Is it possible to lose 12 pounds in a month ?

FeebRyan

cutting out gluten and dairy has literally made the weight fall off me.

kenazfehu

The only way I could lose 12 pounds in a month is if I had pneumonia or other serious illness.
The problem you'll run into is that what it will take will likely not be sustainable, so you'll gain all the weight right back. Wouldn't you rather lose 6-8 pounds and keep it off?

zombilishious

processed carbs are any type of bread, cracker, pasta - even the healthier versions.

I think the poster is trying to say get your carbs ONLY from whole foods - veggies mostly, with some fruits, nuts, cheeses.

I agree with the poster who recommended setting a specific nutrition/exercise goal. You will exercise ___ times a week for a minimum of ____ minutes. You will cut out _____ from your diet. You will drink _____ glasses of water each day.

gothicfires

I agree with the person who said drop the weight at a specific time goal and just focus on being healthy. It's not just about physical health, but mental health as well. You shouldn't pressure yourself for what the scale says, instead use that energy to learn more about what you can do about your eating and activity habits so that you don't have 'lazy' months but fun months improving your health.

zebisis

If you can low carb for the month, you will lose that much, but a lot of it will be water weight. Cut out the processed carbs you eat and you should lose most of that. No guarantee it will stay off if you add them back in, tho. If you want something more permanent, not a great idea to lose that fast.

Took the words right outta my mouth.

mistertug

45 in 2

r0se125

When i first started weight loss i lost about 10-12 pounds the first month. I ate 1200 calories lots of fruits and veggies and worked out 6 times a week for 45mins-1hr. I also took multivitamins to help make sure i was getting everything i needed including iron and stuff. Now that im smaller the weight is coming off alot slower but the heavier you the easier it is to drop more weight in a healthy way.

TheeGeeMarie

I have less to lose than you and I lost 5 lbs. the first week after I switched to a new personal trainer. I only lost .5 the second week, but I encountered a delicious buffet at a meeting reception and cheated. This week I'm on track to lose another 4, but we'll see. I like the booze. There's been no crash dieting. Some days I'm eating as many as 1,700 calories a day and I only do 60-90 minutes of cardio a day. I do circuit training for an hour with little rest 3 times a week. Cut dairy and simple carbs, eat a TON of protein, and drink at least a gallon of water (actual water) every day. Don't cheat. Keep your eye on the prize and get after it. You can do it and still be healthy if you have a solid plan. It's hard and it takes discipline, time and dedication, but it can be done.

ETA: by "a TON" of protein, I mean at the very least 20 g with every meal, assuming you eat several small meals a day. Every meal needs a protein, a little bit of fat and a little bit of carb. Emphasis on the protein. Don't eat like 500 g a day or anything ridiculous like that. Educate yourself and then use your common sense. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to have a smokin' hot bod.

Elizabeth38NC

I understand. I am the same way.

mamasmaltz3

How about instead of focusing on a specific pound loss goal you focus on an eating/exercise goal to reach by November 30th?

Great advice from someone who is obviously doing something right.

You two are probably right. But I know that it's all my fault if I hadn't lose enough in October to reach my goal and I think I want to redeem myself by kicking out November. I only want to be "even" with my goal and then continue with my normal weight loss pace.

If I instead try to focus on a goal, what would it be ? I was slacking my exercise, so the first thing I want to do is starting again to exercise four to five days a week (this is what I was doing in August and September, and it works well).

If it were me, I would forget about hitting the original weight loss goal. This month is a new month. You can not change what you did in October, now you need to focus on November and making good, healthy choices and moving your body more. Over the summer I plateaued for a couple months. If I held on to the weight loss goal I had, based on the rate of loss I had been losing at, I would have gotten really discouraged, and possibly given up. So, is my weight loss what I had hoped it would when I started this back in March? No. But, I am eating healthy, mostly, and working out hard. My way of thinking has been my biggest transformation. I am eating in a way that is sustainable for me for life. The scale is not my main measurement of my success on this journey. How I feel, and what my body can do are my measurements now. Can I lift heavier than I did last week? Can I do more push-ups? Can I complete a workout previously not completed? Do I have the energy to keep up with my kids? Can I hike the trails with my family without making them wait for me to catch my breath? Those are the goals that mean so much more to me than what the scale has to say to me. This journey is not a sprint, but a marathon. And I want to finish my race strong! You can too. Blessings to you on your journey.

DaivaSimone

processed carbs are any type of bread, cracker, pasta - even the healthier versions.

I think the poster is trying to say get your carbs ONLY from whole foods - veggies mostly, with some fruits, nuts, cheeses.

I agree with the poster who recommended setting a specific nutrition/exercise goal. You will exercise ___ times a week for a minimum of ____ minutes. You will cut out _____ from your diet. You will drink _____ glasses of water each day.

Ok... So i'll be honest, I'll never give up processed carbs if it mean not eating bread or pasta, even the healthier versions. Those food were eaten by healthy persons for centuries and they will be part of my diet until the end of my life, so I prefer to learn how to eat them in moderation.

Thanks for helping me formulating my goals.

WinnerVictorious

processed carbs are any type of bread, cracker, pasta - even the healthier versions.

I think the poster is trying to say get your carbs ONLY from whole foods - veggies mostly, with some fruits, nuts, cheeses.

I agree with the poster who recommended setting a specific nutrition/exercise goal. You will exercise ___ times a week for a minimum of ____ minutes. You will cut out _____ from your diet. You will drink _____ glasses of water each day.

Ok... So i'll be honest, I'll never give up processed carbs if it mean not eating bread or pasta, even the healthier versions. Those food were eaten by healthy persons for centuries and they will be part of my diet until the end of my life, so I prefer to learn how to eat them in moderation.

Thanks for helping me formulating my goals.

if you really want to lose 12 lbs in a month, split the loss between calorie restriction and cardio.

set yourself up to lose 7 lbs by eating at a deficit and 5 lbs via cardio.

the hard part is the cardio, you're going to have to try to do it every day and not miss more than a couple of days all month. and you have to do enough each day to burn 550-600 calories. that's a long walk, long jog, or long run almost every day.

so, scale back your calories so that you're eating at a loss rate of 1.75lb/week + add daily cardio in the amount of 575 calories burned WITHOUT eating back those calories, and you can do it. if you can manage the 1.75lb/week part at 1700 calories, then it's just a matter of discipline and time getting the cardio work done.

so it is possible, but you might be miserable all month while trying to accomplish it.

kimberliiw

I worry that if you set that as a goal you're setting yourself up for failure. You already admitted that October wasn't a good month for you because you didn't stay on track for your weight loss goal. And you're reacting by increasing the pressure on yourself and thus increasing your chances of "failing". What will happen next month if you don't reach this month's goal. Most people would say f it and quit. It's not a failure to not lose the amount of weight you were shooting for, yet you are punishing yourself for it. I agree to set goals for exercising or hitting your target calories or macros for a certain number of days. As for a weight loss goal, that's fine, but don't put a deadline on it. Good luck, I hope November goes better for you.

emarge

Anything that comes in a box has/is processed carbs!!!

I have lost 10lbs in 2wks b/c I am on a very low carb, high protein diet (30-35g carbs / 80g protein per day). BUT, I have Insulin Resistance Syndrome (my glucose is way high due to all the carbs and sugars). I'm not eating grains or "white" anything. Just TONS of veggies and proteins + some fruit, mostly berries. You can check my diary.

We as Americans eat so.much.CRAP!! And we have bought the lie that food from a box b/c it says its "healthy" that it truly is! :noway: It's really sad.

I didn't think I would lose weight so fast. But my body responded IMMEDIATELY to fresh, whole, GOOD food! And, I only do 20 minute workouts due to an injury...Also, when eating pure veggies and protein, it's AMAZING that your body truly does FILL UP! I get to the end of the night and realize I barely ate 1200cal!! So, I MAKE myself eat some more to make sure I am getting enough nutrients and giving my body the energy that it needs.

I've been reading A TON about carbs and protein - I've learned so much!!! Good luck to you!

rebeccap13

Genuine questions...

What's the significance of 12 lbs?
What are your long term goals?
How do you plan to achieve those goals with a sustainable plan?
What do you plan on doing once you reach your goal weight?
Where have you come up short before?
How can you improve upon what you've already been doing?

Think about the end goal here... is it really lose X lbs by X date? Or is it to overall be healthy and look better?

Yeah you can lose 2lbs/week but also think about how you feel when you put your body under the stress of eating at that deficit.

And emarge has probably lost A LOT of water weight by cutting carbs (which seems to be mostly gluten and grains as she defines them).

TheeGeeMarie

I worry that if you set that as a goal you're setting yourself up for failure. You already admitted that October wasn't a good month for you because you didn't stay on track for your weight loss goal. And you're reacting by increasing the pressure on yourself and thus increasing your chances of "failing". What will happen next month if you don't reach this month's goal. Most people would say f it and quit. It's not a failure to not lose the amount of weight you were shooting for, yet you are punishing yourself for it. I agree to set goals for exercising or hitting your target calories or macros for a certain number of days. As for a weight loss goal, that's fine, but don't put a deadline on it. Good luck, I hope November goes better for you.

As I sit here waiting for my iPod to charge and think about it, I agree with this. I stand by my previous post in that it is possible to do and still be healthy. However, you've got to do what works for you. If you're not comfortable with eliminating certain foods, it may take more time and that's totally fine. I agree with what the above poster said about not punishing yourself and what previous posters said about making other goals not tied to a certain time frame. Maybe focus on decreasing sodium, increasing water intake and exercising for an hour every day?

Kristen_nicole95

My highest loss was 14 in a month. but I was about 275 pounds. It's easier to get
it off when you're bigger. I just exercised and didn't eat crap. That's the honest truth

blakejohn

sure it can be done fighters do it all the time to make weight


get one of the silver sweat suits cut out all but the bear min carbs restrict you fluid intake, and workout and cardio up to 8 hours a day.

just give you heads up this is the beginning on the road to hell, the mood swings suck and once you make weight you'll eat a whole box of what ever you've been craving and add up to 10 pounds in a day

good luck

californiagirl2012

Don't get me wrong: I know that this is possible, but I would like to know the best way to achieve it without feeling deprived or starving.

October was a lazy month for me, and I sucked hard at losing weight. If I want to reach my goal of being under 245 pounds for November 31st, I really need to kick butt (mine, at first) in November.

I am not ready to eat less then 1700 cals a day (for me, it's a minimum to be able to eat a variety of food, and if I'm eating less then 1500-1600, I feel seriously dizzy), but I am ready to work out hard, and harder if needed.

Any tips or advice to help me in this journey ?

(You can check my diary, but I was sick since friday so I hadn't log anything in the last two days, and I had a pretty messy week before that. Previously (October 25 and before), it's almost accurate, I tried to log everyday.).

Your body loses weight in chunks, not linear. I have found that you can do everything right and your weight loss seems to plateau but if you are patient and keep exercising and eating at a deficit (however slight) you will lose it, it will suddenly "whoosh". There are so many variables for the scale; water retention, digestion, hormones, allergies, sodium, carbs, water intake, DOMS, inflammation, the list goes on. People mistakenly think they lose or gain weight when they eat more or less because of these fluctuations.

Losing weight requires tremendous patience. You will not lose it when you want it or where you want it. The body does its thing. Some apparent plateaus can last a month or so. You cannot make it happen faster. You must focus on two things; calories and exercise. Nothing else matters. Scales and metrics don't matter. The day in and day out grind of exercise and calories are all that matters. It is not very exciting until things fall into place. You get your victories and you ride one victory to the next.

The scale is a trend tool. The scale is good but put it away and only check once a week and only use it as a trend tool. It will fluctuate, it does not matter. Take front side and back progress pictures at least once a month. You will see differences that the metrics won't tell you and it's that little bit of NSV that will keep you going until the next victory.

Too many changes at once can be hard on some people. I've always eaten healthy so it easy for me to simply eat less. Eating at a calorie deficit is hard on people; even a small deficit puts your body in a state of flux with hormones and such. Everyone is different. Some people can handle a deeper calorie deficit than others, this is not right or wrong, it just is. Stress in your life affects your hunger hormones; lack of sleep, fatigue, job stress, family stress, financial stress, etc. Add in emotional eating issues and it gets even more complicated. Most people can only handle so much change/stress at once, they try to do too much and fail. Sometimes it might be a better strategy to eat at maintenance and make some small changes first, it really depends on how much stress you are taking in at the moment.

rebeccap13

sure it can be done fighters do it all the time to make weight


get one of the silver sweat suits cut out all but the bear min carbs restrict you fluid intake, and workout and cardio up to 8 hours a day.

just give you heads up this is the beginning on the road to hell, the mood swings suck and once you make weight you'll eat a whole box of what ever you've been craving and add up to 10 pounds in a day

good luck

Good advice, because she is definitely at the fitness level of a professional fighter and also doesn't have anything better to do than 8 hours of cardio/workouts per day...

I think she's looking for reasonable, sustainable advice. Use your head.