Is this reasonable?

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stephanieegelton
stephanieegelton Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
My goal is to lose 30 pounds by September.

I am eating 1300-1400 calories a day, with 400-600 calories a day burned on the cross trainer or/and walking.

I know the formula for this, but is 30 pounds in 3 months a reasonable goal?

EDIT: I'm ok with losing more than 20, but I'd rather be close to 30. I know the limits.

Replies

  • cappri
    cappri Posts: 1,089 Member
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    Depends on how much you have to lose. If your profile pic is current I would say it's probably not likely that your body can lose 30 pounds in 3 months. If you don't lose the whole 30 though you will at least be thinner and in better shape in 3 months so no reason not to attempt it.
  • seif0068
    seif0068 Posts: 193 Member
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    My goal is to lose 30 pounds by September.

    I am eating 1300-1400 calories a day, with 400-600 calories a day burned on the cross trainer or/and walking.

    I know the formula for this, but is 30 pounds in 3 months a reasonable goal?

    That might be a little aggressive. I lost 30 pounds in about 8 months, and found that to be a very reasonable pace to incorporate real lifestyle changes, not feel deprived, and I believe this will ultimately be more sustainable than if I tried to drop the weight more quickly. It's highly likely that you will experience plateaus at various stages of your progress and having such a short timeline doesn't really take that into account.
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
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    1-2 lbs a week is generally considered healthy weight loss. The closer you are to your goal weight the slower it tends to come off. If you got your 1300-1400 from MFP you need to net that amount so you'll need to eat back at least a portion of your exercise calories since the loss deficit is already figured in before you exercise.

    Personally I think 30 lbs is probably too aggressive since you've only got 40 to lose. To me it's better to take longer, but lose the weight in a healthy, sustainable manner.
  • AlongCame_Molly
    AlongCame_Molly Posts: 2,835 Member
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    10 pounds a month? Sorry, not really reasonable at all, unless you are morbidly obese, and judging by your picture you are nowhere near that. It is recommended not to go over 1-2 pounds a week, and as you near your goal, it will slow waaay down, to about .5-.2 pounds a week, sometimes less.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    You have 40 pounds to lose according to your ticker. I think you should go for 1 lb per week. Eat back your exercise calories. Use the time to learn the habits that will allow you to maintain your losses.
  • CristinaL1983
    CristinaL1983 Posts: 1,119 Member
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    I lost 30 lbs in 4 months. If I had really buckled down and stayed within my calories all the time, I probably could have lost that much in 3.5 months. For me, your goal wouldn't be reasonable. That doesn't necessarily mean it's not for you. There's also nothing wrong with having that as a goal and adjusting as you go as long as you don't let it get you down if you don't hit it exactly.
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,022 Member
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    Why do you need to lose 30 lbs in 3 months?
  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
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    I lost 45 in 5 months but I started at about 33 BMI.
  • brandyinatl
    brandyinatl Posts: 4 Member
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    I think yes and no. Unless you are VERY overweight I think it could be aggressive. I have heard that the slower you lose it the more likely you are to keep it off for longer. Plus losing too fast could be unhealthy and you may get discouraged if you aren't successful. Also if you are doing any strength training you could put on some muscle which is good for your health but may make the scale more slower. :smile:
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
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    no. no. no. no. no.
  • stephaniemejia1671
    stephaniemejia1671 Posts: 482 Member
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    I dont' think it's reasonable. Why the need to lose at this rate? You have plan that seems good to me, I say just stick to that until the weight comes off.
  • craigmandu
    craigmandu Posts: 976 Member
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    The problem with "assigning" a date to a weight loss goal, is you will get very discouraged very early in the process if the rate is too low, then you will ramp up your exercise to try make it go "faster"...this will create an even greater deficit, which you probably "won't" eat back like you should, and thus your losses won't be as efficient as you want.

    So you will end up upset and disappointed when you realize that 30lbs in 3 months, when you only have 40 total to lose (and not knowing your current stats, that 40 might have you at a very lean number), is not really a realistic expectation for yourself.

    In my honest opinion, you are setting yourself up to fail....

    I would shoot for 12-18lbs of weight loss in that timeframe, using a 1lb per week deficit, and eating back 70-80% of exercise calories.

    This will get you accustomed to doing it in a sustainable way and not trying to melt it way at a rate you can't really sustain.

    I wish you great success!
  • natasa26ca
    natasa26ca Posts: 107 Member
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    Don't diet but instead change your life style and find a healthy balance in your food that way you will stay slim and fit for the rest of your life. Even if you somehow manage to lose 30 pounds in 3 months, without changing your eating habits for good, you will just gain all that weight back. Also if you lose weight too fast you might look kinda saggy cause your skin needs more time (aprox 6 months) to tighten on its own to follow the shape of your body.
    Your plan right now to eat 1300-1400 seems very reasonable to me. You will lose 1-2 pounds a week. What is so bad about losing 1 pound per week?
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    The problem with "assigning" a date to a weight loss goal, is you will get very discouraged very early in the process if the rate is too low, then you will ramp up your exercise to try make it go "faster"...this will create an even greater deficit, which you probably "won't" eat back like you should, and thus your losses won't be as efficient as you want.

    So you will end up upset and disappointed when you realize that 30lbs in 3 months, when you only have 40 total to lose (and not knowing your current stats, that 40 might have you at a very lean number), is not really a realistic expectation for yourself.

    In my honest opinion, you are setting yourself up to fail....

    I would shoot for 12-18lbs of weight loss in that timeframe, using a 1lb per week deficit, and eating back 70-80% of exercise calories.

    This will get you accustomed to doing it in a sustainable way and not trying to melt it way at a rate you can't really sustain.

    I wish you great success!

    I agree with all of this as well.

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