IS it realistic to want to lose 95 pounds in a year?

sabermax
sabermax Posts: 64 Member
edited December 21 in Health and Weight Loss
I have 95pounds to lose. Is it realistic to do that in a year. Also I am 5"4. Everybody wants me to only lose down to 150. I think that I would look pretty good at 135. Realstic?
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Replies

  • dlwyatt82
    dlwyatt82 Posts: 1,077 Member
    You can almost certainly get most of the way there, but the last 20-30 pounds might slow down on you. It's harder to lose the last few pounds, or so I hear.
  • pinkpolkadots25
    pinkpolkadots25 Posts: 101 Member
    Absolutely! I have lost 98 pounds within the past 11.5 months. :) I went from 260 to 162. You can do it!!

    Feel free to add me! Best wishes to you.
  • jeffrodgers1
    jeffrodgers1 Posts: 991 Member
    Absolutely realistic. Exercise, Diet, and believe in yourself.

    You can do it!
  • sossamonster
    sossamonster Posts: 3 Member
    Definitely doable. Try very low carb, high fat (ketogenic) way of eating.
  • BadgerSensei
    BadgerSensei Posts: 45 Member
    I started dieting on January 28th, the day I went from working a physically intensive position to an office position. As of today, I have lose 72 pounds. Totally feasible ;) I expect to hit 95 in about two months.

    I'm exercising a lot and eating back the cardio calories. Hasn't been low carb or anything; just watching what goes in. I'm also letting myself eat normally when I go out with my friends once a week, which helps keep me sane.
  • VenomousDuck
    VenomousDuck Posts: 206
    yes, I did in 9 months so far, but it isn't easy
  • horror_hamster
    horror_hamster Posts: 278
    Absolutely realistic. Exercise, Diet, and believe in yourself.

    You can do it!

    this, right here. and perhaps the most important part of ALL of this is the BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!

    As someone else stated above, the last 20-30 might be REALLY hard to get off, DO NOT LET YOURSELF GIVE UP. ever. Keep pushing, keep trying, keep going. never give up and you'll get there.
  • HotCuppaJo
    HotCuppaJo Posts: 476 Member
    I lost 48 in 4 months. It's TOTALLY doable!!!! Best of luck to you! :)
  • jaymek92
    jaymek92 Posts: 309 Member
    The less weight you have, the slower you're going to lose it. To lose 95 pounds a year, you'll have to maintain a loss of almost 2 pounds per week, and chances are you'll plateau or have a rough week or two.
    It is possible, but it's going to be extremely difficult. I'd say aim for 50-60 and you'll have better luck.
  • offthedeependay
    offthedeependay Posts: 435 Member
    yes you can do it ,it is possible,I started at 240 lbs April 2011 and my current weight is 163 lbs,i am rooting for you..
  • smurlene
    smurlene Posts: 72
    You gals who have lost that much are amazing. I lost 100 lbs starting in 2006. It took me 18 months (and I still had quite a bit to go).

    Of course, I have PCOS, which makes it harder, but still, I am really impressed.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    It's definitely possible.
  • kgprice11
    kgprice11 Posts: 749 Member
    Its realistic, but when you start to plateau you will have to fight through it and push even harder to reach it in a year (around 15 lbs left to go) You can do it!!
  • BigDave1050
    BigDave1050 Posts: 854 Member
    It can be done, you just have to put in the work and its alot of work. Good luck on your journey.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    If you only have 95, it may be, as the closer you get to your goal the slower your loss should be. If you had 200 lbs to lose 95 in one year would be a good goal. I would suggest setting your goal to lose 2lbs/week now, when you get down to 65 or so to go, change that goal to 1.5 lbs, when you get to the last 40 change to 1, and for the last 10 or so, change to 0.5lb/week. This way it may take longer but the less fat you have left the smaller your deficit should be to ensure you are losing mainly fat, instead of a large % of lean muscle.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    It depends. The biggest thing you have to realize is at some point, your body will plateau. This becomes even more true the close to your goal. As you approach a normal weight, your body needs more calories and it will lose slower. If you want to increase fat loss, as opposed to straight weight loss, you will want to include heavy resistances training. Your weight loss might be a bit slower, but your body will lose inches faster.
  • marisa_huerta
    marisa_huerta Posts: 2
    Please share how you lost your weight. I started three weeks ago. I have lost 7 pounds and gained back 3 pounds this weekend. Tell me what you are doing. I have joined a gym and I am watching my food intake. What else can I do to loose the weight and keep it off?
  • 76wendyful
    76wendyful Posts: 202
    I am also 5'4" and before I gained all of my weight I was between 130 and 135. It was a comfortable weight. I think a year is doable, but even if it takes you a year and a half, know that it was all worth it to live the rest of your life healthy! I am planning on losing 50 pounds in roughly a year. I want to do it slow, steady, and sustainable. Good luck to you!
  • jcstanton
    jcstanton Posts: 1,849 Member
    It CAN be done, but it depends entirely on how your body responds to your efforts (I have slow thyroid and insulin reisitance, which has slowed my progress considerably when you consider the amount of effort I've put in over the last year), and what measures you're willing to take to get there. My advice would be to sit down and write out your daily, weekly, monthly, and primary goals...in that order. It's much easier to achieve a 95lb weight loss when you break it down into smaller, more manageable short term goals. After a while, it can get overwhelming to think about losing that much weight, but achieving smaller goals along the way will help keep you encouraged. I also suggest taking before photos, body measurements, and body fat percentage (have a health/fitness pro measure with calipers), that way you have a starting point with which to measure your progress. Don't go by the scale alone.
  • willow_wynn
    willow_wynn Posts: 4
    I have only just started personally, but I think it can be done as long as you're going about this in a healthy way. Keep in mind the following: Which is more important to you in any given moment: the instant gratification of a tasty snack, or knowing you're getting yourself healthy by eating something healthier, taking those stairs instead of the elevator or just walking somewhere instead of driving? As long as you watch your choices based on this and know that in doing so you CAN do it and do it right, then you'll be fine. Otherwise, talk to us and we'll all help you out, I'm sure. :) Good luck, and have fun finding recipes that are delicious, satisfying and nutritious all at the same time. That's been my favorite part.
  • ramonasowner
    ramonasowner Posts: 136 Member
    yes. I've done it. just never give up. you can seriously
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,010 Member
    Definitely possible. It won't be super easy.
  • techcommdood
    techcommdood Posts: 37 Member
    Best advice: don't look at the short term. It's the most discouraging thing you can do.

    OMG! I lost 7 lbs last week!
    Aw nuts, only down 0.5 lbs this week.
    Cool! I lost 3 more lbs!
    What?!? How'd I gain 3 lbs?
    Alright, back on track with 1.5 lbs lost. I can do this!
    Ugh, back up 2 lbs? You're kidding me!
    Sweet! Lost 5 lbs! Must have been the broccoli and new running shoes.
    Great... plateau at 0....

    It can drive you mad when you look at things too closely. Meanwhile, in that 8 week period above there was a 12 lb loss.

    Keep in mind that if you're doing it right, you'll be losing fat and gaining muscle. This means you may not be losing so much weight as you are fat. This is a good thing! I was angry with myself for working out 3 times a week and eating well yet losing next to nothing for about a month straight. Meanwhile I wasn't paying attention to the fact that I could no longer wear any of my pants without a belt (unless I wanted to put on a spontaneous free peep show).

    And you know, if a year goes by and you miss your goal? So what! Take pride in and be happy with what you DID accomplish.
  • MtnKat
    MtnKat Posts: 714
    You can do it! Just take it one day at a time!!
  • MsDivineM
    MsDivineM Posts: 48
    You guys are all awesome! My goal is to be down 130 by my 40th birthday, which is 18 months away! Its doable, just be sure to stay steady and you MUST do the work to achieve it. I have lost 18 in a month! I walk everyday at least 3 miles and do 2 zumba classes a week. I am getting ready to add 2 more classes, still walk in the morning and bike at night. I'm sick of being the fat girl in the group.
  • brianrhester
    brianrhester Posts: 2 Member
    Depends on what you define as the term "realistic." As many have pointed out, it's possible. But that's not what you're really asking. The real question is whether you're setting yourself up for disappointment if you set this ambitious goal and then fail to reach it in twelve months. And, I think that's what your friends are suggesting in which they recommend a good, but less ambitious goal.

    Look, the reason most attempts to lose weight and keep it off fail is because people want a quick fix. It took you more than one year to gain the weight, and while it could take a year to lose it, it's more realistic to expect that it'll take longer because losing the weight isn't the goal--keeping it off is (the latter overlooked one is why most diets fail, people shoot for the weight loss, then go back into bad habits after they achieved their goal).

    I'm 5'4" and had forty pounds to lose to go from obese to normal weight. I set an ambitious goal to lose it in four months. However, I also had a below average muscle buildup, too. By the third month, I was 14 lbs. to my goal and hit a plateau. I cannot tell you how frustrating it was to lose in a month what I was used to losing every week, even though I was doing everything I was used to do (and more, because I had started weight training.)

    And then I looked into the mirror and remembered what I looked like three months before. And it hit me. Four months was an arbitrary goal that I picked to motivate me. And that's all the purpose a goal serves, to give you a standard to motivate you. When your goals start to de-motivate you, then it's time to remember that the real goal is get healthier and feel better. And that I was hitting.

    I've got a few weeks left in my fourth month, and I may still come close to my goal four-month goal, but if I miss it, I don't care. Because what really matters is that I look myself in the mirror longer than I used to, feel better about myself, and I'm on the right path. Keep that in perspective. You don't fail when you don't hit your goals. You fail when you stop having them.
  • bnelly55
    bnelly55 Posts: 88 Member
    I've lost 105 in 8 months so yeah def doable. You have to completely dedicate yourself though. Exercise exercise exercise!!! No excuses!
  • mrandolph69
    mrandolph69 Posts: 197 Member
    I have lost 107 in 9.75 months so, yes, it can be done.:smile:
  • Qatsi
    Qatsi Posts: 2,191 Member
    It's an aggressive goal, but doable.

    Having said that... is there a reason behind setting a deadline of a year from now?

    The reason I ask is because I'd originally set a deadline to drop 110 pounds in 10 months and be down to my goal weight by my 50th birthday. A couple months in, I realized I wasn't going to get there in that time frame. But I decided that the deadline wasn't as important as the goal. If I just keep doing what I'm doing, I'll get there eventually. I'm currently on track to get there in 15 months instead of 10, give or take a month or two. And I'm okay with that.
  • jcstanton
    jcstanton Posts: 1,849 Member
    Best advice: don't look at the short term. It's the most discouraging thing you can do.

    OMG! I lost 7 lbs last week!
    Aw nuts, only down 0.5 lbs this week.
    Cool! I lost 3 more lbs!
    What?!? How'd I gain 3 lbs?
    Alright, back on track with 1.5 lbs lost. I can do this!
    Ugh, back up 2 lbs? You're kidding me!
    Sweet! Lost 5 lbs! Must have been the broccoli and new running shoes.
    Great... plateau at 0....

    It can drive you mad when you look at things too closely. Meanwhile, in that 8 week period above there was a 12 lb loss.

    Keep in mind that if you're doing it right, you'll be losing fat and gaining muscle. This means you may not be losing so much weight as you are fat. This is a good thing! I was angry with myself for working out 3 times a week and eating well yet losing next to nothing for about a month straight. Meanwhile I wasn't paying attention to the fact that I could no longer wear any of my pants without a belt (unless I wanted to put on a spontaneous free peep show).

    And you know, if a year goes by and you miss your goal? So what! Take pride in and be happy with what you DID accomplish.

    Yes, WEIGHING too frequently can frustrate you. However, short term goals, such as specific fitness goals (working your way up to 45 min on the eliptical after only being able to do 10 min on your first day), daily nutrition goals (today I'm going to drink 10 8oz glasses of water instead of only 8 glasses), etc... will help keep you encouraged. I'd suggest weighing only once per month, and doing body and bodyfat measurements every six weeks.
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