Lost 30lbs in 10 weeks once, is it possible again?

jimmyn6

A few years ago, I jointed the Army Reserves and barely got in because of my size. Special waivers and all! I went to MEPS and got on the bus and went to Fort Jackson (for all the Army peeps, this is said to be the easiest of all BCT centers) for basic. I started off at 230lbs, running 2 miles in 27:37, etc etc. I finished and graduated BCT 10weeks later (having to retake my fitness test multi-times cuz I kept failing the run) at 200lbs, and ran 2 miles in the Army min. for my age group (22y/o) of 17:30 (I was a POG).

30lbs in 2 months is pretty good huh? I know cuz the XL ACU blouse on me was loose and big (still big bottom side, but not relevant) and i went down to Large. Now granted, after losing 30lbs I still wasn't a fitness freak or high-speed. But still in the best shape of my life since high school. But it was a good start platform and I messed up, got lazy, got busy and bam!

I've since left the reserves (per my mother's request), I completed my degree in Accounting and work at a desk. I mean when I was working for a lowly $8/hour at Office Depot, I was running around, lifting furniture and stuff to where I started to need a belt. But then I finally got a full-time job in my field (struggles of all recent grads in over-saturated markets i'm sure) so it was butt in the chair time.

Now I'm 280lbs, the heaviest I've ever been and just wondering if I can try to replicate what worked in the army so well. Before Accounting i spent 3 years as a Kinesiology/PE major so I get all these things, and I understand different ideas, theories and ways of weight lost and what should be done but it's a definite case of having the know how, not able to practice what I know and lots of internal motivation. Knowing something and doing it seem to be challenging at times, but not sure what the excuse is, it's just me.

The big reason I'm fascinated by the transformation in the Army is because of how it went. I only avg. 4-5 of sleep a night. We had three meals in the DEFAC each day. I mean we had only seven minutes to eat, so I usually got four slices of bread and made everything on my tray into a sandwich. We PT'd in the morning and had the occasional punishment training, we walked/marched everywhere. But the army was definitely a mental thing, because if you were in shape, a former athlete then you would breeze through all the physical stuff. It was a struggle for me, obviously but I just knew, and could tell, it's not challenging if you're in shape. Maybe it was because it was Fort Jackson, I dont know; the point was how can I repeat what happened during those 2 months again? The extra poundage on me shows and takes its toll on me when I'm playing tennis.

Can I make it better and possibly lose more than 30lbs quickly? I know you shouldn't loose weight so quickly but it happened once before, and I was still healthy and alive, but can this be repeated and made better? More smaller meals throughout the day instead of the 3 meals? Should I cut back on foods I like? I know i tried to avoid bacon and junk food but sometimes it's what the army served us, so I'm sure a better effort in food decisions can yield better results.

The big obstacle for me is that I work in an office and a computer, so I don't get to move around a lot. My boss starts looking at me sternly whenever i'm out of my office too much thinking I'm just walking in circles. I don't walk 75% of day anymore. But I'm wondering if I can make up for that lack of activity by hitting the gym. I can be in at 530 in the morning and then in the gym again after 7pm.

I can't pin-point how it work or what happened, I just know its hard to repeat, but I'd like to repeat and better the results. What do you guys think?

Laura741

I started out at 282 and have lost 28 lbs in almost exactly 2 months. TOTALLY doable. I also work at a desk and use my lunch hour to go to the gym and also walk around the neighborhood in the evenings.

Francl27

Totally doable at that weight, it's mostly water weight though.