Could I lose 40 pounds in 3 months?

2lbs a week sounds reasonable to start, but then it's going to slow down as you are not massively overweight. The only way to do what you propose would require some unhealthy choices.

That's not even obese for your height. So the 2 lbs per week max still applies. In fact I suspect 1-1.5 lbs per week on average is going to be more realistic.

If you want to lose mostly fat you shouldn't aim for more than 1% bodyweight loss per week. This is because your body can only use so much of it's fat stores a day (roughly 30 cals per lb body fat if I remember correctly).
As you get closer to your goal weight, weight loss will slow down. You really aren't looking at losing a whole lot of weight.

LegacyLion wrote: »

...but what if you're a lot bigger than scientists would have ever thought possible. I'm 5'10 at 205 pounds...

For realz?

LegacyLion wrote: »

Congrats on the weight loss, I can only fathom being able to stay on a diet for a year.

Thank you - I'm kinda proud of myself for sticking with it!

My secret, if you want to call it that, lies in two main things:

1. Not thinking of this as "a diet" at all. To me, that phrase implies something with an end date after which I'll go back to "eating normally", and I can't do that or I'll end up back at my starting weight! I didn't go on a diet, I started learning to eat like a person of normal weight. (I talked more about that mindset in my post here.) [/shameless plug]

2. Taking regular "maintenance breaks" (also mentioned in my other thread) which allow me to refocus, practice my skills and keep up my commitment. I wouldn't be able to "diet for a year" either, but I can commit to restricting my calories for 8-10 weeks at a time.

And thanks for such a detailed answer. I heard that people were losing 40 pounds in 3 months but they never said how much they weighed so I was curious. I'll probably take it slow but not too slow.

Also, yeah it was a self-deprecating joke that people on this thread took too literally. I know there's a lot of people that are bigger than me probably harder working than me too but I hope to join their level of commitment.

Some people do lose that much - sometimes they're just much heavier to start with so it comes off faster in the beginning, and sometimes they're more aggressive about their goals. (And in some cases they go about it in a less-healthy fashion, in my opinion, but that's their choice.) I could certainly have lost my weight faster if I'd wanted to put in more effort, but slow and steady is good for me personally because it gives me time to get used to lower calories and reduced portion sizes etc.

You could also check out this thread (or just that forum section in general) for various success stories... you might find someone like yourself to use for inspiration!

LegacyLion wrote: »

SueSueDio wrote: »

First, I'm presuming you're just having a self-deprecating joke there in your first sentence, because I hope that's not how you really feel about yourself!

Secondly, why do you want to lose the weight so fast? Take it slow and steady, learn new habits along the way, and you're more likely to be successful and keep the weight off in the longer term. Did you gain it all in three months? Even if you did, it's not coming off again that fast if you want to stay healthy.

For reference, I'm 5'6" and started at 217lbs, and it took me 36 weeks to lose my first 40lbs. (That's with a 500-calorie deficit and very little exercise, because I'm lazy and I like food! ) It's now been almost 60 weeks and I'm down almost 60lbs - and it's staying off. I don't feel like binging because I've deprived myself, since I eat pretty much what I want in reasonable portions. I feel like I have the knowledge and skills now to keep the weight off when I reach my goal.

You could probably lose several pounds fairly quickly, but like @MelanieCN77 said it usually does slow down after a while so patience would be your greatest tool.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300331/most-helpful-posts-getting-started-must-reads#latest

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300319/most-helpful-posts-general-diet-and-weight-loss-help-must-reads#latest


[edited because a bunch of other people posted while I was typing... ]

Congrats on the weight loss, I can only fathom being able to stay on a diet for a year. And thanks for such a detailed answer. I heard that people were losing 40 pounds in 3 months but they never said how much they weighed so I was curious. I'll probably take it slow but not too slow.

Also, yeah it was a self-deprecating joke that people on this thread took too literally. I know there's a lot of people that are bigger than me probably harder working than me too but I hope to join their level of commitment.

Oh. I thought you were diagnosed with achondroplasia as a child and ended up growing to 5'10" surprising the scientists. But, yeah, that's a pretty steep goal. It took me four months to lose the first 40 pounds, but I started at 5'3" and 275. So, morbidly obese.

I lost 40lbs in about four months in 2015 in a very healthy way, lots of walking and cycling and eating 1200 a day of whole foods, no fads of starving myself. It will be different for everyone though, and I wouldn't stress about having to hit a particular weight by a certain date. Some days you'll go up, some days you'll go down, you just need to stick with it and you'll get there. Low carb, nutrient dense foods worked for me, and I cut out alcohol completely. Good luck!

I am one who dropped a lot more than 2 pounds a week. I was also over 300 pounds and very active. I had large reserves of fat to pull from and ate an extremely nutritious diet (not a VLCD). As I have lost weight though, I have slowed my rate of loss accordingly. Currently, I am close to your size at 5'9" and 195 pounds and I am losing about a pound a week. That big deficit I started with would be completely ridiculous at this point.

I highly suggest that you focus on healthy, sustainable eating habits and forget about trying to lose the weight quickly.