7 lbs per month??
 

This is such a stupid question and I feel lame for asking it, but maybe it will start a discussion because it's on my mind. I just found out my cousin is getting married "this summer", whatever that means. Don't you just hate weddings? LOL! This family lives 10 hours away so we never see them and though they've never said anything to my face, they're very judgmental about weight and I know what they're thinking. I hate seeing them, which is really sad.

SO...

I already know the answer but...

Do you think maybe :^: it's possible maybe :^: that perhaps 7 lbs a month is not an unrealistic picture to have in my head for how I will look when I see them? :^:

I think it's realistic, but at the same time, don't get too attached to it...

I lost ten pounds-twelve pounds a month for the first four months, then 4, then 8, then 4....Oddly enough, that actually balances out to about 2 pounds per week, but I no longer expect to lose 2 pounds per week.

The whole thing is pretty darn unpredictable.

But at least you're not trying to lose 23 lbs in one week!

Seven pounds a month is my weight loss goal also. I know that the first 2 months, I'll probably meet that goal, but after that it won't come so easy. I think the main thing is not to get discouraged if we don't. I have to have a goal or I get lax in my diet. So I set my goal a pound or two higher, so that I am always staying focused. I think if you exercise and eat right it can be done. Good luck

It's really easy to lose weight in the first few months then it slows down before you hit the dreaded plateau ;)

With some extra exercise later on, I'm sure you will slim down and look great in time for the wedding!

Go for it, just know like some of the other women have said that some months you might come up short, some months you might come out on top. So keep your goal in mind, but just remember that you're working towards becoming a healthier you for you, and no one else. No matter how long it takes, it will so be worth it in the end.

Amen to what ubergirl says...

but my issue would be it would make me go crazy because I would get into the "I have to mode" and then I might go OP...but that is me! My family is also very very very judgmental...they are all jocks and then there is me :D Keep doing what your doing and you will get where you need to be!

I think that's perfectly realistic. Everyone's body is different. Some people never have plateaus, it all depends. I've lost 15/month for the past 4 months. While I'm thrilled with that, I won't be too disappointed (hopefully) if I don't continue to see this high amount of loss because I know that 1) it's not an exact science, and 2) having a goal of 15 pounds/month the whole way is possible but not realistic. However, 7 pounds/month sounds very doable. Good luck!

btw- even if you aren't at the weight you imagined, you'll be surprised at how happy you are to be at whatever weight you'll be at that time. As I've heard another chickie on this forum say, when you're just starting out, you focus on the end result; how great you'll look/feel at your goal weight. However, people don't normally think of all of the benefits along the way. Right now I'm still overweight, but I look and feel a thousand times better!!

It sounds reasonable to me. My average since April is 13.4 pounds a month, but that's inflated because I was so heavy I lost a lot the first two months. For the past 4 months I've lost about 10 pounds a month. I'm prepared for that to slow down as I have less to lose.

And I'll third what the very wise Ubergirl had to say!

I think it is. I sure hope so as I'm shooting for 2 lbs a week. However even if you can't quite hit 7 lbs a month you will still be much closer to where you want to be. So it is all good!

I hope it can be done. I'm expecting a plateau very soon. I hit one after 30 lbs the last goal which is just a little over my 10% lost mark. I've read that plateaus often happen at the 10% mark as a way re-setting the body. My first plan of attack is to do Phase I South Beach with a little calorie counting thrown in for good measure. (I'm a calorie counter right now) If that doesn't work, my second plan of attack is to increase my calories by 100 a week for maintenance for a period of one month, and then drop the calories again. So I have a line of defense planned, but of course there's no guarantee. That's why I feel so lame bringing it up. I guess I just wanted to talk about it.

The last wedding with this family was the worst. I was feeling good about myself, and then I got the pictures back. Wow. And my cousin had lost 40 lbs and my aunt had lost weight and the bride was itty-bitty and a nutritionist to boot who gave me a nice lecture on McD's yogurt parfaits.

I agree that it's realistic, but make sure you don't beat yourself up if you lose 5 instead of the full 7... especially if you're giving it your all.

I just started calorie counting and factored the numbers by wanting to loose 2lbs a week. I know I won't always loose that much, but I can try my hardest and see what my body does.

I'll fourth what ubergirl said.

But yes, I do think it's doable. You will have to put forth the effort and be consistent with that effort - which IS doable. Focus, really, really focus on the good eating/exercise habits and the weight loss will follow. Just how much is anyone's guess. But 7 lbs a month is not unheard of.

You're on your way anyway, which is good. It's not like you started this weight loss journey FOR the upcoming wedding. But now it's there and perhaps you can use it to your advantage to keep you that much more focused. To stay the course.

yeap what she said ;) It's a good number to shoot for but at the same time don't beat yourself up too much if it doesn't happen.

My weightloss didn't slow down until I got to about 150 but everyone is different!

I think it's very doable. 8 lbs a month is about what I've lost since I started. However since your weight will be getting lower and lower it may slow down a bit, but hey no matter what you'll be smaller and that will awesome!

Sounds like a good goal to me. Sounds likeyou are just starting out and it's easier in the beginning to lose the weight!!