50 pounds in 5 months?

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Is it possible?

I don't intend to starve myself or do anything drastic... just lot's of hard work and dedication!
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  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Probably not, especially if that's all you have to lose. 1-1.5 pounds per week should be sustainable.
  • BuddhaB0y
    BuddhaB0y Posts: 199 Member
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    I'm at 44lbs since November 15 but I'm a very big guy. Would depend how big you are.
  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
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    I keep seeing 0.5lb per week per 25lb your trying to lose.

    So I think that's more like 1.5 years? Slows right down after first 25lb.
  • boombalatty123
    boombalatty123 Posts: 116 Member
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    Possibly, but there would have to be a lot of exercising involved. 25-30 is more realistic.
  • sherbear702
    sherbear702 Posts: 649 Member
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    Probably not. Even 2 pounds a week for 5 months would be difficult. It would take some serious hard core dedication. And after 5 months, then what? The point of losing weight, IMO, is teaching yourself new long term habits. I don't think brief and intense weight loss is the way to do that.
  • Marianna93637
    Marianna93637 Posts: 230 Member
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    In 6 months I lost 33 lbs at a pretty steady pace. I had about 7 lb more to go. If all you have to lose is 50 lbs, I'd think you could lose 30 lbs in 5 months, or 50 lbs in about 7-8 months.
  • bethclabburn
    bethclabburn Posts: 52 Member
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    My other half has lost 22lbs in two months and I have lost 15lbs.

    I believe anything is possible.
  • richardgavel
    richardgavel Posts: 1,001 Member
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    It's going to be tough but can be doable depending on circumstances. I lost 35 lbs over 4 months, but am slowing down for the last 20 lbs. I would not suggest doing it all via reducing food intake, but a mix of food intake and exercise. There are going to be disadvantages in terms of potentially losing more muscle than a slower pace.
  • allenpriest
    allenpriest Posts: 1,102 Member
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    Possible is not necessarily the same as healthy and sustainable.
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
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    Is it possible?

    I don't intend to starve myself or do anything drastic... just lot's of hard work and dedication!

    That is 2.5lbs a week, that means you have to eat 8750 calories less a week, which is 1250 a day less than you burn.
    I don't see how you can do that in a healthy way. To stay healthy you need to net around 1200 calories a day to hit the macros.

    Why the deadline?
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    It's not advisable as you would be risking losing more LBM than necessary which means your end results and your ongoing maintenance calories will be less than you might otherwise expect

    you will of course drop higher weight levels in the first couple of weeks but that should settle down to about 1% bodyweight per week
  • johnsonfamily0722
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    I think it's completely doable....and also doable in a healthy manner. 2 pounds a week is safe. Up your water, watch your protein, leafy greens and supplements. Don't get down on your self if you only have a tenth loss in a week. Just keep going.

    Now. You say 50 lbs. I think you'll feel differently 3 montha in if you incorporate exercise. The inches lost, the toning that will come...trust me..you're gonna forget all about that number 50 because you are going to be seeing results that you like.

    Don't focus on the time frame. Focus on the days work.

    You got this!!
  • 20months
    20months Posts: 62 Member
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    It was possible for me, but then again I had over 190+ pounds to lose.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Yes, it depends on how much OP has to lose. If only 50, then it's not a reasonable expectation, but she can get a long way toward the goal and feel great. If much more, than perhaps.
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
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    Merkavar wrote: »
    I keep seeing 0.5lb per week per 25lb your trying to lose.

    So I think that's more like 1.5 years? Slows right down after first 25lb.

    except that is the forum recommendation. Medical recommendation is 1-2lb/week or under 1% of your body weight per week as healthy and sustainable. 1-2lb/week almost always falls within the under 1% of your body weight (unless you are <100lb)

    So, is 50lb in 5 months possible (~2.35lb/week)? Yes, for anyone who won't die after losing 50lb. Is it healthy? Probably only if you started weighing around 280lb or more.
  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
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    Merkavar wrote: »
    I keep seeing 0.5lb per week per 25lb your trying to lose.

    So I think that's more like 1.5 years? Slows right down after first 25lb.

    except that is the forum recommendation. Medical recommendation is 1-2lb/week or under 1% of your body weight per week as healthy and sustainable. 1-2lb/week almost always falls within the under 1% of your body weight (unless you are <100lb)

    So, is 50lb in 5 months possible (~2.35lb/week)? Yes, for anyone who won't die after losing 50lb. Is it healthy? Probably only if you started weighing around 280lb or more.

    Is 1% or 1-2lb healthier than what I said?

    Say your 160lb and your goal weigh is 140lb.

    What I was saying would mean losing a max of .5 a week. Which seems a lot healthier tha 1.6lb a week which is 1% right?

    I think that 1% or 1-2lb rule is more when you have a lot to lose. Like 100lb to lose not 50 like the op says.

    I think we both agree that 50lb in 5 month isn't healthy if that's all they have to lose.
  • drjlevine
    drjlevine Posts: 2 Member
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    I have done it before. The majority of what comes off is, of course, water, and the losses definitely plateau, but, like BuddhaB0y above, there's also a lot of me to love, and the results tend to be more dramatic when you start out really making the scale cry when you get on it.
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
    edited January 2016
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    Merkavar wrote: »
    Merkavar wrote: »
    I keep seeing 0.5lb per week per 25lb your trying to lose.

    So I think that's more like 1.5 years? Slows right down after first 25lb.

    except that is the forum recommendation. Medical recommendation is 1-2lb/week or under 1% of your body weight per week as healthy and sustainable. 1-2lb/week almost always falls within the under 1% of your body weight (unless you are <100lb)

    So, is 50lb in 5 months possible (~2.35lb/week)? Yes, for anyone who won't die after losing 50lb. Is it healthy? Probably only if you started weighing around 280lb or more.

    Is 1% or 1-2lb healthier than what I said?

    Say your 160lb and your goal weigh is 140lb.

    What I was saying would mean losing a max of .5 a week. Which seems a lot healthier tha 1.6lb a week which is 1% right?

    I think that 1% or 1-2lb rule is more when you have a lot to lose. Like 100lb to lose not 50 like the op says.

    I think we both agree that 50lb in 5 month isn't healthy if that's all they have to lose.

    Its not healthier or unhealthier to lose the weight slower. It is just artificially slow, which is discouraging to many people. Its also based on an arbitrary goal that may be 10-20lb too high. Once they hit 140lb and realize they wanted to go to 120lb they can't go back and add an extra 0.5lb/week to their loss.

    I'm all for people losing weight as fast as they can sustain in a healthy manner. That may be 0.5lb/week, 1lb/week, or even 2lb/week. I'm not going to discourage people from losing weight at a healthy rate just because there is a fancy rule of thumb that fits well with most apps limiting you to 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2lb/week losses.

    To me, it is like telling people to eat 1-2g/lb of body weight in protein every day. It isn't healthier or unhealthier (in general) than eating 0.84g/lb of body weight in protein every day. However, it hasn't been proven necessary and puts a strain on the persons diet choices and wallet (protein tends to be the most expensive macro).

    But yes, we both agree that 50lb in 5 months isn't healthy unless you have a lot to lose, it is most likely too fast and will take a toll both physically and mentally.
  • grinning_chick
    grinning_chick Posts: 765 Member
    edited January 2016
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    The take away message I formulated when it comes to following CICO for weight loss was/is you should set your per week weight loss based on how many calories you'd have available to eat after subtracting the necessary deficit to achieve that calculated loss.

    If the amount of remaining calories isn't enough to be satiating - to/for you - then the rate of loss selected is too high and to lower the rate used until the number of calories available for consumption is. Satiating, that is.

    Or at least that's the sane way of approaching it to me. Especially since I don't exercise and even once I do start again, it won't be some set amount of time or number of days per week.

    For example, there is simply no way I can stick to 1200 calories/day for a calculated two pounds per week weight loss. So I don't. Heck, I can't even stick to the calculated 1500 calories/day when I select one and a half pounds per week. So I arbitrarily chose roughly my BMR and set the goal to eat within a 100 calories of it (and not stress it when I miss). So far, so good. But I also refuse to set deadlines for weight loss, too.
  • Dourpussdora
    Dourpussdora Posts: 48 Member
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    depends how much you have to lose, I think its possible though, that's what im aiming for :-)