30 lbs in 3 months?

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beyondjupiter
beyondjupiter Posts: 247 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Is that doable? Right now I am at a rate of 2 lbs a week which I know is good and healthy. However, since I was over my head in finals and work I haven't exercised at all. The 2 lbs a week have been on diet alone.

I weigh 251 now and would like to weigh 220 by July 9th. I have that set as my next goal and that would put me at 3 lbs a week. I am sure if I actually started exercising it would help.

Is this achievable and most importantly, is this an acceptable, healthy goal?

Jen

Replies

  • 777twist
    777twist Posts: 75 Member
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    There's no real reason to set a goal of 3 lbs unless you are in a contest, challenge or making money from fitness. So if you are losing 2 a week, just keep going. So what if it takes a little longer. A lifestyle change is what's needed, not a diet, and over time your body will get used to less and less food. But cutting out to much too quick is a roadmap to bounce back.

    I know people that swear by losing a ton in a short period of time, but that's not supposed to be healthy. That being said, I have also read that heavy people actually benefit from losing more at the beginning. So you will no doubt get varied advice.

    I still don't see a reason to rush it though.
  • taraamohan
    taraamohan Posts: 1
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    I recommend taking raspberry ketones (no this is not a scam and no I'm not a seller for the product lol). I've been taking them for about 4 weeks, first three weeks without diet and exercise and lost 10 lbs !! The past week I've been picking up the gym slack and am setting a goal of at least 4 days a week. Raspberry ketones were featured on Dr.Oz as the "magic fat burning solution". You're not going to lose 10 lbs a week but it definitely boosts diet and exercise results !! I weigh 210 and take the liquid version of ketones, 500 mg every morning before eating anything. It's all natural and I can guarantee you that there are no weird side affects or anything like that (diet pills have, in my experience, caused moodiness and increased anger).
  • WannaBLoser2013
    WannaBLoser2013 Posts: 247
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    I recommend you read this article

    http://www.coachcalorie.com/is-losing-2lbs-per-week-realistic-for-everyone/
  • beyondjupiter
    beyondjupiter Posts: 247 Member
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    I still don't see a reason to rush it though.

    You are right, I know. There is no reason to rush it at all. I have just been told by my doc to set small realistic goals a month or two at a time. So, I set July 9th as a 220 goal because it seemed realistic enough. That is my daughter 8th birthday and it seemed like a good day to set a goal. I can always modify it, I suppose. While I'd like to lose it, the big goal is to not set myself up for failure.
    You are always such a supportive friend, thank you :flowerforyou:
    Raspberry ketones were featured on Dr.Oz as the "magic fat burning solution"

    Tara, I will admit I am a Dr. Oz lover, so I am going to check those out. I am not big on "diet pills" I did my fair share of ephedra as a teen and I swear it messed my heart up. I also have a panic disorder now. As long as it is all natural... I will take a look. Thank you! :heart:
    I recommend you read this article

    WannaB... interesting read, thank you. I am going to go look over it more thoroughly. $5 is not a bad price for the body fat measurers. I still need to buy another tape measure so I can focus on that too and not just pounds.

    Jen
  • PaliDNAnge
    PaliDNAnge Posts: 81 Member
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    It's doable. I did it. But then again, it was my first three months and I'm starting at a high weight. I would like to lose 30lbs in 2-2.5 months, but I know that's challenging if not unrealistic depending on the case.
  • missybct
    missybct Posts: 321 Member
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    It is doable - I did 35lbs in two months but I must stress that I was unwell and wasn't eating properly initially due to mental relapse, so I wouldn't take that too much into account.

    The most recent 15lbs have come off slower and more steady as I have been going to the gym and eating well and consistently.

    It is possible. Goals are great, but for me, the moment I start saying "I'm going to weigh xxx by xxx" I start to put too much pressure on myself and I get wound up (nature of my illness). I think your main focus should be just losing weight, losing inches (remember they can alter independently) and generally feeling healthier - if you do it in 3 months or 4 months - it doesn't really make much difference because this is a lifestyle change, not a quick fix. :)

    Good luck xxx
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    I'm averaging around a stone a month. So just over 3 pounds a week. Though some weeks are 1 pound weeks others are 4 pounds ones. I'm not trying to lose this amount it's just coming off. Larger people will always loss it quicker to start with though. I'm doing nothing special but eating within my calories and a mixture of exercise from swimming to walking.
  • FATJAKE5
    FATJAKE5 Posts: 162
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    I believe it is do-able for you. I know it is for me because I have already lost 25 lbs in 8 weeks and 2 days. But something in your profile is what you should really focus on.

    You said: "I am an only child and both my parents are obese and very unhealthy. They both have diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, among other things. Both of them are on quite a few medications".

    You could not only save your life, but theirs as well. Three weeks after starting on MFP, I was able to stop taking 7 different BP meds, some of which I had to take twice/day. The only thing I did was to eliminate excess Sodium from my diet. aka Processed Foods and replace them with fresh raw, steamed and boiled vegetables. I think you can see my food diary.

    I also like Dr. Oz, reminds me of my cardiologist and I may try that rasberry ketone when I get stuck, which I know is coming. You are getting a lot of good answers tonight with a recurring recomendation to get healthy and stay with it for the long haul. If you have more questions, drop me a note.

    BTW, it was my daughter who got me started on MFP
  • ickypink
    ickypink Posts: 1 Member
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    Personally it's whatever you feel comfortable with. Just please, please, don't get down on yourself if you don't reach your goal. What you're doing is absolutely amazing and when things get rough just remember what you have accomplished so far!
  • Terpnista84
    Terpnista84 Posts: 517 Member
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    Is it realistic? Yes. Does that mean it will happen for you? No. Weight loss is not as linear as people think. You may experience a lot of setbacks and will get discouraged. I had a goal in mind that I wanted to achieve by the end of July. I said "If I lose 2 lbs each week I will meet my goal. All I need to do is eat X amount of calories and workout X amount of minutes? Guess what? My weight fluctuated and after 2 months I am about8 lbs off from where I wanted to be at this time but I am still happy and made terrific progress.

    So my advice is to not give yourself a deadline. It will only cause frustration of you aren't progressing at the rate you would like. The important thing is that you are losing weight consistently and if that happens you will reach your goal when you are supposed to.
  • Energizer06
    Energizer06 Posts: 311 Member
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    Personally it's whatever you feel comfortable with. Just please, please, don't get down on yourself if you don't reach your goal. What you're doing is absolutely amazing and when things get rough just remember what you have accomplished so far!
    I agree that you have to set a realistic and manageable goals...especially at first....otherwise you get down and will likely quit when you are accomplishing a great thing. So, Just set it for something easy...like 10 lbs and then when you hit that in 2 months instead of three you shoot for another 10 in two more months....before you know it your happy for your accomplishments and you never missed a "goal". Keeps you happy and motivated. Or as I do, eat as good as possible for your lifestlye by adapting portion sizes, eat whatever you like, exercise and enjoy life.
  • djeffreys10
    djeffreys10 Posts: 2,312 Member
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    One question to ask yourself is not only is it doable, but is it worth it? Getting your calories too low will impact our quality of life, as in the way you feel and your moods. If you are losing 2 lbs per weeks, that is still >25 lbs in 3 months. Is <5 lbs in that time frame really worth it cutting further?
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
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    I lost my weight (around 26 lbs) in about 3 months.

    I don't get the skepticism in the other posters. It was easy and I did not starve myself.


    ETA: And you have significantly more to lose. It's completely doable. Just approach it reasonably.
  • chesq77
    chesq77 Posts: 270 Member
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    I believe you can achieve your goal or come very close to it. One thing that helped me when i cut weight was intermittent fasting. you literally shed excess weight. You still eat the same way youre eating, same calories and everything but just schedual your eating..For example to get great results just eat from 12-6. You just fit your meals and all of your calories into that window or whatever times work best depending on your lifestyle..this allows your body to burn fat for a longer period of time and all the other hours you dont eat you can only drink water or zero calorie drinks....i can give you some articles if youre interested

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