Is it possible?

I’m really disappointed with myself. At the beginning of the year I said I wanted to lose at least 30 pounds by the next Christmas as my New Year’s resolution. I lost 10 pounds (using this app) and then just stopped logging and gave up, I gained the weight back plus some. Now I’m 200 pounds (AGAIN)

Is it possible to still lose 30 pounds with minimal/light exercise by Christmas? We’ve only got 4 1/2 months left…

Replies

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,856 Member
    You don't say a lot about yourself, but assuming you're female, 45, 165cm and you say you weigh 200lbs. Then your maintenance calories if sendentary are probably around 1900-2000 calories per day. See: https://www.sailrabbit.com/bmr/

    With only 4.5 months to go, or roughly 19 weeks then you'd need to eat around 790 calories less per day. That looks very, very difficult to be honest. You'd need to eat very little food, and the chance of keeping it up is lower the bigger your calorie deficit. Why not chose a realistic weightloss goal, one that is easy to adhere to and make a start?
  • Hobartlemagne
    Hobartlemagne Posts: 503 Member
    I'd change the goal to a little less based on the limited time you have.
    It may be too discouraging if you miss the original goal.
  • LiveOnceBeHappy
    LiveOnceBeHappy Posts: 449 Member
    How about you aim for 1 lb per week to lose? That is sustainable and realistic for a lot of people. No need to be disappointed. Just pick it up again and look at it for the long-term, not till Christmas. When you mess up with your goal, just get back on. Every day is a chance to begin again.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 33,783 Member
    How about simply focusing on finding new eating habits that you can keep up long term, that also result in eating somewhat fewer calories than you burn (in all ways: Just being alive, daily life stuff like job and home chores, intentional exercise)?

    IMO, the calendar isn't a weight loss tool.

    What you did before didn't work. I'm not trying to be harsh by saying that. I'm trying to encourage you to rethink how you're approaching this.

    The real prize isn't just reaching a good weight, it's getting there then staying there long term, ideally permanently. Doing that puts a priority on finding new, sustainable, practical, relatively easy, relatively pleasant eating and activity habits that can continue almost on autopilot when other parts of life get complicated . . . because they will.

    A date-driven forced march, cutting nearly 800 calories daily, doesn't really advance that change in habits. For most of us, it would encourage unsustainable extremes. Besides, sometimes a slower weight loss rate a person can stick with will get them to goal weight than a supposedly fast rate that causes deprivation-triggered over-eating, breaks in the action, or even giving up altogether.


    If you must set a weight-related goal, that idea of averaging a pound a week loss is probably a reasonable starting point. It's also compatible with experimenting and finding those new habits. In general, consider the advice from people who've replied here: They are succeeding or have succeeded in doing this.

    No matter what you decide, I wish you success: The results are worth the effort, IME.