Is attempting a 10-pound-a-month goal too much?

kmm7309

I accidentally started losing weight in December, so i rejoined MFP this month to continue the process. I feel tons better 1 1/2 months and 20 pounds lost later, and I plan to keep losing 10 pounds a month until I hit my goal, but is that unrealistic?

I understand that I will have to push my exercise to its limits because my body will quickly get accustomed to my routine and stop shedding pounds if I don't. But I also know how badly I lose momentum if I'm not seeing results all the time.

I'm 21 years old, 240 (currently), 5'2" tall, if you need to know to help me figure this out!

clahut

Hi there,

It might be. I set a goal of 5lbs a month and I have lost closer to 3lb a month on average. This has been due to plateaus and some Christmas weight gain.

Even with the relatively slow progress though, it has been easy to keep up my motivation as I feel better and I can feel my clothes getting looser every week.

I guess you do what is right for you. But if you set a really aggressive monthly goal, are you likely to be disheartened and lose motivation if you don't hit it every month?

C

kmm7309

yes, I probably am. But I get disheartened anyway- that's why I've always quit diets in the past. This is the longest i've done it ever so far!

catcrazy

It may well be, weight loss is generally faster at the start, mine flew off the first 10 weeks then slowed right down. Very frustrating after such a superb start! My advice - aim for 5lb then anything above that is a bonus and hopefully you wont feel the frustration like i did!

Well done on your 20lb lost by the way!

Victorious_One

I would say 5 lbs per month is still fairly aggressive. That's 1.25 lbs per week. Most people will tell you that they only lose 1/2 a lb or so on average per week during their weight loss, after the honeymoon period. You want to set a goal that makes you work, but that is still attainable with hard work and commitment. You can set a goal of 5 lbs but work hard and try to lose 7-10 lbs every month.

What you can do for a little motivation trick is make yourself a "pound bank." Say you set a goal to lose 5 lbs per month, and one month you lose 7 lbs. You put 2 lbs in your pound bank. Then, 6 months down the road when you hit a bit of a plateau and you only lose 3 lbs that month, instead of freaking out completely and giving up, you look in your pound bank and say, "hey, I have 2 lbs in the bank, I'm good! I'm right on track!" :happy:

Play with the numbers over time and see what works best for you. The main thing is to continue to go in the right direction--down.

tokes

All the other folks here have said the losses can be higher at the start and then slow down - I would aim for a 1.5-2lbs loss per week which would give you a target of 6-8lbs a month which is probably more achievable on an ongoing basis and is steady enough not to mess with yor metabolism - good luck!

kidtechnical

I'm just picking up on your statement "I accidentally started losing weight in December"... have you considered speaking to your doctor to see if there is a medical reason for the initial weight loss? Or did you start exercising and cutting back without giving it much thought?

MissLadyInWaiting

10lbs is a safe amount, you won't always lose that much but it can happen + you will eventually have to work harder to get that goal since your body will start adapting but thats a good goal

kmm7309

I don't know what happened with that, I think when I started my new shift at work I slept half as long so I was a little more active 6 more hours a day then usual, and my doctor started me on medicine for a sluggish thyroid, which apparently affected me way more than I thought it did. The weight started dropping after the medicine kicked in. I noticed and got excited so I start helping my thyroid do it's deed lol The doc never expressed concern, he said that my thyroid was bad enough when it was untreated that once I got the medicine it would make a world of difference in appetite, energy level, and ability to burn fat!

Neliel

I'd say don't set your goals too high. Because it really kicks you in the teeth when you don't meet them. I spent the past 6 weeks fighting with the same 2 pounds and it seriously got to me because I had a goal of reaching 163 pounds by March but here I am, only just made it to 175. And that was a perfectly reasonable goal - to lose about 15 pounds in 3 months.

downtome

A 10 pound a month loss is always desired, but do we always get it? Not always! Plateaus happens, eating a bit more on some days happen...you get the drift?! Keep doing what your doing and the weight will come off! I lost 30 pounds in 8 weeks and then got stuck at on a plateau for 3 weeks. Yes I was upset, a little discouraged, but I'm still at it. Your going to have ups and downs, it's normal, but not always seeing the scale move is NO reason to throw in the towel. Look at it like this, 2 months down the road, would you rather be feeling better and looking better, ot would you rather be up 20 more pounds? Either way, time is gonna pass, you could be taking care of yourself and feeling much better! Hope this helps. Good luck!

kidtechnical

Thyroid was what I was thinking actually, glad that there's a reason for the accidental loss, I'll stop worrying now :flowerforyou:

melly424

You could probably do the 10 pounds a month for a few months, but I feel that you may get disappointed and give up when you come across a month that you can't do it. A realistic weight loss goal that most doctors will tell you is 1 - 1.5 pounds a week. Between 4 and 6 pounds. If you set your goal at 5, you will be happy when you go over it and still be satisfied if you only lose 4 or 5 pounds. Keep working at it! Good luck!

kmm7309

Thyroid was what I was thinking actually, glad that there's a reason for the accidental loss, I'll stop worrying now :flowerforyou:

aww, thank you for the concern!