60 lbs in 3 months

PS: Feel free to add me as a friend. It always helps to have good friends.

999tigger wrote: »

So on plenty of days you believe in eating less than 1000 calories. How is that an inspiration for all the young women with poor body image and those desperate to lose weight. I have reservations that losing at 5lb a week is realistic for many people especially when safe suggested rates are 1-2lb a week. Congrats on losing that amount, but I hope people dont get frustrated that they are unable to lose at your rate or follow your example in terms of severe calorie deficit. Rather than inspire id be more concerned that plenty of desperate people try and follow your example.

I am not sure exactly what you're asking. If you are referring to young women, or anyone for that matter, with an eating disorder, I am in no way intending to inspire them to engage in dangerous or unhealthy behavior. If they listen to their bodies and make fitness their goal, they will learn what it takes to achieve physical fitness.

By some definitions, I was morbidly obese (BMI 35 with comorbidities of high blood pressure and high cholesterol), and my doctor ordered me to lose weight. He is not concerned by my description of my work-outs as extreme. He has encouraged me to work out even more, saying there are 'no limits' to how far I can go. If people follow my example, they will listen to their bodies and focus on fitness as their goal, not merely or even primarily weight loss. I believe that people can, and should, become physically fit, and let the weight loss be subservient to this goal. I don't have a goal weight, 'though I have had several milestones in mind. When I am no longer overweight according to the BMI, I will begin to determine what my goal weight should be. When I started on this journey, I was barely able to swim three laps in the pool, yet within 3 months I was swimming 3 miles continuous. To achieve this level of endurance, I sometimes exercised once a week in order to ensure that my body got adequate rest (and food) in order to rebuild itself stronger. If I were only interested in losing weight, I would exercise 6-7x/week to burn as many calories as possible. That might achieve more immediate short-term weight loss, but without the proper rest one will not achieve optimal fitness and will not gain the most important benefits of exercise. I did not even start 'dieting' until I had improved my fitness level to swimming .75 miles (not continuous) in a work-out.

I encourage people to find their own baseline level of fitness and endurance and set their own fitness goals based on how quickly they are able to improve their performance at their own rate. Weight loss will help them achieve these fitness goals. Form follows function. What weight, what level of strength and muscle will help you achieve these fitness goals?

As for fasting, I learned a little bit about ketosis years ago and how to encourage the body to live off excess fat stores. This is the system that evolution produced to help us survive in times of stress, famine, and long winters. But rather than wasting away or hibernating in a cave, I eat to fuel my work-outs and fitness goals. When I need more protein, more fat, I go for it. Whatever makes me feel best physically and increase my levels of fitness and endurance and perform well and cheerfully at work. That is not necessarily trying to hit the same target number of calories every day. People who swim English Channel distances sometimes encourage long morning work-outs on an empty stomach in order to train their bodies to more quickly and easily access the stored energy in their fat. In today's society, with fast-food restaurants, grocery and convenience stores, filled with highly processed carbs and diet foods, we've forgotten how to do this, but the body can teach us when we follow its needs and abilities. I'm learning as much as I can about nutrition, but first I'm learning from my own body.

crazyjerseygirl wrote: »

Huzzah! It looks like you did this properly (for you). I am also quite heavy and it bears mentioning that when you are morbidly obese your body will jettison weight quicker than you can say CICO!
So, are you gonna swim the English Channel one day?

Maybe, but probably not. My current long-term goal is to swim 10k (6.2 miles) continuous, which is the equivalent of running a 26.2-mile marathon. But I am not yet training to do this. Currently, I am focusing on improving my 3-mile time for a 5k (3.1 mile) Steelman open-water swim in July. In the month of March, I improved my 1-mile time by 10 minutes, from 40 to 30 minutes. Now I am consolidating those gains over the 3-mile distance, ie, 3-miles in 90 minutes. I'm currently at approximately 95 minutes.