I HAVE To Lose Weight Quickly - Any Advice?

There are no silver bullets. Stop this atkins nonsense. Please 1-STOP 2-Listen to your self 3- Reflect. Don't you see how immature this all sounds? THere are no magic pills or diets. You say you weight 300 pounds. I dont think you were 300 when you were born. It grew over time! You abused your body over and over! Now, to take that fat off your body takes time AND effort as well. So start being a realist and stop being a masochist. You are going from extremes to extremes. First you torture you body with too much weight now you are expecting that your body loses more than 2 pounds a week (which is a realistic and healthy !!! goal). You are being harsh on your self. 1- Change your lifestyle (1-context: throw out junk food, dont go hungry into shopping centers, don't abuse alcohol, don't hang around McDonalds etc.. 2- excersize more often) 2- make peace with your body and learn to love and appreciate it and start committing to take care of it. 3- Eason gave you excellent advice. I suggest you take it. If you really care about your self why not spend time, money and effort on it? Or are you not really serious about it after all?

I know from experience that this does actually work. It's not a healthy long-term diet, but in your case, it could work well for a week or two. Cabbage soup diet

xerxes1358,

I appreciate your comments, but they do not apply to me at this time. I have to lose weight quickly for health reasons and so that I can have a safe surgery. Do I plan on doing Atkins forever? No. Do I plan on following a healthy diet/workout program once my back is fine? Yes.

Losing two pounds a week for me right now with what I HAVE to accomplish NOW is not enough. Having said that, I could go on the doctor's approved program - which is just drinking shakes 3 times a day and will allow me to lose the same amount of weight as Atkins will (maybe more), but the shakes make me gag. Atkins at least allows me to eat real food.

Like I said, I appreciate your comments and you are right ultimately - but you obviously didn't actually READ my original post that stated I HAVE to lose weight quickly because of my back problem. It's not because I want to fit into those favorite pair of jeans of mine or because of a high school reunion - but so that I won't die on the operating table or make my back worse because of the pressure my weight is putting on it. Understand now?

Originally Posted by Eason

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It is unhealthy to lose weight at a rate of greater than 2 lbs/week. **** these stupid ******* diets, go talk to a dietician or high-level certified personal trainer (NSCA or ACSM) and listen to what he says. Do it. As a dietician and high level CPT I command you.

C'mon, this guy is >350 lbs. He can easily and safely lose 5+ lbs per week for at least a few weeks. That 2 lbs/week is great for more average sizes but really doesn't apply here. Not to mention that he is doing this for surgical reasons, not quick vanity.

I sympathize with ya, Hey Man... I've had killer sciatica pain and it is not fun at any time. Lose it fast and get the surgery you need.

Originally Posted by Hey Man

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Losing two pounds a week for me right now in what I HAVE to accomplish is not enough. Having said that, I could go on the doctor's approved program - which is just drinking shakes 3 times a day and will allow me to lose the same amount of weight as Atkins will (maybe more), but the shakes make me gag.

They ripped into you for Atkins -- now they'll go crazy when you talk about VLCD (very low cal diet). But surprise... it was recommended by your doctor!

You can take that plan, which was probably around 1000 calories a day, and translate it into solid food. The shakes are just for convenience. I would suggest you go here:

http://www.c-k-d.com/forums/

That is the master source of info for Ketogenic diets including a lot of info on VLCD and doing it properly.

Originally Posted by Hey Man

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Like I said, I appreciate your comments and you are right ultimately - but you obviously didn't actually READ my original post that stated I HAVE to lose weight quickly because of my back problem. It's not because I want to fit into those favorite pair of jeans of mine or because of a high school reunion - but so that I won't die on the operating table or make my back worse because of the pressure my weight is putting on it. Understand now?
Hey Man, good response. I didn't want to have to tell everyone to STFU on your behalf.

I usually skip breakfast for a week or so and I'll lose about 5-8 pounds.

Originally Posted by Hey Man

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xerxes1358,

I appreciate your comments, but they do not apply to me at this time. I have to lose weight quickly for health reasons and so that I can have a safe surgery. Do I plan on doing Atkins forever? No. Do I plan on following a healthy diet/workout program once my back is fine? Yes.

Losing two pounds a week for me right now with what I HAVE to accomplish NOW is not enough. Having said that, I could go on the doctor's approved program - which is just drinking shakes 3 times a day and will allow me to lose the same amount of weight as Atkins will (maybe more), but the shakes make me gag. Atkins at least allows me to eat real food.

Like I said, I appreciate your comments and you are right ultimately - but you obviously didn't actually READ my original post that stated I HAVE to lose weight quickly because of my back problem. It's not because I want to fit into those favorite pair of jeans of mine or because of a high school reunion - but so that I won't die on the operating table or make my back worse because of the pressure my weight is putting on it. Understand now?


You also asked "... recommend a diet that is similar to Atkins in that you lose weight quickly, but there is a little more variety in the foods you can eat ...".

You're asking for two different things -- you can either crash weight off a quickly as possible or have a palatable diet. Sorry, but you're probably going to have pick one.

Your doctor has recommended a diet (honestly the only one who should in this case) but you don't like the taste of shakes? I think this is one of those cases where you need to toughen the hell up and spend the 15 seconds it's going to take to slug the shakes back each day as per you doctor's advice. With any other crash approach like a PSMF you're just doomed to failure.

Good luck.

lefty

Lefty,

You are wrong. I was aware of Atkins and willing to do it if I had to, BUT if someone who has more knowledge than I do about diets could recommend one similar to Atkins in that I would lose pretty much the same weight, but maybe there are a few more food options (like South Beach), then I want to hear about it.

Secondly, it isn't that I don't like the taste of shakes - it's that they physically make me GAG. While throwing up may be a great diet for some women, it's not for me. Besides, I am learning nothing by drinking shakes. At least Atkins or South Beach is allowing me to learn new and better food habits.

You have a choice:

crash the weight off via an extreme fast-like diet which will require drastic measures (a few shakes will be the least of your worries)

or

follow a sensible diet that with foods to keep you sane that allow you to lose weight sensibly as well as move you into a new lifestyle to keep the weight off.

Shakes may be one of the best ways for you to understand calories and how your body reacts to them as a shake is perhaps the simplest way to measure and control what you're eating.

I don't understand how shakes make you gag. You can't swallow liquids?

lefty

Lefty,

They taste like **** and I can't keep them down. Does that help your ability to understand? We are not talking about a can of Coke - we are talking about a grainy liquid with fake chocolate flavour that is the furthest thing away from a real shake.

I'm not telling you you have to go with the shakes, but there are really crappy ones, and there are ones that taste pretty all right. You might want to try another brand - I'm sure a search here will bring up some recommendations. To make them taste better I change ingredients around - one of my favorites is:

crush ice in crusher, then put in blender - grind up a bit
add "some" (1/2 cup?) pure unsweetened cranberry juice - start blending at low speed
while it's running, dump in one scoop of chocolate powder, allow to mix thoroughly
add some cold water
dump another scoop or however much you want to make
sometimes add a banana or something, cut it up first so you don't get chunks.

When you make them right they taste like a milkshake from a restaurant, just less *****. Obviously, you can try different juices, fruits, add yogurt, different flavors of powder etc.

Anyway, just an idea.

Basically, what I do is I eat no sweets and very little carbs.

And most importantly, I do not eat out if I'm trying to lose weight and I try to prepare as much food myself as I can. That means no prepared foods like canned soup or those stupid shakes. I cook fresh vegetables, low-fat meats, fishes and a lot of spice. Getting up and actively engaged in preparing your food helps you become conscious of what you are putting in your body. Also, the food tastes better when you have choice over what you eat and you will be satisfied with less.

Drink a lot of water.

Originally Posted by Hey Man

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Lefty,

They taste like **** and I can't keep them down. Does that help your ability to understand? We are not talking about a can of Coke - we are talking about a grainy liquid with fake chocolate flavour that is the furthest thing away from a real shake.

Sorry, I'm finding it difficult to muster up any sympathy for your situation. Your doctor has recommended some type of meal replacement shake probably because you have issues with calorie control. You're morbidly obese and your back is blown out (you no doubt have other health issues), yet you're complaining about the taste of a doctor prescribed shake?

I can think of at least a dozen other afflictions where patients have to put themselves through serious discomfort to outright pain on a daily basis, yet do so gladly because their health if not lives are on the line.

My advice, others may differ, is to mix a shake as palatable as possible (ice/fruit/artificial flavour) then take it to a cancer ward where people are in for chemo. Sit down and talk to a few of them. I'm going to guess that after about 15 minutes that shake will taste pretty damned good.

Good luck.

lefty

http://www.isagenix.com/cleanse.dhtml?inv=0 My sister, her boyfriend and I all lost ~10lbs in 9 days on it and kept it off. None of us are were heavy to begin with, my sister was thin to begin with. It's a system, which may be good for you, a little expensive, but you will loose weight if you follow it. Definitely speak to your doctor before you start any system.