Trying to lose 40 lbs in 2 months...

irena_n
irena_n Posts: 3
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello there folks! This is technically my first post on this site, but Im in a bit of a rut. Overall, I've lost 66 lbs, my starting weight was 330 lbs. Im 5'5 and 18 years old. (Lets just say my parents are not too understanding on portion control)

But i want to get my life around! Recently I've cut carbs like a mad-woman, getting rid of potatoes, pasta, and grains. I exercise four to five times a week by walking three miles in an hour every morning, burning about 450 to 500 kcals.

I keep my diet at about 1,200 calories which is the basic minimum, and sometimes i get less then that. So far since about march 21st I've lost 8 pounds, but my birthday is in may and my buddies want to go to the beach... which sounds like horror to me. So, in sight of this, I've been weighing myself compulsively, And this morning I gained back a pound!

Is there something I'm doing wrong? I drink almost 200 oz of water/unsweetend green tea daily, nothing sugary or fried... Im stuck and i dont know what I am doing wrong. After searching through this site I found the TDEE calc and my BMR is: 2026 and my TDEE is: 3318. Should I eat more? How much is too much? Thanks for your help.

Replies

  • mschicagocubs
    mschicagocubs Posts: 774 Member
    a) eat more. 1200 is the minimum and if you have lost a significant amount of weight you should be upping your daily calories. Never eat below 1200 Net. You aren't giving your body the nutrients it needs. If you BMR is that high you need to eat MORE than your BMR.

    b) 40 lbs in 2 months? I'm going to say there is no way that is realistic.

    c) be realistic and know that it takes time. Put your goal to 2lbs a week if you have to.
  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
    This isn't a tv show.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    Yes, you should be eating more. 1200 calories minus your exercise isn't giving your body a whole lot to function on. Don't be surprised if your hair starts falling out.

    That being said, are you weighing your food? If not, I highly recommend getting a kitchen food scale. This way you can make sure you are getting proper serving sizes.

    Aaaaannnnnddd..... Read this:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    Edited to add that 40 lbs in 2 months is not realistic. shoot for no more than 2 lbs a week, at the very most.
  • petefromguelph
    petefromguelph Posts: 84 Member
    Yikes 40 lbs in two months doesn't sound like a healthy goal... congrats on the 66 lb loss so far! That will definitely make a difference at the beach :drinker: do it healthy though... the other responses pretty much sum up what I was going to say anyways... heed their advice. Good luck and if you find something that works for you... update us!

    P
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    carbs are not bad for you. in fact, if you want to do long periods of exercise, carbs can be a very good thing.
  • KD0BIK
    KD0BIK Posts: 44 Member
    It's your birthday right? Go somewhere other than the beach. Be healthy about this....
  • irena_n
    irena_n Posts: 3
    Gotcha guys, thanks so much for the clarification! 40 lbs in two months is my ultimate goal but 20 lbs in two months seems more doable haha. Ill keep trying!
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
    According to your TDEE you posted, you should be eating 2300 to lose 2 lbs/week. This is the max safe amount of loss to aim for. If you included exercise in your TDEE, you do not eat those calories back. If you did not calculate exercise in to your TDEE, recalculate it given your exercise levels, and subtract 1000. Eat that amount to lose 2 lbs/week.

    40 lbs in 2 months is incredibly unrealistic. Aim lower, and be happy with those results.

    ETA: Also, weight loss is not linear. The body fluctuates. Consider yourself lucky if you only fluctuate back up 1 lb....I can hit a new low weight, and then the next day be 3-4 lbs up even though I changed nothing in my routine.
  • PennyS44
    PennyS44 Posts: 16 Member
    When you enter your stats into the system it gives you the amount of calories you should eat in a day. At your weight you are starving yourself only eating 1200 and your body will slow down. You need to eat more to lose.
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    Don't be silly. Do you want to be lose weight and keep it off or do you want to lose weight and be unhealthy and put it back on? If the former set a reasonable calorie deficit weigh and measure all your food. Do some exercise and you'll lose weight. You do not need to cut carbs out of your diet to lose weight. You do not need to cut chocolate you just need to learn moderation which what weighing and measuring accurately will get you used to,

    You also will need to learn some patience you did not put 40 pounds on in 2 months so why do you think it will come off in 2 months. Forget unrealistic targets and just keep to a steady sustainable weight loss that way it will be long term.

    Good Luck
  • midwestdawn
    midwestdawn Posts: 60 Member
    Could you postpone your beach trip until August?
  • mulecanter
    mulecanter Posts: 1,792 Member
    Like many said, ensure you are accurate on your measurements. Stay sane, 2-3lbs/week max. I'd up the exercise. If you are walking, up your frequency to everyday. If you are walking 3mph you are walking a reasonably good pace so it seems like you are in condition to burn another 1000-1500 calories a week. Consider a transition to walk/run as you can. Don't eat the extra calories all back. See what happens.
  • nas061
    nas061 Posts: 256 Member
    ...... my birthday is in may and my buddies want to go to the beach... which sounds like horror to me.

    What do YOU want to do for your birthday?
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  • SharonNehring
    SharonNehring Posts: 535 Member
    Take a deep breath and relax a bit. Weight loss is not linear. You will not see a loss every time you get on the scale. In order to gain a lb, you would have had to eat 3500 cals more than your goal recently. It's more likely a little water weight, which can be from salt, your mentrual cycle or needing to go to the bathroom. Even sore muscles can hold extra water while healing. This is why many recommend only weighing once a week.

    Unfortunately, your goal of 40 lbs in 2 months is not realistic or healthy. At the most, you "might" be able to lose half that. My best suggestion is to mix up your exercise and add more toning. It'll help you lose inches, which helps it look like you've lost more than you have.

    Sit ups, crunches, planks, squats, leg lifts, jumping jacks etc work many muscle groups. Add light hand weights for an upper body workout. Don't have weights? Use 2 water bottles, cans, milk jugs etc, whatever is handy.

    You could also add intervals to your walks. This means you do short lengths of running, then walk, then run, then walk etc. Not up to running yet? Just pick up your walking pace to as fast as you can for 1-2 minutes then slow down again.

    You do need to be eating more than 1200cals a day when exercising though. Your NET cals shouldn't go under 1200 very often and even that is too low for you. It's ok on occasion but not long term. MFP is set up to have you eat back some of the calories burned.

    For example, say you eat 1600 cals and burn 500 exercising. This gives you a NET of 1100cals. Because MFP can overestimate burn, or you could have underestimated your cals eaten, it's recommended to eat back about half the the cals burned. So that means at least another 250cals, which gives you a NET of 1350 even though you ate 1850cals for the day.

    Enter your goals into MFP and let it tell you how many calories to aim for. Let it do the calulating for you. You didn't gain the weight overnight, so you can't expect to lose it that way. Take your time, do it right in a healthy way and establish good eating habits which will stay with you for years.
  • irena_n
    irena_n Posts: 3
    Thank you for all of the helpful hints and suggested. I will definitely keep you all posted! I'll check in next week to let you know how its going. Definitely going to eat more, and exercise 4-5 days a week and not be silly about my unattainable goals.
  • angellll12
    angellll12 Posts: 296 Member
    This is my goal also!
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  • hadleyu
    hadleyu Posts: 1
    Try working out in other ways then just walking your body is probubly getting used to it try lifting weight, when you lift you burn fat for hrs as in (4-6) after where as cardio you only burn for maby a hr after
  • jennycina93
    jennycina93 Posts: 127 Member
    Someone might have mentioned this already but you didn't gain all the weight in 2 months and its not gonna come off in 2 months either.
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  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Try working out in other ways then just walking your body is probubly getting used to it try lifting weight, when you lift you burn fat for hrs as in (4-6) after where as cardio you only burn for maby a hr after
    What?

    Yeah don't you know, if you walk enough eventually your body no longer requires calories to walk. Then we just hook you up to a generator and solve the global energy crisis!

    In all seriousness going for a morning walk everyday is a great idea and an excellent way to keep up the calorie burn, no matter how often you do it.
  • suziecue66
    suziecue66 Posts: 1,312 Member
    The walking is doing her good and as cardio is the only exercise keeping her carbs lower is okay.
    Maybe eventually introduce some bodyweight training at home if cannot get to a gym.

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