Kick up weight loss rate

I have been eating healthy and working out for about two months and have lost weight at a rate of 1-2 lbs per week. I count calories and try to eat good foods, i.e. fruit, low fat dairy, veggies, whole grains, protein, etc. ... and if I eat chocolate I try to eat dark chocolate ;) I am going to Florida for vacation in 3 weeks and would love to lose at a higher rate until then, about 2-3 lbs/week. Besides incorporating more exercise, is there any way I can lose weight faster by changing my diet but still keeping a healthy diet? Someone suggested doing the first phase of South Beach but I don't think could keep up wtih my workouts on SB and I'm concerned that I would gain a lot back during the vacation (when I don't intend to be bad, but I don't intend to be too restrictive either). Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

FYI - I eat about 1200-1400 calories/day during the and probably almost 2000 on the weekends. I have lost about 12 pounds and currently have about 15+ more pounds to lose.

Also, I thought about breaking up my cardio and working out in the mornings and evenings. I'm not a morning person, but if I thought this would boost my weight loss rate then I could probably drag myself out of bed. Comments?

Thanks!

Tue. May 6, 2:25pm

You lose more weight when you burn more calories than you eat. Working out more and eating less will make you lose more weight. Load up on veggies and fruit.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008, 2:48 PM

My first thought is to skip the 2000 calorie weekends. That's 1600 calories right there, almost a 1/2 pound, over three weekends that's another 1.5 pounds.

Otherwise, keep the diet clean, eat whole, eliminate alcohol, drink lots of water.

Congrats on your accomplishments so far!

Tuesday, May 6, 2008, 3:04 PM

The week before the trip, cut back on sodium. You'll drop a couple pounds just through water weight. You'll likely gain it back during the trip, but you'll be slimmer to start.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008, 1:02 PM

Metabolically speaking if you lose more than 2 pounds a week, some of it will be muscle because your body can only burn fat at a certain rate - exceed that rate and it will find another way to make up the deficit. That's why you hear that you can only lose 1-2 pounds a week and do so healthfully (this breaks down a little if you are really, really obese). So, yes - you can lose more than a couple pounds a week but it may not all be weight you'd like to lose.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008, 1:41 PM

I was told by a dietician that you can lose between 1%-2% of your body weight a week of fat. The reason that 1-2 pounds a week is often quoted is because "most" people are between 100-200lbs. It seems kind of silly to assume that most people who want to lose weight are in that range, though, so a lot of people get misinformed.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008, 6:33 PM

Aren't you being a little dramatic. Its' not HORRIFYING to want to loose an extra pound a week for a couple of weeks!!

Wednesday, May 7, 2008, 7:21 PM

OP here. Thanks to everyone who responded, the advice is appreciated!!

Thanks also to the PP, if someone thinks my post was "horrifying" then they must really lead a charmed, sheltered life! :)

Wednesday, May 7, 2008, 11:52 PM

I could be wrong, but I think the 'HORRIFYING' reference was about the warning of losing more than 1-2 pounds per week. In other words, for some people, losing more than that in one week is perfectly fine and you're going to be wasting away muscle tissue. It's kind of like the urgent warnings about screwing up your metabolism the second you dip below 1200 calories for the day. That's how I read it, anyway...not a reference about the OP's goals.

Thursday, May 8, 2008, 10:59 PM

oops

make that 'you're NOT going to be wasting away muscle tissue.'

Thursday, May 8, 2008, 11:00 PM

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