30KGs In 30 Weeks For My 30th Birthday?

Sustainability.

It sounds like you're taking advice about the specific nature of your goal as people saying that it's impossible for you to lose 30 kg, which I don't think anyone here has said or meant. What we're trying to prepare you for is the fact that your specific time frame is aggressive (it really is- while it's possible to lose 2 lbs a week, your goal is actually higher than that, and it's over quite a long period) and that aggressive weight loss goals are less likely to be achieved in general and when they are achieved, are less likely to be maintained.

Even if you don't find the restricted caloric intake and increased activity needed to achieve that rate of loss rght now challenging, and you see big drops in the first few weeks (which is common), the demands of maintaining that rate of loss will go up as your body shrinks- as your birthday approaches, you'll need to eat even less or burn more or both to achieve the same deficit as your smaller body uses less basal calories, and from the very low calorie intake you're starting at, that would be very difficult for most people, and unhealthy for anyone.

Losing 30 kg and changing the way you eat and exercise in a sustainable way that keeps you fit the rest of your life is absolutely an achievable goal, but there are paths to reaching it that have been shown to be more effective than others, and restricting your net calories to below 1200 for 9 months is not one of them. If your doctor really did give you that advice- if you told her that you intend to eat less 1200 calories or less a day and exercise for the next nine months, and she said that was spot on, she gave you terrible advice. That's less than you need just to sustain body functions, and eating that little forces your body to break down not just fat but also the lean tissue that you need for strength and metabolism. It puts you at risk for serious health problems, especially if you maintain that low intake for a long time.

I'm not a doctor but I am an healthcare professional and I've seen doctors give plenty of sketchy advice on areas that were outside their specialty, so it's possible that this really happened, but to be on a VLCD you should have actual close monitoring by a doctor who specializes in it. A primary care doctor who just tells you weight loss at any cost and rate is good is not doing you any favors.

Nobody is saying you are doomed to failure at the goal of losing 30 kg. We are saying that the specific plan you've laid out for yourself in this post is not the most likely path to permanent success, and that you might be more likely to find yourself happy, healthy, and maintaining the goal weight of your dreams if you took a more long-term approach to this journey, with a smaller daily calorie deficit that helps you maintain lean muscle as you lose and not burn out with hunger or malnutrition, and process-oriented goals that teach you the habits you need to maintain weight loss permanently, rather than a big round number goal for your birthday.

Goals that are challenging but attainable and close in time have a much higher rate of success than big aggressive ones that are distant in time, and as you reach them, you keep adding new goals as your confidence and success snowball. It's a good idea to HAVE big aggressive goals, like "lose 30 kg" but it's best to focus on short term ones like "Hit my calorie target every day this week," "Increase my daily activity by 10% each week" etc. This is how you go from setting the big goal to actually getting there- small but consistent changes, not huge sweeping ones that aren't sustainable, and not by making your big goal so aggressive that you're at high risk for falling short even with hard work- that's very demotivating.

It's the difference between saying "I'm going to be the valedictorian of my college" and saying "I'm going to study for two hours every night." One is so big and distant that it's hard to act on, and also has elements out of your control- the other is process-oriented, up to you, and actually gets you closer to achieving the first goal anyway. Dream big, but plan small and specific and sustainable.

Less than 1200 calories a day is not sustainable- even if you're in the minority of people who don't feel miserable on that little food, it's terrible for you to consume that little and your body will face negative changes that risk your long-term health. In the above example, it's akin to saying "I'm going to be valedictorian of my college by pulling an all-nighter every night." You're probably not going to manage that very long because that's horribly physically taxing, and if somehow you do, your grades will probably suffer and you'll give up on the big dream.

Modifying your goal might not mean you find yourself down 30 kg on your 30th birthday, but doesn't "Down 15 kg on my 30th birthday, and feeling physically great and mentally confident that I can stick to this way of living to lose the next 15 kg, and also for the rest of my life" sound good? Heck, you can chance it in to pounds and you've nearly got the same nice round effect- "Down 33 lbs on my 30th birthday!"

I'm not saying this because I want you to fail- I'm saying it precisely because I want you to succeed at achieving sustained weight loss.

To the OP:

I have a major question: what happens if your birthday arrives and you have NOT lost 30 kg? What if you have only lost half of that? Will you keep pushing to continue to lose, or will you be discouraged? If you do lose the 30kg, what are your plans to maintain that loss, or do you want to lose more after that?

I think goals are fun and can be motivating--but don't rely so heavily on your goal that if you don't meet it it derails you. I set goals that don't have a 'by this date' on it. I have a 'lose the most weight ever at one time' goal; 'run my first 5k goal'. Only because I know that if I set a date on something and I don't meet it, my motivation and mentality will be screwy. Also my stress level increases with time stamps. This is my goal: hit 165. Nope, no date attached to it. Just...lose almost 90 pounds and reach 165. And this go around it is less stressful and I can celebrate the losses big or small--not freak out because I only lost .5 pounds when I should have lost 2 and now I'm never going to hit my goal, I'm a failure, this sucks, Ben & Jerry come to me...bam.

Losing weight is a journey, not a race. Losing weight also requires various kinds of support (here is the rant). If you want cheerleaders, that could hurt you more than help you. Sometimes you will need the kind of support that looks you dead in the eye and tells you that what you are doing is not healthy, could be detrimental, etc. Cheerleaders can actually hurt you--if you back off working out or fall back on unhealthy habits--do you still want people going "Rah rah sis boom bah you rock this amazing oh my GOSH go you" or do you want someone to go "HEY! Remember that 30kg by your birthday goal? Do you really think that ice cream/pizza/hot dog/favorite guilty pleasure is helping you there?" Do you want people to tell you that this goal is fantastic or do you want people to cautiously support you while giving you a glimpse at some things you could face over the next months?

I have found that people on this page will tell the truth. Some will make it flowery and pretty covered in rainbow sprinkles delivered on a unicorn riding a rainbow, and others will tell it to you straight. You may not want to hear it, but trust me...these people have done this before, they have succeeded and they lost weight. They are sharing what they have learned from their experiences or seen others go through. Take all that is said to you, even if you don't want to hear it. Sometimes the things we don't want to hear are the things that can help us the most.

I wish you luck on your journey.

OP I'm glad you've taken some of the emotion and perceived negativity out of how you are interpreting the responses here. You've gotten great advice and I especially love the detail about goal setting (big vs small and in control vs out of your control).

There were two things I wanted to add to this.
First, a bit of an explanation about why people may be cautioning you as to whether or not losing 2 lbs/week is sustainable for extended periods of time. As most have pointed out, that's an appropriate goal for you right now based on your current stats and estimated maintenance level. You said that MFP had you at 1400 to lose 2 lbs/week? That means MFP estimates your mom exercise maintenance level, based on current height, weight, age, gender and activity level to be 2400 cals. To lose 2 lbs/week you need to create a 1000 cal/day deficit. As you lose the weight, your maintenance calories actually go down because you have less mass. So if you get to a weight that would have 2000 as your calories to maintain, in order to keep losing that 2 lbs/week you would have to only be consuming 1000 cals/day, which is too low, not safe, wouldn't be enjoyable, etc. that's why people say to lose 2 lbs a week for the duration of your 30 kg goal MAY not be achievable, certainly not in a healthy way. The recommendation is to readjust your calorie target for every 25 lbs you lose.

Secondly, you explained that the reason you were so defensive about people's responses about realistic goals and what if you don't succeed is because you've never succeeded in achieving a goal you've set. Don't you see, there in lies the problem? You are setting too lofty of goals and when you fail you get discouraged and give up. Follow the advice in this thread. Make small, sustainable changes. Set realistic goals. Celebrate small milestones. Look forward to your birthday but don't be disappointed if you don't achieve the ultimate stretch goal. No matter what, you're making changes to become a healthier you in both body and mind for your 30s...

Oh and I hope you will post how you did when your birthday rolls around, not so people can say I told you so but so they congratulate you on what you have accomplished. My son's birthday is Sep 19th as well so I won't forget you and will be waiting to hear how you did!

hbb86 wrote: »

I love how supportive this forum can be but it can also be so negative. It's not like I'm trying to loose 100lbs in 3 months here. It's 2.2lbs a week and still you get debbie downers telling you it's most likely unachievable.
Disappointing.

hbb86 wrote: »

Well I did see that. Every person said "it's a big defecit, hard to maintain" "I wouldn't be able to do it" It's all negative and in my opinion, disheartening.

weight Watchers do encourage 5/6lbs weight loss - I've had family and friends use it. Perhaps it's different with different teachers.

As for the timeline, that's why I made it for September and made the healthy and realistic goal of 2lbs per week. I do appreciate your time and advice, I'm not being ungrateful, I just have read so much negativity both here and on other MFP boards that is just not helpful.

Thank you.

You probably need the Motivation & Support boards if you don't want honest and constructive feedback on your plans. You asked a question, you were given fairly helpful answers.

kshama2001 wrote: »

I've lost 20 ish pounds in 6 weeks twice. Was it healthy? No. Do I recommend this to others? No.

So, while rapid weight loss is of course possible, being a good idea is a different story.

The "Debbie Downers" mostly just want to spare you from their mistakes.

This is 100% spot on.

hbb86 wrote: »

MFP recommend 1400 for me, but because I want to loose a large amount of weight, I'm consuming less than 1200 and exercising on top of that )

You're doing it wrong then. Guaranteed, your losses might come quick, but you'll stall within a few weeks. And then it may take another few to get weight loss going again. Homeostasis will rectify your issue for you.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Sorry, but bravado a priori doesn't mean much. Create a plan for yourself & stick with it. When you succeed everyone will be very happy for you....

I say go for it personally. but there really is no need for the 1200 cals mark, try 1800 to start with and see where you go from there. dropping too fast (NOT being a doctor here) MAY cause some damage to internal organs, mess up your metabolic rate, resulting in NO FAT LOSS at all, and instead the opposite. But hey, what do I know? Best of luck and keep me posted

@hbb86
This is a very old thread. I came across it when I searched for threads addressing "What is a safe rate of weight loss?". Where are you now?
Did you succeed? If so, have you kept it off? Fantastic!
Did you fail? If so, I am sorry to hear that, but I encourage you to try again. You are relatively young, and you still have time to get to a healthy weight and a healthy lifestyle. It's a lifelong pursuit.