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A Fasting Diet, Input Needed

01/06/2011

Question:

Okay so here`s what I eat almost everyday: two glasses of warm water with lemon 1 banana 1 orange/apple and perhaps a glass of milk/2 roti`s (for those of you who don`t know its like two slices of brown bread) and indian vegetable curry. and every three days I have an egg for the protein.

I also exercise in the evning which burns another 400 cals.

So please tell me if what i`m doing is very bad for me and whether it`ll start screwing with me metabolism and start burning protein instead of fat.

At the beginning of this diet I weighed 123 (56) lbs at 5 feet three inches and after two weeks I weigh 117 lbs (53). I plan to carry on with this till I become 106 lbs (48 kgs) please discuss this with me..

 

Answer:

When trying to lose weight, a safe rate is to lose 1/2 to 2 pounds per week (depending upon how overweight you are). You have lost 3 lbs. per week (some of which is probably water) and is too fast from my perspective. From looking at your intake, it seems that you are not getting adequate nutrition as well. 

 
I’m an advocate for losing weight at a slow, steady rate by changing eating habits to be more healthful and making sure you have adequate calories and nutrients daily. When you eat too few calories, your body slows the metabolism down to conserve energy. Eating smaller sized meals and snacks throughout the day helps speed up your metabolism (exercise helps too). The goal should be to eat/exercise sensibly and adjust your diet to meet your needs for a lifetime; not to go on and off low calorie diets. 
 
I’d recommend that you look at the site http://www.choosemyplate.gov/ and calculate your daily needs (for calories and food groups). In addition, you can use the “tracker” feature and type in your daily intake to see if you are meeting your needs. Another site that can help you with this is http://www.Livestrong.com. A visit to a registered dietitian for more individualized help is also a good idea. 

 
Good luck and Happy New Year!  

 

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Go to the Obesity and Weight Management health topic.