47.2 lbs in 175 days - is this doable?

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  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    edited July 2018
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    Whether or not it’s possible depends on how much of a deficit you can feasibly create. Your height, activity level, age, and sex all factor into that.

    Whether or not it’s healthy is another question. You’re proposing a pretty aggressive rate of loss for your goal. With 47 pounds to lose, 1 pound per week is a more reasonable amount.

    Weight loss does not happen in a linear fashion. You will almost certainly not lose the same amount of weight every week. You may not lose at the pace you expect even if you think you’re doing everything right. Water weight fluctuations, inaccuracies in logging, and other factors all make the rate of loss hard to predict.

    In addition, with an aggressive deficit, it’s hard to stick with your plan and you may not feel very good while doing it. Ask yourself if the diet and exercise you’re doing now resembles what you would like to do for the rest of your life. If not, then your plan is not sustainable. If your plan is not sustainable, how will you keep the weight off once you’ve lost it? You can never go back to your old habits if you plan to maintain your weight loss long term. You have to build sustainable new habits. The weight loss process is training for maintenance.

    For all of those reasons, I generally advise people not to set a deadline for their weight loss. What will happen to you if you don’t lose the desired amount of weight by that deadline? What if you lose less weight than you wanted by the deadline—will you celebrate what you have accomplished or be sad that you didn’t lose more? What happens after the deadline passes—do you quit your new routines? And why do you think your anniversary will be better if you weigh a certain amount?

    Set yourself a moderate weight of loss, about 1 pound per week. Make some nice plans for your anniversary, and celebrate the progress you have made by then.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
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    I'm 6'4" 215 and lost ~60 lbs my first year with MFP. The weight came off at predictable rates - 2lbs/week initially, then 1.5lb/week, 1lb/week and finally .5lb/week as I got closer to my goal weight.

    I will recommend against the deadline. Keep that goal in mind, but don't implement too much change too fast. Move slowly and deliberately and don't change anything that you don't plan on changing for life.

    Break this up in habits. Write down 5 habits that don't help your goal. Prioritize these 1-5. Scratch off 2-5. Identify a new "good" habit that will support your goal and replace that "bad" habit with the "good" one. Once this is ingrained in your routine then repeat this process.
  • TheodoraLenihan
    TheodoraLenihan Posts: 6 Member
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    billdwyatt wrote: »
    Wow... I'm overwhelmed by all the comments. Thank you! TheodoraLenihan, I'll be 58 this year. At my current weight and level of energy, I can't imagine coming close to your routine.

    You're welcome :smiley: As I mentioned, adopting a regime that works for you is going to yield positive results. If you hit half your goal by your anniversary, I'd imagine that you'd feel fantastic about your progress. Good luck and happy anniversary!
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
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    Yes. It’s do-able. Go for it. Just don’t be disappointed and quit if you’re a few lbs off the mark.
  • Silentpadna
    Silentpadna Posts: 1,306 Member
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    What do you want to look like when you get there? If you think that a drastic loss like that (and it would quick) is likely to reveal a muscular ripped body, I believe you'll be mistaken (unless you have a genetic advantage). The deficit you need is likely to take quite a bit of lean body mass away along with the fat.

    That said, if you lose half of your goal while incorporating lifting, I think you might be pleasantly surprised.

    You have two things that are arbitrary and undefined - in my opinion of course:

    1. A set date.
    2. A specific number.

    Both of those things tend to turn into reasons to quit for many beginners. But.....you can do wonders just getting started and make the change for life (which should be the bigger motivation).

    All the best to you.
  • walking2running
    walking2running Posts: 140 Member
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    I agree with the majority. You still have your whole life ahead of you the day after your wedding anniversary. You'll be celebrating a huge milestone but don't let it be overshadowed by your weight loss or lack thereof. Congrats on your upcoming big day and good luck with your weight loss.
  • cheryldumais
    cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
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    Interesting conversation. Here's my two cents worth... I dieted many times in the past for a particular event and rarely made my goal nor maintained any loss. This time was different because I took my time and lost it slowly while learning a new way of life. Permanant weight loss takes time. There were times in the past where I glimpsed this truth but promised myself after losing quickly I would then "learn" to maintain. That never happened. My advice as someone who lost 105 pounds is take your time enjoy the ride and find the path you can live with for life.
  • me0231
    me0231 Posts: 218 Member
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    I went from 202 to 155 in just over 10 months and have kept it off so far. I do think it's possible to do it in 6 months but for me it wouldn't have been sustainable.

    I had a couple of trips during the fat loss phase and also didn't start exercising until about 4 months in. I gradually changed my habits to make sure I can keep them up. I've done extreme before where I'd only eat egg whites, chicken breasts and broccoli and salads, and go to the gym 7 days a week with the result that I gained it all back sooner or later. This time around I wanted to keep it manageable, and I never exercised or restricted my food more than what I knew I could keep up indefinitely. Just my $0.02
  • lolly2414
    lolly2414 Posts: 186 Member
    edited July 2018
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    I did it 11 years ago when I was still in my 20s (on a low fat diet back then which of course translated to lower calories and with pilates and aerobics). I dropped 40 lbs in just under 5 months. Through three pregnancies I gained it all back and then some. This time around (in my late 30s) my weight loss is just slightly slower than that. My first goal is to have 44 lbs lost by the end of the year (and I started at the beginning of May). So far I've lost exactly 20 lbs. The first 14 lbs came off quick and the last 6 have taken more work. Most of my exercise is just walking this time around due to some medical issues. I also realize that I might not make my initial goal by the end of the year, but I'll be happy if I'm still losing weight then. My husband can lose weight much quicker than me though (he's in his early 40s) just by adding a little exercise and eating a little less. I think a lot of times it's easier for men than women.

    So, my advice is to go for it, but don't push yourself too hard and eat too few calories doing it. If you only lose 25 or 30 of the pounds you want to lose by the end of the year that's still worth celebrating, and more importantly you want to do it by living a lifestyle you can continue even after meeting your weight loss goal or you'll gain it back in the future. Good luck!
  • racheladleruk
    racheladleruk Posts: 12 Member
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    I think that unless you are planning to wear a t-shirt with your weight printed on it to your anniversary celebrations, then you shouldn’t worry about the actual number and just concentrate on the scale going down at a healthy, sustainable rate ;)

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