I want to be 130lbs by my 21st birthday...is this realistic? Pics
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cecile97
Posts: 13 Member
Hi everyone!
So, I began my freshman year of high school at 130 pounds thinking I was extremely overweight, constantly comparing myself to the 90-pound girls in my class. Instead of losing weight healthily, I would eat very few calories, trying for the goal of 110 pounds. This obviously was not sustainable, and I became severely depressed and anti-social because I thought I was overweight, which led me down a path of consoling myself with high quantities of sodium and sugar-dense foods. When I am surrounded by friends, I am very healthy and active. However, when I get feelings of depression or anxiety (fairly often), I completely shut down and binge eat. It's the biggest catch-22: I am more anti-social because I feel self-conscious about my weight, so I stay at home and eat which makes the issue so much worse.
As high school moved on, I would spend weekends alone, baking sugary treats and eating bags of chips. Every few weeks, I would get a burst of energy and convince myself this was the time I was going to change and become healthy, but after a week I would crash. This cycle caused me to gain around 50 pounds. I weighed my heaviest at 185 my senior year, and closer to graduation I got down to the mid 170s.
I am now in my second year of college, and I have maintained a weight anywhere from 175-185. Currently, I am at 178. Also, I am 5'3. I am trying to set more realistic goals, the main one being 130 pounds by my 21st birthday. That is at the beginning of September, almost exactly 10 months from now. To lose 50 pounds by then would be ~5 pounds a month.
I can't help but feel disgusted that I look so different now from freshman year (pics below). I know I shouldn't feel this way because it's the same feelings that started this entire dilemma, but I don't know any other emotions to describe it.
So now my question is: is this realistic? How in the world do I make this the time that I actually change? I am getting desperate here.
Here are pics of my freshman prom vs junior prom (not my heaviest, I stopped taking pictures unless necessary):
Any help, guidance, tips would be so greatly appreciated. Thanks so much if you read this, it means a lot.
So, I began my freshman year of high school at 130 pounds thinking I was extremely overweight, constantly comparing myself to the 90-pound girls in my class. Instead of losing weight healthily, I would eat very few calories, trying for the goal of 110 pounds. This obviously was not sustainable, and I became severely depressed and anti-social because I thought I was overweight, which led me down a path of consoling myself with high quantities of sodium and sugar-dense foods. When I am surrounded by friends, I am very healthy and active. However, when I get feelings of depression or anxiety (fairly often), I completely shut down and binge eat. It's the biggest catch-22: I am more anti-social because I feel self-conscious about my weight, so I stay at home and eat which makes the issue so much worse.
As high school moved on, I would spend weekends alone, baking sugary treats and eating bags of chips. Every few weeks, I would get a burst of energy and convince myself this was the time I was going to change and become healthy, but after a week I would crash. This cycle caused me to gain around 50 pounds. I weighed my heaviest at 185 my senior year, and closer to graduation I got down to the mid 170s.
I am now in my second year of college, and I have maintained a weight anywhere from 175-185. Currently, I am at 178. Also, I am 5'3. I am trying to set more realistic goals, the main one being 130 pounds by my 21st birthday. That is at the beginning of September, almost exactly 10 months from now. To lose 50 pounds by then would be ~5 pounds a month.
I can't help but feel disgusted that I look so different now from freshman year (pics below). I know I shouldn't feel this way because it's the same feelings that started this entire dilemma, but I don't know any other emotions to describe it.
So now my question is: is this realistic? How in the world do I make this the time that I actually change? I am getting desperate here.
Here are pics of my freshman prom vs junior prom (not my heaviest, I stopped taking pictures unless necessary):
Any help, guidance, tips would be so greatly appreciated. Thanks so much if you read this, it means a lot.
8
Replies
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You won't be able to maintain 5lbs a month once you get closer to 130. Your weight will drop fast, but it will begin to plateau.
Don't focus on a number. Weigh your food, eat at a deficit, browse these forums to learn how to properly eat/work out/view your journey, and focus on making a healthier you that you're proud of. That's a way better way to ring in 21, rather than being frustrated if you don't reach 130lbs.15 -
Focus on building eating habits you know you can stick to in the long run. Any way of eating that just makes you feel miserable all the time is a way you're going to fail on it. Find ways to make foods you like fit into your daily calories either by eating smaller portions than before, a healthier version, or juggle your daily calories. If it helps, you can think of your daily number as like a daily bank account, you only have a certain amount so spend wisely. Some people find that keeping their protein up helps with satiety, others find fat does the job. Figure out which works for you. Browse the recipes section or Pinterest or something to give you some new meal ideas if you want or need some variety.
And remind yourself that big or small you're a wonderful person. You are NOT defined by that number on the scale
11 -
The main thing is you realize what is happening. The biggest challenge in making that change to eat healthy and exercise which boils down to LIFESTYLE change. I am 51yo and need to lose about 40lbs to get to my goal of 180lbs. Now society says I should weigh no more then 170lbs at 5'10", but I will be happy with 180lbs. The other thing you have to realize is and my example is I spent nearly 25 years of neglecting myself to gain this weight and I cannot expect it to just melt off in a shorter time.
I am one of them yo yo people and I will fall off the wagon and then get back on. Documenting your foods helps for me cause you can see what you're eating. I am a sugar addict and I mean I can eat spoonfuls of raw sugar. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. What usually causes my bad eating is emotions. You need to find it within yourself to want that change for you and not do it for anyone else.
You can do this and yes you will have times of weakness, but dont let it be failure. If you have a bad eating day put it in the past and start new the next day. As others have said at first the weight might come off quicker, but as you get closer to your goal weight it will become harder. Dont let it stop you.5 -
A time deadline will put more pressure on you than you need. Trust me when I say that birthdays are really only just another day on the calendar; chances are nothing will change on that particular day that wouldn't happen on any other day. And life is a journey anyway, not a destination.
You've gotten some good advice in the other posts. Run your numbers on MFP, find out what your calories are right now (and remember to re-run them every 5 to 10 lbs or so), and start logging. When you take your time learning what works for you, you'll learn better habits and how to live with real food in real time. And there you'll be on your 21st birthday, on the road to a healthier way of life.7 -
I would not put a deadline on your loss. Just start today and keep going. By your birthday you will have lost some of your weight. Every pound you lose will improve your health and quality of life. Eat and exercise in a way you can sustain long term.
I am older and 5'4" but started at 179. It was about 5-6 months for me to lose 20 lbs. Then things slowed down and got more difficult.5 -
Sorry but it probably won't happen. Having a bigger deficit than what you can sustain will only make you give up. Even if you only lose 30 lbs than then, it's still better than nothing.3
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I would aim for your 22nd birthday. Only because that gives you more time to really work at changing your life. And it gives you time to adjust your goal weight. You might really get into weight lifting and decide you're happier at 150 lbs or whatever.
Good luck. Make small changes you can live with, a reasonable deficit, and try to move a bit more (moving my body and appreciating it for what it can do instead of how it looks has done amazing things for my self confidence and self worth).7 -
Your story sounds exactly like mine. I was thin and healthy in high school but many of my friends were in the low 100lbs and I was severely jealous and looked at my body (125lbs) horribly. So I totally understand that. I didn't gain the weight until my sophomore year of college but it happened the same way it did for you. I binged and had anxiety about my appearance and then I'd try restricting my food intake for a few days, thinking I'd lose weight fast so I could enjoy my life, but instead jus began the cycle all over again. It's difficult, I won't lie, but 100% doable! Instead of setting your goal to by 130lbs by your birthday, maybe set it to be a healthier version of you by your birthday. Your young and will lose the weight fast if you count your calories, log everything, and throw in small exercises like walking for 30 minutes. Just keep in mind it's easier to lose the weight at 20 than at 40! Like others said browse these forums and post any and every question you might have. Log everything that goes in your mouth to the best of your ability. And don't be too fixated on the scale. I'm 22 and was a my heaviest of 170lbs in January. I started losing the weight in march and the first 15lbs fell off. It slowed down a bit, but I'll admit I was slacking with tracking over the summer, but I never gained it back. As if today I'm down to 145.2lbs with a total of 24.8lbs lost! It's so doable I promise girlfriend. If you need someone to talk to feel free to message/add me. We're about the same age and I went through (still kind of am going through) the exact things you are now. You got this!12
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Make smaller goals so you don't get discouraged along the way and take more pictures so you can see your progress.1
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I think the primary thing you need to work on is your coping mechanisms. This has been the biggest change for, learning to eat within my goals was secondary until I got my head sorted out. Exercise is now, for the most part, my coping mechanism. Having fitness goals and wanting to be strong as well as a healthy weight helps take the focus away from purely what the scale says.
Don't set a deadline, just set smaller goals like logging what you eat, not to a goal but just what you are eating now, for a week or two. To get into the habit and see where you can easily and painlessly make tweaks. Then start with your deficit but keep it reasonable. Again, going too hard will easily make you spiral.2 -
I weighed 182 and I am currently at 149. I started in March and its October now. Admittedly, I spent a month in Europe (Italy and Denmark) where I only lightly considered what I ate, drank frequently. I basically gained 5 back over that time and am seeing the 140s for the first time. I think if you start at 180-170 and focus on calorie restriction (not too low) and add some type of weight lifting or HIIT you may find that you are happy with your progress long before 130.2
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Deadlines do actually work for me, as I’m super Type A. But, they are always realistic. For example, I want to lose 2# by the end of the year, and 10# in 2018. No monumental pressure, just a way to stay focused.2
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thanks everyone for your comments, I really appreciate all of them!!
I think I will definitely focus more on my overall health rather than a small number on the scale, but rather just keep 130 in the back of my mind. I will set smaller goals of 5 or 10 pounds to focus on.
the road to 170 starts now!12 -
yay! here I am a little over a month later, and I am down to 168 lbs. thanks everyone for your motivation and advice, now on to hit the next goal of 158 26
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Hey, look at you!!! You're doing great! Small changes that you can live with for the rest of your life are so much more sustainable than any "diet" that you might want to try. Remember that it can creep up (holidays), or not, but long term, stay on track. You've got this! Great work 4
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Great job!! Keep it up! Take baby steps and celebrate those small victories! Even those that may not reflect on the scale. Such as: Your clothes fitting better, can run for longer periods of time without being out of breath, don't crave bad foods. Every victory, big and small, deserves to be celebrated and should give you a feeling of accomplishment. That is what keeps driving me to continue0
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I had similar stats as you, 5’2” started around 160something (I didn’t own a scale) maybe even 170. I started in Feb 2017 and by September I hit 140. It’s now December and I’m at 137. I made a few mistakes along way but the big one was: I stopped logging when I was busy and 10lbs from my goal weight (130) because I figured I could eat intuitively. As a result I plateaued for almost 5 months.
That being said I found an excercise routine that I absolutely love, I’m the fittest I’ve ever been. I’m still not at my goal weight, but I’m super happy with how far I’ve come. So even though I’m not at goal I’m confident in how I look.1 -
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