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Old 06-21-2009, 01:45 PM   #1  
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Question desperatly seeking advice!

Hello to all you lovely ladies!

I'm a newbie, and was told by my doc last week that i have milroys disease which affects my legs (they swell up a lot) and he told me that if i dont lose 140lbs that in 10 years i will not be able to walk. I am only 25 with 2 young children, anyway the problem for me is that it is all or nothing so i would like to try a VLCD but i have no idea where to look, or how to go about getting myself on one. I would love to hear from anybody who is/has been on one of these and all the details as to wether they work or not!

Lots of hugs

Rach xx
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Old 06-21-2009, 02:10 PM   #2  
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I don't know what VLCD means? very low calorie diet? just a guess!

Well if you have to get that weight off and keep it off, and it seems like you have all the motivation in the world with drs warnings and 2 little kiddies, I can't really recommend extreme low cal - just because human nature being what it is usually, after a few weeks of starvation mode your body will just shut down and refuse to part with a single pound - which leads to frustration and resentment, and then people generally give up. Since you have so much at stake, I'd have to recommend a more sustainable approach? maybe not so low cal, but lots of good healthy food and exercise?
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Old 06-21-2009, 02:12 PM   #3  
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(I posted this in the other thread, but thought I'd put a copy of it here as well.)

Welcome, and sorry to hear about your problems. I'm not sure if you're talking about a very low calorie diet or a very low carb diet when you use VLCD. If you're talking about very low calorie diets then the best advice I can give you really is DON'T! They might be fine when you have a small amount of weight to lose (although I'd probably not even recommend them at that time). When you've got a lot of weight to lose, I know it can feel insurmountable. However, starting at a good healthy calorie level will help you maintain some type of energy level. On very low calories there's a good chance that you won't have enough energy to chase after two kids, and possible depress your immune system.

You only mention what you need to lose, not where you're starting from. At my current weight I eat 2000 calories a day walk about 30-45 mins a day 5 times a week. I also lift weights 3 days a week (but I eat more those days). I'd likely keel over trying to eat 800 cals a day.
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Old 06-21-2009, 02:52 PM   #4  
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Why did you want to do a low carb or low calorie diet?
Did you think that that kind is the only way to lose weoight...there is a lot of misinformation out there by an industry that really isn't interested in your success. There arer, of course, exceptions: good weight loss programs that realise that a weight loss plan has to be sensible--fit into your life, not leave you hungry and let you eat.

40 lbs is quite doable in a year if you set your sights on a loss of 2 pounds a week. At that rate of loss you can eat well and have enough energy to chase after the little ones.

Personally I keep myself to 1600 calories a day: 45% of which is complex carbohydrates: brown rice, whole wheat instead of white flour products, etc.

hope that helps.
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Old 06-21-2009, 03:28 PM   #5  
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I'm so sorry to hear of your medical woes. But this is something that you can take control of. Losing weight is a doable thing. Your doc tells you to lose weight - then lose weight it is! Luckily he didn't tell you, you must do something that is unheard of and can't be accomplished. But losing weight, now that's something that any one and every one CAN do. Yourself included. It's a proven fact. You've got that on your side.

Just curious though, why you would choose a low calorie diet? I'm assuming the doctor wants the weight off - permanently. Why not go with a plan that you can stick with long term - permanently. Also, wouldn't you want to set yourself up for success. Those low calorie diets - not so attractive and easy to stick with and are therefore often backfire.

IMO, you'd be much better off realizing that this is a lifetime change that needs to occur. Accepting the fact that you can no longer eat the high quantity/high calorie foods. I think it would be better off if you got rid of those old bad eating habits and incorporated some new HEALTHY ones into your life. Find delicious HEALTHY, LOWER CALORIE, NUTRITIOUS foods to eat. Ones that you find enjoyable so that you can just keep on and on doing this.

Perhaps you should seek out the advice of a nutritionist or a dietician to get you on the right track? One that can teach you about good nutrition and a healthy way to shed the pounds and keep them off. In a safe and healthy and sustainable fashion.
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Old 06-21-2009, 04:46 PM   #6  
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Glad you found us! The folks here at 3FC are a GREAT resource to start you on your journey to better health!

What a wonderful motivator - to have children that you can hug every day to remind you why you are changing your lifestyle for the better!

Why not head on over to the diet/way of eating forums and read through the plans. See what fits for you?

I love calorie counting (check out the stickies in the CC forum). It is a GREAT plan, it is free, it is flexible and I get to eat TONS of food (lots of healthy vegetables, fruits, grains, etc.)
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Old 06-22-2009, 04:22 AM   #7  
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OP: does your Milroys affect your ability to exercise right now?
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Old 06-22-2009, 05:15 AM   #8  
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Hi and welcome

Please please please don't do VLCD - please. Most people who do lighter life or cambridge diet, etc. put the weight back on after and more besides and compromise their health. I know there are exceptions - aren't there always? You want to lose weight for health reasons...then do it healthily.

There is so much great advice here - read it all and you will see you can lose weight without resorting to VLCD. I know what it's like to not be able to walk - I badly broke my ankle last Summer, have screws and plates in and have pretty much been told to expect arthiritus in it at some point. This is one of my motivators for losing weight - After over 6 weeks of not being able to walk and months or learning how to walk normally I am terrified of not being able to walk in later life. My auntie is very overweight and at the moment can barely walk.

You've been given 10 years to lose weight - you can lose that amount in 10 years easily with a lot of hard work. I'm an all or nothing person but the most important thing I learnt about weight loss is there are no short cuts and no easy ways out - it's hard work all the way. I'm fortunate I'm losing weight fairly quickly at the moment (1-2lb per week), I'm dealing with any of my issues with food. Why do a VLCD and risk putting all the weight back on or risk other health issues? I calorie count and it's working well for me and means I've had to learn to control eating better. Have a good read at all the information on the stickies here and look at the before and after photos people have posed and see it can be done. I'm 5 stone down from the weigh I was just over a year ago - I seriously never thought it possible for me but it really was and it is for you too.

Good luck with your weight loss journey whatever you decide.
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Old 06-22-2009, 07:43 AM   #9  
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I know it may feel like everyone is down on your idea but I dont think this would be such an amazing place if everyone didnt look out for one anothers well being. There are alot of honest caring ladies/and gents here.

VLCD is normally only used privately and in the medical profession to bring about rapid weight loss in the dangerously overweight person. These diets should be undertaken only under medical supervision. They are typically a high fat, high protein diet that will bring about Ketosis.

The diet is only undertaken for a short period of time (a few weeks). In some situations, the meal replacements may only be used for two meals a day - therefore bringing about slower but more manageable weight loss.

This isn't something you should plan to do on your own. It isn't meant for long term it is meant for weight loss to prepare for medical procedures when weight of a patient is an issue.

There are lots of plans that can get you great results. If you can exercise then that will help alot. You could do a low cal diet and have success but you do need to have a certain number of cals a day just to function. Coma patients recieve about 2400 cal a day to sustain weight and body function.

You could go lower but talk to your doctor and see what would be best for you. It sounds like you are serious and want to get your health back on track. It would be a shame to get less healthy in an attempt to get healthy.

Good luck in what ever you choose to do and know that this is a great place for support.
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Old 06-22-2009, 08:46 AM   #10  
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I went on a VLCD that was medically supervised and I will tell you it was ****! Oh the first week eating 800 cal/day and dropping 10 lbs felt amazing and then the following week I only lost 2 lbs and then the week after that 2 lbs. I am looking at the doctors and they are like that is great progress and I am like um if I cut back to 1600 cal/day and move my *** I can lose 2 lbs a week. I quit shortly thereafter. Oh and the number of people that are 2 or 3 times a round on the VLCD is high. It doesn't teach you anything.

BIG BOOK OF WEIGHT LOSS!
Eat less, move more
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Old 06-22-2009, 11:30 AM   #11  
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The only time I would recommend a VLCD to someone is if it were medically necessary that they lose a lot of weight FAST. As a couple folks have said, it needs to be medically supervised. Every bite of food has to have major impact nutritionally.

You may want to spend a few days tracking what you are eating now, in a free database like mydailyplate or fitday. That will give you some good information about how many calories you're currently eating. (In my case, it's always eye-opening, because I don't think that I eat that much... but I do!) Then try limiting your calories to 1800-2000 for a few weeks, and see how that works for you. Some folks at high weights lose consistently and easily at that range. Many of us try for 1600-1800. A few have a lower range, but as someone mentioned, if you go that far down in calories it's hard to go any further if(when!) you hit a plateau and need an extra bump to start you on the way down again.

Think of it this way... a lightly active 40 year old woman (5'5") who weighs 140 pounds needs almost 1900 calories a day just to maintain her weight. In theory, if I ate 1900 calories, I would eventually get down to that weight. Of course, in reality, it's not just calories in/calories out... and I DO want to see a steady, healthy weight of loss. So I currently aim lower than 1900.

For a 40 year old woman who weighs about 290, the calorie calculators say I need 2700 calories to maintain my current weight. So you see, just by lowering my calorie intake to a "normal" range of around 1700, I'm slowly but surely losing a pound or two a week.
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Old 06-22-2009, 12:27 PM   #12  
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Welcome!

I started with 115 pounds to lose and after 10 weeks had dropped 32 pounds (last week was not good). But my point is that all I did was move -- walking at first and some basic free weights -- and eat leaner versions of meats, whole grains and lots of veggies and fruits.

I'm sorry to hear about your medical problems, but you should also know that no extreme deprivation is required to lose. You can still eat and lose. I've even found an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie and kettle chips I've incorporated into my lifestyle. And I know others have snacks later at night.

Please just weigh all the options that might work for you. It will be much better in the long run to do something you can stick with than something where you drop 10 pounds quick but feel yucky.
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