Looking to lose 10-15 pounds a month

I'm setting a goal for myself to lose 10-15 pounds every month. I know my weight loss will not be the same every month, but that's my goal and I'm sticking to it. Has anyone been able to do this? If so, how?
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Replies

  • near impossible doing it healthy unless you have ALOT of weight to lose, 2lbs a week is healthy weight loss
  • envyme521
    envyme521 Posts: 35
    I do have a lot of weight to lose. I'm 275, down from 289. My doctor wants me to be at 180. I lost 14 pounds my first month of diet( eating healthier and smaller portions) and exercise, so I'm hoping to continue this month to month.
  • unfortunately the first month will be a big drop (water weight from glycogen stores in muscles)

    you are doing awsome by the way, but you cant expect this sort of loss every month,i if you do thats amazing! but do it in a healthy way, and dont get discouraged if what the scales say dosnt live up to your expectations, any loss is a move in the right direction :happy:
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    aiming for nearly 4lbs a week is a bad idea, and an unhealthy amount to lose.

    up to 2 lbs per week is a good rate of loss, dont set yourself up to be disappointed.
  • laurasuzanne2006
    laurasuzanne2006 Posts: 103 Member
    ditto previous posters. Innitially you may drop a lot quickly. to lose healthy aim at 2 lbs a week. eat healthy work out and see what happens. Don't set goals taht are too high.
  • kelly101386
    kelly101386 Posts: 389 Member
    The closer you get to your goal weight, the more time it will take you to lose. It's great that you've managed to drop that much weight but it does happen that way at first. Don't expect to lose a certain amount, keep doing what you're doing and be happy when you lose even one pound a week!
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
    It really isn't a good idea to put a deadline on weight loss, especially with the amount you want to lose each month. You are just putting unneeded pressure on yourself and potentially setting yourself up for disappointment. Like it's been said your weight loss will eventually slow down. You might also experience some gains along the way and weeks where you don't gain or lose. How would you handle that if it keeps you from reaching your 10-15lbs a month goal?

    Set smaller goals for yourself and don't put a deadline on them. Set goals that will help you create healthy habits and will be beneficial for helping you achieve your weight loss goal. Whatever you do don't expect that what happened in the first month is going to be the overall trend in the following months.
  • TheArmadillo
    TheArmadillo Posts: 299 Member
    The only way to lose that much, that quickly would be by using unsustainable extreme weightloss methods, and you would gain it back as soon as you stopped.

    Pick a reasonable goal and it will be sustainable and you will be able to keep it off permanently.
  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
    The only way to lose that much, that quickly would be by using unsustainable extreme weightloss methods, and you would gain it back as soon as you stopped.

    Pick a reasonable goal and it will be sustainable and you will be able to keep it off permanently.

    I agree that losing too quickly is not sustainable; neither is losing slowly. Sooner or later you would hit zero either way. :)

    But these posts that predict your outcome based on your method of loss always bug me. To get heavy, you have a broken diet. To lose weight, you have to break it in a different way. If you lose slowly, it is closer to being a good diet and the adjustment to a proper diet when you reach your goal will be easier. What you do when you reach your goal weight will determine whether or not you stay at that weight.
  • watfordjc
    watfordjc Posts: 304 Member
    I use the 1% per week guideline, so 10 lb per month until you reach 250 lb, then 9 lb per month to 225 lb, then 8 lb per month to 200 lb, then 7 lb per month to 175 (180) lb may be possible for you. I say "may" because a larger deficit may result in compliance and nutrition issues, so it comes down to knowing yourself and adjusting if necessary.

    I don't know your height, but if the goal weight the doctor has suggested is not close to what is potentially attainable for you (i.e. it isn't 10-20 lbs from a flat stomach) you might be able to get there without a slowdown other than an intentional one as you reduce your deficit as you lose weight.

    It won't be linear, but 4 weeks should negate part of your natural weight fluctuations.
  • Kebby83
    Kebby83 Posts: 232 Member
    Once upon a time there was a hare who, boasting how he could run faster than anyone else, was forever teasing tortoise for its slowness. Then one day, the irate tortoise answered back: “Who do you think you are? There’s no denying you’re swift, but even you can be beaten!” The hare squealed with laughter.

    “Beaten in a race? By whom? Not you, surely! I bet there’s nobody in the world that can win against me, I’m so speedy. Now, why don’t you try?”

    Annoyed by such bragging, the tortoise accepted the challenge. A course was planned, and the next day at dawn they stood at the starting line. The hare yawned sleepily as the meek tortoise trudged slowly off. When the hare saw how painfully slow his rival was, he decided, half asleep on his feet, to have a quick nap. “Take your time!” he said. “I’ll have forty winks and catch up with you in a minute.”

    The hare woke with a start from a fitful sleep and gazed round, looking for the tortoise. But the creature was only a short distance away, having barely covered a third of the course. Breathing a sigh of relief, the hare decided he might as well have breakfast too, and off he went to munch some cabbages he had noticed in a nearby field. But the heavy meal and the hot sun made his eyelids droop. With a careless glance at the tortoise, now halfway along the course, he decided to have another snooze before flashing past the winning post. And smiling at the thought of the look on the tortoise’s face when it saw the hare speed by, he fell fast asleep and was soon snoring happily. The sun started to sink, below the horizon, and the tortoise, who had been plodding towards the winning post since morning, was scarcely a yard from the finish. At that very point, the hare woke with a jolt. He could see the tortoise a speck in the distance and away he dashed. He leapt and bounded at a great rate, his tongue lolling, and gasping for breath. Just a little more and he’d be first at the finish. But the hare’s last leap was just too late, for the tortoise had beaten him to the winning post. Poor hare! Tired and in disgrace, he slumped down beside the tortoise who was silently smiling at him.

    “Slowly does it every time!” he said.
  • envyme521
    envyme521 Posts: 35
    Thanks everybody for your input. Even though everyone always says 1-2 lbs/week is healthy weight loss, I kinda disagree. People are different and everybody's body reacts different to diet and exercise. I've also read that the more weight you have to lose the quicker it comes off.
  • retiree2006
    retiree2006 Posts: 951 Member
    You've got a great start on your weight loss, so congratulations. As you continue on it's more important to focus on eating healthy and exercising enough to be able to maintain the new ways...and to lose as much as you plan per month would not be in a healthy way and that is our concern. People who try to do that usually, when they reach their goal, regain because their method wasn't sustainable. You can't live your whole life in deprivation without doing major damage and you're young. Lose a bit slower and in a healthy way, one that you can continue over your lifetime. Patience is needed if you want long lasting success. Please reconsider your monthly goal as we all want the same thing...a healthy weight in a healthy way.
  • retiree2006
    retiree2006 Posts: 951 Member
    Thanks everybody for your input. Even though everyone always says 1-2 lbs/week is healthy weight loss, I kinda disagree. People are different and everybody's body reacts different to diet and exercise. I've also read that the more weight you have to lose the quicker it comes off.

    At first, if you have a lot to lose, yes...it can come off quicker. But if you expect it to continue week after week, that's where you'll become discouraged and possibly give up. So your statement is correct in a way...the more weight you have to lose, the quicker it comes off. So...by the same statement...if you have less weight to lose (as you drop weight)...the slower it comes off. Just be prepared for that change in weight loss.
  • envyme521
    envyme521 Posts: 35
    By the way, I'm 5'6 and my doctor told me I should be around 145(i think). I told her I was to get down to at least 200, but she said her goal weight for me is 180.
  • you could do a meal replacement shake, have you tried this? we have taken gluten and sugar out of our diet and have 1 shake for one meal per day. am losing about 2 lbs per week
  • RoseTears143
    RoseTears143 Posts: 1,121 Member
    I agree with everyone else. Thinking you can sustain a 10-15 lbs a month weightloss regularly will set you up for mental disappointment. The weight will come off faster in the beginning while you are heavier but once you start getting more and more weight off it will slow down.

    Instead, focus on making permanent lifestyle changes and the weight will come off steadily and you will get to your goal weight. Avoid putting the added pressure on yourself of NEEDING 10-15 lbs a month to be happy about it. A loss is a loss no matter how you look at it. :flowerforyou:
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Thanks everybody for your input. Even though everyone always says 1-2 lbs/week is healthy weight loss, I kinda disagree. People are different and everybody's body reacts different to diet and exercise. I've also read that the more weight you have to lose the quicker it comes off.

    we'll see you again in a few weeks then, when you stop losing.... or if you're less lucky, in a few months when you look all saggy and have no muscle tone from losing too quickly.
  • envyme521
    envyme521 Posts: 35
    I have that goal in mind for myself due to the fact that my doctor told me I have pre-diabetes and as I read online ir can be reversed if you get you weight down with diet and exercise(I do a lot of researching). When I went to the doctor 4/18 my A1c was at 6.5 and a month later she did another A1c and it has already gone down to a 6. So that is my motivation. Even if I don't meet that goal, I won't be disappointed. I would like to reach that goal, but if I don't whatever I lose is still a step in the right direction.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    Weight loss isn't linear and the scale can fluctuate up to 10lbs. I'd aim for a body fat % goal and rely more on measurements to track your progress. As you lose weight and get closer to your goals, it's going to take longer to lose the same amount of pounds you did starting off, just to let you know. I'd focus on eating at your calorie goals, being consistent with how much you exercise, and setting exercise goals (i.e weight lifting goal, miles walked etc) instead of putting a scale # goal for the month...less likely to end up disappointed and quitting.
  • Amyy1982
    Amyy1982 Posts: 369 Member
    I lost about 15lbs the first month and I started at 232lbs. Now I'm happy if I lose 1lbs a week but I'm OK with that ... the longer it takes to come off the longer it stays off :wink: You are on the right track, just continue doing what you are doing and the weight will come off. It's a lifetime change so don't give yourself any deadlines :smile:

    Good luck and keep up the good work :flowerforyou:
  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
    Thanks everybody for your input. Even though everyone always says 1-2 lbs/week is healthy weight loss, I kinda disagree. People are different and everybody's body reacts different to diet and exercise. I've also read that the more weight you have to lose the quicker it comes off.

    You might want to chat with your doctor about getting a few blood tests done every month or two. When people get bariatric surgery, they lose at those rates afterwards but under supervision (which pretty much translates to getting the labs done). People were concerned about me in the early stages of my current loss. When they said it wasn't healthy, I said "compared to what?". I have slowed the rate more recently so the maintenance adjustment will be easier.
  • envyme521
    envyme521 Posts: 35
    you could do a meal replacement shake, have you tried this? we have taken gluten and sugar out of our diet and have 1 shake for one meal per day. am losing about 2 lbs per week

    I was waiting to get the ok on the meal replacements from my doctor.
  • SGSmallman
    SGSmallman Posts: 193 Member
    Lets look at this a different way, yes you can lose that much 'weight' a month but would you want to? unless you have a medical reason to lose the weight quickly and itl benefit your initial health to do it then why not lose it slowly?

    Weight loss = water, fat, muscle and bone
    Fat loss = water/ fat loss but sustains muscle mass and bone density.

    Your body is smart it can't be tricked into losing fat from a certain place at once or just 100% fat. Our bodies will lose only so much fat quickly as we need fat for bodily functions and it ends up attacking lean mass (muscle stores) so yes the scales will continue to go down but you will feel bigger in yourself as muscle is leaner, taking up less space and the more muscle you have increases your metabolism which aids fat loss.

    lose weight to make a smaller version of yourself
    lose fat to change your body composition

    Side effects of losing weight rapidly are an increase of body fat % which in most cases makes you look worse than when you weighed more, an increased risk in osteoporosis and muscle loss/ weakness.

    My goal is to become fit and healthy i don't care about how much the scales shows me it's all about the body fat %
  • lsmsrbls
    lsmsrbls Posts: 232 Member
    that's my goal and I'm sticking to it.

    Well, okay then.
  • LadyPakal
    LadyPakal Posts: 256 Member
    Here's my monthly losses from the start - start ~245lbs:

    Month 1 - 14.5 lbs 1200calories/day
    Month 2 - 9 lbs
    Month 3 - 7.2 lbs
    Month 4 - 7.6 lbs
    Month 5 - 8.6 lbs upped to 1350 calories/day
    Month 6 - 5.8 lbs
    Month 7 - 5.4 lbs
    Month 8 - 3 lbs
    Month 9 - 5 lbs
    Month 10 - 3.8 lbs
    Month 11 - 6.8 lbs upped to 1430 calories/day

    Weight loss is not regular and you can't really control it. Setting this sort of unrealistic goal is most likely setting yourself up to fail.
  • peachykeek
    peachykeek Posts: 19
    i do think it's true that the more weight you have to lose, the quicker it comes off, but the more weight you lose, the less you have to lose... so it's going to start coming off more slowly.

    i read the following blurb in an article on weightwatchers.com:

    Quick fix, fast failure
    "[With quick-fix diets], our metabolism slows down, and eventually we're eating fewer and fewer calories but not losing weight," says Mandel. "This leads to anxiety, which prompts us to eat even fewer calories to try to lose. The body rebels against that even more."

    So it's a vicious cycle. Because if you don't get enough nutrients — which is a major risk when you're going for a quick fix — your brain, and then your body, will, well, insist that you eat. To your body, it's nothing more than survival. But to you, it will feel like you're giving in and losing control. Then you'll feel like a failure, which might very well send you to the fridge.

    It's a never-ending yo-yo cycle of weight gain, then loss, then gain again. Go for slow and steady weight loss (a healthy rate is two pounds per week or less), and not only will you be doing a service to your body, you'll also be more likely to keep that weight off for good. Isn't that better than rebounding?"

    i'm down to my last 15-20 pounds, and it's coming off SUPER slowly. one thing i remind myself is that the longer it takes me, the more time i have to build healthy habits that i'll be able to maintain.

    it's good to have a goal, but i think what most people are saying here (and i agree) is that a goal of 3-4 pounds a week is just unrealistic in the long-run, and you're setting yourself up for frustration and disappointment... that will likely end up in you making unhealthy and counterproductive choices.
  • Mia_RagazzaTosta
    Mia_RagazzaTosta Posts: 4,885 Member
    Thanks everybody for your input. Even though everyone always says 1-2 lbs/week is healthy weight loss, I kinda disagree. People are different and everybody's body reacts different to diet and exercise. I've also read that the more weight you have to lose the quicker it comes off.

    Sooooooo...if your mind is made up and you disagree with biology and science, why come here asking for advice/approval?
  • ♥ChUbByCoyLe♥
    ♥ChUbByCoyLe♥ Posts: 267 Member
    I've seen it done via slimming world classes. One girl lost 8 stone in under 8 months when I used to attend. It just shows that it can be done.
  • LadyPakal
    LadyPakal Posts: 256 Member
    I wonder how quickly it came back afterwards.
This discussion has been closed.