Losing More Weight

Question
Dear Bret,

Hi there, my name is Jordan, I'm 18 years old and I have a few questions for you about diet and weight loss. First of all, I'd like to say that I'm 5'7" and a whopping 230lbs, and surprisingly, I actually just lost 30lbs in the course of three months, (between January and March). I did this by reducing sugar and fat intake, and running at least 5 miles a week, and it seemed to really help. My problem is however, when I lost the 30lbs I got sort of excited and veered from the path, and got back into my old eating habits, just not as bad as they used to be. To what may be your shock however, I've actually maintained to keep the 30lbs off for two months, but I want to lose more. My only trouble is, I honestly don't know how. Everytime I try going back to what I was doing I find myself making bad choices 4-5 days into it, and just going back to drinking soda and getting the occasional fast foot bite to eat.

Honestly, I'm at a complete wit's end, and I just need some guidance on how to keep losing weight, because my goal for this summer is to try and get down to at least 200lbs but also gain some muscle. As an actor I desperately feel the need to look good, and I want to in general as well, but food has always been such a comfort that it's so difficult to limit myself. My question for you is, do you have any suggestions or advice on what to eat and what to do exercise wise in order to lose weight and possibly get ripped a little bit by the end of August? I would honestly love to lose 50lbs more by the end of August and the start of my senior year in high school. Thank you so much for your time, I hope you can help!

Sincerely,

Jordan


Answer
Hi Jordan,
Wow, 30 pounds in 3 months!  That is great.  And you did it the right way - by reducing caloric intake by limiting sugar and fat while increasing caloric output with exercise.  And even more impressively you have maintained the weight loss.  Did you know that 95% of people who lose weight gain it back?  You are in the top 5%!

Alright, so I know you have the dedication and determination to do what it takes to lose weight and keep it off.  That is a part of your character, and a real gift.  Lets see if we can't design a nutrition and exercise plan that will continue the weight loss and get your to your end of summer goal.

Lets start with nutrition.  You described having cravings for soda and fast food.  Whenever we crave sweets or fast food it is most likely because our blood sugar has plummeted.  What I want you to start doing today is eating a meal every 3 hours while you are awake.  Now, these are not the three course, have mom put a bib on you, 揺at til you drop?kind of meals :-)  Each meal should be no more than 300 calories.  If you eat more than 300 calories at any one time the excess is stored as fat.  This is because our liver - the place where the food we eat is stored - can only hold 300 calories and then it converts the rest to body fat.  Also by eating a meal every 3 hours we will be keeping your blood sugar stable.  This will reduce the cravings and keep you on track.

Having a meal every 3 hours means you will be having either 5 or 6 meals per day depending on how late you stay up.  Feel free to utilize nutrition bars (I would recommend the Clif Builder bar for you) or nutrition shakes that come in ready to drink boxes (EAS makes a Myoplex brand that is 300 calories).  The bars and shakes can be bought at the grocery store or a local GNC.  

Maintain adequate hydration by drinking water between each meal.  Shoot for 60 to 100 ounces of water per day.  Your metabolic rate is directly dependent upon proper fluid levels in the body.

Now for the exercise.  The running you have been doing is probably the best possible form of exercise you could do.  Make sure you have a good pair of running shoes.  Shoot for 5 to 6 days per week of running.  Here is the secret to fat loss.  Perform the running on an empty stomach.  Yes, I said on an empty stomach - no eating before running.  If you are doing it first thing in the morning, then just get up drink a little water, grab your MP3 player and shoes, and head out the door.  if you are doing it later in the day, wait 2 to 3 hours after you eat to run.  This will ensure that your exercise is tapping into your fat stores.  If you eat and then go run, the body will just be using the food you ate and not tap fully into your body fat.  You only need to do 30 minutes of running.  This is because you are doing it on an empty stomach and fat stores are immediately being tapped.  Make it brief and intense.  

You mentioned food as comfort.  Repeat after me... food is fuel.  When we look for comfort in food we will always be left wanting more comfort.  Find comfort in a good book, a funny movie, or warm bath - I don't care where you find it as long as it is not with food.  

Here is the reason why we will seek out food for comfort.  Our brains have DRDT receptors.  The receptors make us feel good when they are stimulated.  If the receptors do not get stimulated through events (interactions at school/work, hobbies, friendships, sex) then we seek out food as a source of DRD2 stimulation.  Food is a source of stimulation.  How many times have you heard of someone involved in a new love relationship talk about not being hungry or losing weight?  This is because the person was getting all the DRD2 stimulation they needed from the relationship.  The goal is to find events in our lives that bring us comfort; stimulation, interaction, and thus we will not try to achieve this through food.

You also asked for suggestions about what to eat.  Below is a list of foods that should make up the majority of your diet:
MEATS:
Beef, Maverick or Sirloin
Boars Head Cajun Style Roast Beef
Boars Head Canadian Style Bacon
Boars Head Chicken Breast
Boars Head Corned Beef Top Round
Boars Head Ham, Low Sodium
Boars Head Pastrami Turkey Breast
Boars Head Turkey Breast
Chicken, Breast, No Skin, Roasted
Pork, Tenderloin Only
Turkey, Breast, No Skin, Roasted

SEAFOOD:
Crab
Fish, White
Lobster, No Butter
Salmon
Scallops
Shrimp
Sashimi
Tuna

DAIRY:
Cheese, Non-Fat/Low-Fat
Cottage Cheese, Low-Fat/Non-Fat

OTHER:
Boca Burgers
Egg Whites
Egg Beaters
Eggs, Hardboiled, No yolks
Frozen Dinners
Protein Powder
Soybeans
Tofu  

FRUITS:
Apple Applesauce Banana Blackberries Blueberries  Cherries
Fruit Spread, 100% Fruit Grapes
Grapefruit, Pink Or White Kiwi Fruit Lemon Lime
Melon (Cantaloupe) Orange
Peach Pear
Pineapple Plum Strawberries

GRAINS:
Cereal, All Bran Buds Cereal, Hi-Lo
Cheerios, Plain Couscous
Kashi Pilaf Oatmeal/Grits
Rice, Brown Quinoa
Wheat Bread/Pita Wheat Pasta Wheat Tortilla

VEGETABLES:
Asparagus Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts Carrots
Cauliflower Celery
Cucumber Corn
Lettuce Onions
Salsa Snow Peas Squash Sweet Potato Tomato Zucchini

BEANS:
Black Beans Chickpeas Green Beans Kidney beans
Lentils Lima Beans
Navy Beans Peas
Pinto Beans Wax Beans White Beans

DAIRY/OTHER:
Milk, Non-Fat          
Milk, Rice/Soy
Sour Cream, Non-Fat          
Yogurt, Non-Fat                   
Yogurt, Silk Plain

One final piece of advice that is more about mental motivation than diet or nutrition.  Each morning when you wake up take a moment to think about why you are making this change to your body.  Think about how your life will be different.  Think about how it will improve your acting career.  Think about what it will do to your self-esteem and self-confidence to know that you accomplished a task that 95% of the population fails at regularly.  And then each night before falling asleep, lie quietly in bed with your eyes closed and imagine how you want your body to look.  Study your desired body.  See every aspect of it.  See it just as you would like it to be.  Study your arms, legs, torso, and see the smile on your face.  Then let yourself fall asleep with that image resonating in your mind.  

The true key to success in any endeavor is to be able to want the end result more than wanting to remain the same.  Do you really want it?  If so, then the goal is yours, if you will give the effort.  

Hope this helps, and please do not hesitate to let me know if I can clarify anything or provide more information.  Keep me up to date on your progress!

Best of health,
Dr. Bret
Doctoremery.com

1. Prev:Supplementing with Whey Protein Powder & Kidneys
2. Next:it wont go away.....