How can I lose FAST for special events

although this isn't *sanctioned* by the masses at MFP, this is something I did for 3+ weeks between April and May and in addition to losing weight (that I haven't since added back), I have felt a ton better. Its a natural cleanse with very simple guidelines....

weeks 1 and 2:

1. eat as many veggies as you want. eat them any way you want (other than fried). eat them raw, steamed, stir fry, grilled, even microwaved at times (the other ways are preferred though). eat veggies as often as you need to throughout the day. aim for at least 5 "meals". you might find this strange, but I had to force myself to eat 5x a day after the first handful of days as my body adjusted.

2. you can and should use some EVOO every day. use it as dressing on a salad (no other dressing is permitted) and use it in stir fry.

3. you can use some seasoning/sauce in your stir fry. I used reduced sodium soy sauce and kikkoman's stir fry sauce. my mentor used hoisin sauce and plum sauce instead of the stir fry sauce. I ate stir fry once or twice every day. YUM!

4. you may drink only water and you should drink lots of it. aim for at least 96 ounces a day.

5. you may eat sugar free jello. when I asked my mentor how much jello I could eat each day, his advice was "your body will be craving nutrients and jello has none, so don't waste too much tummy space on it." I chose to go hard core and skip the jello.

6. exercise during the cleanse....preferably some form of resistance training.

weeks 3 and 4:

7. do 1-6 above. add 8 ounces of grilled, skinless chicken breasts each day. eat chicken in salads, stir frys or stand alone. your choice.

when you are done with the cleanse, return to healthy eating and portion control (also known as calorie counting on MFP). I did this and did NOT gain any of the weight back that I lost. I have lost over 20 more pounds since the cleanse.


EDIT: if you drink a fair amount of caffeine now, you may have some caffeine withdrawals at the beginning of the cleanse (i.e., headaches). I would normally recommend weaning yourself off of caffeine before starting the cleanse (this is what I did)...but you have to get going soonly.

Are you talking about just a one time weight loss and NOT a fat loss method? If you're talking about shedding weight fast for a final weigh in you may consider the method a lot of wrestlers use. Dehydrate in the sauna........... but don't over do it. I can't stand the sauna for more than 5 minutes so this wouldn't work for me.

Do your friends look at you and say, "wow - you look like you've quickly lost weight" or do they whip out scales and have you stand on them to see if you took the time to screw up your health to impress them? Either way, I'm sure it's worth it.

I had two glasses of wine with my husband last weekend (for the first time in a VERY long time!), I didn't drink my water all day (just was too busy that day, very unusual for me) and I did an hour and 10 minute long run. I woke up the next morning 4 pounds down!!!

(It was bittersweet, I had a slight hangover, but I sure felt skinny:laugh: !!!)

MY FIRST11 LBS MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN MY PHYSIQUE

Looking at your 189 and 184, the difference is minute. While 11lbs can make a difference mostly in the areas of the face, you don't really see it as much in the body. I'm giving you an objective opinion of what I can see and from years of experience.

I think is made a difference in my stomack and legs... my clothes seem to think so also... I do have a long way to go but I'm not a body builder nor want or expect to be one.... I respect your opinion......

MY FIRST11 LBS MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN MY PHYSIQUE

Looking at your 189 and 184, the difference is minute. While 11lbs can make a difference mostly in the areas of the face, you don't really see it as much in the body. I'm giving you an objective opinion of what I can see and from years of experience.

I think is made a difference in my stomack and legs... my clothes seem to think so also... I do have a long way to go but I'm not a body builder nor want or expect to be one.... I respect your opinion......

I think you look great - I can see the difference in all your photos. Wish I'd thought to use photos in that way!

Do a a series of ice baths, and diet like heck. We did the Ice baths for Prom and we each lost about 3inches and you may want to do a shake regiment. Just remember if you starve yourself, your tummy bloats!

Probably not.

A well cut garment and Spanx are probably your best bet. Continue on with the slow and steady.

This. You'll look like you lost more in great-fitting and flattering clothes than if you try to drop weight quickly.

Bump up your exercise as much as you can possibly fit in and don't eat back your exercise calories. That's how they lose so fast on The Biggest Loser!

Another thing to consider... say you bust your butt with extra exercise and really restrict your food for the next week or so. Then you'll be so frickin' sore and tired that you won't even enjoy yourself at these events. Grimacing in pain doesn't look good in photos.

I think is made a difference in my stomack and legs... my clothes seem to think so also... I do have a long way to go but I'm not a body builder nor want or expect to be one.... I respect your opinion......

Oh I don't doubt your clothes fit different or that you're smaller. My point was since body fat is lost systematically (meaning you lose ALL over evenly) then you don't see the physical differences as much unless your body fat is closer to normal. That's why I said that 5-10lbs is hard to detect unless you're closer to ideal body fat range.

How do you grill a grapefruit?

Not sure, i think you just cut it in half and pop it in a grill.

Drink a lot of water, cut back sodium, carbs. Basically eat clean and get in some exercise. Drinking water and cutting back your sodium will probably have the biggest impact in 10 days.

Also- maybe treat yourself to a facial! Makes you feel better and everyone will be looking at your glowing skin.

And as a portrait photographer- I recommend getting your make-up done before a shoot. Nothing crazy. But a professional application can really look good through the lens.

Good luck!

Fabulous advice. . I agreed if you do all those things. . you will be doing great!

How bout a cleanse??? Too bad we don't live closer, I could get you some Shakeology packets....

:huh: Hi hon, not sure exactly how you are following the daily intake and only lost 19 lbs in six months; according to MFP my daily intake is 1200 and I manage to lose 36 lbs :happy: in four months without exercising. The first two weeks I manage to lose 12 lbs without starving myself and have yet to start any exercise routine. You may need to push your photo session til the beginning of the year and revamp your food choices. :drinker: