Fairly New: Need Advice

justdoit2322

Hello, I joined here about a week ago. I am looking or advice and/or friends. I would like to lose 20 pounds by Christmas.. do you think this is an achievable goal? I have no idea what I should be doing, for how long, and how many days per week...
right now I am following the 30DS and I go to the gym as much as possible to do at least 30 minutes on the arc trainer..
What would you suggest?
I pretty much have all the free time in the world for another 3 weeks, then I go back to school and hope to have some routine figured out.

deedzzz

Hey! welcome to MFP!
It really depends on how much you weigh right now and whats your goal, but 20 pounds are an achievable goal in 5 months!
If you just started 'dieting' then expect to drop a couple of pounds in the first month, mostly water weight!

30 DS is a great workout, I did it almost everyday for about 6 weeks, and lost a lot of inches, but not so much weight! but at the end of the day, the way i look is more important than the number on the scale!

A lot of people here will tell you to focus on strength/training (3x/week). This will help you get a leaner/toner figure!

Good luck

ShaeLovelyy

Initially for losing weight you should do lots of cardio! Im sorry but im not sure what 30DS is. Basically what i did was i started my weight loss with insanity (the program) lol. I lost 20 pounds in 60 days just about. I combined insanity along with clean eating! Your diet is one of the most important parts of trying to drop weight! You can't just workout and hope to lose 20 pounds immediately. Also depending on your weight and height you should deficit a certain amount of calories. Being 5 foot 11 and starting my journey at 205 pounds i was eating 1600 calories a day. That was my deficit. Calories depend on your body and size. EVeryone thinks they need to eat 1200 calories and thats it but its based on your body! I would do lots of cardio maybe 5 days a week. Running/Bike/Eliptical/Stair Master..any of those and then do maybe 2 days a week strength training. Its your preference. The way i did it in short basically was better diet-less greasy food and lots and lots of cardio. Once i hit my goal weight i started strength training. 20 pounds is totally do-able by Christmas!!

Ann_Marie_2x_MORE

The way i did it in short basically was better diet-less greasy food and lots and lots of cardio. Once i hit my goal weight i started strength training. 20 pounds is totally do-able by Christmas!!

Like this!!!

Skrib69

20lbs by Christmas is very realistic. I have lost that since February by only counting calories and the default settings of MFP. If you are doing 30DS, you should blast it!

grimendale

The biggest part of losing your weight is going to be your diet. Eating at a healthy deficit is going to be your best tool for losing the weight steadily. The below links should help provide a roadmap to getting the right intake. I personally like the IIFYM approach (see below) since it ensures that there are no forbidden foods, and I therefore feel no need to cheat or binge. If I want something, I can have it, I just have to adjust the rest of my food for the day to make sure I hit my macros for the day. It may be something that works for you.


http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it

Setting Your Calorie and Macro Targets

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros)

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/817188-iifym

An example of applying IIFYM

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/925464-fitting-it-in-giggity

emuravyeva

20lbs by Christmas is a totally realistic goal. I've lost 15lbs since last February, which included a short departure from tracking what I was eating and exercising due to a clinical placement. If you stick with 30DS and staying active in general, you'll do great!

leebesstoad

First, welcome to the jungle. 20 pounds by Christmas is completely doable. It works out to about a 500 calorie a day deficit One pound a week. Safe, slow, manageable, sane. A great idea.

First piece of advice is to log everything. Be honest about it, because if you forget, you don't want to put something down because you are embarrassed or other reasons, you are only cheating yourself.

Try to figure out what your calorie requirements are. A couple of great resources out there are Scooby's Workshop and Fat2FitRadio.com. Scooby's has the best calorie calculator I think. It's at: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/. You'll want to be eating at least 500 calories below your TDEE.

Exercise is the 2nd biggest key (after diet). I believe both cardio and strength training are critical. Strength training will minimize any loss of lean body mass, which will keep your metabolism up which burns more calories. Cardio will do nothing to minimize loss of lean body mass. But cardio is key for calorie burn so both should be included as you can.

And if you can, try to get a good group of friends here. My friends are incredible and an amazing support. We do review each other's food diaries, offering suggestions, praise, encouragement. Going through this is easier with friends. Mine have been a great joy to me. It's been amazing actually. I've got friends on 3 continents, 6 or 8 countries, men/women, young/old, black/white, gay/straight, you name the group, I've got it. And we all are there to support each other. Not only in weight loss but now in other part's of our lives.

Oh, and remember to celebrate the little victories, what we call NSVs (non-scale victories). Clothes fitting better or needing new clothes. Compliments from loved ones or strangers. Or simply feeling better about yourself. And when you do mess up once or twice (and don't worry you will), don't sweat it. Because we all do. In fact, cheat meals or cheat days aren't a bad thing at all. Little rewards for successes only encourage more success.

Good luck on your journey.

needtoloseafewpounds

Welcome to MFP Good luck!

adrerock

20lbs by Christmas is doable. the biggest thing is to log everything exercise and food.

Exercise: Cardio will really help you trim the pounds. A 30 minute walk can burn a lot of calories. I use Map My Run to measure the distances that I walk.

I suggest investing in a heart rate monitor to accurately track the number of calories that you burn during each workout. it will also allow you to treat yourself with the extra calories that you earn.

Food: LOG EVERYTHING. You are only cheating yourself if you don't. The MFP app really helps because all you have to do is scan the barcode.

Welcome to MFP. Feel free to add me as a friend.

justdoit2322

Thank you for all your support and input Really. I will take it all under consideration!