>50lbs - How much and how long?

zeldon919 · September 2017

Hi,

I'm trying to give myself some realistic time based goals. I think it'll help me keep motivated.

I need to lose 60lbs (60 to top of target, past that I'll decide later).

My question is this - how much did you lose, and how long did it take you?

Bonus if you didn't do any specific diet (ex keto, pales, low/no carb, vegan) - nothing wrong with it, it's just not for me.

nowine4me · September 2017

I set MFP to lose1# a month and did (mostly) exactly what it said. I ate well, but not perfectly on no specific plan. It took me a year to lose 50#, so pretty much dead on target at about 1800 cals

sallvcg1862 · September 2017

53 lbs/7 months/just CICO

zeldon919 · September 2017

nowine4me wrote: »

I set MFP to lose1# a month and did (mostly) exactly what it said. I ate well, but not perfectly on no specific plan. It took me a year to lose 50#, so pretty much dead on target at about 1800 cals

Is # lb or kg?

SueSueDio · September 2017

I'm not finished yet but I lost 67lbs in 18 months, with several "maintenance breaks" along the way (eating at maintenance calories for 2-3 weeks every couple of months or so, usually over holidays or birthdays).

The only thing I cut out of my diet was Pringles, because I just cannot eat a single serving of those things from a tube! A couple of times we've bought a box of single-serving 100-calorie packs and I can eat one of those and not go looking for more, but if there's a whole tube open then I can't leave it alone.

Other than that, I've been eating most of the things I used to eat (including chocolate, cake, bacon, pizza, etc.) but just weighing the portions and counting the calories. There are some things that I eat much less of now, because I decided that they weren't filling and/or delicious enough to be worthy of using my limited allowance on them, but I didn't cut them out because they were "bad" or "unhealthy". I have a fairly good relationship with food, I just didn't know anything about portion control!

How much you lose, and how quickly you lose it, varies widely among people - check out some of the success stories in this part of the forum and you'll see anything from >100lbs in a few months to <30lbs over a couple of years. Things like your starting weight and activity level play a big part in it, along with how strict you are and how consistent your logging is.

For me personally, I knew that being really strict would result in me getting tired of "being on a diet" really quickly and I'd give up, so I chose to take it slow and steady. I set my goal to lose 1lb/week, and for the majority of my journey that is what I've lost on average (weight loss isn't linear or consistent for most people). Because my calories dropped along with my weight, by the beginning of this year my allowance was barely over 1200 (I'm very sedentary) and I was struggling to stick to it so I changed my goal to lose 0.5lb/week instead.

My weight has gone up and down a bit, but usually within a range of only 2-3lbs... what I've taken off, I've kept off. I've been maintaining for the past couple of months, but after my birthday I plan to go back to a small deficit for a while and see if I can lose the last few pounds that I'd like to!

If I can reach my goal by the end of this year, it will have taken me a fraction under two years to lose 77lbs.

SueSueDio · September 2017

zeldon919 wrote: »

nowine4me wrote: »

I set MFP to lose1# a month and did (mostly) exactly what it said. I ate well, but not perfectly on no specific plan. It took me a year to lose 50#, so pretty much dead on target at about 1800 cals

Is # lb or kg?

That would be pounds - and I'd guess that @nowine4me made a typo and meant 1lb per week rather than per month.

zeldon919 · September 2017

Thanks. It's taken me 2 years to lose 40lbs, but there have been a lot of very long breaks, and I've never gained back more than 5lbs so I consider it successful.

The reason I put that in is because while the frequency and quantity may change, pizza and cake and chips, etc, are never going to be out of the picture for me, so the journey of someone on like a strict keto diet is just not going to be the same as mine.

SueSueDio · September 2017

zeldon919 wrote: »

Thanks. It's taken me 2 years to lose 40lbs, but there have been a lot of very long breaks, and I've never gained back more than 5lbs so I consider it successful.

The reason I put that in is because while the frequency and quantity may change, pizza and cake and chips, etc, are never going to be out of the picture for me, so the journey of someone on like a strict keto diet is just not going to be the same as mine.

It's great to have an idea of what's going to work best for you (and what won't) and to set reasonable expectations based on that.

I knew that any "diet" that didn't allow for chocolate was doomed to failure, so I needed to make sure I could have it regularly! After a few months, I didn't crave it as much as I used to anyway.

Everyone's journey is individual, and it's not a race... doesn't matter how slowly you lose the pounds.

Well done on your 40lbs, and it's definitely a success to have kept it off!

Arizona_C · September 2017

Hi, when I did the first part of my weight loss, I was impatient and feared I'd loose my motivation if the pounds didn't come off fast. I made weight loss a priority, and went from 174 to 132 in five months.

For working out, I went to the gym six days out of seven, doing between one an two hours of elliptical or threadmill a day. The intensity is really important for me, I have to keep my heartbeat between 140-150 per minute.

In terms of food, I sticked to a daily intake of around 1800 kcals. I was hungry a lot, so my food choices was mainly things that made me feel full for longer. All bran, wasa, weetabix, things like that. Lots of youghurt 0% as well. Bit of fruits, bit of vegstables, but not as much as is recommended. And whatever candy and cake I could have and still stay within my calorie limit.

For me, it was best solution to work out for five month and get weight loss over with, and then maintain. Taking your time sounds like it has been a really good solution for you. We are all different, and what is important is finding what works best for you.

Congratulations to have kept the weight off, and best of luck continuing on your new goals !

Snipsa · September 2017

It took me 10 months in 2016 to lose about 58 pounds. I went from 88-90Kg to 60-62kg (so 28kg loss in total). Have been maintaining at between 60 and 65kg for a year (hit 65kg in our winter here in the Southern Hemisphere, but is already back down to 63kg atm)

It was done purely through CICO with exercise (mostly walking/jogging and some weights).

If you are well disciplined and log everything you eat/do you will reap the benefits!

rheddmobile · September 2017

When I was morbidly obese I could consistently lose upwards of 10 lbs / month. Since being overweight it's been more like 7 lbs / month - trending gradually downwards from one to the other. I have been eating and exercising about the same, it's just that my daily energy expenditure is lower since I am lower weight, so the same calories which used to put me at slightly more than 2 lbs /wk deficit now give me a 1.5 lbs / wk deficit. I expect that by the time I reach normal weight, it will slow to one lb / wk or less.

I'm a diabetic so I do restrict carbs, but I don't do keto, just generally less than 45g / meal and avoiding specific foods which I have observed to spike my glucose levels using my meter. I also work out at high intensity at least 15 minutes a day, or 30 minutes at moderate, or 1 hr at low intensity, plus strength training.

Everyone is different, as long as you're headed in the right direction it doesn't matter how fast you're going.

ZhivagosGirl · September 2017

Took me 5 and a half months to lose 50.6 lbs. (I started in January at 300). I didn't do any specific program or diet, just CICO in fact I wasn't even on MFP or tracking calories then.

A409302 · September 2017

I’ve lost 30 lbs in 6 months. I did 1200 calories and stopped losing any weight for about a month after about two months. I decided then to cut back food to 900 calories a day for two months. The weight fell off. I started two years ago using this app and took too many breaks. I weighed myself and decided to stop cheating. I started at 164 lbs and weigh 128 now. I am 5’6” medium frame. I feel really happy now. Advice is when you plateau, lower the calorie intake and drink lots of water. You get used to it. Once you’re at your best weight, go back to 1200 calories and take a break on the weekend for a treat every couple of weekends. But get right back on your food habit. I don’t mind eating the same food every day. Breakfast is 3/4 cup cooked Oatmeal with a tablespoon of raisins and 1/2 cup of blueberries. Lunch is a small salad with 3 oz. chicken, and only red wine vinegar and 1/4 cup of strawberries. And supper is 3 cups of strawberries, one cup of blueberries with two small containers of strawberry and blueberry Danon light activia yogurt with three mini Reece’s peanut butter cups. Sometimes even two chocolate cookies. That’s how I did it. I’m in a size 3 juniors pants or size 4 women’s pants and small size tops or sweaters. This doesn’t work for everyone, but like I said, I can eat the same thing all the time and it works. I walk about 3 1/2 to 4 miles a day. Good luck to you. You can do it! By the way I am 56 years old. Weigh yourself everyday in the morning for incentive.

SueSueDio · September 2017

A409302 wrote: »

I’ve lost 30 lbs in 6 months. I did 1200 calories and stopped losing any weight for about a month after about two months. I decided then to cut back food to 900 calories a day for two months. The weight fell off. I started two years ago using this app and took too many breaks. I weighed myself and decided to stop cheating. I started at 164 lbs and weigh 128 now. I am 5’6” medium frame. I feel really happy now. Advice is when you plateau, lower the calorie intake and drink lots of water. You get used to it. Once you’re at your best weight, go back to 1200 calories and take a break on the weekend for a treat every couple of weekends. But get right back on your food habit.

900 calories a day is too low for pretty much anyone, and most certainly is for someone 5'6". Please don't recommend to anyone that they drop that low - encouraging VLCDs is against the forum rules.

In general, if someone thinks they're eating 1200 calories and they're not losing weight, it means they're eating more than they think or they're less active than they think. Tightening up on the logging, weighing everything eaten, and being more conservative in their exercise burns is the place to start.

Also, your diet sounds somewhat lacking in protein (and probably other nutrients too, but I'm no dietician). How long have you been eating this way and have you noticed any side effects (e.g. thinning hair, weak nails, lack of energy)?

DiaryOfaThickFitWoman · September 2017

Don't worry too much about the timeframe, just start right now.

A409302 · September 2017

Hi - No, my hair, nails and stamina are awesome! I am extremely energetic and really happy. I couldn't feel better actually. But, regarding your comments, I won't bother leaving comments any more on my success. I didn't mean to break rules or imply anyone do what I am doing. I just put what worked for me and that's it. I needed to drop weight for a couple of weddings this summer and felt helpless at logging, weighing food, walking ALOT and not seeing the weight go down, so I said ok - I will cut back the food, get where I want and then go back to 1200 calories which I am now and keeping the weight where I am. Best Wishes everyone. Good luck and keep going!

2mailmonica · October 2017

ZhivagosGirl wrote: »

Took me 5 and a half months to lose 50.6 lbs. (I started in January at 300). I didn't do any specific program or diet, just CICO in fact I wasn't even on MFP or tracking calories then.

2mailmonica · October 2017

What is CICO?

SueSueDio · October 2017

2mailmonica wrote: »

What is CICO?

It means "Calories In Calories Out" - basically the whole idea behind the MFP method, that if your CI (the amount you eat/drink) is less than your CO (the amount of calories you burn, including just by living), then you will lose weight regardless of any specific "diet" you might follow.

It's why a lot of us like being able to still eat treats and foods that other methods might cut out, because all you need to do is learn to eat less of the things you enjoy rather than feeling deprived by avoiding them completely.

It's also why all those named diets and meal replacement options etc. work - because they cause you to be in a calorie deficit (eating less than you burn) without having to actually count calories. Unfortunately, most of them don't teach portion control, so when you stop the program you risk regaining the weight.

zeldon919 · October 2017

Thanks everyone.

Congrats and good luck on continued success.

Feel free to keep posting though.

evilpoptart63 · October 2017

Ive lost 59lbs since I had my baby June of last year. I tried quite a few different things and took 2 intentional maintenence breaks in that time period. I personally enjoyed trying several different methods and finding what worked best for my own body. Right now I really enjoy what Im doing...fasting between 7pm-11am. Eating clean with about 1-2 cheat meals a week, staying within a general calorie range, being mindful (but not super meticulous) about my macros, and working out. Everyone has a different opinion on whats best. Honestly, I think it ends up being different for everyone. There is nothing wrong with enjoying the journey and experimenting. You will get there

>50lbs - How much and how long?

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