Extreme Weight Loss - PLEASE Help

[CanadianGhost]

Hey bros...Sorry if this is in the wrong thread but it covers alot of area.

I have been gone awhile from the board due to unforeseen circumstances.

First I blew out my ACL which wasn't fun and then I got Mono which was less....Anyways I am back and should be around more ...

On to my question:

I am helping my sister, who came to me after YEARS of poor lifestyle decisions and now wants to get in shape.

Her stats are: AGE 27 WEIGHT 275lbs HEIGHT 5'8" DESIRED WEIGHT 150 lbs


Her goal is to reach her desired weight in one years time and KEEP IT OFF. She has made a commitment to change her lifestyle for good and that should help her keep it off...now for getting it off.

I have suggested the following things, as I will work with her on them to help her reach her goals.

CARDIO - 45 mins 2x's daily 5 days/week mostly on stationary bike.

WEIGHT TRAINING - Circuit style training 3 x's / week

DIET - Keep calories to around 1500/day. Protein 45% Carbs 30% Fat 25%
Seperate carbs from proteins and fats, and never have carbs after 6 pm. All carbs will be low GI. No processed or prepared foods and no bad fats. Low ammount of fruits, and min. 64 oz of water.

SUPPS - Whey protein, ECA, Multi-Vitamin, Glutamine

OTHER - One cheat meal/wk if weekly goals are met, lots of positive affirmations.

Am I on the right track?? Are her goals at all possible or too optomistic? Is there something I am missing?

I really want to help her on this so any and all advice is GREATLY appreciated. Thanks everyone..more than life..Thanks.

[Doc.Sust]

that is a good start. any exercse will help her condition, she has to want to do this, you cant make her do it, help her stay committed and be ther for her. you have a good plan, but it in to action, i foundthat the atkins diet yields fast results, you may want to look into both of them

[tretch187]

Sweet mother of cr@p.

You sure about dropping a 275 pound person down to 1500 cals is a good idea?

Seems like a recipe for disaster to me.

Even a PSMF wouldn't drop her that low.



Even if you figure an extremely general diet approach of 10cals/lb you almost double your cal req for her.

[SwoleCat]

That seems extremely low, like she would lose a lot of muscle on that amount.

I've no idea how much lean mass she has, but she'll want to keep all of it for sure.


~SC~

[CanadianGhost]

Thanks guys....

It is a low number of cals for sure.....She does not seem to have alot of lean muscle mass.

Originally I tried using the calculator to determine caloric intake for her, but she quickly balked at the figure saying it was WAYYY higher than she is currently ingesting. I explained that it is not so much about how many calories as it is what kind of calories but she seemed a little iffy still.

Should I stick to the traditional caloric intake ammounts as specified by the various formulas used, or considering the severity of the weight loss should the rules be broken? That is the tough part here...

I REALLY want to help her as she has never taken this step before and she REALLY wants to succeed but doesn''t know how....

Thanks again bros all info or opinions is appreciated.

[tretch187]

Dropping the cals that low is stupidity IMO. She needs to understand that.

I think she would do MUCH better (and have a better shot of not giving up in 3 days) if you use a standard calculator or even the very general 10cal/lb.

Standard calculater subtract 20% and call it good.

The important thing is to re-evalute the numbers after certain periods of time to keep her losing weight. Obviously, as she loses weight, the numbers will need to change.

[bad_man]

Thanks guys....

It is a low number of cals for sure.....She does not seem to have alot of lean muscle mass.

Originally I tried using the calculator to determine caloric intake for her, but she quickly balked at the figure saying it was WAYYY higher than she is currently ingesting. I explained that it is not so much about how many calories as it is what kind of calories but she seemed a little iffy still.

Should I stick to the traditional caloric intake ammounts as specified by the various formulas used, or considering the severity of the weight loss should the rules be broken? That is the tough part here...

I REALLY want to help her as she has never taken this step before and she REALLY wants to succeed but doesn''t know how....

Thanks again bros all info or opinions is appreciated.

Speaking as someone with experience at being obese, my guess is that she is underestimating the number of calories she is currently ingesting. Get her to write down every single thing she eats for 4 or 5 days and it could be a big eye opener for her.

[zimmy]

as another guy who used to be huge...the physical work is the hardest...eating clean is important but 9 out of 10 tiimes when people are that far gone...it's cus they probably aren't doing anything physical at all. I think you might want to try to find a nice physical hobby that she enjoys. Motivation is going to be the toughest thing. And cardio while necessary is never fun. LIke for me I got involved with martial arts...then the cardio i used to hate suddenly became not so bad because it helped me in sparring...
maybe she could join an adult softball league ... or something?

[CanadianGhost]

Thanks everyone....

According to the Harris-Benedict Formula her calories should be around 2100-2500 for cutting. I think this is a far better number myself, and I think I can get her to understand that.

As for the rest of the plan, does everything seem to be in check? Are her goals realistic or should I be giving her more realistic versions?

Thanks again

[GQ-Bouncer]

as another guy who used to be huge...the physical work is the hardest...eating clean is important but 9 out of 10 tiimes when people are that far gone...it's cus they probably aren't doing anything physical at all. I think you might want to try to find a nice physical hobby that she enjoys. Motivation is going to be the toughest thing. And cardio while necessary is never fun. LIke for me I got involved with martial arts...then the cardio i used to hate suddenly became not so bad because it helped me in sparring...
maybe she could join an adult softball league ... or something?

well said zimmy,

I was just going to suggest she joins some sort of athletic/wieght loss club - something she looks foward to going to, not that she thinks she's got to slave about.

Like the old analogy, it's never hard to make a big guy go to the gym (they can constantly see what wieght lifting has done for them)

[CanadianGhost]

Good advice all around....

I have followed it and spoke to her about it.

She once tried Pilates for a short time and REALLY enjoyed it. I don't know much about Pilates except that it appears closely related to Yoga. I am not sure how it works into her goals but it is an activity she enjoys so I have told her it is a good idea to get back into it.

I agree with what everyone is saying...If she can find anything in fitness fun then it could trickle down to the rest of her workouts and lifestyle.

Perhaps I will keep a progress log here and post it in here for everyone to see, considering how much help I thus far recieved with this task.

Thanks again everyone and keep the advice and opinions coming!!

[GQ-Bouncer]

she should consider buying a dog, gives her an excuse to got for walks