I need help with a reasonable goal.

Oompa_Loompa

So I bought a shirt a couple sizes too small purposley to fit into for st.patricks day.what should i set as a goal? like how many pounds? is 10 reasonable to loose by march 17th?

hamiltonba

I think that is an obtainable goal, but you will need a lot of self control and motivation and energy. Are you willing to be that strict with yourself? How about 5 pounds? That is still a lot of weight to lose and your almost at your goal weight. You and I are almost identical with our goals. I know that as much as I would love to lose 10 pounds in a little over a month, I don't know if I can do it. Unfortunately as you get closer to your goal weight, it is often harder to lose the weight.

erickirb

5 pounds is definitively doable, to hit your mark of 10 pounds you may have to make some changes to your diet and exercise plan. I noticed from your food diary that you lack fruit and vegetables, try upping these and eliminating other things, and change up your routine. By changing the diet and exercise you may be able to shock your body and pull off the 10 pound weight loss. Good luck

Oompa_Loompa

Well..i think i need to loose 10 pounds in order to comfortably fit into that shirt lol. I have not been working out at all and I am planning on starting that today. So thats one change. And I do need to eat more friuts and verggies also. And I welcome people to look at my food diary and give me some suggestions.

AwMyLoLo

If you only have about 10 lbs to lose it will probably take you a lot longer than 6 weeks! I have been on here 11 months and lost 10 lbs because, I don't have a lot to lose. You should really focus on eating RIGHT and EXERCISING REGULARLY. You will see changes but it may not be on the scale. I've actually gained 3 pounds since I started doing P90X but I'm not freaking out about it because I really don't care what I weigh, I am seeing changes in my body that are for the better. I wouldn't beat yourself up over a shirt that you bought too small. I have shirts that I wear one day - hate it, next time - love it, next time - hate it. Your body is going to be going through a lot of changes and you will have ups and downs. I would buy another shirt for St. Patt's day that you know you will be flattering on you no matter how much weight you lose. You want to try to avoid setting yourself up for disappointment. Plus, a shirt that fits you right will make you look much better than a shirt that is too small! I'm still wearing all the same sizes after losing 10 lbs.

Moral of the story: Quit freaking out about the number on the scale and just do what's right for your body!

AwMyLoLo

One way to do what's right for your body is to stop your under then over eating habits. You need to find a happy medium. You can eat more than 1200 calories per day. In fact, you probably should. With only having 10 lbs to lose, you could be sending your body into starvation mode. Then, it gets ahold of that order of Wendy's Fries and grabs on for dear life!

sdirks

Took a peek at your foods and hamiltonba is definately right. More fruits and veggies will take you a long way. You already eat turkey sandwiches, so try throwing a slice of tomato and some cucumber on it. I love white pepper on fresh veggies--makes them taste new and exciting (and it's a much healthier option than salt). Experiment with exotic fruits to keep things interesting. Freeze them and then toss in the blender with some soy or almond milk for a tasty desert smoothie.

My recommendation for steady loss is regular cardio. That doesn't mean sweating at the gym, though. Go for a 30 minute walk every night after dinner, or even park further away from your office and give yourself a 10 minute walk each way. You have to start small and get your body used to it. Just make it a habit, like brushing your teeth. Don't think about it, just make it happen. Soon you'll like your walks--it gets to be a nice relaxation time, thinking time, unwinding time. I've also started doing 15-30 minutes of yoga 3 mornings a week. I do it on my livingroom rug in my pj's. Just throw on some nice music and stretch while your coffee brews. Trust me--you'll have a much nicer morning after that!

As for the shirt: measure it! Measure yourself! Find out exactly how many inches you need to lose to fit in it comfortably. There's your goal, no guess work involved.

LittleSpy

If you only have about 10 lbs to lose it will probably take you a lot longer than 6 weeks!

^^ What she said.
Even 5 pounds could be a stretch in 6 weeks if you're on your last 10 pounds. I mean, with a healthy approach.

Oompa_Loompa

One way to do what's right for your body is to stop your under then over eating habits. You need to find a happy medium. You can eat more than 1200 calories per day. In fact, you probably should. With only having 10 lbs to lose, you could be sending your body into starvation mode. Then, it gets ahold of that order of Wendy's Fries and grabs on for dear life!

so its okay to go over 1200 calories?

AwMyLoLo

One way to do what's right for your body is to stop your under then over eating habits. You need to find a happy medium. You can eat more than 1200 calories per day. In fact, you probably should. With only having 10 lbs to lose, you could be sending your body into starvation mode. Then, it gets ahold of that order of Wendy's Fries and grabs on for dear life!

so its okay to go over 1200 calories?

YES! What do you have your goals set at? 1 pound per week? Not good for YOU. You only have a few pounds to lose your defecit should only be about 200 calories less than your maintenance. For example: My "Maintenance Calories" according to MFP are 1680/day. So I eat around 1400 NET throughout the week and closer to 1700 NET on the weekends. I am not trying to lose much more weight so I assume (FOR ME) I have 11,760 calories per week to maintain my current weight. I eat at a ::slight:: defecit usually 4 days and break even at maintenance or even go above maintenance for 3 days, still putting me at a very slight defecit for the week. That's just the way it works for me because I like to eat more on the weekends! But I'm not starving myself through the week and gorging on the weekends. The difference between my "diet" days and my "indulgence" days is only about 300-500 calories - give or take - That's the way I find this do-able. You have to find what is right for you. 1200 is not some magic number that is going to make you look like a Victoria's Secret model.... It's waaaaaaay more complex than that. I recommend that you look for members SHBoss1673, SongByrdSweet, TamTastic, Arewethereyet, Chgudnitz, AZDAK (sorry to leave anyone out!!) and read up on their posts. I have learned a lot from those people in the last year, and so could you! Good luck!

sdirks

One way to do what's right for your body is to stop your under then over eating habits. You need to find a happy medium. You can eat more than 1200 calories per day. In fact, you probably should. With only having 10 lbs to lose, you could be sending your body into starvation mode. Then, it gets ahold of that order of Wendy's Fries and grabs on for dear life!

so its okay to go over 1200 calories?

These are the 3 best posts to read, in my opinion. After reading these, nutrition and exercise plans made a lot more sense to me. Go ahead an take a peek at my food diary and you'll see what I mean. It's a very rare day you see me below 1300cal, and you and I are similar in age/weight/fitness goals. It also helps to look at other members who are losing and see what they're eating and how they're exercising.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6556-the-answers-to-the-questions

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo