Lose 10 pounds in 10 days? No way!

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  Posted by Mrs. Carol B Mon Aug 3, 2009 11:33am PDT

  Good catch! There are too many bogus ads and stories about weight loss. My hubby and I did our own one day as an example of how he could be in one of those ads. He just slumped and stuck out his belly for the before and then stood up tall and sucked it in for the 2nd picutre. Who do some of these people think they are kidding? They even wear different clothes that are more flattering and use make-up in the after pics. What ever happened to TRUTH IN ADVERTISING...............

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  Posted by Doktor Eevol Mon Aug 3, 2009 12:28pm PDT

  A loss like that HAS to be initial water weight and muscle. So yeah, it's a shame they are trying to make money by encouraging unhealthy results.

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  Posted by Katie B Mon Aug 3, 2009 12:34pm PDT

  But it's just this kind of thing that girls and young women see. And if you are not so well versed in how to live a healthy life and to lose weight (if needed) in a healthy way... it's just the type of stuff we are gravitated towards. We see people fawn over skinny to healthy looking people and know that that is a standard of beauty in our culture and has been for sometime... and all girls know is that they need to lose weight to look "good" or be "popular"... they see an idol or demi-idol "saying" they lost all this weight in a short amount of time (especially after being chastise for being a slightly bigger, albeit still healthy, body type) and they have to do it as well... but then the results they want don't come and they will end up with disordered eating, in one way or another.

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  Posted by j2 Tue Aug 4, 2009 6:31am PDT

  Water loss => yes

  muscle => not nearly so much

  Weigh loss without strength training is supposed to come from fat & muscle in nearly equal proportions.

  But, it simply isn't possible to burn that many calories without an impressive ~10 hour per day workout routine for people of normal weight.

  Some athletes have to "make weight". I've watched the process over a number of cycles. They work out, but stop eating. The first weight loss comes from water loss, which they at least partially replace for a considerable amount of time. The second comes from emptying their gut (not eating, remember) over a couple of days. The third loss is fat loss over time from low intake & hard workouts. Finally, they often make a final cut purely with water loss. I suspect most crash diets have the second step involved. When the diet ends the gut refills & there are a couple of pounds gained "instantly".

  3500 calories per pound? Go to a grocery store & read some labels. A pound of butter has 3200 calories. A pound of cooking oil has 3200 calories. A pound of lard, for Pete's sake has 3200 calories. Why would human body fat have 3500 calories per pound? Does someone have a qualified reference for this?

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  Posted by V-for-V-a-l-i-a-n-T™ Tue Aug 4, 2009 7:54am PDT

  I think it's possible, once, while trying to lose weight for the army I lost 8 pounds in 1 day, maybe it has to do with metabilsism

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  Posted by j2 Tue Aug 4, 2009 8:25am PDT

  Nope V-for-V-a-l-i-a-n-T™, do the math: A man (180 pounds) burns about 700 calories per hour of running. 3200/700 is ~4.6 hours of running to burn pound of fat. Another way of looking at it is 700 calories times 24 hours for 16,800 calories; divided by 3200 calories per pound of fat for 5.25 pounds of fat in a 24 hour day of running.

  I've also lost 8 pounds in a 2 hour workout. It is comprised of at least 7.6 pounds of water and I drank it all back over the next few hours.

  Of course the heavier you are, the more calories you burn hauling that mass around. Conversely, the lighter you are, the less you burn with the same workout. So if you weighed 360 pounds and ran for 16 hours, you might have achieved the 8 pound of fat loss. But, I know bloody few people who can run for 16 hours and none of them weigh 300+ pounds.

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  Posted by sunshines Tue Aug 4, 2009 9:54am PDT

  I lost 8 pounds in one day--its called giving birth! Any way other than that, you delivered a water loss.

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  Posted by Joseph M Tue Aug 4, 2009 10:00am PDT

  This article brought up some good points. I think that what people also need to think about is whether they are looking to lose WEIGHT or lose FAT because there is a difference. If you're merely DIETING to lose weight you could do harm to your body. Most people who lose weight quickly will shed water first, but this is not true weight loss because once you drink a lot of water the weight comes back on. Another problem with general weight loss is that you could lose more muscle than fat, this happens from improper nutrition which results in decreased metabolism. Our bodies have adapted to conserve fuel (i.e. fat stores) in times of starvation, the way the energy conservation mechanism works is to breakdown protein stores to give energy to the brain and other systems. Prolonged utilization of other sources for energy can lead to a number of health problems which could be life threatening and require medical intervention. Even in the short term, when the body thinks it is starving, metabolism slows down to conserve energy and then the next time you eat a meal, your body will store much of it as fat in order to prepare for the next "starvation".

  A more reasonable approach is to lose FAT. This is accomplished through a combination of exercise (and for those with a lot of fat to lose, cardiovascular exercise will be the emphasis), proper nutrition, and rest. To minimize your chances of developing hormonal imbalances from rapid weight loss, you should set a goal of one to two pounds weight loss a week. Cardiovascular exercise and strength/resistance training will be very important to achieving this goal. The cardio e.g. walking, treadmill, stair climbing, jumping rope, bicycling, etc. will boost your metabolism while you are PERFORMING the exercise. Strength training, on the other hand, will benefit you because it encourages muscle growth; muscle uses more energy than fat does so you will actually burn fat if you have sufficient muscle. Moreover, muscle burns energy even at rest, so a strength training workout could give your metabolism a 24-36 hour boost. Finally, muscle takes up less space than fat which will give you a leaner appearance.

  Diet would consist of healthy fats (e.g. fish, nuts, olive oil), slowly digestible carbohydrates (e.g. green leafy vegetables, pears, apples, etc.) and lean protein (e.g. poultry, lean meats, fish), milk and dairy products, and water. If you are trying to lose weight and only eat one or two meals a day, you may actually slow your metabolism down thus inadvertently triggering fat gain. Instead eat 4 - 6 light meals every day will help your body feel satiated and keep your metabolism running smoothly. Of course, each meal should consist of healthy fats, carbohydrates, protein, dairy and water. Maintaining a food diary wherein you record the foods you've eaten, when you had your meals and why you ate such and such food(s) may actually help you to lose weight. When we accept accountability for something we tend to be more mindful of our choices.

  Finally, getting a good night's sleep will help you to lose weight. Studies indicate that decreased sleep activates fat storing hormones which will could lead to weight gain. Each of us is different but a healthy night's sleep of 7- 8 hours would do the body good.

  Now, this means absolutely nothing if you don't consider long term commitment to health i.e. a lifestyle change. This is perhaps the hardest part of all, but it is the most realistic way to keep the excess fat off for the long haul.

  http://www.livingfithealthyandhappy.com

  Published daily, "Living Fit, Healthy and Happy" is a family-friendly physical fitness resource website with articles on fitness, anti-aging, obesity, diabetes, eating disorders, cardio vascular health and many other health related issues.

  http://www.livingfithealthyandhappy.com

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  Posted by Shello Tue Aug 4, 2009 10:35am PDT

  Those articles make me crazy! This week Jessica is too fat and in a month or so, when she starves her self to nothingness, they will say she's too thin. It's stupid. These poor girls. When will they stop falling for it?

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  Posted by Frantastic Tue Aug 4, 2009 11:29am PDT

  I like Anne's perspective. And that is just it, we need to stop looking at these celeb's. Most things seem effortless because they have personal trainers, chef's, make up people, etc. It's not our lives people.

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