Goal to lose 30lbs ASAP, I need help. Please read!

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Replies

  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
    A realistic amount of weight is 12lbs in 6 weeks.

    I would seriously reconsider the "weight lost NOW" attitude, because if you don't you'll lose the weight, and then be back here posting that you're starting over in 6 months.

    QFT.

    6 Weeks is not a lot of time for significant weight loss. Mild deficit + time will be better in the long run. Did you just decide Feb. 14th for fun? It's not as is you're stepping on stage to be judged by people, doing a photo shoot etc. So whats the rush?

    I chose February 14th because it's valentines day and I have plans to dress nice and do something special for my fiancé and I want to be comfortable with myself for that otherwise it's not happening. And it may not seem so important to everyone else but my body is really effecting my mental health in a very negative way more than even my fiancé understands and being comfortable in my own skin will help that.

    yes, weight loss with a time line attached to it always works out just fine :huh:

    your body won't change that much losing 10lbs. Aiming for a 2lbs week weight loss when you are already at a normal weight is setting yourself up for failure and that won't improve your mental health. A weekly 2lbs weight loss requires a 1000 calorie deficit. You can do your own math and go with 3500 cals in a 1lbs of fat and see how much you would have to work out and how little you need to eat in order to get to your goal.

    Addressing your mental health and your body image is something that needs to go hand in hand with your weight loss, because you won't suddenly start to love it just because you dropped some weight.

    You can't say that losing weight won't help my mental health because you don't know me. And I never said that I was trying to lose the 30lbs within the 6 weeks of my goal date. I don't know how many times I have to repeat myself but all I was saying was that I am trying to show sufficient progress in my weight loss journey because seeing progress will help me feel better about myself in seeing that all of my efforts are for a reason and it will be encouraging. Not once did I say I was trying to lose 30lbs in 6 weeks just that I am simply looking to see progress by my goal date. And my weight is not already a normal weight for me, I am overweight and uncomfortable.

    You're misinterpreting what was said in that last post...
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    Broscience makes a good point about improving mental health. Its very common that those who are uncomfortable with their current weight feel the same when they lose all the weight. Its one reason ED's are so common and hard to beat. While we would all love to think that weight is the issue, in many cases its a self image problem. I would suggest setting non weight goals (strength goals) or nsv (down a size in a dress or shirt). I actually put a lot more value in the nsv than scale victories.
  • wheird
    wheird Posts: 7,963 Member
    Being snarky and defensive is a good way to make people not want to help you.

    People are concerned, perhaps you should listen.
  • Rays_Wife
    Rays_Wife Posts: 1,173 Member
    you didnt gain the weight ASAP, why expect to be able to lose it ASAP?

    ASAP meaning I'm not looking for leisurely guidelines with the minimum requirements to maybe lose some weight. But for the record the weight did come on pretty quick considering I was at a content 135lbs for a long time. And again, as I said the the other person, I'm not asking to lose the 30lbs in 6 weeks, but simply asking people who have been working hard rather than taking their time what type of routines they have or what success they have had so far, what has worked for them and what hasn't and maybe for some advice.

    Are you implying that people who chose to lose weight at a healthy rate (.5 - 2 pounds per week) eating at a modest calorie deficit (or in your terms "taking their time") are not working hard? Yeah, those slow and steady people who sensibly reached their goal weights didn't work hard at all :huh:
  • Rays_Wife
    Rays_Wife Posts: 1,173 Member
    Being snarky and defensive is a good way to make people not want to help you.

    People are concerned, perhaps you should listen.

    Sounds like she just wants someone to tell her the latest crash diet to follow.
  • Jewlz280
    Jewlz280 Posts: 547 Member
    Hey Liz! I'd say in 6 weeks time an average loss would be anywhere between 3 and 12lbs. 3 being if your goal was a half pound loss per week and 12 if it was a 2lb. per week. However, the 2lbs. per week probably isn't reasonable since it would put you at a low amount of cals or with LOTS of exercise. So, what I would do, if it were me, is fill out the whole MFP thing and set your goal to a 1lb. loss per week. Then try to be at that calorie goal every day. If you exercise, I would then only eat about 1/4 to 1/2 of those exercise cals back unless you are using a heart rate monitor to accurately track them -- the ones on here and the ones on the machine can be exaggerated. As for exercise, I'd do what was fun. If you like the elliptical, maybe plan on doing that a few days a week or just walking more. But do something you will ENJOY! Bring a book, listen to music, pop in your fave TV show or movie and hop to it! If you're interested in toning and building muscle, that would be great, too, since with lifting heavy not only would you LOOK smaller, but you burn more cals just sitting around the more muscle you have. But I understand you may not want to jump into that right away. But you should check out the heavy lifting for women success boards -- those women are AMAZING!!! Seriously. The biggest thing is to get your food in check. Set up the account and eat at those calories. Weigh the food you can and measure the other and if you are at your cals, you should lose. First things first, get a scale and get an accurate weight, though! With all of those clothes on, that number was nowhere near accurate! lol So don't be too hard on yourself. Next, don't give up. I know some people say that 5 or 10lbs. won't show... but it will. And even if you only go down a little or if you only get exercising, there will be changes and you will feel better. I think in 6 weeks you can for sure see changes and will feel different. Good luck and focus on the positives of making the changes and how you're going to feel and not on the negatives of how you were feeling. Looking forward to something happy is always better than drowning in the bad!!! You can do it -- you just gotta want it! :bigsmile:
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    Let me give you a personal example of why scale number time goals don't work.

    When I started here, I didn't lose a single pound for 6 weeks. 6 WEEKS! I was exercising almost every day- lifting weights and running, and sticking to my calorie counts religiously. I would have been FURIOUS......except......in that time I lost 6 inches on my waist, 2 full pant sizes, and people started telling me how different I looked. If I had obsessed about the numbers on the scale, I would have quit, or lowered my calories until I was starving, or something else that would have ultimately caused failure. After the six weeks the pounds came off sort of all at once, and I caught up to the 2lbs per week I should have been losing.

    My point here is that the number on the scale is fickle, and isn't a metric to determine if you're going to look good in clothes or have other people notice your loss. It's just a number.

    When I was at my goal size, I ended up adjusting my goal weight upwards, because I now fit in clothes better than when I was younger and 20lbs lighter.
  • Fullsterkur_woman
    Fullsterkur_woman Posts: 2,712 Member
    A realistic amount of weight is 12lbs in 6 weeks.

    I would seriously reconsider the "weight lost NOW" attitude, because if you don't you'll lose the weight, and then be back here posting that you're starting over in 6 months.

    QFT.

    6 Weeks is not a lot of time for significant weight loss. Mild deficit + time will be better in the long run. Did you just decide Feb. 14th for fun? It's not as is you're stepping on stage to be judged by people, doing a photo shoot etc. So whats the rush?

    I chose February 14th because it's valentines day and I have plans to dress nice and do something special for my fiancé and I want to be comfortable with myself for that otherwise it's not happening. And it may not seem so important to everyone else but my body is really effecting my mental health in a very negative way more than even my fiancé understands and being comfortable in my own skin will help that.

    yes, weight loss with a time line attached to it always works out just fine :huh:

    your body won't change that much losing 10lbs. Aiming for a 2lbs week weight loss when you are already at a normal weight is setting yourself up for failure and that won't improve your mental health. A weekly 2lbs weight loss requires a 1000 calorie deficit. You can do your own math and go with 3500 cals in a 1lbs of fat and see how much you would have to work out and how little you need to eat in order to get to your goal.

    Addressing your mental health and your body image is something that needs to go hand in hand with your weight loss, because you won't suddenly start to love it just because you dropped some weight.

    You can't say that losing weight won't help my mental health because you don't know me. And I never said that I was trying to lose the 30lbs within the 6 weeks of my goal date. I don't know how many times I have to repeat myself but all I was saying was that I am trying to show sufficient progress in my weight loss journey because seeing progress will help me feel better about myself in seeing that all of my efforts are for a reason and it will be encouraging. Not once did I say I was trying to lose 30lbs in 6 weeks just that I am simply looking to see progress by my goal date. And my weight is not already a normal weight for me, I am overweight and uncomfortable.
    Sweetheart, if you're really willing to work really, really hard for 6 weeks, let that work be in counseling. Because you can be comfortable in your own skin even if you're significantly overweight, if you are mentally healthy.

    If you won't do it for yourself, do it for your kid. He is depending on you and you're all he's got to help him become a stable, self-sufficient and healthy human being. Whatever you model for him is what he will internalize. Kids are always learning something. What do you want your kid to learn in the next 6 weeks?
  • 1. Though there are many who can do so, I wouldn't recommend limiting your caloric intake to 1200 cal/day (unless you are going to be sedentary). That does not work for everyone. I ended up feeling deprived. You may have to do trial and error, doing something for a month or so to see how you feel. I have been losing weight on 1800-2000 cal/day.

    2. As for regular exercise, that's a necessary evil. ;O) Just gotta do it. Ever try lifting? It's addicting and really does wonders for the female figure. I am 5'4 and started out at 179, and my goal at that time was what I weighed back when I was 20 (125lbs). But, by the time I reached 145, I changed my goal. With all the muscle I put on, I was looking hot!

    3. I did have to ignore the scale as it went down slowly, but the inches flew off. So I suggest measuring more if you lift.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Hi,

    I saw your newest thread trying to clear up some misunderstanding here, but I'm going to just reply here. I have lost about 34 pound since about May. I never put a time limit on it. At first, I lost very little weight due to overestimating exercise calories and underestimating food calories, which means I was eating more than I thought I was. It took awhile to really get the logging accuracy down, but once I did I started seeing some great progress.

    I understand you want to see some progress by Feb 14, but I am hoping you realize that it is unrealistic to lose all 30 pounds by then. Since you want to lose 30 pounds, I would suggest starting out by setting your goals to lose 1 pound a week, weight all solid food and measure all liquids, and log in every single bite you eat, and you should lose weight. If you exercise, be sure to eat a portion of your exercise calorie back.

    Whether or not you see results is up to if you choose to stay within your calorie deficit or not. Please don't try and lose it too fast because then you may just become a "skinny fat" person. Slow is the best way to lose weight.

    The best of luck to you.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Broscience makes a good point about improving mental health. Its very common that those who are uncomfortable with their current weight feel the same when they lose all the weight. Its one reason ED's are so common and hard to beat. While we would all love to think that weight is the issue, in many cases its a self image problem. I would suggest setting non weight goals (strength goals) or nsv (down a size in a dress or shirt). I actually put a lot more value in the nsv than scale victories.

    Oh my goodness, this could never be more true. I have a past with an eating disorder, and it at one time it did not matter what weight I was, I just was not happy with my body. The key was dealing with those horrible feelings that were the basis of my ED, and then learning to love myself from the inside out. There is no reason to hate my body no matter what size I am.

    The type of victories you suggest are the best ones of all. :smile:
  • 6 weeks is nothing in terms of changing body composition, it may seem like a long time if you are new to training and dieting, but if this is really important to you, you gotta do your research. There is wayy to much misinformation out there to take advice from random people you don't know. Let me just say this though, if you just diet, with no weight training or cardio, you will screw up your metabolism even if you do lost a significant amount of weight by your goal date. Reason being, your metabolism wilil slow to match your lowered calorie intake and will eventually you will lose some lean body mass making your metabolism slower. And when you reintroduce eating as you normally did before you started dieting, you will more than likely shoot past your current body weight and body fat percentage because your body is becoming more efficient are running on lower calories, which means you will gain even more fat after you re-introduce your body into it's normal eating habit.

    Weight Training + Diet + Cardio is your best bet if you truly want to change your body and increase your metabolism if you want to keep the fat off and prevent screwing up your metabolism. I can point you to some good training protocols for women, but you really have to educate yourself on what is right and what is wrong.

    http://www.simplyshredded.com/the-ultimate-female-training-guide.html

    And a good book to help educate yourself on what to eat, how to train, and much other information is Tom Venuto e-book Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle.

    http://www.burnthefatfeedthemuscle.com/
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    A realistic amount of weight is 12lbs in 6 weeks.

    I would seriously reconsider the "weight lost NOW" attitude, because if you don't you'll lose the weight, and then be back here posting that you're starting over in 6 months.

    QFT.

    6 Weeks is not a lot of time for significant weight loss. Mild deficit + time will be better in the long run. Did you just decide Feb. 14th for fun? It's not as is you're stepping on stage to be judged by people, doing a photo shoot etc. So whats the rush?

    I chose February 14th because it's valentines day and I have plans to dress nice and do something special for my fiancé and I want to be comfortable with myself for that otherwise it's not happening. And it may not seem so important to everyone else but my body is really effecting my mental health in a very negative way more than even my fiancé understands and being comfortable in my own skin will help that.

    yes, weight loss with a time line attached to it always works out just fine :huh:

    your body won't change that much losing 10lbs. Aiming for a 2lbs week weight loss when you are already at a normal weight is setting yourself up for failure and that won't improve your mental health. A weekly 2lbs weight loss requires a 1000 calorie deficit. You can do your own math and go with 3500 cals in a 1lbs of fat and see how much you would have to work out and how little you need to eat in order to get to your goal.

    Addressing your mental health and your body image is something that needs to go hand in hand with your weight loss, because you won't suddenly start to love it just because you dropped some weight.

    You can't say that losing weight won't help my mental health because you don't know me. And I never said that I was trying to lose the 30lbs within the 6 weeks of my goal date. I don't know how many times I have to repeat myself but all I was saying was that I am trying to show sufficient progress in my weight loss journey because seeing progress will help me feel better about myself in seeing that all of my efforts are for a reason and it will be encouraging. Not once did I say I was trying to lose 30lbs in 6 weeks just that I am simply looking to see progress by my goal date. And my weight is not already a normal weight for me, I am overweight and uncomfortable.
    Sweetheart, if you're really willing to work really, really hard for 6 weeks, let that work be in counseling. Because you can be comfortable in your own skin even if you're significantly overweight, if you are mentally healthy.

    If you won't do it for yourself, do it for your kid. He is depending on you and you're all he's got to help him become a stable, self-sufficient and healthy human being. Whatever you model for him is what he will internalize. Kids are always learning something. What do you want your kid to learn in the next 6 weeks?

    Whoa! Who let Dad off the hook!?
  • Sreneesa
    Sreneesa Posts: 1,170 Member
    Considering we are the same height being 149 isnt over weight. Its actually considered being healthy. Plus your a mother now so get used to fact of the matter you are going to wind up carry extra weight now no matter what....Shoot when I was 21 I wasnt even 149 cuz I gave birth that year with my oldest and guess what. I lost weight but it didnt happen over night it happened over years

    There is no reason why a mother has to carry extra weight no matter what.

    Thank you, I appreciate that.



    No, not true. I had my daughter at 18, gained 33lbs and within a few months was right back to where I was. However, I did not get stretch marks or flabby skin so, especially at that young age, I was able to snap back quickly.

    Now that is me in my circumstances. Mind you I'm 5'10 and never been more than 35lbs overweight. My mother is around my height and never been overweight more than 10lbs and loses it quickly without really trying.

    So in my case, /I lost all my pregnancy weight and looked like I was before being pregnant.

    Edit: But take into account I had lost a little of that obviously when having my daughter, so in all actuality, after giving birth it was more like 25lbs I think but who knows.. didn't weight myself back then and didn't think to diet. My point of saying this is to provide another side to the other OP claiming that being a mother warrants carrying extra weight.
  • jennegan1
    jennegan1 Posts: 677 Member
    Considering we are the same height being 149 isnt over weight. Its actually considered being healthy. Plus your a mother now so get used to fact of the matter you are going to wind up carry extra weight now no matter what....Shoot when I was 21 I wasnt even 149 cuz I gave birth that year with my oldest and guess what. I lost weight but it didnt happen over night it happened over years

    There are many mothers who are in better shape than they were before they were a mother. Just because I'm a mom does not mean that I have to be overweight. And it may not be considered overweight to but everyone is different. I am not comfortable having a stomach pouch of fat that sits on my lap and bulges over my pants and having thighs twice the size they were before and having love hadles so bad that it's like my *kitten* starts half way up my back. The fact of the matter is that I am not comfortable with MYSELF and just because I am a mother doesn't mean that I have to accept being miserably embarrassed of my own body.

    You are right...but if those are your problem areas then you have to work at it. Thats what I basically was saying, yes I didnt exactly say it but in order to lose the weight you have to work at it no matter what. And it wont happen ASAP itll happen over time. You need patience
  • jennegan1
    jennegan1 Posts: 677 Member
    Considering we are the same height being 149 isnt over weight. Its actually considered being healthy. Plus your a mother now so get used to fact of the matter you are going to wind up carry extra weight now no matter what....Shoot when I was 21 I wasnt even 149 cuz I gave birth that year with my oldest and guess what. I lost weight but it didnt happen over night it happened over years

    There is no reason why a mother has to carry extra weight no matter what.

    Thank you, I appreciate that.



    No, not true. I had my daughter at 18, gained 33lbs and within a few months was right back to where I was. However, I did not get stretch marks or flabby skin so, especially at that young age, I was able to snap back quickly.

    Now that is me in my circumstances. Mind you I'm 5'10 and never been more than 35lbs overweight. My mother is around my height and never been overweight more than 10lbs and loses it quickly without really trying.

    So in my case, /I lost all my pregnancy weight and looked like I was before being pregnant.

    Edit: But take into account I had lost a little of that obviously when having my daughter, so in all actuality, after giving birth it was more like 25lbs I think but who knows.. didn't weight myself back then and didn't think to diet. My point of saying this is to provide another side to the other OP claiming that being a mother warrants carrying extra weight.

    I know each pregnancy weight is different and different for each women. I didnt fully explain my self either but what I was trying to say is that she might have some extra weight from her pregnancy that shes carrying around....

    BTW OP are you birth control? Thatll make you gain weight as well not always but some ladies do
  • kellygirl5538
    kellygirl5538 Posts: 597 Member
    I weigh everything and try to eat as clean as I can...I'm about 143 and would love to loose 10!
  • jennegan1
    jennegan1 Posts: 677 Member
    Let me give you a personal example of why scale number time goals don't work.

    When I started here, I didn't lose a single pound for 6 weeks. 6 WEEKS! I was exercising almost every day- lifting weights and running, and sticking to my calorie counts religiously. I would have been FURIOUS......except......in that time I lost 6 inches on my waist, 2 full pant sizes, and people started telling me how different I looked. If I had obsessed about the numbers on the scale, I would have quit, or lowered my calories until I was starving, or something else that would have ultimately caused failure. After the six weeks the pounds came off sort of all at once, and I caught up to the 2lbs per week I should have been losing.

    My point here is that the number on the scale is fickle, and isn't a metric to determine if you're going to look good in clothes or have other people notice your loss. It's just a number.

    When I was at my goal size, I ended up adjusting my goal weight upwards, because I now fit in clothes better than when I was younger and 20lbs lighter.

    Listen to her story....It also took me 6 weeks to see a difference as well with the scale but I lost inches from my waist. So you may not lose weight at first but might lose inches
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