Is it possible?

jubilantdreams
jubilantdreams Posts: 11 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm currently 154 and my goal is to get to 130 by May 7th. I just started with the whole diet and exercise thing on Monday and I have created a schedule where one day I'll walk one hour on the treadmill at 3mph and the next day I'll walk half an hour at 4mph and it'll switch around like that every day of the week except Sunday where I relax.

My main question is, in your opinion, do you think it's possible to reach 130 by May 7th? I'm trying to motivate myself but I'm slowly losing hope.
:cry:

Replies

  • swissbrit
    swissbrit Posts: 201
    I have been on here since 9th of January I joined last year but ended up having to have my whole foot reformed so was a couch potato for a long time and all the weight I lost last year came back through bordom eating and doing nothing as I couldnt walk :-(
    since the 9th of Jan 53 days I think I have lost 15lbs to date or 7kg so yes its posible if you put your mind to it and keep to your calories.
    Good Luck :-) I am 48 and have managed this far so you will be fine
  • Mathlete22
    Mathlete22 Posts: 12 Member
    How tall are you?
  • kacarter1017
    kacarter1017 Posts: 651 Member
    There isn't a quick yes or no to this. If you're 5'7, then answer would most likely be no, but possible. If you're 5'2, then it's possible, but that's still a lot of weight in a fairly short period of time.

    Make sure you're eating very balanced meals, using the macros on this site for guidance. Drink plenty of water, and keep up with the exercise.

    I've found that setting these kinds of goals can be difficult. It might be better to set goals like I mentioned above and see what you are able to lose. This isn't a short term change, but a lifestyle change. Slow and steady usually has better outcomes.

    Good luck!
  • theskinnylist
    theskinnylist Posts: 286 Member
    It's not impossible. But I would add more to your workouts than treadmills daily. Also key thing to remember is what you eat!
  • alexeye11
    alexeye11 Posts: 52 Member
    That's a very short amount of time to work with. Is there any reason you are trying to reach your goal by then? Realistically you could get into the 130's by then but you can really guarantee anything.

    It's all about your body and how it will interpret what you put into it. Weightloss is not meant to be a rapid change, it is something that happens overtime with healthy diet and exercise. You should try to keep in mind that there is no quick cheat to get to your desired weight. Just do what is best for your body, and watch it change. :)
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,430 MFP Moderator
    Since that is about 10 weeks away, it is highly unlikely to lose at that rate. Ideally, you should be aiming for 1 lb per week so you don't lose a lot of muscle. Fat loss > fat and muscle loss.

    I too would suggest adding more than just treadmill. In fact, I would suggest resistance training to help maintain your muscle and you will see better body changes with weight training. And feel free to go really heavy to optimize strength gains. I would suggest keep it in the 8-12 reps to optimize hypertrophy.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Two things:
    1/ Setting a short term date target and going for an aggressive speed of weight loss is a recipe to get stressed, lose motivation, lose lean body mass rather than fat and ultimately give up. A slow, steady, loss brought about by small & sustainable changes is much better long term IMO.
    2/ Your exercise routine sounds deadly dull and almost like a punishment! Although walking is fine it's hardly a full body workout. Isn't there something you would actually enjoy? Dancing, cycling, classes, fitness DVD, sports?
  • Mathlete22
    Mathlete22 Posts: 12 Member
    Well if you are 150 something and think you are overweight then you are probably around my height (5'3). I have about the same goal but I started about 5 weeks ago and want to lose it by May 20th. I read a little on your profile. Eating 3 granola bars a day is not healthy and that is probably why you gained all the weight right back. NEVER EAT LESS THAN 1200 calories a day. If you are as tall as me or shorter than being EXACT with your calories is a huge. I think your exercise plan seems good but you should understand that once you start getting use to it you should increase intensity and time. I started walking and doing the elliptical at first now I run about 3 miles 5 times a week. Also from my experience I do not eat my calories I burned back. I eat 1200 calories a day no matter what. Eat good calories too. Fruits, veggies, protein. Don't waste calories on soda or sugary snacks. I have been dieting for about 5 weeks and lost about 10 lbs. (my ticker is inaccurate) I lost more the first couple weeks and now I am at a point that I only lose about 1 to 1.5lbs a week. This is a healthy rate that will a sure you dont gain it all right back. Hope this helps. You can message me if you want to know more about what I've been doing.
  • trishharrington1
    trishharrington1 Posts: 7 Member
    I think it's possible. 10 weeks, 3 lbs a week. It won't be easy; but if you limit your carbs and keep your workout long and slow, you can control your appetite and curb your cortizole so your not hungry. Good luck.
  • jubilantdreams
    jubilantdreams Posts: 11 Member
    llee1012 I'm around 5"4-5"5
  • jubilantdreams
    jubilantdreams Posts: 11 Member
    There isn't a quick yes or no to this. If you're 5'7, then answer would most likely be no, but possible. If you're 5'2, then it's possible, but that's still a lot of weight in a fairly short period of time.

    Make sure you're eating very balanced meals, using the macros on this site for guidance. Drink plenty of water, and keep up with the exercise.

    I've found that setting these kinds of goals can be difficult. It might be better to set goals like I mentioned above and see what you are able to lose. This isn't a short term change, but a lifestyle change. Slow and steady usually has better outcomes.

    Good luck!

    I'm 5"4 and thank you, I'll go check out the macros. Thanks so much for the advice and tips!
  • jubilantdreams
    jubilantdreams Posts: 11 Member
    It's not impossible. But I would add more to your workouts than treadmills daily. Also key thing to remember is what you eat!
    Agh, okay :( I understand that it takes a lot of time and effort so I'm not really surprised. Thanks so much for the reply! Do you have any recommendations as to what other exercises I should do?
  • jubilantdreams
    jubilantdreams Posts: 11 Member
    That's a very short amount of time to work with. Is there any reason you are trying to reach your goal by then? Realistically you could get into the 130's by then but you can really guarantee anything.

    It's all about your body and how it will interpret what you put into it. Weightloss is not meant to be a rapid change, it is something that happens overtime with healthy diet and exercise. You should try to keep in mind that there is no quick cheat to get to your desired weight. Just do what is best for your body, and watch it change. :)

    It's my birthday on May 7th and I was just hoping I'd be able to reach my desired weight by then as a birthday present to me. Sounds silly, I know. You're completely right, I need patience and I cannot over exercise my body. I am however eating really healthy and drinking plenty of water :)
  • CJ_Holmes
    CJ_Holmes Posts: 759 Member
    I'm currently 154 and my goal is to get to 130 by May 7th. I just started with the whole diet and exercise thing on Monday and I have created a schedule where one day I'll walk one hour on the treadmill at 3mph and the next day I'll walk half an hour at 4mph and it'll switch around like that every day of the week except Sunday where I relax.

    My main question is, in your opinion, do you think it's possible to reach 130 by May 7th? I'm trying to motivate myself but I'm slowly losing hope.
    :cry:

    I'm also confused as to why you have set yourself up like this. If you want to mess up your metabolism and feel miserable for the next few months, sure, almost anything is POSSIBLE.

    You are not remotely overweight enough to justify losing that quickly, and most likely even if you hit your goal, you will not likely be able to maintain it.

    What's your actual aim here? If you want to feel hopeful and motivated, set up a realistic plan (not a weight/time goal) that gives you a small calorie deficit, and do more than walk. I guarantee that at 140 with good nutrition and strength training you will look ten times better than at 130 by going drastically low-calorie and losing weight quickly.

    You want your body to change, then do some resistance training. You could see great results from setting up a circuit using your treadmill- walk uphill for 5 min, then do 20 lunges, hop back on, then do pushups, etc. There's tons of exercise plans on the internet that just use your body weight.
  • jubilantdreams
    jubilantdreams Posts: 11 Member
    Since that is about 10 weeks away, it is highly unlikely to lose at that rate. Ideally, you should be aiming for 1 lb per week so you don't lose a lot of muscle. Fat loss > fat and muscle loss.

    I too would suggest adding more than just treadmill. In fact, I would suggest resistance training to help maintain your muscle and you will see better body changes with weight training. And feel free to go really heavy to optimize strength gains. I would suggest keep it in the 8-12 reps to optimize hypertrophy.

    I'll be hitting the gym soon so thank you for the recommendation! I'll definitely be doing that! Thanks for the tips! :)
  • jubilantdreams
    jubilantdreams Posts: 11 Member
    I have been on here since 9th of January I joined last year but ended up having to have my whole foot reformed so was a couch potato for a long time and all the weight I lost last year came back through bordom eating and doing nothing as I couldnt walk :-(
    since the 9th of Jan 53 days I think I have lost 15lbs to date or 7kg so yes its posible if you put your mind to it and keep to your calories.
    Good Luck :-) I am 48 and have managed this far so you will be fine

    Congrats on the weight loss! :) I'm really sorry about what happened thought but you're pulling through and working hard so that's great. Thank you so much for the encouragement!
  • pamwhite712
    pamwhite712 Posts: 193 Member


    It's my birthday on May 7th and I was just hoping I'd be able to reach my desired weight by then as a birthday present to me. Sounds silly, I know. You're completely right, I need patience and I cannot over exercise my body. I am however eating really healthy and drinking plenty of water :)

    Then this should be your early birthday present to yourself- staying active and eating healthy. :smile:
  • stephaniemejia1671
    stephaniemejia1671 Posts: 482 Member
    Yes. Keep in mind you may not get there COMPLETELY but you'll get close enough to it. What you eat is just as important as how you workout.
  • jubilantdreams
    jubilantdreams Posts: 11 Member
    Two things:
    1/ Setting a short term date target and going for an aggressive speed of weight loss is a recipe to get stressed, lose motivation, lose lean body mass rather than fat and ultimately give up. A slow, steady, loss brought about by small & sustainable changes is much better long term IMO.
    2/ Your exercise routine sounds deadly dull and almost like a punishment! Although walking is fine it's hardly a full body workout. Isn't there something you would actually enjoy? Dancing, cycling, classes, fitness DVD, sports?

    It is dull if I'm being honest. I'm trying to find other things to do such as tennis or field hockey but I'm not having any luck to find anyone willing to do any of those sports with me. It's more funner and more encouraging to do sports with friends.
    Thanks so much for the advice, I'll definitely be using it :)
  • jubilantdreams
    jubilantdreams Posts: 11 Member
    Well if you are 150 something and think you are overweight then you are probably around my height (5'3). I have about the same goal but I started about 5 weeks ago and want to lose it by May 20th. I read a little on your profile. Eating 3 granola bars a day is not healthy and that is probably why you gained all the weight right back. NEVER EAT LESS THAN 1200 calories a day. If you are as tall as me or shorter than being EXACT with your calories is a huge. I think your exercise plan seems good but you should understand that once you start getting use to it you should increase intensity and time. I started walking and doing the elliptical at first now I run about 3 miles 5 times a week. Also from my experience I do not eat my calories I burned back. I eat 1200 calories a day no matter what. Eat good calories too. Fruits, veggies, protein. Don't waste calories on soda or sugary snacks. I have been dieting for about 5 weeks and lost about 10 lbs. (my ticker is inaccurate) I lost more the first couple weeks and now I am at a point that I only lose about 1 to 1.5lbs a week. This is a healthy rate that will a sure you dont gain it all right back. Hope this helps. You can message me if you want to know more about what I've been doing.

    At that time last year I have no idea where my mind was because now I look back and think how stupid of me that was! When I start going to the gym with friends I'll be trying other machines to add to my workout sessions along with increasing my intensity on the treadmill. At the moment I'm trying to build endurance. Thanks so much for the advice and I will definitely message you if I have any questions or need advice. Thanks again!
  • babymariss33
    babymariss33 Posts: 17 Member
    I would say it is definitely possible, but like someone said above, try to switch up the activities you do for exercise. If you have a gym membership take some group classes. I was terrified of them but they turned out to be the most fun I have ever had exercising! Step Aerobics and Kick boxing are awesome! Also, we are getting into spring so try to get outside and jog/walk some trails! Going up hills really gets your heart going! And dont be discouraged if you dont get all the way down to 130, I am sure you will look amazing! Good Luck!
  • MaryB2
    MaryB2 Posts: 331 Member
    I'm concerned about your long term goal weight. 111 lbs at your height is not healthy.
  • lorenzoinlr
    lorenzoinlr Posts: 338 Member
    Two things:
    1/ Setting a short term date target and going for an aggressive speed of weight loss is a recipe to get stressed, lose motivation, lose lean body mass rather than fat and ultimately give up. A slow, steady, loss brought about by small & sustainable changes is much better long term IMO.
    2/ Your exercise routine sounds deadly dull and almost like a punishment! Although walking is fine it's hardly a full body workout. Isn't there something you would actually enjoy? Dancing, cycling, classes, fitness DVD, sports?

    Agreed. It's not likely you'll do well in a marathon if you're running it like a sprint....

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