Goal: Losing 20lbs in 24 weeks

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leooftheyear
leooftheyear Posts: 429 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
My current goal between now and April, about 24 weeks, is to lose 20 pounds, I have given myself a little over 20 weeks to account for any bad weeks. Given this, I eat relatively well and am currently trying l cut out unnecessary carbs. I go to the gym 5 days a week, and it consists of a mix of cardio and strength training.... Given this, is this a feasible goal or am I setting myself up for disaster?

More info: during the week I usually try to stick to eggs and fruit for breakfast, a salad for lunch and protein and good carbs for dinner, with healthy snacks (ie: hummus and kashi crackers or a kashi granola bar or the skinny popcorn)

My gym time consists of:
Monday: 15 minute abs and a hour weight class
Tuesdays: hour long spin class
Wednesdays: an hour long Pilates/tai chi/yoga class
Thursdays: an hour long cardio/strength class
Saturdays: an hour long Pilates/tai chi/yoga class and an hour long weight class

Replies

  • davidji
    davidji Posts: 5 Member
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    24 Weeks to lose 20 pounds if entirely feasible but then again it really depends on your current bodyweight.
    Looking at your current allocated gym time, I would reccommend cutting out the 15minute abs whatever that is, and replace that with some high intensity cardio as I don't see any of that on your current program.
  • lsorci919
    lsorci919 Posts: 772 Member
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    Completely doable! Your goal isn't unattainable and its very realistic. I also agree with add a bit more high intensity cardio. maybe not cutting out your ab workout but maybe adding 30 minutes 3 times a week of a good sweat dripping cardio workout. You will get your high calorie burn from that. Spinning totally count so just add 2 more days of a cardio workout like that.
  • jackjackattck
    jackjackattck Posts: 117 Member
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    24 Weeks to lose 20 pounds if entirely feasible but then again it really depends on your current bodyweight.
    Looking at your current allocated gym time, I would reccommend cutting out the 15minute abs whatever that is, and replace that with some high intensity cardio as I don't see any of that on your current program.

    Clearly you have never taken spin before if you think that does not count as high intensity cardio. Believe me, it does.I agree that you could maybe add 1-2 more days in there with at least 20-30 minutes of cardio, but that is not necessary if your calories from your diet already have a deficit in there. Cardio simply adds a higher deficit, the strength training will help you more in the long run in body composition.

    I think that looks like a good plan and entirely feasible. Although I do not know your statistics so I cannot be 100% certain you will reach your goal, with that work out plan and healthy diet, I don't see why you wouldn't. I agree with davidji that it depends on your starting body weight, but 0.5-1.0 lbs a week seems pretty reasonable, even if you do not have that much to lose.
  • weaving2fast
    weaving2fast Posts: 64 Member
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    I've lost 17 pounds in 2 weeks. It's possible with lots of cardio, low carb, and calorie counting. Go for it!
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
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    Totally do-able, and do-able in a healthy manner, too! This is a very reasonable goal. (PS - I lost about 23 lbs in my first 24 weeks)

    I didn't do any exercise at all, my first few months (I wish I had). You can so do this!!
  • davidji
    davidji Posts: 5 Member
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    I have taken one, maybe two spin classes, but just the idea of HIIT is HIGH intensity and if you're in a spin class for a whole hour I don't believe you're really putting out that high intensity that will allow you work close to your VO2 max.
    25minutes of 60seconds all out and 60seconds slow cycling is optimal for HIIT on a spin bike commonly known as the LITTLE method.
  • sillyshamrock11
    sillyshamrock11 Posts: 43 Member
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    Completely doable! Your goal isn't unattainable and its very realistic. I also agree with add a bit more high intensity cardio. maybe not cutting out your ab workout but maybe adding 30 minutes 3 times a week of a good sweat dripping cardio workout. You will get your high calorie burn from that. Spinning totally count so just add 2 more days of a cardio workout like that.

    I lost 40 lbs in 24 weeks, so it's definitely doable! I agree with what was said above, about adding in more intense cardio. Spinning is def great for this and I do that as well. I did a lot of running - about 3-5 times a week and anywhere from 3-6 miles at a time. Sounds like you're eating the right kind of stuff and already have a pretty good workout plan. Best of luck to you!! :-)

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  • WillLift4Tats
    WillLift4Tats Posts: 1,699 Member
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    It sounds like a good plan. Make sure you're eating enough to fuel those workouts. And I will also add: make sure you plan for treats/cheats/whateveryoucallthem in your plan. I hate to bring up the negative, but in my own personal experience, these rigorous deadline plans are excellent until you hit that 5 week mark and you burn out from either not eating enough, or cutting out too much of food you love. Then there's a fallout in your eating, your workouts, or both (inclusive "you", btw.) Don't set yourself up for failure by expecting too much perfection. Take it one day at a time, and don't be afraid of rest days or a piece of chocolate :)

    Good luck :)
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    I've lost 17 pounds in 2 weeks. It's possible with lots of cardio, low carb, and calorie counting. Go for it!

    And probably mostly water. To lose 17 lbs of fat, you would need to cut 59,500 calories in 2 weeks.


    OP, it's completely a feasible. I would suggest getting more protein than the site suggest. Macro's around 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fats is a better fit for most people as it allows you to hit around 1 g of protein and .35g of fat per lb of lean body mass. Also, with only 50 lbs to go, make you account to set at 1.5 lbs per week and eating back some of your exercise calories. Or since you are working out 5-6 days week, set your account to moderately active and do not eat back exercise calories.
  • mandyneedtolose
    mandyneedtolose Posts: 398 Member
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    Depends on you .. 20 lbs is alot to lose if you are already 100 lbs ! So its all depends. Take out the tape measure and take measurements sometimes the scale doesn't move much but the inches fall off!!! Scale only gives a random number due to gravity. But eat right, move and you will get to where you are happy and comfortable! Good luck!
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
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    I've lost 17 pounds in 2 weeks. It's possible with lots of cardio, low carb, and calorie counting. Go for it!

    And probably mostly water. To lose 17 lbs of fat, you would need to cut 59,500 calories in 2 weeks.


    OP, it's completely a feasible. I would suggest getting more protein than the site suggest. Macro's around 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fats is a better fit for most people as it allows you to hit around 1 g of protein and .35g of fat per lb of lean body mass. Also, with only 50 lbs to go, make you account to set at 1.5 lbs per week and eating back some of your exercise calories. Or since you are working out 5-6 days week, set your account to moderately active and do not eat back exercise calories.

    Thanks for pointing that out! :drinker:
  • leooftheyear
    leooftheyear Posts: 429 Member
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    Thank you everyone for your responses... I allow myself the weekends to not track, maybe this isn't the best way but it keeps me on track during the week... I also just started the spin class and am considering adding it in on Fridays as well
  • jackjackattck
    jackjackattck Posts: 117 Member
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    Thank you everyone for your responses... I allow myself the weekends to not track, maybe this isn't the best way but it keeps me on track during the week... I also just started the spin class and am considering adding it in on Fridays as well

    I disagree with this statement, I recommend tracking on the weekends even if you do go over! I used to use MFP Monday-Friday, and then I would not use it and/or not care about what I ate on the weekends. Because of this, I was stuck at the same weight for a long time! Any progress I would make during the week would go right out the window each weekend. I hate to even think of how many calories I was consuming over the weekends, probably double my daily goal or more! Once I started using MFP on the weekends, my plateau ended and I started losing weight again. Like I said, you may go over your daily goal, but personally I think it helps more to know by how much. Eating 2000 cals on a Saturday and knowing it is very different from eating 3500 cals and not knowing it! :)
  • ladynocturne
    ladynocturne Posts: 865 Member
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    You talk a lot about exercise and watching your carb intake, but don't really say anything about calories or if you plan on tracking them.

    You can exercise all you want and try to limit carbs, but if you aren't in a calorie deficit, it isn't' going to help guarantee a 1lb per week loss.

    So make sure you track your calories as well.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    You talk a lot about exercise and watching your carb intake, but don't really say anything about calories or if you plan on tracking them.

    You can exercise all you want and try to limit carbs, but if you aren't in a calorie deficit, it isn't' going to help guarantee a 1lb per week loss.

    So make sure you track your calories as well.

    ^^Yep.
  • cingle87
    cingle87 Posts: 717 Member
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    You talk a lot about exercise and watching your carb intake, but don't really say anything about calories or if you plan on tracking them.

    You can exercise all you want and try to limit carbs, but if you aren't in a calorie deficit, it isn't' going to help guarantee a 1lb per week loss.

    So make sure you track your calories as well.

    Ding ding ding, we have a winner.
  • leooftheyear
    leooftheyear Posts: 429 Member
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    You talk a lot about exercise and watching your carb intake, but don't really say anything about calories or if you plan on tracking them.

    You can exercise all you want and try to limit carbs, but if you aren't in a calorie deficit, it isn't' going to help guarantee a 1lb per week loss.

    So make sure you track your calories as well.

    I have been a little lax on this but I've been getting better since joining MFP, so yes you're right
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    You talk a lot about exercise and watching your carb intake, but don't really say anything about calories or if you plan on tracking them.

    You can exercise all you want and try to limit carbs, but if you aren't in a calorie deficit, it isn't' going to help guarantee a 1lb per week loss.

    So make sure you track your calories as well.

    keep in mind you can't out exercise a crappy diet. And I can also vouche that you can kill you entire deficit by not tracking the weekends. So track daily and get a food scale. It's worth it's weight in gold and it will help you from under estimating your caloires.

    I have been a little lax on this but I've been getting better since joining MFP, so yes you're right
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