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Running on a very low calorie diet?
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I think the OP is pretty much solidily set on doing this diet, so not matter what is said, it will make no difference.
As a general outlook, it is a shame that "we" all expect unrealistic results quickly, because the reality isn't like that.
I think if people appreciated that it is something that takes time, and it isn't something that you can quick fix overnight, there would be a heck of a lot of less dissapointed people out there, I've lost count of the amount of people who "give up" on a healthy "diet" and excerscie regime because they aren't getting the results THEY want, and just go back to their old ways.
I think that (society as a whole) is very, very lazy when it comes to the attitudes to food preperation and intake, and excersice, the usual excuse is "I am too busy to cook healthy food and excersice", sorry, NO ONE is that busy.
I'll stop rambling now, its just something I feel very passionate about.
BMI is ancient, and largely unscientific. It was devised as long ago as 1869 by Adolphe Quetelet, a Belgian astronomer who decided that, for adults, weight should be proportional to the square of the height.
Many Sprinters, for example, are bigger because they are built for power and speed over endurance – but this highlights the problem with the BMI. European 60m indoor champion Dwain Chambers is technically overweight, despite kicking the steroids, and so was former world-record holder Maurice Greene when he won the Olympic 100m in 2004
There is a very interesting article on BMI at the following URL which is well worth reading as BMI seems to be a heavily used term by the diet industry.
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/weight-loss/fat-or-fiction-why-you-should-be-wary-of-your-bmi/4298.html
Other than that I wish you the very best on trying to get healthier however you decide to do it
I agree Danowat!
The real shame is that it is highly likely that the OP will go from BMI 30 to 25, say.
Next year when it has climbed back up to 34 guess what 'solution' will be turned to - oh yes, the 'quick fix' again.
The next time it will be BMI 38 and so on and so forth...
The OP obviously cant understand the simple fact that people who run/exercise regularly are, on the whole, slim and healthy. People who regularly 'do' diets yo-yo themselves up the obesity scale with small breaks during which they are a little less heavy but nutritionally deprived.
At least the CD people will make plenty of money.
If I lose weight on this diet, come off it and for whatever reason take my eye off the ball and gain weight again, I won't return to this diet or any other diet like it. I'm seeing this as a one off thing and I'm determined to make it so. I just want to try it, chance my arm. If it all fails miserably then I'll accept that traditional grassroots healthy eating for weight loss really is the way to go and have a bit of patience. I just think while I'm young, I may as well try this quick method. Everybody is different and with weight loss, it's not necessarily the same route for all.
I know people who have been on these diets- it gets the weight off initially for everyone. Some then put it back on and more but then some maintain it for years and become healthy (my flatmate for example). I have high hopes that I'll be in the latter camp as I'm going into this with my eyes open, I'm prepared for the pit-falls and accept that maintaining the weight may well be even harder than the initial weight loss.
Oh and I know BMI is becoming outdated but it is still a good indicator of a healthy target weight. Thanks for the info though, Squeaks!
And I don't mind lining the pockets of the CD people as it's not a very expensive diet. It costs about £30 a week and considering alcohol and obviously meals out are prohibited, I should be saving money.
I appreciate that diets like this do bring out some strong reactions and that's fine. I know I'm not going to change anybody's mind and I'm not trying to. I agree with most of what is being said; all are points that I have considered. I just don't like the assumption that I'm completely ill-informed or the sweeping statements about automatic weight gain after this diet.
Thanks for the concern, though!
Like food?
Personally, I'd consider the CD to be a (very) unnecessary expediture, not sure food would be classed as unnecessary, mind you, as a family of 3, we don't spend a great deal more than £30 a week on food.
Not having looked into the CD, what do you get for your £30 a week?
I agree with you dano, that swirly is going to do this, no matter what anyone says. I think that the original request was hoping to get endorsement and "Hey, that's really great, well done, you could also run a marathon in 2 months' time".
Obviously not!
Swirly, like the others, I don't think that restricting yourself like that is good, but my question is what happens if it doesn't work? What will you do then?
You're not the only one on this forum who would like to be fitter / lighter / more toned etc, but we all try to get there the sensible way - sensible eating and sensible exercise.
If you really want to lose all that weight, why not join one of the more typical diet clubs - Weight Watchers or Slimming World. That way, if you followed a more reasonable eating plan, you'd probably also be able to start exercising immediately, and that, IMHO, would do you more good than following an extremely restricted diet for 6 - 8 weeks which is so restrictive that you cannot exercise during that time.
Edited to add this, also, it's not just about weight, it's about your shape. If you start exercising, your body will start to tone up and you will look better even if you haven't lost all the weight that you want to.
Don't get me started on WW or SW!!!!!.
Personally, I pretty much disagree with anyone (or thing) profiteering from the pure misery and unhappiness that goes along with obesity, infact, I hate it so much that I have been toying with the idea of trying to do something to help obesity for free, I just don't know what it is yet!.
I'm sorry but you sound reasonably intelligent and yet then come out with comments that show you are both ill-informed and also in some sort of denial about your current situation.
You exercise LOTS, are physically very active...yet FAT. This doesnt add up if the physically active lifestyle is maintained for a protracted period.
There are variations in metabolism rates between individuals but it doesnt alter the fact that a human body works pretty much like any other human body.
If you really are THAT different, how do you think a ridiculously low intake of calories is going to solve the situation. It isnt! It will slow the metabolism further and will mean that into the future when you 'exercice LOTS' that you will be even heavier than you are now for the same effort.
See the lack of logic in what you're saying..?
I only mentioned them danowat as I thought that the op looks as though she can't do this herself. I agree they have their downsides, but if someone needs the regime, then I think that they offer a better alternative than the CD.
One thing that suprises me is that a GP would go along with this - doesnt' seem very sensible - I'd have expected a referral to a proper nutrionist.
So you spend alot on alcohol then normally?, how do you plan your alcohol intake after the CD?, considering that alcohol is major source of empty calories?.
As for GP's and weightloss, unfortunately, in my experiance, a lot of them are completely clueless, rather than being refered to a nutritionalist, I was given Orlistat, which is a TERRIBLE drug.
...Linda xx
You can exercise a lot and still be fat.........when Ironman training last year I was training for 16- 20 hours a week some weeks and still didn't lose weight...put on even more................simply because I'm greedy and eat and drink too much..............
by the sound of it if you just gave the alcohol up for a term then your weight would come down...........
you know that this isn't good for you but you will follow it because you want what the mass majority of us want a quick fix.............
I wish you well.........i hope whatever you do works for you but it won't change the fact that you will probably still eat and drink too much afterwards.........
ST - If you 'exercise LOTS' as you claim, then what you are proposing is to dramatically reduce this so that you can go ahead and effectively semi-starve yourself.
I'm getting more confused the more you post..
Seren - 16-20 hours per week training and 'still fat'. Theres no context there so its impossible to comment but, in general, with that level of exercise your appetite will be craving all the types of foods it actually NEEDS and the desire for alcohol drops off a cliff.....
Well then, all you need to do is stop drinking and eat less *holds out hand* £30 please
Got to admit the desire for alcohol didn'rt drop off........but I'm not a big drinker.......small and often...............but a big eater and just eat more and more..........over compensated and maybe all the training wasn't quality so didn't burn it off as I would have hoped for..........
anyway I still believe that just by cutting down portion sizes will get me where I want to be but it isn't easy and it isn't quick.........meanwhile I'm off for a run
BMI IS outdated as others have said and it's only a good indicator for a healthy target weight for those who do absolutely no exercise at all - you don't appear to fall into that category.
my BMI is 33 - I'm an ex-rugby player so fall into that "larger than normal" category yet according to my BMI I am chronically obese. OK - stop me running marathons, ultras, doing Ironmans etc if I'm going to die cos I'm too fat. BMI is bollocks for healthy, physically active people
if you want rapid weight loss - get dysentery or something. otherwise stick to a balanced diet and exercise and take matters slowly
'Cravings have stopped' ?
You make this sound like something good.
Thats your appetite you're talking about, learn to listen to it.
'Taking food completely out of the equation for a while'
Its amazing that people actually pay to be treated like a POW!
FB - Dysentry, great idea.....its quick and costs a lot less than £30/week. Good work, why didnt I think of that..?
Not sure what the going rate is on tapeworms these days..........
maybe I'll leave this fish out on the radiator for a few days before eating it
...Linda xx
A book which I found interesting recently is Mindless Eating by Brian somebody or other .It's not a diet book but about where our personal ideas about food come from and why we eat/crave certain things. Very research-based and quite illuminating.
Just thought I would throw that in there.