Weight loss timeline

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hicksbri3077
hicksbri3077 Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
What would be a realistic time frame of when I would start seeing changes in my body from going to the gym 5x a week for an hour and eating healthier than I normally do? I know it takes time but how much time? (Starting my 3rd week at the gym)

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  • Silentpadna
    Silentpadna Posts: 1,306 Member
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    Depends on a lot of things. First...what's your calorie deficit. What's your age, height, current weight, activity level. Need a lot more info to answer that.
  • allyphoe
    allyphoe Posts: 618 Member
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    Healthier doesn't make much difference; caloric deficit does.

    Honestly, it took me about 30 pounds - until I hit a BMI of <29 - before I noticed a real difference. Even at 50 pounds down, I'm still wearing a surprising number of outfits that fit well enough at my start weight. So 6 months to a year of consistent moderate deficit.
  • hicksbri3077
    hicksbri3077 Posts: 5 Member
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    I don't have a calorie deficit I've never heard of it til now. My calorie limit is 1200. I'm 5'4 199.8 lbs. 22 year old female.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,564 Member
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    1200 calories would put you at a deficit. In order to lose weight you have to eat less than you burn in a day, not just from exercise.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    edited May 2017
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    It depends on a lot of things. Chief among them:

    1) How well you're adhering to your calorie deficit.

    2) If the calorie deficit is reasonable for you.

    3) How accurately you're measuring/logging your calories.

    4) What you're actually doing in the gym for an hour a day.

    5) What kind of "changes" you're looking for in your body, and whether or not your workouts are appropriate for your goals.
  • Silentpadna
    Silentpadna Posts: 1,306 Member
    edited May 2017
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    1200 is not your higher limit. It's your minimum limit. If you exercise vigorously for the time you claim, 1200 calories would not be enough to eat. That's 400-500 below your BMR. (Basal Metabolic Rate). Your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure), based on your stated activity level is nearly double (or more) of your caloric intake. If you were sedentary (i.e. no exercise at all), 1200 would be okay, but if you are working out, you'll need more. A caloric deficit is your TDEE minus your caloric intake.

    In a nutshell, you will lose weight if you eat less calories than you burn. You should target to lose no more than 2 pounds per week, which is equivalent to a deficit of 1000 calories per day (7000 per week). More aggressive weight loss is not recommended because of loss of lean body mass - which you need to preserve. In this case, MORE (a bigger deficit) IS NOT BETTER.

    Get to know your requirements. I plugged your numbers in to Sail Rabbit. (http://www.sailrabbit.com/bmr/). There are many TDEE calculators out there. It'll be in the ballpark.

    Get to know what your activity level is. Put it in your plan and then tweak until you get the rate you want (and again, make sure the rate you want is NOT too quick - faster is not necessarily better).
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
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    Well, here you are on MFP where you can set up a profile that will estimate how many cals you need in a day and then help you to track what you eat. If you do it consistently, it works.

    A 500kcal average deficit will cause you to lose a pound a week. If you want to play around with a calorie calculator, you can do so here:

    http://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html

    As for when you will see a difference: Go on how you feel instead. Losing 5lbs makes it much easier to do everything, even if no one knows but you!

    Take a picture in the mirror now and look at it in 6 months. If you are consistent, you will see a big change.

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