Is it possible/safe to lose 15 lbs in 3 weeks?

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funbun249
funbun249 Posts: 1 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am officially starting my first year of college in 25 days, and I would love to be at a more ideal weight when I get there. Is this ample time to lose this weight? (I say 3 weeks b/c there are birthdays and parties that I know I'll be having cheat foods at)
I've been trying to lose weight now for about a month, losing maybe 3-4 lbs, but I see zero difference.
My biggest concern is I have tons of shorts and jeans that I want to be able to wear again for college (size 3) and right now I'm anywhere around size 7 to 11. I have a workout regime mixed with weights and cardio consisting of 60 mins for 6 days/week, and I plan on committing to a healthy diet (probably where I've gone wrong).

Height: 5'5
Weight: 143lbs
Goal: 125lbs

So... comments? Tips? I know accelerated weight loss is frowned upon, but is 5lbs/week so bad?
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Replies

  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    No. That's a ridiculously aggressive goal, especially as you have so little to lose. Frankly, you've left it too late. Aim for a safe, sustainable loss.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    No, but because you will drop initial water weight, you can probably lose about 5-7.
  • galgenstrick
    galgenstrick Posts: 2,086 Member
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    Nope, try for 1-1.5 lbs a week, and that's moderate to aggressive.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    but is 5lbs/week so bad?

    Not only is it "bad". It's probably impossible.

    Here's why...

    Your current BMR is 1,395. Your maintenance calories are around 1700 per day.
    You need to lose 15 pounds or 52,500 calories.
    If you wanted to do that is 21 days you would need a daily calorie goal of "-800 calories".
    That's 800 calories through exercise (about 2 hours on a treadmill) AND not eat anything at all.

    Obviously this is dangerous, will kill you, and unnecessary. Sorry, you waited too long to try and lose it. It's fine, start your small deficit now and you should be good to go in about 3 1/2 months. :)
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
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    Yes it's bad. It would be extremely unhealthy. Your not even overweight by BMI standards. You would have to literally starve yourself to achieve that kind of goal.

    5 lbs per week requires a deficit of 2500 calories EVERYDAY.
    Currently your approximate TDEE (calories it would take to maintain your current weight) based on what you've said is 2219-2469.In other words, you don't even burn enough as it is to achieve that kind of deficit. It's pretty much impossible without doing something that could land you in the hospital and even cause permanent damage.


  • ogmomma2012
    ogmomma2012 Posts: 1,520 Member
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    You do not weigh enough for that to be possible. Even when my hair was falling out and my fingernails stopped growing, the most I've lost in a month is 12lbs. And I started out MUUUUUCH heavier than you. Why not just commit to taking care of yourself through college. I'm sure they've got a gym.
  • ohmscheeks
    ohmscheeks Posts: 840 Member
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    No, not going to happen. Accept it! But, still make the changes. Some weight loss is better than nothing. :)
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
    edited July 2015
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    I won't call it bad, but it's highly unlikely. Even if you ate absolutely nothing, you probably wouldn't lose fifteen pounds in three weeks.

    Eat right and exercise. It will come off. It's healthy. You can lose a few pounds in a very healthy way. So do that. Be smart. :)

    Take a Nutrition class. :)
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
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    Kalikel wrote: »
    I won't call it bad, but it's highly unlikely. Even if you ate absolutely nothing, you probably wouldn't lose fifteen pounds in three weeks.

    Eat right and exercise. It will come off. It's healthy. You can lose a few pounds in a very healthy way. So do that. Be smart. :)

    Take a Nutrition class. :)

    Agreed. If you ate NOTHING AT ALL (and didn't pass out and land in the hospital), you couldn't lose this weight. Especially since it's all you have to lose. Is this for real?
  • misskarne
    misskarne Posts: 1,765 Member
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    Drat those surprise college start dates that no-one ever knows are coming and can't possibly plan for in advance!
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
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    misskarne wrote: »
    Drat those surprise college start dates that no-one ever knows are coming and can't possibly plan for in advance!

    Shame on them for not giving advance notice!
  • raimac123
    raimac123 Posts: 8 Member
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    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    No, but because you will drop initial water weight, you can probably lose about 5-7.

    THIS. I would say you can lose about 6-10 pounds in this time. That's only if you are coming off of eating not so well and very little exercise. In other words, if you have not been working our or eating very well and you start now there will probably a sort of whoosh of weight loss, mostly water. This could be anywhere from 1, 2, 3, or maybe even 6 or 7 pounds in a week or so!
    In terms of fat, losing about 1-2% of your body weight per week is ideal. So about 5pounds of water + 2 pounds per week would give you about 11 pounds MAX. Also be warned that the water weight will be the first thing to show up when u stray from your diet, causing weight fluctuations.
  • dolliesdaughter
    dolliesdaughter Posts: 544 Member
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    misskarne wrote: »
    Drat those surprise college start dates that no-one ever knows are coming and can't possibly plan for in advance!

    I agree.
  • emdeesea
    emdeesea Posts: 1,823 Member
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    You should have started this a few months ago. No, you can't lose 15 pounds in 3 weeks. Plan ahead next time.
  • robspot
    robspot Posts: 130 Member
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    So you've been trying to lose weight for a month and managed 3-4 lbs and now you think you can lose 15 lbs in 3 weeks? Can you spot the flaw in your logic?

    You've also said you've got birthdays and parties coming up where you will eat cheat foods so I would say you'll probably lose even less than the 3-4 lbs previously.

    Go and buy some bigger clothes that fit you and you feel comfortable in. College should be a fun time, don't spend the first few weeks agonising over weight issues. Keep your exercise going, try and eat as well as you can (parties aside!) and you can really kick things into action once you've settled in.
  • PinkDeerBoy
    PinkDeerBoy Posts: 89 Member
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    I don't see it realistically happening when you have so little to lose and are already a healthy weight for your height. Don't let that stop you from try to lose a little bit of weight if you really want to. It might help you make better eating choices once school starts. Just set proper goals. You probably shouldn't aim to lose more than .5lbs a week.
  • ExRelaySprinter
    ExRelaySprinter Posts: 874 Member
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    funbun249 wrote: »
    I am officially starting my first year of college in 25 days, and I would love to be at a more ideal weight when I get there. Is this ample time to lose this weight? (I say 3 weeks b/c there are birthdays and parties that I know I'll be having cheat foods at)
    I've been trying to lose weight now for about a month, losing maybe 3-4 lbs, but I see zero difference.
    My biggest concern is I have tons of shorts and jeans that I want to be able to wear again for college (size 3) and right now I'm anywhere around size 7 to 11. I have a workout regime mixed with weights and cardio consisting of 60 mins for 6 days/week, and I plan on committing to a healthy diet (probably where I've gone wrong).

    Height: 5'5
    Weight: 143lbs
    Goal: 125lbs

    So... comments? Tips? I know accelerated weight loss is frowned upon, but is 5lbs/week so bad?

    No way Babes.
    My partner is a 5ft 11, 230 pound Guy and it took him 6 weeks to lose 15lbs!
    As others have said, it just ain't gonna happen.
    You're at a decent weight for your height anyway.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    At your weight, you shouldn't aim for more than 1.2 lbs per week. If you were very obese, then yeah, 5 lbs per week would be doable and might even be safe. At the weight you are, losing that much per week would require the lose of a significant amount of lean body mass, because your body can't process 5 lbs of fat in a week.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    OP as others have said, this is not realistic nor particularly healthy.

    Starting college is going to be filled with a number of stressful things - challenging classes, living away from home first time if you are staying on campus, new social situations, etc. Many people gain some weight their first year of college (Freshman 15) and with your question here which already shows that you have some unrealistic expectations, I would focus on getting into a routine of healthy eating, figuring out how many calories you need on a daily basis, starting to exercise, etc so that these habits continue after school starts. You may not lose the 15 lbs in 3 weeks but you'll be on a good track to sustain healthy habits, lose at a realistic 0.5-1 lb/week, and in 3 months all those girls who didn't have a plan will be wondering why their jeans don't fit anymore...

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