60 lbs in 60 DAYS!!!!!!!!

ladyhawk00

Did I get your attention? Good. Most of you who clicked on that are just the folks I'd like to talk to. :happy:

First, a couple of fundamentals. MFP is different than most counters/plans. It creates a built in deficit, based on your chosen loss per week goal, regardless of exercise. It adds cals back in when you log exercise to keep that deficit stable, therefore keeping your weight loss stable. Whether you eat those cals or not, you still have a deficit that allows for your chosen loss per week goal. But if you don't eat them, that deficit is larger than you signed up for. That is usually unhealthy and unsustainable.

For most people who are obese or morbidly obese, starvation mode (burning muscle rather than fat) is NOT an immediate danger. Someone with a lot to lose has much more leeway with their deficit than someone near a healthy BMI. So from that standpoint it is not as critical that they replace all of the exercise cals, or even some of them.

However, there are some other issues to think about. First, you still risk adaptive thermogenesis – slowing your metabolism. This is the exact opposite of what you want happening.

Second is that if you don't replace any of those cals, you risk encountering the problems that most people on crash diets do - deprivation, bingeing, quitting, and weight regain. Cutting cals to the bare minimum is not good for you psychologically. If it was, we could all just eat as little as possible and lose as much weight as we wanted and never gain it back. But that's not how most people work - and is why all of the diet gimmicks don't work. If crash diets and deprivation worked, the diet product/plan companies would have been out of business long ago. They make money by preying on your desire to get immediate results – and by KNOWING YOU WILL FAIL using those methods, so you’ll be back when you regain the weight, even more desperate for a solution and willing to shell out even more money.

Fuel yourself (and your workouts) properly. If you can eat more, enjoy healthy food and not feel deprived.... why wouldn't you? There are no medals for martyrdom here.

Finally, there is a reason experts recommend that people (especially if not under the care of a doctor/dietitian) should not lose more than 2-3 lbs per week. Even if you have a lot to lose, lose quickly and aren't risking starvation mode - you're risking a LOT of other things.

Rapid weight loss carries many risks, including but not limited to: gallstones, arrhythmias, diabetes, hair/skin issues, menstruation issues, excess loose skin, liver/kidney issues, fatigue and depression, and weight regain. People who lose the weight slowly and learn healthy eating habits (which includes eating enough) are MUCH more likely to keep the weight off.

Yes, we'd all love to wake up tomorrow in the bodies we want. But trying to beat your body into submission will backfire at some point. You have to make the decisions in how to approach your weight loss -- make them informed decisions and consider all aspects of your health.

Slow and steady wins the race. Be the tortoise, not the hare. :flowerforyou:



*Disclaimer – These are my opinions, based on my own research here on MFP and the knowledge I’ve gleaned from my nutritional education, and research in scientific literature. I’m not an expert, but I believe I’ve learned a lot from those who are.

References to note:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8777329&dopt=AbstractPlus
http://journals.lww.com/amjmedsci/pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=2001&issue=04000&article=00007&type=abstract
http://www.annals.org/content/130/6/471.full
http://www.annals.org/content/119/10/1029.full
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=2051001&dopt=Citation
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0689/is_n3_v41/ai_17516395/
http://www.ajcn.org/content/49/1/93.full.pdf+html
http://www.ajcn.org/content/45/2/391.full.pdf+html
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0887/is_n7-8_v15/ai_18602507/

GrampsWooha

slow and steady wins the race indeed. good stuff

kristina509

Thanks for your post! Very good information.

AggieCass09

i'm all about slow and steady...i lost 32 lbs in 365 days lol

gingermim

WELL SAID....BUT WOULDN'T IT BE NICE.

mitts1970

I couldn't agree more - great post!

DyannAlvarez

Amen Sista! Good word to the newbies and a good reminder to those of us that have been at it. Thank you for that!

knewbill72

Nicely done!

shaunshaikh

I completely, wholeheartedly, agree.

superstah00

LOVE this post!!!

skinnyjeans13

Great post and definitely an educated one!

Jennwith2ns

Darn, I was going to come in and tell you how realistic your goal is. Party pooper!

deeharley

Thanks for sharing your "opinions based on research." I am trying to do this right, and am making little changes, losing about a pound a week, and I don't think I can be reminded enough that this is right. Because it is going to be a long journey and I (we) can use all the encouragement I can get.

Ms_Natalie

great thread as always ladyhawk!

Thanks :flowerforyou:

robin52077

:laugh:

lovetowrite73

*thumbs up*

dlaplume2

Thanks for sharing your "opinions based on research." I am trying to do this right, and am making little changes, losing about a pound a week, and I don't think I can be reminded enough that this is right. Because it is going to be a long journey and I (we) can use all the encouragement I can get.

DITTO!

atomdraco

Awesome post! bump, bump, bump!

MrsGriffin67

Very well put. That's the problem I see with shows like the biggest loser. They lose the weight very quickly. Although, most contestants don't usually put the weight back on. I've lost 29.2 lbs in 100 days. That's right about .25 lbs per day (average). My doctor is very impressed with my results and I attribute it to MFP and my circle of support from my family. Thanks for your fabulous and informative post! :happy:

Meag83

bump

lovetowrite73

Bump bump bump!

Shirley61

Nicely done and informative!!!!

rosey808

I read that new research says that people who lose weight faster keep it off longer than those who lose it slowly. Getting results fast motivates people to continue eating healthy.

I'm new at this, but I know for me personally if it took me months to lose 10 lbs I would be discouraged and quit. I'm doing a "diet" now, but I see it more as a lifestyle change. I'm losing weight quickly and it's motivating me to keep going and to continue eating healthy. I've been introduced to new foods that I never thought would be so good.

So I don't know, am I doing the wrong thing? I showed my doctor my diet plan and he said it was ok because it wasn't starving me just promoting healthy eating and drasticallyl cutting calories. He did say not to work out too much, since I wasn't getting enough calories to sustain my energy for workouts. So I walk briskly for 30 minutes a day.

Like I said, I'm new to this and have a lot of weight to lose. I'm glad I'm here and hopefully will find a gentle balance between losing fast and losing slow.

Thanks for your post.

crystaldegreef

hahahaha... I clicked because I was about to get all pissy...

Steph_135

i'm all about slow and steady...i lost 32 lbs in 365 days lol

Likewise. I lost 20 lbs this past year. I really wanna reach my goal by August, or MAX the end of the year. Still a safe number, but I'm gonna have to push it...

missfitp

I agree with everyone thank you for your research. I recently hit a PLATEAU and I think it is due to the fact that I was eating less and exercising more thinking that was going to be better for me. I have upped my calories this week to see how it goes. Hopefully I can start progressing again.

Brroookkkkeeeee

awesome post!

taso42_DELETED

bump

ladyhawk00

Thrilled that so many people are thinking about health and long term success, rather than just losing weight! :bigsmile:

It takes time to learn (or relearn) good eating habits, so for every day you don't see a change on the scale -- remember that you are making progress EVERY day by learning. You learn through success AND failure. Every bad day teaches you more about your needs and why you make the decisions you make and what the consequences are.

Kudos to everyone making changes to live healthier! :drinker:

therobinator

Be the tortoise, not the hare. :flowerforyou:

Love it!

ladyhawk00

Bump