Is losing 20lbs in 6 weeks possible?

If you lost 3lbs a week for 6 weeks, that would be 18lbs lost. Is that doable? Yeah but it might not be the most healthiest rout to go. My doctor doesn't want me to lose more then 2lbs a week. It usually takes me a month to lose 10lbs and most the time I lose between 7 and 8lbs a month.

That means you would have to cut out 1666.66 calories a day. Assuming your caloric needs are about 1800 calories, and you are eating 1200 calories, that means you are in a deficit of 600 calories. 1000 more to go. Walking burns about 100 calories per mile or 20 minutes (estimate), so walking for an hour everyday would burn about 300 to 400 calories. At a maximum that leaves you with 600 calories more to burn. To burn 1000 calories in a day from exercise I would suggest using a combination of exercise videos and walking.

Walk for a burn of 300 calories a day and do an hour long exercise video. High-calorie burning videos include Jillian Michaels, Tae Boe, Zumba, etc.

I hope this helps, and good luck!

I would NOT do this.

And weight loss isn't linear. We track cals & exercise to get an estimate but no studies have ever shown that exactly 3500cal deficit has equalled 1 pound of fat loss. (And this is definitely not going to happen if you don't include any resistance training)

OP: do you want to lose weight or do you want to lose fat?

i think ya can.i did but its was alot of dedacation and will power.i was determined so i did what i set out to do..good luck and kill those pounds.

You guys are right (and most likely more experienced with weight loss). 2lbs a week is healthier. That will leave me with a 10-12lbs loss by my goal date. I will stick to that

And for the guy that asked, I want to lose FAT.

keep eating right, do cardio and strength training, get plenty of rest, and you'll see a difference. i would recommend you don't eat 1,200 calories, and eat at least 1,400 instead. and re-eat those exercise calories.

trust me, i used to pretend to be a doctor to pick up women at bars.

My wife, before getting pregnant lost a lot of weight at first by merely removing processed foods from her diet. It was hard as most of the things she loved she could not eat. But she lost a lot of weight. She had an issue with PCOS, was on medication for blood pressure and a heart condition. With her doctor monitoring, she got her PCOS under control, was able to stop taking the meds and still pass her quarterly physicals with her doctor. Over the course of 7 months, she lost 50 pounds. She worked out each morning, watched what she ate and ensured that what she took in was good calories (that included the extras as far as carbs, proteins, fiber, etc.). It has a whole lot to do with the content of what you take in and how you want it to work with your body.

My recommendation, based on what I have seen my wife do, is that you need to watch carefully what you take in (and that includes eliminating processed foods for at least the first couple of months). Your body will adjust to the healthier foods during that time and be in a better position to keep the weight off. After the first couple of months, you can add start to slowly add in the processed foods to achieve the right balance.

What I have found that works quite well is get ingenious in your workouts. There is nothing saying that you can't walk your dog with ankle weights. Playing tennis 2x a week with your husband will be good (not only to get in shape but to have a date). My wife and I would rock climb 3 times a week as part of our getting out on regular dates. Then children came along. :-D

Good luck on your goal.

That means you would have to cut out 1666.66 calories a day. Assuming your caloric needs are about 1800 calories, and you are eating 1200 calories, that means you are in a deficit of 600 calories. 1000 more to go. Walking burns about 100 calories per mile or 20 minutes (estimate), so walking for an hour everyday would burn about 300 to 400 calories. At a maximum that leaves you with 600 calories more to burn. To burn 1000 calories in a day from exercise I would suggest using a combination of exercise videos and walking.

Walk for a burn of 300 calories a day and do an hour long exercise video. High-calorie burning videos include Jillian Michaels, Tae Boe, Zumba, etc.

I hope this helps, and good luck!

I would NOT do this.

And weight loss isn't linear. We track cals & exercise to get an estimate but no studies have ever shown that exactly 3500cal deficit has equalled 1 pound of fat loss. (And this is definitely not going to happen if you don't include any resistance training)

OP: do you want to lose weight or do you want to lose fat?

I wasn't telling her to do this. I was just giving the information she asked for. It is her choice to do what she wants. It looks like she decided to go for losing 2 lbs a week. I think that is great because it is safe and manageable. I realize that there is more to losing weight than 3500 calorie deficits, but myfitnesspal is based on 3500=1 pound.

All good

It's obviously possible but not very healthy...try setting your goal to 10 pounds...even that would be pushing it

I think it's possible...will it take a ton of hard work and discipline? Yes.
Personally, I don't pay any attention to the "starvation mode" myths floating around. Drives me nuts if we are being completely honest ;-P In all reality, I am a 5'3", 19 year old woman who leads a VERY inactive lifestyle. I sit at a desk from 9-5, do school work (sitting some more) from 5-9. I workout 5-6 times a week for 30 minutes over my lunch break, and burn roughly 260 calories in doing so. Other than that, my body really doesn’t NEED 1200 calories as suggested on this site. I believe that everyone’s body functions differently. To generalize by saying that you absolutely positively need to consume 1200 calories a day in order to “healthily” lose weight comes across as very controversial to me. Obviously a 400 lb woman is going to need more calories to optimally function/day versus a 5'3" 128ish lb me. You also have to budget in what type of activities you are doing throughout the day and how many calories you need in order to do them, etc. I eat when I am hungry, but choose lower calorie, healthier options so my total calories tend to be lower. I’m not starving, I am not fatigued; I am actually the opposite. Long story short, I don’t buy the 1200 calorie deal or starvation mode! We were all created differently!
I believe you are on my friends list now that I think about it...I could take a look at your diary if you want and see if there is anything I see that could help you cut unnecessary calories?
I’ve been at this for about 2 ½ weeks and have already lost 8 pounds. I think if you put your mind to it, you can do anything!

Just for the record, I agree with you, not everyone needs 1200 calories per day, especially people who have a sedentary lifestyle. If people take the time to actually calculate how many calories they are USING during an average day, some people will find that they use less that 1200. That means they need less than 1200 to maintain current body weight. Good for you for thinking about it logically (not EVERYONE is the same, people!!) and doing what is best for YOUR body type and lifestyle. You work out, you know how many calories you burn when you work out, and you are self-aware of what your body is telling you (ie "I'm not fatigued, I am actually the opposite"). Thank you for offering to help someone who is trying to reach a goal, and everyone else can just back off.

engineman312 wrote: »

You guys are right (and most likely more experienced with weight loss). 2lbs a week is healthier. That will leave me with a 10-12lbs loss by my goal date. I will stick to that

And for the guy that asked, I want to lose FAT.

keep eating right, do cardio and strength training, get plenty of rest, and you'll see a difference. i would recommend you don't eat 1,200 calories, and eat at least 1,400 instead. and re-eat those exercise calories.

trust me, i used to pretend to be a doctor to pick up women at bars.

1400 is doable thank u

HeidiMightyRawr wrote: »

It's possible but definitely not healthy! Plus you're much more likely to gain it all back when you rush things.

10lbs seems a much more realistic goal and even though it doesn't seem like much, it can make all the difference looks-wise especially at your weight

HeidiMightyRawr wrote: »

It's possible but definitely not healthy! Plus you're much more likely to gain it all back when you rush things.

10lbs seems a much more realistic goal and even though it doesn't seem like much, it can make all the difference looks-wise especially at your weight

Why isnt it healthy?

Yes indeed.

OP asked this question in 2011 - the. 6 week period she wanted to lose weight in has well and truly passed

AnvilHead wrote: »

Tiny_Dancer_in_Pink wrote: »

This thread is 5 years old.

Six years old, actually. Brought back to life in the Holy Name Of KETOS.

Who's bragging that she's healthier than someone who smokes or does drugs. Yup a huge achievement