Being unrealistic? And kind of sad.

melissaka7

I weighed in today at 162.4 & I my ultimate goal is 145, so I have right around 17 more lbs to go. I am starting P90X in August & toning down my running. At this point, most people are saying I will probably go down to losing 1lb a week. Does that mean it's going to take me 17 more weeks to reach my goal??

My deadline was October (not a deadline, but a goal I guess).

larsensue

I have been here since January and trying to lose 20lbs. so far I have lost 2..... just keep going, looks like you are going in the right direction....

southerndream24

You'll see changes in your body. Fat loss > weight loss. The scale isn't always the best indicator of change.

southerndream24

You'll see changes in your body. Fat loss > weight loss. The scale isn't always the best indicator of change.

judykat7

I am no expert but I think it depends on how realistic your 145 goal is. If that is a weight that is the lowest you could possibly be determined by your other body factors then - yes, it will probably take some time to get there. If that is a weight you have seen before in recent years and a moderate weight for your body then you can possibly continue to lose at the same rate you have been.

melissaka7

It's not unrealistic. I checked with my Dr. I am 5'5" (and a half). He said he'd like to see me at 150.

JDHINAZ

You'll see changes in your body. Fat loss > weight loss. The scale isn't always the best indicator of change.

^ This. Measure yourself before you start P90X. Even if the scale doesn't move a lot, you're body should shrink up if you hit it hard.
I've never had anyone say, "you look like you weigh less." They say, "you look smaller". They see inches, not pounds. I'll take that.

HAVE FUN!!

TribeHokie

Don't put a deadline on it. That is one of the quickest ways to discourage yourself. You start calculating all the time like "Okay, if I have x many days to lose y many pounds and a pound is 3500 calories then I should have z deficit every day. easy!" and then when that turns out to be too hard to maintain or when the scale doesn't move in the way you are expecting based on your calculations it is a major disappointment. I've been there. A lot.

Get yourself healthy. Eat well and exercise to feel better and take care of your body. View the weight loss as a happy side effect and try not to obsess about it.

DavPul

17 weeks? It could take 17 months. Not even kidding. The last 7-10 pounds are notoriously hard to lose. So prepare yourself so that you don't get frustrated when you reach some arbitrary date on the calendar and you aren't at some arbitrary weight.

It's okay though, because the last 5-10 pounds can be really fun. Since the scale has slowed down, you can focus more on performance goals. Lift a heavier weight. Run a faster mile. Sign up for a mud run or half or some such. Keep trying to get better at something, and the scale (and dress sizes) will take care of itself.

silken555

If you're going to be working on toning up, I would recommend that you start measuring if you aren't already. The weight might not be seeming to come off, but the inches will show you that you are losing. Weigh yourself as well for sure, but at this point I'd say the measurements are more important.

Danni3ll3

Don't put a deadline on it. That is one of the quickest ways to discourage yourself. You start calculating all the time like "Okay, if I have x many days to lose y many pounds and a pound is 3500 calories then I should have z deficit every day. easy!" and then when that turns out to be too hard to maintain or when the scale doesn't move in the way you are expecting based on your calculations it is a major disappointment. I've been there. A lot.

Get yourself healthy. Eat well and exercise to feel better and take care of your body. View the weight loss as a happy side effect and try not to obsess about it.

^^^This^^^ I am also 5'5" and have been at it for 4 years. I reached my first goal of 144 last year and I am working towards my second goal of 135. I have been hovering around 137-139 for the last few weeks but I know that eventually I will get there and then I can move on to my final goal of 130 (Which might be a pipe dream but we will see)

cwolfman13

You can't put a "deadline" on it. That's not the way it works. I lost my first 25 Lbs no problem from October through December...just melted right off and thought it was going to be sooooo easy to hit my goal of 15% BF. Well....I I hit that 25 Lbs down back in January and over the course of about 20 more weeks I got down to about 180 and 19/20% BF. Once you lean out and get closer to an appropriate BF% it goes slower. Your body is smart and doesn't want to relinquish all of it's fat stores...it wants to save some for times of famine and what not.

My advice...focus on your nutrition and fitness...eat at a modest and sustainable deficit and stop trying to make it go fast...that's just not how it works and you're going to end up doing more harm than good.

norahwynn

If you lose 1 lb from now till the 1st weekend in October, you'll have lost 10 lbs. It's not 17 lbs, but you're more than halfway to your goal. That sounds good to me!!

MelsAuntie

I weighed in today at 162.4 & I my ultimate goal is 145, so I have right around 17 more lbs to go. I am starting P90X in August & toning down my running. At this point, most people are saying I will probably go down to losing 1lb a week. Does that mean it's going to take me 17 more weeks to reach my goal??

My deadline was October (not a deadline, but a goal I guess).

A pound a week is very good. You do NOT want to lose weight too fast, or you'll get wrinkles!

Mia_RagazzaTosta

I took a look at your diary and noticed a few things that could be derailing your progress. You have a few days of quick add calories and many days where you are WAY under your goal.

Three things worth mentioning:
1. It's very easy to underestimate your calories. You could very well be eating more calories than you think. Invest in a food scale, some measuing cups, and start weighing and measuring everything you eat. You'll be surprised what you find. Also, you have to log daily and honestly. It's a pain in the *kitten*, but you gotta do it. That way you can look back and see what's up if you plateau or gain.

2. If in fact you really are eating that much under your calorie goal (see #1), you are creating too big a deficit. When you sign up for this site it gives you a goal with a calorie deficit built in. You do not and should not make it a bigger deficit. Also, you are supposed to eat back your exercise calories (though many debate this daily on this site).

3. Patience. You gotta have it. It sucks. I know because I have none. Just keep going! It's a painfully slow, but very worth it, process.

mjharman

While it is awesome to have goals and to strive to lose weight in a certain pre-determined timeframe, sometimes, no matter how hard we try, our bodies simply do not cooperate. I wanted to reach ONEderland by my birthday, but I did not reach that goal until 3 weeks later. On my birthday, instead of being discouraged, I thought, "you may not have reached your goal, but you are ever so close. Imagine where you can be by your next birthday!"

Goals are good but you can't become discouraged when you do not meet them. You have to keep going because to do otherwise is simply unacceptable.

So, my best advice is this, if you do not reach you goal weight by October, you will be closer than ever. If it takes 17 weeks, so be it. You will still get there. Every week will get you closer. Just keep going. Imagine where you can be by November, December...next October.

And no matter how long it takes, DON'T EVER GIVE UP!
~Marsha

MyChocolateDiet

You'll see changes in your body. Fat loss > weight loss. The scale isn't always the best indicator of change.

I saw a post here from a woman who weighed the exact same amount in her before and afters and looked significantly different. I saw another woman join a thread about lifting to post her before and afters and same thing, same weight. So even if the scale goes slower, the changes can still be phenomenal. In addition to the measuring advice I'd take before pic's to compare to later. Then I look forward to seeing your photo's in october. In a success thread.

Salt_Sand_Sun

A quick look at your diary tells me you are not eating enough. Decent foods, but you need more fuel.

Also, if you are starting P90x you may not lose much at all, but you WILL lose inches. This coming from someone who has done (parts) of P90x and my husband did it. I suggest you take measurements and pictures! 1lbs a week sounds great in theory, but the scale is just a guideline - not the tell all of your success!!

gigglybeth

I am with you. I wanted to lose 13 by the time I went back to school at the end of August. I ended up gaining 2-3, losing that and another 2. I don't think I'm going to be able to lose the other 8 in 4 weeks. :-( I've revised it for a Halloween goal.