would you cheat diet.if you dont reach your goals

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Well I lost 10 lbs since I started mfp 2 weeks ago.... but I know probe half that was water from cutting down sodium..... I have 35 lbs to go which I hope to reach by Christmas.... I'm estimating I'll lose 15 lbs this month max which will leave 20 lbs to go in December.. if I don't think I'll reach my goal I may cheat using legal drugs(orlistat, eca) which I know will help me burn fat twice as fast if I stick with my running and exercise.... if I do cheat for a couple weeks do you think it will affect my weight maintenance?

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  • magneticcat
    magneticcat Posts: 23 Member
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    It's good to see that you're optimistic and congratulations on your weight loss so far :)
    However, in my medical degree (I'm studying to be a doctor) I have been told time and time again that the average amount of weight that medications such as Orlistat help people to lose... is 2-3 kg (4.4-6.6 lbs) and that is over about 1 year or more. Those drugs really not great. They don't do much at all. The side effects aren't worth it, either. Steatorrhoea (horrible bowel movements) and having to wear panty liners because of the oil and fat that leaks through your gastrointestinal system are both pretty horrid, from what I've read and been taught. Plus they're expensive.
    I'd recommend just reaching your goals with exercise and diet modifications - honestly, you'll see a MUCH bigger result from then than any of those drugs could provide.
    If there were a miracle drug that helped you to lose loads of weight while you just ate normally, and there were no side effects, I'd so go for it! But the reality is that these drugs do virtually nothing.
    If you're really desperate to lose weight (e.g. because you have serious sleep apnoea and could die if you don't lose weight), then I'd recommend enquiring about gastric bypass surgery. That is really the only way you can lose weight without diet and exercise modifications. But from looking at your profile pic, I don't think you'd be big enough to qualify for it.
    Good luck! MFP has helped me to lose 39 lbs in 4 months, and is a fantastic place to be!
  • NyxDominique
    NyxDominique Posts: 271 Member
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    Not that you haven't heard it before, but please, consult with a doctor before using any weight-loss assisting drugs. They can have devistating effects on the body. Also please be sure you DO NOT mix with alcohol if you do use them. (EMT in training. I back up previous post about horrible horrible scenes resulting in weight loss drugs)

    All that aside, It might show you the short term goals that you are looking for. The reality is that when you stop taking them though that you are likely to gain all that weight back (and rather quickly). Which might make you even more depressed and might make you feel worse about your weight loss goals.

    You need to remember it took you YEARS to pack on this weight. It may in fact that YEARS to lose the amount that you want. It is a lifestyle change. Not just a number.
  • kir911
    kir911 Posts: 228 Member
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    Don't take this the wrong way but I think you are looking at this weight loss thing a little wrong. You are looking for a short term quick fix , i.e. drugs etc and looking to lose an awful lot of weight in a short period of time. If you truly want to make a long term change you have to start changing your frame of mind on the situation. Do you want to lose this weight forever or just temporarily? Because using drugs to do it and not changing your eating habits, binging in hopes that it will be ok is not the answer. Just my opinion.
  • gashinshotan
    gashinshotan Posts: 753 Member
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    Well I have had good results with both orlistat and ephedrine... I lost 5 lbs in a month on orlistat without exercise and eating as much junk food as I wanted (seems the fat just ended up in the toilet) so I know it'll work even better combined with a healthy diet and running... I also lost 15 lbs in two weeks using ephedrine combined with a low cal diet and running which slowly came back over a year which was probably due to me stopping my healthy diet and running... so you guys can see how I am so tempted! I am just wondering if I do it for only two weeks and continue to eat healthy and exercise if it will lead me to regain... I am also studying to be in the medical field so I have some understanding of the studies on pubmed etc... like how ephedrine + orlistat really have very little adverse events in healthy individuals... I know the risk for regaining but I see that happens because people start eating unhealthy once they lost the weight... but what if you continue eating healthy and exercising AFTER you stop using them?
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
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    Cheating will always affect your maintenance, no matter what type of cheating you do. The only way to make sure that your weight maintenance is on par is to learn good eating habits and proper exercise on the weight loss journey and to keep those lessons in mind during your maintenance period. Whether you cheat using drugs or any other method, when you stop "cheating" you are much more likely to gain weight back, and even moreso than before, because you aren't simply doing proper nutrition and exercise. Even if you do eat right and exercise while taking those drugs, the side effects could wreck your body, and when you go off the drugs, your metabolism won't be the same as it would have been without the drugs. Weight loss drugs, just like any other drug, mess with your internal balance (so to speak) which doesn't just go back to normal afterwards like flipping a switch. Your whole situation reminds me A LOT of people who undergo weight loss surgery in that afterwards, they have a hard time dealing with nutrition and exercise because the surgery changes their "normal" to something that they have to "re-learn" if that makes sense to you.

    In other words, just exercise and eat proper nutrition. Even if you don't make your goal by Christmas, you WILL make your goal and you will have that satisfaction of "I did it!" no matter when you cross the finish line.
  • LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo
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    I have been there before & based on my experience, I regained all my weight back & even more once I stopped taking Orlistat no matter if I stayed within my calorie limits. Truth is that most of the rapid weight loss from diet pills are from water & muscle which is not good. Muscle increases our metabolism & losing it will lower our metabolism & makes us more prone to store fat very quickly.
  • gashinshotan
    gashinshotan Posts: 753 Member
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    Grrr haha yeah you guys are right.... I just re-read my profile and I realized I'm falling back into that yo-yo pattern... I guess I'll just extend my deadline another month...
  • kir911
    kir911 Posts: 228 Member
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    Grrr haha yeah you guys are right.... I just re-read my profile and I realized I'm falling back into that yo-yo pattern... I guess I'll just extend my deadline another month...

    I was just gonna point that out to you...but, I am glad you realize it yourself! Don't do it! just eat healthy and exercise and do it the right way! You will be much happier in the end
  • gashinshotan
    gashinshotan Posts: 753 Member
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    Thanks for the rebuke guys :)
  • Diggy2011
    Diggy2011 Posts: 198 Member
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    Thats a big goal I'd keep going as you are slowly but surely it will stay off good luck.
  • RAFValentina
    RAFValentina Posts: 1,231 Member
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    Also, sure you can cheat and eat junk and not exercise and lose "weight" ...but that's not all you'll lose... you'll lose your health, CV fitness, muscle tone and strength...what gains can you expect? Probably an increased risk of heart failure, bad blood pressure, liver/kidney problems, cancers from all the rubbish you're eating, inadequate nutrition in terms of the ratios of macros. Possibly still get diabetes, other illnesses, more susceptible to infections...so you'll be a skinny fat person inside. It's not unheard of skinny people with bad diets to suffer all the above. On top of that, your gut probably won't be functioning properly and you could have all sorts of unpleasant effects as a result of that!

    You need to grab the lifestyle change by the scruff of its neck and reign it in and start now, the longer you leave it, the harder it will become and the later you'll start losing weight and the sooner you'll be adding to your risk level of horrible disease.

    Please, start exercising, just 30 minutes moderate exercise a day, such as a brisk walk contributes and will make a difference, maybe in the not so distant future, take up running or go to a gym or start cycling to get some more vigorous exercise in to really help make your heart strong, muscles effective and help lower your blood pressure!

    Don't cheat! Cheating is never worth it and always catches up with you!