18 Days, 6-8 pounds, do-able??

Okay so I am new to this! I've been eating healthy and exercising (when I can) for the last 4 weeks and have lost a nice 7 pounds. BUT I need to speed things up, it's 2 and a half weeks until my 21st birthday and I want to look and feel good in my dress, so what would anyone recommend I do to accelerate things! I want to lose another 6-8 pounds!!

So far I have been cutting my calorie intake to 1000 calories (don't say this is too little, I am only 5ft and even MFP calculated that my avergae intake is 1300 a day)
I was going to the gym 3 times a week, but admittedly I could only do 20-30 minutes

I just really need a solid plan to stick to, exercise tips, special foods to eat?

Can anyone help? :)
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Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    So far I have been cutting my calorie intake to 1000 calories (don't say this is too little, I am only 5ft and even MFP calculated that my avergae intake is 1300 a day)
    I was going to the gym 3 times a week, but admittedly I could only do 20-30 minutes

    Sorry, but it is too little...

    MFP works, if you use it correctly...

    eat the 1300 cals plus exercise cals, include plenty of fruit & veg and lean protein, and do some HIIT cardio & strength/resistance training at the gym. drink plenty of water and the weight loss will come!
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Absolutely not doable. And starving yourself will only make the entire situation worse.
  • andiebaco
    andiebaco Posts: 211 Member
    I was going to the gym 3 times a week, but admittedly I could only do 20-30 minutes

    Instead of cutting more calories, why don't you increase your exercise? Even if you don't lose pounds, you will be more toned and feel more secure in your dress...
  • xampx
    xampx Posts: 323 Member
    If you lose 8lbs do you really think you will see a difference? Just do it properly, and slowly. Then you won't put it all back on within the month.
  • candylilacs
    candylilacs Posts: 614 Member
    Get a dress that you can fit into and will be comfortable for your birthday. Don't buy clothes "to fit into". It's a waste of money and time. It's just as likely once you lose weight or inches it may not look that great on you. It's how you look in the dress, not the model or the mannequin.
  • lisasumner14
    lisasumner14 Posts: 16 Member
    Buy some decent spanx! Hahaha
  • feathers20
    feathers20 Posts: 14 Member
    Absolutely not doable. And starving yourself will only make the entire situation worse.

    I am not starving myself. If my daily intake is 1300 - for my height and weight, then I have only been cutting 300 calories and am still eating 3 good sized healthy meals. I do not go throughout the day 'starving' at all and always eat raw fruit and veg when I do get hungry.
    I do not plan to cut my intake by anyone, I was merely looking for a plan to stick to and not a quick judgement.
  • feathers20
    feathers20 Posts: 14 Member
    Get a dress that you can fit into and will be comfortable for your birthday. Don't buy clothes "to fit into". It's a waste of money and time. It's just as likely once you lose weight or inches it may not look that great on you. It's how you look in the dress, not the model or the mannequin.

    Thanks ha! The dress does fit, I just wanted to look better in it (it's stretchy). I think I will stick to what I have been doing and increase my exercise :)
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    I am not starving myself. If my daily intake is 1300 - for my height and weight, then I have only been cutting 300 calories and am still eating 3 good sized healthy meals. I do not go throughout the day 'starving' at all and always eat raw fruit and veg when I do get hungry.
    I do not plan to cut my intake by anyone, I was merely looking for a plan to stick to and not a quick judgement.

    you are not understanding how MFP works... 1300 calories is WITH a deficit already built in. you shouldnt be eating less than this.
  • Tiffa0909
    Tiffa0909 Posts: 191 Member
    Absolutely not doable. And starving yourself will only make the entire situation worse.

    I am not starving myself. If my daily intake is 1300 - for my height and weight, then I have only been cutting 300 calories and am still eating 3 good sized healthy meals. I do not go throughout the day 'starving' at all and always eat raw fruit and veg when I do get hungry.
    I do not plan to cut my intake by anyone, I was merely looking for a plan to stick to and not a quick judgement.

    Actually you are cutting by more than 300 calories , mfp already calculated a deficit for your weight , height and age to lose a certain amount of pounds.

    Mathematically speaking you need to create a 28000 caloric deficit to lose 8 pounds and you don't look that big so that's probably not going to happen in a healthy way.

    Losing 8 pounds is not going to make the dress look that much different , just get some good shapewear if the dress already fits. It will help you more than a crash diet.

    I think the real answer will be lifting or other type of strength training but 18 days is a very short period for big changes.
  • lauren3101
    lauren3101 Posts: 1,853 Member
    I am not starving myself. If my daily intake is 1300 - for my height and weight, then I have only been cutting 300 calories and am still eating 3 good sized healthy meals. I do not go throughout the day 'starving' at all and always eat raw fruit and veg when I do get hungry.
    I do not plan to cut my intake by anyone, I was merely looking for a plan to stick to and not a quick judgement.

    you are not understanding how MFP works... 1300 calories is WITH a deficit already built in. you shouldnt be eating less than this.

    This. If MFP tells you to eat 1300 cals a day, eat them. It tells you that for a reason. Also, with such a small amount to lose, you should only be losing 0.5lb a week, so I guarantee even 1300 is too low.

    These are your options:

    1) Eat only 1000 calories a day. You will either lose the weight, and then gain it all back plus some when you start eating normally (guaranteed), or you will stall, and not hit your target anyway until you up your cals, which will come with a gain before you lose again due to undereating (also guaranteed).

    2) Eat at a sensible deficit, lose 0.5lb a week, chuck in a bit of exercise, and continue with your healthy, sustainable lifestyle change. You won't lose 6-8lb in 18 days, but no-one at your party will know how much you weigh unless you walk round with a banner, your dress will still fit, and you will not damage your body in the meantime.
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  • Fruitcake1972
    Fruitcake1972 Posts: 9 Member
    If 1300 Calories works for you, stick to it, it is only natural that you will loose weight less fast once the excess Fat has gone, Building Muscle, although heavier than fat will actually help accelarating weight loss and a healthy BMI should become a goal rather than a set weight.

    With regards to your diet; Dont eat fruit on food, In other words Eat fruit first, allow 30 minutes than eat other foods, it reduces bloat and accelarates metabolism, especially citrus fruits are good for this.

    Make sure you drink a healthy amount of Water (1.5 Liters a day) and stay clear of the Alcohol until your party, it will give your skin a healthier complexion.

    With regards to excercise, SWIM , its healthy ,a fantastic toner for all over muscle, and the quickest way to shape up without the high risk of injury.

    If you are honest with yourself you will know you are at the correct weight around;
    your belly when you can comfortably do up your own shoelaces (in both standing and sitting mode),
    your bust if your bra does not create an additional set of boobs,
    your legs if wearing shorts does not leave chaff marks,
    your arms if jogging does not give you friction burns on the inside.

    Hope your birthday party will be great, enjoy it that is really all that matters.
  • feathers20
    feathers20 Posts: 14 Member
    Thank you all for the replies, I will take everything on board. I won't be changing my eating habits, I feel great, I'm not hungry, I'm drinking plenty of water etc.

    I am 128lbs - so I am in the healthy BMI range, I think toning will be something I add on, I definitely want my body to look healthy!

    Thank you Fruitcake - I will give swimming a go, I'm usually into running ha

    And I will definitely be enjoying my birthday :D
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member

    If you are honest with yourself you will know you are at the correct weight around;
    your belly when you can comfortably do up your own shoelaces (in both standing and sitting mode),
    your bust if your bra does not create an additional set of boobs,
    your legs if wearing shorts does not leave chaff marks,
    your arms if jogging does not give you friction burns on the inside.

    or maybe you're just wearing clothes that are too small!?
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  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member

    With regards to your diet; Dont eat fruit on food, In other words Eat fruit first, allow 30 minutes than eat other foods, it reduces bloat and accelarates metabolism, especially citrus fruits are good for this.

    You can eat fruit on food.
    Fruit does not speed up metabolism.
  • mspoopoo
    mspoopoo Posts: 500 Member
    Get a dress that you can fit into and will be comfortable for your birthday. Don't buy clothes "to fit into". It's a waste of money and time. It's just as likely once you lose weight or inches it may not look that great on you. It's how you look in the dress, not the model or the mannequin.

    Thanks ha! The dress does fit, I just wanted to look better in it (it's stretchy). I think I will stick to what I have been doing and increase my exercise :)

    Can you wear spanx underneath the dress? That will definitely make you look slimmer.
  • Eat as cleanly as possible, up calories, and up intensity of cardio with some strength training a couple of days a week.
  • PunkinSpice79
    PunkinSpice79 Posts: 309 Member
    Maybe start 30 Day Shred (Jillian Michael's). You won't lose the weight, but you may change your measurements???
  • StillStrugglin
    StillStrugglin Posts: 43 Member
    MAN, I would kill to be 128 lbs. You are like, one of my legs. :) I know everyone has their own journey, but take it from me (a 43 year old bag); I look back on my photos from when I was 21 and I think I was BEAUTIFUL... and I was about 250 lbs., give or take a few. What I'm trying to say is try not to be too hard on yourself: you're gorgeous and +/- 8 lbs is not going to change that.

    That's just a little trip down memory lane for ya'. ;)

    Happy Pre Birthday!
  • lindustum
    lindustum Posts: 212 Member
    a)

    Based on your stats and inputting them into scooby's cal

    To maintain your current weight you need a daily intake of 1916 calories
    Your BMR is 1394. What you would need if you were in a coma and to keep your vital organs alive.



    the sustainable and most effective way would be this

    a slight deficit of 5% which would be 1820 calories daily based on a light activity level
    you can increase the intake if you wish to eat more by exercising more



    b )

    For the fun bit now.

    18 days = 8 pounds

    1 pound = 3500 calories roughly

    18 days = 28000 calories deficit

    Daily = 1555.56 deficit

    You will need a daily deficit of 1555.56 from 1916 ( maintenance ) to lose 8 pounds in 18 days.
    which works out roughly an intake of 360.44 calories a day.

    c)

    make an informed choice about which one is more doable.
    The choice is yours.

    Happy birthday in advance.

    OP: Print that out!
    I second the notion of Jillian Michaels 30 day shred- especially since you are fit and thus are less likely to injure yourself. All the videos are on Youtube in full length. Check out some JM threads here to see the results people have seen within days. But mind you, they tend to eat more.
  • lustergirl
    lustergirl Posts: 123 Member
    Thank you all for the replies, I will take everything on board. I won't be changing my eating habits, I feel great, I'm not hungry, I'm drinking plenty of water etc.

    I am 128lbs - so I am in the healthy BMI range, I think toning will be something I add on, I definitely want my body to look healthy!

    Thank you Fruitcake - I will give swimming a go, I'm usually into running ha

    And I will definitely be enjoying my birthday :D

    And just imagine: I would give my left arm to be 150 lbs. HMMM..............
  • feathers20
    feathers20 Posts: 14 Member
    MAN, I would kill to be 128 lbs. You are like, one of my legs. :) I know everyone has their own journey, but take it from me (a 43 year old bag); I look back on my photos from when I was 21 and I think I was BEAUTIFUL... and I was about 250 lbs., give or take a few. What I'm trying to say is try not to be too hard on yourself: you're gorgeous and +/- 8 lbs is not going to change that.

    That's just a little trip down memory lane for ya'. ;)

    Happy Pre Birthday!

    Thank you for being so nice! I know I am hard on myself at times (I blame the media representation of what young girls 'should' look like), but being short, I swear any weight I put on is noticeable! I just want to feel healthy, and I'm nearly there :)
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    Thank you all for the replies, I will take everything on board. I won't be changing my eating habits, I feel great, I'm not hungry, I'm drinking plenty of water etc.

    So what you're really saying is, you came here to ask advice and you're going to ignore it? Makes ZERO sense to me.

    1200 calories is the BARE MINIMUM anyone should eat. If your goal is 1300 calories, you should be eating that, PLUS your exercise calories. MFP already works out the deficit for you. If you continue to eat 1000 calories, without eating exercise calories, your body will hold on to every little bit of fat it gets, and then where will you be? Certainly not losing weight. Plus, you'll be destroying your metabolism. Just because you "don't feel hungry" or you "feel fine and have energy" doesn't mean squat. It means your body is getting used to your intake and eventually you will have all sorts of problems, like your hair falling out, or your periods stopping from lack of nutrition. You could even end up with an eating disorder. Stop all that now before you need to seek professional help. 1000 calories will get you nowhere fast.

    I'm not trying to sound mean or attack you or anything, but you really should take what the other people have said and listen to it. Up your calories. Eat your exercise calories. It's guaranteed you will lose weight. It might not be the 6-8 lbs you're hoping for, but you will lose. IMO, toning is probably what you should focus on instead.

    Good luck.
  • sarahertzberger
    sarahertzberger Posts: 534 Member
    no it's not doable if you're going to be eating only 1000 calories unless you just want to starve yourself, I'm 5'2" and eat 1900 a day mfp says I should have 1500 I have lost way more eating the 1900 than I did when I ate the 1500 calories
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member

    So what you're really saying is, you came here to ask advice and you're going to ignore it? Makes ZERO sense to me.

    sounds about right for about 90% of the people who ask questions on these forums!!!!!
  • JayMri
    JayMri Posts: 241 Member
    Sound like maybe you are looking more to be toned then to actually loose pounds? If it already fits I'd recommend adding in toning exercises a few days a week (or even every day such as 50 squats a day, 50 planks, etc) and that will help you to look and feel great. I'm not short but have a good friend who is so can understand feeling like any little bit of weight shows.
  • kit_katty
    kit_katty Posts: 992 Member
    Thank you all for the replies, I will take everything on board. I won't be changing my eating habits, I feel great, I'm not hungry, I'm drinking plenty of water etc.

    So what you're really saying is, you came here to ask advice and you're going to ignore it? Makes ZERO sense to me.

    1200 calories is the BARE MINIMUM anyone should eat. If your goal is 1300 calories, you should be eating that, PLUS your exercise calories. MFP already works out the deficit for you. If you continue to eat 1000 calories, without eating exercise calories, your body will hold on to every little bit of fat it gets, and then where will you be? Certainly not losing weight. Plus, you'll be destroying your metabolism. Just because you "don't feel hungry" or you "feel fine and have energy" doesn't mean squat. It means your body is getting used to your intake and eventually you will have all sorts of problems, like your hair falling out, or your periods stopping from lack of nutrition. You could even end up with an eating disorder. Stop all that now before you need to seek professional help. 1000 calories will get you nowhere fast.

    I'm not trying to sound mean or attack you or anything, but you really should take what the other people have said and listen to it. Up your calories. Eat your exercise calories. It's guaranteed you will lose weight. It might not be the 6-8 lbs you're hoping for, but you will lose. IMO, toning is probably what you should focus on instead.

    Good luck.

    I think what she means is that she WONT be dropping down to 1000 calories a day! She seems to understand what people are saying and will think on it. She's comfortable at 1300. Deep breath!
  • feathers20
    feathers20 Posts: 14 Member
    Thank you all for the replies, I will take everything on board. I won't be changing my eating habits, I feel great, I'm not hungry, I'm drinking plenty of water etc.

    So what you're really saying is, you came here to ask advice and you're going to ignore it? Makes ZERO sense to me.

    1200 calories is the BARE MINIMUM anyone should eat. If your goal is 1300 calories, you should be eating that, PLUS your exercise calories. MFP already works out the deficit for you. If you continue to eat 1000 calories, without eating exercise calories, your body will hold on to every little bit of fat it gets, and then where will you be? Certainly not losing weight. Plus, you'll be destroying your metabolism. Just because you "don't feel hungry" or you "feel fine and have energy" doesn't mean squat. It means your body is getting used to your intake and eventually you will have all sorts of problems, like your hair falling out, or your periods stopping from lack of nutrition. You could even end up with an eating disorder. Stop all that now before you need to seek professional help. 1000 calories will get you nowhere fast.

    I'm not trying to sound mean or attack you or anything, but you really should take what the other people have said and listen to it. Up your calories. Eat your exercise calories. It's guaranteed you will lose weight. It might not be the 6-8 lbs you're hoping for, but you will lose. IMO, toning is probably what you should focus on instead.

    Good luck.

    I think what she means is that she WONT be dropping down to 1000 calories a day! She seems to understand what people are saying and will think on it. She's comfortable at 1300. Deep breath!

    Yes that's what I meant! Sorry if I confused people, I AM taking advice and will be eating my deficit of 1300 calories instead - MFP confused me (I am new to this) so I thought 1300 was all I was allowed and then I needed a deficit - everyone chill! hah