ok, need some fitness pal help ASAP

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Hello all, I am new to the Myfitnesspal world, and am needing some expert advice on the best jumpstart program for fast weight loss. Here's some small background info..

I have yo-yo'd my weight practically my entire life. Most recently I lost 35 pounds and felt like I was so close to my ideal weight.. then, you know what happened. One night of eating won't make me fat again, right? Two nights? Three nights? 1 week? And then, bam... my jeans don't fit again. It's always disappointing when you came so far, only to have to put in the work all over again.

Now, guess what? I have an amazing television opportunity that starts at the beginning of June. I'll be doing entertainment segments, interviewing celebrities, basically in front of the camera 24/7. This is my dream job, but I feel so far from the ideal weight I once was so close to.

OH, and then I injure my back. Bad. I now can't lift anything over 5lbs, and can only be moving for no more than a few minutes at a time. In order for me to heal, I need to make sure I don't do anything to stress my lower spine.

So, what I'm getting to is, what do you suggest is the fastest way to lose weight in a month when I begin my contract? And I understand that the lack of exercise due to my injury doesn't help.. but realistically I'd love to lose 10-15lbs in one month. So, what do you suggest. Atkins? Raw Diet? Juicing?

And please, no forum criticism.. I understand that what I'm looking for may be much, but this TV position is the thing I'm positive is going to keep me on the right track.. Cause what better a reminder, than seeing yourself on TV?
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Replies

  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    10-15 lbs/month is a real stretch as it's a deficit approaching 2000 cals a day ie no food at all if you can't exercise.

    An open diary and some clues about your current height, weight etc might help. Low carbing works well for insulin resistant people (eg the obese), veg based juicing for some meal replacements is one way to provide a low calorie intake with a decent amount of minerals & vitamins.

    Your question probably falls outside the acceptable topics for discussion on here ;-)
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    First step : find out from your doctor what activity IS allowed.

    Then eat at a deficit, and walk as much as you can with doctor approval. Walking is perhaps the easiest on the body overall - requires no special tools or equipment - and is free.

    But there is no 'quick start'. Its day by day.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    stop looking for jump starts

    you've yo-yo'd all this time.... you need to change your mentality and your whole approach to this.

    aim for long term compliance, so whatever changes you make you have to stick to long term, and by long term I mean forever. If you can't see yourself sticking to it long term, then don't do it. Jump starts, anything that makes you look for big losses in a short time... that's not what you want and it's not what's worked for you in the past... so forget that whole mentality.

    The human body does not burn fat quickly. Fast weight losses include water or even lean mass, and they're not good for long term success.

    Set your MFP goal to lose 1lb a week (or 0.5lb a week if you have less than 10lb to lose). Do whatever exercise or physical activity you a) really enjoy b) can do given your limitations due to injury and c) can see yourself sticking to long term, as in you'll still be doing this exercise next year or in ten years, rather than flitting from one thing to another. Eat back 80% of your exercise calories.

    Use your calorie allowance to plan and enjoy your food. I mean really enjoy all of what you eat. Yes pay attention to nutrition - you need enough protein, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and fibre to keep your body running properly, you need fat and carbs for energy too. You also need to include all the foods you want to eat, only the portion sizes need to change (and eating them more slowly compensates for the smaller sized portions in terms of enjoyment). You need to eat enough to feel satisfied. Eat all your calorie allowance. Forget stuff like atkins, raw, juicing etc.... it's all in the short term/quick fix mentality, and just leads to people having difficulty sticking with it so ending up flitting from one thing to another and their weight yo-yoing constantly.

    Yes, this way is much slower, but if you don't do things in a way that you'll be happy to do for the next ten years or longer, then you can expect your weight to keep on yo-yoing forever. It's slower, but every lb of fat you lose is a lb of fat to kiss goodbye to forever. No more rebound weight gain. No more temporary self-imposed torture... just a healthy lifestyle that keeps you feeling happy, well fed and enables you to reach and stay at your goal weight forever. And you get all the health benefits of having a healthy body fat percentage, a balanced diet and being active. All it takes is the patience to stick with it and not get tempted by quick fixes along the way. AND you don't have to give up any foods to get there, you just have to be careful about weighing and logging your food so you get the portion sizes right and hit your calorie goal. And you even get to not worry about what you eat at one off events like parties and stuff, because on a day to day basis you're hitting your calorie goals and the new portion sizes usually become second nature after a while and a lot of people find they can continue to eat the same size portions and maintain their goal weight without logging all their food and without having to give up foods they want - because portion control is learned.
  • tdh1991
    tdh1991 Posts: 511 Member
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    Check out Dr. Fuhrman's Eat to Live Diet. I lost 15 lbs in 6 weeks and kept on going.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    Set MFP to lose 1 lb per week. Walk as much as your doctor says you can, eat back half the calories.

    Your goal is unrealistic given that you only have 35 lbs to lose. Your body can't burn fat fast enough for what you're asking, so you'll end up sacrificing your muscle, which is bad. Just be patient and understand that especially with exercise limitations it's going to take some time.

    If you decide to go low carb you will see a drop in water weight. However, I wouldn't recommend going low carb unless you truly feel that you would enjoy the lifestyle, because otherwise you will likely find yourself yo-yoing again.
  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
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    Check out Dr. Fuhrman's Eat to Live Diet. I lost 15 lbs in 6 weeks and kept on going.

    ^ nope. this is lousy advice.

    it's just another fad/gimmick diet designed to make the author rich and its adherents fearful of food.
  • Telomin
    Telomin Posts: 45 Member
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    walk fast for 1-2hours a day. This will burn fat, and depending in what you weight I guess about 500-1000calories/day.

    BUT!
    I think you are viewing this in the wrong way. If you always are loosing weight for reasons other than YOUSELF and YOUR health, you will always gain back that weight. And I think I read for every time you gain weight again, it WILL be more difficult to get rid of it.

    Okay, promise no more critiing (but I do feel you need to do some self-reflecting)

    What really helped me get in shape fast was blogilates work out calendars. She also gives great advice on how to make you you won't ijure yourself and always tips on how to do an exercise if you have back problems. This will be 50 minutes of working out 6 days a week.

    If you combine this with her meal-plan,
    and if you follow these STRICTLY, you will have no idea what hit you 'cause you will have a super great body in no time.

    (and if you don't continue with clean eating and working out you WILL get back that body you always want to loose in no time as well)

    Good luck!
  • its_betty
    its_betty Posts: 104 Member
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    Congrats on the tv opportunity!

    I have no advice on losing the weight that quickly: slow and steady is the best bet there. You've done it before; you can do it again.

    But I suggest you hire a stylist who can help you buy some clothes that will help you look great (and slimmer!) on camera. Someone who is experienced with video should also be able to give you tips for positioning your body while you stand or sit so you look your best.
  • Deona143
    Deona143 Posts: 10 Member
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    I ordered Almased. It's a drink mix. There are ads in tons of magazines for it. I lost 40# using it 3 yrs ago. You can replace up to 3 meals a day on it for the first week. Then start eating a healthy well balanced dinner instead of the shake for dinner. I am back on it and the first week I lost 6# with only replacing 1 meal, breakfast. I eat tons of fresh fruits and veggies and make a healthy dinner. I also have a bad lower back. I see the chiropractor once a week. He recommended 30 mins 5x a week on the elliptical. It really works and I'm a ton of meds that make it hard for me to lose weight. Check out the Almased shakes. You can add cocoa or almond extract to it to flavor it. I like it with FF milk in the mornings. If you have any questions holler back. I'm excited for you for your new career opportunity. You can make a lifestyle change even with your bad back! Let me know how it goes for u.
  • FIT_Goat
    FIT_Goat Posts: 4,224 Member
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    I ordered Almased. It's a drink mix. There are ads in tons of magazines for it. I lost 40# using it 3 yrs ago. You can replace up to 3 meals a day on it for the first week. Then start eating a healthy well balanced dinner instead of the shake for dinner. I am back on it and the first week I lost 6# with only replacing 1 meal, breakfast. I eat tons of fresh fruits and veggies and make a healthy dinner. I also have a bad lower back. I see the chiropractor once a week. He recommended 30 mins 5x a week on the elliptical. It really works and I'm a ton of meds that make it hard for me to lose weight. Check out the Almased shakes. You can add cocoa or almond extract to it to flavor it. I like it with FF milk in the mornings. If you have any questions holler back. I'm excited for you for your new career opportunity. You can make a lifestyle change even with your bad back! Let me know how it goes for u.

    Yay, fast weight loss advice from someone who hasn't lost anything and is 110 pounds overweight. Is it any shock that it's some stupid scam shake?
  • dezwark
    dezwark Posts: 144 Member
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    You have to learn how to eat. It's not a diet… i HATE that word. it really is a lifestyle change. once you start changing the way you eat it comes much easier as a life change. no i don't think you can deprive yourself… i love my chocolate don't get me wrong. but just like you said one day of bad eating turns into two and three and four days. when i eat like that now, i literally feel like crap because my body isn't used too it so i try to avoid nasty foods and a lot of times you don't want them. It takes time.
    I would also agree that talking to your doctor about how much activity you can do. Walking is great. and just watching calories in and calories out.
  • crepes_
    crepes_ Posts: 583 Member
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    You can go low carb in order to drop water weight quickly, which should help reduce any bloating for the camera. But really, there's nothing you can do as a quick-fix that will not be a bad thing in the end. Losing the weight super quickly will mean a reduction in the number on the scale, but will likely be muscle loss, which is really not what you want. Juicing removes all the fiber from the veggies and fruits, leaving you with wet sugar really. Meal replacements and other unsustainable changes will just make you yo-yo the weight again which isn't what you want since you'll end up on the camera yo-yoing in the end.

    Accept yourself as you are now, and work on losing weight in a healthy way. You hope to have this job for a while. You have time to lose the weight at a healthy pace. Confidence works well and makes anyone look better. Use that.
  • tdh1991
    tdh1991 Posts: 511 Member
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    Check out Dr. Fuhrman's Eat to Live Diet. I lost 15 lbs in 6 weeks and kept on going.

    ^ nope. this is lousy advice.

    it's just another fad/gimmick diet designed to make the author rich and its adherents fearful of food.

    You have no clue what you are talking about. The diet basically encourages you to eat a lot of vegetables. I have been on many diets through out my life. I started his diet last June and am still following his eating plan. I plan on eating this way the rest of my life. It is not a fad diet, just a healthy way of eating. I chose to eat this way to prevent disease when I am older.

    Try getting your facts straight before you criticize someone posts.
  • MissJay75
    MissJay75 Posts: 768 Member
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    Anything you do to get where you want in a month won't be sustainable long term, so you will likely yo-yo it back on. My best advice is to make changes you can live with longer than 1 month, so the losses will last longer than 1 month.

    As I understand it, you keeping the job isn't weight dependent - it's more about pride/vanity. I think you need to seriously ask yourself, is it worth it to risk your overall health and your long term physical goals to be what you think is 'camera ready'. Can you set aside your perfect image for a few months and get there in a healthy way that will benefit you so much more over time? By the way, congratulations on the job - it sounds like an amazing opportunity for you!
  • rockmama72
    rockmama72 Posts: 815 Member
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    Low carb IS a good way to drop bloat weight at first. A lot of people notice a gut reduction pretty quickly. It's not fat, but it does work to make clothes fit better.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    Check out Dr. Fuhrman's Eat to Live Diet. I lost 15 lbs in 6 weeks and kept on going.

    ^ nope. this is lousy advice.

    it's just another fad/gimmick diet designed to make the author rich and its adherents fearful of food.

    You have no clue what you are talking about. The diet basically encourages you to eat a lot of vegetables. I have been on many diets through out my life. I started his diet last June and am still following his eating plan. I plan on eating this way the rest of my life. It is not a fad diet, just a healthy way of eating. I chose to eat this way to prevent disease when I am older.

    Try getting your facts straight before you criticize someone posts.

    Encouraging people to eat vegetables is well and good. However I dislike Dr. Fuhrman because of his blame the victim mentality on disease. He contends that all disease is preventable with diet, which basically makes any disease you do get your own fault. I think that sets a person up to have an unhealthy level of stress about food. Not to mention it encourages a lack of empathy for people in your life who do get sick.

    http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/your-disease-your-fault/
  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
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    Check out Dr. Fuhrman's Eat to Live Diet. I lost 15 lbs in 6 weeks and kept on going.

    ^ nope. this is lousy advice.

    it's just another fad/gimmick diet designed to make the author rich and its adherents fearful of food.

    You have no clue what you are talking about. The diet basically encourages you to eat a lot of vegetables. I have been on many diets through out my life. I started his diet last June and am still following his eating plan. I plan on eating this way the rest of my life. It is not a fad diet, just a healthy way of eating. I chose to eat this way to prevent disease when I am older.

    Try getting your facts straight before you criticize someone posts.

    you don't know what you think you know.

    i have my facts straight. Fuhrman is just one in a long line of charlatans trying to make a quick buck off of gullible people who think an M.D. credential makes somebody infallible and entirely ethical.

    http://whitecoatunderground.com/2012/06/04/dr-oz-and-the-never-ending-infomercial/
  • 1PatientBear
    1PatientBear Posts: 2,089 Member
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    Check out Dr. Fuhrman's Eat to Live Diet. I lost 15 lbs in 6 weeks and kept on going.

    ^ nope. this is lousy advice.

    it's just another fad/gimmick diet designed to make the author rich and its adherents fearful of food.

    You have no clue what you are talking about. The diet basically encourages you to eat a lot of vegetables. I have been on many diets through out my life. I started his diet last June and am still following his eating plan. I plan on eating this way the rest of my life. It is not a fad diet, just a healthy way of eating. I chose to eat this way to prevent disease when I am older.

    Try getting your facts straight before you criticize someone posts.

    Quit trying fad diets. Learn how to eat right and make sure you get plenty of exercise. Then, just maybe, you won't be talking about another "diet" that didn't work for you. Oh, and by the way, Burro is one of the smarter posters on MFP. I'd listen to him.
  • Dianne0731
    Dianne0731 Posts: 1
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    I'm confused. Were you hired on false pretenses? (i.e., 35 pounds ago?) or is this a done deal and you are just nervous about looking fat on camera?
  • tdh1991
    tdh1991 Posts: 511 Member
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    Check out Dr. Fuhrman's Eat to Live Diet. I lost 15 lbs in 6 weeks and kept on going.

    ^ nope. this is lousy advice.

    it's just another fad/gimmick diet designed to make the author rich and its adherents fearful of food.

    You have no clue what you are talking about. The diet basically encourages you to eat a lot of vegetables. I have been on many diets through out my life. I started his diet last June and am still following his eating plan. I plan on eating this way the rest of my life. It is not a fad diet, just a healthy way of eating. I chose to eat this way to prevent disease when I am older.

    Try getting your facts straight before you criticize someone posts.

    Quit trying fad diets. Learn how to eat right and make sure you get plenty of exercise. Then, just maybe, you won't be talking about another "diet" that didn't work for you. Oh, and by the way, Burro is one of the smarter posters on MFP. I'd listen to him.


    This is the lifestyle I choose to live on the rest of my life. Once again I recommend you get educated it is not a fad diet. I did a lot of research on different diets that will prevent certain disease as I age. And this is it. A healthy high fiber, high nutrient diet. The diet just makes sense to me. NO FAD diets Here.