ok so what I really think will help me is setting myself goals to be completed by certain days, and I know saying "oh i want to lose 10lbs in one week" is totally unrealistic, however i think i need goals to keep on track kinda thing... anywayyy... im 5'4.5 in height and weigh around 232 and was wondering if anyone knew how much it would be possible for me to loose without being unrealistic? i tend to get disappointed when i set myself a goal and only loose half of what i thought then get disappointed and end up gaining... I'll be exercising at least four mornings out of the week and keeping my calorie intake between 1200-1300...

5 pounds and thats pushing it. The biggest loser is unrealistic. I busted butt for 5 a week.

The most I've ever lost in a week was about 4lbs which I kept consistent for a couple months, it eventually slowed and I ended up lowering my monthly goal.

It all depends on your metabolism and what you're eating. I started on this diet Sunday and have lost 8 pounds. I can normally lose about 3-5 pounds most weeks and that's without exercise. But some people struggle to lose 1 a week. If you're not used to dieting, on your first week you can expect to lose 5-13 pounds, for most weeks after that, you can expect to lose 2-3 pounds a week with some big drops in between.

wow guys thats amazing thank you

Although it's variable, the figure I've heard as being healthy and reasonable seems to be 1-2 lbs/week. I've lost more some weeks, and always lost at least a pound, but I'm not young anymore and I think that may make a difference. I wish I could count on more, and I do have goals in mind, but it's important to never lose sight of the fact that 1 lb is better than zero, and there may be weeks where no weight is lost, or weeks where there are inches lost and no weight, or weeks where you lose more. IMHO, to be sustainable, it has to be more about eating well and being active for a healthy lifestyle for forever. And hope the pounds drop off over the long term.

Gosh, I wish that I could just get this weight off in a few weeks, but that isn't realistic. I normally eat 1300-1600 cals/day never less than 1200 and never more than 1800 with the low and high counts maybe once a week each. I normally exercise 1/2 hour to an hour 6-7 days a week.

I started my plan on Feb. 20 and have lost 23 lbs as of last Sunday, which is probably pretty good. I lost 10 lbs the first week, but that often happens to people when they first start.

Hope that helps. It's good to have goals, but make sure you don't beat yourself up, and especially don't give up if you are not exactly in the time frame you set for yourself. It isn't all or nothing, it's a steady downward trend that counts in the end!

Barb

hey, thanks for that, i really took into consideration what you said and its really making me think more about my goals in another light, i usually think i've failed and think its not worth it anymore, but I really should be just shrugging it off and keep trying not jst giving up, thanks. I'm gonna set myself a 3lb goal this first week, not going to expect too much but as you said 1lb is still a loss

Realistic for me is 1 to 2lbs per week. IMHO expecting more than that is setting yourself up for failure.

I completely agree. My take on it is that the 1-2lbs per week expectation is a good way of protecting yourself from the negative impact of not meeting an unrealistic goal. I've lost as much as 6lbs in a week, but I know those weeks are exceptions, not the standard. One thing I've noticed is that I lose more when I eat around 1500 calories instead of the 1300 I'm trying to stick to.