Extreme Weight Loss Methods

Recently, I came across a blog post where the blogger posted that she was thinking of trying a liquid diet. She said she had so much weight to lose that she really just needed something to help her drop it quick.

I completely related with her great desire to do something extreme to lose weight. When you’re 200 or more pounds overweight, the journey seems so long. You can’t see the road ahead past the thick fog. The fog might as well be a brick wall, because it will create so much fear that it will stop you in your tracks. I’ve been in this situation so many times before. In your mind, the sheer thought of having to struggle through literally YEARS of working your ass off makes you completely shut down and not take any action.

Even now, if I’m in a funk or whatever, when I think about the fact that I’ve lost 76 pounds which isn’t even CLOSE to halfway, I get anxious. I get frustrated and mad. How did I get like this? Why is my body so difficult to deal with?
In the end though, these thoughts are just litter along your path. You have to hop over them, brush them to the side, and continue pushing forward.

WHAT IS THE ALTERNATIVE?

So you get frustrated and mad and let yourself slip. How does that improve your life? You slip back into your old unhealthy habits. You revert back to old ways. Your health goes in the wrong direction, and you’re even worse off than when you started.

If you are someone who has lost a lot of weight and maintained it using more extreme methods such as fasting, liquid diets, jaw wiring, etc, more power to you. I congratulate you on your success. But this is my advice that I offered to her:

I haven’t done a liquid diet, other than a day long juice fast. My honest opinion is “don’t do it!” It’s an extreme measure taken that can help you drop weight, but it’s not maintainable. You can’t live on liquids, nor would you want to. A liquid diet doesn’t help you learn new habits and handle your eating behaviors in a healthy way that you can sustain for your entire life. So many times with these extreme measures we push ourselves BACKWARDS. Before the diet we have a “last supper” then when we’re done with the diet we have a “hooray it’s over” week. I’d encourage you to try starting implementing more healthy eating behaviors instead of going to extreme, temporary measures.

And I write this as someone who is currently 379 pounds, down 76 from 455 pounds. I know it’s a struggle with so much weigh to lose, but you can do it.

My advice when selecting a new “diet” plan:

• Skip the “diet” and work on lifestyle changes
• Is the new lifestyle you’re choosing adaptable for the long run? I know some might think low carb is not attainable. For me, it is. I can gradually add in more carbohydrates as I get closer to my goal weight.
• Will you enjoy the foods available? For example, I don’t know anyone who would enjoy all liquids, all the time. For me, I love meats and cheeses and veggies, and can make enough options out of them that I enjoy it. For those on Weight Watchers, there are unlimited options as long as you manage your total intake and portions. It’s all about balance.
• Can your lifestyle handle the changes? Example: you have a family you cook for every night and you’re on a liquid diet. Will that derail you cooking for them and then sitting down and enjoying your shake? For me, I have to cook more, so that requires more time on my part. I only cook for myself, so I can handle it.

There are so many things to consider. Consistency is key. Make sure you can maintain the lifestyle, have success with the lifestyle, and enjoy the lifestyle. Otherwise, you might be setting yourself up to fail.

Again, I will support anyone in their efforts to become healthy. Different strokes for different folks. I just want everyone to succeed!

Would love to hear your thoughts on this!