Coworker challenged me.

mikesphoto
mikesphoto Posts: 22 Member
in Motivation and Support
I have a coworker who's challenged me to a weight-off. 6 lbs in one month. (1.5 a week). We've known each other for a few years and he knows I've unsuccessfully counted calories in the past. He is NOT of the opinion that CICO works. He thinks that the ONLY thing that matters is that you eat nutritious foods. Science is on the line here, people. Not that I eat totally unhealthy but my fruits and veggies could certainly use a boost and eat too much bread. Any tips for knocking this out of the park? I'll be cutting bread a little and visiting the store for extra veggies after work. I drink plenty of water and very little sugary drinks (which as of today will be none). I've lost 10 lbs already from the last time I started a month ago but some of that is going to be water weight.
Thanks

Replies

  • GymGoddessGoals
    GymGoddessGoals Posts: 2,146 Member
    Stick to your calorie goals. Good Luck.
  • bobsburgersfan
    bobsburgersfan Posts: 6,464 Member
    GymGoddessGoals wrote: »
    Stick to your calorie goals. Good Luck.
    This.

    I also wish you good luck! As a big fan of CICO with no restrictions on specific foods, I hope you are able to prove him wrong, although a month is a very short time frame and the scale fluctuates a lot.

    Sticking to your calorie goals regardless of what you eat is literally how to prove your point. An even better way to prove your point is to keep going after a month (which I assume you intend to do anyway), and keep on losing weight. But really, if this guy is the kind of person I imagine, he'll come up with reasons/excuses to discount your method anyway, so I hope you are doing this challenge to help motivate you and not just to prove him wrong.
  • mikesphoto
    mikesphoto Posts: 22 Member
    Definately sticking with it afterward. Motivation to keep going. I'm sure you're right, he'll have an excuse.
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
    I think you guys should set it for longer time. Why not 3 or 6 months? A lot can happen in either direction to predujice the scale in either direction in a month.

    BTW I've lost 35 pounds, at about a pound a week, eating whatever I want within my goals. That does include "nutritious foods", but it also includes fast food multiple times a week.
  • Marg672
    Marg672 Posts: 48 Member
    Good luck add in some extra exercise
  • Bry_Fitness70
    Bry_Fitness70 Posts: 2,480 Member
    I don't think that a contest over such a short duration will prove that a specific dieting methodology is superior - you are both going to just eat a lot less in an attempt to win, which would be more difficult over 6 months or a year.
  • puffbrat
    puffbrat Posts: 2,806 Member
    One month is not much time. I can tell you that I didn't see weight loss on the scale this January due to water retention from exercise and other reasons, then the first week of February I had a 5lb whoosh which put me right back on track based on my CICO for the previous weeks. If you want to do a contest then I would suggest working in a longer time frame.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    edited June 2019
    mikesphoto wrote: »
    I have a coworker who's challenged me to a weight-off. 6 lbs in one month. (1.5 a week). We've known each other for a few years and he knows I've unsuccessfully counted calories in the past. He is NOT of the opinion that CICO works. He thinks that the ONLY thing that matters is that you eat nutritious foods. Science is on the line here, people. Not that I eat totally unhealthy but my fruits and veggies could certainly use a boost and eat too much bread. Any tips for knocking this out of the park? I'll be cutting bread a little and visiting the store for extra veggies after work. I drink plenty of water and very little sugary drinks (which as of today will be none). I've lost 10 lbs already from the last time I started a month ago but some of that is going to be water weight.
    Thanks

    If he is just starting low carb now, and you already lost the big water weight drop last month, he has a huge advantage as he's going to probably drop water weight now.

    Fat loss is all down to the math. If you are set to a 1.5lb rate, log accurately and consistently, and hit your calorie goal, you are going to lose the weight. The question is, when will it show up on the scale? One month is a really bad way to judge weight loss. Whoever manipulates their water weight more and has lucky timing is going to win. There's no way to judge fat loss in such a short period of time, natural weight fluctuations could easily mask or add to it on the scale.

    Science doesn't get decided in a month :smile: I'd say 3 months would be the minimum time needed to get a good average weekly weight loss established. Good luck, just know that what the scale says 4 weeks from now says nothing about the value of either of your strategies!
  • 88olds
    88olds Posts: 4,534 Member
    lorrpb wrote: »
    Don’t get sucked into this...

    This.


  • MichelleMinn
    MichelleMinn Posts: 90 Member
    lorrpb wrote: »
    Don’t get sucked into this...

    Yup. Your results will eventually do the speaking. You owe this guy nothing, and don't need this approval.

  • hixa30
    hixa30 Posts: 274 Member
    Another vote for not doing it. I've seen multiple graphs on /r/dataisbeautiful where someone has tracked their intake and calculated their weight, and weighed themselves as well. The two lines don't match exactly, but it's close enough, and the lines never diverge.

    Let's assume that the science is correct.

    All that is going to happen is they'll deny your proof, you'll be frustrated. They may throw in some comment about you being unsuccessful in the past for good measure.

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