Is it possible to lose 100 pounds in 10 months?

Bshmerlie
Bshmerlie Posts: 1,026 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I started my diet April 1st when I was 254 pounds and I have offcially lost 25 pounds so far. I would like to lose 10 pounds a month for the next 8 months. Is that reasonable? That would be a total of 100 pounds in ten months. I'm feeling really good about my routine and what I'm eating. I really feel like I could do it for the long haul. I cheat occasionally but I'm comfortable about adjusting when needed and feel no guilt about it and just log it and get back to my routine. I do cardio 30 min almost everyday and lift weights 3x week. I've set a time table of increasing my workouts over the next 8 months. I want to get to 150 by next February. Then my plan is to slow down and take off another 20 pounds at a rate of 2 pounds per month. Slowly working into a maintenance routine when I'm at 130 ish. Im doing a whole foods diet for the most part and I'm really focusing on proper nutrition and an overall healthy lifestyle for the long term. For those that have lost 100+ pounds do you guys think this is a doable plan? I like to set goals but I do want to make them realistic. Is it too aggressive?
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Replies

  • omnipotentmiku
    omnipotentmiku Posts: 107 Member
    Ten pounds a month is about 2.5 pounds a week so it isn't too crazy, especially considering your current weight. So I think it's possible, yeah. Just do it as healthy as possible.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    It sounds do able, even though it is more than is usually recommended. If I were going to try it, I would aim for more than three pounds per week during the early stages, because weight drops more quickly then and one might find it difficult to maintain a rate of 2.5 lbs per week as they near their goal.
  • Sarasmaintaining
    Sarasmaintaining Posts: 1,027 Member
    Maybe at first, but I don't think that's a reasonable expectation down the road. Remember you need to re-run your numbers every few pounds lost (every 5lbs is a good marker). You will be reducing the amount of calories you get to eat the further along you go. It's harder to maintain a large calorie deficit at that point.
  • barbecuesauce
    barbecuesauce Posts: 1,779 Member
    How tall? It took me 3+ months to get from 170-150 at 5'6".

    I would not put a date on it. Just set your MFP to 2 pounds a week, eat back half your exercise calories, and focus on the process. The weight comes off if you do what you should, so don't stress the speed.
  • Kst76
    Kst76 Posts: 935 Member
    Yes you can but you have to be really disciplined.
  • Cortneyrenee04
    Cortneyrenee04 Posts: 1,117 Member
    You'll likely find out that 10 pounds each month might not happen as easily later on. It doesn't hurt to set aggressive goals (I do!) but try not to be disappointed if you don't hit them.

    I think it's best to not have a timeline, honestly. Good luck! :)

  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    You can sustain that level of loss for a while, but once you get closer to your goal weight, you'll likely have to make adjustments, as the calorie deficit to required to get that kind of loss will become more and more significant.
  • Bshmerlie
    Bshmerlie Posts: 1,026 Member
    Well I'm never going to eat less than 1200 calories and will only be up to a 90 minute workout by the last two months. So the question will be if a 160 -170 pound female can lose 10 pounds a month doing a 90 min workout 6 days a week. That would be 30 min in the morning and 60 min at night. I'm 5'5" tall. Again weights 3x week.
  • Bshmerlie
    Bshmerlie Posts: 1,026 Member
    jennifer_417 wrote: »
    You can sustain that level of loss for a while, but once you get closer to your goal weight, you'll likely have to make adjustments, as the calorie deficit to required to get that kind of loss will become more and more significant.

    What kind of adjustments are you referring to? I do eat back dome of my exercise calories but not all of them. I'm pretty conservative about. But I do eat if I'm hungry or just feeling weak at any point. I really don't let myself get hungry....I've been pretty good about finding foods that are filling me up.
  • galaxyeyed
    galaxyeyed Posts: 98 Member
    Bshmerlie wrote: »
    Well I'm never going to eat less than 1200 calories and will only be up to a 90 minute workout by the last two months. So the question will be if a 160 -170 pound female can lose 10 pounds a month doing a 90 min workout 6 days a week. That would be 30 min in the morning and 60 min at night. I'm 5'5" tall. Again weights 3x week.

    90 min workouts 6 days a week is a lot...and only gives you one rest day. There's a chance you'll get burned out if you're not careful...I guess it's doable though. Do you plan on keeping that up after you lose 100 pounds? You may want to think about how transitioning to maintenance will work. Some people gain weight back because they stop working out like crazy, just something to think about.

  • barbecuesauce
    barbecuesauce Posts: 1,779 Member
    Bshmerlie wrote: »
    Well I'm never going to eat less than 1200 calories and will only be up to a 90 minute workout by the last two months. So the question will be if a 160 -170 pound female can lose 10 pounds a month doing a 90 min workout 6 days a week. That would be 30 min in the morning and 60 min at night. I'm 5'5" tall. Again weights 3x week.

    Calorie deficit for weight loss, workouts for fitness. Around 170 is where I realized that 1200 was no longer doable for me--I couldn't sustain an hour workout, let alone the 90 minutes I do now. I began losing my hair (after several months of eating under 1200 and working out daily). Can it be done? Yeah probably. Can it be done without sacrificing too much muscle mass and burning you out? Not in my experience.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    Bshmerlie wrote: »
    jennifer_417 wrote: »
    You can sustain that level of loss for a while, but once you get closer to your goal weight, you'll likely have to make adjustments, as the calorie deficit to required to get that kind of loss will become more and more significant.

    What kind of adjustments are you referring to? I do eat back dome of my exercise calories but not all of them. I'm pretty conservative about. But I do eat if I'm hungry or just feeling weak at any point. I really don't let myself get hungry....I've been pretty good about finding foods that are filling me up.

    What I mean is you'll most likely have to cut your deficit a bit as your maintenace calories will decrease significantly. Right now, you can probably still eat a fairly high amount of calories and lose weight. As you get closer to you goal weight, that number will drop, so in order to maintain the same amount of deficit, the amount of calories you can eat will drop drastically. So it's generally recommended not to maintain the same level of deficit the entire time. Once you get closer to your weight, it's recommended that you adjust your goal to something smaller.
  • vixtris
    vixtris Posts: 688 Member
    Possible, maybe. It may eventually slow down after a few months. Even if you didn't quite lose that much by then, would you let that stand in your way? I'm sure if you did not get there, you would be fairly close, and I guarantee you will be feeling brilliant either way.
  • Bshmerlie
    Bshmerlie Posts: 1,026 Member
    catieraney wrote: »
    Bshmerlie wrote: »
    Well I'm never going to eat less than 1200 calories and will only be up to a 90 minute workout by the last two months. So the question will be if a 160 -170 pound female can lose 10 pounds a month doing a 90 min workout 6 days a week. That would be 30 min in the morning and 60 min at night. I'm 5'5" tall. Again weights 3x week.

    90 min workouts 6 days a week is a lot...and only gives you one rest day. There's a chance you'll get burned out if you're not careful...I guess it's doable though. Do you plan on keeping that up after you lose 100 pounds? You may want to think about how transitioning to maintenance will work. Some people gain weight back because they stop working out like crazy, just something to think about.

    Well....from 150 to 130 I want to lower the workout routine to 60 min per day. 30 min in the morning and 30 min at night. That's why I was figuring only 2 pounds per month at that point. I'm not sure what my calories would be at that point to continue to lose at a rate of a half pound per week. Of course I'm not going to just cut out 30 minutes all of a sudden. I'll just lower it gradually. Which will slow down the weight loss.
  • hannahkingfitness
    hannahkingfitness Posts: 51 Member
    I think this is very possible however you'll find as you start to get lighter your weight loss will start mellowing out due to building lean muscle which weighs more than fat - so definitely don't get worried if the amount you're losing starts to slow down. Progress photos will help reinforce motivation! :)
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Why?

    What would happen if you did it in a sustainable way, focusing on how you will cope at maintenance, building habits for then

    Because fierce and fast leads to crash and burn more often than not
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited June 2015
    hannahkingfitness wrote: »
    I think this is very possible however you'll find as you start to get lighter your weight loss will start mellowing out due to building lean muscle which weighs more than fat - so definitely don't get worried if the amount you're losing starts to slow down. Progress photos will help reinforce motivation! :)

    And where would she be getting this additional lean muscle from?

    I see no information on following a progressive resistance programme whilst eating around maintenance or above and focusing on the appropriate macros

    Quite the reverse will happen ...the faster her weight loss the higher proportion of LBM she will be losing within each pound of scale weight
  • flatlndr
    flatlndr Posts: 713 Member
    karintalley wrote: »
    Yes you can but you have to be really disciplined.

    Having done it - from 279 to 175 in 9 months - it can be done, but you have to be incredibly focused ... one might say obsessed.

    I would recommend a 2 year plan instead. Go for about 65 in your first year, and 35 in your second year.

    Definitely keep up with the weights all the way through. If I could turn back time, I would have done a mix of strength cardio from day 1, rather than just cardio for the first 6 months.

    PS - listen to @rabbitjb too ... she's done her program very well.



  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    flatlndr wrote: »
    karintalley wrote: »
    Yes you can but you have to be really disciplined.

    Having done it - from 279 to 175 in 9 months - it can be done, but you have to be incredibly focused ... one might say obsessed.

    I would recommend a 2 year plan instead. Go for about 65 in your first year, and 35 in your second year.

    Definitely keep up with the weights all the way through. If I could turn back time, I would have done a mix of strength cardio from day 1, rather than just cardio for the first 6 months.

    PS - listen to @rabbitjb too ... she's done her program very well.



    I had good people to look up to and learn from @flatlndr

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