HOW realistic is it to loose 10 pounds in 1 month?

persea
persea Posts: 13
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi Everyone!

I've been using MFP consistently since September and have been logging my food intake and working out on a regular basis. I now have a potential incentive to push myself harder and am wondering what it takes to loose approximately 8-10 pounds in 1 month - let's say by the end of November early December?

I would love to hear some suggestions/feedback/comments from some experience MFP experts along with any of you who could provide some insight into this. Thanks so much!
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Replies

  • wheird
    wheird Posts: 7,963 Member
    Well, it is possible, though most will likely be water weight. And I am not sure why you need to lose 10lbs so quickly in the first place.
  • glitzy196
    glitzy196 Posts: 190 Member
    I don't know how realistic is should be..i set my goal to lose 1.5 lbs a week...I have lost 19 lbs since November 25th so..what 6 weeks? I don't work out, I think I am just more active than I think! I started eating 1530 calories a day, and now I eat 1460---I suppose it depends on starting weight and those things. But I did it.
    I started at 220...as of this morning I am 200.6lbs ALMOST TO ONEDERLAND!!
  • gabbygirl78
    gabbygirl78 Posts: 936 Member
    It depends on how overweight you are... If you have a lot of weight to lose then it is very possible but if you only have a little to lose then it would be almost impossible to do this in a healthy way.. unless it is mostly water weight.
  • Justifier
    Justifier Posts: 336 Member
    I don't think it's possible. You may be able to lose 10 pounds in 1 month, however.

    Usually this only happens when you first start losing weight.
  • abickford82
    abickford82 Posts: 207
    If you're obese, or overweight it might be a little easier, but if you're really close within a "healthy" weight or even slightly overweight it may be a bit difficult. When I was obese, and even in the overweight range, I would drop between 8-15lbs. a month. My first month I lost 15lbs., and those there after were 8-10lbs. a month. Once I got into the lower end of overweight, and now at a healthy weight it's much more difficult to lose and you'll have to go it at a slower rate. Also depends on how healthy you're eating, and how much of a deficit you're creating.
  • susieoj
    susieoj Posts: 181
    It's very possible to lose 10 pounds in a month, but losing the weight quicker can also mean that you gain it back quicker ...however 10 pounds in a month isn't really that extreme depending on how much weight you have to lose in the first place, I see a lot of people here lose weight quickly in the beginning. I think the challenge comes after you lose the ten pounds, maintaining your loss and the healthier lifestyle.
  • OneThrone
    OneThrone Posts: 77 Member
    If you're obese, of overweight it might be a little easier, but if you're really close within a "healthy" weight or even obese it may be a bit difficult. When I was obese, and even in the overweight range, I would drop between 8-15lbs. a month. My first month I lost 15lbs., and those there after were 8-10lbs. a month. Once I got into the lower end of overweight, and now at a healthy weight it's much more difficult to lose and you'll have to go it at a slower rate. Also depends on how healthy you're eating, and how much of a deficit you're creating.

    Agreed! This...
  • Deipneus
    Deipneus Posts: 1,855 Member
    Hi Everyone!

    I've been using MFP consistently since September and have been logging my food intake and working out on a regular basis. I now have a potential incentive to push myself harder and am wondering what it takes to loose approximately 8-10 pounds in 1 month - let's say by the end of November early December?
    It's possible but not recommended.

    Unfortunately, many people go nuts about the typo where people accidentally type "loose" when the mean "lose" so get ready for the crazy people.
  • wjstoj
    wjstoj Posts: 884 Member
    Haven't you ever watched "The Biggest Loser"? They lose 10 pounds the first day
  • echofm1
    echofm1 Posts: 471 Member
    It really does depend on how overweight you are. I lost 12 pounds a month from August-October. We'll see about November, but it seems to be slowing down. However, I'm morbidly obese. If you're not, it's unlikely you'll lose 10 pounds in a month without a gimmick like the cabbage soup diet or something.
  • shrinkingbrian
    shrinkingbrian Posts: 171 Member
    It depends on your starting weight. I suggest a goal of 1% of your body weight per week or 1-2 pounds per week. I lost 20 pounds in one month but I was over 400 pounds.
  • Desterknee
    Desterknee Posts: 1,056 Member
    Not very.
  • randrews0407
    randrews0407 Posts: 216 Member
    Whether or not its realistic depends on a number of factors ... activity, diet, current weight etc. Can I personally swing 10lbs in a month? No. But my friend who is 300+ pounds dropped 10 in 7 days by adding walking to her routine and reducing calories.

    In conclusion my answer is YES, NO and MAYBE :laugh:
  • angelamangus1
    angelamangus1 Posts: 164 Member
    Well, it is possible, though most will likely be water weight. And I am not sure why you need to lose 10lbs so quickly in the first place.

    ^^^This^^^

    For people who are overweight or obese it will be easier to take 10 lbs off, because there is more weight to lose and a drastic change to calorie intake (depending on what route you go in calorie deficit. Some other factors are age, activity level, and metabolism (just to name a few factors).

    Someone within a healthy weight may find it more difficult to actually lose 10lbs in a month; however, I have seen it done.

    Slow and steady wins the course in regards to weight loss. This helps your mind and body to adjust to the lifestyle change. I know we all want to see results quickly, but in the end it may make things more difficult later, like regaining that 10 lbs, plus 10 more! :wink:
  • jgollnick
    jgollnick Posts: 73 Member
    Hi, I am currently at 210. I have been on MFP for a year a now and have about 55 lbs total progress. So 2 weeks ago I was 218. I lost the eight pounds by utilizing the Tim Ferris slow carb diet. I think it's easy to make my calorie goal of 1660 with this diet and not feel hungry. I did enough exercise to burn 300 to 600 calories 5 days a week. I had 1 diet cheat day each week and I was taking hydroxy cut pills. So to answer your question. It is definitely possible to lose 10 lbs in a month.
  • Nikoruo
    Nikoruo Posts: 771 Member
    i'd say that it is 100 percent possible. It is much more realistic for people who are already bigger than 250lbs (Which i am) i've lost 10 lbs each month since july and am eating healthy and just watching how much i eat. I do exercise on and off and generally eat at least half those exercise calories back. It's tougher when you are smaller i hear.
  • Eleonora91
    Eleonora91 Posts: 688 Member
    It's only possible if you're that kind of person that loses a lot of weight at the beginning. I lost almost 9 pounds throughout the first month I guess, but it was the very beginning of my journey. I was at my highest weight, never tried a serious diet, I probably lost so much because of the shock my body went through by eating 1200 kcals each day, walking as much as I could. I didn't lose that much during the next months and many people don't even lose that much at first. If you're not at the very beginning and you've already lost your weight your body has gotten used to it, so I doubt you'll lose that much. If you really want to push yourself harder you could maybe exercise more often and harder (maybe strenght training?), remember to eat back otherwise you'll be starving, and just give it some time to work.
  • hottamolly00
    hottamolly00 Posts: 334 Member
    Depends on your starting weight.
  • Beewallows
    Beewallows Posts: 110 Member
    I think its 100% possible, I did it when I went from 160 to 149 (last 10 pounds), but I was very strict (i.e no cheat days) and I worked out every day. It was extremely hard though, and I wasn't able to keep it completely off.
  • belgerian
    belgerian Posts: 1,059 Member
    I probably lost mine that quick I was about 100 lbs overweight cut down to about 1600 calories and did some form of cardio 3-5 times a week for about 60minutes and walked alot at work and just did some various bodyweight stuff pushups, situps things like that. I lost it so quick I think it kinda scared my wife and people at work thought I was sick. And im still maintaining just fine if not reducing my BF percentage a bit and its been about 3.5 years. But of course I was about 100lbs overweight to start. With my weight my BMR at that time was 2600 and I cut my calories down to 1600 and my routine burned about 1000 caloires so I had close to a 2000 deficit a day on average.
  • blizzardsmom
    blizzardsmom Posts: 63 Member
    Have a calorie deficit every day of 1,167. (1,167 X 30 = 35,010, 35,010 /3500=10). Thats alot of exercise and a lot of very strict dieting, not worth it to me. Unrealistic. Be careful, most people that diet this way gain all the weight back plus some more. Don't deprive yourself like that. Consistency with diet and exercise and you'll get there.
  • schonkreuz
    schonkreuz Posts: 493 Member
    I am a bit overweight, at 192 currently, and I tend to lose between 1.5-2 lbs a week. I know for sure this will slow down when I get to a lower weight though.
  • rllewell
    rllewell Posts: 234
    Yes it is possible but like others have said that is mostly dependent on how much weight you have to loose in total. Like others have posted, I was able to lose 16 lbs in a month when I was at my heaviest. The next month was 11 lbs and the next month was 6 lbs so you see the gradual trend of the closer you get to your healthy weight the less weight you'll lose per month.

    You should be very happy with a 1.5 to 2 lbs a week pace by eating at a slight deficit. Keep us posted on your progress.
  • klaff411
    klaff411 Posts: 169 Member
    Hi Everyone!

    I've been using MFP consistently since September and have been logging my food intake and working out on a regular basis. I now have a potential incentive to push myself harder and am wondering what it takes to loose approximately 8-10 pounds in 1 month - let's say by the end of November early December?

    I would love to hear some suggestions/feedback/comments from some experience MFP experts along with any of you who could provide some insight into this. Thanks so much!

    I would suggest a ketogenic diet. But you can lose at least 8lbs in a month...you need to severely restrict your intake and calories though. =/
  • RinnyLush
    RinnyLush Posts: 389 Member
    I lost 10 pounds a month for the first 2 months of my journey. Now though (as I approach my goal) my loss has slowed to 4-5 lbs a month. And that's cool. :smile: Slow, steady, and SUSTAINABLE wins the race. :wink:
  • maybeazure
    maybeazure Posts: 301 Member
    I generally lose about 10 pounds a month. I have lost 60 pounds since the end of May. However I started out very large, and I'm not small yet. I know it will slow down at some point.

    So if you have 10 pounds to lose, then no. If you have a hundred, then it is very doable.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    If you're really, really fat then it's quite possible...but I'm talking obese to morbidly obese. If you just have 10 Lbs to lose then no frackin' way in hell are you going to be able to do that in any kind of safe and healthy manner...even if you just crashed your diet I bet you'd not hit that...you just don't have the fat stores.

    Maybe take a long term approach and just starting getting your nutrition on and your fitness on and see how things go over the next lifetime or so...
  • mjharman
    mjharman Posts: 251 Member
    When I first began this journey, I averaged a weight loss of 10 lbs. per month. I had a lot to lose and was following my dietitian's recommendation of a 1500 calorie/day balanced diet with 3 hours/week exercise. I must admit, however, that I went through a period of depression during those first few months, which sometimes made it difficult to eat the recommended number of calories.
  • mistertug
    mistertug Posts: 51
    I found it easy during my first month because it's mostly water and I'm a big 'un. I guess just do the math (literally) and plan from there; it's possible. I don't recommend it, but I don't know a lot about a lot.
  • persea
    persea Posts: 13
    Thank you. You're one of the most reasonable responses i've read so far. I'm about 40 pounds overweight (150 for my 5 feet frame) and the weight doesn't want to come off easy from me.. so i'll keep on going and update as I go. Thank you for your response.

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