Help me lose weight faster!

[GayeC]

Some of you have heard me whine before about the slow progress of my weight loss -- 6 pounds in 6 months! Pathetic! The goal that I set in January was to lose 10-15 pounds. I would like to achieve at least the low end of that goal by the time I go to the beach for a week in 2 1/2 weeks. Can I lose 4 pounds in 2 weeks? (based on my track record -- No!).

Has anyone had success with accelerating weight loss for a short period of time? I am not looking for unhealthy ways to lose weight, but 2 pounds a week is not unreasonable. I am eating very healthfully (many fruits and veggies), am walking regularly (12,000-14,000 steps per day on my pedometer), and am re-starting Tae-Bo and light resistance training. If you have had sucess with "speeding up" your weight loss, I would love to hear what has worked for you.

TIA. Gaye

[Nirak]

For me, if I really watch the fat grams and increase exercize I can jump start things a little. However, I have been trying to lose weight since Feb. and have only lost 10 lbs (goal is 30 total). I keep telling myself that I am 1/3 there and I will never be that old weight again. I actually find short-term goals more difficult to reach; I often fall way off when the goal is a few days out. Good Luck with your quest. You are still better off than you were 6 mos. ago!

[mightyh]

I found that diarying every single piece of food I put in my mouth--name, calories, fat--helped immensely.

I tried to stay around 35 g of fat and 1500-1800 calories a day. I guess the levels would vary by person, but I know if you drop too low you body will go into starvation mode and start hoarding everything you eat....

[SusieO]

Is it possible that you are already at a good, healthy weight for your height and age? Are you truly 10 pounds overweight, or are you simply 10 pounds heavier than you were at age 19?

I don't mean to step on any toes, or offend in any way. I just thought it was a question worth asking. I saw this when I worked for Weight Watchers (and more frequently among my friends as we get older): women who looked wonderful, and perfectly thin, but were upset that the scale read a few pounds higher than it did when they were younger, even though they were well within a healthy weight range.

[GayeC]

Well, SusieO's point is a good one. It is hard for me to accept that I am not going to weigh the same at 43 as I did at 23. And, I am at a "healthy" weight for my height, if you go by the charts or even Body Mass Index. But, on the other hand, I gained 10 pounds last year, which is not a good thing. If I gain 10 pounds every year I will be way overweight in a few years. Plus, it is only going to get harder to lose it as I get older, so I really want to lose it now, plus a few pounds more if I can. But the point is well taken -- I do need to be realistic.

Thanks also to mightyh and Nirak for your encouragement and suggestions. I think that I will go back to writing down everything that I eat (when I eat it, not at the end of the day!) and will kick up the exercise a notch or two. Gaye

[funnybone]

I have heard the best thing to do is to cut out all "beige" food. This means white bread, white rice, white pasta. You can find the whole wheat and other varieties of these foods. Also, have something with protein for breakfast, even if it is a slice of cheese with some toast, as the protein will not make you as hungry so quickly as just the toast. Drink lots of water, to flush your system, and when you eat veggies, the raw ones are better than cooked. These take longer to digest.

In the past, I have successfully followed "The 5 Day Miracle Diet" by Adele Puhn. Her diet helps you cut out the food cravings you have in 5 days. It really works. I don't follow her diet 100%, but I use a lot of her advice. The book should be available at the library, as I have had mine for about 5 years now.

[JulieM]

GayeC, I have run into this problem myself, and I have found in my case the culprit was that I wasn't eating enough calories. I guess the low calorie intake was bringing my metabolism down, plus putting my body into that starvation mode I've read about. I find that if I eat AT LEAST 1200 calories a day, that I actually lose weight faster ( and of course more healthy). In order to accomplish this, though, I have to write everything down. It's surprising how many calories you don't realize you're taking in until you keep a food journal.

[GayeC]

Thanks to all who replied. It is now exactly two weeks until I leave for the beach. I have taken your advice and some of my own and have an exercise/eating strategy that I plan to follow. Will let you know how it works. Gaye