Looking to lose 30-40lbs, but it doesn't seem realistic?

MissFlab2Fab2014

So, here I am posting this. I started mfp a while back. Fell off and came back and now I am in full force kicking fats a**! I am of course cutting major weight hindering items out of my life like soda, fast food, sweets, excessive coffee drinking etc. More water, more fruits and more veggies...lean proteins and I am doing Focus T25 which I got from a Co-Worker. But, I am not losing weight. Well ok, I lost 3lbs the first week I did it. But in all actuality that was just water weight. I do notice somethings fit better then others.. So my question is my orgininal goal of 30-40lbs does not seem realistic if I will continue to lose inches and not lbs. Should I stop putting it in my head that I want to be close to 115lbs? A few basics about me so people are not confused. I am 5'2" and tiny bone structure. Almost all of the weight I have is "Baby Fat" and also "Junk Food Fat" I currently weigh 143lbs

vorgas

Things got a lot better for me when I came to the realization that losing weight wasn't something I could do. Nobody can. You don't wake up and go lose weight. It's a result of the things you do.

So I set my goals to eat at a moderate diet, and get in some exercise. Let the weight take care of itself. I achieved my goals more often than I missed them, and eventually went from 270+ lbs to 205 lbs.

Plenty of people have lost 40 lbs or more. It's doable, but it's not gonna happen tomorrow, or next week, or next month. How about setting a plan for losing 2 lbs in the next month? That's pretty easy. See if you can do that. Then lose 3 pounds the month after that. If you make it, set your plan for 4 pounds the month after that.

mkmitch3

You will if you eat the right amount of calories, add some exercise and have fun discovering how much discipline you can summon up. Can be a fun 6 month trip if you make it one.

judeh205

I am right there with you. I decided to try to lose 6 lbs. a month and by April that will be 36 lbs. Lets motivate each other.

Arloma

It is realistic if you think of it and work at it not as 30-40 lbs. to lose but in small, daily and consistent decisions of eating healthier foods, getting adequate exercise and generally taking better care of yourself. Set small weekly/monthly weight loss goals like previous poster vorgas said and you will see the weight come off. I did it a few years ago when my doctor told me I needed to lose 13 kg=28.6 lbs because my bp was high and she wanted to put me on medication. With deliberate small changes to my eating habits and increasing my exercise I lost those 13 kg and then some, going from 179 to 138 lbs = 41 lbs and no medication. I got careless and stopped tracking and put back on 10 of those since summer and that's why I'm here now to get back within my ideal weight range and bmi.

You can too - just take one day at a time, pay attention to what you're eating, commit to tracking your food on MFP, read the message boards for help and inspiration/motivation and let us know of you success in a few months!
All the best.

katydid710

It's only unrealistic if you expect to do it in a month. Your post doesn't mention what you're doing for exercise (?), but all weight loss boils down to this: burn more calories than you consume. That's true whether you make an effort to work out or not. I lost 30 lbs. at a rate of about 10 lbs. per month doing nothing more for exercise than about 2 miles of race-walking a day -- not an intense calorie burn, but I was only eating 1200 calories per day. And it's important to think of your better diet as your new lifestyle, one you will stick with rather than a temporary thing.

verptwerp

I've lost 40+ lbs and kept it off for 5 years now ....... am working on the next few pounds .......

Make healthiest choices at each meal ...... get some exercise ...... you'll get there !


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MissFlab2Fab2014

Thanks everyone! I am actually doing Sean T's Focus T25 it is a great work out and really makes me sweat which most work outs have not, and is only 25 minutes. I just feel like maybe I am going about this the wrong way. I want to gain muscle and be lean and fit... I do not want to be what I was before which was 105lbs with no definition or muscle tone.

jpace00

It's not an unrealistic goal if you were below that weight at one point. It is definitely a matter of meeting smaller more achievable goals one by one until you get to your final goal. If you are losing inches but not pounds then you're doing well. If you're doing a program like T25 you will eventually slow gaining muscle weight and lose the pounds as well as the inches. Judging by the type of fat you have you probably should take a close look at your diet as this is probably more vital then your work out regimen to losing the fat.

Keep up your discipline and hard work and you will see results but be patient. I'm losing weight so slowly myself and I am being careful not to lose motivation. Personally I am paying more attention to my progress with my fitness and progression with my workouts. The weight will eventually come.

haymancm

Anything is possible!!! Just depends on how bad you want it! The weight will come off as long as you create a big enough deficit in your calories. If not, you must work out more with a hrm, eat more bunny foods (salads & veggies), & drink more than half your body weight in oz for water. It totally can be done!! Pounds are lost in inches first before weight, remember that!

Add me, if you'd like to be on my support team!