Please don't yell at me...

illianjay

I'm a little worried I'll get blasted for this question....but I need some advice.

In January, I signed up to be a part of a Biggest Loser group. Basically, we work out together twice a week and have a weekly weigh in. It's really helped me stay motivated (stepping on a scale in front of 30 people....yikes). I was doing GREAT, until about 2 weeks ago.

I have four kids, 4 years old and under......they have TURNED ON ME! Each one has taken a turn being sick....we're talking high fevers, vomiting, and coughs that sound like their lungs are coming up. I haven't slept a whole night for about 2 weeks, I haven't left the house in 9 days (no biggest loser workouts), I'm exhausted (haven't worked out at all for 10 days now) and can barely cook for my family, let alone make myself something good.

We've been on 'survival mode' for about 2 weeks and I gained 4.5 pounds. I'm not stressed about gaining a few pounds back....my kids come first. What i AM upset about is that I was on track to WIN the Biggest Loser contest! And get around $200 cash!! Now i have to lose the weight i gained AND make up for the lost time....

GRR! So here's the deal. I have two weeks to go and I want to WIN. Anyone have tips for losing weight super quickly? I know it's not healthy long term, but I'm only doing it for a few weeks. I plan to continue to lose after the contest is over.

toiletski

You could cut water weight I guess. You'll gain it back right after the weigh in though. Just be safe about it

4legsRbetterthan2

most likely the weight "you gained" isn't really a gain, just a change in routine, and will fall right back off when you get back in action. Just get back to it and see what happens, I'd be careful doing anything drastic though since you have all those germs floating around, don't need to take out your immune system and catch some of that; then again stomach flus can be a great weightloss technique.....

sfbaumgarten

I think the best you can do is get back on track. I'm sure a lot of that gain is just water weight and will drop off when you get back into your normal routine. Other than that, I've got nothing... Good luck to you and I hope everyone gets to feeling better soon!

beamer0821

i have three kids 4 and under and i know when everyone is sick like that its a disaster!

if you want a quick loss that is NOT sustainable and you WILL gain it back do zero carbs, not low carbs, ZERO carbs.
BUT and a big FAT BUT, you will end up feeling worse about yourself when you gain it back. for me it aint worth the $200.

just keeping plugging away healthy and you never know maybe someone else will "slip up" and you'll be in the lead. just keep trying...this is a long term goal anyway! right!?

navyrigger46

Life happens, is losing the weight not enough of a win for you? Will $200 make it all worth it? Really? I mean, if you can't have the 200 bucks you might as well just be fat, right?

Rigger

Deipneus

I don't have any tips for you but the last thing I'd do is yell at you. You took care of your family first and for that, you get kudos.

ironanimal

No carbs 24 hours before weigh in, and a shot of vodka before bed.

But don't do anything stupid for the sake of $200, especially if your immune system is already under stress.

UsaJewels05

Try No Carb/Low Carb. I mean drop them down low! No cheat meals or snacks for those 2 weeks, and exercise your but off!

_chiaroscuro

Maybe just stay with a reasonable approach, make sure you get plenty of rest, drink enough, and see if you don't shed some pounds of water weight you were hanging onto. I'll bet that's what a good bit of it was.

illianjay

thanks, guys.

i tend to have a super immune system (i'm an RN who worked in the ER and pysch ward for years....after a few years, i just didn't get sick much....i think i was exposed to so many germs, i developed a great immune system).....so i'm not really worried about getting sick. i would think it would have happened by now.

i like the idea of a shot of vodka before bed....ha!

_chiaroscuro

i like the idea of a shot of vodka before bed....ha!

This just seems like a good idea regardless.

Fuzzipeg

It seems to me you are doing the right thing putting the immediate needs first. It would be a shame to see the money go but doing the right thing by the family is worth so much more. Those new tops or trousers!!! Oh well.

When life does calm as it will, try keeping you salt intake as low as you can. True we need some salt for life but most of us take in more than we need to and this encourages us to gain what is known as "water weight" it should come off almost as quickly as it goes on. Hope that "week" does not coincide too.

All the best, keep up the good work anyway. It is the over all consistency which counts. You'll still be on your way to a more healthy you.

illianjay

The salt tip is a great thing for me to do.....i love salt. too much. i don't eat certain pretzels or crackers if they aren't salty enough.....

i think my 2 year old has the same affinity for salt....she sucks the salt off the goldfish crackers and spits the cracker out! ha!

should i focus on mostly just cardio, and not so much weights for this 2 wks? i want to build muscle and plan to after the contest, but...not right now.

Greytfish

You could cut water weight I guess. You'll gain it back right after the weigh in though. Just be safe about it

This.

If you want to improve your health, however, this is probably not the road to take.

chasirving

PLEASE DONT GIVE UP ON YOUR PERSONAL PRIORITIES

---

ANY DAY!!--stated "soto voche" not yelled!!

We all have priorities-- for kids, money, love, hate enjoyment, peace ,quiet, acheivement etc--
but
ensure your personal goals like weight loss dont suffer---kind of like the pay yourself first principal of business.

KIDS ARE CRITICAL PRIORITY BUT NOT THE ONLY AND ALWAYS FIRST PRIORITY!

YOU LOVE YOUR KIDS BUT IF YOU DONT KEEP YOUR PERSONAL PRIORITIES
AT THE SAME TIME, YOU FAIL YOURSELF AND IN THE LONG TERM YOUR KIDS TOO!!!!

So from one old FATTIE BATTLER near 80 with a large family of children and now grandchildren


NEVER DROP YOUR PERSONAL PRIORITIES---FIND A WAY!!

I just arranged a 2 week stay in elder's respite home for my beloved wife while I struggled south to CUBA--
I am a better husband for it--lost 1.5 lb in Cuba--
she is a better wife-- she made new friends and enjoyed them!!
WE BOTH ARE BETTER FOR IT!!
But dont think it was an easy agreement to make for either party---success was "just keeping priorities for both".....



chas

AliceDark

The salt tip is a great thing for me to do.....i love salt. too much. i don't eat certain pretzels or crackers if they aren't salty enough.....

i think my 2 year old has the same affinity for salt....she sucks the salt off the goldfish crackers and spits the cracker out! ha!

should i focus on mostly just cardio, and not so much weights for this 2 wks? i want to build muscle and plan to after the contest, but...not right now.

Even assuming you're still benefitting from newbie gains, you wouldn't gain any actual, appreciable weight in two weeks of lifting so there's no reason to cut it out. It's not real weight, so focusing on reducing salt, increasing your water intake and just getting back into your routine will be the best. Also, try to get some sleep! I realize that telling parents with small children to get more sleep is cruel and unusual, but sleep will really help.

illianjay

thanks, alice.

and everyone else...you guys have great advice.

and just to reiterate, losing weight quickly in these 2 wks is a temporary thing....i understand that it's not the best way to lose and i plan to keep losing (the sensible way) after the contest.

also, just realized i have baby poop under my fingernail and dried baby snot on my arm. now THERE'S a guaranteed way to keep from eating. seriously gross.

Autk79

No carbs 24 hours before weigh in, and a shot of vodka before bed.

But don't do anything stupid for the sake of $200, especially if your immune system is already under stress.

Im just curious why you say a shot of vodka before bed?

bumblebreezy91

It may not have been a true gain. Like, real fat gain.

I ate poorly for awhile this month and "gained" five pounds. I went back to my newer, healthier habits and in three days, I was back to my weight before I "gained." It was just water that I was retaining. If you just get back on track, you could be where you want to be very soon with no worries. But don't starve yourself or do anything drastic over $200.

RonnieLodge

No carbs 24 hours before weigh in, and a shot of vodka before bed.

But don't do anything stupid for the sake of $200, especially if your immune system is already under stress.

What does the vodka do? :huh:

BootCampCrazy

No carbs 24 hours before weigh in, and a shot of vodka before bed.

But don't do anything stupid for the sake of $200, especially if your immune system is already under stress.

Im just curious why you say a shot of vodka before bed?

Maybe it dehydrates you = loss in water weight?

Momto4minions

With four kids under four...vodka is always warranted. I have four kids of varied ages....vodka is a win-win. Lol


It is mostly water retention. Take a few days to reset in yur diet and exercise.

There are lots of ways to drop weight more quickly. Low/no carb is one of them. Atkins can show you ten lbs lost the first week. It will all come back though! Lol

Sweat, drink water, eat healthy. Doing this the right way is worth so much more than 200 dollars!

LVCeltGirl

No yelling, you did the right thing.

You've gotten tons of wonderful advice but I'll add 2 cents worth that I didn't see mentioned.

Drink a lot of water, starting now. It sounds like water weight gain from not sleeping enough, and potential high sodium food choices plus whatever else could cause your body to retain water. The quickest way to get rid of water is to drink it. I don't completely understand why but I know it works. I'd heard from somebody that their sister (who supposedly models/acts) would actively drink 1 gallon of water to help stay thin. I don't know the truth of it but I do know that 1 gallon daily for my almost 240 lb body is doing me good and allowing me to drop below that 240.

And reiterate what I'd seen that I feel is important:

Get back on your routine - workout, get enough sleep (I know that's probably still tough but sleep is so important especially with water retention), and back to cooking the way you were. The sleep thing is especially important the night before the "final weigh in". I have had so many recent times where I've dropped 2 lbs overnight simply because I hadn't been sleeping well and finally did.

You can do this and I hope you take pride on all the weight you've lost even if you don't win the contest!

EvenThatNameIsTaken

also, just realized i have baby poop under my fingernail and dried baby snot on my arm. now THERE'S a guaranteed way to keep from eating. seriously gross.

ewww!! but hey, boosting that immunity system even more! lol. good luck with your contest!