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

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Replies

  • brianrhester
    brianrhester Posts: 2 Member
    I agree. The real goal is to lose weight and keep it off. Goals to lose x by y dates are just mileposts we create to help motivate ourselves and measure our progress. They should be guideposts, not rigid standards to judge if we succeed or fail. If you get to healthy weight in 15 as opposed to ten, you've still succeeded. The important thing is to have a goal to strive for. All of us got in the shape we did because we didn't have a goal weight at all.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    I am 5' 4" and started at 233 the day after thanksgiving 2011. My current goal weight is a somewhat arbitrary 145-although I imagine that I will drop that to 135 fairly soon. I have consistenly lost between .5 and 1% of my body weight per week (over an average though-it's not a linear progression). I am currently at 167. I am hoping to see the 150's by the end of the summer. If that happens, I would consider seeing anything in the 140's to be reasonable by my 1-year mark. So assuming that to be 149.9 (hey-that counts), that would put me at 83 for 1 year. Realistically, I don't see that happening. I have yet to hit the dreaded plateau, and I'm still aways from my goal-so the weight is still coming off. I expect in the near future, that will slow/stop and I will be reassessing my timeline. But-I also have no real timeframe in mind. I figure I have the rest of my life to live healthy-I'm in no rush. I think it's possible that you can lose 95 lbs in a year-but celebrate any loss-no matter how large or small. You can lose 95 lbs-but if you don't have a "hard" reason to give yourself a 1-yr deadline, then don't. Roll with it-losing weight is difficult enough without adding a time pressure if you don't have to.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Completely and totally doable. Look the success thread you'll see that type of loss all the time.

    I think you should break it off into smaller goals tho. Such as lose 10 pounds per month or 2 pounds per week. Keep your eye on the smalller prize and it's less daunting of a task. That also gives you a chance to find encouragement thru a series of small victories. Each week or month you can achieve your goal and feel good about yourself, where as it's all too easy to lose 20 pounds and then feel discouraged because you're still got 70 pounds to go.

    For me personally I had 50 pounds to lose when I started. But joining MFP and breaking it down into weekly goals lets me high five my workout partner every Friday. And on a week that I miss, I only miss by a pound or two, so it doesn't feel devastating. It's been much, much easier for me thinking about it like this.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    95 pounds in a year is 2 pounds a week, plus three weeks to make up for any slowdowns. It's realistic to think that you'll get pretty darned close, but you will slow down naturally as you approach your goal weight. You probably won't lose the last 20 pounds at 2 pounds a week.

    If you put effort into exercise and toning, and balance your diet so you are feeding your body properly, I think it's VERY realistic to think that you'll be in very good shape, have a much lower body fat percentage, and LOOK and FEEL much better than whatever the fickle scale might tell you.

    I also think that setting a deadline is irrelevant, because the sooner you get started the faster you'll arrive.
  • sabermax
    sabermax Posts: 64 Member
    Thanks for all they replys. It's just a goal to keep me motivated. If I lost lss that would be okay. My main goal ias to get off all my diabetes meds in a year, As long as I am faithful what ever I lose I will be happy with!!! Thanks again
  • BadgerSensei
    BadgerSensei Posts: 45 Member
    Yes, WEIGHING too frequently can frustrate you.

    It can! It can also, however, do the total opposite and make you much more laid back about those unavoidable fluctuations. I was freaking out on my weekly weigh in; I started weighing myself every day. Then multiple times a day. Now I've learned the sort of fluctuations I can expect (I weigh the least Tuesday afternoons; the most on Saturday afternoon, etc.) Not that that would work for everyone, mind you. I can see some people going crazy.
  • ShilohMaier
    ShilohMaier Posts: 135
    I lost 140 in 9 months. It's doable. Also, regarding your weight goal- I'm 5'5", and I think I looked pretty good at 132 pounds :smile: .

    And you WILL hear people tell you that you will gain it back if you lose it that fast- well, I kept it off for 5 years, and only gained from having a baby. I'm just working on losing the baby weight (granted it took me two years to get motivated). I had no problem maintaining my weight even though I lost quickly.
  • arcticfox04
    arcticfox04 Posts: 1,011 Member
    95 in 1 year is realistic. Basically you'll want to lose 1.8 pounds a week.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    If you're disciplined and motivated yes it's possible.