Realistic to lose 50 lbs in 5 months?

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!

Yes, it's possible.
I've lost 50+ pounds in 2015. However, I am 6'3" tall and started at 286 pounds.

I've lost 153 pounds in 15 months. So for some people it is realistic.

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.

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!

fitjerseygirl wrote: »

I think everyone is right - I feel better already setting a goal at 30 and not 50.

I so don't want to be a debbie-downer, but even the 30 may not be entirely realistic, but I definitely agree that you should make this commitment and do your best! I would recommend eating a bit more, but I know you're looking for aggressive loss, so I'll stfu.

The reason I say 30 lbs may even be too much is because most places do your final fitting for your dress at least 6 weeks prior to your wedding, and then really, you'd rather maintain otherwise your dress may not fit properly.

The reality is, while you'd like to look your best for the wedding, you should look your reasonable best. You're going to look gorgeous whether you're 228, 175, or 130 on your wedding day.

A good friend of mine was married two summers ago at about the half way point of her weight loss journey and was incredibly frustrated that she hadn't hit her goal in time. So, her perfectly awesome hubby suggested that they do 1 year anniversary pictures in the their wedding attire -- a major dress renovation later, she's still got all her amazing wedding pictures plus the ones she and hubby did for their anniversary. Maybe an idea you could use?

dalem48 wrote: »

I've lost 153 pounds in 15 months. So for some people it is realistic.

Yes. If you have 153 pounds to lose it is realistic. If you have half that to lose, it is not.

Here for the people that are saying "no it's not possible." or my personal favorite, "no losing 2 pounds a week is too aggressive".

Yes it is possible. I lost 50 pounds in 4 and a half months with CICO. I'm not starving, dying, miserable, or weak. I eat on an average day 1400-1500 calories and exercise 4-5x a week. So it is do-able.

That's what I'm trying for, for a cruise on 9/27. Depends on your starting weight. I've lost 11 lbs. in 7 days. But, I'm pretty heavy starting out.

jazmin220 wrote: »

Here for the people that are saying "no it's not possible." or my personal favorite, "no losing 2 pounds a week is too aggressive".

Yes it is possible. I lost 50 pounds in 4 and a half months with CICO. I'm not starving, dying, miserable, or weak. I eat on an average day 1400-1500 calories and exercise 4-5x a week. So it is do-able.

I think the majority of people aren't saying that it's not possible, but at the same time, it's not entirely realistic. That's a huge daily deficit to create when the OP has already said that exercise is an issue for her - both in physical ability and time management.

Add in the stress associated with last minute wedding plans and the food related events close to the wedding (cake and dinner taste testing menus, potentially a wedding shower, celebratory dinners and drinks with friends leading up the event, a bachelorette party, etc).

I'd rather commend someone for the effort they want to put in, but acknowledge that the reality is they may not meet that goal in that period of time. It doesn't mean you can't try, but it's not worth worrying about on your wedding day (or at any of the hopefully once in a life time events leading up to it).

azulvioleta6 wrote: »

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.

That's a ridiculous assertion. There are confounding factors you're not taking into account.

So, I posted a picture earlier...and then realized I am wearing the same shirt today as I was in my 'before' picture lol
Early February to 15 minutes ago.

mamapeach910 wrote: »

azulvioleta6 wrote: »

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.

That's a ridiculous assertion. There are confounding factors you're not taking into account.

I just think the idea that people barely raise their heart rates on either piece of equipment is absurd. It all depends on the person and what they're doing.

Sure, I see some cardio bunnies barely doing anything on the elliptical, and there are others REALLY pushing it who must have their resistance turned up and are going at a good clip. They're drenched with sweat.

As for walking? I can get my heart rate up walking, just by challenging myself to walk fast. I'll work in some speed or incline intervals. I'm also old (52) and sedentary outside of the gym.

There's this one guy in my gym, he speed walks on the treadmill. You should see the sweat pouring off him.

ceoverturf wrote: »

Possible, yes. Realistic? Probably not.

You can probably lose 6-8 lbs a month now, but it will likely slow down as you approach your goal.

THIS. Also, with that kind of loss, unless your genetics are really good, you're more than likely to lose a good amount of lean muscle too.
What you lose for weight does matter. It's gonna be water, fat and lean tissue. You want to keep the lean tissue. Extreme deficits can cause lean tissue to be lost at a higher rate.

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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition