Help I've left it too late. How best to lose weight in 4 weeks.x
michaelanow
Posts: 7 Member
I've been using mfp for a while and been losing weight hut very slowly. However I now have 4 weeks to my holiday and another half stone to lose.
I admit I have been being a bit rubbish and having one day off a week where i eat whatever I feel like, chocolate, cake, takeaway,the lot! It's been like a reward for dieting all week.
Currently on 1200 calories a day.( sometimes it's been 1400 as I feel like I need a chocolate fix each day)
My question is how is the best way to lose the 7lb I need to lose in 4 weeks.
I want to enjoy my holiday but I currently know I won't without losing the 7lbs of flab!
Thanks in advance for any help.
I admit I have been being a bit rubbish and having one day off a week where i eat whatever I feel like, chocolate, cake, takeaway,the lot! It's been like a reward for dieting all week.
Currently on 1200 calories a day.( sometimes it's been 1400 as I feel like I need a chocolate fix each day)
My question is how is the best way to lose the 7lb I need to lose in 4 weeks.
I want to enjoy my holiday but I currently know I won't without losing the 7lbs of flab!
Thanks in advance for any help.
0
Replies
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Don't see what difference 7lbs scale weight is going to make to your ability to enjoy your holiday
Losing 7lb in 4 weeks when you are near your goal weight is kind of nonsensical as you should be at a low cut by now
But if the scale weight matters to you that much you could always just drop your carbs to below 50g a day and get a water weight loss
Personally I'd stick to my calories and up my cardio and make sure I'm lifting heavy and progressively
And plan my holiday to continue my weight loss - perhaps switching to maintenance but continuing to be aware of movement and intake
When one is specific goal orientated one ends up yo-yo dieting0 -
Half a stone in 4 weeks is pretty achievable.
That's 2lbs a week just over.
Eat 1500 calories a day, walk for an hour a day briskly, and do resistance training 3 times a week.
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Why 7 pounds? where are you getting that number from?0
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The worst thing you can do is try to speed up the weight loss for your holiday.
With drastic action you may increase weight loss but this will be at the expense of your health and when you get on holiday and start to eat and drink without logging (which I assume you intend to do?) you will pile on water weight and feel bloated.
In most cases I try to eat at maintenance for a couple of weeks prior to a holiday but in your instance I think that the best and most sensible thing that you can do is:- Log accurately 7 days a week
- Incorporate foods you enjoy into your weekly eating plan (budget for them) rather than having a day off
- Ensure that your calorific target is reasonable - don't aim for a fast loss, aim for a sustainable loss
- Get a decent fake tan before you go away - I'm told (by Mrs StealthHealth) that these give the impression of weight loss.
- Plan to enjoy your holiday to the fullest.
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I suggest... The gym! Intense workouts are going to help you lose as much as possible! You won't have time to faff about though so make sure you get yourself sweating!
I personally suggest weight lifting as it can help tone you in the long run (assuming you'll be back after your holiday) and well, because I hate and struggle to do more than a few minutes of most cardio! I also find that I'm less inclined to be hungry after a strength session than a run or spinning class!
Eat back half the calories you earn from exercise or less! This is because its widely accepted that MFP often exaggerates how much you burn.
• a good idea is to just log half - if you do 30 minutes of jogging, log 15.0 -
robs_ready wrote: »Half a stone in 4 weeks is pretty achievable.
That's 2lbs a week just over.
Eat 1500 calories a day, walk for an hour a day briskly, and do resistance training 3 times a week.
where did the OP put their stats in order to get to this result? If I ate 1500 calories a day, walked an hour a day briskly and did resistance training 3 times a week I wouldn't lose anywhere NEAR 2lbs a week (hint - my TDEE without exercise is around 1500 calories)0 -
Don't see what difference 7lbs scale weight is going to make to your ability to enjoy your holiday
Losing 7lb in 4 weeks when you are near your goal weight is kind of nonsensical as you should be at a low cut by now
But if the scale weight matters to you that much you could always just drop your carbs to below 50g a day and get a water weight loss
Personally I'd stick to my calories and up my cardio and make sure I'm lifting heavy and progressively
And plan my holiday to continue my weight loss - perhaps switching to maintenance but continuing to be aware of movement and intake
When one is specific goal orientated one ends up yo-yo dieting
I would say I have a stone to get to my ideal body weight but half a stone would mean I'd be 'bikini happy'. It'd help me enjoy my holiday as I wouldn't feel crappy about myself.
I have a husband who works away and 2 kids and that limits what exercise I can do but I can manage at least 3 gym classes a week.
Thanks for the advice0 -
tStealthHealth wrote: »The worst thing you can do is try to speed up the weight loss for your holiday.
With drastic action you may increase weight loss but this will be at the expense of your health and when you get on holiday and start to eat and drink without logging (which I assume you intend to do?) you will pile on water weight and feel bloated.
In most cases I try to eat at maintenance for a couple of weeks prior to a holiday but in your instance I think that the best and most sensible thing that you can do is:- Log accurately 7 days a week
- Incorporate foods you enjoy into your weekly eating plan (budget for them) rather than having a day off
- Ensure that your calorific target is reasonable - don't aim for a fast loss, aim for a sustainable loss
- Get a decent fake tan before you go away - I'm told (by Mrs StealthHealth) that these give the impression of weight loss.
- Plan to enjoy your holiday to the fullest.
Thank you for the advice. You're right that I could incorporate the food into my weekly calories and drop the day off where I don't log calories at all!!0 -
robs_ready wrote: »Half a stone in 4 weeks is pretty achievable.
That's 2lbs a week just over.
Eat 1500 calories a day, walk for an hour a day briskly, and do resistance training 3 times a week.
I don't think eating 1500 calories would give me any loss unfortunately. I tried eating at that calorie level and my weight didn't budge.
Thanks though0 -
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Helloidentitycrisis wrote: »I suggest... The gym! Intense workouts are going to help you lose as much as possible! You won't have time to faff about though so make sure you get yourself sweating!
I personally suggest weight lifting as it can help tone you in the long run (assuming you'll be back after your holiday) and well, because I hate and struggle to do more than a few minutes of most cardio! I also find that I'm less inclined to be hungry after a strength session than a run or spinning class!
Eat back half the calories you earn from exercise or less! This is because its widely accepted that MFP often exaggerates how much you burn.
• a good idea is to just log half - if you do 30 minutes of jogging, log 15.
I can get to the gym at least 3 times a week but that's less than if like to.
Thanks for the tip re exercise calories as I did think it said I'd burned a massive amount when I put in my exercise.0 -
michaelanow wrote: »Don't see what difference 7lbs scale weight is going to make to your ability to enjoy your holiday
Losing 7lb in 4 weeks when you are near your goal weight is kind of nonsensical as you should be at a low cut by now
But if the scale weight matters to you that much you could always just drop your carbs to below 50g a day and get a water weight loss
Personally I'd stick to my calories and up my cardio and make sure I'm lifting heavy and progressively
And plan my holiday to continue my weight loss - perhaps switching to maintenance but continuing to be aware of movement and intake
When one is specific goal orientated one ends up yo-yo dieting
I would say I have a stone to get to my ideal body weight but half a stone would mean I'd be 'bikini happy'. It'd help me enjoy my holiday as I wouldn't feel crappy about myself.
I have a husband who works away and 2 kids and that limits what exercise I can do but I can manage at least 3 gym classes a week.
Thanks for the advice
Go to the gym whenever you get the chance!
Don't be afraid to do exercise at home!
Buggy walks are suuuuch good exercise, depending how old your kids are and if they're too big for a buggy then walking is good for them too!
Other benefits may include:
• tired/quiet children (less fuss at bedtime)!
• 1hr walk = 1hr that they aren't making a mess!0 -
michaelanow wrote: »robs_ready wrote: »Half a stone in 4 weeks is pretty achievable.
That's 2lbs a week just over.
Eat 1500 calories a day, walk for an hour a day briskly, and do resistance training 3 times a week.
I don't think eating 1500 calories would give me any loss unfortunately. I tried eating at that calorie level and my weight didn't budge.
Thanks though
.. right. Because you probably eat 3000 calories or more on week ends.
So.. stop doing that, and eat 1500 a day.0 -
Well it's only a 2lb a week. You could do it if you tried hard enough and stopped stuffing your face at weekends.
However how tall are you? 8lbs doesn't really make much difference to how I look (I stay the same size) but I'm pretty tall.
On a personal note I hate the term 'bikini ready'. Everyone is bikini ready at any weight. You can wear what you like and life is really too short to care what other people think of you or your body.0 -
look up intermittent fasting. there's a couple of ways they suggest, one is skipping breakfast and lunch being your first meal. or one day fast. if I skip breakfast and have eggs, spinach, piece of fruit at 10, I have fuel for my lunch workout. i'm not usually hungry again until 2.0
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oh and even jillian michaels skips breakfast, still do your 1200 cals a day, just space them apart.0
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michaelanow wrote: »Don't see what difference 7lbs scale weight is going to make to your ability to enjoy your holiday
Losing 7lb in 4 weeks when you are near your goal weight is kind of nonsensical as you should be at a low cut by now
But if the scale weight matters to you that much you could always just drop your carbs to below 50g a day and get a water weight loss
Personally I'd stick to my calories and up my cardio and make sure I'm lifting heavy and progressively
And plan my holiday to continue my weight loss - perhaps switching to maintenance but continuing to be aware of movement and intake
When one is specific goal orientated one ends up yo-yo dieting
I would say I have a stone to get to my ideal body weight but half a stone would mean I'd be 'bikini happy'. It'd help me enjoy my holiday as I wouldn't feel crappy about myself.
I have a husband who works away and 2 kids and that limits what exercise I can do but I can manage at least 3 gym classes a week.
Thanks for the advice
In my opinion, if you are worried about being bikini happy, don't worry about the scale. Go to the gym or do home exercises that will concentrate on your problem areas? Belly = crunches / row Butt = squats Arms = push ups. This is my take on it.0 -
look up intermittent fasting. there's a couple of ways they suggest, one is skipping breakfast and lunch being your first meal. or one day fast. if I skip breakfast and have eggs, spinach, piece of fruit at 10, I have fuel for my lunch workout. i'm not usually hungry again until 2.
.. 10am is breakfast.0 -
michaelanow wrote: »Don't see what difference 7lbs scale weight is going to make to your ability to enjoy your holiday
Losing 7lb in 4 weeks when you are near your goal weight is kind of nonsensical as you should be at a low cut by now
But if the scale weight matters to you that much you could always just drop your carbs to below 50g a day and get a water weight loss
Personally I'd stick to my calories and up my cardio and make sure I'm lifting heavy and progressively
And plan my holiday to continue my weight loss - perhaps switching to maintenance but continuing to be aware of movement and intake
When one is specific goal orientated one ends up yo-yo dieting
I would say I have a stone to get to my ideal body weight but half a stone would mean I'd be 'bikini happy'. It'd help me enjoy my holiday as I wouldn't feel crappy about myself.
I have a husband who works away and 2 kids and that limits what exercise I can do but I can manage at least 3 gym classes a week.
Thanks for the advice
In my opinion, if you are worried about being bikini happy, don't worry about the scale. Go to the gym or do home exercises that will concentrate on your problem areas? Belly = crunches / row Butt = squats Arms = push ups. This is my take on it.
Absolutely awful advice. You cannot spot reduce - exercising the abs will not decrease mid-section fat any better than doing calf raises (for example).
My adviceStealthHealth wrote: »- Log accurately 7 days a week
- Incorporate foods you enjoy into your weekly eating plan (budget for them) rather than having a day off
- Ensure that your calorific target is reasonable - don't aim for a fast loss, aim for a sustainable loss
- Get a decent fake tan before you go away - I'm told (by Mrs StealthHealth) that these give the impression of weight loss.
- Plan to enjoy your holiday to the fullest.
0 -
michaelanow wrote: »I've been using mfp for a while and been losing weight hut very slowly. However I now have 4 weeks to my holiday and another half stone to lose.
I admit I have been being a bit rubbish and having one day off a week where i eat whatever I feel like, chocolate, cake, takeaway,the lot! It's been like a reward for dieting all week.
Currently on 1200 calories a day.( sometimes it's been 1400 as I feel like I need a chocolate fix each day)
My question is how is the best way to lose the 7lb I need to lose in 4 weeks.
I want to enjoy my holiday but I currently know I won't without losing the 7lbs of flab!
Thanks in advance for any help.
Alas, your reward day is ruining all your hard work from the other 6 days.
When I want to eat more on the weekends, I exercise more.0 -
Be strict with your 1200, weigh your food to make sure you're logging correctly, and hope for the best. You can try cutting back on sodium and carbs, that will help drop some water weight which could help you feel leaner. And most of all, don't let a few pounds ruin your vacation.0
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Learn to love yourself. If you don't like yourself now, you will probably feel the same way about yourself 7 lbs from now. Nobody is going to notice 7 lbs but you (likely) and if you are carrying a little flab you know how many people are going to care? One, you.
In the meantime, track on the weekends leading up to the vacation. You probably eat more than you think and wipe out a good chunk of your deficit on the day you don't track. If you do this, you may lose some more weight before the vacation. I wouldn't try to go too crazy and do something unsustainable to lose 7 lbs before your vacation, otherwise you're likely to gain it back, possibly over the duration of your vacation. Slow and steady wins the race.0 -
michaelanow wrote: »robs_ready wrote: »Half a stone in 4 weeks is pretty achievable.
That's 2lbs a week just over.
Eat 1500 calories a day, walk for an hour a day briskly, and do resistance training 3 times a week.
I don't think eating 1500 calories would give me any loss unfortunately. I tried eating at that calorie level and my weight didn't budge.
Thanks though
Ditch your weekend splurges, start weighing all your food and log log log. Stick to one calorie goal and work your treats into it. I eat a chocolate bar almost every day, and have treats every day. I just make sure to weigh them then log them.
Good luck to you!0 -
I'd eat your calories, workout, lose whatever you can given your standard routine and not worry about what the scale says! Enjoy your holiday!!0
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Learn to love yourself. If you don't like yourself now, you will probably feel the same way about yourself 7 lbs from now. Nobody is going to notice 7 lbs but you (likely) and if you are carrying a little flab you know how many people are going to care? One, you.
In the meantime, track on the weekends leading up to the vacation. You probably eat more than you think and wipe out a good chunk of your deficit on the day you don't track. If you do this, you may lose some more weight before the vacation. I wouldn't try to go too crazy and do something unsustainable to lose 7 lbs before your vacation, otherwise you're likely to gain it back, possibly over the duration of your vacation. Slow and steady wins the race.
Well said.0 -
Heartisalonelyhunter wrote: »Well it's only a 2lb a week. You could do it if you tried hard enough and stopped stuffing your face at weekends.
However how tall are you? 8lbs doesn't really make much difference to how I look (I stay the same size) but I'm pretty tall.
On a personal note I hate the term 'bikini ready'. Everyone is bikini ready at any weight. You can wear what you like and life is really too short to care what other people think of you or your body.
+1
OP, follow the other excellent advice and lose what you can, reasonably. Don't get hung up on a number on the scale and allow it to ruin your holiday. Consider going shopping for a new swimsuit (bikini or otherwise) that is flattering on you as you are now so you don't stress over how you look in this other bikini I presume you have.0 -
Learn to love yourself. If you don't like yourself now, you will probably feel the same way about yourself 7 lbs from now. Nobody is going to notice 7 lbs but you (likely) and if you are carrying a little flab you know how many people are going to care? One, you.
In the meantime, track on the weekends leading up to the vacation. You probably eat more than you think and wipe out a good chunk of your deficit on the day you don't track. If you do this, you may lose some more weight before the vacation. I wouldn't try to go too crazy and do something unsustainable to lose 7 lbs before your vacation, otherwise you're likely to gain it back, possibly over the duration of your vacation. Slow and steady wins the race.
#TRUTH
You're better off learning to accept yourself as you are. You know the difference in how I looked it when I lost my last 7 pounds? None. That's right, I noticed no difference in my body for that last 7 pounds. Of course, I don't lift, which might have made a difference. But I was wearing the same size clothing, my pooch was still there, and I didn't look any different in the mirror. My advice is to keep doing what you're doing and don't stress about it. If you want to enjoy your holiday, you're better off making sure you're healthy and have built healthy habits so you don't spend your entire time worrying about it.
Of course, we can tell you that it doesn't matter to anyone else. We can tell you that you're better off losing it slowly and that 7lbs isn't going to make that much of a difference in how you look and that you'll be fine. However, none of that means a damn thing if you don't believe it for yourself.0 -
girlinahat wrote: »robs_ready wrote: »Half a stone in 4 weeks is pretty achievable.
That's 2lbs a week just over.
Eat 1500 calories a day, walk for an hour a day briskly, and do resistance training 3 times a week.
where did the OP put their stats in order to get to this result? If I ate 1500 calories a day, walked an hour a day briskly and did resistance training 3 times a week I wouldn't lose anywhere NEAR 2lbs a week (hint - my TDEE without exercise is around 1500 calories)
Yeah that's a very good point, I stupidly put this based on my own tdee0 -
A good chocolate fix is one square of 72%-86% cacao. Only 60 cals. Aside from that, good luck.0
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