Obesity and Weight Management |
Weight loss10/24/2008 |
Hello, I am a 23 year old female 5`6". I weight 385 pounds. My question is is it possible for me to loose 200 pounds and if so are there any health risks involved? I plan on doing a 1,200 calorie diet working out 4-6 days a week, taking in plenty of fluids and limiting bad fats and sweets. Intaking more fruit and vegtables. Also would you recomend a daily vitamin. How long do you think if i follow this strict diet it would take a person like me to loose 200 pounds?
Thank you for your question. First, I want to commend you on making the decision to become healthier. It sounds like you are on the right track with increasing your activity, fruit/vegetable intake and water, and decreasing high fat/high calorie choices.
I would encourage you to begin thinking more along the lines of making gradual changes in these areas that you feel you can maintain long term. By making extreme dietary and/or exercise changes you might find, while you may lose some weight, that the changes are hard to maintain long term and old habits return. You might benefit from working with a dietitian in your area to come up with a realistic meal plan aiming for 0.5 to 2 pounds of weight loss on average per week.
Losing weight at a much faster rate might also result in loss of lean muscle mass, which can impact your resting metabolic rate. When looking for a dietitian, try to find one who offers the MedGem. This is a simple breathing test that can determine your current resting metabolic rate and therefore help you figure out the calorie range you need to be aiming for. A dietitian can also evaluate your need for a multivitamin supplement based on your intake and meal plan.
I hope this helps and I wish you continued success in your weight loss efforts.
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Angela Blackstone, RD, LD Staff Dietitian Center for Wellness and Prevention Clinical Instructor School of Allied Medical Professionals College of Medicine The Ohio State University |