Extreme Weight Loss
 

Here's the scenario...

I have a student that wants to join SF Guard unit here in Florida. He's 21, 5'6, 247 lbs. His goal is to be down to at least 180 by September, which is the date he wants to sign up. He was originally 258 lbs but he dropped 10 in one week with the following plan:

Daily
treadmill - 30 minutes (run/walk combo)
pushups - 50 (goal)
situps - 50 (goal)
pullups - 10 (goal)
regular streatching for a martial arts workout.

3Xs a week
60 minute martial arts workout, very cardio

Calorie intake - 1800 min 2000 max - Balanced mix of carbs, proteins, etc, with emphasis on vegitables. Lots and lots of water.

My question is, is this plan dangerous to his health? Is there something else I should be doing instead of the above plan?

I don't want to kill him but I do want to give him the best chance I can to succeed.

Thanks

Tha Army max tonnage for him without a Tape Test is going to be much lower than the goal you have set.

He is going to have a very hard row to hoe to get fit and into SF at that height and weight.

TR

Things to consider
 

-He will need a food lifestyle change, not just a temporary dietary change.
-He should put aside the "I want to enlist by this date" and set small short term goals (6 week blocks) He doesn't make his Sept goal...he may shoot all his confidence away.
-Stay away from scales, he should do the body fat / body measurement thing at his 6 week checkpoint. (this will help him see progress where as daily (or even weekly) weigh ins show little and can be discouraging)
-Stay away from supplements, they are short term and short cuts. Few work, and even fewer work well.
-Anything is better than nothing. If he can sweat even a little activity each day, it will be better for him than plaing PS2
-Be a supportive person with his new found fitness aspiration. But understand that a healthy weight loss goal is going to be about 2-3 lbs a week. Initial weight loss is almost entirely fluid. Next the body will start to resturucture itself and how it uses the fuel being eaten vs. that being stored. He should get LEAN FIRST, then try to get strong. Getting lean first changes the chemistry of the body's metabolism to better and more efficiently use calories and carbs against his Basal Metabolic Rate.

Good luck to your buddy...he may now live longer...

Eagle

Lifestyle change . . .That's been one of the hardest things to get through his head. Up until a couple of weeks ago his diet consisted of chicken and rice. His reasoning was "Hey Instructor, I'm Puerto Rican! It's what I eat." My response was 'It's how you're gonna die, too."

I think I've convinced him that he needs to rethink his dietary lifestyle. Time will tell.

TR - What is acceptable tonnage for a 21 year old at 5'6"? I advised him that he might not make it by the fall and he should be ready to go into overtime if that's the case. He wasn't happy but he did accept reality. --Nevermind, I saw the link on another thread, 170 lbs max.

My main concern was I was doing him harm by loosing that much weight in that short period of time. Getting lean sounds like a good idea, I need to research that.

Thanks

Army says that at 66", 21-27 years old, he can weight no more than 163 without taking a tape test for body fat computation.

I hope he has a tiny waist and a huge neck for a square guy, because I doubt that he would pass the tape at 180.

If you can get him into shape, great, I just don't see him being SF material with that little self-control.

I have been wrong before though.

TR

I have to give him credit, I just spoke with him and he lost another 4 lbs and is sticking to the calorie plan. If he wants this bad enough he'll get the self control he needs.

Sir, I wouldn't let him try to enlist unless I thought he would be an asset. Balls in our court to make it happen.

Sir, are you saying he has lost 14 pounds in just under two weeks?

As of today it's 2 weeks. First week was 10 second week was 4.

That leaves 17 weeks til September and 81 lbs(163) to make the standard weight limit per Reaper. That comes down to a 4.75lb/week average weight loss.

IMO, that is a little to ambitious a goal. He ought to give himself more time to lose the weight slower/healthier.

He is setting himself up for disappointment ... possible health trouble if he tries to maintain that kind of weight loss for a sustained period of time. :(

Actually, he has to lose the weight, AND get into shape by then.

I do not see this as realistic.

TR

10 pounds the first week, I can see. Heavy intake of water will reduce the bodies dependancy on water retention. 4 pounds in week 2 calculates out about right. Basal metobolic rate (wieght in pounds / 2.2) in kg x 24 hours = seditantary calorie expendature or 2814 calories per day. Your recommended exercise programs calculates out to be about moderate activity adjusting his calorie expendature by about 1.5 or 4222 calories per day. Drop the 2000 for intake and you have a deficit of 2222 calories x 7 days or 15,554 calories. Divide this by 3,500 calories per pound of fat for 4.4 pounds.

Here is the problem. As his weight drops, so will his base line seditantary calorie expendature. At a weight of 180, weight loss would be less then 2 pounds per week. In order to maintain a 4 pound per week weight loss, he will need to intake less (not healthy) or increase the intensity of the exercise program.

RL, my comments about healthy weight loss relate to someone trying to train up for SF enlistment/candidacy in September while trying to lose weight in a rapid fashion by restricting their caloric intake. That is what Kyo's thread addresses.

I doubt Jarod finished his rapid weight loss period with the fitness/strength/endurance required to succeed in the SF pipeline. Kyo's thread is focused on that particular need as well.
That makes the process much more difficult to obtain, if at all..

in my (self) experience, as a 5'8" fellow...I pass a tape test at 208. I'm just not a small guy...even when I am in great shape.

I'm kidding. TR's comments sound right on to me, although I'm obviously no expert.