How You Can Lose 50 Pounds In 90 Days

As a nurse, we hear about the obesity epidemic more now than ever. You see it in your patients and sometimes in yourself. As nurses, we are looked up to by our patients and should represent the image of health. Yet, this is often not the case. . If you are struggling with losing weight, you are not alone out there. Today, I am going to give you five ways you can start becoming a fat burning machine.

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How You Can Lose 50 Pounds In 90 Days

Decrease Your Sugar Intake

I know you have heard this before and probably more times than you care to remember, but it works. Depending on your body type you should have the percentage of calories in your diet from carbohydrates be somewhere between 10 and 30%. I must say, it can be hard to separate yourself from carbs since, as sugar burners, we crave them so often. And, let's face it, they are everywhere. They are cheap and convenient, which makes them even more irresistible. But you must resist. I want to challenge you to pull back on the sodas, fruit juice, bread, processed food and items with added sugar. If you are unsure if something has added sugar in it, then read the labels. Even whole wheat bread turns to sugar once you eat it and gets broken down in the digestive tract. Be intentional about lowering the amount of sugar in your diet and carbohydrates and I believe this will make more of a difference for weight loss than anything else you can do.

Increase Your Good Fats

So, I just asked you to decrease your carbohydrates, and many nurses will say "So now what do I eat?!" You have three options: meat (grass-fed, wild-caught), vegetables, and some fruits (remember: beware of your sugar intake). Next, fill in the gaps with "GOOD" fats. Examples of good fats would include coconut oil, avocado and avocado oil, butter (not margarine), almond butter, nuts (avoid peanuts), olives, full- fat yogurt, organic half and half or heavy cream, and egg yolks just to name a few. I don't know about you, but these are some of my favorite foods. "BAD" fats would include vegetable and seed oils such as canola, peanut, soybean, cottonseed, and sunflower oil. These are pro-inflammatory omega six fats which increase inflammation in the body.

The key to any sustainable weight loss strategy is to feel satisfied, or full, while you are on your journey. Fat is how you make that happen. Fat is the key to having your weight loss experience be enjoyable instead of dreadful. Because if it is dreadful, you will not maintain the weight loss once the 90 days is over, or heck, even complete the 90-day challenge. I know fat has gotten a bad rap over the last fifty years, but just try it. You will be glad you did.

Sleep Better

When it comes to weight loss, nobody hardly ever mentions sleep. As nurses, we work all kinds of weird hours and are expected to work longer hours than most other professions. So what does a good sleep routine look like? I would recommend you take 1 to 3 mg of melatonin an hour before bed, wear a sleep mask and keep your bedroom very dark. You should not be able to see your hand in front of your face. Minimize use of electronic devices an hour before bed. I would also suggest blue light blocking glasses and/or put your electronic devices in night mode. Keep the bedroom at 68 to 71 degrees because this helps your body to cool down allowing it to get ready for rest. Don't do any exercise, not even walking, right before you go to bed. Save exercise for when you wake up. Also, limit alcohol before bed since it inhibits your body's ability to get in a deep REM restorative sleep.

Reduce Your Stress

Stress comes at us from many directions in our daily lives. Acute stress is fine for the most part, but it is when it becomes chronic that it becomes a problem. Honestly, by implementing the other four points made in this article, you will greatly reduce your stress level. For myself, I have to pick my battles. Some battles do not need to be fought to win the war (low stress). There are situations and other adults that would get to me in my younger days which I no longer allow to steal my inner peace. I would invite you to try techniques such as guided meditation (start with a few minutes a day), music or if you are feeling stressed go for a walk. Often if I am stressed about something and go for a walk, it will calm me right down as long as I leave my mobile device at home. Sleep, nutrition, and exercise all play a big part in helping you to control your stress levels.

Move More

I know what you're saying, "I move enough at work. Why would I want to move when I am at home or on my days off?" The only reason I give for this is the benefits from movement do not necessarily come from doing it all at once but from doing it frequently throughout the day. In other words, it is not good for you to sit, or stay stationary, for more than an hour at a time. This can consist of doing five minutes of moving around in between forty-five-minute study sessions. Also, I want to say movement does not have to involve lifting weights at a gym or running on a treadmill. Lifting weights is beneficial, but exercise has to be fun. You are the only one who can determine that. If what you are doing for exercise is not fun then it is not sustainable. I still do a lot of exercise on my own because I find that works better for me and offers fewer distractions. But if you have trouble motivating yourself to workout on your own, then I would recommend you workout with a group. Join a meetup group (which are mostly free) that does hiking, kayaking, or yoga. Or you can join a gym or do Crossfit where the workouts are made up for you. Currently, my routine involves forty-five minutes of weight lifting three days a week in a home gym, thirty minutes of walking every day with a twenty-pound weighted vest, and five fifty yard sprints one or two times a week.

I hope you have found this article inspiring and enlightening. Being overweight is not a disease itself, as is commonly believed. In my opinion, it is only a symptom of an unhealthy lifestyle. I understand losing weight is easier for some than others, but I feel confident the choice is yours to choose a healthier lifestyle by applying the five points mentioned above. As nurses, we should know better than any other profession that you do not realize how important your health is until you lose it. Today, I want to invite you to come along on this journey with me to a healthier lifestyle. Don't do it for me, but do it for yourself, your patients, family and anyone who loves and cares for you. It is always easier to prevent a disease now by adopting a healthy lifestyle instead of trying to reverse the damage later.

Check out this helpful video: Meal Prep for Nurses... (added by staff) 

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Surg-OncRN

About Surg-OncRN

Hi, my name is Brian, and I am a registered nurse and health coach. If you are losing your health while serving others then let me help you get it back. You serve others best when you are at your best. As a coach, I will focus on your goals, listen to your struggles, and help you overcome the obstacles preventing you from reaching your goals. I will walk along side of you, and hold you accountable for the goals you set for yourself. Through the coaching relationship I will motivate you to achieve sustainable health and well-being. I am looking forward to talking with you soon.

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

While mostly good advice, 50 pounds in 90 days is EXTREMELY unrealistic. I also notice there are ZERO references for sources that would confirm the 'fat burning machine' claim.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

50 pounds in 90 days equates to approximately 17 pounds per month. Many weight loss surgery patients cannot even lose weight at that rate, let alone someone who is trying to lose it the old fashioned way.

However, the article was informative. Thank you for writing it and sharing with us.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

I think losing 50 lbs in 90 days sets up for possible health problems and ADDITONAL weight gain.

Think about it...when there is a removal of essential components to make the body run-meaning carbs and fats, and not replaced, MORE FAT is created; fat is a energy source that is stored in times of starvation and is made when the lack of proper nutrients are in place as a protective response.

As someone who has lost 22 lbs-almost half as you claimed-in 90 days, I did the most important thing, which was to increase water intake to the appropriate amount that I needed to maintain a healthy body; I didn't remove any carbs or fats; I ate pretty healthy already and selected appropriate fats and carbs already and just reduced the simple sugars and moved around, but increase by yoga routine, added resistance bands, and controlled my portions and meditated to decrease my stress eating and used that space to meditate and do yoga positions that would help my energy.

My 20 plus pounds has stayed off since February; I have made necessary tweaks and still remained the status quo for ME.

We also have to caution as to losing weight is a VERY individual process; however done with simple dietary changes (and affordability has a HUGE factor into choosing the right foods or even getting the best healthy foods) and a movement plan that complements the individual will yield the best results for said individual. :yes:

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Trouble is, lack of knowledge is not the problem.

Most people know about these things; actually putting them into practice long-term is the hard part.

I read about a study of people who did manage to lose that amount of weight and keep it off. The common denominator was something powerful that motivated them, like a health scare, new record high weight, or a photo that shook them out of denial. Don't underestimate denial. My husband simply stopped stepping on the scale when he reached the 200lb mark. Becoming a father and outgrowing another set of pants was the motivator it took to lose the weight. Those 50lbs took about 2 years to lose.

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Is this a sponsored post? I only gained 20 extra pounds but it has taken me 8 months to lose 10. I did cut back on eating all bread and rice at home, now I'm slowly eating some bread for breakfast. I also stopped buying snacks. Once in awhile I buy snacks but end up regretting it because it does add up to gaining a pound or two, so I throw them away nearly right away. I still snack at work, it's an ongoing battle. As far as exercise, I finally found an activity at the gym I enjoy. Running on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike is boring. I like lifting weights.

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Losing massive amounts of weight quickly is a sure way to screw up your body, in a possibly permanent fashion.

The Biggest Loser Study. Contestants' hunger regulation hormones were completely jacked and they had metabolisms that burned hundreds upon hundreds fewer calories per day than would be expected for their post-loss height, weight, and body composition.

Being sensible about carbs (not just sugar, carbs) can be very helpful to regulate hunger during weight loss and improve insulin sensitivity (There's lots of great info in The Insulin Resistance Diet and The South Beach Diet books regarding how to manage carbs effectively, though I don't think either is a perfect approach) but not to the tune of letting you create a 1,944 calorie deficit every day for 90 days. That's called starvation.

The National Weight Control Registry is another place to look at behavior modifications that have been effective for people who've lost a significant amount of weight and maintained that loss.

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Your diet advice is correct, BUT your claims to lose 50 lbs in 90 days is very unrealistic for the vast majority of people. It is possible, but you'd have to an extreme set of 'laboratory' like conditions that most people are not willing or cannot abide by. However, once again, I have read the most current theories, and I agree with your diet analysis. It is also the most heart healthy diet as well! It is basically the high-fat (good fats), low-carb, medium-protein diet that has been around for years, but is just now getting the 'just-do' credit it deserves via research. People have seen improvements in their cholesterol levels. The hardest part for me is actually buying the right foods. The choices seem very limited, and I don't want to be miserable b/c of limited choices. Therefore, I have eliminated sodas, but I otherwise eat the exact same way. Losing weight is about the laws of thermodynamics. Basically, if you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight. Some people may have thyroid problems and their metabolism is much slower, but even then the laws of thermodynamics remain true.

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A diet consisting of only 10% carbohydrates is ridiculous. A healthier number is closer to 45-55%. There are plenty of good carbs, and we absolutely need carbohydrates. Also, many people eat plant based diets and don't want to eat dead animals. We aren't all necrovores ;)

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Yikes. I lost about 90 pounds, but it took me 19 months. I don't think losing that fast is healthy - and you won't only lose fat, you're risking muscle, too.

You have good tips - especially the sleeping one. But I think the timeline is a bit too strenuous. :)

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Maybe if all the negative people posting would TRY what is suggested..instead of just complaining....my husband and I did whole30 he lost 30+lbs(I lost 12) in 30days by eating fruits, vegetables, proteins, healthy fats. No sugar, no dairy, no grains, no alcohol.....quit complaining that it's 'impossible' it's definitely possibly you just have to have enough self control to try ;)

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Specializes in Education.

Cutting carbs? Hah! Between my MDD, GAD, ADHD, and chronic pain, I live on carbs.

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