I need to drop some weight fast

[bxcar22]

Over the past year, I went from an active job to a full-time student, and I have gained 30 pounds. As a result, I have high blood pressure and swelling in my legs. My thyroid is fine, and so is my other bloodwork. My doctor recommended that I lose about 20 pounds and quickly to get the pain in my legs to subside. It is very difficult to exercise for long because of the pain and swelling. He also recommended that I try the Dukan diet for awhile to jump-start the weight loss. I think part of it has to do with the fact that the diet makes you lose the water weight. I do not eat sugar, and the carbs that I eat are mainly rice and whole wheat pasta. Those things are easy for me to avoid. I have been tracking my calorie intake for the past two months, and I average 1000-1400 calories a day. That number includes any wine or other beverages (yes, I drink black coffee). Has anyone tried this diet? The goal is to drop weight fast to get the swelling under control because diuretics are not working. Once the swelling is under control, I am to start adding more foods slowly as I start to exercise more. 

I am 5'8" and weigh 200 pounds. I average about 2-3 thousand steps a day and more if my feet do not swell too much. It is hard to wear shoes sometimes:-) Any hints or tips would be welcome.

[Dominique]

You have a major advantage: being relatively tall (for a woman). Your BMR is 1606 (in view of which an average intake of 1000-1400 is too low IMO) and TDEE with "light activity" (second lowest on a scale of 1 to 5) is 2208. I’m using this online calculator to get these numbers. What Fitbit model do you have and how much does it say you’re currently burning in average? If you could increase your activity to "moderately active" (next level after "light"), you’d be burning 2489 calories. This means you could eat 100-200 calories above your BMR and still be in a reasonable/sustainable deficit (700-800 calories, resulting in a weekly loss of 1.4-1.6 lb). In six months time, you would be losing 35-40 lb.

I have no experience with the Dukan diet, but since I happen to be French, I know he’s controversial. Anyway, I believe it doesn’t really matter what diet you are following, as long as it results in a caloric deficit and is as nutritious and satiating as possible.

Regarding exercise: I understand you cannot currently walk much because of swollen feet. Why not use a bike (regular one or stationary, depending on climate etc.)? Even if the Fitbit universe is very step-centric, there are lots of non-step-based activities that are worth doing for weight loss.

[bxcar22]

Very interesting. When I put my information into my blaze, my calorie allotment is around 1400 calories for a 1 pound a week loss in weight. It looks like I am burning around 1900-2200 calories a day. I had not looked at that aspect of my tracker. That could be the biggest reason that I was not losing weight. I was starving myself. It is hard sometimes being a woman because the normal weight loss calorie consumption is considered 1200 calories a day. I had not taken my extra height into consideration when I was planning my food allotment.

I think the main reason behind the Dukan diet is that high protein diets are slightly diuretic in nature. It is not a long term diet option, just long enough to get the swelling under control. 

I live in Western Washington, so outdoor biking is a no go:-) When the rain stops, biking would be much easier to do. I found some indoor walking/low impact exercise tapes, and I found some standard static exercises to try.  

Thank you for the input!

[WavyDavey]

 A pound a week is pretty aggressive, but is still about -500 kcal/day plan.  If you are burning 2000/day, it's going to have you at 1500 net. If you want to lose weight that quickly, your body will be lowering its metabolism to compensate. Since you have an acute condition that may be what's best for you, but long term, in my opinion, eating more and getting calories burned increasing is the way to go.

I'm unclear about what height has to do with it. A tall person could burn 2000 kcal/day and a person a foot shorter might burn 3000. When we fill out our profile it includes height and weight, which is used to calculate our BMR. But I'm probably missing something?

[bxcar22]

The height thing is a common misconception that a lot of people fall into in regards to calories. Women tend to be shorter, and if you look at most calorie recommendations, it will say 1200 calories a day. It is just a generalization that a lot of women fall into. I also fell into that notion. I have been learning a lot over the past week, and I still have a long way to go before I know everything that I need to know. 

The fast weight loss is just for about  20-pound or so. At that point, I am supposed to start eating a healthier more well-rounded diet. The hope is that my feet have stopped swelling to the point that I can wear shoes again. I have only had the swelling for the past two months. Because the swelling is not responding to diuretics, my Dr. wants the 20-pounds gone faster rather than slower. Then transition to a slow and healthy weight loss.

[bxcar22]

The good news is that for the first time in 2 months, I can put my walking shoes on and go for a walk today. I have lost 3 pounds, water weight, over the last two days. I am excited to get back out there and count those steps! So, while this is not the solution for everyone, it is helping with the water retention so I can walk and that makes me very happy.

[BSTN85]

Hi I just read your message and am in a similar kinda boat as you. I am getting married in September and wanna lose another 64 pounds since my already 12 pounds!

[Dominique]

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@BSTN85 wrote:

I am getting married in September and wanna lose another 64 pounds since my already 12 pounds!

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@BSTN85: there are six months from now (end of February) to beggining of September.  That’s 6 x 4 = 24 weeks. Loosing 64 pounds in that time would be 2.7 lb per week in average. That implies a calculated deficit of 1333 calories per day in average. I believe it’s unrealistic and would be unhealthy. You appear to be young and have your entire life in front of you: why not give it a little more time? If you could do one pound per week (realistic/sustainable), you’d lose another 24 pounds, in addition to the 12 pounds you’ve already shed. A total of 36 pounds would surely already make a big difference.