Can I lose 20lbs in 2 months..? 40 in 4?

makenziemickeym · May 2014

There's two different questions, but they're basically the same. Anyways, in two months I go to Seattle. And I want to be a smaller pant size. I do want to be smaller than a 14. Actually I hope to be comfortably in an 11 if possible. Then two months later, I get back in school, and I want to be even smaller. More like around a 7. I hope to be a 3-5 by roughly next February. That's about 73 pounds in about 9 months if possible. I want to go from 182, to 109. But til then, I want to be about 160 in July, and 140 in September. If that's possible! I'm 5'3, 182 pounds. I think I'm like a 32 inch waist. (Or something along those lines.) I wear a 14 @ old navy , but they're a little big. And 12's are a little small. I measure at my belly button. Is it possible to lose 20 in 2, and 40 in 4...?

If so, can I have some tips to get it off? I have such a hard time because I check back like three days later and I'm like 4 pounds heavier and I feel SO bad and I feel like giving up. Also I can't do too much exercise because I'm really busy with school.

BusyRaeNOTBusty · May 2014

NO.

2lbs / week is very good. 1lb / week is more realistic for most people. You might lose more the first week or two due to water weight.

rm33064 · May 2014

It's good to set the bar high for yourself. 10lbs a month isn't impossible, especially if you have a lot of weight to lose. I lost 15 my first month, but I was 100+ overweight. Don't get down on yourself if you aren't losing as quickly as you would like though. You didn't gain 40 pounds in 4 months now did you? Set MfP to sedentary with a 2lb per week goal. Never eat less than your calorie goal and add some moderate exercise so your net equals your goal minus 250 calories. If you are logging everything accurately you should be losing about 10lbs every 4 weeks or so. Scale weight can fluctuate 5 pounds in water weight every day so don't worry what the scale says. Take your measurements each week and you will see the results in the inches lost. Tape don't lie! Remember use exercise to create your calorie deficit. Never eat under your calorie goal. Good luck!

Junebuggyzy · May 2014

Let's see, I lost pretty fast. February 4th I weighed 162. Now on May 15 I am 135. I think that's around 1-2 pounds a week.

AllOutof_Bubblegum · May 2014

No, sorry. 2 pounds a week is all the more you should be losing to keep it healthy and sustainable. (meaning you won't gain it all right back.)

xsmilexforxmex · May 2014

Possible? Yes. Will it be healthy? Probably not. Will you? At your size, there's a good chance you can lose 10. Don't let that deter you however. Healthy changes are for life and when you stick with it, it should all be worth it

In the mean time, you CAN lose inches quicker by eating healthy and adding some strength training. That might help you with your size goals quicker than just watching weight will

Good luck!

Strokingdiction · May 2014

^This.

PrettyPearl88 · May 2014

That's an unrealistic and unhealthy goal. It might be possible to work really hard for 2 months and lose 20 lbs, but your body won't feel good because you won't be healthy. And you won't be physically capable of keeping up that routine for the next several months and continuing to lose weight that fast. What will end up happening is that because you've been depriving your body so much for so long, you won't be able to resist the temptation to cave in and binge. And you'll gain a lot of the weight back as a result.

If you want PERMANENT weight loss, you have to think SLOW and SUSTAINABLE. I'm 5'4" and went from 180 to now 125. Like you, I used to wear a size 14 at Old Navy and my waist used to measure 32" at its smallest. Now I wear 2's, 4's, and 6's and my waist is only 26". All that took me 3 YEARS, but I have easily kept it off.

Feel free to message me if you want any tips on how to lose weight slowly and lose it FOR GOOD.

manicautumn · May 2014

You're 5'3. I'm pretty sure 109lbs is barely a healthy weight for your height and the way you want to lose so quickly makes me concerned for your health. Crash dieting and super restrictive eating is not good and, trust me on this, will screw up your ability to focus in school if you are not eating enough.

You're 18, right?

texstorm · May 2014

Can it be done? Yes.

Should it be done? No.

Before you get excited that someone has actually said it's possible, what you would have to do to accomplish this feat will make you utterly miserable. That, all by itself, is reason enough not to try, but there's a better reason not to - it's not sustainable. The level of calorie deprivation you'd have to endure will shock your metabolism and you will, in all probability, not only gain it all back, but more. If you're not happy at a size 14 how unhappy will you be at a size 16 or 18?

-Tex

KPP

idojpdx · May 2014

It seems a bit fast. But I have to say, throughout my life I've been on plans where I lost one pound or two pounds per week and immediately gained it all back. In fact, I've done it more times than I can remember. I also once lost around three pounds per week, on average, and kept it off for more than 10 years. For me, it's not the speed of loss, it's the commitment to continued calorie counting and regular exercise that makes the difference.

PurpleCupcakes01 · May 2014

Agghhhh here we go again with this foolishness.....

GreenIceFloes · May 2014

From http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

Going by this, you should be losing not more than 6-7 lbs a month for the first 5 or 6 months - which means you can healthily lose maybe 24-28 lbs in 4 months, not 40.
So I suppose you can safely lose 40 lbs in a total of maybe 6-7 months, not 4.

ETA: Which isn't so bad, really. What's another 2-3 months if it ensures you will sustain your new ways and won't fall back into old habits?

Ninkyou · May 2014

Probably not.

You should really listen and read the responses in your first thread:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1283217-is-it-possible-to-healthily-lose-67-pounds-in-4-5-months

What you want isn't healthy nor sustainable.
Shoot for NO MORE than 2lbs/week... but 1lb is probably going to be more realistic.

rm33064 · May 2014

People just love to perpetuate myths and misinformation on here like they have degrees in nutrition. So 2lbs is just fine but 2.5 and now it's dangerous and unhealthy? Really? How about one of you experts try explaining that nugget with actual science. Why is it dangerous and unhealthy? What are the risks? Where can I read the studies that show that it is dangerous. Where can I read the studies that show she is more likely to gain it back than anyone else because she lost it faster? Isn't everyone very likely to gain it all back no how it came off statistically speaking? Where can I read all the horror stories about people who lost 2.5 pounds per week and paid the price for it. As long as she isn't severely restricting calories, which she isn't, shooting for 2.5 pounds per week isn't inherently any more unhealthy or dangerous than 2 lbs. if it is you should have no problem providing all sorts of facts and studies that prove it....

Branstin · May 2014

There isn’t anything stopping you from losing weight fast but you don’t have anything to prove to the people in Seattle or college. This is about you and you should do what’s best for your health. One main key to a successful weight loss journey is keeping the weight off. You should give your body the time it needs to adjust to losing weight. Another main point is you should take time along the way to learn and develop healthy habits so you won’t gain the weight back. It takes a lot of practice to develop good habits. Before you do anything drastic, I suggest researching reputable sources about the health consequences of rapid weight loss before making any final decisions.

bizgirl26 · May 2014

You may lose 20 pounds in the first 2 months as you tend to lose quicker at first but 40 in 4 is pushing it a bit. Focus on the first 2 months and understand that your weight loss will slow down a bit after that . I dont think 2.5 pounds a week if you are obese is super unhealthy but yes 2 pounds a week should be your goal. Just don't beat yourself up if you lose 30 pounds in 4 months not 40

aem91409 · May 2014

Congrats that's fantastic! I started at 169.9 in February, my weigh in today put me at 156.3, that's almost 13 pounds! I can't wait to be at your weight! Slow and steady :]

aem91409 · May 2014

She had a question came to MFP people that have been doing this for a while... It's not being foolish.

RGv2 · May 2014

For fun, let's just throw some numbers at this. By my calendar, July is 6 mos weeks away and to go from 182-160 that is ~3.3 lbs per week. 3.3 lbs per week at 3500 calories per lb of fat (not water) is 11666 calorie deficit for the week. Now, a 5'3'', 18 yr old female that is 180 (and I'm giving the OP the benefit of the doubt here) that exercises ~5 times per week has a TDEE of ~250 0 calories per day, or about 17900 for the week, so..... We need to take 11666 away from 17900 for an intake of..... 6234 calories per week, or 890 per day.

PrettyPearl88 · May 2014

Thanks! And congrats to you on your 13 lbs lost! That's GREAT! Keep up the hard work, don't give up, and be patient! You'll get there eventually if you just keep at it, I promise! :flowerforyou:

StaciMarie1974 · May 2014

Based on your starting weight its very likely you can lose 20 in 2 months. The more you have to lose, the faster you can lose. Eat at a deficit, move more. But in time the rate will slow. So months 3-4 weight loss will probably be less than months 1-2.

mskimberlee · May 2014

RM33064 I was just wondering the exact same thing almost word for word! LOL!!!

gotolam · May 2014

I'm so tired of this parroted nonsense.

You don't want weight loss to be sustainable. Just sustainable enough until you reach your goal weight. At which point you switch to maintenance. Your ability to stay at your desired weight has nothing to do with how fast/slow you lose weight. Correlation does not imply causation.

No matter which path you choose, if you go back to eating 4000 calories a day, you're going to gain weight. There is no guarantee that just because you took your time losing weight that somehow that will magically equate to permanent weight loss.

As far as it being unhealthy, I have no idea where people get this idea. 1200 calories will undoubtedly cause quite a bit of discomfort, especially at first; but if you choose wisely, you'll have no problem meeting your daily nutrient requirements.

As far as my response to OP goes,

Yes you can lose 40 in 4. I think things get quite a bit harder from that point forward. I lost 30 in 3, but took another 2 months to lose the last five. So don't think you can go on doing 10 a month forever.

jwooley13 · May 2014

Your 20 in 2 goal is much more realistic than 40 in 4. In my first month, I lost 10lbs but the months subsequent have slowed down a bit. I found this frustrating initially, but you have to remember that weight loss is not a linear journey. Listen to your body, make sure you're getting plenty of nutrients, and do your best.

RGv2 · May 2014

Um.... see my post above. OP would need to eat less than 900 calories per day to average 3.3lbs per week loss for that time, but ya...go ahead and continue to promote a VLCD.

felonebeats · May 2014

^^^ This

gotolam · May 2014

Why don't you do your math again and include at least 10lbs of water weight...not to mention the X factor of noob gains. Now throw on top of that two more exercise session and yes, she can lose 10/month for at least the first four months on 1200 cals a day. No one is promoting a VLCD. (Which btw, is defined as being between 600-800 cals/day).

281Danielle · May 2014

I'm kind of back and forth about this. I think if you are just starting off you might be able to lose 10 in the first month but after that your weight loss should and will slow down (if you are eating like you should). So 20 in 2 months is possible but for sure no to 40 in 4 months, that is just my opinion, I am not an expert by no means but healthily you shouldn't lose more than 2 pounds per week (not counting the first few weeks, which will be more because of water weight). Take it slow, eat like you should and exercise and the weight will come off, maybe not as fast as you want but it will eventually come off just stick with it. I know there is a lot of back and forth on here about how much you should lose a week and I have read that up to 3 pounds a week is ok and then I've read no more than 2 pounds per week, I really think that it depends on how you were eating before you started dieting and exercising. For example a freshman in college can easily gain 30-40 the first year they are out of there parents house by eating nothing but junk and eating up to 4000 calories a day so if that person decides to lose weight and cuts down to a 1500 calorie a day diet plus exercise they might lose 5 pounds a week for a couple of weeks until their body realizes that it doesn't need 4000 calories a day. Like I said before I AM NOT AN EXPERT but this is how I look at things....Don't be mean people that is just my logic.

Soccermavrick · May 2014

Honestly, I think you are setting the bar pretty high. 2.5 lbs a week? Average weight loss is a pound a week. Yes, TV shows like the Biggest Loser make it look easy, but these are people exercise hours and hours Everyday, in a closed environment. And if you do not think it is "Closed" how do most of them do the week of the home visit. No loss??

A) losing weight is 60-80% diet, and 20 to 40% activity. (I give a range because you will hear this range differ from person to person.) So are you changing your diet? Though starving yourself does not work either, as our bodies will out think us, and slow down if you do not eat enough.

You have said something to the extent that you do not have time to exercise. If you really want to lose, maybe you need to make time. Find a gym open 24 hours. (When my schedule gets crazy, I am known for stopping at the gym at midnight or 1am for an hour, just to do something, even if it is just to go for a jog or bike. C) Weight loss is not an over-night thing, it is to many of us a change in lifestyle.

We all have good and bad weeks. I do not always lose. So the 4 lbs. gain back can happen. Our bodies gain and lose weight throughout the day, so sometimes part of that is are you weighting in the same time and under the same circumstances. Sometimes a couple of pounds are just water weight. I wish you luck. The first twenty will be hard, since you are making changes, and starting a new routine, the second twenty though will not be much easier.

If you want different results, then you have to make changes in what you are doing.

jennk5309 · May 2014

My suggestion is this- instead of focusing on a time frame, just start and then keep going. I had times when I was losing (not losing now- pregnant) where I would do EVERYTHING right and not lose an ounce in a week. Then, BAM, 4 pounds would be off literally overnight. If I'd have given up, I wouldn't have seen that loss. Progress is not usually linear, and you can't force it to fit your schedule. Just eat healthy and work out, have a moderate calorie goal and keep plodding along until you reach your goal. Then keep it up for the rest of your life.

Can I lose 20lbs in 2 months..? 40 in 4?

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