Need to lose weight by Dec 27

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pishibarbara
pishibarbara Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
I know, i know. its going to be hard, but I am new to this site and i have done everything possible in the last 3 months to get this weight off for a wedding...i have even joined Jenny Craig...nothing is working .. i lose some , then gain and it isn't happening fast enough. I currently weigh 138 and I'm 5'4''. I want to be 125 by December 27th. What kind of calorie deficit do I need in order to achieve this? I plugged in the numbers on the fitness pal "goal" page , but it doesn't take into account any exercise calories. It just says I need to eat no more than 300 calories per day to achieve my goal weight ....which is going to be impossible!! any advice?

Replies

  • mdcoug
    mdcoug Posts: 397 Member
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    Yes, set a more reasonable goal. To lose 13 pounds by 12/27, you essentially need to lose 3.25 lbs/week. I think most here will tell you that it's not healthy, nor is it sustainable. Why not 8 pounds by 12/27? That's still an ambitious goal, but more doable. I think you'll find the MFP calculators more friendly then. After that - exercise and eat less.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
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    You're not going to lose 13 lbs of fat in 27 days, especially since you you are either already a healthy weight, or very close to it. Sorry, but it's just not going to happen. If you do a crash diet now, you will likely lose a lot of water weight (although I doubt you'd lose that much) which won't leave you looking any thinner, just feeling terrible.

    Set a moderate calorie deficit (ie tell MFP you want to lose 0.5 lbs), do some exercise, including strength training, and hopefully you will lose a little fat and feel more comfortable for the wedding. Don't let your weight keep you from enjoying the wedding, just make damn sure that next time, you're ready. And start properly when you still have 3 months to go. :flowerforyou:
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
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    I know, i know. its going to be hard, but I am new to this site and i have done everything possible in the last 3 months to get this weight off for a wedding...i have even joined Jenny Craig...nothing is working .. i lose some , then gain and it isn't happening fast enough. I currently weigh 138 and I'm 5'4''. I want to be 125 by December 27th. What kind of calorie deficit do I need in order to achieve this? I plugged in the numbers on the fitness pal "goal" page , but it doesn't take into account any exercise calories. It just says I need to eat no more than 300 calories per day to achieve my goal weight ....which is going to be impossible!! any advice?

    Stop. First off - forget the number on the scale and start thinking realistically. 5'4" and 138 is hardly overweight. Set a sensible calorie goal (pick a number above 1200 but below 2000). 1500 is a nice place to start. Stick to that goal consistently, log every bite, drink lot's of water and exercise, exercise, exercise. HIIT"s and exercises that get your whole body involved.
  • jilliew
    jilliew Posts: 255 Member
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    It sounds to me like you don't necessarily want to get the weight off for the wedding. No one at said wedding is going to look at you and say "Oh, I bet she weighs 138 lbs! Tsk Tsk!"

    You want to look GOOD for the wedding. Which is fine, btw. Buy a hot dress. Eat healthy meals and snacks. Drink lots of water and limit your sodium intake. Work out. Don't worry about the scale.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    I know, i know. its going to be hard, but I am new to this site and i have done everything possible in the last 3 months to get this weight off for a wedding...i have even joined Jenny Craig...nothing is working .. i lose some , then gain and it isn't happening fast enough. I currently weigh 138 and I'm 5'4''. I want to be 125 by December 27th. What kind of calorie deficit do I need in order to achieve this? I plugged in the numbers on the fitness pal "goal" page , but it doesn't take into account any exercise calories. It just says I need to eat no more than 300 calories per day to achieve my goal weight ....which is going to be impossible!! any advice?

    Stop. First off - forget the number on the scale and start thinking realistically. 5'4" and 138 is hardly overweight. Set a sensible calorie goal (pick a number above 1200 but below 2000). 1500 is a nice place to start. Stick to that goal consistently, log every bite, drink lot's of water and exercise, exercise, exercise. HIIT"s and exercises that get your whole body involved.


    Exercise = weight train + HIIT and rest = awesome. At best you can lose a few % of body fat by then. The issue the OP had was doing programs like JC or WW where they just drop your calories very low. LCD are not that effective, especially for someone who is a normal weight.
  • kristen6022
    kristen6022 Posts: 1,926 Member
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    I'm gonna go with the fact that you already know this is impossible. Is there a reason you feel you need to be 125? Scales shouldn't define you...

    I'd say stick to 1500 healthy calories/day, workout (Cardio and Weight Training) 4x weekly and by the time that wedding comes be happy with the fact that you are a better, healthier you. Since you are already a healthy weight, I'd say a reasonable weight you could be by the 27 is 134. No less than that, it's not healthy.
  • pishibarbara
    pishibarbara Posts: 2
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    Thanks for the advice everyone. I do appreciate it. Hard to mentally give up that "number" on the scale after many years of thinking that way. Ok...guess it is impossible to reach my goal i will exercise alot though and i am going to try 1200 calories....and see what happens.
  • theCoke
    theCoke Posts: 27 Member
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    Try doing the 30 Day Shred. It makes me feel stronger and more fit in a matter of days.
  • Fightclub66
    Fightclub66 Posts: 1
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    Eat 5-6 small meals a day, include lots of fruit and vegetables in your diet and drink plenty of water.
    You can also boost your metabolism by eating grapefruit, spices like cinnamon, cayenne pepper, exercise of course and drink a cup of green tea every day!
  • darleyschroeder
    darleyschroeder Posts: 322
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    You could probably lose 5-6 pounds healthfully with diet and good exercise. However, there is no way you're gonna get down to your goal unless it's unhealthy. If you starved yourself and worked out like there's no tomorrow you might make it, but neither are a good idea.

    Just take good care of your body the month of December and if you still feel hung up, by a flattering dress that you feel good in. Spanx is always great too. But you're not overweight. I am 5'4 and 136 pounds and nobody calls me fat and I'm pretty sure nobody sees me as such.
  • bexxgirl
    bexxgirl Posts: 260 Member
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    It sounds to me like you don't necessarily want to get the weight off for the wedding. No one at said wedding is going to look at you and say "Oh, I bet she weighs 138 lbs! Tsk Tsk!"

    You want to look GOOD for the wedding. Which is fine, btw. Buy a hot dress. Eat healthy meals and snacks. Drink lots of water and limit your sodium intake. Work out. Don't worry about the scale.

    THIS ^^

    Start a decent strength training programme. I've been doing Stronglifts 5x5 for a month. I've dropped NO weight at all in that time according to the scale, but suddenly I am being showered in compliments from all my RL folk.
  • darleyschroeder
    darleyschroeder Posts: 322
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    Thanks for the advice everyone. I do appreciate it. Hard to mentally give up that "number" on the scale after many years of thinking that way. Ok...guess it is impossible to reach my goal i will exercise alot though and i am going to try 1200 calories....and see what happens.

    Impossible for the wedding, yes. In the future, probably not. Just keep at it and you will get there!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    Eat 5-6 small meals a day, include lots of fruit and vegetables in your diet and drink plenty of water.
    You can also boost your metabolism by eating grapefruit, spices like cinnamon, cayenne pepper, exercise of course and drink a cup of green tea every day!

    Non of this will actually increase your metabolism. There are two ways to increase your metabolism ; exercise (especially weight training) and increasing lean body mass.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    Thanks for the advice everyone. I do appreciate it. Hard to mentally give up that "number" on the scale after many years of thinking that way. Ok...guess it is impossible to reach my goal i will exercise alot though and i am going to try 1200 calories....and see what happens.

    If you plan on exercising... 1200 calories wont he enough, especially since you are a healthy weight. Hormones alone caused by eating too little cause prevent weight loss. Go a more moderate deficit, like 1600 calories and do heavy lifting and you will see greater results. If you want do 50% protein, 25% carbs and 25% fats to cut some water weight. After 30 days the up your carbs and drop your protein 10%.
  • WaterBunnie
    WaterBunnie Posts: 1,370 Member
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    Aim for a pound a week and do the rest with exercise. To be honest how you dress will probably make more difference than the weight you can lose in that timescale - and who's going to be able to guess your weight anyway? Stressing about weight loss could be counterproductive and stop you losing as well as you would otherwise.

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