I've been on again off again here, and I'm back and planning to stay, for a very long while.

I'm just looking to set a realistic, but inspiring, goal this time around. I'm starting at an all time high weight of 239 lbs (eek) on a 5'9" frame. I'm 24 years old and I'm a kindergarten teacher (so I am moving around a lot during the day.) As of today I am counting calories, cutting out fast food and sugary junk and replacing that with fruit and veg. and as of tomorrow I am going to be walking/jogging for a minimum of an hour a day.

Would you say it's reasonable to aim to be out of the 200's by August 1st? I know the rule of thumb is ten pounds a month, but I have so much to lose and so many changes to make. At the same time, I don't want to set myself up for failure. I know the important thing is to just start making changes...

I'm open to any/all advice, truly! Thank you in advance! I think I just need to talk this out a bit before I set my mind to it once and for all.

For me, 10 pounds a month would be impossible. I lose around 5 a month with calorie counting and exercising with a personal trainer 3X a week and running. I also have had plateaus that lasted for months. I don't think you can put a time on making goals, it's setting yourself up for disappointment.

It really depends on the person, but I'd say that the "expectation" often referenced as realistic is about 2 pounds a week, approx. 8 pounds a month. Although that might not get you to ONEderland by August 1st, wouldn't you rather be 215 by that date than still be 239?

Some people will lose quickly, others will move more slowly, depending on diet, exercise, and your body. So you never know what the weight will be in August, but the right attitude is just to start making changes, and maybe setting mini-goals along the way.

But I certainly know how you feel, I'm currently at your exact weight and am going back to school for my masters in the fall, and I would LOVE to be out of the 200s by then. However, I doubt it's realistic, so instead I'm getting excited about being 210-215 by the time I get back to school, and will reach ONEderland while back on campus.

Congrats on making the decision to change, hope the comments are proving helpful!

I don't think it's unrealistic. I do think that you need to accept how ambitious it is. Losing more than 2 lbs a week is doable if that's a huge focus of yours -- if you don't go off plan, if you count your macronutrients, if you do an intense workout regimen of probably 60+ minutes a day intense cardio and weights. If you make it your single-minded focus.

Is that really sustainable for you right now? Can you really commit to giving up all desserts and eating under 1300 calories a day of mostly lean protein and vegetables for the next three months? Can you make the time for exercise? Other people have lost weight healthfully at that kind of aggressive rate. But most can't do it. Over-restriction can lead to binging. Overtraining can lead to exhaustion.

It's like this: most people can run/walk a marathon with no training at all, but it's highly inadvisable, and for good reason. The hurdles are mental, but that doesn't make them not real. And if you do finish 26.2 miles with no training, you probably will never want to walk again. In terms of dieting, that means you'll probably burn out before/by August. And burning out just over the Onederland threshold is probably not where you want to be.

Do smaller mini goals. I am 46 lbs from lifetime goal, and have set no time limit. When it comes, it comes.

Start by aiming for 220, then 210. From there you can make an accurate assessment on how much you can lose in what amount of time.

Know there are going to be stalls and gains that you have to also consider.

I aimed for 10 pounds at a time thinking that I should lose 90 pounds was too daunting.

I'm with Driven. You can reach your goals but by making too many changes / too large of a hurdle to jump right in the beginning can be discouraging. Back in Feb. I made my first goal to get to 200lbs by May 28th. I started out with zero exercise increase because I knew that tackling too many changes at once would be very hard for me personally. I wanted to get control of my eating habits first and then add in additional activities once I was sure I could stick with my calorie restrictions. Lots of mini goals has made all the difference. I've been shooting for 1.5 lbs a week and have been very successful so far and have even lost more then I was expecting.
The trick is to just get started and to stick with it.
Even if you don't reach that 'super goal' by August 1st you will still be well on your way

10 lbs is ambitious so don't beat yourself up if month 1 you do 10 lbs then month 2 only 6 lbs, that's just how our bodies are.

My only concern would be too much too fast. Don't overwhelm yourself to the point where you give it all up. If anything at least get the eating down and don't worry if you miss a workout here or there. I'd love to work out an hour a day but it usually ends up that I do half an hour a few times a week. That's just how life is sometimes!

I think that I'd spend my first week just focusing on improving diet and if you do any exercise it's just a bonus (don't tire yourself out).

This is what I did as well. I didn't really set a time limit on weightloss, but just focused on 10lbs at a time. Sometimes the 10lbs melted off, sometimes they were more stubborn. Eventually towards the end when it slowed to a crawl I went in 5lb increments. I wouldn't beat yourself up if you don't make it in time, although I have to say the goal you set is possible.

I think it would make things less difficult and stressful if you removed the time constraint on your goal. Weightloss is a non-linear beast and it's just so hard to predict where you're going to be scale-wise at a certain point.

I don't believe it's unrealistic. BUT, what I would reallllly recommend is definately putting together a fitness regime of some sort. Even if it's just using weights (or resistance training by using your own body weight or a rubber strap for exercises) for 30 minutes three days a week and taking a nice walk after work. THAT will make you feel 1000% better regardless of whether you hit the 200 or don't quite make it there by the date in mind.

Good luck hun! You can reach your goals!

I agree with everyone else. It's doable, but inadvisable. I've put myself on those kinds of regimens before, and it lead to disappointment. My advice, and what worked for me, was to experiment with different diets/woe and find what works best for your body.
For me, it's low-carb, not low cal, that makes my body happiest and makes me drop weight. Also, the more weight you have to lose, the quicker you lose it. You might try blogging, too. I've found that it really helps keep me focused, and keeps me from emotional eating if I can write about what's bothering me.

Congrats on making the decision!

One thing that's jumped out at me since joining 3FC is that everyone finds different things that work for them, and that's totally OK. For me, setting that big of a goal and considering not reaching it as a failure would be...setting myself up for failure. I'd set that goal as a "best case scenario." Because there are always bumps. Something is better than nothing. I find I work best by counting calories, monitoring nutrients, and slowly adding in more physical activity. The weight is not flying off but it's coming off, and I feel great about it.

I also agree with junebug's words: "Weightloss is a non-linear beast and it's just so hard to predict where you're going to be scale-wise at a certain point." Totally. It's a winding road (but one worth taking).

I'm going to weigh in with a different piece of advice. I agree that it's an ambitious, though not impossible goal. However, as for setting a 'timeline,' it really depends on your personality. I do well under pressure, so for me, it's necessary to set a time-sensitive goal. That said, I'm not someone who beats myself up when I make a mistake, so even though I'm not going to be close to making my goal of 50 pounds by my 25th birthday (I will be lucky to hit 30), I'm okay with that, because I've still lost 20 pounds! I'm not going to give up because I'm not going to make the ultimate goal. I'll still get to 50, just not as quickly as I would have liked, and that's okay.

I'm more driven in knowing that I have that timeline. Others may not be. So definitely think about what works best for you! Good luck!

How will you handle if you dont meet your goal? I have set a bunch fo deadline related goals for myself, and have probably missed the mark on 75% of them. For me, it isn't a big deal. I make another one and keep going. Some people feel devastated. Are you using this goal as a way to motivate yourself, or to measure yourself? If you are using this goal as a measure of yoru success, don't do it. Pick something very small, so that you will be able to feel successful when you reach it. If you're like me, on the other hand, use a possibly unattainable nummer to drive you, just don't let it define you.

I think you are doing the best possible thing by making all the changes at once. I suppose it is different for everyone, but that is the only way I can get on track myself, so my advice.... Start counting calories and limiting (make sure you use at least one of the online calculators for how many calories you should be consuming because some people drop way too low immediately and you need to have room to slowly change. Fast foods/sugars need to be cut out immediately if they are something that will tempt you to overindulge. An exercise program needs to be started immediately. Make a goal for which days of the week, what times you will exercise, and perhaps several different things that you might do... that way despite the fact that you have a strict plan to exercise, you still have the daily choice of what you want to do (mine switched between going for a run, doing a variety of workout videos, DDR, or spending time dancing... but I made sure I did at least an hour a day of cardio, whatever it was, and eventually I also added weight lifting 3 times a week.

That being said at this time last year I was at about 210 lb, and by August I was down to 170, so I think losing 40 pounds in that amount of time is very reasonable. I probably could have lost more had I stayed completely on plan through all that time. In that same time period I started doing walking as my exercise and was also able to build up and run a 13 mile half marathon. Your body can accomplish A LOT in a short amount of time if you are feeding and exercising it properly.

What I would say is make yourself goals to follow DAILY for calorie intake (and journal this or use an online website such as Sparkpeople or one of the others to record what you eat) and also set a DAILY goal for exercise... if you want to weigh yourself daily that is fine but I would do an 'official' weigh in once a week to make sure the weight is going down at a good rate. If you are unhappy with how much you have lost for several weeks, post a topic on here and some people who have been at it for awhile can probably help you out with what you could do to... whether you are eating too many calories or too little... people around here are good for advice like that. That being said I wouldn't say that you want to lose X pounds a week or X pounds over so many months... because you don't know how your body will respond yet, and it may fluctuate by dropping pounds quickly in the beginning and not so many after a month or two... I know if I make myself a certain goal of where I want to be by a certain time I often disappoint myself... bodies fluctuate. As long as the scale is moving down over a period of time, you are doing the right thing though! Keep active here! Good support!