10 lbs a month??

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NelsonKatelyn
NelsonKatelyn Posts: 120 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I typically fail with weight loss because I like instant results, which we all know doesn't happen! I'm a full time working mom and I struggle with finding time to exercise. Mornings are impossible, so I have to find time in the evenings. Which means making sure my husband is freed up to hang out with our 2 year old. Not as easy as it sounds when real life comes into play!

I wanted to reach out to this group to find out if other moms that have succeeded with weight loss think I have a manageable goal. I'd like to lose 10 pounds a month, starting in February. I currently weigh around 185 and I'm 5'5" tall. I was around 155 when I got pregnant and 200 when I gave birth. I don't feel it's realistic to think that I'll be able to exercise every day. With all that being said, is that a realistic goal?
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  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,019 Member
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    2 pounds a week is very aggressive. You should really aim for 1-2 per week which would be about 4-8 pounds per month. You might lose 10 pounds the first month but you probably won't be able to maintain that loss in a healthy way. You don't really have to exercise to lose weight. You just need to stay at a calorie deficit. Exercise does help you stay fit and will allow you to eat a few more calories and be able to stay in a deficit. But the most important thing is to stay under the calorie goal. Good luck!
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    Considering your stats, you should be aiming for @ 1 lb per week. 2 or more lbs per week would be more realistic for an obese person with way more weight to lose. So no, I don't think 10 lbs per month is realistic at all.

    While exercise can help, the key is your eating. Plug your stats into MFP, log your food accurately and consistently, and don't get hung up too much on the time frame. Just get headed in the right direction!
  • melonaulait
    melonaulait Posts: 769 Member
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    If you have trouble sticking to diets, don't give yourself such aggressive deadlines. Even 0.5-1lb per week would be a great pace for you and it won't burn you out.
  • Pawsforme
    Pawsforme Posts: 645 Member
    edited January 2016
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    No, it's not realistic. Not in the long term. For the first week or two you may be able to lose 2.5 pounds a week fairly easily. But after that the rate of loss generally slows. As the others have said, a goal of 0.5 to 2 pounds a week is much more realistic.
  • sanfromny
    sanfromny Posts: 770 Member
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    I'm 5'2" currently 163, I was at highest 220, lowest 149, I don't think I ever lost 10lbs in any given month. It was always a slow painful process of about 1lb-1.5 a week but it was worth it because it's the 1st time ever that I've actually kept most of it off.

    I pop in Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. It's 25 minutes video. I do it even if it's 11:30pm. I do the video 5-6 days a week, so not in a consecutive 30 days but it gets done
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
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    Yes - but focus on pumping iron, not just a bunch of cardio, if you want results! :)
  • murp4069
    murp4069 Posts: 494 Member
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    I'm not a mom but I work full time (70+ hours a week quite often) and have a partner and 5 animals at home, so I do understand what it's like to be busy. I've been losing about a pound a week and it's not super easy - it's not super difficult either, but I can't imagine losing over 2 pounds a week on a regular basis. I agree with the others that your goal is probably not realistic and may result in your being very discouraged if you don't reach 10 pounds in any given moth, which in turn could lead to a backslide or giving up. Maybe focus on goals that aren't solely losing x pounds in x amount of days - perhaps you could have mini goals or goals that are more related to overall health and wellness that way the weight loss will stick and this will become more of a lifestyle for you than a weight loss journey. Just my two cents.
  • mylukeyboy
    mylukeyboy Posts: 18 Member
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    I agree your weight loss goal is pretty aggressive and it may end up to be more discouraging than encouraging. I'm also trying to lose baby weight. I've lost ten pounds since November and it's not been steady. Some weeks I lose 1 to 2 lbs and then others the scale barely moves. But overall it's moving. :)

    I'm also the type to usually need quick results. I started out trying to do extreme diets and i ultimately ended up feeling totally deprived and miserable and unable to keep it going. I aim now for 1500 cal a day, which is about a pound of weight loss a week. I also have extremely limited time and opportunity to work out with two little ones. So I'm focusing on diet. But as things are now I rarely feel that deprived and so I can be consistent now.

    Give yourself a chance to succeed by aiming for more conservative numbers. Good luck. Friend me if you'd like to keep each accountable.
  • NelsonKatelyn
    NelsonKatelyn Posts: 120 Member
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    Thanks everyone! I appreciate the feedback! Sounds like I definitely need to shoot for the 1 lb a week goal to start with and focus on what I'm eating. I do get a little discouraged when I don't meet goals I think I should be able to meet, but I'll work on changing my outlook to long-term instead of short :)
  • NelsonKatelyn
    NelsonKatelyn Posts: 120 Member
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    sanfromny wrote: »
    I'm 5'2" currently 163, I was at highest 220, lowest 149, I don't think I ever lost 10lbs in any given month. It was always a slow painful process of about 1lb-1.5 a week but it was worth it because it's the 1st time ever that I've actually kept most of it off.

    I pop in Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. It's 25 minutes video. I do it even if it's 11:30pm. I do the video 5-6 days a week, so not in a consecutive 30 days but it gets done

    I also have 30 Day Shred! I haven't touched it in a while. I have 2 other Jillian DVDs, an ab one and I can't remember the other. Ripped in 30 maybe? I need to dust them off!
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,019 Member
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    Walking is also good exercise if you don't have time to go to the gym. Put the kiddo in a stroller and take a walk around the neighborhood. You will both enjoy it.
  • angelamichelle_xo
    angelamichelle_xo Posts: 646 Member
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    a pound a week darlin.
  • victoria_1024
    victoria_1024 Posts: 915 Member
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    Agree with others! I lost ten pounds a month for a few months but I started out a lot heavier than you and several inches shorter. I'm also a working mom and I know it can be hard to exercise! I have four young kids to work around. I've just made it a priority over the past year and they are used to it! I try to incorporate them into my workouts. Yesterday I took my oldest son snow shoeing for almost two hours. I do a lot of fitness blender videos (check them out on YouTube) in the basement and occasionally my 3 year old will come watch me. I set up the mini trampoline so he can jump while I exercise.
  • mkakids
    mkakids Posts: 1,913 Member
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    Im 5'5" started last year at 236, & am currently 172. I have 4 children(8,6,4,1.5), plus i babysit a 18month old and a 6 month old a few days a week.

    I either get up before the family to exercise (meaning i leave my house around 5:30am) or go once i drop the 2 school aged kids off. Its not easy, but its doable.



    you dont need to exercise to lose weight. You just need to reduce your calories.

    10# a month, without exercise will be very, very hard. You would need to eat under 1000cals a day. We have similar stats. My goal is 1300cals a day, without exercise, to lose 1.5# a week.
  • alanahp93
    alanahp93 Posts: 56 Member
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    Took me 3 months to lose 10lbs comfortably, however I have to admit my lack of enthusiasm for excercise might have held me back lol
  • rachel7628
    rachel7628 Posts: 2 Member
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    I highly recommend a fitbit for non exercisers. There's something very motivating about seeing your step count increase throughout the day. I've also had these random active time frames - I thought I was just living my life (sahm to 3, very part time piano teacher) but the fitbit said I was active. Also, most nights I've found myself pacing the living room while watching TV so that I reach that 10000 step goal. I guess any pedometer will do, but fitbit can be synced with mfp. I know I sound like an ad, but I feel like I've finally found something that works and I'm excited.
  • NelsonKatelyn
    NelsonKatelyn Posts: 120 Member
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    I have a Fitbit that monitors my heart rate (though I don't know how accurate it is) so that I could better account for my calories burnt. The dilemma I have is how in the world do I burn more calories a day than what I eat? That seems impossible lol even if I stick to a strict 1300 calorie intake, how do I even burn 1300+ a day? Do you all take into account your basal metabolic rate (calories your body burns just to live)? Because if that's the case, then it seems more manageable.
  • NelsonKatelyn
    NelsonKatelyn Posts: 120 Member
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    alanahp93 wrote: »
    Took me 3 months to lose 10lbs comfortably, however I have to admit my lack of enthusiasm for excercise might have held me back lol

    I hear you on the lack of enthusiasm! I'm not a fan either! It's a necessary evil I suppose!
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    NelsonKatelyn wrote: »
    I have a Fitbit that monitors my heart rate (though I don't know how accurate it is) so that I could better account for my calories burnt. The dilemma I have is how in the world do I burn more calories a day than what I eat? That seems impossible lol even if I stick to a strict 1300 calorie intake, how do I even burn 1300+ a day? Do you all take into account your basal metabolic rate (calories your body burns just to live)? Because if that's the case, then it seems more manageable.

    When people say that you should consume less than you're burning, they're including the calories you burn just from being alive. Your deficit should be based on your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure), not the calories you burn just from purposeful exercise.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    edited January 2016
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    NelsonKatelyn wrote: »
    I have a Fitbit that monitors my heart rate (though I don't know how accurate it is) so that I could better account for my calories burnt. The dilemma I have is how in the world do I burn more calories a day than what I eat? That seems impossible lol even if I stick to a strict 1300 calorie intake, how do I even burn 1300+ a day? Do you all take into account your basal metabolic rate (calories your body burns just to live)? Because if that's the case, then it seems more manageable.

    Your BMR is the number of calories your body burns just by existing, like if you were in a coma all day.

    Your TDEE is the number of calories your body burns on a normal day, including basic every day movement plus average exercise.

    There are calculators for both on the web.

    If you plug your stats into MFP, it gives you NEAT - the number of calories your body burns on a normal day, including basic everyday movement. Then you add exercise calories manually, or downloaded from a tracker.

    You need to eat less than your TDEE to lose weight.

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