Need some good advice

aggie49
aggie49 Posts: 9
in Motivation and Support
I will be 50 in 5 months and I want to lose 50 pounds by my birthday. I know people say not to do that because it's not healthy, but then I read something a few weeks back that said that losing fast is the most effective. And I want effective. I'm fed up with myself and today I started a "starvation" diet. I'm going to eat one meal a day, which will be mostly salad and a bit of protein. Very low carbs. I'll drink a lot of water. And green tea. NO sugar at all!! I know it won't be fun but I actually feel the need to "punish" myself because I'm disgusting and maybe some "bad talk" is going to be more motivational than being nice to myself. I know, again, people say not to talk down to yourself but being kind to myself has not worked, and a gradual approach has not worked. I need drastic. What do you all think, has something like this worked for ANYone? Or am I crazy. I figure that if I can get that first 50 off I'll be able to go ahead and do something more moderate later, so I don't intend to starve myself forever...

Replies

  • FP4HSharon
    FP4HSharon Posts: 664 Member
    It's not unreasonable to try to lose 50 lbs in 27 weeks. But if you do it your starvation way, your body will probably go into starvation mode, which means your metabolism will slow, you won't lose much after (possibly) an intial drop, you'll get discouraged & tell yourself you might as well eat, because "nothing works." On the other hand, you can set your My Fitness Pal goal for 2 lbs a week, list your activity level as sedentary (if you aren't already there), eat a balanced diet, exercise, and lose in a healthy way that will not only help you lose weight, but feel healthy, & feel better about yourself. There's a reason that fad and/or starvation diets don't work. Also, with the fad & starvation diets where people might have limited initial success, studies have shown people tend to put the weight back on very quickly. On the other hand, when you do it in a healthy gradual way, it tends to stay off better. So I guess the question is...how many times do you want to lose the weight...over & over again, or gradually and once & for all? The latter usually only happens doing it a healthy way.
  • jamiek917
    jamiek917 Posts: 610 Member
    its the wrong way to go about this. period. and ill be shocked if anyone on MFP tells you otherwise, since this is supposed to be a forum for healthy weight loss.

    eating 1 meal a day will backfire on u- and your metabolism will slow down significantly. if u have the willpower to starve yourself, u have the willpower to eat a 1500 cal a day diet of good foods- high protein is def key, a good amount of healthy fats, and do low carb if u wish, although its not required- u can still lose without it. and workout. there are no quick fixes- and those who have tried them have gained it back- ask anyone.

    do it the healthy way- u will be happier b/c u arent starving and your body wont put on weight the second u stop starving yourself.
  • aggie49
    aggie49 Posts: 9
    How about doing it for one week or one month? Maybe it would "jumpstart" things?? Do you really think it will starve me to eat one meal a day, including salad and lean protein? I don't seem to need very many calories....and surely cutting out sugar is not bad??? Just trying to figure out the best way to do things....I generally eat healthy but TOO MUCH. Thanks.....
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    What ever the article is that said losing fast is the most effective is pretty much full of crap. That is essentially the premise of crash dieting: making extreme non-sustainable changes in an effort to lose fast. Crash diets fail, that's where you get on the yo-yo or weight roller coaster. If you want to be successful set yourself up for success by making lifestyle changes that will help you get into the shape you want to be and stay there for the long term. If you want to continue the cycle of frustration and long term disappointment, do what you've always done.
  • Noahsmommy1
    Noahsmommy1 Posts: 33
    ummmmmmmm...this has to be a joke, right?
  • thrld
    thrld Posts: 610 Member
    ummmmmmmm...this has to be a joke, right?
    it must be.
  • aggie49
    aggie49 Posts: 9
    It was a medical study and I think it meant most effective in the short term because it didn't follow up with people so maybe they all did gain it back. Well, I guess you are all saying exactly what I've always heard, too. Do it slow and gradual, change your lifestyle. It hasn't worked for me in 30 years and I've tried them all. I just don't stick with it. I guess I'm just a weak person. Thanks all for the good advice, though.
  • Juliejustsaying
    Juliejustsaying Posts: 2,332 Member
    Honestly, you are setting yourself up for more failure and it will only make how you feel about yourself worse. By all means restrict your calories, but do it sensibly. You will need carbs and fat and protein every day. You brain needs at least 50grams of carbs just to function. Start by changing something, add walking to your daily activities...but please set goals that you CAN attain and build on. There are plenty of resources here to figure out the correct calories deficit you should be eating at. Just search for TDEE -20% and you'll get the resources you need. Starving yourself is not sustainable and can cause internal damage. Losing 10lbs a month is not sustainable either. You MAY be able to do it at first but the closer you get to your goal it will slow down.

    Please be realistic, set attainable goals and do it today...you will be one step closer to the body you want....
  • aggie49
    aggie49 Posts: 9
    Oh, and no, not a joke. Sorry if anyone thought that.
  • greenfalls107
    greenfalls107 Posts: 87 Member
    50 lbs in 5 months is in my opinion too drastic to feel good while taking the weight off, and too extreme to actually keep the weight off. I would suggest something more reasonable like drop a dress size by then, or become stronger in your body. Or maybe be in better shape at 50 than at 45?

    I would just hate for you lose the weight by starving yourself for 5 months, trust me when i say it will feel like being punished. And that is not good for you mentally.

    I will tell you I am very frustrated with my weight, I am think I am the slowest loser on earth. 6 months and just shy of 25lbs lost, but i eat in a way I know I can live with. I had 1 cup double churn low fat ice cream Cherry Cordial last night. Yum. I am learning to balance what I want to eat with exercise and good food choices before the snack.

    I am not far from 50, and I understand that you want to change. Just do it in a healthy way, and a way you can stick with. Please note while I have only a few lbs in the last 3 months, I have lost 1.8 inches off my waist. Watch for small changes that are not just scale related.

    Good luck!
  • ron2e
    ron2e Posts: 606
    10 lbs a month is not unreasonable depending on how much you have to lose. I had about 140 lbs to lose and my first two months following MFP calorie limits, eating back any (very few) exercise calories I have lost about 13-14 lbs a ,month, I'm expecting to weigh in on Sunday at about 30 lbs loss, having started beginning of February. I don't starve myself by any means, I've stopped snacking, I eat healthier, and the weight comes off. Starvation is bad, don't do it unless under medical supervision and advice.
  • wendyking1979
    wendyking1979 Posts: 71 Member
    I have lost 53 pounds in 30 weeks by simply counting calories using MFP and getting off my behind and getting active. I have not limited the number of meals I have or even the foods that I eat. If I want ice cream, I have it, but I make sure that I have allotted my calories for the day accordingly. I probably could have lost more weight than I have if I had been a little more strict on my diet, but I have made sure from the beginning only to make changes that I can sustain for a lifetime. Crash diets do not work. You cannot expect change overnight, and you must be willing to accept that you will not lose a set number of pounds every week. Weigh loss is not linear, and you have to be flexible, or you will drive yourself crazy. Thanks for listening to my two cents.
  • kevinjb1
    kevinjb1 Posts: 233 Member
    I echo everyone statements on here. Not to mention on a starvation diet you body will literally be canabalizing your muscles and bones to keep your internal organs running. That will leave you weaker and feeling worse than ever, and it won't even work! I would imagine there are a ton of other serious health risks to attempting this too.

    My advise, don't worry about the scale or a certain amount of pounds you need to lose. Start making healthy choices and the pounds will take care of themselves.

    Good luck to you! I had a couple of friends who wanted to be "fit by forty" and they accomplished their goals through a sound diet and exercise. One of my friends even went and ran with the bulls in Spain. If he can do it so can you!

    Get sleep
    Exercise
    Drink Water
    Portion control on your meals
  • taylorwaters98
    taylorwaters98 Posts: 16 Member
    It's alway good to have a realistic goal like 50 lbs in 5 months, but weightloss does not stop at the goal. It's a forever change or else you'll just gain it all back. If your method for weightloss is to starve yourself, you are not going to lose weight, and you won't keep it up forever, so whatever weight you do lose, you'll simply gain it back. 4-6 small meals a day, like salad with lots of nuts or lean meats/fish and meal-replacement smoothies are a great way to start a new lifestyle of weight loss. A more realistic goal would be 1.5 lbs - 2lbs per week, so about 44 lbs, which is close to your goal. I hope this helps. Please do not do any starvation diets. Calorie deficit does not mean starvation. And get up and move!
  • atthebeach08
    atthebeach08 Posts: 63 Member
    If you really want to try this for a week or two,try something called eat.fast .eat .Eat on Monday whatever your MFP has your calories at.Don't eat anything after 8pm and the next day you do water,tea,coffee until supper.Then eat very good for that meal.Next day eat again and stay within your MFP calories,next day do the fast until supper. I will be honest and tell you I did this for 5 months and lost 22 pounds. I have not gained any back and it has been 8 months now. I seem to just maintain now.So to lose my last 10 pounds I will probably do this again. There is a book about how this gives you an increase in growth hormones for building lean muscle and reduces the insulin levels.Also Fed State increases to help body digest food faster. Don't fast more than the 24 hour period.
  • kevinjb1
    kevinjb1 Posts: 233 Member
    How about doing it for one week or one month? Maybe it would "jumpstart" things?? Do you really think it will starve me to eat one meal a day, including salad and lean protein? I don't seem to need very many calories....and surely cutting out sugar is not bad??? Just trying to figure out the best way to do things....I generally eat healthy but TOO MUCH. Thanks.....

    Short term may "work" but it's going to be mainly water weight. I would suggest eating normally for a day or two and logging your totals in here and then compare that to losing 2 pounds a week and see how far off you are. You may need to focus one one pound a week first and once you find that's very doable then kick it up a notch as your confidence builds.
  • doomspark
    doomspark Posts: 228 Member
    I'm 51, 5'0" tall, and 195 lbs (down from 212). I feel your pain.

    It's taken me a while to learn that this isn't a sprint by any means. It's a marathon. What you're planning isn't going to work long-term - you'll either make yourself sick or put the weight all back on again once you start eating more, or both. I know this sounds harsh, but it's the honest truth.

    You'll do MUCH better to start logging here - record everything you eat, and all your exercise. Recording everything makes you account for it - and it's quite the epiphany when you realize (as I did) how MUCH junk I was eating. Add friends for help getting over those rough bumps - like when the scale refuses to move for a week at a time.

    Drink lots of water. Walk more, if at all possible. If you drive a desk (like I do), try to stand up for 5 or 10 minutes at a stretch instead of staying in your chair. You *CAN* do this, and you *CAN* do this in a healthy manner. We're all here for you.

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