Burning 3500 calories (akin to losing 1 pound) a day - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

Zazaa · 04-24-2012, 06:26 AM

I just watched this episode from a tv show (on MTV - I know) called 'I Used to be Fat' which is about these 18 year olds who want to lose weight before they begin college and are assigned a personal trainer to help them do this.

The episode I saw was about this kid Jose who I believe was around 330 pounds, and they basically aimed to lose 1 pound a day, so factoring in his caloric intake through his meals, he still burned a total of 3500 calories a day, and so he lost 90+ pounds in three months.

I just want to know what you all think of these kinds of extreme weight loss efforts. Have any of you ever tried anything like this? I know this is a tv show, and they have 3 entire months to do this and nothing else, but I was just curious about whether people who have other responsibilities like families to take care of, or work and school to attend, have ever tried anything so drastic with 3+ hours of exercise a day?

Coffeelover64 · 04-24-2012, 07:42 AM

I wonder how at 330 pounds he's in good enough shape to even be able to do 3 hours of exercise! Perhaps because he's 18 he's able to ramp up to that much fairly quickly? Mostly I just wonder if that kind of weight loss is sustainable after the cameras have left and he's all alone and doesn't have the motivation of the TV show.

sontaikle · 04-24-2012, 08:10 AM

I really do hate shows like that. They're setting up unrealistic expectations for weight loss. Just browse around the forums and you'll find people complaining about losing "only" a pound or two a week!

Not to mention that losing 90lbs in three months can't really be healthy considering that's a significant chunk of his original bodyweight. There are health problems associated with losing weight rapidly like that and I dont' think putting one's health in jeopardy is worth it!

I totally sympathize with an 18 year old wanting to get thin quickly—I was there. I probably would have prayed for a show to help me like this, but after knowing what I know now, I'm glad that I did it this way. I just wish that there was more education about forming healthy habits vs simply doing anything possible to lose weight.