How to lose the most weight by Christmas

lauren478910

I have been trying to lose weight for a while, but now I have the goal of losing weight to feel confident in a bikini by Christmas for a vacation that my family is going on. I am currently around 210 and would love to be down to 150 by then, but know that is not realistic... Any advice on how to get close to that?

nordlead2005

To lose the most weight between now and December you have to do something you'll stick with. That is more important than anything else. You are better off losing 0.5lb/week and sticking to it, then trying to lose 2lb/week and then "cheating" and losing 0lb.

After that, depending on your height/age/activity, set an aggressive deficit now while you can. You can lose up to 2lb/week to start, but you'll have to taper off over time (keep weight loss under 1% of your bodyweight/week on average). This will give you a nice kickstart to the weight loss and when you feel like you can't eat that little any more reduce the deficit some and continue on at a slower pace. Also, be flexible with your dieting. Save calories for the weekend if that is your thing, and don't be afraid to take a week or two off (eat at maintenance) after a few months of successful dieting. I took a 1-week vacation 10 weeks into my diet and took the opportunity to eat at maintenance and then got back on the plan as soon as I returned home.

You probably won't hit 150lb by Christmas (33 weeks away, so that would be ~1.8lb week which is on the too fast side of things with no breaks at all), but you should be able to make good progress between now and then.

DanaDark

A calorie deficit.

middlehaitch

As well as setting up a reasonable deficit, make sure you have a digital scale and weigh your food in grams and liquids in cups. Accuracy from the beginning will help you get as close to your goal as possible.

I don't know if it is your thing, but some type of resistance work will really help re shape your body. A body, dumbbell, or barbell workout where you are progressively challenging yourself through rep, weight, or complexity will work wonders.

If you are just starting look at icecream fitness, nerdfitness, 30DayShred and any of the 5x5 barbell routines.

Cheers, h.

HamsterManV2

Calculate your TDEE. Eat -500 calories daily of that for 1lb of weight loss per week (this is sustainable, long term weight loss - we don't want shortcuts because they do not work). That means measure all your foods and log EVERYTHING you put in your mouth, no exceptions. As long as you maintain this caloric deficit, you will drop weight.

30 weeks = ~30lbs of weight loss. That is a realistic and sustainable goal. Go for it, and continue on in the new year beyond that. If you try to get too ambitious, you will fail/get discouraged/cheat and end up worse off. There is a reason most New Year gym newbies quit 3 weeks in - they expect too much with too little time and burn out. Don't be that.

sarahlifts

sit in a comfortable deficit and stay there and 60 lbs is absolutely possible by Christmas if you add in some exercise along with the deficit.

you just have to make it past thanksgiving if ur in the US.

nixxthirteen

1.) PLEASE understand that weight loss is not linear. When you see "2 lbs per week", it does not mean that every Monday you will weigh 2lbs less, like clockwork. Some weeks: water weight will mask fat loss, you will go up and down daily, your period will cause you to retain water and feel bloated, eating salty things will make you hold onto water... If you get that in your head right now that it's normal and to be expected, you won't be disappointed every time you step on the scale and see the fluctuations.

My best advice is to get an app like Libra. Weigh yourself daily, or every few days, and input your weight into the app, even if your weight appears to have gone up. Ignore the ups and downs, and instead focus on the downward trend. If you're gunning to lose 1lb per week, Libra SHOULD say "7 day loss: 1lb" at the bottom, which means you are right on track.

2.) Food scale is non-negotiable. You need one. All solids need to be weighed in grams, and all things like oils and peanut butter, yogurt, sour cream, cream cheese, etc - treat them as solids. Measuring cups and spoons are for water, juice, milk, and the like.

3.) Find a deficit that is not too aggressive. If you feel too hungry or deprived, you will fail.

4.) Experiment with the times of day that you eat, and your meal sizes. Not everyone is successful on 6 meals a day. Not everyone needs breakfast. Some people like to eat all their calories in a small 8-hour window. If you stick to your deficit, time of day does not matter. Type of food does not matter. You just need to play around to find what keeps YOU feeling fuller, longer.

5.) Keep. Going. Day after day after day. It all adds up in the end, but it really is just a day at a time.