How long do you think it will take to lose 50lbs?

SarahBa89
SarahBa89 Posts: 11 Member
edited December 22 in Getting Started
How long do you think it will take to lose 50lbs, without exercising?

165cm, F, 30, 179lbs.
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Replies

  • ssurvivor
    ssurvivor Posts: 142 Member
    Based on your age, height and weight, your BMR (the number of calories you need to maintain your weight if you were in bed all day) is 1589 cal. And if you're sedentary, your TDEE (daily caloric requirement) is 1907 cal.

    (source: https://idealprotein.com/bmr-calculator-2/ )

    Now, one pound of body fat contains between 3436 and 3752 calories depending on the individual.

    (source: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/calories-in-a-pound-of-fat#section2)

    To lose one pound per week (one year to your goal), you need a calorie deficit of at least 600 calories per day (general convention says 500 per day, but that is based on a 3500 calorie estimation - what if you're closer to 3752?)

    Now, you can lose weight, but, without exercise, you may lose things you don't want (like muscle mass), and it's very difficult to consume 1300 calories and still be healthy (not impossible, but a lot of work). And you definitely want to be as healthy as possible during your journey. Otherwise, you may end up gaining everything back + some (if you make it to the end)
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    ssurvivor wrote: »
    Based on your age, height and weight, your BMR (the number of calories you need to maintain your weight if you were in bed all day) is 1589 cal. And if you're sedentary, your TDEE (daily caloric requirement) is 1907 cal.

    (source: https://idealprotein.com/bmr-calculator-2/ )

    Now, one pound of body fat contains between 3436 and 3752 calories depending on the individual.

    (source: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/calories-in-a-pound-of-fat#section2)

    To lose one pound per week (one year to your goal), you need a calorie deficit of at least 600 calories per day (general convention says 500 per day, but that is based on a 3500 calorie estimation - what if you're closer to 3752?)

    Now, you can lose weight, but, without exercise, you may lose things you don't want (like muscle mass), and it's very difficult to consume 1300 calories and still be healthy (not impossible, but a lot of work). And you definitely want to be as healthy as possible during your journey. Otherwise, you may end up gaining everything back + some (if you make it to the end)

    No one is arguing that exercise is good for fitness and it increases your CO. That is not what the OP asked though and since the OP didn't mention being bedridden that might your BMR argument straw manish. For all anyone knows the OP has a very active job/life and has plenty of calorie burn.

    You said it wasn't feasible. It is. That doesn't make it ideal.

  • Ssssss666666
    Ssssss666666 Posts: 560 Member
    I can only tell you i did 54lbs in six months, have been maintaining for 2 years. Just healthy eating, being strict.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    The answer to your question could be quite different depending on all sorts of variables, but...

    Assuming you are sedentary in addition to not exercising, based on your current stats, you should probably be aiming to lose 1 lb per week. That would be a 500 cal deficit. A 750 cal deficit for 1.5lbs would possibly put you under 1200 cals. (If you are active as a part of your normal lifestyle and just don't intend to do purposeful additional exercise, you might be able to start at 1.5lbs per week, but would probably want/need to reduce that to 1 lb per week as you approached 150 lbs or so in that case).

    So set yourself up here to lose probably 1 lb per week, understand that weight loss isn't linear and you won't be perfect, know that you should slow down to 0.5lbs per week as you approach goal. So I'd figure at least a year, and then stop thinking about a time frame. Putting a time frame on weight loss goals is almost always a bad idea - you have control only over your actions, but there are all sorts of things that are outside your control that affect your weight. And it's almost impossible to stick perfectly to a plan for so long. Focus on slowly incorporating healthy habits over time that you will just consider a part of your lifestyle for the rest of your life, and know that a year from now you will be lighter, if not quite at goal yet.

    Check out this post :smile:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,336 Member
    Way too many variables. If you carry a lot of water weight you could lose a lot quickly, then lose slower. You could lose in jumps with periods of seemingly no progress. A year is probably a good guess, but it could be longer or shorter depending on a number of factors. There is some good advice above about weight loss goals as you start and progress.
  • SarahBa89
    SarahBa89 Posts: 11 Member
    I'm on my feet for between 7-9 hours, five days a week, for work and getting to work etc.
    On the weekend I'm pretty much dead so walk for a maximum of 30 minutes to an hour, each day.

    I have a number of painful conditions that prevent me from exercising.
    I also don't have a lot of spare time, as my life is just work and taking care of my daughter.
  • Kathryn247
    Kathryn247 Posts: 570 Member
    I'm 160cm, 46, and went from 182 to 142 in about 10 months. Then I took a break and lost 10 more the next year. I lost the first 25 without extra exercise, then the weight loss motivated me (and made it easier) to exercise.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    The time seems important when you start. But really, it isn't.

    You could crash-diet and lose much weight fast (initial weight loss is usually good but then it slows to less than an lb a week even on very limited rations). For 50 lb this will require much will-power and patience. It will also require a re-think about how you are going to eat in the future in order not to regain the lost weight and more. You will have to be careful not to build up a desire to re-eat all that you've missed out on during the 'diet'.
    OR
    You could change the way you eat/live - permanently - starting by understanding what caused the problem before. This would probably lead you to a method by which you lose weight slowly but you should be able to continue with it and to live the life of the thin person you will be (starting right now).

    Truth.

    Almost anyone can lose SOME weight. Most people fail to lose ALL the weight they wish to lose. If you want to be a success story you can't do the same stuff the people failing out there do. I have a lot of experience failing and worrying about time and speed is a weight loss killer.

  • nighthawk584
    nighthawk584 Posts: 2,024 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    MikePTY wrote: »
    Diet is #1 with exercise #2 most important (at least for me)....I have lost 57 lbs since April of this year. I have been very strict with diet, NO CHEAT MEALS and clean, lean & green eating , low carbs (100 g or less). Calories are cut in 1/2 of what I used to eat daily....I exercise at least 6 times a week with lots of cardio. It all depends how bad you want it.

    This is "a" way to do it, not "the" way to do it. There are plenty of other ways to lose weight. What did you start at and where are you now? 57 pounds in less than 4 months is very fast. And for someone of her weight, too fast. If you have a lot to lose, that may be more feasible, but I would not recommend it for her. Nor do you need to eat "clean" "low carb" or "no cheat meals" or anything else.

    Hi Mike, I never said it was the ONLY way, but it is all about how bad a person wants it. I was 280 in april...I'm 223 now and goal is 195 and then I will reevaluate. Who knows, it may take me the rest of the year to lose the rest but I am not quitting MY METHOD. To each their own. You do you.

    OP asked for advice for her situation. No matter how bad she wants it, she can't lose 57 lbs in 3 or 4 months, or cut her calories in half, and already said no exercise.

    Unfortunately, not everyone understands the math of weight loss when they get here, and a man who started at 280 lbs telling a woman who is starting at 180 lbs what he did to lose weight with no warning based on how different their circumstances are, can end up leading someone down an impossible path.

    Congrats on your success so far! But the pace you've lost at is incredibly aggressive and would be dangerous for many people.

    Understood, I will put a warning next time. :)
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    MikePTY wrote: »
    Diet is #1 with exercise #2 most important (at least for me)....I have lost 57 lbs since April of this year. I have been very strict with diet, NO CHEAT MEALS and clean, lean & green eating , low carbs (100 g or less). Calories are cut in 1/2 of what I used to eat daily....I exercise at least 6 times a week with lots of cardio. It all depends how bad you want it.

    This is "a" way to do it, not "the" way to do it. There are plenty of other ways to lose weight. What did you start at and where are you now? 57 pounds in less than 4 months is very fast. And for someone of her weight, too fast. If you have a lot to lose, that may be more feasible, but I would not recommend it for her. Nor do you need to eat "clean" "low carb" or "no cheat meals" or anything else.

    Hi Mike, I never said it was the ONLY way, but it is all about how bad a person wants it. I was 280 in april...I'm 223 now and goal is 195 and then I will reevaluate. Who knows, it may take me the rest of the year to lose the rest but I am not quitting MY METHOD. To each their own. You do you.

    Assuming April 1st that is 3.43 pounds a week on average. You should slow down. The general rule of thumb is not to lose more than 1 percent of your total weight per week and that rule does not apply as you get closer to goal.

    You should read this:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10569458/why-eating-too-little-calories-is-a-bad-idea/p1
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    It took me ~ 1 year to lose 60 lbs. I started out at a rate about 2 lbs/week and this trended down over time as I drew closer to my optimal BMI.

    If you want to establish a reasonable goal I would set this at 50 weeks from your starting point.

    More importantly make small changes instead of drastic ones and take careful note of your behavior as you go through this process.
  • Dreamwa1ker
    Dreamwa1ker Posts: 196 Member
    edited July 2019
    It took me about 6 months to lose a little over 20 lbs with just walking (I use a fitbit to track this exercise) and logging my food in myfitnesspal to eat at a deficit. So I'd say you could probably do 50 in a bit over a year with that method. In the scheme of things, 6 months seemed like it would be a long time when I started but once it just becomes habit it doesn't feel like that long anymore and just becomes what you do - I just hit my 200 day logging streak the other day and was surprised it had been that long! Hopefully this means it will be sustainable as I transition to maintenance.

    I also recommend the same post someone mentioned above, it was helpful getting started: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
  • IsETHome
    IsETHome Posts: 386 Member
    Hi Sarah - how long did it take you to gain it? If it has been a temporary gain maybe shorter (like had a baby, surgery etc). Its taken me a year to lose 42 lbs, and since making a greater effort 36 since November. It depends on your metabolism. I don't exercise a great deal other than in the water, but water jogging 3-4 times a week burns some calories. Otherwise I'm 1100-1300 cals a day....so to lose 36 lbs it took me about 6 months. So bottom line - If I was a betting woman I'd say over a year. You don't have to exercise in a gym to lose weight, but for a sedentary lifestyle it will take you a year around 1200 cals a day. That being said, can you pscyhologically keep that up for a year, it isn't easy. I have had a bad day or two, but I don't think I've exceeded 1800 cals since November 2018....
  • perkymommy
    perkymommy Posts: 1,642 Member
    edited July 2019
    I'm 4'11" and started last October 2018 and lost 30 lbs by the end of January of this year. So I lost 30 in about 3.5 months. Since summer began I've been off the wagon and gained a few pounds back so I'm back at it. I'm setting a goal of 1 year to hopefully lose another 20 lbs making it 50 total. But it totally depends on you, how dedicated you are to staying on track. Remember its a lifestyle change and not a diet. Try to do it by eating what you like but cutting back on how much you eat and getting more active.
  • emialyssa13
    emialyssa13 Posts: 16 Member
    One year with more or less 1 pound per week. It's not safe to lose more than that. Ok, I do it, but it is not that i want. I eat plenty (but i eat fruits and vegetables) and i lost 11 lbs in 20 days... even if i dont do exercises. But i'm a little tired because i started drastically. my boyfriend tell me sometimes that i look as if I was hungry because of my mood. I'm nasty.

    So don't start drastically as I did. It's not good. Nor for your friends, nor for your family, nor for you. Y'oull be angry.
  • megamom
    megamom Posts: 920 Member
    I lost 35 pounds in 5 months without any exercise but working. I have lost the next 30 with diet and exercise because the more you lose the more you want to move and I find exercising to my limit really fun, especially because I couldn't do it for so long. Just don't set a date to get it done by, just take it week by week, 10 pounds at a time.
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