My girlfriend is trying to lose weight

[AJ22]

Hi folks,

My girlfriend is trying to lose weight. She is not fat, though slightly chubby. However, I feel she is going about this, all wrong. She eats very little now days. She has cut out anything with fat in it. Stopped eating pasta. In fact, she seems to be disliking food in general now. What she does eat now, is sprouts, salad(without dressing) vegetables, leafs and drinks quite a lot of lemon juice.

She is depriving herself of tasty food. I also think she is undereating too. Yesterday, she has a cereal bar, a banana and then a potato dish and a packet of crisps. Today she had a cereal bar, a salad(just a collection of leafs and veg) and a banana!
She considers that food! I would starve to death on that amount!

Overall I think she eats just less than 1000 cals a day. She is 5'2 and about 125lb.

Can you recommend any safe weight loss diet for her? I was thinking of Atkins, but she does not like the sound of that.

[Yanick]

a nice macronutriently balanced meal plan will suffice with a calorie deficit.

In end end she will need to count calories.

12xBW.
isocaloric.
don't be too strict on foods, make sure she sticks w/it.

make sure she lifts to preserve muscle.
keep caridio minimal if she wants to do any.

[AJ22]

LOL

Sorry for laughing, I appreciate your assitance. But she would never lift. I think the closest she has and will come to lifting is shopping bags

The problem is; she is avoiding all fats, sugars etc and only eating fruit and vegetables. That is the problem I want to correct.

The Atkins diet sounds ideal thus far, if she can eat anything she wants, and still lose weight. However, I am phased by the health issues surrounding that diet.

[Shao-LiN]

Avoiding all fats is counter-productive, IMO. Staying away from sugar is good, although fruit does contain sugar.

[Yanick]

well she still needs to do some type of exercise.

Her calories are also undoubtedly low. Get her on a good diet. Adjust cals so she loses .5-1lb/week.

[AJ22]

Yeah, Yanick, but what exactly is a good diet? Can you outline certain foods she should eat to get a balance of the needed macronutrients.

She is vegeterian btw

[bradley]

Originally posted by AJ22
LOL

.

The Atkins diet sounds ideal thus far, if she can eat anything she wants, and still lose weight. However, I am phased by the health issues surrounding that diet.

Well the atkins diet would be out anyway if she is a vegetarian.

[Berserker]

First off is she is a veg. you should be expecting her to eat little fat. Unless you want to shove ho-hos in her mouth, which sounds like you do by the sugar comment. Alot of people do better without sugar.
As far as Atkins, definitely not for a veg. Not for alot of other people either. If you read the book and I don't remeber the terminalogy its more for people with funky sugar levels. I tried it on a period when I wasn't lifting. Its a pain in the ass.
Also for vegs might want to take some protein powder if if not building muscle. And she is going to eat amount of food that you would starve on. How about vitamins?
Berserker
Some animals eat grass, and other animals eat the animals who eat grass-me

[_-_v_-_]

Is anyone else more than a little concerned here?

Signs, people...

[BCC]

The biggest problem I see is the major protein deficiency.

[_-_v_-_]

Not to mention vitamin and fatty-acid deficiencies...

Oh, and one other tiny problem...which apparently is going unnoticed.

[bradley]

Does she eat eggs or dairy? This could be a good source of protien and fats for her.

[Tryska]

the biggest problem i see is no clue on proper nutrtition. i wouldn't go so far as to say there are signs v - this is the usual female crap.


if she's cutting out suars, she sure as hell isn't doing a good job, because from what i can tell aside, from the grene veg, all she's eating is sugar.

she needs protein, she needs good fats, she needs veggies. and she needs to frekain weight-train.

tell ehr to visit the boards, and we'll set her straight.

[IceRgrrl]

Disclaimer: Advice contained herein pertains to and is aimed at the general sedentary untrained person and is not intended for use by the ultrafit, body composition obsessed, lifting fanatic.


Want to lose weight? It's easy with this dual-action simple-to-use, 100% guaranteed formula...eat less, move more!

But read the fine print...you have to do both. Eating less and not moving more won't get you there. Moving more but not eating less (or continuing to eat a nutritionally vacant diet) won't really do it either. But combine the two, especially if "moving more" includes the totally awesome combination of strength training and aerobic exercise, and you've got a healthy lifestyle that will result in changes in body composition.

(For best results combine gradual changes in eating and exercise habits accompanied by self-education about nutrition and basic physiology.)

[Tryska]

i want that!! how much?? do you take charge cards??

[IceRgrrl]

LOL! I think I just found my road to being independently wealthy...*thinks about quitting job and launching a series of infomercials*

[Berserker]

I agree with Ice, your slogan could be "get off your ass". Both a slogan and a routine. Weight training is not for everyone. IMO a diet and active lifetstyle are fine for many. Theres plenty of chicks who don't work out I'd like to....

[Paul Stagg]

If she won't train with weights, I would bump the caloric intake down to 10x bw as a starting point.

Right now, she's headed for disaster.

[matrosa]

She has no clue. Get her a subscription to "shape" magazine. Plenty of photos of women who look like she probably wants to look like with (generally) sound nutritional/exercise advice. People tend to listen to that more than the same info coming from a friend. I'd buy one today and leave it laying on the coffee table. At least it'll allow you to "discuss" some of the ideas presented.

BUT you got a tough job. She's definitely headed for problems now.

[Jgirl]

The Shape idea is great. Perhaps you could get her an issue which has healthy women in it and mention how attractive they are (be careful) . Occasionally, they will do profiles on women and list what they eat on a daily basis or outline a 8-week diet plan. Or, you could go to the extreme and get her a copy of Oxygen magazine. They always list what the "pros" eat, but that may be too much for her. Also, they feature simple workout routines in shape. Usually at this time of year they have this type of article since everyone is going to make a resolution on Jan. 1st to lose weight. You could get her a subscription for part of her Christmas present!!!!

[bradley]

Does she ever go the gym with you? Might be a good idea to let her tag along and see that it is not only men working out but also women, seniors, etc. Maybe she doesn't like lifting weights becasue she has the wrong idea about it. I say this because it is a common misconception. Just a thought...