How long realistically to lose 80 pounds?

Tashlovesfood
Tashlovesfood Posts: 51 Member
edited November 30 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm a female in my late twenties and I want to lose weight sensibly, not cutting any food groups out and saving some calories for treats every day. How long did it take for the people who have lost weight to lose 80 pounds? I'm getting married next September so ideally I need to start looking for a dress in a year from now. Is that a realistic goal without breaking my back?
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Replies

  • theconnertys
    theconnertys Posts: 31 Member
    One year? Yes, you can do that. 2 pounds a week safely...you may even see more loss than that during the first few weeks. So with a year to play with, your goal is 100% doable.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    edited March 2016
    Assuming 80 pounds gone is your final goal weight? Rough estimate would be an average of 1-1.5 pounds per week. Perhaps 50-80 weeks. At 80 pounds to go, you can aim for 2 pounds per week and gradually will need to lower that. (A smaller body uses less energy than a larger body, so may have a harder time sustaining a big deficit.)

    But in reality, some weeks will go as planned while others won't. We're human, so we're not perfect. And calories in/calories out involves some estimation even if you try to be precise and accurate.

    Personally I lost ~50 in 9.5 months.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    Took me 10 months to lose 57 lbs. Then I got pregnant and had a baby. It took me a year to lose the 25 lbs gained plus an additional 27 lbs.
  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
    edited March 2016
    At a safe weight loss of 1-2 pounds a week its about a year long journey to lose 80 lbs
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I lost 80 pounds in 1.5 year (72 of those in 1 year - but I lost a good size with those last 8 pounds). It really depends how aggressive your goal is... I'm still only 14 pounds under the overweight category.
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    2 lbs a week is not an automatic safe rate of loss for everyone. Especially as you get closer to your goal, your weight loss will most likely start slowing down. May I ask what your height is, and your starting weight? That would help determine how long it might take you to lose.
    Having said that, I'm 5'6" and my starting weight was 241. I was able to drop 50 pounds in about five months. Your mileage may vary. 80 lbs could certainly be doable.
  • CountessOCandy
    CountessOCandy Posts: 17 Member
    It took me 15 months to lose 80 pounds, but I still have 21 pounds to go before I'm not overweight anymore.
  • ashliedelgado
    ashliedelgado Posts: 814 Member
    75 lbs took me 18 months, with stop to smell the roses along the way. An off week here, a whole screwey two months there, etc. I don't know if you can get to 80 by this time next year. But I certainly bet you can hit 50-60 and be so proud of yourself and love the way you are looking.
  • ashliedelgado
    ashliedelgado Posts: 814 Member
    I had a friend who lost 110 in a year, but that being said, she started out over 300lbs, and was still 45lbs above a healthy BMI for her height at the end of that year.
  • TehLaughingDog
    TehLaughingDog Posts: 200 Member
    Good basic rule of thumb is 1lb per week. So in a year you would lose 56lbs ideally. Some people manage to do that faster others slower and often people encounter a plateau.

    For myself I'm at 243 and want to get down to 145. So that means 98lbs total. There are 56 weeks in a year so I would expect it to take 1.75 years for me. So 21 months if my math is right. But that doesn't factor in pleateaus and the slower weight loss that most people encounter when they begin to reach their goal weight. Realistically my goal then changes to 2 years (24 months) for me to reach my goal giving me 3 months of wiggle room. I might not reach that time frame goal but its something to shoot for. :)

    Good luck! ;)
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,030 Member
    A year is a good shot if you're very consistent.

    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
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  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    I lost 80 pounds in 1.5 year (72 of those in 1 year - but I lost a good size with those last 8 pounds). It really depends how aggressive your goal is... I'm still only 14 pounds under the overweight category.

    This is in line with what I was going to say.

    18-24 months is what I'd suggest. Yes you may lose 1.5-2 pounds a week for awhile but it won't happen all the way to 80 lbs. Your loss rate will likely slow down and you'd be smart to schedule in a few 1-2 week breaks along the way. I lost 52 pounds in a year. That averages out to a pound a week but was more like 2 pounds a week for 3 months and .75 or less a week after that in order to eat enough to fuel my workouts.
  • Tashlovesfood
    Tashlovesfood Posts: 51 Member
    Thanks everyone. I'm 166cm and 216 pounds currently. Xxx
  • Tweaking_Time
    Tweaking_Time Posts: 733 Member
    I lost 75 pounds in 18 months.

    I worked out in the gym 90 minutes every other day...but I still drank beer, wine, bourbon - but counted the calories. If I would have quit drinking I am sure I could have lost the weight quicker but what fun would that be? ;-)
  • hamstertango
    hamstertango Posts: 129 Member
    Best Advice my dear.. Just get logging on MFP, you WILL lose weight if you...
    Log every day
    Weigh your food
    Visualise yourself slim for motivation
    Stick with it
    Do that and you will know for yourself soon, that whatever weight you get to for your final fittings, you will feel !much! more fabulous than you do today

  • Lizzypb88
    Lizzypb88 Posts: 367 Member
    I too am in my late 20's with 100 pounds to lose.. I've lost 50 in 7 months, but it has slowed down to a pound a week... So as long as this keeps up I'll be down 70 pounds in a year.. You will lose a lot of weight at first, about 2-3 pounds a week on good weeks, but it slows down. Good luck!
  • scolaris
    scolaris Posts: 2,145 Member
    FYI There are 52 weeks in my years...
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    Took me 8 months.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    edited March 2016
    I think it took me about 10 months to lose 30 lbs. Slow poke. It really could have been a full year.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    Tashlovesfood wrote: »
    Thanks everyone. I'm 166cm and 216 pounds currently. Xxx

    I'm 10 cm taller but was the same starting weight.

    I've lost 70 lbs in the past 11 months.

    That's logging every day, and without ever knowingly going over my calorie limit.

    It can be done!

    I like your sustainable approach. This bodes well for your success.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    I list most 84 lbs in my first year, but that was just over half of my total goal, so I had plenty left to lose and was still dropping start decent rate. In the last 12 mo I've lost about 60, firing that it gets slower the closer you get. But you are a fraction my age!
  • chulipa
    chulipa Posts: 650 Member
    I started at 287 on August 2015 and have lost 90lbs thats only 7 months
  • victoria_1024
    victoria_1024 Posts: 915 Member
    I lost 85 lbs in about 14 months. I took a two month maintenance break in November and December though and started back up beginning of January.
  • mrs_madison_keane
    mrs_madison_keane Posts: 45 Member
    edited March 2016
    I'm also in my 20's and I lost 67lbs in a year. Quick weight loss at first, then it slowed waaaayyy down as I approached my goal weight. Just stay consistent, eat clean/whole foods (avoiding processed junk), and your weight loss will happen!
    You can do this! :)
  • Cyndiaquino
    Cyndiaquino Posts: 72 Member
    edited March 2016
    I'm still losing weight, but have lost 50 lbs in 7 months. I measure everything and log it all. I still have treats, chocolate is my guilty pleasure, lol.
  • Cortneyrenee04
    Cortneyrenee04 Posts: 1,117 Member
    A year and a half for me. I wasn't consistent and didn't understand how calories worked for a loooong time. But, really it doesn't matter how long it takes, right?
  • Cyndiaquino
    Cyndiaquino Posts: 72 Member
    edited March 2016
    ebaroldy wrote: »
    I too am in my late 20's with 100 pounds to lose.. I've lost 50 in 7 months, but it has slowed down to a pound a week... So as long as this keeps up I'll be down 70 pounds in a year.. You will lose a lot of weight at first, about 2-3 pounds a week on good weeks, but it slows down. Good luck!

    This sounds just like me! It definitely slowed down, I was losing weight quickly in the first couple months. It's like my body was in shock mode. I was eating way too much before wanting to lose weight and cutting back really changed everything.
  • jacklifts
    jacklifts Posts: 396 Member
    edited March 2016
    how about this:
    50lbs in the first 6 months (~2lbs a week)
    25lbs in the next 6 months (~1lb a week)
    12lbs in the last 5 months (~0.5lbs a week)

    Total lost: 87lbs !!

    Numbers are fun :)
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
    edited March 2016
    A lot depends on where you're at. If you are starting at 400, losing 80 pounds in a year would be modest. If you were starting at 200, 80 pounds in a year is aggressive.

    An estimate of how fast you could reasonably lose (this is aggressive) would be:

    log(GW/CW)/log(0.99)

    to get an answer in number of weeks. GW and CW are your goal and current weights, and 0.99 means you're losing 1% body weight per week, which is a reasonable rule of thumb for how aggressive you can lose.
  • Tashlovesfood
    Tashlovesfood Posts: 51 Member
    Thank you everyone! I need to buckle down and lose this weight! It's getting me down so much!
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