14 lbs in 7 wks do-able if I'm a healthy weight?

rockinrobin714
rockinrobin714 Posts: 2 Member
edited December 22 in Health and Weight Loss
In 55 days (almost 8 weeks, rounding down to 7) I'll be returning home after being abroad for 2 years. I want to wow everyone with my new body.

I'm a 5'10, 24 year old female who started off at 210 in early 2011. I slowly went down to 190 and hovered there for a few months. Then I really stepped it up in my diet and exercise and have kicked butt all the way down to 155. That puts me at around a BMI 23 for my height, to put it in perspective.

But, I'm not thin. I'm an apple shaped body, so although my legs and *kitten* look great, my gut is huge. I take progress pictures every month and compared January (187) with June (155) and see hardly any difference in my stomach. I am very tall, meaning that it takes more pounds to see a difference.

I really, REALLY want to slim down though by the time I leave. I'd like to get down to 140. I see other posts by tall women who are 5'10 or close and are satisfied with their 170 pound bodies... I don't know why 155 isn't looking that great on me. Here's proof that I'm not skinny. [taken today]
http://imgur.com/lFs2C

And my younger sister is .5-1 inch shorter than me, same body type (slim legs, most weight goes to stomach) and weighs 135-138, is a size 2, and looks great and doesn't look too skinny.

I hear that it isn't healthy to lose more than 2 pounds a week. Is losing 14 pounds in 7 weeks an achievable goal, even though I'm already quite low on the scale (but still have plenty of fat to lose)?

Just for reference, I exercise about 10-12 hours a week doing a combination of heavy lifting and intense cardio. I'm quite fit and love to push myself. I walk to work and do a lot of standing and walking at my job. I'm a girl though and I know I'm not going to gain much muscle weight, so I'm not too worried about that. And if I do - great! The scale isn't the ultimate goal, my body is, but it sure is the best way I know of to see progress. I'm not really dieting at the moment, as I'm slowly adding more carbohydrates (I was low-carb dieting, worked wonders for me!) to my diet. I've gained a lot of healthy eating habits and they help me keep continuing to lose weight even though I'm not on a "diet". I try to make my breakfast only fruit (I'm rarely hungry then anyway) and either my dinner or lunch a salad. The other meal I eat whatever I want, but I try not to eat a lot of it. After dieting, I've become one of those people who forgets to eat (never thought that possible before!) or realizes at the end of the day I haven't eaten enough so I indulge myself with treats :) And I'm still losing weight, probably because I exercise so much.

Can I do it?!? :D

Replies

  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
    No, I don't think you can do it. I think 2 lbs. a week is WAY too aggressive for your weight. I think you could get down to where you want, just not likely in that time frame. I know it's not the answer you want to hear :-( I would say shoot for 5 to 7 lbs. in that time frame.
  • rockinrobin714
    rockinrobin714 Posts: 2 Member
    Shoot. You're right, I didn't want to hear that! But an ugly truth is better than a pretty lie :)
    I checked what I lost the last 7 weeks. 11 pounds. So... maybe 10 pounds?
    Hell, I'm still going to try. I'll get down to 140, no matter what. It just might not quite be by August 14th :-/
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
    You can always try. Just do it in a healthy manner and don't be disappointed if you don't make it.
  • rebecca_d35
    rebecca_d35 Posts: 131
    Also, just don't stand around hunched over in a sports bra. It's no one's best angle. :)

    I am 5'10, 157, and I also have fat to lose, though mine is all in my legs. I just want to say that it is much easier to hide a belly than legs in the summertime.
  • ColleenRoss50
    ColleenRoss50 Posts: 199 Member
    I would shoot for not more than a 7 to 10 lb. loss in the 7 weeks. Even that is considerably high because you are already in a healthy weight range. I am not saying this because 14 lbs. is not doable. I believe you could do it if you really wanted to but the question is will it get you the body composition you want? 140 lbs. isn't necessarily a magic number. You can't control where the weight is going to come off and you just might lose a lot of it in places you don't want to lose it and not where you want. In my opinion, since you are getting closer to goal, losing the belly fat you have left could be much better achieved by a slower weight loss combined with lots of strength training/body weight exercises. (Make sure you do not do the strength training two days in a row. Give your muscles a day of rest in between). If you wish you could do some cardio on the days you are not doing the strength training but I would concentrate more on the strength training than on the cardio because strength training will take you much further in getting you toward the body composition you want than cardio will.
  • ColleenRoss50
    ColleenRoss50 Posts: 199 Member
    Also, just don't stand around hunched over in a sports bra. It's no one's best angle. :)

    I am 5'10, 157, and I also have fat to lose, though mine is all in my legs. I just want to say that it is much easier to hide a belly than legs in the summertime.

    I agree with this.

    You might not be "bikini ready" in 55 days but in the right outfits you can still look smashing and wow them with your new body.
  • therealangd
    therealangd Posts: 1,861 Member
    Knowing what I know now, If I had 55 days and looking to make an extreme difference, I'd be hitting the weights hard core.

    The differences made by people doing Jamie Eason's 12 week program or P90X program are phenomenal.

    I'd be following either one of those programs religiously for the next 7 weeks.
  • usc2626
    usc2626 Posts: 186
    Knowing what I know now, If I had 55 days and looking to make an extreme difference, I'd be hitting the weights hard core.

    The differences made by people doing Jamie Eason's 12 week program or P90X program are phenomenal.

    I'd be following either one of those programs religiously for the next 7 weeks.


    ^^This, if you're not already doing some form of weight lifting it will definitly help if you do it right in those 55 days.
  • Jbarbo01
    Jbarbo01 Posts: 240 Member
    The scale and weight loss dont work like that way Im afraid. Some weeks you lose 4 lbs, some weeks you lose none. Its not an exact science so to think youll lose exactly 2 lbs a week in 14 weeks is setting yourself up to fail...especially at a healthy weight. Just do your best, theres no reason to force your body to lose weight that quickly to wow friends with a "new"body. Youre not trying to lose 100 lbs, its 14...youll look slightly different...You could do it but its definitely not a certainty, Id just cut carbs and eat a paleo kind of way for two weeks and hope for the best.
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
    Even if you don't lose the weight, you can tone up in that time. And have more energy and look all around healthier.
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