Goal of losing 10 pounds by the middle of May?

tararag
tararag Posts: 38 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
This is my biggest goal. I am 5'3 and I currently weight 131lbs. My goal is to get down to 120 by the middle of May (when I get out of school). Is this realistic? Any suggestions/tips that will help?

Replies

  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    It's realistic. Just eat at a reasonable calorie deficit and you're good to go! You're already relatively small, so be sure you are logging (weighing, measuring) accurately. It's easy to blow your deficit when you are so close to your goal weight.
  • tararag
    tararag Posts: 38 Member
    Thank you! My one of my issues is that I do not have a scale at college so I cannot weight myself.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    Thank you! My one of my issues is that I do not have a scale at college so I cannot weight myself.

    I was talking about weighing your food... But if you know you are eating less than you burn, you'll lose weight.
  • tararag
    tararag Posts: 38 Member
    Oh, well I do not have a scale either. But my calorie goal is 1200/ day and i probably burn about 300-400 from exercise per day.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    Oh, well I do not have a scale either. But my calorie goal is 1200/ day and i probably burn about 300-400 from exercise per day.

    You're trying to NET 1200, right?
  • tararag
    tararag Posts: 38 Member
    I believe so? I am not 100% positive on how "net calories" work. Should I?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    What is your exercise routine? Realistically, just set your account to 1 lb per week and lightly active. Then you don't have to worry about eating exercise calories. Also, try to exceed your protein goals daily while reducing carbs. At this point, you should concentrate on fat loss and muscle retention as opposed to weight loss. Weight training will really help with your body changes too.
  • tbucks
    tbucks Posts: 72 Member
    net calories are the calories you take in after exercise.

    So if you eat 1500 calories and burn 300 during exercise, that is a net 1200 calories
    Eat 2000 calories, burn 1000 is a net of 1000 calories.
  • LifeJacketWaterJogger
    LifeJacketWaterJogger Posts: 231 Member
    that's very easy, you have several months...
  • NuggetLovesEdie
    NuggetLovesEdie Posts: 477 Member
    Net calories are the number of calories you are eating minus the number of calories you burn during exercise. For most people, netting less than 1200 calories per day makes it harder to stick with their plan.


    If you don't have access to a food scale, here's a way to start estimating portions based on your hand:
    http://lifehacker.com/5880630/use-your-hand-to-estimate-your-portions

    And here's one for estimating portion sizes with every day objects:
    http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/estimate_food_portions_with_handy_everyday_items
  • kittykat1994
    kittykat1994 Posts: 149 Member
    I try to net between 1100 -1200 a day minimum. Usually I net about 1400 on low exercise days. I eat up to 1500 cals a day sometimes more if I do a lot of exercise and I'm hungry and I am 5"3 and losing weight. Some say that netting less than 1200 cals could put you into starvation mode and make your weightloss slower. I tend to eat more and find I still lose weight. I think its down to what works for you.
  • tararag
    tararag Posts: 38 Member
    I dance 2-3x a week for about 1.5 hours each. And I also try and go to the gym and do the elliptical for an hour for 2 other days of the week.
  • lmyers132625
    lmyers132625 Posts: 31 Member
    I think you have set a very realistic and attainable goal!!! I want to lose 15 pounds by mid June.
  • TommyJensen1987
    TommyJensen1987 Posts: 95
    A decent food scale should be cheap enough and it is an amazing tool.

    But yeah the goal is certainly attainable. There is even room to make a few mistakes. You have more than two and a half months.
  • mschicagocubs
    mschicagocubs Posts: 774 Member
    You can so do this! I lost 10 (9) in 2 months! I am hoping to lose the other 10 before end of May as well :)
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    I dance 2-3x a week for about 1.5 hours each. And I also try and go to the gym and do the elliptical for an hour for 2 other days of the week.

    With this information, I hope you are eating back at least some exercise cals. I took a guess at your age (23) but here is your info based on ht, wt, age, ~4hrs per week of exercise.

    TDEE = 2183 (maintains current weight)

    TDEE -20% = 1746 (usually sets you up for safe weekly weightloss, so your deficit isn't too big)

    BMR = 1408 (basically your caloric needs while in a coma)
  • ell_v131
    ell_v131 Posts: 349 Member
    I think you're being a little too ambitious and hard on yourself with 1200. You can easily eat more and lose. Like psulemon said, set your account to 1lb (or event 0.5) per week loss and lightly active. then eat what it tells you and not log your exercise. I also recommend taking up some form of strenth training. I have lost weight before but looked just as flabby. My bdy only started transforming when I started lifting. If you don't enjoy that, there are a lot of bodyweight exercises I think girls would enjoy.

    if 1200 is too little for you ( and I believe it is) then you will lose quite some muscle with the fat, and you will not look lean when you lose your 10 pounds. I agree with Psulemon that fat loss is more important in this stage. Also RGv2 has a good point re the numbers. I think eating at your BMR at the very least would be a good idea for now. You will see it will come off.

    Elliptical is great for heart health and wasting some calories, but to make improvements in your body composition, you will need to pick up some weights or start a bodyweight routine (think pushups, pullups, squats etc.)
  • tararag
    tararag Posts: 38 Member
    I just changed it from 1.5lbs/week to 1lb/week! I dont see how that could be much of a difference but I will try it!
  • Charliejl82
    Charliejl82 Posts: 57
    I think you're being a little too ambitious and hard on yourself with 1200. You can easily eat more and lose. Like psulemon said, set your account to 1lb (or event 0.5) per week loss and lightly active. then eat what it tells you and not log your exercise. I also recommend taking up some form of strenth training. I have lost weight before but looked just as flabby. My bdy only started transforming when I started lifting. If you don't enjoy that, there are a lot of bodyweight exercises I think girls would enjoy.

    if 1200 is too little for you ( and I believe it is) then you will lose quite some muscle with the fat, and you will not look lean when you lose your 10 pounds. I agree with Psulemon that fat loss is more important in this stage. Also RGv2 has a good point re the numbers. I think eating at your BMR at the very least would be a good idea for now. You will see it will come off.

    Elliptical is great for heart health and wasting some calories, but to make improvements in your body composition, you will need to pick up some weights or start a bodyweight routine (think pushups, pullups, squats etc.)

    This!!!
  • DedicatedRepublic
    DedicatedRepublic Posts: 12
    1 lb per week is very easy to do...it is also easy not do to. Just create a 500 cal per day deficit and remain consistent.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    I dance 2-3x a week for about 1.5 hours each. And I also try and go to the gym and do the elliptical for an hour for 2 other days of the week.

    Use dance as your cardio and replace those two days of elliptical with resistance training. If you can, do full body routines on both days. Even though weight loss might be a bit slower, your body changes will increase..and definitely use a food scale.. i love my orezi i got from amazon.
  • tararag
    tararag Posts: 38 Member
    What is resistance training? I've never used weights or anything before
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    What is resistance training? I've never used weights or anything before

    It's training that induce muscular contraction which builds the strength, anaerobic endurance, and size of skeletal muscles.. Resistance training and weight training is very similar but RT can refer to body weight. There are programs, such as you are your own gym, the use body weight for resistance (push ups, lunges, squats, pull ups) while weight training uses weights to provide that resistance.

    It's important to have resistance training as that is what will preserve your muscle mass. Muscle is what is tight and lean, so the more you have, the more lean you will be. In fact, many people can gain weight and become more lean as noted below.


    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/


    Since you have access to the gym, you can start a program like the one below. If you don't like that one, there are many programs on youtube or even other websites, such as fitnessblender.com .

    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/rudy6.htm

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