Weight-Loss Losing weight rapidly from meds: what should I be eating/drinking?

[systemfailure]

(20 year old male, 5'6, currently 160lbs, aiming for 120 - 125lbs)
I had my medications switched a little over 3 weeks ago and since then have lost 12.8 pounds, meaning I'm losing about 4 pounds a week. Now, on the one hand this makes me happy since I'd love to lose all the excess fat and weight I've gained in the past few years and seeing my weight go down so rapidly is encouraging.

On the other hand, I know it's not healthy to lose weight rapidly like this. I'm not losing the weight by exercising a lot, just by having a very suppressed appetite and eating much less (usually only one small meal a day). My concern is that I'm losing muscle instead of fat by doing this, and it is definitely the fat that I want to lose. I have excess deposits of fat in the worst places from the havoc my last three medications wreaked on my body which I'd really like to get rid of. Exercise is a bit of an issue for me for a few reasons, which I explained on the exercise board since it isn't really relevant on the nutrition board. But what this means is that I'm losing fat by not eating as much while not being very physically active, so I'm trying to make sure that when I *do* eat, it's the right thing.
What I've been told so far is that I need to get as much protein as possible and also try to avoid carbohydrates/junk food, as the protein will make it so that it is mostly fat being lost and the carbs/junk food will make it so that it's mostly muscle being lost.

So I'm looking for specific things I should be eating or drinking in this situation. Mainly things that are high in protein but also not too fattening. I think malnutrition might be an issue as well if I keep up my (lack of) eating this way, so I'm looking for things that will be good for preventing that too. I'm not sure exactly what I should be looking for, but any advice would be great...not just foods, but drinks, herbal supplements, vitamins and so on. So if anyone could give me some recommendations on what would work best for me here, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[summer123]

Well, as far as weight loss goes and I am sure you know well. The only way your able to lose weight is through a calorie deficit. Fewer calories going in then coming out. Your able to lose weight at the moment as like you say, your not eating alot.

I'd be wary of keeping the one meal a day thing up, aside from the nutritional issues (lack of certain essential vitamins and minerals) your training your body to act in a way that would force it to store calories as fat rather then use them for energy. It would also produce certain hormones which would store fat specificly around your middle- and I have not yet met one person who wants a larger waistline!

If you can, work out how many calories you require to keep yourself losing weight but not starving (I mean your body starving rather then you feeling starving). Websites like dailyplate and fitday.com have some advice on this and can offer a rough calorie estimate for what would work for you- its something to stick to anyway.

Aim to eat a varied and nutritious diet. Aim to eat 1.5-2grams of protein per Kg of your body weight. Aim to eat 5 portions of fresh fruit and vegetables, every day. Aim to drink 1.5-2L of plain fresh water each day.

Make sure your eating regularly throughout the day- not all at once. This helps your blood sugar levels regulate and also keeps stress hormones in your body at a lower level. It also keeps you in a good pattern so if and when you do come off your meds, your body isn't going wild and your appetite doesn't go through the roof and land you in trouble.

I think its important to lose weight healthily like you say, but the only way your going to be able to do this is by eating sensibly, 3-6 meals a day within a recommended daily calorie amount.

 

[Jeanette401]

The two biggest things you can do to promote fat loss over muscle loss are:

1) Eat lots of protein. (Probably 100g to 150g a day if you can)
2) Lift heavy things.

If that means you have a protein shake with your one meal a day, do it. You don't have to join a gym, but you should at least be doing some full body types of things like squats and push-ups. In fact, just those two will do a lot, although if you can join a gym, check out the sticky in the weight loss through exercise about a strength training routine.

I'd also recommend a multi vitamin and some fish oil pills. And I'd recommend perhaps having a protein shake right before you work out, and then eat within an hour after that.

Avoiding carbs is optional - in fact, eating carbs can make you hungrier which is a problem for most people, but it sounds like not for you. Eating carbs right after a strength workout can also inhibit muscle breakdown. So until you have a hard time losing I wouldn't sweat the carbs right now. The most important is to get enough protein.

Greek yogurt is a great choice for high protein. I personally like to throw in frozen fruit. You could probably even get away with throwing in some strawberries sweetened with real sugar or perhaps some honey. Quinoa is good as a rice substitute since it's higher in protein than other grains. Obviously you can get protein powder. Chicken breasts are an old standby. Fat free cheese is good, but since you're low in calories you could probably get away with the full fat version without issue. Avocados and almonds are also both good sources of calories & healthy fats as well as several other micro nutrients.

Again, if you stop losing, then cut out the fats and 'real' sweeteners and move more toward the leafy green veggies and the leaner cuts of meat, but if you're eating only one meal a day... pack it as full of protein as you can and then finish off with high nutrient 'extras' like the nuts, avocados, etc.