Realistic to lose 50 lbs in 5 months?

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  • Nuke_64
    Nuke_64 Posts: 406 Member
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    fitjerseygirl wrote: »
    . I just can't keep up that lifestyle (low cal/working out) forever. I need to adjust/find something that I can do forever.

    If you follow what many have done here, that is not something you need to do forever. 1200 with no exercise is fine for your current weight, but as you loose more, you should slow down your loss and eat more. Also, you should eat more calories if you exercise. You may find you can loose 1-2 lbs a week eating 1500 calories a day or more, and then maintain your weight eating around 2000 after achieving your goal.


  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Probably not realistic, losing weight isn't as linear of a process as people like to think.

    Definitely this. For perspective, I started out at 202.5 on 1/2/14 (I'm 5'6" like you btw, OP.) From 1/2/14 to 4/27/14 I lost 30 pounds. From 4/27/14 to 4/25/15 I lost another 25 pounds. So the first 4 months were at about 2 pounds per week and then the next 52 weeks were .5 pounds per week. And it wasn't a steady decline. There were weeks when my weight was down, up, and steady, all along the way.
  • deniztuzu2
    deniztuzu2 Posts: 77 Member
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    I have lost 68 lbs in 5 months.
  • seansquared
    seansquared Posts: 328 Member
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    deniztuzu2 wrote: »
    I have lost 68 lbs in 5 months.

    You're male. We have it easier when it comes to weight loss.

  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    fitjerseygirl wrote: »
    Thanks everyone. Yes, I would be happy with 25-30 lbs - anything to look a bit trimmer in my wedding pics!!

    I am curious about trying to lose weight without exercise. I have lost a considerable amount of weight in the past (70+ lbs) and always did it with diet and exercise - usually around 1,200 calories per day and a half hour on the elliptical plus walking about 30 mins per day. I found the weight came off at first, but over time not as much. I wonder if I was stressing my body too much?

    I am going to experiment this week and next with eating around 1250 calories and just getting 'normal' exercise (I work in a city so have to walk around a lot) and see what happens.

    And yes, I have found it SO HARD to keep off. I lost 75 lbs in my 20s and then again about 2 years ago - and have put it back on TWICE. I just can't keep up that lifestyle (low cal/working out) forever. I need to adjust/find something that I can do forever.

    Thanks again!
    Have you given any thought to strength training in addition to a light amount of cardio? I started doing that last year and have had amazing results. I've not lost much weight but I'm definitely smaller and firmer everywhere.
  • peachyfuzzle
    peachyfuzzle Posts: 1,122 Member
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    seansquared wrote: »
    deniztuzu2 wrote: »
    I have lost 68 lbs in 5 months.

    You're male. We have it easier when it comes to weight loss.

    And also likely heavier/taller.

  • BZAH10
    BZAH10 Posts: 5,709 Member
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    fitjerseygirl wrote: »
    I think everyone is right - I feel better already setting a goal at 30 and not 50.

    That is probably a better number goal, however, I think the most important goal is finding a plan you CAN stick to long term. Will you stop this current plan after the wedding? I'm not judging. That's up to you, but it seems to me that if you start a reasonable plan now that you can keep up with you won't have to keep yo-yoing up and down. Over time, that can get unhealthy and result in loose skin. Good luck and congrats on the upcoming wedding!
  • seansquared
    seansquared Posts: 328 Member
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    chadboyer64 wrote: »
    1200 with no exercise is fine for your current weight

    Without knowing her bodyfat percentage we have no clue if it is fine or not.

    For a 228lbs human at an estimated 30% BF (guessing based on "not being at fighting weight") who is sedentary we're looking at a maintenance of roughly 2320 Calories daily. This means she's looking at 1820 Cals per day at a 500 Cal deficit (roughly -1lb fat per week), or a minimum 1570 per day at a 750 Cal deficit (roughly -1.5lbs fat per week).

    Without knowing sodium intake but assuming an average American lifestyle (given the weight gain of +50), cutting that down could help shed water (from retention) as well.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    barneygood wrote: »
    I think you can probably lose 20-35lbs. I think 50lbs is pushing it, but you can definitely make good progress!

    This. You might lose more, but no need to set yourself up for failure or feel compelled to do something non sustainable. You can lose enough to make a significant difference in how you look and feel, so no reason not to get started.
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,196 Member
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    fitjerseygirl wrote: »
    Thanks everyone. Yes, I would be happy with 25-30 lbs - anything to look a bit trimmer in my wedding pics!!

    I am curious about trying to lose weight without exercise. I have lost a considerable amount of weight in the past (70+ lbs) and always did it with diet and exercise - usually around 1,200 calories per day and a half hour on the elliptical plus walking about 30 mins per day. I found the weight came off at first, but over time not as much. I wonder if I was stressing my body too much?

    I am going to experiment this week and next with eating around 1250 calories and just getting 'normal' exercise (I work in a city so have to walk around a lot) and see what happens.

    And yes, I have found it SO HARD to keep off. I lost 75 lbs in my 20s and then again about 2 years ago - and have put it back on TWICE. I just can't keep up that lifestyle (low cal/working out) forever. I need to adjust/find something that I can do forever.

    Thanks again!

    I wonder if, for you, the solution might be to eat a bit more and to lift weights.

    30 minutes of walking and 30 minutes of elliptical is certainly NOT stressing your body too much--you are barely getting your heart rate up doing those things and you are probably still not even over 10,000 steps for the day. Experiment to see what works for your body, but you may find that you need to do more intense exercise to see the kind of loss and maintenance that you are looking for.
  • NJbabe
    NJbabe Posts: 113 Member
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    Of course you can lose 50 lbs. by October... if you eat right and exercise. You have 150 days or roughly 21 weeks until then. If you lose 2 lbs. per week from your calorie intake deficit (eating less food), that's 42 lbs. alone.

    Estimate your TDEE and see what your weekly calorie intake deficit would look like at 1,200 calories. Then see how that translates into weekly fat loss (3,500 calories = approx. 1 lbs. of fat.)

    Add in some cardio and strength training 5 times a week. You can also attend a bridal "boot camp" workout. They usually last between 6 and 12 weeks.

    Good luck! ;)
  • fitjerseygirl
    fitjerseygirl Posts: 76 Member
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    Thanks for the bridal bootcamp tip!
  • TheLegendaryBrandonHarris
    TheLegendaryBrandonHarris Posts: 502 Member
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    Yes, it's possible.
    I've lost 50+ pounds in 2015. However, I am 6'3" tall and started at 286 pounds.
  • lizzocat
    lizzocat Posts: 356 Member
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    I have to disagree with everyone, I think it's realistic to lose 8-10 pounds a month when your starting weight is 228 at 5'6 (with a bmi that is almost 70 pounds to a healthy bmi) if you stay focused. Is 30 pounds a better goal? Yes, and you won't drive yourself crazy, but 40 -50 pounds isn't obscenely high of a goal either.
  • dalem48
    dalem48 Posts: 86 Member
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    I've lost 153 pounds in 15 months. So for some people it is realistic.
  • minties82
    minties82 Posts: 907 Member
    edited May 2015
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    I'm sure it's possible. I lose about 3lbs a week on 1350kcal and do low carb. I have lost 29kg since Jan 4th.
  • ylsportsmom
    ylsportsmom Posts: 3 Member
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    I take Herbalife and have had great success using the products and hitting the gym at least 4 times a week. I've averaged almost 10lbs a month. 3.5 months in and I'm down 34+lbs. I think it would be possible to get to your goal or really close to it if you get very dedicated. I keep my calories at 1,200 and try to go under each day or if I get to the gym that day then still staying under the goal of 1.200 when including my calories burnt at the gym.
  • amandabullock120
    amandabullock120 Posts: 110 Member
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    I think you should be eating more than 1200 cals. You will plateau so quickly because you are not feeding your metabolism. Track what you would normally eat in a week, then minus 500 cals. This way, you will be able to maintain your weight loss. Then when you hit a plateau, you have some cals to reduce. Set realistic goals! What you see on tv is not realistic. They lose 50+ lbs in such a short amount of time because they workout 3-4 hrs a day.
    Good luck!!
  • AmAnDuh77
    AmAnDuh77 Posts: 20 Member
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    It's realistic if you choose to cut your cals to the bare minimum... however, seems a bit stressful to put that much pressure on yourself on top of planning a wedding. I started out running and have since found weights and LOVE lifting and see much better results and loss by doing so. Make this a life style change, not just a "diet" b/c diets do end!
  • SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage
    SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage Posts: 2,671 Member
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    Possible? Yes. Probably not the best idea though.

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