Hello all. I just wanted to get some opinions because my friend tells me I'm being ridiculous.

I'm 5'7 and 158 pounds and I set my weight loss goal at 118 pounds by the end of April. So that's 40 pounds in 2 1/2 months. My friend says 1. that's too much weight for that time period, and 2. that weight is too low for my height. What do you guys think? Thank you so much. This forum looks great!

I agree with your friend.

Losing 20 lbs a month is nearly impossible for ANYONE, including those starting out at VERY high starting weights (like, those over 300 lbs). That's more than DOUBLE the rate of weight loss considered healthy (.5-2 lbs per week). Since you're so close to your goal, .5 lbs a week would be on the high end of what you can expect. So in 12 weeks, that's about 6 lbs.

Second, 118 at 5'7" is the VERY FLOOR of what is considered a "healthy" BMI. It is the absolute lowest weight recommended for the smallest framed people at that height. You may have a small frame, but understand that you've chosen the lowest possible healthy weight for your height, and as a result, getting to that weight is going to be very hard for you to do.

How did you set these goals? What were you considering? Have you been 118 before and felt it was the right weight for you? Why 2.5 months and not a more reasonable time frame?

Sorry, but your friend is right on both accounts.

A healthy weight loss is 1/2 a pound to 2 pounds per week. You want to keep the weight off, correct?

And where did you get the 118 from? That would have you borderline for being underweight (see a BMI calculator here http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/)

That weight would be extremely hard for most people to attain and maintain (don't know how old you are).

Welcome. This is a great site with great resources. Stick around, find a healthy plan, and make reasonable goals.

Wow. I guess I owe her an apology then. Oops.

I got 118 because I was that weight before and because that's what my (acting) agent tells me I need to weigh. She's also the one who came up with the time frame. I assumed she knew what she was talking about, but apparently not.

Thanks a bunch. ^_^

Doesn't sound like a reputable source to know what's healthy and realistic for your body.

An acting coach is the worst possible person to get health advice from. Hollywood's obsession with unrealistic bodies, plus her own financial interest, inclines her to give you unhealthy advice. Please get your information on how much you should weigh, and how fast you should lose weight, from you doctor!

I tried to break into "the business" when I was in my early 20's. Agents, casting directors, etc. all have an unhealthy and unrealistic view of weight. At least that was the case 10 years ago. Quite honestly, I think it's gotten worse.

Find another agent if you can. One who understands what a healthy weight is.

Besides the horrible treatment of your body that would entail, I'm not even sure if that's possible in a situation other than being on the biggest loser or maybe being a castaway (kidding).

Maybe it would help if you saw the math:
You'd need to lose 0.5334 pounds a day.
That's burning an extra 1866 calories per day.
At your weight/height, the lowest you could eat (without going into starvation mode) would be 300 calories below your bmr.
So you would need to burn 1566 extra calories per day in activity.
This is possible by running about 15 miles a day.

If you're able to do this for the first month, the second month will be worse, because you'll have to exercise even more.

I'm not trying to depress you, but I really want to make sure you realize what it would mean to lose that quickly. A lot of people give up in the first couple of weeks when they make unrealistic goals.

However, it's more than possible for you to lose 4-8 pounds a month without killing your body, and trust me, it adds up!

Oh the pressure Cammie!

Do your best to get to be slender, toned and healthy. Eat lean and clean, do cardio and weights. I doubt that agent will make you step on a scale if you look fabulous.

Just do your best. That's all anyone can do. In two months you can make some nice firm changes in your body without doing any harm.

Grab a couple copies of an Oxygen magazine. That's the kind of thing you need, not rapid weight loss.

you don't know agents and acting teachers! LOL!

I am an SAG actor too and when I studied the Meisner Technique my acting teacher who was like a diva like Stella Adler would rountinely tell people to get their teeth capped or drop 30 pounds from people who were already thin! And usually with the old actor's diet of the cabbage soup diet!

You can get down to 118lbs but I wouldn't put a time limit to it just start eating healthy and exercise and burn more calories that you take in and you will get there when you get there!

Your acting teacher is right though in telling you to lose weight if she thinks you need it because the camera ADDS 20 pounds to you because of the curvature of the lens and also I'm sure as you know the competition to get acting parts is TREMENDOUS wherever your market is!

But the time limit is too soon IMHO

good luck!

"all have an unhealthy and unrealistic view of weight." I don't think this is true. I mean I know there are probably some who do but most agents and acting teachers will be brutally honest with you because that is what their job is. They have to be because the competition is FIERCE for the good (and paying) acting roles.

If you are 20 something and you want to break into acting (especially LA or NY) and you are 20 pounds over weight you don't stand a chance unless you are a character actor or something.

An agent ... well LOL! agents are another ball game... an agent gets 10-15% of what you make. They get a cut of it and if you are talented but over weight they will tell you what you need to know to make you more marketable so they can make their money! A good agent is always a little cut throat! you want that in an agent! LOL!

But most acting teachers, the good ones anyway think of their students as their "little babies" They tell you what you don't wanna hear, thats their job in addition to teaching you to act.

And telling someone to just drop their agent and go find another tells me that you don't know how hard it is to find an agent (a good one) in the first place.

You don't just "drop" your agent! LOL! First off most know each other in their areas and if you drop one the others won't touch you because they want actors who are reliable. Agents don't chase after actors (unless you are A list) it's the other way around!

I know know people who have Master degrees and tons of experience in Theatre and move to New York and spend YEARS trying to get just a C list agent. It is the same way in smaller towns but to a lesser degree because the parts are smaller or more local.

If an Agent told me to lose that much weight in that amount of time i would just nod my head and say "OK Yes I will" and then just do it at my own time and every time they brought it up I would just say "I am working on it!"

Because you definitely don't wanna PO your agent they have 20 other actors who will kiss their feet to get the job you want.

It's a VERY brutal business most people have no idea how much!

I am SO glad that I have kinda steered towards music it is so much more less nerve wracking! LOL!