Im new here... but I though maybe there are some people that are up for the challenge... i figured that if i aim for 4lbs a week... i can lose 100 lbs...
so lets do this...
lets help each keep on track...

Welcome, lachona!! You may want to check out the 100 lb. club as well, if you haven't already!

I don't want to sound negative, but a goal of 4 pounds a week is EXTREMELY ambitious. Most studies say that we should aim for 1-2 pounds a week, and though you may have weeks where you lose more, you may also have weeks where you do everything right and you lose less or you lose nothing at all. It's important to remember that it can be a slow process no matter how much you stick to your commitments. I just don't want to see you get frustrated if you don't meet those aggressive goals. I've been at this very consistently since July of last year, and I've lost 82 pounds total. I've lost about 2 pounds a week but I've had some weeks with a one-pound loss and a few with none. I quickly learned that I had to be ok with that or I'd get discouraged. Keep posting and reading here at 3FC, though, because I'm convinced that's the secret to success!!

Welcome!

One thing I've found very useful for myself is to set very small, easily attainable goals, so that I'm super motivated when I scream past them with flying colours! Weight loss can be a frustrating endeavour, and I personally find it easier to do when I feel like I'm doing much better than I expected.

I'm sure you'll be able to find an accountability buddy here; 3FC is great for support!

Take care, and see you around!

ooh girl...you go!! Good luck to you. I'd love to lose 4 pounds a week. heck, i'd like to lose 2 pounds a week, but i'm lucky if i can drop one pound a week! But i'll be rooting for you!!!

I was coming here to echo the 1-2 pounds a week being a healthy rate of weight loss. (2 pounds being a GOOD week, and does not happen every week!)

What I also wanted to add, is that the more overweight you are, the faster the weight comes off-AT FIRST. Meaning, someone who starts out at 160, trying to get to 140, will start out losing slow. Someone who starts at 250 trying to lose 100 pounds may indeed find that the first month the pounds come off faster-you might very well lose 4 pounds a week, give or take, in the first few weeks-as you lose though, the weight loss will start slowing down. This is normal! You will not lose 4 pounds a week, or even 3 pounds a week, as you get closer to goal. (Unless you are completely starving yourself, and losing in an unhealthy manner.)

I am only letting you know this, so you don't set yourself up for disappointment with a goal that might be unreachable. You will lose the 100 pounds with a healthy diet and exercise if you set your mind to it-but it won't be 4 pounds a week.

Hi Lachona and welcome. I'm gonna have to kinda echo my fellow 3fcers. Putting a specific time frame on your weightloss is a tough thing to hold up to. Even if you do the same things week to week there is no way to get the same amount of pounds off each week. The body will do what the body will do. I'd hate to see you disappointed. My rate of weightloss has varied tremendously. And so will yours. When I set up goals for myself they were more on what I was going to do, not the scale. That little machine can not be trusted. I vowed to exercise and increase it slowly as I went along. I also set as a goal very healthy eating habits. I elminated all the junk and ate in healthy sized portions. The scale will do what it wants to. Those other thngs I mentioned, well I can control that. IF you do those things, the weight is BOUND to come off - eventually. Good luck to you. You can absolutely lose 100 lbs. Absolutely.

Thank you guys... for the feedback... Its just ive been trying to do this and really havent been committing 100%... And I decided today that once and for all... no matter what its for my own good... it a need for my on health... I would be happy to lose at least 2 lbs a week.. by new years ill be down... what do you guys recommend... which threads... that will help...

Like aphil said, the first part of the weight comes off fast for those of us who were/are very heavy. When I first started, I was losing 8-10 pounds a month. But after a few months it begins to slow down.

To lose 100 pounds by October is unrealistic. That's 20 pounds a month. That's too much. I've found that if I set time limits, I'm only setting myself up for disappointment.

Gather information, start eating healthy and watching your calories (many of us here calorie-count) and let it come off as it wants to. Try not to aim for more than 2 pounds a week. You said you want to do this for your health, and I commend you for that. But losing too much too fast will do you more harm than good.

lachona99 - Let us know what you are interested in doing and we can try to direct you to the right place. Do you want to count calories, drop carbs, get into exercise.... I personally have been trying to count calories, but since I obsess a lot, some weeks I just try to eat right -- and there are threads here for whole foods, calorie counting, etc. Are you planning on making your own foods or buying pre-made? I know I would LOVE to lose 100 pounds by the end of the year, but I will be happy to just lose something every week, because if I'm not losing, I'm gaining like a mad cow!! But, I agree with everyone else, I would hate for you to be disappointed when October rolls around and you haven't met your aggressive goal. Personally I've decided to take it day by day and see where I end up by my anniversary, birthday, etc. all of which have been goals of mine every year for 10 years but never solidified.

Good luck and stay in touch!!

I agree with the others. Setting too high a goal tends to discouraging when it can't be achieved. 4 pounds per week does sound a lot. There is a sub-forum called the 100 pound club that, I think, will help you sort things out a lot.
It's great you decide to do something and be successful you will be (kind of sounds like Yoda there, hahah...). Best wishes and keep us posted on your progress, OK?

go to the main page of support and there is alot of really good groups you can join. i myself am part of the racing to 199 which i think is great and slow down chica, 100 lbs by october is major (im not saying impossible) but you are just setting youself up for a hard hit on el suelo. small goals are best. come race with me to 199 or at the 10 times 10 lbs group.

Oh sweetie, I just worry that if you set yourself up to expect a 4lb loss every week you will crash and burn with disappointment when the weightloss slows down. This has to be a commitment for life otherwise the weight will all pile on again anyway in the end. Remember that slow and steady wins the race. I should know, I have lost 134lbs but it has taken me over 2 1/2 years to do it.

I agree with everyone. I also want to say that committing yourself 100% to something doesn't mean you have to make a multitude of huge changes overnight. It's not a "now or never, all or nothing" deal. Commitment is about doing something for the long haul and not quitting or giving up if things get a little rough sometimes or don't quite go as well as you hoped. Maybe one of the reasons you find yourself having been unable to commit 100% is that you're expecting too much from yourself too soon, overwhelming yourself with too many changes or too big a goal. You might find it easier if you break everything down to smaller steps or mini-goals. You can focus on, let's say, how to lose the first 5 or 10 pounds, don't think beyond that right now, that will come later. When you've reached your first mini-goal, that is both an accomplishment and a motivator. You know you've done it once, so you can do it again! Plus, you've had the time to get used to whatever changes you've made and you can assess from there how well they're working, whether you want to make more changes, etc.
Don't be so hard on yourself!

Best of luck to you! Just know that things don't always work out as we plan, so leave room and take it one meal and one day at a time.