40 to 45 lbs in 6 months???

zoerose1991

Is aiming for 40 to 45 lbs in 6 months a healthy goal? I'm 220 lbs and I want to lose AT LEAST 40 by Christmas.

WBB55

So, 14-ish weeks to lose 40 lbs? Nah, I'd shoot for a max of 2 lbs per week.

If you give us your stats (age, height, activity level) we can give you some reasonable calorie goals. Or you can fill out the MFP app info, and it'll give you a starting point.

Edit: *can't math today, sorry.

Carryn92

hi - I want to lose 40 by Nov 13 my wedding. I think 3 lbs a week is hard but doable. do you want to be buddies? I am 246 and so badly want to be under 210 and a size 14! I struggle with carbs sugar and alcohol and DIET POP I am trying to cut it all out

juggernaut1974

That's about 1.5 -1.75 lbs per week.

It's probably within the realm of possibility, but might be slightly aggressive. 30 is probably more realistic, and then consider anything above that a bonus

juggernaut1974

WBB55 wrote: »

So, 14-ish weeks to lose 40 lbs? Nah, I'd shoot for a max of 2 lbs per week.

If you give us your stats (age, height, activity level) we can give you some reasonable calorie goals. Or you can fill out the MFP app info, and it'll give you a starting point.

6 months would be like 26 weeks

GauchoMark

Its not a very realistic goal. You are talking 1.5-1.75 lbs/wk sustained for 6 months. Not that it CAN'T be done, but it will be very difficult to do for that long.

As for "healthy", it would really just depend on how you do it, but I would lean towards probably not so much. However, being overweight isn't healthy either, so...

zoerose1991

Carryn92 wrote: »

hi - I want to lose 40 by Nov 13 my wedding. I think 3 lbs a week is hard but doable. do you want to be buddies? I am 246 and so badly want to be under 210 and a size 14! I struggle with carbs sugar and alcohol and DIET POP I am trying to cut it all out

Most definitely just sent you a friends request. We can do this together.

Ninkyou

At the low end for 40 lbs, that's about 2.8 lbs a week. IMO, no, it's not a healthy goal. 2 lbs, max. Also, because weight loss isn't linear, you may not even lose that.

It took me 10 months to lose 57 lbs and I started at 211 lbs at 5'2, by comparison.

kk_inprogress

Carryn92 wrote: »

hi - I want to lose 40 by Nov 13 my wedding. I think 3 lbs a week is hard but doable. do you want to be buddies? I am 246 and so badly want to be under 210 and a size 14! I struggle with carbs sugar and alcohol and DIET POP I am trying to cut it all out

3 lbs a week is unrealistic! Weight loss is not linear and takes time.

zoerose1991

WBB55 wrote: »

So, 14-ish weeks to lose 40 lbs? Nah, I'd shoot for a max of 2 lbs per week.

If you give us your stats (age, height, activity level) we can give you some reasonable calorie goals. Or you can fill out the MFP app info, and it'll give you a starting point.

14-ish weeks? Do you actually mean 24-ish??

iLoveMyPitbull1225

I don't see why 40 pounds is an unreasonable goal. As another poster mentioned that's about 1.67 pounds a week. It will be difficult but with dedication and determination, I think you can do it! Good luck.

kk_inprogress

iLoveMyPitbull1225 wrote: »

I don't see why 40 pounds is an unreasonable goal. As another poster mentioned that's about 1.67 pounds a week. It will be difficult but with dedication and determination, I think you can do it! Good luck.

It's not impossible, you're right. I think people are trying to prevent OP from frustration since weight loss is not linear and she may not see exactly 1.5-1.75 lbs each week and it may take more time than she is hoping. It's most definitely possible, and I love your encouragement. In a totally unrelated note, I LOVE MY PIT BULL TOO!

cwolfman13

iLoveMyPitbull1225 wrote: »

I don't see why 40 pounds is an unreasonable goal. As another poster mentioned that's about 1.67 pounds a week. It will be difficult but with dedication and determination, I think you can do it! Good luck.

because weight loss is not a linear process...there are stalls and plateaus and you will naturally lose weight at a slower rate as you progress...if you only have 40 Lbs to lose, losing at a rate of 1.5 - 2 Lbs per week for 6 months straight isn't realistic.

I started at 220 and lost 40 Lbs...took me about 9 months...the last 5-10 Lbs were reeeeaaaallllyyyyy slow.

sdraper2014

I would like to do something similar. I am 220 lbs, 5 ft. 4 in. I won't be devastated if I don't make it, I just want to lose 1.5 lbs a week for the foreseeable future which would be about 36 more lbs to Christmas. I have lost 13 in my first month eating 1440 cals a day and working out 30 min a day in addition to a half hour walk each day for the past two weeks. Add me as a friend if you like.

jemhh

Considering your overall goal of 63 pounds lost, I am going to say that you don't weigh enough to make 40-45 pounds happen in 6 months. Your weight loss will be faster at first and then will slow down. I know that I lost 2 pounds a week for the first 3.5ish months and then .5 pounds a week for the next 8.5ish months, for a total of 52 in a year.

kittywrangler

I'm also trying to achieve this goal.. 30lbs by christmas. Add me! lol

DeguelloTex

Greatly depends on how overweight you are.

I lost more than that, then did it again in the next six months. But I had a lot to lose.

dizzieblondeuk

I've just read a bunch of posts where people don't appear to know how many weeks are in 6 months!!! Seriously people, half of 52 weeks (1 year!) is 26 weeks!

Here's the thing, of couse weight loss slows as you approach goal weight, but does anyone really think 180lb is goal weight for this person? My impression is that thisis an interim target (Xmas is a useful date goal IMO).

My current goal is similar - overall, a goal of 56lb, with a Xmas target (29 weeks) from my start date of around 35-40lb lost. I lost 2lb per week for the first 2 weeks, adjusted my calorie goals, aimed for and have hit 1.5lb for the last 3 weeks. So, 5 weeks in and I'm on target for over 40lb. I still expect to land closer to 35lb lost, but it is looking achievable, and no one's told me that I have overinflated targets! 24 weeks to Xmas and 28-32lb as a goal for me to lose. I don't think the OP is that far off in her targets - perhaps just a slight downgrade in expected numbers.

kshama2001

Carryn92 wrote: »

hi - I want to lose 40 by Nov 13 my wedding. I think 3 lbs a week is hard but doable. do you want to be buddies? I am 246 and so badly want to be under 210 and a size 14! I struggle with carbs sugar and alcohol and DIET POP I am trying to cut it all out

Ha, the first time I got married was on Nov 13

I think 3 # / week is overly aggressive and you will make yourself crazy. If you are a person who deprives and then binges you may be setting yourself up for failure. You could try setting your goals in MFP for 1-2 #/ week and see how you feel with that.

ogmomma2012

Starting weight for me: 262lbs

I was extremely restricting my intake in the beginning and walking twice daily.

I started losing my hair and my finger nails stopped growing and I was vitamin deficient. I was losing about 10lbs per month.

Now that I'm 70lbs lighter, I am definitely eating more and my hair has stopped falling out at around 1400 calories. Just do what MFP says you should do. Losing more than 2-3lbs per week gives you an increased risk for gallstones and the other negative affects that happened to me.

acheben

I don't think its a good idea to put time limits on weight loss. Every time I have done that, it has led to me either quitting because I wasn't going to make it or I would gain the weight back after the special event. It took me just under16 months to lose about 40lbs with a starting weight of 175lbs.

Start your lifestyle change now and you'll get to your goal weight when you get there. Good luck!

barbecuesauce

zoerose1991 wrote: »

Is aiming for 40 to 45 lbs in 6 months a healthy goal? I'm 220 lbs and I want to lose AT LEAST 40 by Christmas.

Can it be done? Assuming you don't have too many celebrations, nights out, unplanned trips, or other life events, of course.

BUT I would just start today. Concentrate on accurate logging and moving more and results will follow. I set a really aggressive Christmas goal last year and was stressed out doing it--but when Christmas came and I was 30 pounds lighter, I was still happier than I would have been.

DKG28

It's doable! I've lost 38 lbs in just shy of 6 months. Started at 196, did it via mostly diet. Just started 30 min day walking/jogging because the lbs are getting harder to move. I do 1200 cals, 5'5". But I'm determined... Went over 1200 but under 1500 only 3x. I've never been a fast food and soda and chips person, so it was less of a struggle to eat enough nutritious food yet stay at goal. Good luck! Even if you can't drop 40, you can certainly make a sizeable difference in weight!

pearso21123

I lost 40 lbs in my first 4 months on MFP, so it is possible. I was highly motivated and obese in the beginning. I have made it down to the "overweight" category and the weight loss has slowed down quite a bit. Still losing but at a more expected and realistic level. I'm 5' 4" and weighed 200 lbs when I started.

cwolfman13

dizzieblondeuk wrote: »

I've just read a bunch of posts where people don't appear to know how many weeks are in 6 months!!! Seriously people, half of 52 weeks (1 year!) is 26 weeks!

Here's the thing, of couse weight loss slows as you approach goal weight, but does anyone really think 180lb is goal weight for this person? My impression is that thisis an interim target (Xmas is a useful date goal IMO).

My current goal is similar - overall, a goal of 56lb, with a Xmas target (29 weeks) from my start date of around 35-40lb lost. I lost 2lb per week for the first 2 weeks, adjusted my calorie goals, aimed for and have hit 1.5lb for the last 3 weeks. So, 5 weeks in and I'm on target for over 40lb. I still expect to land closer to 35lb lost, but it is looking achievable, and no one's told me that I have overinflated targets! 24 weeks to Xmas and 28-32lb as a goal for me to lose. I don't think the OP is that far off in her targets - perhaps just a slight downgrade in expected numbers.

the thing is though that a lot of people, including myself have all been through this...and as you progress, it does slow down...you will have stalls...you will plateau, etc. Is it impossible? No. Do most of these types of projections hold water in the end? No, not really...

Really, it's just better to get started...either way you're going to be better off in 6 months if you start now than if you never started...I just see way too many people get wrapped up in these time deadlines and do stupid things and/or they feel like they've failed because their body's aren't in line with some calculator's projections based on an overly simple formula.

minties82

I don't see why not. I lost 70-odd in 6 months from 253.5lbs. I am on 1400kcal or so a day and lose about 1.1kg a week (a couple of pounds?). I'm 4'11" and mostly sedentary these days. I am under 180lbs now (sorry I work in metric so not sure exactly). I'm still obese class 2, maybe that helps.

Bshmerlie

I think your goal is reasonable and find no problem with shooting for aggressive goals. However, if you are the type of person who is going to be really upset about falling short of that goal then don't do that to yourself. I set aggressive goals all the time. If I'm falling short I just readjust my expectation or I work harder if I feel I have a chance to meet it. I think it all depends upon your personality.

I've lost 35 pounds in 3 months but I had a lot to lose. Right now I'm at 219 pounds and I've done the math. I can do 2 pounds a week up until I hit the 200 pound mark and then I will have to start lowering that goal to a pound and a half a week to go from 200-180. By my estimation I will be between 180 and 185 by Xmas. But you also have to factor in times where you fall off the wagon or aren't losing it as quickly. I also haven't run into a plateau yet...so those kind of things could still happen. But it doens't stop me from trying. Add me as a friend as we are actually are in the exact same position and have the exact same goal. We can challenge each other.

Serah87

OP: Don't put a time limit on it, just eat at reasonable deficit, exercise and whatever weight you weigh in 6 months, be proud of it and keep going!! Time limits never work and only makes you frustrated!!

Good luck.

deepakkumararaj

It is definitely doable. But you also need to have the right mindset and not be discouraged if you don't see the results you are expecting. Eat at a moderate deficit. Do strength training. You will definitely see a good progress. This is what I have been doing. Lost around 50 lb since February. Went down from a jeans size 44 to a loose 36. It requires consistency, managing your calorie intake and determination.

One other thing is that I normally set smaller goals for 3-4 weeks and keep changing everything I hit the goal. That keeps me motivated. Add me as a friend if you want to.

igottalose50

you can do it ....i started last month n my goal is to lose 50 lbs by late november thats like 6 months started at 223 lbs .....in these last 4weeks ive lost 14 lbs..
it takes hard work n strong mind..but sure is possible..im so looking forward for friday so i can weight my self again .....feel free to add me!!

tinascar2015

zoerose1991 wrote: »

Is aiming for 40 to 45 lbs in 6 months a healthy goal? I'm 220 lbs and I want to lose AT LEAST 40 by Christmas.

I'm just about to hit 6 months and have lost 42 pounds. I've done minimal exercise outside of a lot of strenuous gardening and I'm probably a lot older than you. It's entirely doable.