How much weight could a 250lb woman REALISTICALLY lose in 5 months?

kimberlyhurt

I'm trying to set a realistic goal for weight loss before my wedding in June. How much weight do you think a person of my size (250lbs size 18 jeans) could lose in about 5 months? Keep in mind that I'm prepared to work my *kitten* off literally and figuratively. I bought a boot camp membership and am going from 2 days a week of light strength training to 5 days a week of sweaty hell. Anyway, what do you think?

harryt678

Hello, I would have to say that realistically I think that you could lose anywhere between 30-50 pounds in five months. I only say this as you would want to make sure you are getting your proper nutrition and losing weight at a healthy pace. What does the boot camp consist of?

NoelFigart1

I'm about your weight. Over the past 90 days, these are my stats taken as a straight average, and being ruthless about tracking. (Including holiday eating, mind). Exercise calories may be a little high on the estimate. At least, I think so, but it's what I am recording, even so.

Daily calories: 1772 eaten
Calories burned through exercise: 321
Weekly weight loss: 1.1 lbs

My exercise is lap swimming (training for a couple of open water swims this summer), which I do a minimum of four times a week, but more like six most weeks for between 35 minutes and an hour, depending on training schedule.

So, a five month goal of losing 20 lbs is more than reasonable. Chances are you'll do better than that.

janicelo1971

I would go with 40 pounds....With the first month a lot coming off! Good luck!

haildodger

Keep in mind that generally speaking, you can't out work a bad diet.

srcurran

I've heard it said the slower you lose it the less likely it is to come back. I always target a pound a week.

laura_happy

I think you could lose 40 lbs. if you really push it. Good luck!

kimberlyhurt

harryt678 wrote: »

Hello, I would have to say that realistically I think that you could lose anywhere between 30-50 pounds in five months. I only say this as you would want to make sure you are getting your proper nutrition and losing weight at a healthy pace. What does the boot camp consist of?

It's a combo of total body weight exercises and cardio, sort of like circuit training. I come out drenched with sweat at the end so I figure it's good lol

and 30-50 would be AMAZING!!!!!!!!

kimberlyhurt

wow, this is a lot of good advice! thanks guys

kimberlyhurt

HaiLDodger wrote: »

Keep in mind that generally speaking, you can't out work a bad diet.

good point, I'm keeping up with my calories using the app (taking in around 1,700 a day). I've lost quite a bit of weight over the past few years just dieting (about 65lbs) but i've more or less leveled off at this point. I was hoping that the drastic increase in exercise would spur on some more weight loss.

MandiK3

50 lbs is not unrealistic my starting weight was 240 and I lost my first 70 lbs in 7 months so average about 10 lbs a month, but I was on point with food and exercise!!

kimberlyhurt

MandiK3 wrote: »

50 lbs is not unrealistic my starting weight was 240 and I lost my first 70 lbs in 7 months so average about 10 lbs a month, but I was on point with food and exercise!!

Wow, that's great! Do you mind telling me your ave calorie intake and what kind of exercise you did?

51teresa

Not only boot camp, but a nutritionist as well..40 pounds.

MandiK3

kimberlyhurt wrote: »

MandiK3 wrote: »

50 lbs is not unrealistic my starting weight was 240 and I lost my first 70 lbs in 7 months so average about 10 lbs a month, but I was on point with food and exercise!!

Wow, that's great! Do you mind telling me your ave calorie intake and what kind of exercise you did?

I did work out vid's from home and the elliptical my caloric intake was 20% less my TDEE on average. so I kept it in that range.

starfinale

I'm hoping to lose the same amount in that time. I weigh 269.

ImpracticalGirl

I started close to 240 in late May and by November I was down to Onederland. Calorie intake averaged around 1600 and I ate back a good chunk (50-80%) of my exercise calories too. Exercise wise, I developed an addiction to running - I got it in my head to run 5k, after avoiding the running like the plague for my whole life. I did the C25k program over summer and the rest is history.
I think you can look at losing around 40 pounds in 5 month if you go with TDEE-20% and the exercise you had planned. Good luck!

mykaylis

20-25 is realistic, 40 is possible, 50 is rare.

aelphabawest

I would say about 20-30 lbs. 5 months = 20 weeks. 20lbs = 1 lbs a week; 30 lbs = 1.5 lbs a week. Anything more than 1.5 lbs/week isn't generally considered a healthy approach.

DeeJayShank

Given that you are starting at 250 pounds, I could see you losing 60-80 pounds in five months if you're 100% dedicated.

I lost 70 pounds in five months. I started at 230, and after five months I was down to 161. I've gained weight (muscle) through strength training and I now weigh 175, but more than a year later I've kept roughly the same bodyfat percentage that I had at 161 pounds. I understand the value of losing weight slowly (to give you time to learn good habits), but honestly I don't see the NEED to lose slow if your goal is to simply lose weight.

Maintenance AFTER losing weight is actually a heck of a lot harder than just losing weight. After you've lost a lot of weight, you then have to overcome old habits, old demons, and figure out a new way to live the rest of your life at a healthy weight.

Losing weight is simpler than maintenance because you are focused on a task with a goal, an endpoint, and milestones, and those milestones keeps you going. Maintenance lacks those same visible milestones, and thus it is much harder to define and rally around.

So I say how FAST you lose weight isn't important for psychological reasons, though it may be for physiological reasons (keeping muscle mass is easier if you set up a smaller calorie deficit). Instead, just lose the weight as fast or as slow as YOU want (it's going to take months anyways, and that's long enough to develop good habits). The idea that people get sick or risk their health from losing weight too fast is basically an old wive's tale. If you're eating at least 1,000 calories a day and getting essential nutrients, and are suffering no ill effects, you will be just FINE... you're not gonna die losing 2-3 pounds a week. I've heard of plenty of people dying from obesity... never heard of someone dying from losing weight if they're still getting 1,000 calories a day and essential nutrients.

As for how MUCH to eat, I recommend ignoring the MFP calculator. Instead, find an online TDEE calculator. At 250 pounds, if you exercised 3 times a week, you should need about 2,500 calories a day to remain at the same weight. So I would reduce your intake to 1,500 calories per day, and you should lose about 2 pounds a week to start, and probably a lot more in water weight as you eat healthier foods and less salt and junk food. Want to get more extreme? Walk 2 miles every day, work out (lift weights or aerobic exercise) 3x a week, and eat 1,000 calories a day (the minimum I would recommend), and you could lose 60-80 pounds in five months. It IS possible. Don't let people tell you it is not possible. It IS possible. I've seen it done just like this many, many times on this very website. And I lost 70 pounds myself in five months, so I am also speaking from experience. I've also kept it off, so I was able to debunk the myth that you're destined to put it all back on if you lose weight too fast.

Reach for the stars. Getting married is a huge deal. It's the single greatest day of your life up until now, so you have a very good focal point in the coming months. When you get hungry and want to binge, or get tired and want to skip exercise, just think of your wedding dress being a bunch of sizes smaller. It will be worth it.

Good luck!!

cnekniher

Congrats!!! Weddings are so exciting, I'm so happy for you! You are going to look and feel like a million bucks on your big day!

My only advice is to make sure you're working with your seamstress enough that by the time your wedding comes, your final alterations will fit your new body great!