How to lose 20 pounds in 30 days - My quest - page 1 -

• How to lose 20 pounds in 30 days - My quest by Tyler on 04 Dec, 2007 03:37
• Several months ago I ran across a post that Tim Ferris posted up on his blog at <a href="http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/04/06/how-to-lose-20-lbs-of-fat-in-30-days-without-doing-any-exercise/"  title="Four Hour Work Week">4HourWorkWeek.com[/url] titled <a href="http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/04/06/how-to-lose-20-lbs-of-fat-in-30-days-without-doing-any-exercise/"  title="4 hour work week">How To Lose 20 Pounds In 30 Days...Without Doing Any Exercise[/url] and two questions popped into my mind.  The first question was, "Does this really work?"  The second question was, "Would I have the discipline to see if this could work?"  Since reading that post,  I had been looking for a reason and the motivation to try it out.  After all, when I read that post I weighed 205 pounds and my doctor wanted me at 185 pounds.
  
  Fast forward several months later to Oct. 29th, 2007.  I am now a proud dad of daughter that is only 18 days old.  My wife and I had just got done remodeling the house that we bought and had gone 3 months without a kitchen.  I was now sitting in my doctor's office waiting to see my doctor and my name was called.  The first thing the assistant does is take me to the scale to weigh me.  I help her out by moving the big weight to 200, since I know I weigh at least 200 pounds.  She started moving the little weight to 205, then 210, then 220, and finally stopped at 225!  Are you kidding me?  I now weighed 225 pounds.  This was the heaviest I had ever been.  I felt like crawling in a hole, though I'm not sure I would have fit.
  
  In to the doctor I go.  While seeing the doc, I also find out that my blood pressure is borderline high, 135/80, and that I need to work on getting that down along with my weight.  The doc then says that I need to come back in 30 days for a follow up and that I should have some blood work done before I come back.  At first I was a little bummed.  All the working out and eating right I had done in the past had been destroyed by letting myself slide for just 3 months.  Then, I remembered Tim's post.  This was now the opportunity that I was looking for.  I had 30 days to lose as much weight as I could before seeing the doctor again and I wasn't going to have much time to exercise with our newborn daughter and my busy schedule.
  
  When I got home I looked up the Tim's post again and read every word in the post along with every comment and reply that followed the post.  I was now serious about doing this and I wanted to arm myself with the knowledge to make this a success.  After reading everything, I headed out to the store to get the recommended foods - meat, legumes, and green veggies.
  
  I'm not going to go into the details of the diet plan that Tim posted because I want to give him the traffic he deserves, but I will summarize what I added and why.
  
  The basic premise of the eating plan to lost 20 pounds in 30 days without doing any exercise is to avoid "white carbohydrates" such as rice, bread, potatoes, and sugars and instead focus on foods that are low on the glycemic index such as lean meats, legumes, and green veggies.  One thing that Tim doesn't mention in his list of lean meats is fish, so this is the one thing that I added that he didn't mention.  The fish that I ate during my plan was salmon because it's low in fat and rich in omegas.
  
  If you've looked at a calendar, you know that October 29th, 2007 fell on a Monday.  You also know that this is 2 days before Halloween and 26 days before Thanksgiving; two major, calorie packed holidays.  That's ok, I have 1 cheat day a week at my disposal.
  
  I began my eating plan immediately after getting home from the store.  I cooked up some chicken, pinto beans and asparagus.  I was off to the races.
  
  The first day was pretty easy as I was still highly motivated and in shock from my doctor's visit.  The second day on the other hand was a bit more difficult.  The reason for this was that it was Halloween and we were due to go to a Halloween party at our friends' house.  Not knowing what the menu was going to be, I grabbed a can of turkey chili out of the cupboard.  This isn't on the list of item's to eat over at Tim's blog, but I was improvising since it could be a much worse menu where we were heading.  Plus, the turkey chili was made of lean turkey and kidney beans, though it did have a bit of sugar in it.  It turned out that our friends had brought in some bbq chicken and beef, so I was in the clear and was able to stick to my eating plan.  The next couple of days were tough because my body started to realize that I was eating much differently than I had been during the last three months.  I started to notice that I was getting agitated easier.  Because of this, I started to increase the amount of beans and greens during my meals.  This worked.
  
  Saturday eventually came and I was now able to take a cheat day and eat what I wanted to eat.  I have to admit that I went a little overboard this day and ate a lot of carbs and sugar.  So much so that I literally felt sick towards the end of the day.  Sunday I was back on the routine and detoxing from the day before.  After this first week I started to notice that my clothes were starting to fit a little looser than normal.  I stepped on the scale and weighed in at 220.  Now, normal logic would say that I dropped 5 pounds in the first week.  Though, the problem was that this was a different scale than the one at the doctor's office and I had forgot to weigh myself when I got home from the doctor so that I could track my results on my scale.   Oh well, at least I had something to track how the next three weeks would go.
  
  The next couple weeks went really smooth and I was able to stick to the eating plan.  It was now November 19th and I weighed in at 216 and my clothes really started to feel really loose on me.  I could also notice more definition in my arms, legs, and jaw line.  I was also noticing that my belly wasn't sticking out as much.  I was starting to feel really good about the resuts, though I was still only about half way toward my goal of 20 pounds and only 10 days to go. 
  
  I did my cheat day on Friday the 19th and then stuck to the plan until Wednesday the 23rd, the day before Thanksgiving.  The morning of Thanksgiving I weighed in at 212 pounds on my home scale.  That was 4 pounds lighter than just 5 days earlier.   The next day was Thanksgiving and I took it as a cheat day, even though it was a Thursday.  There was no way I was going to be able to be able to resist all that great food while all of my family and friends were enjoying it.  This also gave me 5 days after Thanksgiving to see how much weight I could drop before weighing in at the doctor.  By the way, the day after Thanksgiving I weighed in at 214, so I gained a couple of pounds back.  *Note: I always weighed in right after waking up so that I could get a consistent result*
  
  On November 27th the CEO of the company I work for called an all hands meeting for the same time that I had an appointment with the doctor.  Due to this, I had to postpone my doctor appointment to the 3rd of December, so I wasn't going to get weighed in exactly 30 days prior to my last appointment.  I then continued on with my plan, though the problem I had was that the 30th and the 1st were tough for me to follow the plan due to our social schedule, so I had to "cheat" on both of these days and not stick to the plan.
  
  Finally December 3rd came and it was time to go weigh in at the doctor.  Just to make sure I could see the difference in my scale compared to my doctor's, I weighed in at 214 just prior to going to the doctor.  This meant that I had gained a couple of pounds over the weekend due to not being able to stick to the plan.  We'd see what the doctor's scale said.
  
  I got to the doctor and it was time to weigh in.  I headed to the scale and eagerly waited for the assistant to find a balance; the actual amount of weight that I had lost.  Finally she round the balance, right at 217.  So, the verdict was that I had lost 8 pounds in 30 days; 12 pounds short of my goal.
  
  What this a success or a failure?  In my mind it was a little of both.  Let me explain.
  
  I do see this as a bit of a failure because I did cheat a little throughout the 30 days because of my lack of planning.  I would find myself in situations where I was hungry but hadn't prepared anything ahead of time that was within my plan.  This caused me to snack on mixed nuts, peanut butter, and cheese.  Now, these are still low in the glycemic index and aren't white carbs, but they also aren't low in fat.  I think this was a contributing factor into why I didn't reach a total weight loss of 20 pounds in 30 days.
  
  The success was that I found an eating plan that I enjoyed and could easily stick to.  My doctor was also really happy that I had lost that much weight in that amount of time.  I felt and looked thinner.as it appears that I lost my weight in fat and did not give up any muscle.  Lastly, I was able to do this while crossing over two calorie packed holidays without exercising at all.
  
  Overall this was a success in my book.  Do I think that a person could lose 20 pounds in 30 days?  Yes, I do think this is an achievable goal.  In fact, I will be continuing this plan until I can reach my goal of 185, but will be adding in exercise to help speed up the weight loss.  I will follow up with my progress every 30 days to let you know how I'm doing.
• #1 by danyroo on 04 Dec, 2007 03:49
• Great story Tyler.. Encouraging one, also I'm glad to see your feeling better did your blood pressure got better?
  I plan on loosing some also.. but I've also got me the M90X video series.
  I haven't started yet but will do so soon.
  
  
• #2 by PBurke on 04 Dec, 2007 04:25
• good job T. i think i found your weight if ya want it back. ha ha ha
• #3 by Argyle on 04 Dec, 2007 06:03
• Great job Tyler and glad to hear you are still enjoying fatherhood, it just gets better all the time, i think i am a few months ahead of you, our daughter is nearly six months now, but the rewards just get greater!! 
  
  Impressive to lose 20lb in 30 days, but it strikes me that the key to this is sustainability, and i think one of the major drawbacks of any plan such as this is that it isnt sustainable in the longer term.  So I guess what i am asking is what is going to underpin this when you have reached your target weight as i think that will result in the  real long term success.  The reason i ask is that this is where the majority of people fall down, and end up yo yo'ing which then has a negative impact on metabolic rate which then makes it more difficult to lose weight and so on and so forth. 
  
  That said there is nothin so motivational as a great start to stimulate lifestyle change.  Something i need to do myself at the moment!! 
  
  
• #4 by Razor X on 04 Dec, 2007 08:49
• Good job, Tyler.
  
  Eight pounds in a month is nothing to sneeze at; it's a reasonable and safe amount to expect to lose.  I think any plan that gives you a specific number of pounds that you will lose in a specified time frame is a bit misleading -- everyone is different and everyone's system is going to react differently to a change in diet.   The diet I've been following for about two years now is very close to this plan.  I don't think it would realistic for me to expect to drop 20 pounds instantly just by making the few modificiations needed to adhere to it exactly.  I might be able to drop a few pounds, which would be great, but 20 in a month?  I don't think so.
  
  Slow and steady is the key.  We all want to be at our goal weights instantly, but there's really no rush.  If you're eating healthy and watching your portions, it doesn't matter how long it takes to get there, as long as you continue to make progress toward the end goal.
  
  I am still struggling to survive without milk.  I just suffered through another cup of black tea and I can't tell you how close I came to buying some milk to add to it.  I don't know if I can do this much longer.  I might have to compromise and at least have some milk on hand for my tea.  I'm trying to hang in there, but it is not easy!!
  
  Keep up the good work, Ty.
• #5 by Hawk on 04 Dec, 2007 09:13
• I would have to go on SURVIVOR and eat bugs to loose
  20lbs in 30 days.  That sure seems like a lot.  The most
  weight I have ever lost in a 30 day period was like 14lbs
  and that was many years ago doing a low carb diet.  It
  was actually almost a "NO CARB DIET", which consisted
  only of green veggies, fish, chicken, and some meat.  It
  was almost the end of me.  I had no energy and it wasn't
  a very healthy way to drop 14lbs.  I will never do it again!   
• #6 by schro on 04 Dec, 2007 09:27
• Hey Tyler,
  Thanks for posting this. Great motivation. Thanks for being the "guinea pig".
  I'm going to have to share this with the Lovely Mrs. Schro. It might be something we both can do.
  
  Hope the family is doing well.
• #7 by D.A.L.U.I. on 04 Dec, 2007 10:26
• Tyler, great job on the weight, but did you BP come down and were the blood tests okay?  I've been where you are some seven years ago, I lost nearly twenty pounds, and got the numbers, BP etc., under control, but I have to take BP medication--very mild compared to others I know.  Please, for your own sake, as well as the child, look at diet as a life style change.  It should be easy compared to where I live--the culture here is to talk about lunch plans at breakfast, and dinner plans at lunch or anytime there's not something else to talk about.  It takes a little work, but you've got a great start for keeping healthy, diet exercise, etc. as a life change.  I know everyone here is happy for you, but you and I now both know that we all have to watch the numbers--i.e. any brothers who haven't seen a doctor and gotten a check up for BP, etc., get going.  Life, especially Sly, is too sweet to let BP bring on a stroke, or let undiagnosed diabetes or worse, mess up the plans you and your families have.  Keep strong, HEALTHY & of course, SLY.
• #8 by Marz on 04 Dec, 2007 10:30
• Great work Tyler.
  
  I have to agree with the others that 20 lbs in 30 days is very "crash diet" like and most likely would not be healthy.
  
  Where I think you really need to pat yourself on the back is that you now are very conscious of what you are eating and have made a lifestyle change. I think that this is the success, as opposed to loosing a bunch of weight that you would most likely put back on. Now you are armed to drop weight consistently and keep it off.  Ya know, teach a man to fish...
  
  Being conscious of what you put into your body and realizing the effect it will have is golden.
• #9 by Tyler on 04 Dec, 2007 11:41
• Thanks for the encouragement guys.  I'm sticking with this plan as it is actually a plan that my doctor and cardiologist both recommend as a short term solution to losing weight and as a plan that will keep the weight off.  They both recommend to eat foods that are low on the glycemic index, and this follows that.  The one thing my regular doctor wants me to add when I get down to my target weight is fruit.  So, as a long term plan, I will add in fruit.
  
  The real success of this is that I'm starting to realize how I can eat smaller portions and still feel full.  This was one thing I always struggled with in the past.
  
  As for my blood work, it came back good.  No diabetes, kidneys are functioning well.  The one problem that I did have is that my LDL (good cholesterol) is very low.  The HDL is normal, but since the LDL is low, it puts me in the "risk" category.  I'm going to add more fish and LDL rich foods to my diet and supplement with fish oil pills to try to raise it up.  Also, adding in more exercise should help also.
  
  My blood pressure stayed where it's was - 135/80 - so my doctor put me on a low dose of BP medication.  We're hoping that the future weight loss will help lower this back to the normal range.
• #10 by D.A.L.U.I. on 04 Dec, 2007 12:39
• Everything sounds like you're on the right path and congrats on the blood results.  You mentioned glycemic index!  You may have heard of Sugar Busters.  One of the authors is a friend and my doctor.  Their series also has cookbooks that are great helpers.  The essence of their system is the index when it's all boiled down.  But having some receipes is very helpful in the change of lifestyle work.  I can recommend that system, but see what your doctor says. 
• #11 by WannaBePadre on 04 Dec, 2007 13:02
• Tyler,
  
  That is almost exactly like my last year physical ... High BP and 220.
  
  I became a vegetarian for 6 months, and also stayed away from refined carbohydrates. Minimal (read nearly no) exercise was involved besides walking. I tried running, and my appetite went through the roof and I shot up to 200.
  
  My last physical this fall, I weighed in at 190.
  
  I'm back up to 200 after the holidays and having to eat cafeteria food again.
  
  Congrats, sounds like you're doing great!!
• #12 by shakf on 22 Apr, 2008 14:45
• I think the best way to do it would be to eat all the food groups but in small quantities and only eat when hungry. This is common sense and also sustainable. When one starts cutting out certain food groups it becomes very difficult to maintain in the long run. I have had experience of this and it is awfully difficult to sustain. Eat when you are hungry. Only eat enough to be satisfied but not till you feel the need to drop your belt a notch.
• #13 by dog20 on 28 Jul, 2008 16:41
• I've lost 8 pounds in 1 week doing phase 1 of the "celebrity fit club" diet.  All I ate was fruits and vegetables and drank water lol.  I wasn't allowed to eat the fruits with lots of sugar such as raisins.  I also exercised 5x a week for 30 minutes each time and I ate 6 meals (1 meal every 3 hours)
• #14 by slyinglide on 09 Aug, 2008 12:55
• When I got out of the Military, I was 185 lbs, I'm 6'3" Tall and when I ran nothing jiggled.  I took about a month off, and decided that I had spent a good portion of my life being ordered around and decided that I would become a truck driver.....Well after 10 years of driving a truck I had gained alot , and I mean alot of weight.  I decided that I needed to loss said weight so I went on the Atkin's Diet.  It worked like a charm for me...My doctor monitored me all through the diet and said that this type of diet fitted me to a tee because my body is addicted to Carbs!. I dropped 85 pounds in about 7 months with no harm to my body..I had a non-related health issue come up causing me to gain about 10 pounds back will I was recovering.....I am currently on the maintenance portion of the diet and have been for about a year> my Doctor has released me to go hard core back into the diet and continue to loss the unwanted weight..........The only bad thing about the very low carb diet is that you have a very noticable body odor that can't be avoided....just taking alot of showers and using colgne to mask helps but it can, at times,anyone else do this diet? be very bad...