I have recently lost 80 pounds n I now realize I can do things I cudnt do before n my dream is to now join the navy bt I need to lose between 65-75 pounds to make weight. Wat can I do to lose in 6 months or less. I have the time to fully dedicate myself to n e extreme program. I Wud like to not lose a lot of muscle.
losing weight for navy
- Thread starter kshkosh00
- Start date
Hi, and welcome.
From everything I've read, the essence of weight loss is burning more calories than you consume (to a point, as you still need to fuel your body). I recommend you find a BMR calculator that incorporates your activity levels and work out your maintenance calories, and reduce them by between 500 and 1000 calories a day (as long as this number doesn't go below 1800 calories a day). This is from the site of one of the most illustrious members here: Nutrition
I'd highly recommend close calorie counting (you said you were up for a rigorous weight loss routine). Buy yourself a set of digital scales (they don't have to be expensive), preferably ones that weigh to the nearest gram or ml (much smaller and so more precise units of measure than oz. or fl. oz.). Then find yourself a calorie counting program- I use one called cron-o-meter (see my diary, linked in my signature, for how it works): Download CRON-O-Meter 0.9.7 Free - A tool which offers diet advice, track consumption and exercise, and generally assist in all aspects of a CR diet - Softpedia . Others recommended are Fitday (FitDay ? Maintenance - currently down for maintenance) and Free Calorie Counter, Diet & Exercise Journal | MyFitnessPal.com I personally pitch at maintenace -500, but am happy if I make anywhere between -500 and -1000. Maintenance -500 represents a loss of a pound a week (in theory).
Make sure your nutrition's right. There are some guides here (I'd recommend you read the stickies- see especially http://weight-loss.fitness.com/nutrition/5534-nutrition-101-a.html ), but you should also find nutritional guidelines for your country. For muscle, I would emphasise protein (have at the high end of nutritional guidelines)- this will also help you stay full. Also remember- a lot of people don't seem to realise this- you need fat in your diet, just try to make it a healthier sort.
If you've got your nutrition in order, you can eat whatever and whenever you like as long as you hit that calorie target.
In terms of exercise, the more you exercise the more you can eat and still lose weight (or the more weight you'll lose- again, to a point, you don't want your calorie deficit to be too high). For prevention of muscle loss, strength training (weights etc) really is key. (Unfortunately some muscle loss is virtually unavoidable when you go into a calorie deficit, from what I understand, unless you've got a lot of weight to lose and have done little/ no weight training at all before). You may want to look at this thread (started by myself when I wanted to fix up my weight training) on what you should be aiming for with weight training: http://weight-loss.fitness.com/weight-loss-through-exercise/48418-question-low-rep-high-weight.html
As to how realistic your plan is, my suspicion is you're overreaching for healthy weight loss- recommended weight loss is up to 1kg (2.2lb) a week, or 1% of your total weight (I've read both, I'm not sure which one you should prefer. Although anecdotally my GP is happy for me to lose up to 1kg a week and that's more than 1% of my body weight).
Hope this gives you some ideas
From everything I've read, the essence of weight loss is burning more calories than you consume (to a point, as you still need to fuel your body). I recommend you find a BMR calculator that incorporates your activity levels and work out your maintenance calories, and reduce them by between 500 and 1000 calories a day (as long as this number doesn't go below 1800 calories a day). This is from the site of one of the most illustrious members here: Nutrition
I'd highly recommend close calorie counting (you said you were up for a rigorous weight loss routine). Buy yourself a set of digital scales (they don't have to be expensive), preferably ones that weigh to the nearest gram or ml (much smaller and so more precise units of measure than oz. or fl. oz.). Then find yourself a calorie counting program- I use one called cron-o-meter (see my diary, linked in my signature, for how it works): Download CRON-O-Meter 0.9.7 Free - A tool which offers diet advice, track consumption and exercise, and generally assist in all aspects of a CR diet - Softpedia . Others recommended are Fitday (FitDay ? Maintenance - currently down for maintenance) and Free Calorie Counter, Diet & Exercise Journal | MyFitnessPal.com I personally pitch at maintenace -500, but am happy if I make anywhere between -500 and -1000. Maintenance -500 represents a loss of a pound a week (in theory).
Make sure your nutrition's right. There are some guides here (I'd recommend you read the stickies- see especially http://weight-loss.fitness.com/nutrition/5534-nutrition-101-a.html ), but you should also find nutritional guidelines for your country. For muscle, I would emphasise protein (have at the high end of nutritional guidelines)- this will also help you stay full. Also remember- a lot of people don't seem to realise this- you need fat in your diet, just try to make it a healthier sort.
If you've got your nutrition in order, you can eat whatever and whenever you like as long as you hit that calorie target.
In terms of exercise, the more you exercise the more you can eat and still lose weight (or the more weight you'll lose- again, to a point, you don't want your calorie deficit to be too high). For prevention of muscle loss, strength training (weights etc) really is key. (Unfortunately some muscle loss is virtually unavoidable when you go into a calorie deficit, from what I understand, unless you've got a lot of weight to lose and have done little/ no weight training at all before). You may want to look at this thread (started by myself when I wanted to fix up my weight training) on what you should be aiming for with weight training: http://weight-loss.fitness.com/weight-loss-through-exercise/48418-question-low-rep-high-weight.html
As to how realistic your plan is, my suspicion is you're overreaching for healthy weight loss- recommended weight loss is up to 1kg (2.2lb) a week, or 1% of your total weight (I've read both, I'm not sure which one you should prefer. Although anecdotally my GP is happy for me to lose up to 1kg a week and that's more than 1% of my body weight).
Hope this gives you some ideas
You need to lose about 6kg per month. Its very unlikely you can do this in less than six months and you shouldn't try to because you will just pile it back on. That's what happens when you lose weight too fast.
If you are really keen, you are going to have to work really really hard. And you are going to have to be sensible and not try to starve yourself.
I am not going to write you out a program but if you are as dedicated as you say you are, then you can learn from us by reading some of the diaries on this forum, reading some of the stickies and getting involved in the forum.
Start your diary, and we will support you. We will tell when you are going down a wrong track and we will encourage you when you are struggling. We will give you tips all along the way.
That said, I myself am going away for two months very soon so I won't be around for that period. But others will help you. Amy is pretty dedicated to giving people the low down about calorie counting. If she's around and you are nice to her she will probably give you a few clues.
If no one else tells you what to do, the information is out there. YOu've just got to find it and hopefully have the good sense to recognise good information when you see it.
To get started do this....
Start a diary in the diary section. Introduce yourself, mention your height weight age and your mission.
When you keep your diary, write down everything you put in your mouth and how much of it. Weigh yourself weekly. In the morning when you get up.
Write down your exercise. You do not need to detail how many pushups etc unless it gives you a buzz. Its your eating that is the essential thing here.
Exercise is important but you don't need to do more than one to two hours per day really. And you don't need to kill yourself doing it. However, after about one-two months you might want to step it up a bit.
Portion control, and food choices are very important.
Now you might like to read my diary. ITs getting long and is probably a bit boring but i do the above and i am losing weight. Not as fast as you need to but the principles are there.
I drink full cream milk because i prefer it. You might prefer to go low fat.
Give up these foods for your diet - because you are on a critical mission:
cheese
all sweets and desserts
don't eat nuts unless you are a vegetarian
bacon and ham
take away food
If you have to eat out, do not go into the brand name fast food joints. Eat at a restaurant or low calorie type of joint. Eat asian.
Soda
alcohol - ok one drink a day is what i do and you might be able to cope with it. One cup of wine. Wine is lower in calories than a lot of other drinks. Try brandy and soda or rum and water or whisky and water. But don't drink too much on any occasion (not more than two drinks) because you will lose your judgement and want to eat a lot. Count the calories of any alcohol also.
Do not binge
Do not slip up
Reaffirm your commitment every day
If you are struggling psychologically at any point, find strength from the forum. Beware that you may get to a tough point about two months in. The time varies with different people but it happens to all of us i think. Be prepared for it and dig your heels in.
If you have to binge, then do it for not more than one day and don't do it more than once a month. Do not factor in cheat days and do not give yourself permission to binge once a month. (I hope you can appreciate the distinction in what i'm saying there. Some people have trouble with my nuances.) You really can only afford to binge when your brain won't let your resist but you must try to resist. If you quit sweets, your chance of binging and cravings will be lowered. If you do have a binge, then don't give yourself a guilt trip over it. Get a bit angry but rededicate yourself to your cause as soon as you can.
You have a serious goal so you do have a chance of achieving it but you will have to push yourself to stay on track as you don't have much leeway. YOu do'nt have to push yourself by starving yourself. Eat no less than 1500 calories per day, though i believe for men its 1800. If you are tall, then definitely no less than 1800. If you are short you might get away with 1500. Do not go less because it slows down your metabolism and you end up putting more weight on in the long run.
With fitness, you should take it fairly easy in some exercise in the beginning to avoid getting an injury from overtraining. If you mix it up with different types of activity, you have a better chance of avoiding injury i think. Running is the main danger and possibly weights but i don't know much about weight training. Once your fitness is better and your weight is down a bit you can pick it up a lot more.
Buy good quality sports shoes if you are running. Get fitted in a sportshoe store.
That's all i can think of. Goodluck.
Oh my diary is called "IM aiming for 59kg". I am an old woman of 47. That's why i seem so certain of what i am saying.
Eat lots of vegetables. Some fruit. Daily dairy for strong healthy bones, protein so you don't lose muscle mass and complex carbohydrates for energy. Fats for some bodily functions but good fats, not meat fats (except in eggs and whatever you find in dairy) and not transfats. Vegetable fats are good fats. So are fish fats. But they are still fat and so you mustn't eat a lot of it. Fat has twice as many calories as carbs and proteins per gram.
If you are really keen, you are going to have to work really really hard. And you are going to have to be sensible and not try to starve yourself.
I am not going to write you out a program but if you are as dedicated as you say you are, then you can learn from us by reading some of the diaries on this forum, reading some of the stickies and getting involved in the forum.
Start your diary, and we will support you. We will tell when you are going down a wrong track and we will encourage you when you are struggling. We will give you tips all along the way.
That said, I myself am going away for two months very soon so I won't be around for that period. But others will help you. Amy is pretty dedicated to giving people the low down about calorie counting. If she's around and you are nice to her she will probably give you a few clues.
If no one else tells you what to do, the information is out there. YOu've just got to find it and hopefully have the good sense to recognise good information when you see it.
To get started do this....
Start a diary in the diary section. Introduce yourself, mention your height weight age and your mission.
When you keep your diary, write down everything you put in your mouth and how much of it. Weigh yourself weekly. In the morning when you get up.
Write down your exercise. You do not need to detail how many pushups etc unless it gives you a buzz. Its your eating that is the essential thing here.
Exercise is important but you don't need to do more than one to two hours per day really. And you don't need to kill yourself doing it. However, after about one-two months you might want to step it up a bit.
Portion control, and food choices are very important.
Now you might like to read my diary. ITs getting long and is probably a bit boring but i do the above and i am losing weight. Not as fast as you need to but the principles are there.
I drink full cream milk because i prefer it. You might prefer to go low fat.
Give up these foods for your diet - because you are on a critical mission:
cheese
all sweets and desserts
don't eat nuts unless you are a vegetarian
bacon and ham
take away food
If you have to eat out, do not go into the brand name fast food joints. Eat at a restaurant or low calorie type of joint. Eat asian.
Soda
alcohol - ok one drink a day is what i do and you might be able to cope with it. One cup of wine. Wine is lower in calories than a lot of other drinks. Try brandy and soda or rum and water or whisky and water. But don't drink too much on any occasion (not more than two drinks) because you will lose your judgement and want to eat a lot. Count the calories of any alcohol also.
Do not binge
Do not slip up
Reaffirm your commitment every day
If you are struggling psychologically at any point, find strength from the forum. Beware that you may get to a tough point about two months in. The time varies with different people but it happens to all of us i think. Be prepared for it and dig your heels in.
If you have to binge, then do it for not more than one day and don't do it more than once a month. Do not factor in cheat days and do not give yourself permission to binge once a month. (I hope you can appreciate the distinction in what i'm saying there. Some people have trouble with my nuances.) You really can only afford to binge when your brain won't let your resist but you must try to resist. If you quit sweets, your chance of binging and cravings will be lowered. If you do have a binge, then don't give yourself a guilt trip over it. Get a bit angry but rededicate yourself to your cause as soon as you can.
You have a serious goal so you do have a chance of achieving it but you will have to push yourself to stay on track as you don't have much leeway. YOu do'nt have to push yourself by starving yourself. Eat no less than 1500 calories per day, though i believe for men its 1800. If you are tall, then definitely no less than 1800. If you are short you might get away with 1500. Do not go less because it slows down your metabolism and you end up putting more weight on in the long run.
With fitness, you should take it fairly easy in some exercise in the beginning to avoid getting an injury from overtraining. If you mix it up with different types of activity, you have a better chance of avoiding injury i think. Running is the main danger and possibly weights but i don't know much about weight training. Once your fitness is better and your weight is down a bit you can pick it up a lot more.
Buy good quality sports shoes if you are running. Get fitted in a sportshoe store.
That's all i can think of. Goodluck.
Oh my diary is called "IM aiming for 59kg". I am an old woman of 47. That's why i seem so certain of what i am saying.
Eat lots of vegetables. Some fruit. Daily dairy for strong healthy bones, protein so you don't lose muscle mass and complex carbohydrates for energy. Fats for some bodily functions but good fats, not meat fats (except in eggs and whatever you find in dairy) and not transfats. Vegetable fats are good fats. So are fish fats. But they are still fat and so you mustn't eat a lot of it. Fat has twice as many calories as carbs and proteins per gram.
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One more thing. I think its a good idea to keep in mind that you want to lose 6kg a month but don't make mistakes by imagining it will all happen in even increments. And don't make the mistake of getting casual if things are going faster than planned. YOu cannot afford to be casual for six months. I say 6kg per month but that allows for things like illness and other unforeseen events.
Also, do not get upset if the scalse aren't doing down fast enough. I mean do not get so upset that you want to give up. What you must do instead, is analyse what you've done wrong or why its not happening. And be more determined to find the keys.
You need to stay emotionally stable for this. So do not get depressed by anything.
As i said, its a tough ask you've given yourself. You need to be up to it if you want the prize.
Also, do not get upset if the scalse aren't doing down fast enough. I mean do not get so upset that you want to give up. What you must do instead, is analyse what you've done wrong or why its not happening. And be more determined to find the keys.
You need to stay emotionally stable for this. So do not get depressed by anything.
As i said, its a tough ask you've given yourself. You need to be up to it if you want the prize.
6kg a month is probably unrealistic unless the OP is very overweight, and if so, it's probably still hard. 4kg a month is at the top end of reasonable (again, unless the OP is very overweight).
I second what fortyfour has said about the scales- I eat with an aim to lose 1lb (bit less than 0.5kg) a week, and I lost nothing for my first couple of weeks of calorie counting, then for four weeks lost 1kg a week. In fact, she gives very good advice in general (I wouldn't necessarily be so strict with the diet- for example, cheese, while high calorie, is very good for you, and is fine if you can limit yourself to a small serving- 30g or 1oz- or switch to low fat cottage cheese. Similarly bacon, ham, and nuts can be eaten in very small quantities- very small quantities- and still keep the calories under control. I agree about takeaway, though, it's almost all evil. I personally would cut out alcohol completely, along with soda, it's empty calories. Tea and coffee are good, unsweetened)
Re binging, my normal attitude is that if you can't stop eating bad food, then having a little is better than losing control and having a lot, but given your time frame you need to be very very strict in this regard. I'll go against what I normally say and say it's probably not ok in your case given your weight loss goals are at least borderline unrealistic. You need to be tough on yourself. That being said, there are low calorie alternatives to certain things- don't make it the cornerstone of your diet, but I make low calorie pizza (280-360 calories/ serve, depending how I make it) and ice cream (about 65 calories/ serve for the batch I made last night). As long as you hit your nutrition and keep your calories where you want them to be, there's no harm in that sort of thing. Regular junk? Not so much.
I've read that weight loss is 80-90% nutrition and the rest is exercise, and that's definitely true. For you, not wanting to lose muscle means that exercise is important for other reasons, and you may want to detail it so you can be critiqued by those who know more what they're talking about than I do (I've been given advice and it's working for me).
I second what fortyfour has said about the scales- I eat with an aim to lose 1lb (bit less than 0.5kg) a week, and I lost nothing for my first couple of weeks of calorie counting, then for four weeks lost 1kg a week. In fact, she gives very good advice in general (I wouldn't necessarily be so strict with the diet- for example, cheese, while high calorie, is very good for you, and is fine if you can limit yourself to a small serving- 30g or 1oz- or switch to low fat cottage cheese. Similarly bacon, ham, and nuts can be eaten in very small quantities- very small quantities- and still keep the calories under control. I agree about takeaway, though, it's almost all evil. I personally would cut out alcohol completely, along with soda, it's empty calories. Tea and coffee are good, unsweetened)
Re binging, my normal attitude is that if you can't stop eating bad food, then having a little is better than losing control and having a lot, but given your time frame you need to be very very strict in this regard. I'll go against what I normally say and say it's probably not ok in your case given your weight loss goals are at least borderline unrealistic. You need to be tough on yourself. That being said, there are low calorie alternatives to certain things- don't make it the cornerstone of your diet, but I make low calorie pizza (280-360 calories/ serve, depending how I make it) and ice cream (about 65 calories/ serve for the batch I made last night). As long as you hit your nutrition and keep your calories where you want them to be, there's no harm in that sort of thing. Regular junk? Not so much.
I've read that weight loss is 80-90% nutrition and the rest is exercise, and that's definitely true. For you, not wanting to lose muscle means that exercise is important for other reasons, and you may want to detail it so you can be critiqued by those who know more what they're talking about than I do (I've been given advice and it's working for me).
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Amy if he wants to get into the navy, he has to be able to do this. They have weight entry requirements. He can't afford to flim flam about. It's why i suggest he is tough about certain foods. I think he's better off eating more bulk and fewer calories than things like cheese and the odd piece of chocolate would mean. As i said, i also believe that going without is actually easier than having some now and then. But that will be up to him to choose which route to take anyway.
I am not convinced its impossible to lose more than 1kg a week over a period of six months. I have never actually heard anyone else say its unhealthy to lose more than that. So for the benefit of possibility and this guys needs, i'd be willing to say its worth a shot. I personally am inclined to not think its unhealthy as such. What would be unhealthy would be to do it on a very low calorie diet.
I forgot to say, that 1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds.
I'm just going on what my GP told me. It may be possible, but unless that kind of loss represents 1% of body fat a week, then it might not be healthy (especially over the longer term- a blip of 1.5kg lost a week for a couple of weeks? Sure. For six months? I don't buy that that can be good for you)
I agree on the essentials- that most of a diet should be healthy food with low calorie density- but disagree on the details. If he controls carefully (and he says he's willing to undergo an "extreme program", which would indicate to me that he is willing to track that carefully), then very small amounts of cheese/ nuts etc (in the context of the rest of the diet, calorie count, and nutrition) isn't going to hurt (indeed, it might give nutrients that are hard to get elsewhere, especially with the nuts).
I agree on the essentials- that most of a diet should be healthy food with low calorie density- but disagree on the details. If he controls carefully (and he says he's willing to undergo an "extreme program", which would indicate to me that he is willing to track that carefully), then very small amounts of cheese/ nuts etc (in the context of the rest of the diet, calorie count, and nutrition) isn't going to hurt (indeed, it might give nutrients that are hard to get elsewhere, especially with the nuts).
Amy i think we are just going to have to disagree on some things. I could argue my position until i am blue in the face. I have reasoned arguments for what i put forward, as do you. I may not agree with your reasoning and you may not agree with mine. It comes down to a decision by the user ultimately.