Weight Loss goal--is it realistic?

ashleyjea1985

I weight 147 lbs.

My wedding is March 2nd.

I'd like to weight 125 by Dec 1.

That would be about 20 pounds.

Is this a reasonable goal? 25 lbs in 4 months?

Any advice how to reach it?

Lozze

Its possible but not probable at your weight. Sadly the less you have to lose the harder it gets.

Do you lift weights? That will give you a better chance of reaching your goal looks wise than a number on the scale.

I just looked at your diary and while you've only been loving for a couple of days, it's not best to eat junk in one meal and not eat for the rest of the day. Try and eat at least three meals a day with healthier options for better results.

Pebble321

Don't waste time wondering about what is possible - put that time and energy into planning some strategies for healthy eating and exercise. Don't cut calories really low, don't exercise to excess - but eat a moderate amount of good food and do some exercise regularly. These changes will be great for your health and your future and it's most likely you'll see changes on the scale too.

Jude1064

If you work hard...you can do it!! Good Luck!

tehzephyrsong

That's about one and a half pounds per week, so yeah, that's quite doable if you're diligent. You do have to stay on top of it, though. Set your goal to 1.5 lbs per week loss, then stick to the numbers MFP gives you. Make good food choices and exercise regularly, and you can do it.

neurochamp

Its possible but not probable at your weight. Sadly the less you have to lose the harder it gets.

Do you lift weights? That will give you a better chance of reaching your goal looks wise than a number on the scale.

This.

Check out the book New Rules of Lifting for Women by Lou Schuler, it runs about $15 on Amazon and outlines a good weighlifting program for women (you can also look on the groups - there is a New Rules/"NROL4W" support group).

You probably *could* get to your goal weight by crash dieting, but you probably won't look the way you want to look for your wedding (loose, saggy skin can look "squishy" in wedding photos, which is less than ideal; firm muscles are much better even if the scale says you haven't reached your "goal weight"), so you'd be better off eating a healthy, normal amount of food that makes you feel satisfied, and work on building muscle...or, at the very least, maintaining the muscle that you have while losing some weight (if you do a severe calorie restriction, chances are you will lose muscle as well as fat; you will also likely feel grumpy, tired, and stressed out - wedding planning *should* be super fun, not crazy-stressy - if you aren't eating enough).

I would suggest that your best bet is to lift heavy weights 2-3x per week, do LIGHT cardio 1-2x per week, and eat a *slight* calorie deficit (10%-15% below your TDEE as calculated here: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/). If your NET calories are below your BMR (same website), you should eat more - healthy foods (mostly) - until your NET calories are above your BMR. You have LOTS of time, so you can afford to be patient and dedicated - even if you don't reach your goal weight by the holidays, you will almost certainly lose inches and look better...and, really, inches make more of a difference in a wedding gown than a number on a scale does.

P.S. congrats on the engagement :flowerforyou:

pastryari

Whether it is possible/realistic or not, I'm sure you are wanting to change your body at any rate for your wedding. So just start immediately and don't do anything dangerous (cutting cals too low,etc) and just do what you can in the given time frame. I'm sure you'll be glad you got any progress. Work towards it and if it happens, awesome. If it doesn't, well you're that much closer.

ptak1sm

25 pounds in 4 months is really pushing it, but it's possible (as long as you're healthy about it). If you can, try to extend your deadline by a few weeks, even a month, if possible.

By "healthy", I mean make sure you're eating throughout the day, and make healthy choices. I looked at your food diary and noticed you've logged large meals and restricted yourself the remainder of the day. Smaller meals spread out through the day will help keep hunger pangs down while still making sure you get enough calories. If you're not already, try to get in the habit of eating at the same time every day. I find it helps me, at least, if only to make it easier to keep track of what I ate, and when I ate it. It helps that I have a regular work schedule with a consistent lunch time. I eat 3 small meals a day, plus a couple of snacks.

What kind of exercise are you doing? Weight training will help you burn fat a little faster than just cardio, and it won't make you bulky (I've been lifting for a few months now, while eating at a deficit, and there is no bulk to be found. Just good definition).

Pay attention to your body, and don't focus on the number on the scale. Inches may come off without a huge change in pounds lost, but that's not a bad thing at all. Good luck!

ErinRibbens

I agree with the weight lifting advice, along with some cardio. you don't want to crash diet and be "skinny fat". If you do weights your arms & shoulders will look amazing! Don't worry too much about the number on the scale, more important to focus on building muscle and eating healthy to burn fat.

anna_lisa

While it is harder to lose the less you have to lose. I think it would be totally possible or at least close

shorty35565

It is possible to lose 25 in 4 months BUT at your low weight, it might not happen unless ur really short. It slows done quite a bit when u get to the lower numbers.

mstifb

With your weight a more realistic goal would be 1 pound a week unless you're under the advise of a doctor. Two is the most anyone should lose without specific guidance from a doctor. I don't know if 25 by Dec 1st is reasonable but half of that is definitely reasonable! Congrats on your upcoming wedding!! :flowerforyou: