How long does it GENERALLY take to lose 20 pounds?

julies90
julies90 Posts: 646 Member
edited October 7 in Health and Weight Loss
For a young person around 20, who is 5 '9 and around 168 pounds, how long should it/could it take, while still being able to maintain after wards?
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Replies

  • missikay1970
    missikay1970 Posts: 588 Member
    i am not sure about age or height, but i'm 5' 6" and it has taken me 5 months to lose 23 lbs. hope that helps. :smile:
  • bflicker11
    bflicker11 Posts: 296
    It took me 4 and a half months. I started out at 180 and am almost 5'7.
  • LauraSmyth28
    LauraSmyth28 Posts: 399 Member
    I'm no expert :wink: but I'd say 5-6 months.

    Maybe slightly less, but that's allowing for a loss of 1lb a week and a few weeks on top.
  • loseweightjames
    loseweightjames Posts: 360 Member
    For a young person around 20, who is 5 '9 and around 168 pounds, how long should it/could it take, while still being able to maintain after wards?

    1 lbs per week, so 20 weeks or about 5 months

    1 lbs is roughly 3500 calories, so that's about 500 calories a day you'd have to burn off through exercise or cut from daily diet

    Trying to lose 20 lbs in less than 20 weeks is possible but requires significant more calories burned per day. For example, burning 20 lbs in 10 weeks would take 2 lbs lost per week which would need 1,000 calories a day. You can't safely cut 1,000 calories a day from a normal diet (doing so could result in muscle loss, hair loss, severe health problems, etc) but you can exercise and burn 1,000 calories a day although that's very time consuming.

    This also depends on starting weight and how long you've been overweight. People on Biggest Loser can lose 20 lbs in 2 weeks because they're morbidly obese with a BMI over 50. At 5'9" and 168 lbs you're not morbidly obese so it would take longer. Also if you just gained 20 lbs in the past 6 months (like pregnancy weight) that weight will come off easier than if you've been overweight for 10 years.
  • sarah44254
    sarah44254 Posts: 3,078 Member
    took me 6 months from 167 to 145

    it will take me at LEAST 6 months to get from 145 to 127. It will probably take longer.

    I am shorter than you though, so this was me going from overweight to healthy weight. Since you are 5'9" and in the healthy range already, it might take you longer than 6 months.

    stay very focused and diligent and you can get it done quicker. cheat days (cheat weeks) and lazy time where you don't keep to your exercise regimen will slow down your progress. :) It isn't hard to maintain after you lose (not in my experience). Just keep an eye on the way clothes fit and weigh every week or two. If you see the weight go up or the pants get too tight, cut calories again until you feel better then go right back to maintaining :)

    I maintained at 145 for 6 months with very minimal tracking, wavering between 139 and 148 the entire time, same pants and everything.

    Ps. learn about nutrition, exercise, and how your body reacts to it. The more you learn and the more you know about WHAT you are doing to help your body and your health, the easier and faster this weight loss / healthy life thing is :)
  • chachita7
    chachita7 Posts: 996 Member
    In a healthy way... 20 weeks :)
  • feduh86
    feduh86 Posts: 790 Member
    i havent hit 20lbs yet, but i lost a little more than 17 lbs in a month and a bit and that was by eating healthy and exercising. Im 5'2
    No pills or anything like that! =)
  • jnoahrod
    jnoahrod Posts: 6 Member
    I must be waaay out of the ordinary. I lost about 15 lbs in the first 3 weeks of using MFP. After some adjustments during the holidays and getting a new scale, I am right at 20 lbs in about 7 weeks. I didn't count much during my Christmas vacation or else I would be even closer to my goal.
  • 0PhAtDaDdY
    0PhAtDaDdY Posts: 569 Member
    Lost 35lbs 6 months...
  • cardbucfan
    cardbucfan Posts: 10,571 Member
    I'm 5'9, 48, and started at 158. It took 7 months to lose 23lbs. but that was over the holidays (August - March) and included quite a few other parties. I'm still maintaining within about 3 lbs. 10 months later. Good luck.
  • rickyd88
    rickyd88 Posts: 75 Member
    It took me 2 months, but I started about 232lbs.
  • amizimmerman
    amizimmerman Posts: 11
    I assume everyone is different..im 5'4 just had a baby 3 months ago i was 148 at the end of november and today i was 128 so it took me a little over a month
  • Saffyra
    Saffyra Posts: 607 Member
    I'm 5'1" and lost 20lbs in three months.

    I only have a maximum of maybe 35 to lose total so I'm more than halfway to my goal. I did this with regular exercise and sticking to the calorie goal MFP gave me for a 1lb a week loss.
  • JenGrape
    JenGrape Posts: 32 Member
    It has taken me a year to lose 87 lbs.... I have about 35 more to go. It seems like the closer you get to goal it slows down more. Hang in there! Slow and steady wins this race!
    :happy:
  • wildkatt7
    wildkatt7 Posts: 163 Member
    Everyone is different, but it took me about 3 months... 74 pounds in 11 months
  • unmitigatedbadassery
    unmitigatedbadassery Posts: 653 Member
    You can break it down as scientifically into nice neat numbers as much as you'd like but the reality is no one can say. Every person is going to have a different metabolism, different levels of activity and different theories on diet. For me it took under 2 months. For others it takes much longer. Others still may take considerably less time.

    Find a plan that works for you and keep at it! You'll see the changes happen. Good luck!
  • woodyski911
    woodyski911 Posts: 4
    Its taken me 4 months to lose 48 pounds and i've spent 2hrs a day at least at the gym 6 days a week. Have given up smoking, beer, and fast food. Not dieted but am watching that i don't eat too much rubbish.
    I reckon a couple of pound a week is doable without too much heartache
  • ChallengeChick
    ChallengeChick Posts: 17
    I lost about 15lbs in 90 days on BBV and cheated ALOT! I know many people who have easily lost that in 30 days --- and maintained the loss, but everyone is different.
  • ncw89
    ncw89 Posts: 61 Member
    They generally say 2lbs a week is a healthy rate to lose at, but then you need to take into account plateaus, weak moments, things coming up to stop you exercising and things like that so it'd be rare for someone to consistently lose at that pace. I've set myself a target of a 21lbs loss by the first of July - so a 6 month time period. I wanted to go easy on myself so I was less likely to beat myself up about maybe not losing as fast as I'd like and if I beat that loss then its a bonus. I have a further target of 14lbs for the July - December period and I'm hoping that's achievable and perhaps even beatable :)
  • jordanlell
    jordanlell Posts: 340 Member
    It only took me about 3 months actually, although I did start off a bit heavier than you. I went from 185 to 165 in that amount of time, AND I was set up to lose about one and half pounds per week, which I wouldn't recommend for someone who is already in a healthy range like you are.
  • missmacknz
    missmacknz Posts: 39
    I think that the heavier/more overweight you are to start out with the quicker you may lose the weight. For example someone who is 300lbs may lose 20 lbs quicker than someone who is 150lbs - all other factors being equal.

    From what others have said here of similar weights to you I'd expect it to take a few months - but remember that the keeping it off, is often harder than the losing it. Good Luck :smile:
  • Arabian♥Breeze
    Arabian♥Breeze Posts: 323
    I lost 10 pounds 1 month then 11 the next month. I wasnt doing anything but being healthy and working out. it depends on your body

    Good luck
  • ccmccoy09
    ccmccoy09 Posts: 284 Member
    1 pound a week is a good guideline.

    If you have much more than 20 pounds to lose, you'll find the first 20 comes off rather quickly (a lot of people can drop the first 20, of say 100 pounds they want to lose, in 8-10 weeks). If you have ONLY 20 pounds to lose, it will be harder and you should give yourself more time.

    E.g. I only have 30 to lose, am eating/exercising to lose 1 pound a week, but planned 9 months to actually do it.
  • MaximalLife
    MaximalLife Posts: 2,447 Member
    For a young person around 20, who is 5 '9 and around 168 pounds, how long should it/could it take, while still being able to maintain after wards?
    It's not a race.

    Set your goals for 1lb per week and lose the weight in a healthy way and keep it off.
  • olee67
    olee67 Posts: 208 Member
    Generally speaking, 2lbs a week is the "healthy" benchmark. Just a few diet changes and a few days of exercise will hlep a lot and help you reach your goal.
  • ElyMaeOR
    ElyMaeOR Posts: 17 Member
    I think it depends on how much you have to lose. When I was first starting out I easily lost 7-8lbs per week and I was following all the instructions on weight watchers. Then when I got closer to goal, I would only lose 2lbs a week or sometimes not any at all. Everybody says 1-2lbs per week but I think ultimately it is going to depend on your body.
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,519 Member
    On average, how long is a piece of string?
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    A little less than 20 weeks if done correctly! But nobody is the same so it could take a day or 2?
    Drop a deuce and weigh in the morning!
  • RahBuhBuh
    RahBuhBuh Posts: 585 Member
    Four or so months was what it took me. But, I started hitting the gym 5 times a week, keeping a close eye on my calories, and avoiding foods I love to pig out on such as Pizza, Hamburgers, Pizza, and of course, Hamburgers.

    Right now, I am less concerned with the number to my weight. I really want to see my waist size go down. I think I have lost an inch.
  • _JamieB_
    _JamieB_ Posts: 417 Member
    Depends on how hard you're willing to work!!
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