When should you stop SS?

RobertaCD

Full Member
My CDC is keen for me to stop SS at 10.5 stone.I'm 5 ft 3 and this would give me a BMI of 26.

We've compromised on 9 stone 13lb which would give me a BMI of 24. That is as low as she would go!

However I would really like to get to 8 stone 13lb which would give me a BMI of 22.

Is there anything in the rules which says I can't do this? Or is it a time thing? I am currently 10 stone 13lb ( :D) and have been on SS for 8 weeks.
 
could be a time thing. you can only ss for 12 weeks at a time plus if you leave it to late you wont have enough time to go up the plans (ie hit goal before reaching maintence plan)
i'm sure a CDC will be along in a bit to explain properly
 
Once you get to BMI25, you can't SS or SS+ for any longer as there is more chance of lean mass loss. Yes, it is a rule rather than a choice thing.

BUT, you can 810 until goal if you wish, as long as goal is in the healthy range.

The 810 plan is fab with good weight losses. Definitely worth doing :)
 
I see...thanks for explaining.

I understand the logic BUT I feel so safe on SS and would prefer to stay on it till the bitter end.....!!!!
 
I see...thanks for explaining.

I understand the logic BUT I feel so safe on SS and would prefer to stay on it till the bitter end.....!!!!

Ummm :( I hope your 'end' wont be bitter ;)

I can understand you wanting to stay behind the safety of SS, but the reasons to go onto 810 are compelling and I would be mortified if any of my clients were scared to move up at this stage. In fact, we talk about it a lot before we get to that stage.

Remember, goal isn't the end. It's just the beginning and it's good to be mentally and physically prepared for maintenance. Would an athlete run to the starting line for a big marathon? Scared to stop running in case he lost the motivation to do the long walk? Risk damaging himself in the process?

Most people start moving up the plans..higher than 810 before they get to goal, but I would understand if somebody would want to do 810 to goal even though it would mean some tweaking of the plans you need to do to get off the diet. Tweaking of the plans is iffy in my mind because I consider the plans to be one of the most important parts of the diet if you want to maintain.

So, lecture over. Please give it some consideration though.
 
This is soooo interesting because my BMI is now 25.5 and im ssing this week my CDC doesnt know as shes on hoilday.!

But what do you mean KD by lean mass loss????

Thank u
 
But what do you mean KD by lean mass loss????

Thank u

Your lean mass is everything in your body except for your fat. So, blood, muscle, organs (heart, kidneys, liver, lungs etc). Everything.

You can lose weight very successfully by not getting the protein you need. The scales will play very nicely, but you wont lose much fat. Take it to extremes (which I'm sure neither of you intend to do!), you will die...and still probably have enough fat sticking there. But the scales will report nice numbers ;)

There was a lady not long ago who died with her own VLCD. She still had a BMI of 19, so not really underweight. But, not enough protein. Major organ failure. I very much doubt that she had much warning. She just died suddenly.

Okay, that's the worst case scenario but an idea of how unhealthy it can be to tweak VLCDs.

This is why IMO, health must always come first. The reading on the scales a little further down the line of priorities, because the scales wont report what you have lost, just how much from all over.
 
Maybe it's just me being a bloke, but I just cannot understand this fixation with BMI. I have friends who are dieticians, personal trainers etc and everyone one of them (and you can add my GP and the Back Specialist at Great Western Hospital to the list) says that BMI is only a guide and in many cases is a bad way to measure your health/ideal weight. They have said that some people can get obsessed with achieving a "healthy BMI", but when they get there they will technically have an "unhealthy body".

I started of years ago trying to achieve a "healthy BMI", and to this date I have only ever achieved it once, and I honestly looked like I was dying from something nasty - sunken cheeks, poking ribs etc. Horrible.

All health/fitness/diet professionals that I have spoken to always say to use BMI as a guide only, and that the best way to measure you true healthy/maintainable weight is vis your Body Fat %age.

In fact, I have been told that I will never be able to achieve and maintain (easily) a "healthy BMI" because my muscular build will always push my weight up and therefore mess up my BMI, but my Body Fat %age would be healthy (Note - it's not at the moment due to 3 weeks or eating and drinking too much in Greece :break_diet:).

Anyway, enough waffle. All I am saying is do not get too obsessed with a healthy BMI ....
 
Maybe it's just me being a bloke, but I just cannot understand this fixation with BMI. I have friends who are dieticians, personal trainers etc and everyone one of them (and you can add my GP and the Back Specialist at Great Western Hospital to the list) says that BMI is only a guide and in many cases is a bad way to measure your health/ideal weight. They have said that some people can get obsessed with achieving a "healthy BMI", but when they get there they will technically have an "unhealthy body".

I started of years ago trying to achieve a "healthy BMI", and to this date I have only ever achieved it once, and I honestly looked like I was dying from something nasty - sunken cheeks, poking ribs etc. Horrible.

All health/fitness/diet professionals that I have spoken to always say to use BMI as a guide only, and that the best way to measure you true healthy/maintainable weight is vis your Body Fat %age.

In fact, I have been told that I will never be able to achieve and maintain (easily) a "healthy BMI" because my muscular build will always push my weight up and therefore mess up my BMI, but my Body Fat %age would be healthy (Note - it's not at the moment due to 3 weeks or eating and drinking too much in Greece :break_diet:).

Anyway, enough waffle. All I am saying is do not get too obsessed with a healthy BMI ....

Interesting point! How can I calculate my Body Fat %?
 
]Maybe it's just me being a bloke, but I just cannot understand this fixation with BMI. I have friends who are dieticians, personal trainers etc and everyone one of them (and you can add my GP and the Back Specialist at Great Western Hospital to the list) says that BMI is only a guide and in many cases is a bad way to measure your health/ideal weight.

Agreed, but it's the only easy guide we have at the moment, and works for the majority of folks that have had 'fat' issues. Besides, it's quite flexible. In my case, there's over 2 stone to work with. I'm a large frame (as in not particularly tall, but very large feet, hands etc), so my aim(ish) was the top end of the healthy scale. If I was less muscular, or smaller framed I would go for a lower healthy BMI which is over 2 stone less.

There's quite a difference there within the same band.
orThey have said that some people can get obsessed with achieving a "healthy BMI", but when they get there they will technically have an "unhealthy body".

Which I agree, is madness. I do think the average Joe and Jane Doe put more emphasis on this, thinking they will be prescribed as unhealthy by the medical profession, when in fact, I've found my doctors to use common sense.


All health/fitness/diet professionals that I have spoken to always say to use BMI as a guide only, and that the best way to measure you true healthy/maintainable weight is vis your Body Fat %age.

True. Not easy to measure accurately though.

In fact, I have been told that I will never be able to achieve and maintain (easily) a "healthy BMI" because my muscular build will always push my weight up and therefore mess up my BMI,

I think this is probably more common for men, and of course, I suppose strictly speaking would mean that you should move up to 810 before BMI 25. Your body composition will be higher in lean if you are muscular, and the more lean you have in relation to fat, the more calories and protein you need, as you are more likely to burn lean if there's less fat there

but my Body Fat %age would be healthy (Note - it's not at the moment due to 3 weeks or eating and drinking too much in Greece :break_diet:).

Whoops. Hope you had fun though :D
Anyway, enough waffle. All I am saying is do not get too obsessed with a healthy BMI ....

I do agree in a way, but when it comes to moving up plans to protect lean mass, then unless you are expert with calipers and know exactly what point you would need to move up on, then the BMI thing is probably the safest way to go.
 
I have some fab scales that tell me my body fat % and how much fat in lbs I am carrying too. They are ww body analysis scales and are on sale in Asada for £15 at the moment. They do your weight, (obviously) bmi, body fat and h2o and they tell you if it's high, normal or low too.
 
Agree with the whole BMI being too limiting. Had this debate with my cdc who is tall and very athletic build, she says she would be ridiculous at her lower side of healthy BMI. Met a woman at work last night who was 10stone and same height as me, so just into healthy bracket, she looked positively skinny to me (not that i told her that, as she still wants to lose half stone). Intend to aim for just into the healthy bracket first and see what i am like.
Although the thought of working up the plans is quite daunting, i agree with KD in that it is the most important part of CD in helping you to maintain. I nosy on posts by others working up the plans to get inspiration for meal ideas and how to manage maintenance long term. Just trying to get the head work done in advance. Never want cd to be just 'another diet' like so many before, but the start of my new approach to food/life!
 
I agree totally with all comments made concerning BMI being the only "easy accessible" calculation for us. There is a quite simple calculation in one of Patrick Holfords books that gives a calculation for working out your body fat %age (again, it is only an estimate) based on body attributes, age etc.

When I get home I will try to find and post (probably as a Word document as it involves tables etc, and posting in here seems to mess up any fancy formatting!!).

My weight spreadsheet is supposed to work to the above calculation, but since the last batch of changes I seem to have managed to mess it up!! I will fix it soon honest!

Regards how you measure, the only reasonably reliable way I have found is at my gym with calipers (as KD said). Even that is not entirely accurate. Apparently an accurate way is to have it measured in a submersion tank .... though that sounds quite horrendous to me!! :eek:

KD - I am now back on the lean protein and salads again and have dropped 3 lbs already this week. Just need to get back to the gym, but being the only IT person in the company at the minute due to my boss being in the Czech Wreck 2009 (see www.wildhogs.org.uk) means I am on call early to late, so cannot risk being uncontactable in case the servers die.

Steve
 
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