I joined here a few months ago and got lazy and stopped working out. I recenltly felt a burst of motivation and decided to ride it out. But last time I quit because I got discouraged I could not see any results. So I resorted to kick start my weight loss by a diet supervised by a Dr.

I had amazinly fast results. The Dr tells me Im doing great. He did tell me to work out more to lower my body fat % because it slightly increased in the past week. So I was happy as sin about the results. But it was brought to my attention by a person who is very much into fitness, that what Im doing its not healthy. Common sesnse tells me that it is a lot of weight to lose in one week, but I figured the Dr would have told me if there was really something wrong with it. Opinions please.

I joined here a few months ago and got lazy and stopped working out. I recenltly felt a burst of motivation and decided to ride it out. But last time I quit because I got discouraged I could not see any results. So I resorted to kick start my weight loss by a diet supervised by a Dr.

I had amazinly fast results. The Dr tells me Im doing great. He did tell me to work out more to lower my body fat % because it slightly increased in the past week. So I was happy as sin about the results. But it was brought to my attention by a person who is very much into fitness, that what Im doing its not healthy. Common sesnse tells me that it is a lot of weight to lose in one week, but I figured the Dr would have told me if there was really something wrong with it. Opinions please.

I'm no expert, but that can't be right surely?

I'm no expert, but that can't be right surely?


I didnt think so and neither did the nurse that weighted me. She weighted me twice in one scale and then we went to another room and she weighted me another two times in a different scale. They both had the exact same results.

I took pics of me last monday when I started the diet. Im going to take some tonight and post them so you can see the difference.

At your weight 19 lbs in one week is not healthy or necessary. Sorry to say, your doctor shouldn't be preaching that approach. Am I an MD? No, but he is simply wrong, license or not. 19 lbs for your weight is a 7% reduction in body weight IN SEVEN DAYS. That's simply too fast. No competent dietician or nutritionist in the world would say that it wasn't.

Much of the weight you lost was water. Most of it was water, in fact. The remaining pounds were glycogen, muscle, fat.

Congrats on losing 19 lbs simply because it means you went pretty hardcore, but no way you can keep that up to the end, and even if you could by the time you get there you'll have obliterated a lot of lean mass.

How did you do it, btw?

Good luck, though!

At your weight 19 lbs in one week is not healthy or necessary. Sorry to say, your doctor shouldn't be preaching that approach. Am I an MD? No, but he is simply wrong, license or not. 19 lbs for your weight is a 7% reduction in body weight IN SEVEN DAYS. That's simply too fast. No competent dietician or nutritionist in the world would say that it wasn't.

Much of the weight you lost was water. Most of it was water, in fact. The remaining pounds were glycogen, muscle, fat.

Congrats on losing 19 lbs simply because it means you went pretty hardcore, but no way you can keep that up to the end, and even if you could by the time you get there you'll have obliterated a lot of lean mass.

How did you do it, btw?

Good luck, though!

The weight in my sign was back in may. Last week I weighted 313.5 when I started the Diet. Im at 293.25 today.

This is how I did it;

I paid $250 for my intial consult including medication to get set up in this diet. And $65 weekly for the medicine. I think the 250 was a bit much, but they did do a some blood work and tests to make sure I could handle the diet. The weekly cost would be about the same if I bought the medicine on my own, except I would not have a Dr look at me every week to make sure my body is not getting out of whack. Besides, my mom paid for the 1st consult, I just pay the weekly costs.

1) One multivitamin after my first meal
2) One Calcium Pyruvate pill twice a day
3) 2 Phendimetrazine 35mg , 3 times a day
4) Shot of B12, twice a week.
5) Work out as much as you can ( I only went for two walks 20mins each)
6) Drink a gallon of water per day

1st 3 days you can only have 500 calories of protein. At the 4th day, you can add 200 calories of healthy carbs.

That calculates out to 1-lb. of body mass every 8.8 hours.

:d_eek:

Please seek competent professional help now. And continue this diet at your own peril.

-R

In all fairness, a friend of mine was put on a similar diet with the same medication. However, he was GROSSLY overweight. I'm talking 5'10" and close to 400 pounds. He did not lose 20 pounds a week. I would definately re-consider taking the Phendimetrazine, and start eating a lot more, nutrious food. Congrats on the weight loss, but please do not continue on this path as it is very unhealthy and I do not think your weight warrants such extreme measures. How old are you BTW?

:lol:

As a certified nutritionist, I can tell you.......

NO WAY IN BLUE HELL did you lose 19 TRUE lbs.

You may have lost a TON OF WATER being over 300 lbs. and bloated, as someone that big can lose a ton of glycogen and water, and along w/whatever real fat (2-3 lbs. max) you lost, I MAYBE could see that.

Even then, it's a very far-fetched happening. Be warned that if you continue this absurd approach, I see you attaining far more health issues than being overweight.

~SC~

I agree 100% with Chris.

If you're looking to reduce your size, what you did definitely didn't contribute. You lost a lot of water weight and bloat, but the amount of fat and inches is probably not nearly close.

Let's be logical and use common sense.

19 lbs x 3500 calories / lb = 66,500 calories loss (if it came from fat)

66,500 calories / 7 days = 9,500 calories per day

Since you were eating 500 calories of protein, you would have had to have a metabolism of 10,000 calories per day. That means to gain the weight you did, you'd have to eat in excess of 10,000 calories just to put on weight ... highly unlikely.

Even people with fast metabolisms are lucky to burn 3,000 - 4,000 calories per day. Only if you did serious hiking and rock climbing or ran marathons every day would you expend that kind of energy.

So, bottom line is ... you lost a lot of water weight, maybe a little fat.

The question is, why risk it? I work with people in the 300 - 350 pound range all of the time. They consistently lose weight consuming 1600 - 2500 calories per day (it varies on the individual) and that is a balanced nutrition program with veggies, fruits, and other essential nutrients.

So if you can lose the same amount of fat eating more and feeling better, why go to the extreme of only consuming twigs and dust each day?

It's not only potentially dangerous (yes, people have died on diets like that, even when supervised by doctors, just Google OptiFast for some references) but it had to have been miserable as well. You didn't lose any more fat than someone on a more sane diet becaues your body is only physically capable of burning so much fat per week ... 2% of your body weight, maybe 3% if you're really lucky, but definitely not 7%.

Thanks for sharing, we appreciate you, it's time to go get a second opinion from someone who wants to help you live healthy, not kill you trying to lose weight.

Jeremy

:lol:

As a certified nutritionist, I can tell you.......

NO WAY IN BLUE HELL did you lose 19 TRUE lbs.

You may have lost a TON OF WATER being over 300 lbs. and bloated, as someone that big can lose a ton of glycogen and water, and along w/whatever real fat (2-3 lbs. max) you lost, I MAYBE could see that.

Even then, it's a very far-fetched happening. Be warned that if you continue this absurd approach, I see you attaining far more health issues than being overweight.

~SC~

So a 313 lb guy was put initially on 500 calories/day? Damn :(

No wonder you lost weight. Does your doctor call it the POW-diet? It sounds like one.

Good luck to you seriously but I think you should find a more reasonable approach. It seems to me that money is not a huge concern and you're interested int he weight loss. Might I recommend you take that money and give it to Swole for his plan instead of the doctor for his ridiculous one. It's not the first time I've heard of an MD promoting some insane weight loss plan but it's based on old, outdated crap research (at best; probably based on nothing, really).

You need to take it slower. 500 calories/day it won't be long before you want to wring that doctor's neck!

I agree 100% with Chris.

If you're looking to reduce your size, what you did definitely didn't contribute. You lost a lot of water weight and bloat, but the amount of fat and inches is probably not nearly close.

Let's be logical and use common sense.

19 lbs x 3500 calories / lb = 66,500 calories loss (if it came from fat)

66,500 calories / 7 days = 9,500 calories per day

Since you were eating 500 calories of protein, you would have had to have a metabolism of 10,000 calories per day. That means to gain the weight you did, you'd have to eat in excess of 10,000 calories just to put on weight ... highly unlikely.

Even people with fast metabolisms are lucky to burn 3,000 - 4,000 calories per day. Only if you did serious hiking and rock climbing or ran marathons every day would you expend that kind of energy.


So if you can lose the same amount of fat eating more and feeling better, why go to the extreme of only consuming twigs and dust each day?

It's not only potentially dangerous (yes, people have died on diets like that, even when supervised by doctors, just Google OptiFast for some references) but it had to have been miserable as well. You didn't lose any more fat than someone on a more sane diet becaues your body is only physically capable of burning so much fat per week ... 2% of your body weight, maybe 3% if you're really lucky, but definitely not 7%.

Thanks for sharing, we appreciate you, it's time to go get a second opinion from someone who wants to help you live healthy, not kill you trying to lose weight.

Jeremy

Well this kind of discouranging. But thats ok because I asked for opinions. Beter to know whats going on than to have people blow smoke up my ass to make me feel better.

Isnt it possible that now that I've lost all the water, I'll actually start to lose weight in a more moderate speed. Or am I always gonna lose water and no weight?

Also, I think a big part of the weight loss is that all toguether I was probably drinking a gallon of rum per week and only god knows how many cans of cokes. I havent touched either since last sunday.





.

So, bottom line is ... you lost a lot of water weight, maybe a little fat.

The question is, why risk it? I work with people in the 300 - 350 pound range all of the time. They consistently lose weight consuming 1600 - 2500 calories per day (it varies on the individual) and that is a balanced nutrition program with veggies, fruits, and other essential nutrients.

So if you can lose the same amount of fat eating more and feeling better, why go to the extreme of only consuming twigs and dust each day?



Jeremy

Because I want, no. I NEED fast results. Every time I've tried to work out I end up getting discouraged at the slow results. Im really hoping that a drastic change gives me the little push I need to kick start a new thiner life.

So a 313 lb guy was put initially on 500 calories/day? Damn :(

No wonder you lost weight. Does your doctor call it the POW-diet? It sounds like one.

Good luck to you seriously but I think you should find a more reasonable approach. It seems to me that money is not a huge concern and you're interested int he weight loss. Might I recommend you take that money and give it to Swole for his plan instead of the doctor for his ridiculous one. It's not the first time I've heard of an MD promoting some insane weight loss plan but it's based on old, outdated crap research (at best; probably based on nothing, really).

You need to take it slower. 500 calories/day it won't be long before you want to wring that doctor's neck!

Thats what I tought when I saw the diet. But Im almost never hungry. Sometimes I'll remember I have to eat something and its already like 2pm.

i am gonna take slower. The plan is only design for a short period of time, and you gradually move up to a normal healthy life style. This is just to try and hit the floor running so to speak.

After the initial water loss you will still lose weight but you'll be losing a lot of muscle mass on that diet.

lol theres no fast results for anything worthwhile. Teh 500cal a day thing will end up giving you the metabolism of a corpse..so in all likehood you will gain back alot weight once you discontinue it. No the only way to do it...is planned approach of diet, excercise and lifestyle changes. Set yourself a realistic goal of maybe 1-2 pounds a week.... do the math and figure out how long its going to take to get where you want..Youll only fail if you dont want it bad enough. Doctor doesnt equal nutritionist.

Jeremy, can you give me links to the sites referencing deaths on OptiFast? I'd like to read them, and I googled OptiFast, but I didn't see anything like that...

Edit: Found it by searching for "OptiFast death". :p

Sounds pretty bad...:(

After the initial water loss you will still lose weight but you'll be losing a lot of muscle mass on that diet.

Totally agree!

Get out of that absurd routine NOW while you still have the muscle mass you possess now. You can lose fat after this initial water/glycogen loss, but make no mistake about it............if you continue to eat (or NOT eat actually) in this manner, you are risking losing muscle and NO fat, as the body goes into "survival" mode to hold on to fat for energy purposes and fear of not receiving the nutrition it needs.

Believe me, I suffered from anorexia for many years, and this is VERY CLOSE to what I was doing. I'd have one bowl of rice crispies per night, sometimes only every OTHER day, and I lost all of my lean muscle, then all of the fat, then almost my life.

I sh*t you not.

~SC~

Because I want, no. I NEED fast results. Every time I've tried to work out I end up getting discouraged at the slow results. Im really hoping that a drastic change gives me the little push I need to kick start a new thiner life.

All I can say is that you received some very serious advice from two individuals who help people lose weight/fat for a living and not once did they attempt to promote themselves or their services in their posts. I hope you truly consider their advice.

Well this kind of discouranging. But thats ok because I asked for opinions. Beter to know whats going on than to have people blow smoke up my ass to make me feel better.
It's only discouraging if you allow it to be. YOU are in control, and you choose what is discouraging or not. I think it's very ENCOURAGING that people all over the world are losing weight, successfully. 313 pounds is a walk in the park. I know one who started at 380 and I interviewed someone else who started so heavy he lost nearly FOUR HUNDRED pounds. No, he didn't start at 400 pounds ... he LOST 400 pounds.
Isnt it possible that now that I've lost all the water, I'll actually start to lose weight in a more moderate speed. Or am I always gonna lose water and no weight?
You won't always lose water and no weight ... but if you continue with that plan, you'll lose a lot of the wrong weight and risk a lot that is unnecessary. You can lose far more fat, and see results more quickly, following the right balance of nutrition than you will on this extreme, semi-fast. In fact, people who drop weight on these diets become smaller, flabby versions of themselves and often complain of loose skin and any other plethora of issues. People who take the smart, consistent route not only lose fat more quickly (note: I said fat, not weight, because when you do it right, most of what you lose is fat instead of fat and water and muscle mass) ... but they are doing something they can stick with. If you stay on a diet, then you go off a diet eventually. What happens then? The same patterns that took you to being obese in the first place.

If you CHANGE your program, change what you are doing, then you will create new patterns and behaviors that even when you reach your goal, you can stay with the program and not check out and gain it all back.

Also, I think a big part of the weight loss is that all toguether I was probably drinking a gallon of rum per week and only god knows how many cans of cokes. I havent touched either since last sunday.

Congratulations for coming off of both. Be careful, coming off of that much alcohol means you are probably severely deficient in several nutrients, so going on a starvation diet will only exacerbate the problem, not make it better.
Because I want, no. I NEED fast results. Every time I've tried to work out I end up getting discouraged at the slow results. Im really hoping that a drastic change gives me the little push I need to kick start a new thiner life.
Yes, everyone wants to take the fat that took them years to create and have it vanish in the blink of the eye. The problem with that is what I call the lottery syndrome. Many people win the lottery, and if I interview the average person they'll say all the great things they'll do. But when a person with a poverty consciousness comes into the money, their mindset isn't par with the money, and they find ways to lose it. It's not conscious, it's subconscious, but just follow some of the stories and you'll find it is very prevalent. On the other hand, those who go through the process of learning how to be an entrepreneur and slowly increase their wealth consciousness are able to create it and hold onto it and recreate it ... take Trump. Sure, he slipped and lost quite a bit, but his consciousness allowed him to earn it back WITHOUT winning the lottery.

So when you look at your weight loss, it's not about the weight. You think it is, but it isn't. It's about YOU and why you put the weight on in the first place. That doesn't get resolved at the snap of your fingers. It's a process of learning to like yourself the way you are, so you can be more the way you want to be. It means overcoming the habits that put the fat on in the first place. It takes time. So why not get comfortable NOW instead of being the victim and engaging in some noble struggle that means in the end, you'll revert? Why not put yourself in a place where you realize your decisions and actions are the decisions and actions of a healthy, lean person, and then wait for your body to catch up with your mindset? Wouldn't that be a more permanent approach?

I can appreciate wanting an approach. But if your success and motivation comes from seeing results, then I've got dismal news. Plateaus are a fact of life. Things happen. Sometimes you're forced to skip a workout or go off plan. Sometimes you work hard and don't see external results because your body is so busy creating a miracle inside, like lowering blood pressure, reducing cholesterol, eliminating triglycerides, and so much else. So if you can't appreciate the miracle, then the first plateau you hit, it's back to those old habits and putting it back on.

You've got to stop making it a race. Where are you going? What's at the destination?

Let me ask you this ... do you brush your teeth faithfully every day until you visit the dentist and he says, "Congratulations! No cavities." and then stop brushing your teeth? Or is it a process you do every day because it's a part of your lifecycle?

Do you pick up a pool stick and expect to break and run the table your first game? What about riding a bike ... can you ask the members of this forum how to, read a book, look at drawings, then get on one for the first time and start doing tricks on the BMX circuit? How about whatever line of work you are in. Did you interview, and they said, hey, let's go ahead and hire you in as president of the company, because you're a fast learner?

My examples relate to this: fat loss isn't a "thing." In fact, it's not even about the fat loss. If you lose it, you just find it again. It's called the big yo-yo. Releasing the fat and living as a lean, healthy person is a process. It's a learning experience. You start in the mail room and learn how to sort through the hype. Then, you get promoted to customer service and deal with the excuses and how to overcome them. After you stop making excuses for yourself you get to go into a management position and start to be responsible for eating what's healthy, rather than just following the latest diet trend. You might take up a sport or go hiking or do something that burns calories but isn't tied to the treadmill readout or how much weight you're going to lose. The next thing you know, you're promoted to CEO and that means unless you choose to make fitness your career, it's no longer a struggle or task or chore, but it's just another aspect of your life that you don't have to worry about because, like brushing your teeth, you've embraced the process and learned how to BE it.

Yes, lose the fat. Yes, lose it quickly. I wouldn't be surprised if you could lose 3 - 5 pounds per week. But don't do it on a crash diet and do it just to see that scale tick by. Stop and understand your reasons, make sure this time they're big enough that if you get discouraged, you won't quit because you're in it for more than the same immediate gratification that got you there in the first place. Make it long term, make it count, and make it fun. You've got a lot to lose, so why do it rough when you can have fun and enjoy the process, and not worry if it takes 3 months or 3 years because you're ready to live this way for life?

Jeremy

Yes, everyone wants to take the fat that took them years to create and have it vanish in the blink of the eye. The problem with that is what I call the lottery syndrome. Many people win the lottery, and if I interview the average person they'll say all the great things they'll do. But when a person with a poverty consciousness comes into the money, their mindset isn't par with the money, and they find ways to lose it. It's not conscious, it's subconscious, but just follow some of the stories and you'll find it is very prevalent. On the other hand, those who go through the process of learning how to be an entrepreneur and slowly increase their wealth consciousness are able to create it and hold onto it and recreate it ... take Trump. Sure, he slipped and lost quite a bit, but his consciousness allowed him to earn it back WITHOUT winning the lottery.

So when you look at your weight loss, it's not about the weight. You think it is, but it isn't. It's about YOU and why you put the weight on in the first place. That doesn't get resolved at the snap of your fingers. It's a process of learning to like yourself the way you are, so you can be more the way you want to be. It means overcoming the habits that put the fat on in the first place. It takes time. So why not get comfortable NOW instead of being the victim and engaging in some noble struggle that means in the end, you'll revert? Why not put yourself in a place where you realize your decisions and actions are the decisions and actions of a healthy, lean person, and then wait for your body to catch up with your mindset? Wouldn't that be a more permanent approach? You're so right it hurts, both with the lottery fast-money thing (which I've always noticed as well) and the relevance to fat. A similar example would be taking somebody who's up to their eyes in debt and wiping it clean. Now visit them in three years and they'll be up to it again. If a fat person wished to be thin and ripped and God made it so, they'd not stay that way. They'd begin immediately to revert to fatness again. Fat is not something that can be cured. It's something that needs forever to be addressed to be kept at bay.

Great post Jeremy. :claplow:

3) 2 Phendimetrazine 35mg , 3 times a day

IMHO you should stop (under doctors supervision) the drug Phendimetrazine. Phendimetrazine is an amphetamine and has awful side effects and a huge potential for addiction and abuse.

This is why you lost so much weight, it probably killed your appetite. You are heading down a road you should not be going down and its about as far from healthy as you can get.

In the last 8 weeks I have lost 20lbs, I started at 235 and I am now 215, during that time I have gained 1" on each arm and lost just over 5 inches from my waist. My strength has increased and I feel amazing. I had chronic back pain which has gone, I'm sleeping far less and feel more awake. I look so much better and my concentration has improved with no more mid afternoon tiredness.

My point is anyone can lose weight *and* gain muscle which is what your goal should be. Your immediate plan should be to stop the slimming drugs and IMHO if you have no idea what you are doing hire Chris (SwoleCat) or Jeremy (probably better to hire Jeremy if you require more hand holding and emotional support) or someone like that who can at least steer you in the right direction.

Going from fat slob to an awesome physique with a 6 pack is achievable by anyone, but it takes some knowledge and the ability to stick to a plan. It's about working smarter and not harder, its about knowledge and not about quick drug fixes. IMHO *nobody* should even be using ephedrine let alone Phendimetrazine and similar drugs.

Unless you get on a decent diet and training plan you will end up losing all your muscle and becoming a smaller but fatter version of yourself. Everything you do to lose weight must be done with health in mind, losing *fat* is what you want not losing *weight*. I can not stress enough if you don't know what you are doing with diet/nutrition find someone who does.

These doctors pushing Phendimetrazine are shit heads that look at you as a cash making machine.

Because I want, no. I NEED fast results. Every time I've tried to work out I end up getting discouraged at the slow results. Im really hoping that a drastic change gives me the little push I need to kick start a new thiner life.
There's little to add to the above great replies, but consider this:

If there really was a way to get FASTer (and real) results immediately, do you think everybody here wouldn't be doing it themselves and recommending it left and right?

read this short article for a better program.
things to know before you read - you're an endomorph.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/layne36.htm