[Kamike]

I'm new here, so I don't know if this is the best place to post this, but here are some questions I have...

1. How do I figure out how much water I should be drinking? I've been trying to drink more water, and I've been drinking about 3 pint size water bottles per day. How do I know if that's enough? I don't want to drink too much more because I don't want to be running to the bathroom every 2 seconds...

2. I want to set a "mini-goal" for christmas, but I'm not sure how much I should set it for. I have about 100 pounds to lose. I just finished week one and lost 8 lbs, but I know that's just because it was the first week and I shouldn't expect to lose anywhere near that much per week. Any suggestions for a nice christmas goal?

3. Would it be beneficial/worth it/necessary to go see a doctor for help? My parents will pay for whatever my health insurance doesn't, so there's nothing I have to pay for, except my valuable time. I moved recently so I don't have a regular doctor, so what kind of doctor should I go to? Anyone have any experience or feedback with this?

TIA!

[beautifulone]

May I be the first to say !

I don't have an answer for the first and last question, as I'm still learning so much As for the second, I've consistently heard that a 1-2lb weight loss per week is a healthy aim and anything beyond that will be counterproductive. So if you eat too little and lose more than 2lbs as a result of that, you'll probably be losing a lot of muscle and bone along with some fat - but this is not good for so many reasons... And if you try to exercise off more than 2 lbs per week, I think there's something written about that here. Here is a link to another thread from the exercise forum. I think it's the last myth about "the more exercise the better" that may apply to your question: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78440

By the way, the Exercise forum has a few "Sticky's" (threads at the top) that I found especially useful when I first came here and wasn't sure how to go about exercise.

I hope that helps Good luck! If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask, someone around will probably have an answer or be able to guide you to it! And kudos to you for taking these first steps!!

[jtammy]

Welcome!

I find that I have to drink more water than that, otherwise I get thirsty but mistake it for hunger and I want to eat more. I drink closer to 70 oz/day. I don't drink any other fluids normally, but if you do (crystal lights, diet sodas, tea, etc) you may be drinking plenty of fluids. I think you'll probably get as many different answers as there are people responding.

As for questions two, I would probably aim for 1 1/2 to 2 lbs per week.

Good luck

[tolose85]

This is just what I follow in regard to water intake-- there are many varying opinions on the amount of water one should consume per day. My best advice is to experiment with it to see what works best for you.

An average healthy person should consume around 80 oz per day. Overweight persons shoud drink an additional 8 oz for every 25 lbs over ideal weight. Heres the calculation. Take your weight minus your ideal weight. Use that number and divide by 25 then multiply that number by 8 to get the amount of additional ounces. So an example: I'm 105 lbs over ideal weight. 105/ 25= 4.2 X 8= 33.6 so I need to drink 113.6 oz per day according to this calculation.

1-2 lbs a week is pretty steady and healthy weight loss. So you can figure how many weeks until Christmas and multiply that by either 1 or 2. That's a start. Every BODY is different so you really need to find out what you're all about. I myself tend to lose more in the beginning for at least the first 4 months, then I slow way down. Others are more slow and steady.. It really just depends on your metabolism, activity, amount of calories etc.

I check in periodically with a dietician. My dietician is very helpful when it comes to specific foods etc. She and I disagree on some things but she is very helpful when it comes to food and exercise. Maybe start there? I'm thinking that a Dr. may end up referring you to a dietician anyway. Start with your Family doctor-- if you don't have one, maybe your parents have one you could consult with.

These are some of the things I follow-- I am no medical expert, just things I've picked up along the way. Its all about discovering what works for you. It's a journey!

Good luck-- hope this helps a little!