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Hi all,

I’m wondering what the best “Paleo-tweaks” I can use to lose weight FAST. I’ve been paleo for about 1.5 years following a year of weight loss that took me from 190 to 118 lbs (I’m a 24 y/o 5’7” female, currently at 136 lb). Paleo worked well for maintaining at around 120-125 until I finished grad school and started a full-time desk job; I gained most of the extra 16 lbs from September-November 2010.

My boyfriend just surprised me with a vacation to the USVI- but I have only a little over a month to prepare! Should I go zero-carb or do a cyclic ketogenic diet? Ladies?!

My current exercise routine is spinning 2x per week, body pump 2x per week, plyometrics 1x per week, and 20 minutes of easy yoga every day. I plan on switching up my program and adding some HIIT. Any thoughts on this?

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If you are eating whole, natural foods (and not to excess) and exercising then you don't need any further tips. The weight will fall off. – Pecan Mar 11 at 4:41

10 Answers

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What are you eating right now? How many carbs? You might not need to go completely zero carb, but just drop them somewhat. What changes you need to make completely depend on what you are doing now.

I wouldn't add anything to your current exercise schedule. If you are going to do HIIT, then switch it for something else. Possibly, 1 spin, 1 body pump and the HIIT. Do you work out fasted? Is that a possibility? That can really help sometimes.

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Agreed, the cortisol from all that working out may prevent fat loss. Scale it back a little. IF rips the fat off. Make sure your sleep is dialed in. Use a protein sparing modified fast (PSMF) as a last resort. – Dave S. Apr 11 2011 at 17:44
<60 carbs/day, about 1350 calories. I don’t have the time to work out in the morning, but my commute includes about 30 minutes of walking in the morning and evening. Lunch time workout: HIIT and 20 minutes of walking 2x per week. Lifting/bodyweight (loving/hating burpees) 2x per week. – PaleoDuck Apr 12 2011 at 19:44
It sounds like you are doing everything possible, I say relax and let your body do it's work. You should probably lose 5-10 this month with this plan. – sherpamelissa Apr 12 2011 at 20:28
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I notice if I give up fruit, yoghurt, and nuts, I lose faster. In general, avoiding fructose really helps me. Enjoy your trip!

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here's an idea: freaking out about 10 or 16 pounds will just stress you out. That's bad. Go have fun and feel sexy and good about yourself and get some sun and Vit D and enjoy being 24. Sure, we're women and we notice the small stuff but I bet your boyfriend still thinks you look great. Get back to your goal weight but don't freak out about a timeline or a beach body. It's much sexier to just feel sexy, and not to sound cheesy, but feeling like you love your body goes a long way to keeping it fit and looking good. Also, you seem to have figured out that a desk job was causing your weight gain, so maybe just find ways to adjust in the office.Incidentally, I'm 5'7" and i feel like an ideal weight for me is about 125-127, everyone's build is different but 118-120 sounds a bit low to me.

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i love this answer. thanks. – being Apr 11 2011 at 17:45
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thank you :) , people forget how much enjoyment is key to things like weight loss and even proper form in exercise. – tartare Apr 11 2011 at 17:49
I wanted to write something very similar, so I just join in with you. i am three inches smaller, but weight around 145. And I even though it would be nice to lose something, I don't obsess. I think I am looking quite fine already :) – Yoannah_offca Apr 11 2011 at 23:16
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Believe me, Paleo has taught me so much about my body and health. Truth is- I feel more confident, stronger, and more athletic when I’m lighter. It’s also practical in the sense that I won’t have to buy a whole new summer wardrobe as I have gained 2 clothing sizes! I plan on enjoying my vacation whether I gain or lose weight but I don’t think one month of weight loss is going to compromise my health. – PaleoDuck Apr 12 2011 at 19:41
glad to hear it, and i certainly understand enjoying the light feeling. No, i didn't mean to imply it would compromise your health, but sometimes people (particularly women) build up these types of deadlines in their heads and it can be counterproductive. Have a great trip! – tartare Apr 12 2011 at 20:21
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Keep up with the yoga and turn down the cardio otherwise. Dunno how carb-conscious you are right now, but scaling that back + toning down your exercise should help you lose a few pounds before you leave, I'd guess. Good luck.

I'd die to be 136, vacation or not!

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Low to no carbs for quick but quick is not the way to go. Paleo weight loss is a residue of design, not the goal. You have done a great job, perhaps some strength tyraining instead of cardio to shape the body. Strength training ( even body weight style) keeps carbs out of the blood system so they don't ghet stored in a fat cell.

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Sat and Sunday were almost zero carb. Had “carb flu” on Sunday but am over it today (Tuesday). I’m counting calories (~1350/day), under 60g carbs, half scoop of whey powder with iced coffee post-workout. This seems to help control my hunger later in the day. – PaleoDuck Apr 12 2011 at 19:42
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plus if you follow the other users' advice and do less cardio and more strength training you will build sexy msucle tone and be pumped by your own ability to do more/lift more.

i'm not talking body builder level here, a nice definition in the arms is all it takes and besides that, muscle burns more fat so as long as you eat right (paleo style) & drinks loads of water you will be fine!

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You can NOT build huge muscle without INTENT. It won't sneak up on you so don't worry. – pjnoir Apr 13 2011 at 15:48
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Walk and stand as much as you can. Walk everywhere. Walk around your house till your family thinks you're insane. Get a standing or walking desk and use that instead of sitting. These will help burn more calories and also have positive hormonal effects that you won't get from sitting.

When you do sit, try to fidget and move around as much as possible. Drink plenty of water. Lower your thermostat and expose yourself to cold temperatures. Do weight training, HIIT, and lots of low level activity like yoga, walking, or gardening. You may also want to track your calories and food intake, and cut out some of the more questionable foods like nuts, fruit, dairy, stevia, etc.

Even if you don't reach your goal though, remember that the real goal here is long term health. It may take a while, but just keep plugging away. (This is pretty hypocritical actually as I am the least patient person ever.)

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Instead of being focused on the number of pounds you want to loose, focus on inches and muscle tone. I am 5'5 and currently weigh about 135 which has been a consistent weight on and off paleo, but for my body type and muscle tone I feel confident, sexy, and strong. The healthy way to slim down would be to increase your amount of cardio. Sprints, cardio circuits, jumping rope, and high intensity exercies sush as burpees and box jumps are great exercises to shed fat. While sticking to the Paleo diet, what has helped me to drop inches and body fat percentage is to decrease my grain, starch, and sugar intake. Increase the amounts of protein, vegetable, and fruit and keep the fat intake to a moderate level.

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Drop all dairy and nuts and seeds completely.

Limit carbs to under 100g per day.

Lift heavy stuff and/or sprint once or twice per week.

Walk a lot.

Do NO jogging or slowish running.

Sleep more than eight hours per day.

(people won't like this next one but) Go ahead and limit overall calories. Stay strict paleo, just eat a lot less. (this, while not being a great way to live forever, will help shed the weight IN THE SHORT TERM)

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This + limit or eliminate fruit. Carbs from non-starchy sources, with the possible exception of post-workout. And, of course, strict Paleo, meaning NO ALCOHOL. This may not be an issue for you, but I've seen many people get frustrated when it turns out they're still drinking on weekends. – Crystal Apr 12 2011 at 15:11
Yes, I'm not much of a drinker but it puts weight on me like nobody's business. I'm trying to get 9 hours of sleep while I'm on this short-term diet. – PaleoDuck Apr 12 2011 at 19:43
I don’t normally do dairy as I find it gives me skin issues and exacerbates seasonal allergies, but I find it hard to do VLC without it. – PaleoDuck Apr 12 2011 at 19:45
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your weight is average for a person with your height. Since working out is not an easy option due to your time restrictions (I had a friend in marching band and she rarely had a break from practices and games) then i'd say the most you could do that could make a big difference is for starters eat smaller portions of food. By all means DO NOT starve yourself, but keep eating three meals a day either smaller portions or X out all junk food. Veggies and proteins are twenty times better for you then mcdonalds or chips. Of course you will have to give it a few days or a week to get used to eating smaller portions of food but after this time your stomach will shrink and you will get used to eating less. To add an extra oomph, drink ONLY water and eat foods that boost your metabolism. Some that are at the top of my head are blueberries, grapefruit, almonds, spinach, oatmeal, eggs, celery.. even green tea speeds metabolism. Higher metabolism means more calories burned. You can find more calorie burning foods at this website: http://howcaniloseweightbutkeepmybreas.webege.com/

Anytime I want to lose weight I always drop all the junk food, drink purely water and eat things I know increase my metabolism. For me I lose weight in a reasonably fast period and did it without dieting or working out. Although if you want even faster results you need to boost your metabolism and do at least a few calorie burning workouts a day. Here's a link for some that I recently found and will do anytime I want to feel a burn. Its four workouts you repeat three times and only do them three times a week.

I hope I've helped you with your question. :)

http://howcaniloseweightbutkeepmybreas.webege.com/

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