Is my goal reasonable?

bjkoziara

Starting weight: 360 lbs (5/4/19)
Current weight: 339 lbs
Height: 5'6"
Age: 27
Goal weight: 140 lbs
Goal date: July 2022 (my 30th birthday)

Currently have MFP set to lose 1.5 lbs a week and planning to adjust lower as needed when I lose weight. I have never lost this much weight before so I feel like I have no idea if that's reasonable since I currently have about 200 pounds before I reach that goal. I am not concerned with losing weight quickly - I am far more concerned with doing it healthily. But I thought it might be nice to ring in 30 at a "healthy" weight.

Is this too quick for how much weight I have to lose? Is 140 even the "right" number? I've literally, always, my entire life, been at least very overweight, so I don't know how much I'm even "supposed" to weigh. Any help appreciated.

Terytha

For five foot six women, our healthy weight seems to lie between 125 and 160, depending on build and muscle and stuff. I've seen a few ranges from different sources. But what you ought to do is lose weight until you feel good. There will be a weight that feels comfortable. The lowest I ever was, was 169 and that still felt crappy so I'm aiming at 150 myself.

I don't know if your timeline is reasonable or not. That will depend on how well you can stick to your calories. It's not unreasonable at first glance anyway.

MikePTY

I wouldn't worry so much about what you are supposed to weigh and your exact timeline for accomplishing it. Nobody knowa what's going to happen tomorrow, let alone 3 years from now. I would focus right now on just making progress and working your way downwards. As you get closer to a normal BMI for your weight, you may be able to start to have a better idea of what an idea weight for you might be. But the truth is, most of us never know until we hit it. I would just focus on what you know now: that you want to start losing weight at a healthy pace. And focus on that and let the other things come later.

AnnPT77

bjkoziara wrote: »

Starting weight: 360 lbs (5/4/19)
Current weight: 339 lbs
Height: 5'6"
Age: 27
Goal weight: 140 lbs
Goal date: July 2022 (my 30th birthday)

Currently have MFP set to lose 1.5 lbs a week and planning to adjust lower as needed when I lose weight. I have never lost this much weight before so I feel like I have no idea if that's reasonable since I currently have about 200 pounds before I reach that goal. I am not concerned with losing weight quickly - I am far more concerned with doing it healthily. But I thought it might be nice to ring in 30 at a "healthy" weight.

Is this too quick for how much weight I have to lose? Is 140 even the "right" number? I've literally, always, my entire life, been at least very overweight, so I don't know how much I'm even "supposed" to weigh. Any help appreciated.

21 pounds in 6 weeks? That'd be about 3.5 pounds a week, on average, if my arithmetic is right. If your first week or two were significantly higher than the other weeks, you're probably fine; but 3.5 pounds/week would be pushing the maximum rate using the "1% of current body weight weekly" rule of thumb that's often suggested around here (for people not under close medical supervision). But what's safe and sensible depends, to an extent, on current health status and other personal factors.

Have you discussed your weight loss goals with your doctor? That would be a good step to get an idea of what's a safe rate for you, based on your personal situation.

As far as whether 140 is a good goal for you: I agree with the "don't worry about it for now" camp. One thing to be aware of is that the goal weight you tell MFP has literally no effect on how it sets your calorie level. The goal weight is only used for some motivational kinds of things (like messages about how you've lost X of Y pounds toward your goal). It has no effect at all on the weight loss process. Therefore, you can set a provisional goal now - like 140 - and decide when you get close to that whether you're where you feel good, or should stop a little sooner, or lose a little more. What's right will be much clearer as that weight approaches.

BTW, I'd point out that your real-world results are a better guide to your calorie needs than MFP's initial guess at your calorie needs. If, after the first couple of weeks of loss (when water weight can fluctuate weirdly at first), the next month to 6 weeks has you losing faster on average than the 1.5 pounds per week you're set at, your calorie needs are higher than MFP's estimate. (It's just giving you an estimate based on research and statistics, with some unspecific inputs about activity level, so it can be inaccurate - not a crystal ball! ).

Best wishes!

bjkoziara

@AnnPT77 That's very helpful information! I should do a little more research I suppose on what my calorie goal should look like. However, it's worth noting that shortly after my initial burst of weight loss (which, to your point, seems totally normal) I went on a short burst of Prednisone and had some issues with water retention. I also ate lots and lots of sodium daily so I am thinking this rate of weight loss is really just due to the sheer amount of water retention I was having. My initial weight may have been slightly skewed due to that as well

I do want to make sure I'm not losing too quickly, though, so I will do some research and reevaluate. Thank you!

kimny72

I think 1.5 lbs per week is a totally reasonable goal. I would not worry too much about an end date though, weight loss tends to not stick to a schedule

It's safe to assume though that as you figured, the process is going to take 2+ years at least. It is so tough to know how you'll feel and look 2 years and 100+ lbs from now, so rather than a final weight, why not work toward smaller goals, and keep refining how you're doing and what you want as you go? 299, 249, 199. Then maybe the upper limit of the healthy weight range for your height, that sort of thing.

As Anne mentioned, keep that 1% max per week in mind, and if you are consistently losing at that rate or higher, tweak your calories.

If you haven't yet, check out the Most Helpful Posts threads pinned to the top of each sub-forum. Congrats on your great start!

bjkoziara

@kimny72 I haven't checked yet actually, I'll have a look! Thanks so much! I've learned quite a few helpful things from these boards.

NovusDies

I am on a very long journey myself. I have been on it for about 16 months and I have lost a substantial amount of weight.

Much like you I do not know what my goal weight is. I know what the range is but from the time I was 16 I was 20 to 30 pounds overweight and it never got any better... it got much much worse. So I have no idea what my goal weight is and I like it that way. I also have no idea how long I this will actually take and I prefer that too. I prefer to put my focus on today and how I can make this a happy and satisfying day while in a calorie deficit. I assume I will know what my goal weight is when I get there and I am happy.

If I have a target date I might try to hit it and that can be counter-productive to my sustainability. Sustainability means that I will not actually be in a calorie deficit each and every day. It means that on holidays, special occasions, vacations, etc I will be eating at my maintenance calories or in some cases above. I will be in a deficit most days though.

Here is the thread in which I talked about my first year of weight loss:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10731694/after-a-year-over-150lbs-lost-learned-a-few-things/p1

You won't lose as much as I did because I started even heavier than you and I was able to sustain a faster rate of loss for an extended period of time.

bjkoziara

@NovusDies thank you! I always enjoy reading your comments and posts