65 pounds to lose in 5 months! (my story)
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YukiValentine
Posts: 45 Member
Can I do it? Or at least get close to it?
Is it possible?
I have rheumatoid arthritis, I want to lose weight for health and to give less stress on my joints. I'm 5'1 and currently 183 pounds. I started close to 190s. Actually, I was close to 200s at one point because of my medication. But I really just wanna throw this weight off as soon as possible. My doctor's say I'm healthy as hell except for the arthritis. My other reason to lose this weight is for my birthday, which is in September.
Last year, was the worst year of my life. My insurance stopped, so I could no longer have medicine. (Don't ask why, because it's super complicated) Then It went downhill from there. I was stuck in my house on the 2nd floor for most of the year, unable to move, couldn't walk well, my mom had to literally carry me to the bathroom and back and bathe me, couldn't raise my arms.. I had pain everywhere. I had so much pain that doing simple things made me scream and cry in pain. Of course, towards the end of the year I was getting there with natural medicines that I found out about. But it wasn't enough, I was so depressed and miserable by then that I just couldn't wait and after the new year we called an ambulance and went straight to the hospital. They gave me such a hard time over there it got on my nerves, I reapplied to the insurance on my own (cause I just turned 21 and can have it for myself) they wanted to send me home exactly the same way I was. I told them over and over, it's impossible. My bed is on the 2nd floor, and to get in my house I need to take the stairs (and I could barely move) seriously, where the hell did they want me to go? sleep on my sidewalk in the freezing cold? I told them I wanted to have the medicine while taking rehab so I can get back on my feet. They fought me on that too for some reason. They thought I was fine! Limping, barely able to move and they wanted to send me home! I showed the rehab doctor how bad I was, and really he was the only one out of the entire hospital who saw how bad I was. They sent me to another hospital, I got rehab for 2 weeks, every day was so much better than the last. I'm still on the steroids they gave me (I missed my rheumatologist appointment due to a really bad snow storm) now I have to wait another month to get proper medication. I still have problems walking and lifting my arms and I do still need help to shower cause I can't reach certain spots. The good thing is I can finally go up and down the stairs (it's a damn workout, I sweat like crazy cause my stairs are pretty tall) and go out. I need a rollator to get around outside because my legs get tired easily and I need to sit after walking a while (after a block now? used to be a quarter and then a half) I try to go on walks any time I can when it's not to cold. And no I'm not ashamed to be walking around with the rollator.
Oh and yes, I do still take natural medicines~
Besides that, I want to just forget I even have it with good health, eating right, and a good weight. I want this to be my year. I want to make up for everything I've been through last year and the beginning of the year (and what I'm still going through to get a damn appointment) and I really wanna know if I can actually lose this weight for my birthday. My dream is to finally go to Disney World for my birthday (alone or not) all of my friends have been there, I'm the only one who hasn't. I'm a big Disney kid. So looking and feeling good for when I go, would mean the world to me. I've been dreaming about it for years with empty promises from my friends every year saying "we'll go next year" but enough is enough for me. I'm not waiting anymore, I'm going. Alone or not.
Even losing 30-50 pounds would be so so great. I really hope I can do this with very limited exercise.
Any help or advice would be great!
Is it possible?
I have rheumatoid arthritis, I want to lose weight for health and to give less stress on my joints. I'm 5'1 and currently 183 pounds. I started close to 190s. Actually, I was close to 200s at one point because of my medication. But I really just wanna throw this weight off as soon as possible. My doctor's say I'm healthy as hell except for the arthritis. My other reason to lose this weight is for my birthday, which is in September.
Last year, was the worst year of my life. My insurance stopped, so I could no longer have medicine. (Don't ask why, because it's super complicated) Then It went downhill from there. I was stuck in my house on the 2nd floor for most of the year, unable to move, couldn't walk well, my mom had to literally carry me to the bathroom and back and bathe me, couldn't raise my arms.. I had pain everywhere. I had so much pain that doing simple things made me scream and cry in pain. Of course, towards the end of the year I was getting there with natural medicines that I found out about. But it wasn't enough, I was so depressed and miserable by then that I just couldn't wait and after the new year we called an ambulance and went straight to the hospital. They gave me such a hard time over there it got on my nerves, I reapplied to the insurance on my own (cause I just turned 21 and can have it for myself) they wanted to send me home exactly the same way I was. I told them over and over, it's impossible. My bed is on the 2nd floor, and to get in my house I need to take the stairs (and I could barely move) seriously, where the hell did they want me to go? sleep on my sidewalk in the freezing cold? I told them I wanted to have the medicine while taking rehab so I can get back on my feet. They fought me on that too for some reason. They thought I was fine! Limping, barely able to move and they wanted to send me home! I showed the rehab doctor how bad I was, and really he was the only one out of the entire hospital who saw how bad I was. They sent me to another hospital, I got rehab for 2 weeks, every day was so much better than the last. I'm still on the steroids they gave me (I missed my rheumatologist appointment due to a really bad snow storm) now I have to wait another month to get proper medication. I still have problems walking and lifting my arms and I do still need help to shower cause I can't reach certain spots. The good thing is I can finally go up and down the stairs (it's a damn workout, I sweat like crazy cause my stairs are pretty tall) and go out. I need a rollator to get around outside because my legs get tired easily and I need to sit after walking a while (after a block now? used to be a quarter and then a half) I try to go on walks any time I can when it's not to cold. And no I'm not ashamed to be walking around with the rollator.
Oh and yes, I do still take natural medicines~
Besides that, I want to just forget I even have it with good health, eating right, and a good weight. I want this to be my year. I want to make up for everything I've been through last year and the beginning of the year (and what I'm still going through to get a damn appointment) and I really wanna know if I can actually lose this weight for my birthday. My dream is to finally go to Disney World for my birthday (alone or not) all of my friends have been there, I'm the only one who hasn't. I'm a big Disney kid. So looking and feeling good for when I go, would mean the world to me. I've been dreaming about it for years with empty promises from my friends every year saying "we'll go next year" but enough is enough for me. I'm not waiting anymore, I'm going. Alone or not.
Even losing 30-50 pounds would be so so great. I really hope I can do this with very limited exercise.
Any help or advice would be great!
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Replies
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Hello :-)
Congrats on starting your journey!
But I do think that's a rather large amount of weight to lose, in such a short time. Eat at a responsible deficit, don't go crazy lol, and you'll be fine. What are your calories set at?0 -
Hello :-)
Congrats on starting your journey!
But I do think that's a rather large amount of weight to lose, in such a short time. Eat at a responsible deficit, don't go crazy lol, and you'll be fine. What are your calories set at?
it's at 1200, but on a normal day I go about 900-1000 tops. Maybe 2-3 times a week I do hit the 1200. But I do eat plenty and get full pretty easily because I eat slowly.0 -
Welcome! 1 to 2 pounds of weight loss is normal for a week, but starting out you may lose more as it is water weight. That is a lot to lose in 5 months, but I am sure it's possible. You just need to make sure you are eating the proper calories for your height and weight. You don't' want to starve yourself and not get enough calories. Logging in everything on here that you eat is very helpful.
Good luck. we are all here to help.0 -
Time based goals are always going to cause stress. And stress fights against fat and weight loss.
Considering that is 3.25 lbs average weekly - no, not if you want it mainly fat weight that is gone. Especially since not obese. May hit a few weeks of that, but it would start slowing down greatly.
If you don't care what the weight is, and that you'll be doing a lifte-time of such foolishness that gets easier to gain each time, and harder to lose each time - by all means attempt it.
If you really want to enhance losing muscle mass, the lack of exercise will do that too. Oh, fat takes 3500 calorie deficit to lose, muscle only takes about 600 calories per lb, so it's easier to lose a lb of muscle than fat, and this should enhance both.
You should end up a smaller version of current self - nice and skinny fat.
If you want a good chance of success, follow the MFP method correctly.
Use the tool correctly.
You really have a 45 hr weekly sedentary deskjob and commute? Then sedentary was correct activity choice.
If you are not, select Lightly Active as honest.
You can have 2 lb weekly goal as reasonable now, should move to 1.5 weekly at about 30 lbs, 1 lb at 20, 0.5 at 10.
Double the default protein intake. Go in to your Goals and customize, whatever the grams of protein shown is, change the % until the grams is double. Keep fat grams where they started, let carbs fall.
Meet your daily goal. Do some body weight exercises to keep your muscles used, doesn't have to be lot, you just need to tell the body you are using them, rather than losing them.
Stop undereating.
If you think bigger deficit is bigger - why don't you just stop eating and lose it all fast?
Whatever reasons come to mind - and there are more, and they'll happen eventually undereating too. Just takes longer.
Once workouts get to 20 min of walking or stairs or body weight, ect, log them, and eat back those calories to keep your deficit reasonable.
And no you won't lose all that weight by then.
But then again - don't wear a scale on your back with current weight, with a sign saying what you wished you weighed.
Carry your smaller body with less fat proudly since that's what people will see. And when people say it looks like you've lost so much weight, you can tell them, "no, actually that much" - and confuse them to no end.0 -
Welcome! 1 to 2 pounds of weight loss is normal, but starting out you may lose more as it is water weight. That is a lot to lose in 5 months, but I am sure it's possible.
Good luck. we are all here to help.
of course! I won't go crazy, I'll still eat right and try to do tons of walking to get some weight off. I'll try my best but not overdo it for sure. I just hope I can do this.0 -
WE just want to make sure your safe. Sometimes fast isn't good. To each is own though. I weighed 202, I currently weigh 135. Today I consumed @1780 calories. Sometimes setting really aggressive goals like that, ends in frustration. So just be safe and don't be so hard on yourself. No matter if this takes ten years to accomplish, do it for your overall health :-)0
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I'm so proud of you! I know that you will get there! Just be patience, whatever you loose for your birthday, you will fill confident and so much better than now! Just keep swimming! ♪ ♥♥♥♥0
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Congrats on posting such an eloquent story! I don't have any advise for you- it seems as though you are doing what you need to, setting your intentions and have reasonable goals. All that means you will be successful. I look forward to our birthdays (mine is in september too) where I get to read your "I DID IT" post. best of luck!0
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Welcome! 1 to 2 pounds of weight loss is normal, but starting out you may lose more as it is water weight. That is a lot to lose in 5 months, but I am sure it's possible.
Good luck. we are all here to help.
of course! I won't go crazy, I'll still eat right and try to do tons of walking to get some weight off. I'll try my best but not overdo it for sure. I just hope I can do this.
But, for the amount you want to lose that rate IS going crazy. Sorry. If you were 165 lbs overweight, sure you could start out by losing 3+ lbs a week. But 65lbs? Nah, not a good idea. Sorry.
Just eat at a moderate deficit without all of the self-imposed crazy deadlines. That way you may actually make some sustainable progress.0 -
It is possible to lose quite a lot of that weight in 5 months, however would not be healthy to lose all of it in 5 months. The maximum to lose a week ideally is 2 pounds, however at the start of the journey depending on how much a person needs to lose, a lot of people naturally lose more at the start. Set your goal to 2 pounds a week and that will give you the best results.0
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My height/weight is similar to yours. Last week, I had 999 minutes of exercise (more than half of it walking, the rest a mixture of weight lifting, cardio classes and biking). I stuck to my 1360 calorie limit and ate back some of my exercise calories. And I lost a pound and a half. I don't think there's a physical way for me to lose weight as quickly as you'd like to, short of going on a show like the biggest loser and exercising all day.
Try instead for a middle of the road goal - 1 to 2 lbs a week. Eat those 1200 calories and walk as much as you can. Does it matter if in a month you weight 6 lbs less instead of 12? You'll still feel better, physically and mentally. And you have a much better chance of reaching your goal if you don't set it so pie high in the sky. Best to make something that's attainable and sustainable, because losing the weight isn't the end of the battle - we have to fight it for the rest of our lives to make sure we don't put it back on.0 -
Also, Disney is a fabulous goal
I was at Magic Kingdom 2 weeks ago. Trust me, it was a ton of fun, even weighing 178 lbs. Sure, I would have been at my goal weight and looked fabulous, but you know what, I had a blast and felt great, even still having 50ish lbs to lose. 0 -
Your such a good role model for people struggling good luck with reaching your goals !
Coach
Vince !0 -
Oh hey girl! I was 183 in December, and I'm currently sitting at 156. 65 is a big number for five months. I've lost over 100 lbs and it comes off really fast at first but it slows down eventually, so don't try to give yourself a time frame for weight loss. The best thing to do is just tell yourself you're going to learn to be healthy every day.
Also just do the 1200 calories for the first week and really try to fill up all of them, any less than that and you could go into starvation mode. Log everything you eat, too. And on days where you are working out and burning calories, you NEED to eat more, eat those calories back. Your net floor should be 1200. So eat 1400, work off 200, bam!
I made myself sick the first few weeks of MFP because I didn't understand the net calories thing, so don't hurt yourself.
But if you stick to it and treat yourself right, you can lose the weight.
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Hello :-)
Congrats on starting your journey!
But I do think that's a rather large amount of weight to lose, in such a short time. Eat at a responsible deficit, don't go crazy lol, and you'll be fine. What are your calories set at?
it's at 1200, but on a normal day I go about 900-1000 tops. Maybe 2-3 times a week I do hit the 1200. But I do eat plenty and get full pretty easily because I eat slowly.
I understand you are facing many challenges right now, but keep in mind that it is very difficult to hit all the nutritional requirements of your body when eating so few calories. Can you see a registered dietician to get some help deciding what is right for you? Particularly with health conditions, it is essential that your body get the right healthy foods and enough to support it.0 -
My best advice to you is to set more goals. Having your end-game goal for your birthday is great – I have always had an end-game, ultimate goal. But those can be daunting, you can start to feel like progress is too slow, like you are never going to get there because this process CAN be slow. You'll have big weeks with big numbers and small weeks, even weeks with no loss or slight gains and that is all natural. What I do is set myself short term, achievable but challenging goals all along the way. Think of this as a relay and you're going to pass that baton again and again before you cross the finish line. Find things you want to do now or soon and set those goals and don't worry if you think they sound silly. I made a goal once to fit in a too-tight shirt by a certain date – silly and superficial? Maybe. Did that shirt fit for my night on the town? Damn skippy!
Only other thing is I worry you are not getting enough calories. I owe my greatest success to the fact that I gradually stepped down on my calories over time. Every ten pounds I lost, I dropped 50 calories a day from my plan. Doing this I have never starved and I have never plateaued (aside from the occasional slow week). We're already friends on MFP so if you ever want to send me a message with questions about my journey, I'd be happy to share and support you.0 -
hey girl... my best advice to you... focus on feeling as good as you can NOW. i'm not a fan for eating under your calorie goals... you will lose weight, staying within the 1200. You want to keep all the muscle you have, so you can stay as STRONG as possible!
Best of Luck to you! We can encourage each other along the way!0 -
Positively possible, but harder to balance nutrients. Sent a friends invite because I have a lot to lose.0
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Thanks everyone so much for the advice and support! I shall try my best to hit 1200 but my dietitian told me that the way I'm eating right now is fine and totally healthy. I also read that starvation mode doesn't exist from other forums so I don't think it's possible, plus I never experienced it. But for sure I won't rush, whatever most I can get without hurting myself would be great~0
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Thanks everyone so much for the advice and support! I shall try my best to hit 1200 but my dietitian told me that the way I'm eating right now is fine and totally healthy. I also read that starvation mode doesn't exist from other forums so I don't think it's possible, plus I never experienced it. But for sure I won't rush, whatever most I can get without hurting myself would be great~
You may draw comment on starvation mode, I personally follow the direction of my nutiritionist, doctor and my slimming group in the calories I have and the belief there is no "starvation mode". If you put less calories in your body then you burn then you will lose weight.
A good thing to do is work out your BMR to see what your body burns without exercise added.0
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