# Am i a fat blob and would this make me lose weight?



## ulysses (Dec 20, 2009)

am 19, and 5'6, 32inch waist and wear a L. When i was in HS i weighed 119 and was same height but wore a size small shirt. I have been anorexic-thin my whole life so far. In my first week of college my friend dared me hed give me 100bucks if i put on 30lbs in 5 months, i did but i put on more than that. I squeezed into a 29" waist when im now a 32" and one time i sat in class and my pants were so tight my gut broke them open at the top and it hung over, i sat in front of class and got real embarrased so i bought my new fat clothes. i just keep on gaining now,all my friends just laugh and say its cool. i dont feel sick or anything,but my flabby gut sometimes hangs out from under my shirt,ok end of story. i am now 164LBS. i bumped into this one girl i knew in high school and she didnt even realize it was me!


If i just ate like a banana for breakfast and a small dinner for like 3 weeks would i lose weight? cause my clothes are getting too tight now,i have no time to exercise.


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## OliviaD (Jul 21, 2009)

That will make you sick.  I suggest you find a good weight loss program on the internet or consult a physician if you are serious.  Losing weight is hard work and not something to take lightly (pardon the pun).  You're still young, I assume and have lots of time to get fit in a good program.  I say go for it, but don't think eating a banana a day and one small meal will do it in a healthy way.


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

Do you have a physician you see regularly?  I'm definitely not someone who can give dieting advice.  I'm not a health professional and I've never dieted.  I'm just thinking that perhaps it would be better to come up with a better plan than a banana and a small dinner.  
Personally, and again, not a professional, I think it might be easier to cut things out of your diet.  Such as, do you drink a lot of sugar drinks; eat prosessed foods; eat out at fast food restaurants?  Start with a small step this month, then do something else in a couple or three weeks.  And you can always talk to us here for moral support.
deb


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

I am going to go under the assumption that this is a serious post, and say no, do not eat just a banana for three weeks. Just eat _less_.

And stay away from fast food, it is not your friend.

And take the stairs instead of the elevator/escalator.


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

Only your doctor can tell you for sure if you need to lose weight.  

Having said that, if you decide you need to shed pounds, what you're suggesting is unhealthy at best, and isn't going to cause you to lose the amount of weight you're probably thinking you need to lose.  I've used Weight Watchers successfully in the past, as have a number of people I know.  Diet alone isn't going to work, at least, not for the amount of weight you're talking about losing, and exercise alone wouldn't work either unless your portion sizes are already small.  You need to do both to get weight off and successfully keep it off.  Follow the plan you outlined, and while you may lose a few pounds in the three weeks you've suggested, as soon as those three weeks are up, you'll go right back to eating exactly the way you did to gain the weight in the first place.  This is known as rebound dieting.

Hate to tell you, but there is no easy solution here, period.  Check with your doctor, decide what's appropriate, and ask them what methods they would suggest you use.

Good luck!


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

And more and more, I am coming to realize how much high fructose corn syrup there is in food. Recently a TV doctor (I watch sometimes) pointed out the HFCS in BBQ sauce. I looked. Duh! It is HFCS with flavoring. So watch that specifically.

I've never been truly overweight. Way back in the early '70s I wanted to be thin. So I limited my eating and exercised (not what _exercise_ is today). I got down to 113 lbs. I was and still am 6' tall. That was too thin.


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

Sandpiper said:


> And more and more, I am coming to realize how much high fructose corn syrup there is in food. Recently a TV doctor (I watch sometimes) pointed out the HFCS in BBQ sauce. I looked. Duh! It is HFCS with flavoring. So watch that specifically.


It is in absolutely everything. I have stopped buying finished sauces pretty much altogether (except ketchup). I even gave up buying ice cream and now make my own, after I found in the last year that Ben & Jerry's is using it.


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

I started watching my sodium content in processed foods also.  
deb


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

Ulysses, you say you don't have time to exercise, but you do.  Assuming you drive places, park the furthest from the "door" as possible and walk, don't drive around to find a close place to park.  If you need to leave an extra 5 minutes earlier, do it.  Cut out all fast food!  Cut down on breads and starches, drink only water or non-caffeine tea no more soft drinks, even sugar-free ones.  No flavored water either, it has sodium and some have sugars.  Start reading labels and finding out what is in your food.

5 ft. 6 inches and 164 pounds is way too much, particularly with a gut.  If it was muscle that would be another thing.  You need to get a handle (pun intended) on this NOW.

I am not a doctor, but I have fought weight problems all my life and these are just common-sense rules to follow.  If you can Weight Watchers is great, other weight loss programs are also good, but some just boomerang back after the weight loss.  You may not lose more than a pound or two a week, being male you may lose more, but it is a slow process.

Keep us posted on how you are doing, you will be surprised how many people care, and have the same problem just won't speak up.

HUG


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## Dana (Dec 4, 2009)

Also dump the friend who got you started down this road to begin with....  who needs friends like that?  Don't listen to people who don't have your best interests at heart...  and sometimes that means only listening to yourself if you're surrounded by idiots.

Concentrate on eating healthy....  not on starvation diets that will wreck your metabolism.  Never go below 1200 calories per day.  Be as active as you can even if you don't have time for "official" workouts.  Walk instead of driving small distances, take the stairs instead of elevators, etc.  Substitute water for other drinks which saves a ton of calories and sodium.  Learn the lightest, but most filling choices, at fast food places if that's gonna be hard to avoid, like the chili at Wendy's over a salad is satisfying and flavorful and many less calories than a burger and fries.  Avoid fries...  not filling and the calories just aren't worth it.  Don't always assume salads are fewer calories because the cheese and dressing can really make them as fatty and high calorie as a burger, but at least you're getting your veggies in.  McDonald's has some low cal salads if you choose a low cal dressing.  I love their Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing.

Avoiding sugar helps avoid empty calories.  Eating protein at each meal will help you feel fuller longer. Grilled chicken on a George Foreman grill can be served on salads, with grilled veggies for supper....  fast and easy.  Egg whites or Egg Beaters is a great low calorie way to get your protein in without loading up on calories and saturated fat.  LF popcorn instead of chips......  fruit, veggies, lean meats, whole grains, limit fat and sugar......

Good luck!


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

http://mypyramid.gov

Food pyramid guidelines, as well as a daily food tracker w/nutrition information. DO NOT go on a *starvation diet* your body will adjust to eating less food, and store it away like bears do for hibernation... 
just moderately reduce your intake, and if you are still a college student, I bet you can use the school gym for free, I know I can use mine. Rotate days, Cardio/aerobic exercise and then weight training/anaerobic exercise.. you will need both. 1 lb of muscle burns MUCH more energy at rest than .. gosh I want to say something like 5 lbs of fat, but I can't remember exactly.


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## cheerio (May 16, 2009)

Best way is to consult your doctor or dietitian and stay motivated


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## vsch (Mar 5, 2009)

Eat less, move more and toss the scale...too easy to get addicted to it and that can lead to other problems.


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## Thumper (Feb 26, 2009)

ulysses said:


> am 19, and 5'6, 32inch waist and wear a L. ... i am now 164LBS.
> 
> If i just ate like a banana for breakfast and a small dinner for like 3 weeks would i lose weight? cause my clothes are getting too tight now,i have no time to exercise.


That's not fat; whether you're overweight or not depends on your body type, gender, and how much lean muscle mass you have.

If you really think you have some body fat to lose, do it the smart way. Eat 4-5 times a day, no fewer than 1200 calories (for females) or 1500 (for males) (sorry, I don't know your gender, and your profile didn't say...), and just make sure it's not crap food. Think lean and green; lean meats and lots of veggies. And eat a sensible breakfast; a banana is fine, but pair it up with something like 3-4 egg whites for protein, or some fat free yogurt. *DON'T* skip lunch or dinner, and have a snack or two in there somewhere.

65-70% of weight loss results come from diet, so sure, you can do it without really exercising. Exercise will help, and there's all those heart healthy benefits...but exercise also makes you hungrier. Go with what works for you personally.

I've lost 45 pounds in the last 5 months; I started with Jenny Craig until they kicked me out for allergies, but from then on it was just common sense eating. Oatmeal for breakfast (I fail at the protein thing there...), 200 or so calorie lunch topped off with 100 calorie FF yogurt, 300 or so calorie dinner topped off with FF yogurt, and a sensible snack. I cut out fast food (other than the occasional Subway sandwich) and eat as many raw veggies as I want.

If I get a hankering for something kind of sweet but not fruity...Alpha Bits cereal only has 100 calories a cup. Follw that with FF yogurt, and you're pretty well full. Rice Chex, too.

The key is to eat to lose body fat, not starve to lose weight...when you do that, what you lose is largely lean muscle mass. And think about it: your heart is a muscle...


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## Vegas_Asian (Nov 2, 2008)

I recommend a antioxiant cleanse (acai or chai seed) before you diet. Flush whatever is in your body that can make dieting more difficult. I am the same weight and age as you, but I inheirited my fathers block-ish build rather rather mom's slender petite stature. I also weight about ten times more. Was a high school althete before gaining my and my bro's freshman fifteen. Right now I am going to do the full bar thing ( the bar itself is very filling) and with the help of a vegan friend going on a raw food diet for two to three weeks (excluding the bar). So far two of my co-workers lost ten-fifteen pounds on it.

If you have a bike and live in an area where it's safer to bike, that's a way to exercise. Bike to the book store library or the corner store now and then Did this last winter thru the summer until the fall and lost a good ten pounds and toned the legs a little. Then stopped when I came within inches of Lincoln naviagtor last fall. I have seen baskets you can attach to handbars(plain black metal one) at target that seconds as a deattachable shopping basket. Though biking in a city setting can be scary


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## Jen (Oct 28, 2008)

You have to make time to exercize!!  That is absolutely crucial to a healthy life.  Whether it's a 10 minute walk on your lunch break or parking in the back of the parking lot - every bit helps.  I don't really have time for exercize either, but I make time!  I consider it non-negotiable!
And these guys are right - never, ever go below 1200 calories - even below 1500 is dangerous.  Just make healthier choices, eat small healthy meals every 3-4 hours and do what you can - the weight will come off.  Diets do not have to be complicated!


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## F1Wild (Jun 15, 2009)

ulysses said:


> am 19, and 5'6, 32inch waist and wear a L. When i was in HS i weighed 119 and was same height but wore a size small shirt. I have been anorexic-thin my whole life so far. In my first week of college my friend dared me hed give me 100bucks if i put on 30lbs in 5 months, i did but i put on more than that. I squeezed into a 29" waist when im now a 32" and one time i sat in class and my pants were so tight my gut broke them open at the top and it hung over, i sat in front of class and got real embarrased so i bought my new fat clothes. i just keep on gaining now,all my friends just laugh and say its cool. i dont feel sick or anything,but my flabby gut sometimes hangs out from under my shirt,ok end of story. i am now 164LBS. i bumped into this one girl i knew in high school and she didnt even realize it was me!
> If i just ate like a banana for breakfast and a small dinner for like 3 weeks would i lose weight? cause my clothes are getting too tight now,i have no time to exercise.


I am a healthcare professional and often provide diet/nutrition counseling to patients. I noticed several buzz words in your post that both concern me, but there is much to be happy about. My fist thoughts are that this might be more than a simple diet/weight issue as your words show a bit of a self-confidence issue - which may have been there prior to your recent weight gain) the reason why you would consider a college dare in the first place.

You are in a terrific place to take care of this issue now - you are young, healthy and in an academic atmosphere. I would start with a few things.
1. Either schedule an appointment with your doctor and ask for a recommendation to a good dietitian or call and get the referral over the phone - whichever one makes your insurance happy. Some insurances will want an MD referral.
2. See the dietitian and start a good, sound eating plan with plenty of choices (I could help you if you would like). Consider it a gift to yourself. Trust me, your real friends will look up to you and probably even ask you to help them. 
3. Check out what your college has to offer - do you have nutrition, exercise physiology, etc. studies programs at your school - they are ALWAYS looking for patients.
4. Join an inexpensive local gym - great place for fun, burning calories and meeting up with new friends who share common goals. Don't think of it as a place to work out/exercise - think of it as a social place, as it is!!

It sounds like you know you need to change things a bit, but I would bet you just need good info, a plan to eat healthier (NOT an all or nothing "diet") and a bit of tweaking to get you going.


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## kevindorsey (Mar 4, 2009)

Dude, you are 19.  You can lose that weight in 2 weeks.

This is what you need to do, always works for me:

1.  Any calorie burning exercise machine(treadmill, stairmaster, etc).  You want to burn around 700-850 calories per hour.  
2.  Access to sauna.
3.  Ability to count calories, at least approximately, and knowing how much daily calorie consumption your body needs(check one of those graphs that shows how much you burn per your age/weight, etc.)

Now, all you have to do is eat approximately as much as you burn for a few weeks, and go to sauna everyday/every other day for 15-20min at a time.  Watch the weight slide of you, very quickly.  

This does require dieting, and you will be hungry for a few days, as you can understand that you wont' eat a ton, but the weight loss will be very rapid. I easily did around a 1 to 1.5lbs per day.


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## F1Wild (Jun 15, 2009)

kevindorsey said:


> Dude, you are 19. You can lose that weight in 2 weeks.
> This is what you need to do, always works for me:
> 1. Any calorie burning exercise machine(treadmill, stairmaster, etc). You want to burn around 700-850 calories per hour.
> 2. Access to sauna.
> ...


I respect your opinion, but suggesting someone try to loose weight in 2 weeks (1-1.5 lbs/per) is drastic and not medically sound. Although I agree with #3 the other two are a bit extreme and not healthy. In order to burn 700-850 per hour on a treadmill you must be running at around 7mph and if you are not used to exercise this is not healthy. Losing weight by sitting in a sauna is short term, at best. You lose water weight only which will be gained back when your body regains equilibrium.

You don't have to go hungry to lose weight, as there are plenty of great, filling choices. The extreme diets do not provide proper nutrition or health.


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## cheerio (May 16, 2009)

kevindorsey said:


> Dude, you are 19. You can lose that weight in 2 weeks.
> 
> This is what you need to do, always works for me:
> 
> ...


Stay away from #2. You can get dehydrated from this. I never recommend a sauna to anyone unless it is for 10-15 minutes to relieve some type of join pain and sore muscles, but not to lose weight


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

I agree, you want to lose fat....not water. Most crash diets involve losing muscle and water and leaving the fat. Then you gain back the water, add some more fat and are less healthy than when you started


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## kevindorsey (Mar 4, 2009)

F1Wild said:


> I respect your opinion, but suggesting someone try to loose weight in 2 weeks (1-1.5 lbs/per) is drastic and not medically sound. Although I agree with #3 the other two are a bit extreme and not healthy. In order to burn 700-850 per hour on a treadmill you must be running at around 7mph and if you are not used to exercise this is not healthy. Losing weight by sitting in a sauna is short term, at best. You lose water weight only which will be gained back when your body regains equilibrium.
> 
> You don't have to go hungry to lose weight, as there are plenty of great, filling choices. The extreme diets do not provide proper nutrition or health.


For a young guy, a pound a day is not that challenging, and not hard on your heart at all, unless he has heart problems. Metabolism is its highest peaks, lots of natural testosterone production in the body(I did a lot of bodybuilding, so I know what I'm talking about ) Anybody in good health, can sustain this for a few weeks. Yes, its not always advisable to drop weight quickly, but it doesn't sound like he needs to drop a lot of weight, and 2-3 weeks of intense work is better than doing it for 3 months, and I think he will agree.

And you don't need to run at all to burn 700-850 calories per hour, just use eliptical machine and stairmaster. Taht's what I do, since I have bad ankles. Very easy, not too physically exerting.

This method is short term, if you haven't noticed, and that's why sauna works great. You lose your water weight quickly, and you keep it off from coming back during your dieting. Sauna in general is great for you in moderation, and there are a lot of myths about it that are simply not true. Sauna cleans your body of many build ups through sweat, and its a great booster during something like this. Its been used in many cultures as an immunity booster and to improve health longetivity. Western world is behind on their facts.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

I'd say they are behind on their myths. Sweating does not magically eliminate toxins, it eliminates sweat. Neither do colonics. But regardless, why would you want to lose water weight? There is no benefit to that.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

The sauna and steam rooms have nothing to do with weight loss.  It's just sweat and water loss and after that you would need to drink a lot of water.  

I use the steam room after my swim and it feels great, but it's not for weight loss.


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## F1Wild (Jun 15, 2009)

kevindorsey said:


> For a young guy, a pound a day is not that challenging, and not hard on your heart at all, unless he has heart problems. Metabolism is its highest peaks, lots of natural testosterone production in the body(I did a lot of bodybuilding, so I know what I'm talking about ) Anybody in good health, can sustain this for a few weeks. Yes, its not always advisable to drop weight quickly, but it doesn't sound like he needs to drop a lot of weight, and 2-3 weeks of intense work is better than doing it for 3 months, and I think he will agree.
> 
> And you don't need to run at all to burn 700-850 calories per hour, just use eliptical machine and stairmaster. Taht's what I do, since I have bad ankles. Very easy, not too physically exerting.
> 
> This method is short term, if you haven't noticed, and that's why sauna works great. You lose your water weight quickly, and you keep it off from coming back during your dieting. Sauna in general is great for you in moderation, and there are a lot of myths about it that are simply not true. Sauna cleans your body of many build ups through sweat, and its a great booster during something like this. Its been used in many cultures as an immunity booster and to improve health longetivity. Western world is behind on their facts.


I respect your opinion, as said, but do not support your methods of quick water only loss as a healthy weight loss plan. And do not assume there is no familiarity with sauna usage as this is not true. Also, the assumption that what we are suggesting is the "Western world" only is also false.

I understand your expertise in bodybuilding may have satisfied your particular needs, but do not feel this makes you a healthcare provider with sound advice for healthy weight loss.


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## Reyn (Feb 10, 2009)

I respect your opinion and I am glad that worked for you.  However that is not the advice I would give anyone.  I am not an expert by any means but, I am a certified PE teacher.  I have taken numerous classes in fitness and nutrition.  The best advice I could give you would be...check with your doctor (get a physical to ensure you are physically able to exercise), watch your caloric intake, count fat grams and exercise when you can (3-5 times per week if possible).  Losing weight is hard work and there are NO quick fixes.  If it were easy everyone would be stick skinny.


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