Realistic to lose 50 lbs in 5 months?
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Haha, sorry, I didn't make the "Burger GOOD" face!0
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A lot of healthy advice up in here. Definitely pay attention to what you're eating but don't restrict so much that you feel like giving up and get some sort of strength exercise in along with your walking. It can just be at home if you don't have time for the gym. jillian michael's dvds, bodyweight books or youtube videos, anything like that.. Good luck
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I never understand the naysayers...yes, you absolutely can lose 50lbs in 5 months. It will be hard work, you will need to walk/run a LOT and control your calories. 1250 calorie daily deficit is not an earth shattering deficit like some seem to think. I regularly burn around 3000 cal/day including my BMR (or more). I keep my calories set to 1500. I lose between 2-3lbs per week (I am 5'5" 212lbs). For the week of your wedding, I'd probably lower your carbs to ditch some water weight if that specific number on that specific day means that much to you.
Its a LOT of work...I walk 90 minutes every morning and walk another 90-120 minutes at night OR run for an hour. I have 4 kids, my own business to run, homeschool, and have NO idea how I find the time to walk/run this much but so far, so good. I am looking forward to 'moderate' exercise some day as opposed to 'always exercising' these days.0 -
Don't let the Debbie downers on here stop you. I say go for it. What's the worst thing that happens? You lose 30lbs instead of 50? Well, damn, 30lbs is still freaking awesome.
1200 might be too aggressive (it's hard to maintain), but I'd bet you'd still see great losses on 1500-1700 and be more likely to keep it up for the whole 5 months. Also, ditto to whoever suggested weight training for your overall physique and inches.
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mamapeach910 wrote: »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.
Interesting. Even if I am walking FAST (13 minute mile) my heart rate never goes above 55-60 BPM.
Your starting fitness level does make a big difference. For me, walking is great, but it doesn't help much with weight loss.
I very much have an anti-elliptical bias. In every gym I've ever belonged to, the skinny-fat women who spend the most time on the elliptical are also the ones who can't even begin to keep up in fitness classes. If you are starting at completely sedentary, it's fine, but it's one of those things that seems to have diminishing returns for a lot of people. Half an hour every day is probably not the best use of time.
YMMV0 -
mamapeach910 wrote: »
There's this one guy in my gym, he speed walks on the treadmill. You should see the sweat pouring off him.
How much you sweat is not an indicator of anything. Some people sweat profusely at the drop of a hat, some people never do.0 -
azulvioleta6 wrote: »mamapeach910 wrote: »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.
Interesting. Even if I am walking FAST (13 minute mile) my heart rate never goes above 55-60 BPM.
Your starting fitness level does make a big difference. For me, walking is great, but it doesn't help much with weight loss.
I very much have an anti-elliptical bias. In every gym I've ever belonged to, the skinny-fat women who spend the most time on the elliptical are also the ones who can't even begin to keep up in fitness classes. If you are starting at completely sedentary, it's fine, but it's one of those things that seems to have diminishing returns for a lot of people. Half an hour every day is probably not the best use of time.
YMMV
Is it hard to get your heart rate up with other exercises as well?
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Rather than focus on the number on the scale, if you want the best results for pictures id say try strength exercises and less cardio. I do 20 mins of calisthenics and 12 mins of hiit cardio but you could up the amount of body weight moves and do say half an hour vigorous walking.
I'm currently at the tail end of my goal (around 15 more lbs to go) and I've noticed awesome results from upping my strength training and reducing my cardio.
If you go this route though, I would up your caloric intake a bit to help keep as much lean muscle as possible and definitely get enough Cals from protein. Good luck!0 -
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Don't let the Debbie downers on here stop you. I say go for it. What's the worst thing that happens? You lose 30lbs instead of 50? Well, damn, 30lbs is still freaking awesome.
1200 might be too aggressive (it's hard to maintain), but I'd bet you'd still see great losses on 1500-1700 and be more likely to keep it up for the whole 5 months. Also, ditto to whoever suggested weight training for your overall physique and inches.
How about she orders a wedding dress that's made for a 50 lb smaller person and is then up *kitten* creek when she only loses 30 lbs?0 -
Don't let the Debbie downers on here stop you. I say go for it. What's the worst thing that happens? You lose 30lbs instead of 50? Well, damn, 30lbs is still freaking awesome.
1200 might be too aggressive (it's hard to maintain), but I'd bet you'd still see great losses on 1500-1700 and be more likely to keep it up for the whole 5 months. Also, ditto to whoever suggested weight training for your overall physique and inches.
How about she orders a wedding dress that's made for a 50 lb smaller person and is then up *kitten* creek when she only loses 30 lbs?
debbie downer!!
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Congratulations on committing to such a goal! Here is the bottom line, no matter where you "land" on your wedding day, you will NEVER regret embarking on the journey! Like the quote I love to use so much "I really regret eating healthy today" - said no one, EVER.
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I've lost 50.8 pounds and will hit my 5 month mark next week.
I stuck to 1200 calories for the first three months and now I eat about 1300-1500 a day. I walk about an hour each day. Is it fun? No, but neither is being fat.0 -
Don't let the Debbie downers on here stop you. I say go for it. What's the worst thing that happens? You lose 30lbs instead of 50? Well, damn, 30lbs is still freaking awesome.
1200 might be too aggressive (it's hard to maintain), but I'd bet you'd still see great losses on 1500-1700 and be more likely to keep it up for the whole 5 months. Also, ditto to whoever suggested weight training for your overall physique and inches.
The funny thing is that's what most of the rest of us were saying too. My concern is that if you set your heart on losing 50 --which is a long shot at best, even before the stress and no exercise bit -- and lose 7 the first month, a fabulous result, some would get discouraged. I see people all the time posting that they want to give up and stuff their faces because they are only doing 1 lb a week, which is totally fine. So rather than focus on some longshot goal, why not just do your best at a sustainable diet that will ultimately get you to your goal and be really happy with losing 30 or whatever it is. And if you happen to lose more, great. When I started I aimed at 2 lb/week and lost more for a while. It's not like you will lose less because you didn't set your heart on 10 lbs/month for 5 months.
That people think saying this is discouragement seems weird to me.0 -
Well I now only have 33 pounds left and am still steadily losing 10# a month, which is what i was losing at when I has 100+ pounds to lose.0 -
girlviernes wrote: »Don't let the Debbie downers on here stop you. I say go for it. What's the worst thing that happens? You lose 30lbs instead of 50? Well, damn, 30lbs is still freaking awesome.
1200 might be too aggressive (it's hard to maintain), but I'd bet you'd still see great losses on 1500-1700 and be more likely to keep it up for the whole 5 months. Also, ditto to whoever suggested weight training for your overall physique and inches.
How about she orders a wedding dress that's made for a 50 lb smaller person and is then up *kitten* creek when she only loses 30 lbs?
debbie downer!!
Lol. You say debbie downer, I say practical. It's a lot easier to take in a dress than to make it bigger. Not to mention it would feel better psychologically for it to fit right or be a bit big before alterations rather than be too small.0 -
Don't let the Debbie downers on here stop you. I say go for it. What's the worst thing that happens? You lose 30lbs instead of 50? Well, damn, 30lbs is still freaking awesome.
1200 might be too aggressive (it's hard to maintain), but I'd bet you'd still see great losses on 1500-1700 and be more likely to keep it up for the whole 5 months. Also, ditto to whoever suggested weight training for your overall physique and inches.
This!!!0 -
girlviernes wrote: »Don't let the Debbie downers on here stop you. I say go for it. What's the worst thing that happens? You lose 30lbs instead of 50? Well, damn, 30lbs is still freaking awesome.
1200 might be too aggressive (it's hard to maintain), but I'd bet you'd still see great losses on 1500-1700 and be more likely to keep it up for the whole 5 months. Also, ditto to whoever suggested weight training for your overall physique and inches.
How about she orders a wedding dress that's made for a 50 lb smaller person and is then up *kitten* creek when she only loses 30 lbs?
debbie downer!!
Lol. You say debbie downer, I say practical. It's a lot easier to take in a dress than to make it bigger. Not to mention it would feel better psychologically for it to fit right or be a bit big before alterations rather than be too small.
The winky smiley is supposed to convey that I'm joking
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Can it be done? Yes. Is it going to be easy? No. When I started MFP I consistently lost 10+ lbs every month. Of course I had a lot to lose. I got down 115 lbs, and then put some of it back on. I recommitted myself in March and I've lost 23 of those relapse pounds in 55 days. I'm 5'5" 48 and 206, so it is possible.
However I exercise a lot. 60 minutes on a stationary bike every morning (450+ calorie burn from my HRM). Then 2 to 3 times a week I do weights. I recently started the c25k program which I do on my non-weight days. Basically I do double workouts 5 days a week, and then on the weekends it is usually a lot of walking. I burn around 2700 calories per day and eat 1500. It takes a lot of time and energy.
Personally, I'm not a fan of setting a specific weight goal in a specific amount of time. I think it is more important to set two daily goals - exercise at least 30 minutes per day and eat within calorie limits. If you do those two things the weight will come off.
You need to commit yourself to doing the best you can in the time you have. If you make 50 lbs lost, wonderful. If you make 40 lbs or 30 lbs you will still be happier and healthier than if you do nothing.0 -
girlviernes wrote: »girlviernes wrote: »Don't let the Debbie downers on here stop you. I say go for it. What's the worst thing that happens? You lose 30lbs instead of 50? Well, damn, 30lbs is still freaking awesome.
1200 might be too aggressive (it's hard to maintain), but I'd bet you'd still see great losses on 1500-1700 and be more likely to keep it up for the whole 5 months. Also, ditto to whoever suggested weight training for your overall physique and inches.
How about she orders a wedding dress that's made for a 50 lb smaller person and is then up *kitten* creek when she only loses 30 lbs?
debbie downer!!
Lol. You say debbie downer, I say practical. It's a lot easier to take in a dress than to make it bigger. Not to mention it would feel better psychologically for it to fit right or be a bit big before alterations rather than be too small.
The winky smiley is supposed to convey that I'm joking
Oh I know0 -
Ugh. I don't know what happened to my message there. Anyway, I was saying I figured you were joking but thought I'd elaborate for the inevitable "but a too big dress would need alterations too" commenter.0
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I've lost 46 pounds since January 1st, it is within reach if you can eat right/light strength train/cardio 6-10 hours a week. The margin for error is very slim/In other words I can count on one hand the days I have been over in calories.0
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scubasuenc wrote: »Personally, I'm not a fan of setting a specific weight goal in a specific amount of time. I think it is more important to set two daily goals - exercise at least 30 minutes per day and eat within calorie limits. If you do those two things the weight will come off.
Yeah, I think most people do much better focusing on process goals like that.
I don't know why a certain percentage of posters get all upset when anyone suggests that a goal isn't realistic or a good idea--"oh yes, you totally can lose 5 lb/week!"
Maybe because I haven't been a lifelong dieter I don't really have my finger on the pulse of this aspect of dieting culture, but it reminds me of the posters that seem to think it's mean to question any crazy fad diet or not to encourage doing it (no, I totally think the cabbage soup diet is for you!), and who insist that someone who isn't losing is probably gaining muscle because she's been walking a lot.
I don't think that kind of thing is helpful.
NONE of this is directed toward OP, who seemed to me to have a perfectly sensible attitude.
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azulvioleta6 wrote: »mamapeach910 wrote: »
There's this one guy in my gym, he speed walks on the treadmill. You should see the sweat pouring off him.
How much you sweat is not an indicator of anything. Some people sweat profusely at the drop of a hat, some people never do.
Well, Mr. Sweaty is also ripped as all get out, so he's in shape.
I made my comments on you and your attitudes about other people and exercise on another thread.
Honestly, I think you presume and judge way too much.
Ellipticals can be hard or easy depending on how you set them.
Since when is Zumba the benchmark of fitness?
Anyway, for the OP... it's really hard to say because you can never predict how weight loss will progress. I tend to agree with those who feel that 35-40 pounds is a more realistic number to expect. You might lose more than that, you might lose a little less. It's important to do things in a way that preserves the most lean body mass and doesn't compromise your health.
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I'm getting married Oct 5 - yay us. I started at 174. I'm currently trying to lose at least 20 pounds before my wedding (but 30 pounds would be even better!). Last year I got a herniated disc and pulled out my back, which caused me to be almost completely inactive and put on a bunch of weight. I was even higher than 174 at one point but I don't know because I didn't have the heart to weigh myself. I started eating better (and moving more) and lost some weight but I was kinda stuck at 174. I thought it might be a thyroid issue, so I went to do some blood work and the doctor said I might be insulin resistant - yikes - so I'm really trying to step up my weight gain and lose the weight.
I've been doing the 1200 calorie thing. I try to limit my carbs but not go completely too low because I know that's not sustainable (for me at least). I aim for 100g of carbs a day and 100g of protein. I don't watch my fat too much, but I do try to avoid fattier meats because I find they leave me hungry.
Because of my back I'm doing super low-impact stuff because I don't want to pull it out. So, I just do 30 min brisk walks for the moment. I used to be able to do hour or two hour walks easily before, but now I can only do about 30 min before my back starts hurting. It sucks, but at least it's something. I'm sure I could try more high-impact stuff but I really don't want to chance it.. at least not before the wedding.
I know 1200 calories might be low, but since I'm being kind of inactive I'm thinking it's not too terrible. I try to eat small meals throughout the day and my diary is open to friends so II try to be open book. I've found that eating out is pretty much impossible though on 1200 calories, so that's the tricky part 0 -
No cheat days, no soda, limited artificial sweateners & watch carb fat protein macronutrients (around 40,20,40 % is good) and only use heather fats avocado, almonds etc ...I have lost 40 lbs in 3 months so yes it's possible especially if u have recently gained the weight.0
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And at least 30 minutes cardio a day plus 30 minutes strength training0
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fitjerseygirl wrote: »I am getting married on October 10th (yay!) and I really want to get back to my "fighting weight" which was (sigh) about 50 lbs ago. I used MFP with a lot of success in the past along with running multiple times a week - but life changes, stress and injury got me sidetracked. Now, I don't have the time or ability (knee and ankle issues) to run like I used to - so, I want to know is it possible for me to lose 50 lbs in 5 months?
I am 37, female, 5'6" and currently around 228 lbs. I do a good bit of walking everyday and I am aiming to keep my calories at around 1,200.
Thanks!
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fitjerseygirl wrote: »I am getting married on October 10th (yay!) and I really want to get back to my "fighting weight" which was (sigh) about 50 lbs ago. I used MFP with a lot of success in the past along with running multiple times a week - but life changes, stress and injury got me sidetracked. Now, I don't have the time or ability (knee and ankle issues) to run like I used to - so, I want to know is it possible for me to lose 50 lbs in 5 months?
I am 37, female, 5'6" and currently around 228 lbs. I do a good bit of walking everyday and I am aiming to keep my calories at around 1,200.
Thanks!
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. I think it is possible with discipline diet and work out. Aim for 2.5 lbs to 3 lbs per week - lots of veggies and natural sugar only. Cut the salt and use Mrs Dash instead. 30 mins of cardio with weight training for at least 30 mins. I would recommend this 5 times a week.
Is it possible - yes. Is it realistic - no. It is all up to you and your dedication to your goal.
Congratulations once again!0
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