Help! Advice needed!

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Joy5434
Joy5434 Posts: 13 Member
in Getting Started
I'm a 28 year old woman I want to drop 80 lbs in the next 6 months. I want to limit as much loose skin as possible and gain muscle. Any advice on diets and exercise? Thanks in advance!

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  • MichelleSilverleaf
    MichelleSilverleaf Posts: 2,028 Member
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    Loose skin is a matter of genetics, some are lucky and some are not. 80lbs in 6 months is a little extreme and without knowing what weight you're at now even a 2lb a week loss may be too much. Losing weight is all calorie deficit, plug your stats into MFP and eat the number it tells you to making sure you weigh everything with a food scale for the most accuracy. Exercise of any kind will be good for maintaining muscle and giving you a little bit more calories to eat. When you get close to or at your goal weight, look into recomping. When you get to the point where you're actively building muscle it will help to reduce loose skin but how much will depend on how much there is.
  • suerlewis2
    suerlewis2 Posts: 126 Member
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    I'm new to weight loss too, so don't think can really help there - all I would say is keep as hydrated as possible, keep your skin as moisturised and elastic as possible. A friend of mine had the same issue and used to tell me she was treating it like "a reverse pregnancy" and tried to avoid stretch marks and loose skin with oils and moisturiser.
  • Redordeadhead
    Redordeadhead Posts: 1,188 Member
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    You will get more tailored advice if you post your stats: height, gender, current weight, goal weight
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Why does it have to be in 6 months?

    You can lose fat and gain some muscle at the same time, but it requires a lot of work.

    Whether you have loose skin is mainly genetic, but losing too fast can make it worse.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    If you want to lose weight, you can't be in a hurry. If 80 pounds is all you have to lose, it will take longer; if 80 pounds is your initial goal, it can come off that fast, but you'll still have excess weight, that will take longer. And after you've hit goal weight, you have to keep doing the same, with just a few more calories, in order to keep it off.

    Loose skin is something you don't have complete control over, it's up to age, genetics, amount of excess weight - but losing too fast is in increasing the risk.

    You don't have to follow any special diet or do any special exercise. Eat less, move more, in whatever way that makes you do it consistently, for real, and forever.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Why the rush? You most likely didn’t put it on in six months, did you?
  • kjm3579
    kjm3579 Posts: 3,974 Member
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    1. Try a whole foods plan based diet. 2. Get into strength training -- check out Starting Strength or StrongLifts 5x5 3. Do some cardio -- run on a treadmill or take a spin class 4. Check out a yoga class -- fitness and weight loss combined!
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    If your start weight is around 400 lbs, you can safety lose 80 lbs in 6 months. This is based on losing 1% body weight per week, which can often work for very heavy people but is not easy for not so heavy folks. Are you starting at that weight?
  • ccruz985
    ccruz985 Posts: 646 Member
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    Make sure you do resistance AND cardio training. Find out what works for you in terms of food, personally all I have to do is count my calories (don't have to count carbs or anything like that) and I'm fine.
  • ISweat4This
    ISweat4This Posts: 653 Member
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    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    It's not realistic for most people to lose 80 lbs in 6 months, except for someone morbidly obese. And losing very fast is a great way to lose muscle, not gain it.

    If you have 80 lbs to lose, set your goal to lose 1 lb or maybe 1.5 lbs per week and log accurately and consistently. Strength train to preserve your muscle. In 6 months you might only be halfway thete, but you will look better and feel bettet, and most likely be better equipped to maintain your healthy weight once you get there.

    Read the stickies, lots of great info there, and good luck.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    jonnyman41 wrote: »
    Tbh you are young so your skin has a better chance anyway as does your weight loss. Lots of people saying you can't do it in 6 months but you do have youth on yourside so why not go for it. On the other hand do be prepared to take longer if you need to as starving yourself is not the answer either.

    Good luck

    80 lbs in 6 months would be more than 3 lbs per week. Unless OP is more than 300 lbs, it's not possible to do that in a healthy manner. If she only has 80 lbs to lose (so weighs more like 200 ish lbs) she would need to undereat and overexercise to create a 1500 calorie deficit each day.

    The diet and fitness industry's dishonest marketing has given people the false idea that if you just eat the right food or do the right workout, you can lose 5-7 lbs per week and come out looking like a fitness model, but that's not real life. OP, because of your age, you have time to do this the smart and healthy way, and put yourself in a position to be a healthy weight for the rest of your life. No need to rush it and set yourself up to yo-yo diet :)
  • rcvillaabrille
    rcvillaabrille Posts: 6 Member
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    Losing weight is a choice. I started dec 26 2017 with 170 lbs. After 5 days I lost 6 lbs. Was it easy? Hell no. But if I will not do it, no one will do it for me. I did it why can't you? I believe you can. :)

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