I am very overweight and need to get a cardiac procedure done. I have to lose 65 pounds in order to do this. I have adapted a healthier lifestyle, which includes giving up all processed foods, no refined starches or sugars, and lots of healthy vegetables and fruits. My calorie consumption now is around 1800 calories a day for optimum weight loss. I am willing to do the work it takes to get the weight off in a healthy and natural way including diet & exercise, but my situation calls for special circumstances. I need to lose a good deal of weight fairly quickly. Until I have my cardiac procedure I am unable to exercise at all. I can not take stimulants at all, as this will exacerbate my heart condition. My insurance does not cover bariatric procedures.
Have you tried anything that yielded rapid results?
It is notable that I NEVER advocate 'fad' diets or weight loss gimmicks. I believe in the good ol' fashioned diet & exercise when it comes to weight loss. However, like I said, this is a special circumstance. After any initial rapid weight loss I will continue to supplement with my healthy lifestyle.
I have an excellent and healthy diet, but it is not rapid. You could show it to your cardiologist and ask about cutting corners, but i don't think you should do anything, especially trying to quickly lose weight, without going over it with your cardiologist. If you would like a link to the diet email me.
unless your doctor says you need 1800 calories, you can go as low as 1200 (my doctor even okayed this when i was 9mnths pregnant). Drink alot of water. drinking water keeps you hydrated that way your liver can burn more daily calories instead of having to help your kidneys. This is what helped me loose the 120 pds I gained during my pregnancy. Your family history will play into alot of this. they say its not healthy to loose more than 2 pds a week, but my dad can loose 1pd a day by normal dieting (he doesnt exercise) and I have inherited that metabolism. so your amount of weight loss really depends on your genes EDITED AFTER READING ADDTIONAL COMMENTS: where as water does help you loose a little weight (for the reason I stated above) drinking it to push food through your stomach faster will not help you loose weight, because one the same amount of calories will be absorbed, and two even if less calories were aborsobed in the stomach the majority of calorie breakdown and absorbation is down by the microvillie in small intestence.
Hi Nikki---It is never healthy to lose weight to quickly. The best and most healthy diet will help you lose 2 to 3 lbs per week. This is in order to lose fat weight. Otherwise you just lose water and muscle. The body is extremely well suited to hold onto fat.
The best way to lose the most weight in the fastest time possible is with a vegan diet. Please go to www.pcrm.org and look for the vegetarian starter kit within that. I can email that to you if you'd like, just ask by email, at [email protected].
I am taking a series of classes taught by a Naturopath who has her PhD in Nutrition. I can share info I've learned from her, as well as some really great recipes and cookbooks. Eliminating, or strictly controlling the amount of animal protein, removes useless fat calories. There is LOTS of protein in whole grains and veggies. Become a great label reader and look for unprocess products that contain lots of fiber. The more fiber you eat, the fewer calories you can eat. Your tummy simply can't hold that much food.
There will be some work in learning how to eat a balanced vegan diet. I have a couple of books to recommend. Go to www.vegetariantimes.com for recipes. Get their magazine to see how great and yummy vegetarian and vegan recipes can be.
I would also recommend a great meal replacement powder to use in smoothies. I work with a company that makes a VERY healthy one. It has tons of plant based foods in it. You'll get the nutrition you need with far fewer calories. It would help you get through your surgery better as well. It contains fruit and veggie juice powders which help to reduce free radical damage, caused my many things, but you'll get more with all of the drugs, procedures, etc. associated with the surgery.
Hopefully this has helped. I would be happy to help more if you have any questions that come up because of this post. Feel free to call. Good luck. In health, Diane 248-625-8742
Being as overweight as you are (I'm not trying to be mean), the weight will come off in large chunks very quickly with the diet that you have in place. If you can do some walking, that will help quite a bit as well. Not enough to get your heart rate up, since that is the issue for you. But something to just establish movement. Realistically, I would expect the process to take about 2 months. Otherwise, you risk damaging your heart even further with the stress on your system. Healthy weight loss for the average person is 1-2lbs/week.
I would caution you against going too low on your calories, as another poster suggested. 1200 calories/day is the absolute minimum that a woman's body needs to function on a daily basis. If you do that, you can send your body into starvation mode, which will shock your system actually and stall your results. In cases where that happens (even to very fit people), the body will hold onto every calorie you consume as a defense, and you will stop losing weight. 1800 for where you are sounds healthy and effective.
My dad worked (retired now) at a hospital as an RN anesthist doing mostly heart procedures and I remember him talking about folks needing to do exactly what you are doing prior to being eligible for surgery. The dr. he works the most with, gave his patients a special soup receipe that they were supposed to eat twice a day, and the 3rd meal was supposed to be a "regular" (albeit healthy) meal. My mom tried it for fun and lost like 15 lbs in a week! It is not meant to "live" on, but rather for rapid weight loss for certain circumstances.
1 package dry onion soup mix
2 bouillon cubes, either chicken or beef
1 celery stick (not the whole stalk), diced
1/2 head green cabbage, diced
3 carrots, sliced
2 bell peppers, sliced
6 large green onions, or 1 large yellow, white or purple onion, diced
2 cans of tomatoes, diced or whole
Cooking spray
Salt, pepper, parsley, garlic powder, soy sauce to taste (or any other seasoning you like)
Spray a large pot with cooking spray and saute all vegetables except cabbage and tomatoes until tender. Add cabbage and about 12 cups of water. Toss in bouillon cubes, soup mix, and seasonings. Cook until soup reaches desired tenderness; add tomatoes.
A couple of things I remember my dad telling me: 1. drink LOTS of water during this diet; 2. a person wasn't supposed to do two meal replacements with this for more than a week to 10 days - maybe just do dinner since it will take you longer than that; 3. this will make you VERY gassy; 3. watch your vitamin intake during this diet to make sure that you get everything you need.
My husband lost 60 pounds in six months on an absorbable multivitamin/mineral complex. He did not change his eating habits or his activity level. The nutrition simply started balancing his body and the weight started falling off. He lost 50 more when he was light enough to start walking/running over the next 4 months. If you are already eating as well as you say, then I think this vitamin will push you a little faster. Even though you are eating well, there are toxins that have built up in your system that stop you from absorbing what is good. The vitamin forces absorption.
Have you tried any kind of cleanse? I started my husband and myself on a natural psyllium based fiber product that not only exposed the absorption sites in the intestinal tract but added antioxidants as well. This helped me drop a few pounds also.
Please feel free to PM me and we can talk specifics. I know how critical weight loss is for good cardiac health. My husband was almost 400 pounds (6'7") and simply panicked. He lost the 110 and he has kept it off for five years now by continuing on the vitamin. He has lost more weight but we haven't really monitored it except by the purchase of clothes to fit.
This is the healthiest way I know to drop weight and it worked for my husband as well as his best friend who lost 50 pounds, my sister-in-law who dropped 15 and several other friends I have recommended it to. I'd love to help!
Diane M is correct that it's never appropriate to lose large amounts of weight rapidly. However, because of your circumstances, your cardiologist should refer you to a Registered Dietician who can help you do it as safely as possible.
1800 calories/day is likely ideal and is very healthy/sustainable in the long run. Your body is like a furnace, and once you adopt a lower-calorie intake, it adjusts to run efficiently on that level. If you resume 2000-2200 calories/day, it will store all those extra calories as fat should you need them in times of starvation (we may not be cavemen, but our bodies don't know that).
The Cabbage Soup diet was originally designed for cardiac patients, but it's been proven to be unsustainable and unhealthy over the years.
Your cardiologist should be your best guide in conjunction with a Dietician. There are a few prescription medications on the market that are FDA approved for Diabetes but have weight loss as a side effect. If you have accompanying diabetes, these medications may be an appropriate and may help facilitate quicker weight loss.
Good luck! I hope you reach your goal and are able to have your procedure as quickly as possible.
I lost over 10 pounds using the sadkhin diet. My friends have lost over 20lbs in less than a month.. The website is www.sadkin.com. Phone number is (214)520 9200. Email me of you ahve any questions. I love this diet and it is the best thing I have ever come across.