Starving to lose some weight....?

Question

Advice if starving to lose weight works?

Well I've never been happy with my size - ever...
i've reached the point in my life where i'm not liking 'me"!
i'm 21 yrs old, 5'5, and 180 lbs. i eat out a lot, and don't excersize- i lack motivation- i even have a gym membership but don't use it. i want an easy way out-= but i know the best thing is calorie control- and wrking out- ! was wondering if i could loose weight (about 20 lbs) by starving myself, and then once im back to 160 - then start wrking out and doing the healthy stuff..- idk- someone help !

Answer 1

You won't starve, you will binge - overeat after not eating for some hours.
And you won't lose any weight as a consequence. Instead,
go wheat free. No pasta, pizza, bread and so on. And no food after 7 p.m.
I know a woman who lost 60 pounds a month on it. She did nothing else!

Answer 2

You will put your metabolism into hibernation mode and as a result, it will take even less food for you to gain weight. I did this when I was younger and it only brought more problems. You could lose 20 pounds, but more than likely, you will gain about 50 more to replace it once all is said and done. Your body is designed to keep you from dying, so when you starve yourself, it does what it can to keep you around long enough to find food.

Not to mention the strain starvation can have on you physically. In short, starvation is not the way to go. I'm 29 years old and had to learn all this the hard way. And like me when I was 21, you will probably disregard this. All I can say is that I gained no benefit from starving myself and quite a few pounds along with it. If only I had started Weight Watchers and found a form of exercise I liked back then...it would have gotten me to my goal much sooner.

Try yoga classes (it's a pleasant form of activity), work your way into pilates and walk, walk, walk! And Weight Watchers is the only weight program proven to work long term. You won't be happy until you do it right!

Best wishes and good luck. It's no fun and I feel your pain.

Answer 3

That is a bad idea. I tried that and I could barely last the day. If I don't eat something, I faint. I suggest you continue your eating habits and just once or twice a week order a salad or sub sandwich instead of a fast food hamburger. You have to start out slow, because your body can't take immediately eating all salads and sandwiches right away. I tried many times. Then gradually eat more healthier foods. You can eat healthier foods when you eat out. I started with ordering a chicken salad and a side of fries. Now I can eat just the salad. It takes time, but you'll get to losing that weight. There are no shortcuts. You can try fasting for two days, but it's not good to do that for long. It's where you drink shakes or smoothies all day. With the gym, you just have to find an exercise that you like to do. There are many websites that you can check out. Try checking out Beachbody.com. I use the HIPHOPABs dvds and that works for me. It's the only video that I like to do everyday. Goodluck.

Answer 4

To lose weight you must burn more calories than you consume. Yes, starving will cause you to lose weight because you aren't taking in any calories...BUT

1. It will slow down your metabolism so weight loss will be difficult later and slow, even when starving
2. The body isn't getting any fuel so will start to shut down
3. When you start eating again (which you have to do to live) you will gain weight faster than before as your body hoards calories in case you starve it again

Eat right and exercise. THAT is the correct and long term way to lose weight and keep it off. I know, I've been there...good luck!

Answer 5

Starving yourself for the first 20 lbs won't work -- your body will slow its metabolism down to the point where you gain, not lose. Also, when your body senses it's being starved, it will consume your muscle mass to compensate for the intentional lack of food. Not a great way to go!

You know what you need to do. Reduce your caloric intake while increasing your use of the calories you consume, i.e., eat less and exercise more.

It's hard, but you're seeking the easy way out, and you'll only harm yourself. One of my best friends is big/overweight. She has made some progress by reducing/increasing, but not starving herself. At 5' 5", and 180, you aren't tremendously (morbidly) obese. But you still need to lose some weight.

Here's a plan:
1. Eat out less and buy food from the food pyramid, such as veggies, fruits, fish, lean meats, fiber-rich foods. What you save by not eating out, you'll be able to use for buying the healthy foods.

2. Grill or bake the lean meats (chicken, turkey) and fish. Don't use lots of fatty sauces. Season with Mrs. Dash. Make tasty salads (veggie and fruit). Instead of white bread, buy whole-grain whole wheat. For breakfast, have cereal with 2% or fat free milk, or a bowl of oatmeal with fresh fruit. Carry fresh fruits and veggies to munch on during the day. Carry Triscuit crackers. Drink more water.

3. Start slow by walking 1/4 mile a day, then increase weekly to 1/3 or 1/2 mile, then increase the intensity by slowly starting to jog. Buy some light weights and add some muscle resistance to your workout. Park farther from your dorm, classrooms, store, etc., and walk that distance -- anything you do helps out!

Be consistent. Your weight loss will be slow, about 1 lb a week, which is healthy. You don't want to lose large amounts of weight in a short time.

If your parents can afford it, visit a nutritionist or dietician. You don't want to run the risk of diabetes or joint problems at your young age.

Don't lose hope!

Answer 6

Do not starve yourself. It makes you gain weight. My mom is a health nut so I know what to do. Say you only eat one meal a day, your body tries to save that body fat and starts to slow down from no food. When you go and eat that one meal, the food goes right to fat. It is hard to explain but trust me. You dont have to exercise to be kinda healthy. I mean.......excising is good. But if it is not your thing, take the stairs instead of elevator, walk to work....yeah. Here is what I eat daily and there are some tips:
DO NOT only eat one meal a day! that makes you gain weight! Eat healthier.
Breakfast- eggs, turkey bacon or a smoothie or oatmeal or toasted Ezekiel bread.Stay away from sugared cereals.
Lunch- a chicken salad or a boca burger on whole wheat bread.
Dinner- fish (not fried) and rice or beans and beets.
Snacks- nuts, carrot sticks, any type of fruit.
I eat like this all the time because my mom is a health nut! Also, only eat until your full. Do not stuff yourself. SODA IS THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF WEIGHT!!!!! Stay away from soda for good!
Since you are a little overweight, I would suggest taking it slow on the workout for a little. Maybe start walking around more and once you can move better, join a gym even if you dont like to excerise!
any more questions?? Email or IM me anytime!
Stay Healthy
♥maddie

Answer 7

I found the book to be very informative and easy to read.

I've lost 17 pounds in 12 days, I'm just concerned that I'm losing too much weight, too quickly. I will admit I haven't followed the guide exactly. I'm not sticking perfectly to the listed foods and meal plans (but mostly) and doing very little exercise, but the weight keeps flying off.

It clearly works and if I'd followed it exactly I think it would scare the living daylights out of me because of the amount that I'd lose. So thanks again for the information. I've never purchased anything like this before because they are usually full of trash, but 3WD has been a pleasant surprise.

Get started today!

Answer 8

actually starving your self is the worst thing that you can do because your body thinks its not going to get any food there for it hangs on to the fat if you eat small meals more frequently you will lose weight so much faster also start with baby steps just start walking 20 min a day then 30 min until you are doing 1 hr you will lose 10- 15 lbs in a month .... good luck

Answer 9

scrap starving, and start working out now, if you think you will change after starving you are mistaken, you will be weaker and less motivated than you are now, not to mention in bad health, you loose weight starving because your body eats its own protiens, (muscle mass) to stay alive... so try to portion your meals, you can eat a lot all day, just eat right and often, go to the gym, you can be overweight but still in shape, and being in shape dosent mean you have 0% body fat, ...u might loose weight starving but it will be muscle not fat, first you need to get into shape and everything else will fall in place, be happy with yourself and realize that your body is specific, it wont always be what you want it , you just have to work at it, once you see results you will probably be motivated to keep it up.... best of luck

Answer 10

I will try to keep it simple. Your metabolism is basically the rate at which your body burns calories to create energy. So the faster your metabolism, the faster you burn calories and the easier it is to lose unwanted weight. To boost your metabolism naturally you just need to eat the right foods.

You can sit down and literally eat a 1,000-calorie dinner and yet be absolutely starving just a few hours later and the reason is simple: Because your body didnt get what it needed in those 1,000 calories so it sends signals to your brain telling you to ingest more calories and thus, the late-night cravings. That means that the surest way to end those late-night cravings and keep your weight loss goals on track is to eat a more balanced, nutritious diet that actually gives your body what it needs.

It's VERY EASY to lose weight if you eat the right foods. Check out Dr. Charles Livingston's video here: http://www.sexyjese.com - it will blow your mind.

Answer 11

No no no this is a very bad idea, you would deprive your body of the nutrients it needs and be even more tired and icky feeling. It is never easy to lose weight, I weigh a lot more than you and starving yourself shouldnt even be an option it is so dangerous and it can cause lots of problems. Please dont, if you want to lose weight that bad, you must start exercising. You could just walk around your neighborhood for 30 min. each day or use your membership, just make yourself do it. Please dont stop eating, its so bad for you! Good luck!