lost 6lbs in a week with High Protein, Any advise?

zionjeannine

Hello there.
I lost 50lbs over the past year and a half but for understandable reasons when getting closer to my goal weight my body would not seem to drop the last 15 then 10 pounds no matter how high I worked.
Soooo with my own understanding of nutrition I decided to eat a lot of protein to maintain my muscle (to burn the fat) and eat very low carbs and sugars (to force my body to burn what fat it has and not pack on anymore). As a result my body quickly dropped 6 lbs rapidly. I have researched and found out any high protein or restrictive diet is not recommended for a long period of time.
I am thinking about doing it again the week (I took last weekend off). Any advise? Anyone did this before? Thank you and have a great day!!!:flowerforyou:

SimonLondon

I'm not an expert but judging by everyone else on here you're losing treble what most people here aim for (max of 2lb).

That does seem a lot to lose so quickly. Also if you lose too quick your skin will sag because you're losing faster than the elasticity in your skin can cope with. That's what scared me and stopped me going too mad on a diet

poustotah

I've done this and continue to intake a high amount of protein over 100 g a day. When I first started doing this, I lost a lot of weight in the first week and then it leveled off and I kept to losing 2 lb a week. If you're taking in a high amount of protein for a long period of time it will damage your kidney's so you have to drink more water to wash it out. 100 g is not too excessive and now helps me to maintain my weight and lean out. Restrictive diets are never recommended because people don't stick to them (among other reasons).

waguchan

The people around you are not going to like it if you keep doing it. I had to do it for a while (doctor's orders). I dropped weight quickly, but it causes bad body odor and bad breath (halitosis, a.k.a. "Atkins Breath"). My kids and husband didn't want to go near me and I was embarrassed to go to work. YUCK!

jeniam

High protein, low carb sounds very much like the Atkins diet. Basically, it boils down to the fact that our bodies NEED the vitamins and minerals that are found in healthy carbs. Too long on a low-no carb diet deprives our bodies of what it needs to be Healthy.

That said, doing high protien/low carb once or twice every few monthes to push past a plateau.... may not be that unhealthy. The real question is.... does the weight stay off once you go back to eating healthy?

Personally, I would recommend a good bit of research on that type of dieting before making it a normal eating pattern. It sure is tempting to keep it up after seeing a 6 lb loss, I'm sure! But is the 6 lbs worth putting your body as risk for kidney issues, diabetes, etc? I would definately look into it. Especally as a woman. It is recommend for most women that our protien comes from vegetables, nuts, etc. with only a small portion being animal protein.

Good luck and Congratulations on benig down to your last few pounds!! That is an awesome accomplishment!

stevemcknight

For me, it's all about the macro percentages. For example 40%Protein/40%Carbs/20%Fat is what I've been on for a long time now. 50p/30c/20f is fine as well, but if you're eating tons of protein, make sure to drink tons of water to help the kidneys out.

hollyroode

I think that if you just did it for 1 week to shock your body and get past a plateau then it's okay. But I wouldn't do it for a long time.

futfurd

In body building you are doing a cutting cycle. They work great and will help you cut that fat. The only problem with them is energy goes in the toilet. What I do is during the week stay on the high protein diet, and on the weekends return to a normal diet to get the energy level back up. As with any phase you don't want to stay on it forever, but 3 or 4 weeks on, and 3 or 4 off should be just fine.

Aurora22

one of the problems with a high protein diet is that it makes your body acidic (which is unhealthy for a lot of your tissues). low carb/ high protein diets can leach calcium from your body (bad for your bones) and increase the rate of kidney stones.
Keep things in balance by eating a lot of fruits and veggies (breakdown into alkaline compounds which counteract the acidity). There are also a number of teas that help balance things as well. I have a good detox tea that helps flush out the liver and kidneys...

here is a list of what foods are alkaline vs acidic
http://www.rense.com/1.mpicons/acidalka.htm

mirandagem

High protein with whole grains or whole wheat once/twice a day(depending on exercise) with more vegetables than fruit and nuts/seeds for snacks. Works for me, it'll work for you. I also have a cheat meal and one dessert on the weekends without going over my calorie count and I limit my intake of milk and juice to one cup each day. Hope this helps you

Typical day-
Breakfast: eggs, low fat yogurt or oatmeal, piece of fruit
Lunch: Chicken or fish and vegetables/salad
Snack: Trail Mix
Dinner: Chicken, Rice, Vegetable

sjcply

I do high protein 120-150 grams a day, workout 6 days a week, BUT I also eat carbs (healthy ones) I limit my fruit to 2-3 days a wk! and water water water!! low sodium.
I have been doing this for the last 4 months and have had NO PROBLEMS! But everyone is different so just try and see how your body responds!

ileitch

Read Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution. You will find explanations, suggestions, reassurance, answers to your questions, and a sustainable plan for low-carb eating.

Barneystinson

Read Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution. You will find explanations, suggestions, reassurance, answers to your questions, and a sustainable plan for low-carb eating.

...and keep in mind, Atkins is a low(er) carb, higher fat, moderate protein plan. There's a multitude of approaches to eating a higher protein diet.

zionjeannine

Thank you everyone. The post are extremely helpful. If I do this high protein thing again it may only be fore 2 week, with a few days break in between. Thank you for your pointers, concerns and opinions they are greatly appreciated.
THANK YOU:flowerforyou: