlled starvation, and comes with similar side effects - feelings of cold, hair thinning, mood changes - as well as its own set of side effects - incontinence, increased risk of dehydration, gallstones, nausea, anemia, and osteoporosis. Oh yeah, and not only is the weight loss not guaranteed, but there's also a pretty decent chance that any weight you do lose will be gained back. I have a feeling you'll be disappointed with your results, since you're already eating so little, anyway, and what you do eat is pretty devoid of the nutrients your body needs to function properly.

Seriously, start with feeding yourself properly. Eat whole foods, including vegetables and some fruit, healthy fats, and good quality sources of protein. Watch the insulin-increasing foods (starchy/sugary foods without much fiber, proteins in absence of fats, etc). And eat foods that are nutrient dense (pro tip, things like a slice of garlic bread and a ginger ale, or a flour tortilla, are not it).

Try a month of a whole-foods-based diet, such as Whole 30 ( http://www.whole9life.com/2013/08/the-whole30-program/ ), Whole Foods' 28-Day Challenge ( http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/healthy-eating/health-starts-here/28-day-challenge ), or (a month of) the challenge from 100 Days of Real Food ( http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/real-food-defined-a-k-a-the-rules/ ), and see how you feel and what changes your body makes. And most of all, eat enough food. You can't fuel your body properly if you're not fueling it at all. You were at least on the right track when you first joined MFP, since you were eating somewhat more, but it was still pretty nutritionally lacking.

While "eat less, move more" is a good rule of thumb for the general population (who usually eats too much and does too little), it only works to a point, and taking it to an extreme becomes counterproductive, in terms of both health, and to a lesser extent, weight loss. If you're really as active as you say you are, then 800 calories (and even 1200), is nowhere near enough food to fuel your body properly.

Also, check your meds. I noticed in another forum thread that you've got Bipolar II. If you're on meds for it, and if you're on birth control, that may be contributing to your inability to lose weight. If you're not on medication for your Bipolar, then it's of utmost importance that you log your food accurately, so that you can make sure you're not emotionally eating. Medications and birth control can also contribute, due to their effects on hormones. Try switching to a birth control that uses fewer (or no) hormones, or at least uses different hormones. If you're on medications for your Bipolar, it might be worth seeing if different medications can help you and not hinder your weight loss efforts.

That said, I can sympathize with the frustration of people beating others over the head with the "calories in, calories out" bat. Like you, and many Cysters, it's not really that simple in practice, thanks to hormone issues. I've even faced its issues, myself. It's extraordinarily frustrating to work twice as hard as others and get zero results. However, it doesn't necessarily mean that something is wrong with you (as I said, many Cysters struggle with this), but rather something is wrong with your approach. You've been doing the very low calorie thing, with not really any regard to nutrition, for a year now. Clearly it's not working for you. Time to try something else (especially since you still need to lose weight to get the surgery, which means you still need to find a way to lose weight without the surgery).

http://eatingacademy.com/nutrition/is-ketosis-dangerous
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_starvation

Alliwan

The surgery isn't a quick fix for me....I've been working towards this for a very long time. It is a tool and cannot be relied on as a fix-all. People abuse it which gives the general public a bad view of it for everyone. I love to workout and play sports...I've been laid up recently because of an injury I got in a bad car accident. I don't believe in fad diets and I have always stuck to the science. Each person is genetically and environmentally different than the next and the same approach doesn't work for all people. My body is screwed up in all kinds of ways. For example, all the common pain medication doesn't work for me...it makes me gross, sweaty and itchy but it doesn't touch the pain. Calories in vs calories out doesn't work for me...never has. I try to keep my carbs within reason...generally under 100 but if I drop too low I end up with severe ketosis which puts me in the ER. In the summer, I compete in 5Ks and mud-runs. I'm not your average "fat" person. The doctor says that because the surgery not only limits your food intake, it also changes the way your body absorbs calories and fat which will hopefully be the key for me.

Working towards bariatric surgery? That's your first mistake. Work toward health, instead. You say you were always active. If your log is any indication, that's no longer the case. Get yourself a good strength training program, supplement with some high-quality cardio if your strength training program allows it, eat right and to fuel your body properly. You'll be doing both yourself and your kids a bigger favor by taking care of yourself properly.

As Sabine said, your body really isn't that different from other people's. As other women with PCOS, you have a hard time losing weight using the standard "calories in, calories out" method. That's not uncommon, let alone unique to you.

Nutritional ketosis is in no way dangerous, and many people confuse it with ketoacidosis, which is a state of too many ketones and the absence of insulin. If you were actually in ketoacidosis, then you have bigger problems than your weight, because ketoacidosis almost exclusively presents in Diabetics - usually Type 1 (which I doubt you have, since a hallmark of T1D is generally weight loss), though sometimes Type 2 (which likely has to be severe enough to require insulin, and those that are prone to it don't require a trigger).

That, and your recent food logs, suggest that you probably suffered from rabbit starvation (aka - protein poisoning), by decreasing carbs without increasing fat intake, resulting in eating basically nothing but protein. Ketosis is the body's response to a lack of carbohydrates, so ketones are present in any case where the body isn't getting enough dietary carbs. However, there is no way to tell by ketones alone whether the person achieved a state of ketosis though healthy (high fat, low carb, moderate protein) or disordered (protein-only, actual starvation, etc) means. Diarrhea, headache, low blood pressure, low heart rate, fatigue, and cravings for carbs and fat are signs of rabbit starvation, not ketosis. Feeling faint (and actually fainting), low blood pressure, anemia, and diarrhea (among other things) are signs of actual starvation. So, if you had anything of the previous sets of symptoms, the associated issues were more likely the cause, not ketosis.

As for the pain medication, that sounds like an allergy. Not at all uncommon (I know a person who's allergic to NSAIDs in general, so the only over the counter meds she can take is Tylenol).

How do you think gastric bypass is going to help you lose weight? I'm beginning to wonder if you're actually aware of how gastric bypass works (other than "make my stomach smaller") and the actual mechanisms by which it makes a person lose weight. Simply put, it decreases the amount of food you can eat at once, and decreases the amount of nutrients you absorb. It's basically controlled starvation, and comes with similar side effects - feelings of cold, hair thinning, mood changes - as well as its own set of side effects - incontinence, increased risk of dehydration, gallstones, nausea, anemia, and osteoporosis. Oh yeah, and not only is the weight loss not guaranteed, but there's also a pretty decent chance that any weight you do lose will be gained back. I have a feeling you'll be disappointed with your results, since you're already eating so little, anyway, and what you do eat is pretty devoid of the nutrients your body needs to function properly.

Seriously, start with feeding yourself properly. Eat whole foods, including vegetables and some fruit, healthy fats, and good quality sources of protein. Watch the insulin-increasing foods (starchy/sugary foods without much fiber, proteins in absence of fats, etc). And eat foods that are nutrient dense (pro tip, things like a slice of garlic bread and a ginger ale, or a flour tortilla, are not it).

Try a month of a whole-foods-based diet, such as Whole 30 ( http://www.whole9life.com/2013/08/the-whole30-program/ ), Whole Foods' 28-Day Challenge ( http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/healthy-eating/health-starts-here/28-day-challenge ), or (a month of) the challenge from 100 Days of Real Food ( http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/real-food-defined-a-k-a-the-rules/ ), and see how you feel and what changes your body makes. And most of all, eat enough food. You can't fuel your body properly if you're not fueling it at all. You were at least on the right track when you first joined MFP, since you were eating somewhat more, but it was still pretty nutritionally lacking.

While "eat less, move more" is a good rule of thumb for the general population (who usually eats too much and does too little), it only works to a point, and taking it to an extreme becomes counterproductive, in terms of both health, and to a lesser extent, weight loss. If you're really as active as you say you are, then 800 calories (and even 1200), is nowhere near enough food to fuel your body properly.

Also, check your meds. I noticed in another forum thread that you've got Bipolar II. If you're on meds for it, and if you're on birth control, that may be contributing to your inability to lose weight. If you're not on medication for your Bipolar, then it's of utmost importance that you log your food accurately, so that you can make sure you're not emotionally eating. Medications and birth control can also contribute, due to their effects on hormones. Try switching to a birth control that uses fewer (or no) hormones, or at least uses different hormones. If you're on medications for your Bipolar, it might be worth seeing if different medications can help you and not hinder your weight loss efforts.

That said, I can sympathize with the frustration of people beating others over the head with the "calories in, calories out" bat. Like you, and many Cysters, it's not really that simple in practice, thanks to hormone issues. I've even faced its issues, myself. It's extraordinarily frustrating to work twice as hard as others and get zero results. However, it doesn't necessarily mean that something is wrong with you (as I said, many Cysters struggle with this), but rather something is wrong with your approach. You've been doing the very low calorie thing, with not really any regard to nutrition, for a year now. Clearly it's not working for you. Time to try something else (especially since you still need to lose weight to get the surgery, which means you still need to find a way to lose weight without the surgery).

http://eatingacademy.com/nutrition/is-ketosis-dangerous
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_starvation

Spot on as always Dragonwolf! Thank you!