Bulging Brides / Weight loss question

[DMBFiredancer]

I sat through an episode oh Bulging Brides lat night - anyone else here ever see this show?
They have 6 weeks to lose enough weight to fit into their dresses (that obviously were bought too small to begin with.)

For you fitness buffs out there, is 6 weeks really a reasonable amount of time to lost 15-20 lbs? I was always under the impression that it took much longer (well, in order to do it the healthy way.)

Anyone here have experience losing that much weight that quickly AND keeping it off? I am just curious...

 

[elrohwen]

I haven't experienced it personally, but from what I've seen I know that the more overweight you are, the faster you lose the initail pounds. So if someone is only 20lbs overweight, losing 15-20 in such a short time would be really difficult. However, if someone was 100lbs overweight, losing 15lbs in 6 weeks might not be a stretch at all.

I've also heard that losing 1-2lbs per week is healthy, so someone could absolutely lose 12lbs in 6 weeks healthily, which isn't so far off from 15lbs.

ETA: Keeping it off is a whole other question altogether!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Are they really trying to lose 20lbs on that show? Usually they try for 10-15 and average in at 12, which is about 1 dress size.

 

[Mediterranean]

I guess it would have a lot to do with the person''s lifestyle before they started the program. A person who eats a lot of junk food and is very sedentary will experience results that are more dramatic than a person who has been eating a little more healthfully and who is a little more active.

That''s why you always hear people complaining about losing "the last 5 pounds" LOL! Those 5 pounds are the most difficult because the human body has already adapted itself to the higher level of activity, and has grown used to the exertion, so it doesn''t need as much energy (in the form of kcal) so weight loss slows down. That''s one of the reasons why you will sometimes see runners and joggers using weight vests; it takes more energy (calories) to move a heavier body. So they make their bodies artificially "heavier" with the weight vests.

About keeping it off: That''s the main reason why diets don''t work. People view them as temporary, and a means to an end. In fact it''s closer to equate eating right with quitting smoking. Poor eating habits are something that shouldn''t be a part of one''s life, just like cigarettes shouldn''t. That doesn''t mean you can''t have the occasional treat, but it''s important to put restaurant food, junk food, rich desserts and alcohol in their proper place: they''re treats. You have them once a or twice a month, in a very small amount. I think that''s what trips up most eating plans: the difficulty in limiting the treats...

 

[marchswallowbird]

To lose weight in a healthy way, and to be able to maintain the loss, you should lose a maximum of 2 pounds a week. So no, I would say that that 6 weeks is not enough time to lose 15-20 pounds.

 

[brandy_z28]

It can most definitely be done. I''ve done it a time or two, the first time I had a trainer and I don''t know exact numbers but I dropped a lot of weight really fast at first. I was on a very strict diet and was working out at least an hour a day. Keeping the weight off is a whole different battle. It is a lifestyle change, not just a quick fix. It can be done but the person has to be ready to start over a new with their way of life and thinking about food and working out.

 

[luvthemstrawberries]

1-2 pounds is the most you''d want to lose a week to do it in a healthy and not dangerous way. And even that much is pretty difficult to do unless you stray 0%. Like Brandy said above, it takes a lifestyle change. And commitment.

Most of the people on that show are not obese by any means - they just bought a dress too small or have gained weight since buying it and now have to lose some blubber to fit into it and not be pudging out of it. BUT most of the contestants also have absolutely terrible diets. They show them eating cheeseburgers, pizza, dessert, drinking all the time, blah blah blah. And they always quote the girls saying "there''s no way they''re gonna make me give up my _______"

(whatever food they eat and eat and eat that has evidently sent them to whatever weight they''re at now.

So the nutrition girl comes on the show and brings a basket into the contestant''s kitchen and empties out all the bad food (almost always everything in the frig and cabinets - they never have anything healthy anyway). Then she sets out a sample day of dishes with what the contestant can eat. It''s always very lean, and small servings. She tells them about serving sizes being the size of your palm, etc. The contestant always complains, "this isn''t going to be enough" blah blah blah. And the nutritionist tells her she''s got to stick to this to lose the weight.

Then the big buff trainer dude steps in and starts the workouts. The girl complains, complains, complains...

Then they always show the contestant going out with her friends at night and binging out on huge plates of greasy-looking burgers, margaritas, etc... then the trainer sees the footage and wakes her up early during her hangover the next day for boot camp workouts... wah wah wah.

She eventually loses enough to "fit" the dress. It''s usually a few inches that was needed, which can be achieved with a really strict diet and lots of exercise and toning in 6 weeks. I just wonder if the girl measuring the dress is also a seamstress who can make adjustments too... hmm...

Anyway, DMB, I''m pretty active, and I think 15-20 lbs in 6 weeks is really unreasonable. Yes, if the person is obese, when they hit that diet and workout regimen hard, they tend to lose ~10 lbs or so the first week, like on Biggest Loser. But that''s water weight, and the body''s way of getting rid of toxins and nastiness that those people keep in their bodies for so long. A generally just "flabby" person trying to tone up can''t safely lose that much that quickly. It''s been done, but it really puts a strain on the body. People have no idea how much.

Btw, not trying to bash the show. Just aggravates me why they''re on the show in the first place if they''re not gonna make the effort.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

All of these are really good points. I''d also like to point out that you should be going by measurements, not by poundage. Work out and eat well so you fit in your clothes, not so you''re 140 lbs. You can be a fat 140 lbs or you can be a toned 130 lbs. The same weight looks very different when it''s made up of muscle vs. fat.

 

[luvthemstrawberries]

Date: 2/16/2009 2:42:02 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
All of these are really good points. I'd also like to point out that you should be going by measurements, not by poundage. Work out and eat well so you fit in your clothes, not so you're 140 lbs. You can be a fat 140 lbs or you can be a toned 130 lbs. The same weight looks very different when it's made up of muscle vs. fat.

Amen to that, all the way.

Heck, I'm 5'6", really athletic, don't think I've been under ~130-140 lbs since somewhere in high school (I'm almost 24 now). I got really muscular and toned then with sports and my body just stayed that way. I've slacked off since Christmas (hehe who hasn't

), but I am ALWAYS at ~140. That's my plateau weight for exercising and eating well. It would take me SOOOOO much work (I'd really be miserable) to lose any more fat than that. I have no problem telling anyone I weight 140 lbs, because it's muscle. I'm honestly pretty short to weight that much, but you'd never know it was that number. So don't worry about numbers. Like HudsonHawk said, look at measurements, and look at body fat percentages. That's where you'll really see progress and how healthy you are.

 

[katamari]

10-12 lbs in 6 weeks, fine, but 15-20 would be pushing it. The is no secret behind weight loss, you have to keep your calories burned higher than your calorie intake. Anytime that you do this, whether it is by minimizing calories or maximizing exercise, you will loose weight. But, if you shock your body by moving too far in one direction, it becomes unsustainable and your body begins to hoard fats. Good 6 week solution? Maybe. Good 6 month solution? Nope.

 

[musey]

Date: 2/16/2009 12:52:02 PM
Author: elrohwen
I haven''t experienced it personally, but from what I''ve seen I know that the more overweight you are, the faster you lose the initail pounds. So if someone is only 20lbs overweight, losing 15-20 in such a short time would be really difficult. However, if someone was 100lbs overweight, losing 15lbs in 6 weeks might not be a stretch at all.

Ditto this.

When I''m working really hard, I can lose about 2 lbs. per week. That is very fast for me. But then, I''ve never been outside of my height''s healthy weight range, so I''ve never been in the "easy to lose the major excess" range. I guess I can''t speak for speed at those weights.

 

[musey]

Date: 2/17/2009 6:06:46 PM
Author: katamari
The is no secret behind weight loss, you have to keep your calories burned higher than your calorie intake. Anytime that you do this, whether it is by minimizing calories or maximizing exercise, you will loose weight.

To a certain degree, yes, but I've found that for me at least, the types of foods I'm eating matter a lot more than just the flat calorie intake.

For example I try to stick to a 1200-1300 calorie diet, regardless of the types of foods I'm eating. When I eat a high protein/medium fiber/low carb diet, my weight stays stagnant or even goes up. When I eat a high fiber/medium carb/low protein diet, my weight goes down. In both cases I'm meeting the minimum recommendation, for the record.

Different things work for different people. My mom basically does atkins and it works wonders for her body. She has tons of energy and drops weight and keeps it off. When I moved back home after my first year of college I started eating her diet, and it did NOT work for me. I was lethargic and overweight (not clinically, just for me, which was about 140 lbs.).

Soon after I moved back to school I started eating plenty of carbs and tons of fruits/veggies, and only had a little bit of meat once a day. I dropped 10 lbs. in a month and it stayed off. My energy level shot up, and I'd never felt so healthy. No activity changes or anything - purely a shift in the types of foods I was taking in. I told my mom, thinking I'd discovered something "better" than her diet, so she tried switching. She got lethargic and gained 5 lbs. within a couple of weeks.

So even though in both cases I was eating 1200-1400 calories (and so was my mom, I think), one made the weight just disappear for me.

 

[DMBFiredancer]

thank you so much for sharing all of your experiences.
luckily, i dont need to drop 20 lbs (i''d feel too skinny if i did - i do want to keep some of my butt ) but i would like to tone and maybe drop about 10...or whatever it takes to feel good. you guys are right - the number can be deceiving. when i admit to people what my number on the scale says, they are shocked. its true that muscle weighs more, so if you are working out with weights, you will obviously gain muscle.

i was just curious about how realistic these shows are...and how they may give false hopes to people about what is the healthy and long lasting route to take.

thanks again!

 

[swingirl]

Your cat has such pretty markings1!

 

[DMBFiredancer]

Date: 2/17/2009 9:36:24 PM
Author: swingirl
Your cat has such pretty markings1!

thank you! we think she has some siamese in her (blue eyes) - she was a stray...we tried very hard to find who she belonged to but never could find them. a neighbor said that someone next to them moved and said they couldnt bring their cat to the new place, so we think they abandoned her. how could anyone do that?

 

[AmberGretchen]

I think you make a good point about those shows raising unrealistic expectations. I think for me, the bigger problem with the bulging brides type shows in particular is they really don''t talk about doing it to get healthy for the long term - its clearly intended as a "get skinny for the wedding" kind of thing, with no real attention to what happens afterwards.

As someone who has struggled and yo-yo''ed a ton with my weight, I know that''s not a healthy approach at all - so much better to learn healthy habits you can maintain over the long term, even if that means not losing as fast.

Also, ditto musey re: different things working for different people. DH and I tried to do South Beach at some point, and I was so miserable - I got crabby and exhausted, and I didn''t really lose much weight at all. When I figured out what worked for me, I was able to drop about 50 lbs in a year, and I''ve more or less kept it off (this part is still a learning process, but that''s OK as long as I''m learning

).

Ditto also on the cute kitty - absolutely gorgeous, I love lynx point markings

Did you know that all "pointed" kitties (i.e. kitties who have darker fur on their heads, tails, legs, etc...) have blue eyes? Apparently its genetically linked. I''d bet your kitty does have some Siamese in there - they are the most common type of pointed cats.