Can I Lose 80 lbs. in 9 weeks?

Hi everyone,

To begin, my name is Jessica and I am 20 years old. I'm 5'6", and currently weigh 198.5 lbs.

I'm in college, and I've gained a lot of weight since high school. Bad dieting, sleep schedule, not enough exercise, the usual effects of being lazy.

I used to weigh around 160 in 2011, (junior year hs) but I tipped the scale at 202.4 on August 10, 2015. It was time for a change.

I started the SHRED diet that day!
I've been happy with the results so far, but is it healthy? Have you (or someone you know) tried this diet?

I read online that a celebrity lost 80 lbs. in just 9 weeks. That's absolutely insane. I'm competitive and curious to see if it's actually doable.

Now, I'm not going to go crazy and not eat, or excessively workout. But I'm trying my best to lose the most weight in the least amount of time.

Let me know what you think of that celeb, this diet, etc. I want to hear your opinions!

I will update daily weight, exercise and meals.

Thank you!
Jessica
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Replies

  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
    :| No.
  • faberallison
    faberallison Posts: 45 Member
    No. Sounds incredibly dangerous!
  • missomgitsica
    missomgitsica Posts: 496 Member
    Nope.

    Best of luck with your journey, though!
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
    Well you will have to find 4444 cals a day to make up your deficit from either not eating that amount or exercise.
    Safe weight loss is 1-2lbs a week and you are suggesting just under 9lbs a week so what do you think?
  • ElleMarieRose
    ElleMarieRose Posts: 37 Member
    Nope. Not possible. And if by some chance it is, its def not safe. Took me 2 years lol
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
    jln909 wrote: »
    Hi everyone,

    To begin, my name is Jessica and I am 20 years old. I'm 5'6", and currently weigh 198.5 lbs.

    I'm in college, and I've gained a lot of weight since high school. Bad dieting, sleep schedule, not enough exercise, the usual effects of being lazy.

    I used to weigh around 160 in 2011, (junior year hs) but I tipped the scale at 202.4 on August 10, 2015. It was time for a change.

    I started the SHRED diet that day!
    I've been happy with the results so far, but is it healthy? Have you (or someone you know) tried this diet?

    I read online that a celebrity lost 80 lbs. in just 9 weeks. That's absolutely insane. I'm competitive and curious to see if it's actually doable.

    Now, I'm not going to go crazy and not eat, or excessively workout. But I'm trying my best to lose the most weight in the least amount of time.

    Let me know what you think of that celeb, this diet, etc. I want to hear your opinions!

    I will update daily weight, exercise and meals.

    Thank you!
    Jessica

    That said, I can't wait to see your updates. I want to see how long you last.

  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    No, it's not doable.

    Do you always believe what you read online? Especially connected to celebrities? ;)
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Not serious :s
  • jln909
    jln909 Posts: 17 Member
    @snickerscharlie lol There's no way I believe everything online! Like I said, it seemed insane (and unhealthy) that the guy lost that much weight so fast.
  • abatonfan
    abatonfan Posts: 1,120 Member
    Hahaha... no. I'm 5'6 and a similar age, and it took me close to 2 years to lose 80 pounds.
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
    jln909 wrote: »
    @snickerscharlie lol There's no way I believe everything online! Like I said, it seemed insane (and unhealthy) that the guy lost that much weight so fast.

    How heavy was he in the first place? care to link us to the article?
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    That would be an average weight loss of 1.3 pounds per day. Considering that the recommended safe rate for weight loss is 1-2 pounds per week, I'll go with not healthy to attempt on your own.

    Celebrities sometimes crash diet with the help of a team of doctors, dietitians, personal chef, personal trainer, etc. because their careers depend on them hitting a weight for a role. But that doesn't make it healthy to emulate.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    If my math is accurate, that's a 4444 calorie deficit PER DAY.
  • beemerphile1
    beemerphile1 Posts: 1,710 Member
    edited August 2015
    You definitely CAN lose 80 pounds in 9 weeks or even less!

    Which appendage would you like to amputate?

    I lost 125 pounds in twenty minutes. D-I-V-O-R-C-E
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    mmmm nope
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
    Wow, the threads are getting worse. 20lb in 60 days is at least realistic for some big people (starting over 200lb, and is very tough to do, I know from experience).

    80 pounds in 63 days is going to be reserved for those weighing like +800lb being whipped if they don't move.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    jln909 wrote: »
    Let me know what you think of that celeb, this diet, etc. I want to hear your opinions!

    What celeb and what diet?

    People like those on My 600 Pound Life can lose 80 pounds in two months but they are under medical supervision and have a lot of weight to lose.

    How much weight do you want to lose? Your ticker says three pounds. Was 160 a healthy weight for you?

  • jln909
    jln909 Posts: 17 Member
    You guys are too funny!
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
    Wow, the threads are getting worse. 20lb in 60 days is at least realistic for some big people (starting over 200lb, and is very tough to do, I know from experience).

    80 pounds in 63 days is going to be reserved for those weighing like +800lb being whipped if they don't move.

    I know! And then when you post that it's pretty much impossible, not healthy, etc you get called mean. I just can't with this place sometimes. giphy.gif

  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    jln909 wrote: »
    @snickerscharlie lol There's no way I believe everything online! Like I said, it seemed insane (and unhealthy) that the guy lost that much weight so fast.

    Well then, now you know. :)

    Weight loss boils down to one simple premise: Eat less, move more. Eating nothing is not a option. Rapid, unsafe weight loss wrecks havoc on your body and chances are excellent you'll regain every lb and then some when you stop doing it.

    Sustainable weight loss means making gradual changes intelligently. Changes that you can easily sustain and make a part of your life going forward.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    What the other guys said.
    You didn't put on 80 pounds in 9 weeks, and putting them on was the easy part.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    Weight loss is not constant and it's not linear. Even if it were safe to lose so much so fast it wouldn't happen in an X pounds in Y weeks fashion, anyway. You might be able to drop 10 pounds the first week but most of it would be water from the change in your diet. You may even be able to pull off losses of 4 or 5 pounds the next few weeks but as you lose weight it gets harder and harder to create the calorie deficit needed to lose weight quickly because your now-smaller mass burns fewer calories doing the same things. There are also negative side-effects of losing so much weight so quickly. Excessive muscle loss; saggy, loose skin; hair falling out; and brittle nails are just some of the things you'd have to look forward to.

    The muscle loss is the worst part of this but the part you probably won't notice. As you lose muscle, your metabolism slows slightly. That makes it harder for you to maintain your new weight and easier to put weight back on. When you do put it back on (which will invariably happen because you didn't learn to eat to maintain your lower weight while losing) it will all be fat. So then your body fat percentage will be even higher than it was before you lost the weight. Then the next time you decide to crash diet you'll lose even more muscle and the cycle will continue. Celebrity diets sell magazines, nothing else.

    Don't do this to yourself. Lose weight in a healthy manner and start weight lifting to maintain your current muscle mass. You'll be much happier with how you look once you reach your goal weight and you'll stand a decent shot of actually keeping it off.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    Anyone see The Machinist? Christian Bale lost, like, 65 lbs in 12 weeks for that, and he looked hella sexy and healthy. (please note sarcasm)
  • NatashaLP2014
    NatashaLP2014 Posts: 82 Member
    Let us math!

    80 lbs divided by 9 weeks is 8.8 pounds per week.

    A pound is 3500 calories, by 8.8 and divided by 7 days is 4444 calories deficit in a day.

    For your stats, your TDEE with 5-6 hours of strenious exercise a week is 2978 according to scooby's calculator.

    So, if you eat literally nothing and exercise a lot you will still miss the mark by approximately 26.4 pounds.

    I would say not possible. (If you cannot tell, I love math.)

    I have similar stats to you, 5'6", 205 pounds though I am older at 30. I eat 1600 cals a day, except 3-4 days a month where I eat maintainence. (because TOM sucks) I have my weight loss goal at 1 lb per week then use exercise to push it up between 1.5-2 lbs. This gives me good motivation to work out but if I don't manage it, I still lose something. I have lost 37 pounds in 4-5 months this way so far and I am not hungry, not denied my favourite things and not obsessed over reaching a certain number by a certain time.

    There is no race to the finish. Do it healthy and keep it off for the long term.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    WBB55 wrote: »
    Anyone see The Machinist? Christian Bale lost, like, 65 lbs in 12 weeks for that, and he looked hella sexy and healthy. (please note sarcasm)

    Oh I have not seen this but have been meaning to!
  • EmmaFitzwilliam
    EmmaFitzwilliam Posts: 482 Member
    Does that even sound credible to you? What was the source? The Onion? TMZ?

    For the sake of convenience, assuming burning 3500 calories will result in a one pound weight loss, one would need to burn 4444 calories more than one consumed each day for 63 days.

    (3500*80)/63

    It might be possible for someone *very* obese, and preferably on a medically supervised diet, to do so, and/or someone who is training at an extreme level, but absent exceptional circumstances, I would say, "no".

    Even assuming one could actually achieve a sustained 2 pounds/week loss (the rate I often see posited as the maximum recommended), one would need 40 weeks. Assuming that loss rate, 9 weeks would allow for 18 pounds lost.

    My actual experience so far is that in 65 weeks (roughly) I have lost 76 pounds, with another 18 to go. If I'm lucky, I'll hit my target by Thanksgiving but that's assuming the aggressive (and unlikely) 2 pounds/week rate. New Year's is probably more realistic.

    Your mileage may vary.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    My opinion is that, as a college student, you should have the minimal research and math skills necessary to determine that you cannot lose 80 pounds in 9 weeks in a safe or healthy manner.
  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
    Come on Jessica really?
    Don't you know better than this at age 20 with some higher education behind you?
    Unbelievable that you actually even wonder about this.
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
    edited August 2015
    Bale 62lbs in 16 weeks so 3.875lbs a week.
    OP 80 in 9 so 8.88lbs a week.

    Beginning of Machinist has lots of promise, Bale is a bit intense and dedicated.
  • Lizzles4Shizzles
    Lizzles4Shizzles Posts: 122 Member
    I thought this was going to be one of those sarcastic joke threads to show how ridiculous these types of posts are - but nope, it's legitimate. Anyway...

    No.
This discussion has been closed.