If you decide to go ahead and start tracking your calories, there are a ton of us on My Fitness Pal, and I personally would love to cheer you on toward your goal. My SN there is aquarianne.
<3 Good luck. I think this is a wonderful thing for both you and your father.
I think it is admirable that you want to be a living donor for your dad, but I think you need to start this whole process by meeting w/ your primary care doctor. Talk to him/her about what is reasonable for you to do in terms of weight loss. It should be a lifestyle change, not just dropping 40 lbs to prep for your dad's surgery (which you may or may not be a match for).
Set realistic goals for yourself, and be realistic about what you can change/how quickly you can modify your lifestyle. Most people who just suddenly start eating healthy and working out 5x/week don't keep it up, and slide back into old habits. You're more likely to be successful at changing your habits if you start with working out a couple times a week, and increase it from there. Ditto for the diet change. Eat healthy, and try new foods, but be realistic about what you can prepare for 3 meals a day + snacks, and what kinds of foods will fit into that. You don't have to suddenly change to all organic tofu, kale, and greek yogurt (if those aren't on your typical shopping list) to have a healthy diet.
Other than that, drink lots of water.
Good luck! I hope things go well for both you, and your dad.
Post by underwaterrhymes on Jun 26, 2012 19:32:29 GMT -5
First, I think it's wonderful what you're doing for your dad.
A bunch of GBCNrs are on My Fitness Pal. It seems to be working for people, although I just started.
I think the critical thing - whatever tool you use - is to track what you're eating and to weigh things carefully. It will surprise you what you're eating when you're paying attention.
Honestly, I don't think 40 pounds in 4 months is realistic or healthy, though for everyone. I think 30 would be do-able for many, though. Generally, you should shoot for between 1 - 2 pounds a week. Slow and steady is always the best way to lose weight and keep it off.
One of my best friends is recovering right now from donating a kidney to her father. It's an amazing thing. I know she started this process more than a year and a half ago, so I would second the advice to talk to your doctor, and probably his doctor, as soon as possible. They'll be able to tell you how much weight you'd need to lose - if any, because I don't know how much that factors in - and how to get started.
I am also on MFP and the few friends that I have are super encouraging. I am trying to be more encouraging on there, also, but I don't feel that I am in the right place yet to do so since I don't even have my own routine set yet. I have had a couple of set backs on my eating.
What you are (possibly) doing for your dad is wonderful!
Post by TemperanceBrennan on Jun 26, 2012 19:37:48 GMT -5
I've had really good luck with Weight Watchers. There have been months that I have lost 10 pounds. These are usually the months that I am good at watching the plan and sticking to the points and measuring food, etc. Also, I like going to the meetings. It helps keep me accountable.
Post by Anne Blythe on Jun 26, 2012 19:41:20 GMT -5
Wellbutrin can be good for weight loss, but that's because it's an appetite suppressant. If you do what I did while on Wellbutrin (um, just stop eating period) you'll lose weight, but fuck up your metabolism. So you have to remember to lose weight in a healthy way, eating carefully and *regularly*.
It's possible, but difficult. I recently lost 20 pounds in 8 weeks with lots of dedication and hard work. I maintained my weight for 2 weeks, and now I'm entering in my next "loss cycle." I use myfitness pal to help my tracking, and eat low carb and watch my calorie counts. I would start with a goal of 20 pounds, then set your next goal!
Post by rupertpenny on Jun 26, 2012 19:50:47 GMT -5
OP, I have had the most success with a low carb diet as well. I have never tried to lose a lot in a short amount of time, but lower carb/higher protein and fat plus weight training works like a charm when I stick to it.
The food was okay, I basically lost 25 pounds in two months. I then quit and instead of eating healthy I ate like cra p and gained most of it back, but Im sure if I would have continued eating healthy I would have been fine.
i've been back on weight watchers now for 10 weeks and have lost 21 pounds. i've really be working hard to adjust my lifestyle and diet. i'll admit that i haven't added exercise into the mix, but i will eventually (i hope).
i agree with JBeeb - 2 lbs/week is considered the "safe" amount of weight loss on average. some weeks will be higher and some lower. and i also agree that it comes off easier, in chunks, when a person starts at a higher weight and dramatically changes their eating habits.
It's possible, but difficult. I recently lost 20 pounds in 8 weeks with lots of dedication and hard work. I maintained my weight for 2 weeks, and now I'm entering in my next "loss cycle." I use myfitness pal to help my tracking, and eat low carb and watch my calorie counts. I would start with a goal of 20 pounds, then set your next goal!
Do you mind sharing your exercise/meal plan? How many calories do you consume? How much time do you spend working out? You can PM me if you want.
don't mind at all. I'm working on a more detailed blog post about it, but basically I calculate my BMR, multiply it by an activity factor (1.3 since I have a desk job - Activity factors are 1.2 = Sedentary, 1.3-1.4 = Lightly Active, 1.5-1.6 = Moderately Active, 1.7-1.8 = Very Active, and 1.9-2.0 = Extremely Active), and then subtract 20% to get a daily calorie goal. for me that's 1553 calories. I also try to make sure to eat between 116-145g of protein, and 52-116g of fat. I eat whatever carb grams fits into there, but it tends to be an average of 75g of carbs or so.
for exercise, I wasn't great about working out. but, I do use a fitbit, and make sure to always burn around 10,000 steps or so per day. food to me is more important than exercise for weight loss, but weight training is also super important. I've now been kicking the weight training into high gear, and do 3x per week (chest/shoulders, biceps/back, and chest/triceps).
Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions!
Post by marriedin05 on Jun 26, 2012 22:04:30 GMT -5
I used myfitnesspal.com to find out how many calories I was eating. I really was shocked. I also started doing zumba. At first 20 minutes a day and now 4 months later I am down 20 lbs and do it 45 minutes at least 4 days a week. If I would eat better I would be down even more.
Have you talked to your dad? Are you sure he's willing to accept your liver? I ask because I offered my dad my liver and he refused. He felt the risks of the donation were too great. He didn't want anything to happen too me.
Is a bootcamp in your budget? I find that helps me to keep going. Haven't tried zumba yet but it helps a lot of other people who normally don't like to exercise.
Have you talked to your dad? Are you sure he's willing to accept your liver? I ask because I offered my dad my liver and he refused. He felt the risks of the donation were too great. He didn't want anything to happen too me.
I've talked with him and he wasn't thrilled with the idea. He's been more open to it lately. I spoke with a social worker at the hospital last week. I think ultimately he will want to pursue a cadaver donation, but if that doesn't work out and his need is urgent, I'll be there.
I think him & my mom are warming up to the idea now that they know a little bit more about it.
Did your dad receive a transplant?
Okay. That's great that you've already talked to him! I just kind of assumed that my dad would be cool with it. But he wasn't.