20 lbs in 3-4 months?

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2

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  • yobeme
    yobeme Posts: 169 Member
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    Regarding snacking at night, that was my biggest issue as well. I found that trying to not to eat at night doesn't work so I save some calories and worked out a couple of go-to snacks.

    If I'm hungry and need a snack, I have a high protein yoghurt which makes me feel full and gets me through till morning. If I just want something to mindlessly snack on, I have an apple which I cut into thin slices. It gives me something crunchy to snack on without many calories.

    Find snacks that work for you.
  • starryphoenix
    starryphoenix Posts: 381 Member
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    Stick to 4 months. If you go too fast it won't stick. 4 months for 20 pounds is actually reasonable but you will need discipline. That is a little over a pound to lose every week. But really, I'd drop the time frame, being in a hurry doesn't do anything good.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    starryphoenix wrote: »
    Stick to 4 months. If you go too fast it won't stick. 4 months for 20 pounds is actually reasonable but you will need discipline. That is a little over a pound to lose every week. But really, I'd drop the time frame, being in a hurry doesn't do anything good.

    4-5lbs a month with only 20 lbs to lose is not reasonable. its too quick. the OP should be trying to lose 0.5lb a week which is 2 lbs or a little more(depending on if there is 5 weeks that month) a month. 20 (lbs) divided by 4 = 5.or 0.166 lbs per day(0.1666.....x120 days(4 months)= 19.992 lbs. now the 0.166lb per day could be some water weight but you arent going to lose something every day. weight loss doesnt work like that unfortunately.I only have a little over 20 lbs to lose. I cant see basically eating so little calories to lose 4-5lbs a month and possibly causing issues with my health doing so.fast weight loss when you have little to lose is not healthy weight loss.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
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    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    starryphoenix wrote: »
    Stick to 4 months. If you go too fast it won't stick. 4 months for 20 pounds is actually reasonable but you will need discipline. That is a little over a pound to lose every week. But really, I'd drop the time frame, being in a hurry doesn't do anything good.

    4-5lbs a month with only 20 lbs to lose is not reasonable. its too quick. the OP should be trying to lose 0.5lb a week which is 2 lbs or a little more(depending on if there is 5 weeks that month) a month. 20 (lbs) divided by 4 = 5.or 0.166 lbs per day(0.1666.....x120 days(4 months)= 19.992 lbs. now the 0.166lb per day could be some water weight but you arent going to lose something every day. weight loss doesnt work like that unfortunately.I only have a little over 20 lbs to lose. I cant see basically eating so little calories to lose 4-5lbs a month and possibly causing issues with my health doing so.fast weight loss when you have little to lose is not healthy weight loss.

    Was going to comment on your earlier post when I saw this one. Up above you do say 1/2 lb per month. I see it was a typo.

    I agree with you that 20 in 4 months is too aggressive when near your goal weight and 1/2 lb a week is a better goal for this person.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
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    ashliedeee wrote: »
    Does this seem reasonable?
    I'm 148lbs at 5'4"
    I was 130 two years ago before starting college and felt amazing, the weight now seems near impossible to shake.
    I'll eat healthy all day but can't stop snacking on bad foods at night.
    I need change.
    Any suggestions?

    I think this will lead to you getting back to old habits too soon. Do something new.

    Do this slowly and gradually - identifying the bad behaviors that led to overeating and replace these (one at a time) with good behaviors and habits.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    starryphoenix wrote: »
    Stick to 4 months. If you go too fast it won't stick. 4 months for 20 pounds is actually reasonable but you will need discipline. That is a little over a pound to lose every week. But really, I'd drop the time frame, being in a hurry doesn't do anything good.

    4-5lbs a month with only 20 lbs to lose is not reasonable. its too quick. the OP should be trying to lose 0.5lb a week which is 2 lbs or a little more(depending on if there is 5 weeks that month) a month. 20 (lbs) divided by 4 = 5.or 0.166 lbs per day(0.1666.....x120 days(4 months)= 19.992 lbs. now the 0.166lb per day could be some water weight but you arent going to lose something every day. weight loss doesnt work like that unfortunately.I only have a little over 20 lbs to lose. I cant see basically eating so little calories to lose 4-5lbs a month and possibly causing issues with my health doing so.fast weight loss when you have little to lose is not healthy weight loss.

    Was going to comment on your earlier post when I saw this one. Up above you do say 1/2 lb per month. I see it was a typo.

    I agree with you that 20 in 4 months is too aggressive when near your goal weight and 1/2 lb a week is a better goal for this person.

    yeah it was a typo lol
  • sojaided1
    sojaided1 Posts: 1 Member
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    It's definitely possible! I was thin my whole life, but after my second baby I couldn't shake this extra 30 lbs no matter what. I started using MFP and cut all sugar, soda and rarely ate bread. Lots of spinach and chicken and recipes from SkinnyTaste lol Along with Walk Away The Pounds and I lost 15 lbs in about 5 weeks. I got 10 to 15 more to go now
  • ashliedeee
    ashliedeee Posts: 14 Member
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    Well, I didn't lose 20 pounds.. I just hit the 140 mark last week. Have to work a lot harder.
  • DamieBird
    DamieBird Posts: 651 Member
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    I agree with other posters that with that little to lose, your timeline is too aggressive. A suggestion for the late night snacking however: if you find that you tend to eat lots of calories at night, can you adjust the rest of your eating during the day time to save a few hundred for when you KNOW that you're going to reach for an extra scoop of almond butter or that 10pm Lara bar? As long as you meet your (reasonable) deficit goal, it doesn't matter when you consume your food. There's no rule that you have to eat so many meals a day or so many calories at each meal. Perhaps making adjustments to your normal daytime meals will be all the change that you need without making the process too hard to adhere to.
  • Mouse_Potato
    Mouse_Potato Posts: 1,495 Member
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    I'm a little over 5'3" and it took me six months to go from 149 to 128.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    ashliedeee wrote: »
    Does this seem reasonable?
    I'm 148lbs at 5'4"
    I was 130 two years ago before starting college and felt amazing, the weight now seems near impossible to shake.
    I'll eat healthy all day but can't stop snacking on bad foods at night.
    I need change.
    Any suggestions?

    20 pounds in 3-4 months may be doable, maybe not. You probably won't average more than 1 pound per week but that comes out pretty close.

    Are you being too strict on the foods you 'allow' yourself to eat? Try saving some calories for evening snacking.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    StephAStephan wrote: »
    Get rid of the bad stuff. Literally. Throw it out. Donate it. Just don't have it around. Replace it with healthier snacking options. (My fav is a scoop of almond butter with a green apple.) If you can't access the bad stuff, you won't be able to eat them :-) after a while, you'll just naturally hesitate towards healthier options!

    nope, ignore this OP.

    there are no bad foods, just bad diets...
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    ashliedeee wrote: »
    Does this seem reasonable?
    I'm 148lbs at 5'4"
    I was 130 two years ago before starting college and felt amazing, the weight now seems near impossible to shake.
    I'll eat healthy all day but can't stop snacking on bad foods at night.
    I need change.
    Any suggestions?

    set MFP to one pound per week loss
    get a food scale and weigh everything
    log everything that you eat into MFP and make sure you are using correct database entries
    keep protein high to minimize muscle loss
    get on some form of structured exercise regimen
    continue to eat the foods that you enjoy, but make sure that you are staying within your calorie, micro, and macro targets.

    20 pounds in three to four months is probably not going to happen but if you start training and logging consistently you should get to where you want to be...
  • ashliedeee
    ashliedeee Posts: 14 Member
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    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ashliedeee wrote: »
    Does this seem reasonable?
    I'm 148lbs at 5'4"
    I was 130 two years ago before starting college and felt amazing, the weight now seems near impossible to shake.
    I'll eat healthy all day but can't stop snacking on bad foods at night.
    I need change.
    Any suggestions?

    set MFP to one pound per week loss
    get a food scale and weigh everything
    log everything that you eat into MFP and make sure you are using correct database entries
    keep protein high to minimize muscle loss
    get on some form of structured exercise regimen
    continue to eat the foods that you enjoy, but make sure that you are staying within your calorie, micro, and macro targets.

    20 pounds in three to four months is probably not going to happen but if you start training and logging consistently you should get to where you want to be...

    Well, here we are, in June and I've only lost ~10 pounds. I started Keto two months ago and I attribute my ability to stick to a plan and the weight loss to that entirely. I'm disappointed in myself but am just going to keep on keeping on.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    ashliedeee wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ashliedeee wrote: »
    Does this seem reasonable?
    I'm 148lbs at 5'4"
    I was 130 two years ago before starting college and felt amazing, the weight now seems near impossible to shake.
    I'll eat healthy all day but can't stop snacking on bad foods at night.
    I need change.
    Any suggestions?

    set MFP to one pound per week loss
    get a food scale and weigh everything
    log everything that you eat into MFP and make sure you are using correct database entries
    keep protein high to minimize muscle loss
    get on some form of structured exercise regimen
    continue to eat the foods that you enjoy, but make sure that you are staying within your calorie, micro, and macro targets.

    20 pounds in three to four months is probably not going to happen but if you start training and logging consistently you should get to where you want to be...

    Well, here we are, in June and I've only lost ~10 pounds. I started Keto two months ago and I attribute my ability to stick to a plan and the weight loss to that entirely. I'm disappointed in myself but am just going to keep on keeping on.

    dont be disappointed. you lost weight. keto doesnt make weight loss come off any quicker its still about CICO
  • ammo7
    ammo7 Posts: 188 Member
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    ashliedeee wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ashliedeee wrote: »
    Does this seem reasonable?
    I'm 148lbs at 5'4"
    I was 130 two years ago before starting college and felt amazing, the weight now seems near impossible to shake.
    I'll eat healthy all day but can't stop snacking on bad foods at night.
    I need change.
    Any suggestions?

    set MFP to one pound per week loss
    get a food scale and weigh everything
    log everything that you eat into MFP and make sure you are using correct database entries
    keep protein high to minimize muscle loss
    get on some form of structured exercise regimen
    continue to eat the foods that you enjoy, but make sure that you are staying within your calorie, micro, and macro targets.

    20 pounds in three to four months is probably not going to happen but if you start training and logging consistently you should get to where you want to be...

    Well, here we are, in June and I've only lost ~10 pounds. I started Keto two months ago and I attribute my ability to stick to a plan and the weight loss to that entirely. I'm disappointed in myself but am just going to keep on keeping on.

    Nice work on your weight loss! Even though you haven't reached your end goal, you have made progress toward it. You have also learned that Keto is something you find that you're able to stick to, so that's progress in itself.

    If you had lost weight at the rate that you hoped to, you would likely have lost muscle mass in addition to fat. This means that you are likely to be happier with how you look when you reach your goal weight if you continue to lose weight at this slower pace. And... the more muscle mass we have, the more calories we generally burn: so when you eventually get to your goal weight, you may get to eat a larger amount of calories to maintain that weight (this definitely makes "slower" weight loss worth it, in my opinion!!)

    Thanks for keeping us updated. Keep at it. I wonder where you'll be 2 months from now!
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    ammo7 wrote: »
    ashliedeee wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ashliedeee wrote: »
    Does this seem reasonable?
    I'm 148lbs at 5'4"
    I was 130 two years ago before starting college and felt amazing, the weight now seems near impossible to shake.
    I'll eat healthy all day but can't stop snacking on bad foods at night.
    I need change.
    Any suggestions?

    set MFP to one pound per week loss
    get a food scale and weigh everything
    log everything that you eat into MFP and make sure you are using correct database entries
    keep protein high to minimize muscle loss
    get on some form of structured exercise regimen
    continue to eat the foods that you enjoy, but make sure that you are staying within your calorie, micro, and macro targets.

    20 pounds in three to four months is probably not going to happen but if you start training and logging consistently you should get to where you want to be...

    Well, here we are, in June and I've only lost ~10 pounds. I started Keto two months ago and I attribute my ability to stick to a plan and the weight loss to that entirely. I'm disappointed in myself but am just going to keep on keeping on.

    Nice work on your weight loss! Even though you haven't reached your end goal, you have made progress toward it. You have also learned that Keto is something you find that you're able to stick to, so that's progress in itself.

    If you had lost weight at the rate that you hoped to, you would likely have lost muscle mass in addition to fat. This means that you are likely to be happier with how you look when you reach your goal weight if you continue to lose weight at this slower pace. And... the more muscle mass we have, the more calories we generally burn: so when you eventually get to your goal weight, you may get to eat a larger amount of calories to maintain that weight (this definitely makes "slower" weight loss worth it, in my opinion!!)

    Thanks for keeping us updated. Keep at it. I wonder where you'll be 2 months from now!

    you lose muscle mass eating in a deficit which is why its recommended to eat enough protein and do weight/resistance training. as for more muscle burning more calories a lb of muscle only burns like an additional 6-10 calories so its not that big of a difference. to eat more all that you need to do is be more active and burn more calories.
  • vivelajackie
    vivelajackie Posts: 321 Member
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    Congrats on still losing weight! At your weight and height what you lost is seriously great work. Personally, I just count the calories as opposed to following a certain regimine (keto), but it's whatever. I usually just down a big glass of water when I'm getting snacky at night. Keeps you hydrated and curbs the urge some. Keep up the good work.

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