Is it possible?

LiveMore101
LiveMore101 Posts: 84 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Here I am again, needing more help than before Christmas.
I gained all the weight back that I had lost before Christmas and more. And since that doesn't help me in reaching my goal, that's rather depressing to think about.
I've been working out and eating as healthy as possible for the past week, since I started after the New Year, but I was wondering if there was any way I could jump start my weight loss goal a bit more.
Is it possible to lose 5 pounds a week? I've read about books and diets that promise you to lose 5 pounds a week, but it never seemed to work for me. I'm not sure if I'm doing it right or if there was something that I was missing. I need to lose about 10 to 15 pounds and I'm a girl of fast results.
Anyways, I was wondering if there was anything out there? Has there been anything that you've tried that made you lose weight quickly? I could use some help!
Thanks!

Replies

  • rella_1003
    rella_1003 Posts: 70 Member
    When I first joined MFP I lost 3 pounds in the first week but that was probably water weight. It's not good to lose more than 2.5 pounds a week and I'm guessing if you lost 5 pounds a week you'd have a lot of loose skin and surely you don't want that? Remember losing weight is a marathon not a sprint :smile:
  • mungowungo
    mungowungo Posts: 327 Member
    No
  • bumblebreezy91
    bumblebreezy91 Posts: 520 Member
    It doesn't sound like you have much to lose. Instead of looking for a quick fix diet, focusing on the lifestyle change and slowly losing the weight should be your goals or you're just going to gain it back again. Maybe that's what happened before the holidays? Instead of wanting to lose the weight in two weeks, make it your goal to lose the weight in two or three months. That will give you a greater chance of long-term success.

    Best of luck to you.
  • rennacoco
    rennacoco Posts: 25
    if you only need to lose 10-15 pounds, it's going to take longer than three weeks.
  • LeahFerri
    LeahFerri Posts: 186 Member
    In a word: No.

    If you want weight loss that lasts, rather than yoyoing over the same 5 to 15 pounds, a good goal is .5lb/week.

    Why the time pressure? Because you can't stick with it? You can find a sustainable lifestyle that will allow you to lose what you want and keep it off. You have the rest of your life to build the body you want. I feel like a goof saying this as a 21 year old, but you're only 19. Take this as an opportunity to learn healthful habits! That's what I'm doing.

    If you like numbers, think about the thermodynamics: assuming a pound of fat is 3500 calories, in order to lose five pounds in a week you would need to have a deficit of 2500 calories/day. Now, I don't know your build, but my guess is that as a 19 year old female, your total daily energy expenditure might be less than 2500 calories. I know mine certainly is. That would make the deficit you want physically impossible without incredibly intense/long workouts. Doing those for a few weeks will make you feel like crap and teach you exactly nothing about sustaining a healthful lifestyle.

    Feel free to drop me a message if you have any specific questions. I may not be able to answer them, but I'll certainly do my best.
  • GlitterrMagpie
    GlitterrMagpie Posts: 302 Member
    It isn't a short term thing. Dedicate the time to doing it right, it's worth it.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    My serious advice would be: try to stop being a "girl of fast results". 5lbs a week is in no way healthy or sustainable weight loss. You only have 10 lbs to lose; your body just isn't ready to let go of fat that quickly. 0.5 lbs a week is far more appropriate. If you gained back all the weight you lost over Christmas (however much that was) then it sounds like you might be susceptible to yo-yo dieting. You need to accept that weight loss takes time, and that even once you reach your goal weight, you still need to put the work in to maintain that loss. Taking extreme measures to drop drastic amounts of weight in short periods of time is not healthy, either physically or mentally.

    You're really young and have little to lose. Take the time to do this right, and make this the last time you have to lose weight. Don't set yourself up for a lifetime of yo-yoing.

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