Losing 150 lbs. is a daunting proposition. It takes years to put on that much extra weight, and you may need years to take it off again. However, losing that much weight is not significantly different from losing smaller amounts. It just takes longer, and it requires more care during the early stages.
Preparation
If you have 150 lbs. to spare, you are at an increased risk for heart and joint problems that may make a standard weight loss plan problematic. Before you start your weight loss efforts, meet with your doctor. Discuss your plans and get whatever examinations she thinks are necessary. At all times, defer to your doctor's recommendations over any other weight-loss advice you get.
Kick-Start Diets
Many severely overweight people have struggled with their weight for much of their lives. This can lead to an expectation of failure when starting a new weight loss effort. For some, a brief kick-start diet can lead to initial success that improves your expectations and results. A kick-start diet is a crash or gimmick diet, such as the Atkins Diet, that produces powerful, immediate results. It's a bad idea to stick to such a diet for more than a few weeks, but the short-term dramatic effects can help your morale. Once you've had the early success, you can scale back to a more sustainable weight-loss diet.
Exercise
Exercise is often problematic for the severely overweight. The more traditional weight-loss exercises, such as jogging and aerobics, are painful and can even be harmful to a body that has 150 extra lbs. on it. Start small with your exercise programs by taking a short daily walk. As soon as you can walk around your block without feeling exhausted, consider low-impact group fitness like tai chi or water aerobics. As the extra pounds melt off, you can start taking on more aggressive workout routines as your body becomes easier to handle.
Sustainability
Losing 150 lbs. is not a goal you'll accomplish in a month. It will require two to three years of consistent effort. This means that sustainability -- your ability to stick with your weight loss routine month after month -- is paramount to your success. For sustainable, safe weight loss, you should aim to lose just 1 to 2 lbs. per week. This keeps the plan from being so aggressive you quit, while still providing noticeable results. Another trick to sustainable weight loss is the weekly cheat day. On your cheat day, you should allow yourself to indulge in treats you've been missing all week. This will slightly slow your short-term progress, but makes up for it by improving your long-term commitment to the plan.
References
- "Body For Life"; Bill Phillips; 2006
- "Healthwise Handbook;" Kaiser Permanente Publishing; 2010
- Medical News Today: Severely Obese Benefit Greatly From a Little Exercise
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