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Originally Posted by Milo Riano  I once lost 45 lbs in 5 weeks. My friend lost 60lbs in the same time. I am sure 100lbs is something you can do. |
I would be very careful about losing weight nearly that fast. Realize that while a pound of fat is 3500 calories, a pound of muscle is only 600. In order to lose that much weight so quickly, it's very likely there's an emphasis on losing muscle mass (eating more protein and lifting weights helps preserve muscle mass, but that's going a bit beyond this post). This is why so many people put weight back on, as a pound of muscle burns 50 calories per day doing nothing, and each pound lost lowers one's basal metabolic rate.
I recommend that people pay more attention to bodyfat % (easily tracked via cheap calipers as mentioned elsewhere) than weight. Also, don't diet. Adopt eating and lifestyle habits that you can comfortably maintain for a lifetime: getting sufficient rest, chewing food at least 10-30 times, stopping the instant one feels full (no matter how much is left on your plate), cutting out heavily processed foods as much as possible, and integrating enjoyable physical activities (such as dancing and martial arts class) into your daily life. Moderate weight lifting has a healthy place in everyone's life, at every age. Find ways to have fun with whatever you choose to do, and it'll all go much more smoothly, with a better chance of the weight staying off for good.
I've never been seriously overweight (just a little chubby, which was quickly corrected by eating less bread), though when my mom took a bit of my advice a few years ago she lost about 60 pounds in a year, and has remained at a fairly ideal weight ever since. She's happily much more active than before and enjoys going hiking/kayaking at age 50. Her frequent colds seem to have disappeared as well. Remember, whatever age you are, life can be so much better if you take action, though if you've been reading Steve's site, you likely already know that
