Is this realistic or am I just too much of a dreamer?

98by2014

Hi there, I'm a girl in her late teens who has pretty much always been overweight. I'm at the highest weight I have ever been after gaining weight after trying a fad diet (the ABC diet to be precise... I lose 40lb in a month and gained it plus 20lb back in a month, too, sigh).

I'm 5ft and 201lb currently but I kind of want to get down to about 7 stone by the time that 2014 comes around and I thought that the start of 2013 would mean the start of a new healthy lifestyle. I want to eat healthier and also want to aim to do 4 or 5 20 minute to half hour work outs a week which I can do from home (I can't afford a gym membership plus I find it embarrassing at this weight).

What I'm really wondering is, though, if it would be realistic for me to try to get down to around 120lb by the time that June comes around (so in six months from the time of posting)? Or should I set myself a more realistic goal?

Thanks!

george29223

too much too fast it will be risky to gain back slow and steady it will give you time to adjust your lifestyle for life long weightloss and being able to maintain this isnt a race

meshashesha2012

What I'm really wondering is, though, if it would be realistic for me to try to get down to around 120lb by the time that June comes around (so in six months from the time of posting)? Or should I set myself a more realistic goal?

Thanks!

you said it right here

happypopmelon

you shouldn't aim to lose more than 2lb a week as this is a healthy amount for your body to deal with and it will allow yourself to adjust to a healthier lifestyle change. if you try to lose too much too quickly you will probably gain it again as you have learnt. don't aim too high as it's easier to throw in the towel if you go off track. i think realistically and healthily you could aim to lose 52lb in 26 weeks (6 months). good luck :-) x

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

2 lbs per week is considered a safe amount. That means 8 lbs per month. Set realistic goals so you'll be more likely to stick with them.

quirkytizzy

The ABC diet is not a fad diet, it is a pro-ana diet. It's even short for "Ana Boot Camp". It takes calorie cycling ( a mostly reputable idea) to dangerous levels by making someone attempt to lose weight by restricting to 100 to 500 calories a day. I don't know if you have had disordered eating habits prior to this (it's the kind of thing that if you don't have an eating disorder going in, you will coming out), but it would most certainly set you up for unrealistic and unhealthy weight goals when eying plans in the future.

Please be careful with your body. Calorie cycling can be very useful - but only if you set it up healthy and with patient goals.

traceytwink

Losing slowly is always the best way you will find it easier to keep the weight off if your body gets used to small losses, also try buying a workout DVD, davina my three 30 minute workouts are a great starter and they really do work, try aiming for smaller goals treat yourself to something nice for every 7 lb you lose and by nice I mean buy yourself a new nail polish etc. good luck with your weight loss believe in yourself you can do it x

cwolfman13

2 Lbs a week max! You shed it slow and low and that's the best way to go (my personal recipe for good BBQ and weight loss). Do that and you'll learn proper nutrition as well as losing the weight along the way. It's good to set a goal...but I'm not one for time goals...time goals de-rail so many people. Just go slow and I promise you that you will enjoy life so much more.

teamstanish

A good mentality is that you didn't put the weight on in 6 months so you shouldn't expect to lose it in 6 months. Like everyone else has said, 2lbs a week is a safe goal. The more you focus on healthy lifestyle changes and LESS on the weight loss the more chance of success you have.

veggieluver2

Or should I set myself a more realistic goal?

^^I think you already know the answer.^^

geebusuk

2lbs a week is the 'accepted wisdom'. But it's also a vast over-simplification as with so much nutrition advice - designed as a basic 'easy' figure for an 'average' person.

From what I have seen (and in no way suggesting this is true - for a start, people are different and we don't even that well know how the 'average' works) you're more likely to be able to lose more fat at the start. However, the closer you get to a low body fat percentage, the slower you should take it.
However, be aware that you will likely be losing some muscle too - if you manage to keep the muscle which you have which carts around an extra 100lb, you'll be in pretty good shape when you lose it.

Just, say, cycling with a 25lb bag of dog food up the hill home from town was noticeably harder. Well explains why I don't sweat cycling up that hill now when I always used to.

Finally - 7 stone is pretty light. My dog weighs a little over that!

Remember - calories in vs calories out.
Walking and running can also be done 'for free'.
For me, cycling instead of driving was a good way to burn calories and I found often was actually quicker around town than driving and parking up etc!

MemphisKitten

It IS realistic, but instead of making a 6 month goal, it might be better to make a lifetime goal to stay at 120 lbs when you reach it. I think if you set smaller goals, like 10 lbs in January, then set for Feb, March, etc. and see what you are able to stick to for a plan would be a better idea. Good luck to you!

meerkat70

Realistic is always best. And yes, 7stone (98 lbs) seems very light, even for someone as petite as you.

Bear in mind too that the 2lb a week guideline is an average. For someone relatively small, it might be sensible to drop this down to a lower weekly loss goal (since weightloss should be set proportionately, not in absolute terms).;

Please steer clear of the ABC type stuff. Look after your body.

Taem2

I believe you can do it.

However, perhaps just meeting your goal is short-sighted. Maybe this time, while you are dieting, you will learn about making better food choices, and create a maintenance plan as well (as you get closer to your goal).

There are a lot of stories here where people, lose, then quit their diet and then regain. Maybe a dietary lifestyle and exercise regime will benefit you (so stop thinking short term weight loss) and think total transformation for life.

What you value is what you will be.

Find and achieve your VICTORY! (and you have to say it that way).

That said, I'm going for my 10 run in the Chicago winter. VICTORY!!

Sorova

80 pounds in six months is not realistic for someone of your starting weight, and in order to achieve it (if it were even possible) you would need to do some very unsafe things.

There are plenty of good reasons to lose weight at a more reasonable pace. Health for starters - very low calorie diets (under 1200 calories per day) can lead to health problems and malnutrition. Also, losing weight very rapidly is a good way to end up with a lot of loose, saggy skin. Do you really want a lifetime of saggy skin just to finish your weight loss six months sooner?

Set yourself a reasonable goal: lose 1-2 pounds per week through calorie reduction and an exercise you enjoy. In six months you'll be 25-50 pounds lighter and you'll be healthy, too. Focus on making lasting lifetime healthy habits so this is the last time you ever have to lose weight.

You're still young, and wrecking your body to lose weight quickly would be a very sad thing. Instead, take a full year (or more!) to lose the weight and enjoy a lifetime of health.

geebusuk

. Do you really want a lifetime of saggy skin just to finish your weight loss six months sooner?

Interested to know if you have any research etc behind this?
I thought it was more a case that saggy skin was more noticeable if you lost quickly, but would grow back at a similar rate?
At my lowest, I do have a bit - but if I manage to get the muscle on that I intend, that should firm it up a bit - not so much from abs, but from the chest etc pulling it up a bit.)

Me, I'd suggest focusing on finding what works for you to lose weight. What works for me to lose weight at 2lb a week is not the same as what works for me to stay the same weight.

lilpoindexter

Too aggressive. But you can defintely do it over the course of the whole year. Take your time, make changes for the long haul...change your habits.

MB_Positif

Definitely take things slower. You'll have more lasting changes that way and be able to maintain your weight later on!

AyaKara

Eat well at 1500-1600 cals a day (find out your specific need if possible), strength train 3 days a week, do cardio the other 3 days a week, & in addition to shedding pounds you'll also shed inches & will probably reach your goal appearance before you reach your pound goal! You can do this, just take everything one step at a time. Eat as many natural foods as you can. You'll be okay

ninerbuff

1% of your body weight a week is realistic. As you lose, you readjust. As you get closer to goal weight, you reduce it to half of a % to continue.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Deipneus

Yes, set a more realistic pace. Shoot for 11/2 pounds per week. Sounds easy but it's not. If you do better, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

hbellucci

Congrats on starting a healthy lifestyle!!! It all starts in your head! A couple of things to get you started on deciding if YOUR goal is realistic. 1lb=3500 calories. So to lose 1 lb per week you will to create a calorie deficit of 500 calories per day, every day; either by exercise or diet, or both. A healthy calorie count for most females is 1200 calories per day. PLEASE CHECK WITH YOUR DR. TO DECIDE WHATS HEALTHY FOR YOU. Use the MyfitnessPal website or app to log your food, it is SUPER helpful! If I don't write it down...I eat way more than I should!! Measure everything you eat, set a timer to eat every 3-4 hours so you are never "starving". I set small goals for myself and when I hit them I rewarded myself, and set a new goal. For example, when I lost my first 10lbs. I got my nails done, when I fit into a pair of jeans, I ate a candy apple...etc. When I ran my first 5k I got a new outfit...... I have always struggled with my weight so I understand where you are starting from. I hope this helps!! Good LUCK!!!!! :flowerforyou:

KenosFeoh

I think that 120 pounds is a reasonable weight to shoot for, but it will probably take longer than six months. Be very sensible about this. It's a life-style change, and change takes time. As you've already learned, there are no shortcuts to lasting results.

Improvised

Okay, so I know 2 lbs a week sounds painfully slow, but take it from me, it goes by WAY faster than you think, and you will be thrilled with your progress.

drusilla126

It's not a sprint it's a marathon. You want it to come off and stay off so the most you should aim to lose is 2 pounds a week.

wswilliams67

Doing just the basic math and keeping you at a HEALTHY and SAFE weight loss of 2 pounds/week or 8 pounds/month...

(201 - 120) / 8 = 10.125 months

BUT ONLY IF YOUR BMR/TDEE ALLOW A 2 POUND/WEEK LOSS!

So there's your timeline (roughly)

Again keeping it healthy... by your June goal you would have lost 48lbs... and be at 153. That's nothing to be ashamed of and the odds of you keeping it off are much greater.

Now for the caloric numbers you need, if you know your body fat %, I'd use this: http://www.cordianet.com/calculator.htm (the one on the right). Set it for Moderate Exercise. Get your BMR and your TDEE numbers. Never eat below your BMR and subtract 500 calories from the TDEE number for 1lb/week of loss. Subtract 1000 calories from your TDEE for 2 pounds/week... BUT ONLY AS LONG AS IT IS MORE THAN YOUR BMR! Recalculate after every 10 pound loss or 1 month.

So for example... 201lbs at (for the sake of the example) 35% body fat with moderate exercise and a goal % of 20%...

At 20% you would be between 156-162 pounds...

Caloric Need:
Estimated Base BMR: 1650 Calories.
Estimated TDEE: 2557 Calories.
Estimated Daily Caloric Need For Weight Loss: 2057 Calories (1 pound/week) or 1557 calories (2 pounds/week).

Since your BMR is 1650 trying to lose 2 pounds/week is doable, however you may need to eat your maintenance level of 2557 every few days to avoid metabolic shutdown. You can try the 1557, but if you plateau for 2-3 weeks then you know you need to recalculate or increase your intake by 100-200 calories/day, 1 week at a time, until you start losing again, then keep your intake at that level. So if you plateau @ 1557/day then increase to 1757/day for 1-2 weeks. If you are still plateaued, then again increase to 1957/day for another 1-2 weeks. Once you start losing again then stop increasing at stay at that intake level. It's all about dialing it in until your body responds.

I know that's a lot of info to digest but it's important to figure it out from the start to avoid a lot of problems most people run into when they simply cut calories and hit the starvation wall.

Bottom line is... you are still very young and your body will react quickly if you gather the head knowledge and apply it correctly. You have PLENTY of time to lose this weight. It's YOUR body. YOUR goal. Be PATIENT and dedicated and you will achieve it.

Good luck! We're here if you need us!

P.S. Do not weigh yourself daily... you will regret it. LOL

Sorova

. Do you really want a lifetime of saggy skin just to finish your weight loss six months sooner?

Interested to know if you have any research etc behind this?
I thought it was more a case that saggy skin was more noticeable if you lost quickly, but would grow back at a similar rate?
At my lowest, I do have a bit - but if I manage to get the muscle on that I intend, that should firm it up a bit - not so much from abs, but from the chest etc pulling it up a bit.).

I've read in a number of medical sources that speed of weight loss can effect skin elasticity, but I honestly don't know if any research has been done specifically on this issue. I think it's largely observational.

I did ask a dermatologist about it (when having an unrelated mole screening done) and she told me that the skin's elasticity is more heavily taxed by rapid changes in body shape, both weight loss and weight gain. She also said many other factors (age, genetics, diet, etc.) will play a part in whether people get stretch marks/excess skin when gaining and losing weight. So it's hard to make statements that will apply to everyone, but I think it's fair to say that there's a good chance that rapid weight loss will be harder on the skin than slow loss. Maybe just in the short term, as you say, or maybe long term also.

At any rate, the much more serious possible consequences of extreme diets, such as nutrient deficiencies, gallstones, etc. are plenty of argument for being more sensible.

RockstarPunch

i remember the ABC diet, thats a kicker right there. I say eat in proportion good foods and get outside, join some sports and activities and give your body time to shift. Its crazy but your body does MAJOR changes in your teens and early twenties Even at 27 your body is still changing so observe what works for your body and what doesnt and then go from there:glasses: tune into what works for you but do it the RIGHT way. shortcuts:noway: will (as you already know) burn you in the end. See a nutritionist, get a gym membership, find a local workout group, get outside