Doctor told me I had 90 days!!!!
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pbpunisher
Posts: 17 Member
So, I'm 52, a pretty active guy for being overweight. I have done triathlons in the past and have been up and down with my weight. This last year had some challenging seasons in my life, injury, divorce, moving... I live in a climate where the sun literately doesn't come out for weeks at a time and it has a strong influence on me. In short I've put on about 50 lbs in the last couple years (note picture before/after not a good one). My blood pressure has creeped up, as well as all the bad things like sugar, cholesterol, etc etc. During my last doctor visit I was told unless I can drop weight and bring all the numbers back down I'm going to be put on about four medications on my next visit in 90 days. I really hate the thought of that, as well as possibly having a stroke, a heart attack, or a litany of other health issues. I don't want to just surprise my doctor I want to shock him. My goal is to lose 40 lbs by my next appointment! 
So here I am, back on MFP trying to reignite my motivation and to take my nutrition seriously. I'm on a three day streak. This is the first time I've put anything on the message boards.
So here I am, back on MFP trying to reignite my motivation and to take my nutrition seriously. I'm on a three day streak. This is the first time I've put anything on the message boards.
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Replies
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@pbpunisher 40 pounds in 90 days is just too much. 2 pounds per week would put you at about a 24 or 25 pound loss which would be the safest. Remember, you are tying to do things to keep you safe (prevent heart attack, stroke, diabetes medications etc). Don't try to get there in an unsafe way! Losing 24 or 25 pounds in that span would be phenomenal! It would really show your doctor that you are on top of it and capable of improving your help without adding more medication.
In addition, the slower you lose it, the more likely it would stay off. And that is the goal, right? Too fast also makes it difficult for the skin to snap back, so please look at the whole picture. Good luck on your journey. And what a cute dog you have!23 -
Welcome to the community!
I admire your enthusiasm and wish you great luck in reaching your goals and shocking the stethoscope off your doctor. 😉1 -
That's an aggressive goal for a short time-frame. Like, so aggressive that it violates the Community Guidelines. You'll be healthier to lose at a bit slower rate - and likely make positive enough changes that you can avoid the drugs your doctor wants to prescribe.
@deepwoodslady said it better than I did, while I was typing. Listen to her.10 -
At my last doctor's appointment, I had dropped 25 pounds and dropped my cholesterol by half.
Don't feel like you need to drop weight unsafely in order to see results.21 -
If you are 50 lbs overweight, it is really unrealistic to expect to lose 40 lbs in 12 weeks or so. You would need to either under eat or over exercise to do that. There's a reason mfp won't let you set yourself to lose more than 2 lbs per week.
Honestly 2 lbs is probably still too aggressive. But regardless, set your profile up here and eat the calories mfp gives you. You don't have to lose all the weight to improve your numbers. Just losing 1 lb per week and becoming more active could make a huge improvement in 3 months!
Check out the Most Helpful Posts threads pinned to the top of each sub-forum, lots of great info there. Please take care of yourself, and good luck!11 -
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Good luck! You know the problem and the solution. You can do it!2
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I wish you great success on your pathway to good health...MFP seems to be wonderful supportive and helpful community. I have learned so much reading the topics and responses. I have improved my diet and health reading the "Most Helpful Posts" at the beginning of Getting Started section. Good Luck.
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Did your doctor specifically tell you to lose 40 pounds in 90 days? That is an unsafe pace of weight loss unless your doctor has a clear medical reason to recommend it and is supervising your weight loss very closely.
If your doctor did not explicitly say to lose 40 pounds in 90 days, then you need to select a more reasonable pace of weight loss. 1 pound per week is reasonable if you want to lose 40-50 pounds total.6 -
Thanks you all for the great advise. Yes I'm probably trying to be too aggressive. Once I get in a really good food/exercise routine I drop weight pretty fast. But I think I'll just aim for 20-25 lbs.15
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Good luck to you. I also need to lose between 50-65 pounds. I recently lost 20 and feel great. You can this. Just do it safely. 💪🏻💪🏻1
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Pain is the precursor to change. I have to remind myself every single day why I started in the first place. Painful knees, joints, feet and self-esteem in the toilet. I won't put any limits on what's possible for you in 90 days but I admire your good decision to kick your own rearend and give it all you've got. Report back and let everyone know and then keep going.3
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I also had a wake up call in February - sky high cholesterol, weight, pre-diabetes. Decided to really kick the weight on my butt in the butt and take control. (I had high HDL and no evidence of heart disease so felt that I really should give diet a serious try before Rx) I have lost almost 43 pounds since then, and cholesterol (LDL) has dropped enough that Dr has agreed that I do not need a statin (he had been involved in some of the early Atkins studies so is supportive of diet/exercise rather than pills). Lowish carb (around 35-40%; not keto); lots of healthy low GI fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, fiber and plant sterols and exercise (cardio and strength training) - diet this time around includes pasta and pizza on occasion so really believe that I can stick with this long term as a WOE!
I did lose 12 pounds my first month (probably lots of water), but it has been probably about a 1.5 - 2 pound loss since then and steadily making progress to goal. I was almost 70 pounds overweight, with about 25 pounds to go now)
You can do this, but do think about a plan that will be sustainable for the long run rather than a quick fix! Hopefully the Dr will work with you if you do not want to go the medication route initially.
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I'm really rooting for you. As others have said, even a small reduction in your weight will have a positive effect on your other markers. Keep us all informed!0
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StatChicBayes wrote: »I also had a wake up call in February - sky high cholesterol, weight, pre-diabetes. Decided to really kick the weight on my butt in the butt and take control. (I had high HDL and no evidence of heart disease so felt that I really should give diet a serious try before Rx) I have lost almost 43 pounds since then, and cholesterol (LDL) has dropped enough that Dr has agreed that I do not need a statin (he had been involved in some of the early Atkins studies so is supportive of diet/exercise rather than pills). Lowish carb (around 35-40%; not keto); lots of healthy low GI fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, fiber and plant sterols and exercise (cardio and strength training) - diet this time around includes pasta and pizza on occasion so really believe that I can stick with this long term as a WOE!
I did lose 12 pounds my first month (probably lots of water), but it has been probably about a 1.5 - 2 pound loss since then and steadily making progress to goal. I was almost 70 pounds overweight, with about 25 pounds to go now)
You can do this, but do think about a plan that will be sustainable for the long run rather than a quick fix! Hopefully the Dr will work with you if you do not want to go the medication route initially.
Awesome Job!! I hope to be joining you among those ranks myself!0
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