Can I lose 12 lbs in 39 days?

Possible... yes. But understand the initial weight will probably be water. The rest will be determined by your diet. You have over 50lbs to lose, so 1.5lbs - 2lbs per week can be achieved (so maybe 10lbs). but.... Don't set yourself up to fail - that will cause discouragement. I'd suggest aim for 8-10lbs in 39 days. If you lose more - Bonus!!

The worst thing anyone can do is make weight deadlines....Having goals is one thing but putting a timeframe on it will only lead to disappointment..

I have to ask why you're in such a rush.

Don't you want your results to stick? Because the best way to lose weight is slow and steady. This isn't a sprint, it's a marathon. You're setting yourself up for disappointment.

Slow and steady wins the race. And you'll be much more likely to KEEP it off.

You seem to put a lot of energy in numbers and deadlines. Maybe it would benefit you to relax a bit?

totally possible.....don't lower that goal if it's what you want! goals are made to push us, to drive us....if you lower it, then you're just giving yourself an excuse not to succeed. at the same time, if you aim for 12 and only get 8, be happy! also remember it isn't always about the scale....i've been working out and eating healthy for 3 weeks straight, totally dedicated, and have lost 2lbs. and about 4 inches, and my jiggle isn't so jiggly......5lbs of fat takes up way more space than 5lbs of muscle. work for it sister, you got this.

Terrible advice! Any amount loss will be a success!! Aiming too high (an unhealthy amount) is setting a person up for failure and in the weighloss world that causes discouragement and the feeling they can't do it which then causes them to quit. Yes goals are great, but be realistic about them!!!

Okay not ALL terrible... you're right - scale is not the tell all of success. Pictures and measurements are a better indicator as the scale can fluctuate greatly day to day and should be a mere guideline.

totally possible.....don't lower that goal if it's what you want! goals are made to push us, to drive us....if you lower it, then you're just giving yourself an excuse not to succeed. at the same time, if you aim for 12 and only get 8, be happy! also remember it isn't always about the scale....i've been working out and eating healthy for 3 weeks straight, totally dedicated, and have lost 2lbs. and about 4 inches, and my jiggle isn't so jiggly......5lbs of fat takes up way more space than 5lbs of muscle. work for it sister, you got this.

So, given that I am 5'6" and weigh 195 with at BF% of 24, can I lose 80 pounds in 48days?


When do you start to say the goals are not realistic? What if you push yourself to a point that your goals are unhealthy, and may drive you to an anorexic, or bulimic condition? I think this line of reasoning is crap.

Goals should be realistic, and you should not have to resort to unhealthy practices to meet them. Have patience OP. Take is lsow and steady, and you should be able to lose the weight you want, and elminate the rebound effect from quitting after you disappoint yourself when things don't work out the way you plan.

totally possible.....don't lower that goal if it's what you want! goals are made to push us, to drive us....if you lower it, then you're just giving yourself an excuse not to succeed. at the same time, if you aim for 12 and only get 8, be happy! also remember it isn't always about the scale....i've been working out and eating healthy for 3 weeks straight, totally dedicated, and have lost 2lbs. and about 4 inches, and my jiggle isn't so jiggly......5lbs of fat takes up way more space than 5lbs of muscle. work for it sister, you got this.

So, given that I am 5'6" and weigh 195 with at BF% of 24, can I lose 80 pounds in 48days?


When do you start to say the goals are not realistic? What if you push yourself to a point that your goals are unhealthy, and may drive you to an anorexic, or bulimic condition? I think this line of reasoning is crap.

Goals should be realistic, and you should not have to resort to unhealthy practices to meet them. Have patience OP. Take is lsow and steady, and you should be able to lose the weight you want, and elminate the rebound effect from quitting after you disappoint yourself when things don't work out the way you plan.

the point was that if you say "i'll never do that", then you never will. set a goal and aim for it, but be realistic in the fact that you may fail. we all learn from failure, it pushes us to try harder. never did i insinuate that anyone should starve themselves or do it in an unhealthy manner. but anything is possible. you may lose 10 one month and 2 the next....everyone is different. simply saying that if that's her goal then aim for it but be happy with any results, any loss or change is a win...