Is my goal realistic?

llaurenmarie

Hi All,

This past year was when I actually started taking my health seriously and just kind of pay attention to what I do to my body. My highest was 250 in 2011-12, many years of yo-yo-ing and I've been sitting under 170 for a few months now. Still binge now and again, have had a month or two of a "relaxed" mindset but now I just want to continue getting lower. Got down to 158 in October and just saw 170 the other day. Have to get a hold of it. Haven't been gyming as much but I started logging again to make sure I know what's going in. Try to get 10k steps each day.

February 18th will be 365 days since I stepped foot back in the gym at 205lbs.

Is 150 unreasonable for 2/18? That'd be 100lbs from highest!
Might even be happy with 155 to hit -50lb mark for the year.

Today I was 167lbs
5'4"
Goal is 1350 Sedentary but with FitBit 10k steps I eat up to 1900
Total Burns around 2400 for the day.

Sorry if this is one of those annoying threads, I just haven't talked about my journey to like-minded people in a while and I feel like I need to get my mind back in the game.

AnthonyX150X

Getting to 150 lbs by February 18th doesn't sound unreasonable at all, but you would need to lose at a 2lb per week loss if you want to reach goal by that date. So you would have to subtract 500 calories from 1900 if you burn 2400 in a day. Whether you want to make that investment is up to you.

Any specific reason you want to reach your goal at that date?

siraphine

You can do it if you're dedicated and at a large deficit. I don't recommend setting deadlines for yourself though, because your body does what it is going to do and aside from making sure you're eating properly and exercising, you can't do a whole lot to change it. Plateaus happen. Sometimes your body will cling to a stubborn pound. Sometimes there will be waterweight and hormones. You can't force loss. You can only do what your body needs in order to shed the pounds naturally.

MsAmandaNJ

I wish you the best, but I'm not sure your goal of 20 pounds in two months is reasonable at your current weight (it is too aggressive). Did you set MFP to lose 2 pounds a week? I suggest you aim for .5 or 1 pound a week, see how you do with eating, take a deep look at why you binge.

My concern is that you are going to deprive yourself, lose the weight just to say you did it in one year, and then put it back on because you didn't learn how to eat. Is there someone you can talk to about your binging?

llaurenmarie

AnthonyX150X wrote: »

Getting to 150 lbs by February 18th doesn't sound unreasonable at all, but you would need to lose at a 2lb per week loss if you want to reach goal by that date. So you would have to subtract 500 calories from 1900 if you burn 2400 in a day. Whether you want to make that investment is up to you.

Any specific reason you want to reach your goal at that date?

No specific reason, it just would have been cool to reach ultimate goal within a year. I know you can't put time limits on loss but I just don't want to dilly dally either and get comfortable.

Just sucks this is literally a life long journey ha. I guess we will always have on and off breaks.

tcunbeliever

It has taken me all year to lose 13 lbs, so to me your goal sounds crazy aggressive, but everyone is on a different journey, so who knows, maybe for you it's a reasonable plan, might as well try!!!

llaurenmarie

MsAmandaNJ wrote: »

I wish you the best, but I'm not sure your goal of 20 pounds in two months is reasonable at your current weight (it is too aggressive). Did you set MFP to lose 2 pounds a week? I suggest you aim for .5 or 1 pound a week, see how you do with eating, take a deep look at why you binge.

My concern is that you are going to deprive yourself, lose the weight just to say you did it in one year, and then put it back on because you didn't learn how to eat. Is there someone you can talk to about your binging?

MsAmandaNJ wrote: »

I wish you the best, but I'm not sure your goal of 20 pounds in two months is reasonable at your current weight (it is too aggressive). Did you set MFP to lose 2 pounds a week? I suggest you aim for .5 or 1 pound a week, see how you do with eating, take a deep look at why you binge.

My concern is that you are going to deprive yourself, lose the weight just to say you did it in one year, and then put it back on because you didn't learn how to eat. Is there someone you can talk to about your binging?

Hey, thanks so much for your realism!
My goal is actually set at 1lb loss per week. I didn't even think about that.
For my binge issue, I try to talk to my best friend and/or boyfriend but I don't find talking about it helps any. No matter how much I "admit" to a binge, I can still hide it until I can't hide it anymore. So easy to lie to yourself I guess.

Luckily I have felt more in control the past week or so, and I'll take it! So I suppose I've answered myself. As long as I eat moderately with some activity and a deficit... I'll get there when I get there.

I do thank you for saying it's aggressive. The last thing I want to do is put pressure and give up.

MsAmandaNJ

llaurenmarie wrote: »

MsAmandaNJ wrote: »

I wish you the best, but I'm not sure your goal of 20 pounds in two months is reasonable at your current weight (it is too aggressive). Did you set MFP to lose 2 pounds a week? I suggest you aim for .5 or 1 pound a week, see how you do with eating, take a deep look at why you binge.

My concern is that you are going to deprive yourself, lose the weight just to say you did it in one year, and then put it back on because you didn't learn how to eat. Is there someone you can talk to about your binging?

MsAmandaNJ wrote: »

I wish you the best, but I'm not sure your goal of 20 pounds in two months is reasonable at your current weight (it is too aggressive). Did you set MFP to lose 2 pounds a week? I suggest you aim for .5 or 1 pound a week, see how you do with eating, take a deep look at why you binge.

My concern is that you are going to deprive yourself, lose the weight just to say you did it in one year, and then put it back on because you didn't learn how to eat. Is there someone you can talk to about your binging?

Hey, thanks so much for your realism!
My goal is actually set at 1lb loss per week. I didn't even think about that.
For my binge issue, I try to talk to my best friend and/or boyfriend but I don't find talking about it helps any. No matter how much I "admit" to a binge, I can still hide it until I can't hide it anymore. So easy to lie to yourself I guess.

Luckily I have felt more in control the past week or so, and I'll take it! So I suppose I've answered myself. As long as I eat moderately with some activity and a deficit... I'll get there when I get there.

I do thank you for saying it's aggressive. The last thing I want to do is put pressure and give up.

You're welcome, I've set unrealistic goals for myself and then beat myself up when I end up struggling...then I get a case of the *kitten* its and eat my feelings.

It's good that you're comfortable talking to your friend and boyfriend about binging, but maybe a professional would be more helpful. Yes, it's easy to lie to yourself when shame is in control.

YES!! You'll get there when you get there :-) Better late than never, but sometimes showing up to a party before it's set up is a bad thing.

Treat yourself right, understand why you eat the way you do, do what you need to do in order to lose weight in a healthy and sustainable way.

llaurenmarie

MsAmandaNJ wrote: »

llaurenmarie wrote: »

MsAmandaNJ wrote: »

I wish you the best, but I'm not sure your goal of 20 pounds in two months is reasonable at your current weight (it is too aggressive). Did you set MFP to lose 2 pounds a week? I suggest you aim for .5 or 1 pound a week, see how you do with eating, take a deep look at why you binge.

My concern is that you are going to deprive yourself, lose the weight just to say you did it in one year, and then put it back on because you didn't learn how to eat. Is there someone you can talk to about your binging?

MsAmandaNJ wrote: »

I wish you the best, but I'm not sure your goal of 20 pounds in two months is reasonable at your current weight (it is too aggressive). Did you set MFP to lose 2 pounds a week? I suggest you aim for .5 or 1 pound a week, see how you do with eating, take a deep look at why you binge.

My concern is that you are going to deprive yourself, lose the weight just to say you did it in one year, and then put it back on because you didn't learn how to eat. Is there someone you can talk to about your binging?

Hey, thanks so much for your realism!
My goal is actually set at 1lb loss per week. I didn't even think about that.
For my binge issue, I try to talk to my best friend and/or boyfriend but I don't find talking about it helps any. No matter how much I "admit" to a binge, I can still hide it until I can't hide it anymore. So easy to lie to yourself I guess.

Luckily I have felt more in control the past week or so, and I'll take it! So I suppose I've answered myself. As long as I eat moderately with some activity and a deficit... I'll get there when I get there.

I do thank you for saying it's aggressive. The last thing I want to do is put pressure and give up.

You're welcome, I've set unrealistic goals for myself and then beat myself up when I end up struggling...then I get a case of the *kitten* its and eat my feelings.

It's good that you're comfortable talking to your friend and boyfriend about binging, but maybe a professional would be more helpful. Yes, it's easy to lie to yourself when shame is in control.

YES!! You'll get there when you get there :-) Better late than never, but sometimes showing up to a party before it's set up is a bad thing.

Treat yourself right, understand why you eat the way you do, do what you need to do in order to lose weight in a healthy and sustainable way.

I've been more stressed out than usual lately, and I guess the cold weather makes me want comfort. But it's been way more in control than previous years so I have to celebrate the small stuff.

Here's to physical AND mental health... i.e not beating ourselves up but also not coddling either hah

lorrpb

llaurenmarie wrote: »

AnthonyX150X wrote: »

Getting to 150 lbs by February 18th doesn't sound unreasonable at all, but you would need to lose at a 2lb per week loss if you want to reach goal by that date. So you would have to subtract 500 calories from 1900 if you burn 2400 in a day. Whether you want to make that investment is up to you.

Any specific reason you want to reach your goal at that date?

No specific reason, it just would have been cool to reach ultimate goal within a year. I know you can't put time limits on loss but I just don't want to dilly dally either and get comfortable.

Just sucks this is literally a life long journey ha. I guess we will always have on and off breaks.

Don't dilly dally and dont set rigid time frames that will discourage you. Whatever weight you're at on that date, you can still celebrate your progress. Yes, it is lifelong journey, No way around that. It doesn't have to suck, just start developing Some good habits that will help you enjoy the process.

llaurenmarie

lorrpb wrote: »

llaurenmarie wrote: »

AnthonyX150X wrote: »

Getting to 150 lbs by February 18th doesn't sound unreasonable at all, but you would need to lose at a 2lb per week loss if you want to reach goal by that date. So you would have to subtract 500 calories from 1900 if you burn 2400 in a day. Whether you want to make that investment is up to you.

Any specific reason you want to reach your goal at that date?

No specific reason, it just would have been cool to reach ultimate goal within a year. I know you can't put time limits on loss but I just don't want to dilly dally either and get comfortable.

Just sucks this is literally a life long journey ha. I guess we will always have on and off breaks.

Don't dilly dally and dont set rigid time frames that will discourage you. Whatever weight you're at on that date, you can still celebrate your progress. Yes, it is lifelong journey, No way around that. It doesn't have to suck, just start developing Some good habits that will help you enjoy the process.

Thanks so much. I guess we all have the answers inside us, just whether or not we want to follow them.

T1DCarnivoreRunner

No, it isn't reasonable.

There are a lot of other factors, but I'm going to stick with only what I know at this time:

You want to lose 17 lbs. in 67 days. I'm assuming you are not interested in losing water weight.

17 lbs. X 3,500 calories = 59,500 calories total deficit needed between today and 2/18/17.
59,500 calories / 67 days = 888 calorie deficit per day is needed to reach your goal by 2/18/17.

You say you are burning 2,400 calories per day (I assume this includes RMR) and eating 1,900 per day, which is a 500 calorie deficit per day.

500 calories X 67 days = 33,500 calorie deficit
33,500 / 3,500 = 9.6 lbs. (let's round up to 10 lbs.) is what you would reasonably expect to lose based on you are doing.

Current weight 167 lbs. - 10 lbs. = 157 lbs.

157 lbs. is reasonable. 150 lbs. is not.

llaurenmarie

midwesterner85 wrote: »

No, it isn't reasonable.

There are a lot of other factors, but I'm going to stick with only what I know at this time:

You want to lose 17 lbs. in 67 days. I'm assuming you are not interested in losing water weight.

17 lbs. X 3,500 calories = 59,500 calories total deficit needed between today and 2/18/17.
59,500 calories / 67 days = 888 calorie deficit per day is needed to reach your goal by 2/18/17.

You say you are burning 2,400 calories per day (I assume this includes RMR) and eating 1,900 per day, which is a 500 calorie deficit per day.

500 calories X 67 days = 33,500 calorie deficit
33,500 / 3,500 = 9.6 lbs. (let's round up to 10 lbs.) is what you would reasonably expect to lose based on you are doing.

Current weight 167 lbs. - 10 lbs. = 157 lbs.

157 lbs. is reasonable. 150 lbs. is not.

I apologize for not doing the math myself and this really laid it out for me. Thank you, thank you. You know, 157 is better than 167

T1DCarnivoreRunner

llaurenmarie wrote: »

midwesterner85 wrote: »

No, it isn't reasonable.

There are a lot of other factors, but I'm going to stick with only what I know at this time:

You want to lose 17 lbs. in 67 days. I'm assuming you are not interested in losing water weight.

17 lbs. X 3,500 calories = 59,500 calories total deficit needed between today and 2/18/17.
59,500 calories / 67 days = 888 calorie deficit per day is needed to reach your goal by 2/18/17.

You say you are burning 2,400 calories per day (I assume this includes RMR) and eating 1,900 per day, which is a 500 calorie deficit per day.

500 calories X 67 days = 33,500 calorie deficit
33,500 / 3,500 = 9.6 lbs. (let's round up to 10 lbs.) is what you would reasonably expect to lose based on you are doing.

Current weight 167 lbs. - 10 lbs. = 157 lbs.

157 lbs. is reasonable. 150 lbs. is not.

I apologize for not doing the math myself and this really laid it out for me. Thank you, thank you. You know, 157 is better than 167

I would suggest focusing less on the number and more on the direction of those numbers. So what if you don't reach 150 lbs. (or whatever) by a certain date?! Are you at least making progress? That is a better way of measuring success.

llaurenmarie

midwesterner85 wrote: »

llaurenmarie wrote: »

midwesterner85 wrote: »

No, it isn't reasonable.

There are a lot of other factors, but I'm going to stick with only what I know at this time:

You want to lose 17 lbs. in 67 days. I'm assuming you are not interested in losing water weight.

17 lbs. X 3,500 calories = 59,500 calories total deficit needed between today and 2/18/17.
59,500 calories / 67 days = 888 calorie deficit per day is needed to reach your goal by 2/18/17.

You say you are burning 2,400 calories per day (I assume this includes RMR) and eating 1,900 per day, which is a 500 calorie deficit per day.

500 calories X 67 days = 33,500 calorie deficit
33,500 / 3,500 = 9.6 lbs. (let's round up to 10 lbs.) is what you would reasonably expect to lose based on you are doing.

Current weight 167 lbs. - 10 lbs. = 157 lbs.

157 lbs. is reasonable. 150 lbs. is not.

I apologize for not doing the math myself and this really laid it out for me. Thank you, thank you. You know, 157 is better than 167

I would suggest focusing less on the number and more on the direction of those numbers. So what if you don't reach 150 lbs. (or whatever) by a certain date?! Are you at least making progress? That is a better way of measuring success.

All in all I just want to feel better, and I have for a few days now that I haven't been eating fast/processed foods. That's what I binge on when I do.

So...yeah I guess in the grand scheme the number is irrelevant if I don't feel well inside.