Ok ladies, time for your advice to poor, puttering Fae...

Starting here in mid-August, I was at 210

Currently I am at 186.

I was thinking how much I would love to be at my goal, 140, by the time my bf comes home from the ship.. Imagine the shock at leaving me looking like a whale, and comming back to a skinny me!

Now I do not know if he will be gone for 6 or 8 months... they dont enlighten him to these things, but I would shoot for 6. Which would mean 140 by March.

Tell me, my oh so lovely and talented friends... Is that realistic, or am I pushing it too much?

*putters some more*

Hmm. Math.

So, 18 weeks until the first week of March. 46 lbs. That's 2.6 lbs a week. That's perfectly reasonable. There's no reason to believe you can't do that.

Just remember that you'll lose weight a LOT slower when you get closer to your goal, so make the most of your exercise right now. Weight training is very important. Starting now will make all the difference when you get closer to goal.

Are you just counting calories? That will make it more difficult. Try eating healthier, too.

Sorry if I'm terribly annoying. I've been reading nutrition books like crazy while on the treadmill. I have to do something to stop myself from focusing on how tired I am.

YOu know that is EXACLTY my goal time also.. I began the first of AUG and I am hoping to be to goal by my Birthday in the beginning of march....I am running 2-3 pounds a week and I am confident I will make it...and probably sooner than my goal time...Im sure you willl do fine.....just stay motivated and watch the slip ups....good luck

I have to agree with winterwonder, the closer you are to your goal it will be harder to lose, especially 2.6 a week. Perhaps you should just continue with what you're doing and if you reach your goal by that point then great job, but if you don't, don't let it get you down. Besides, whether you get to your goal or not by then, he'll still notice that you've lost a lot of weight! Good luck!!!

I agree with Haleys. I don't think it is a completely unrealistic goal, but I wouldn't be suprised if the last 5lb take twice as long as the 5 before hand. Either way you should be able to get pretty darn close! I think it a good idea to aim high and see what happens!

If you started in mid-August that's 24 pounds in about 9 weeks so far, or just about 2.6 lbs/week so far. I think it could be hard to maintain that level of weight loss, especially the last 10 pounds (always the hardest to get off!). But everyone loses differently. I certainly don't want to discourage you! It doesn't hurt to aim high (or low, in this case), and work hard for your goal. I'm sure you'll already look very different when you see your BF, imagine what a few more months will do! Good luck!!!

Why does it get harder to lose when you get closer to your goal?

Hello, i know i am new here, but i'd like to answer your question. I think 2.6 pounds a week is a pretty aggressive goal, and you may be setting yourself up for failure. Since the scale can fluctuate quite a bit, i would suggest measuring inches. Your goal is to become smaller for when you meet your bf and measuring is a good way to do this. Just keep doing what you've been doing, eating right and exercising, and everything will take care of itself! Good luck!


Angela

You burn fewer calories from doing the same arount of exercise, and you need fewer calories to maintain your weight. At the same time, you can't continue to drop the number of calories you eat, because you won't get all the nutrients you need.

I've always heard 1% of your weight is the safe and realistic amount to lose. I think it could be done, but I'm not sure it would be entirely healthy. Plus, if you aren't meeting your goals like you think you should, you might get upset and that might backfire and cause you to gain. So I would aim for no more than 2 lbs/week and he would still see an amazing loss when he comes home!

....says the girl who's goal amounts to over 3 lbs/week! lol

Haha see THIS is why I need you people. And also why I hate setting goals, because I hate to disappoint myself...

Ok then I shall stick with my original plan... just lose as much as I can! The difference is already noticable... *G*

Think about it as a percentage of your total body weight . . . For example, say you start at 200 lbs, and you lose 1% of your body weight each week. You would lose 2 lbs the first week, 1.98 the second week, etc. By the time you get down to 150 lbs you only lose 1.5 lbs if you are losing 1% of your body weight. These numbers are just arbitrary to illustrate the principle, but you get the idea -- each pound is more of your body when you weigh less, plus what WinterWonder said, you need fewer calories to maintain your weight so you have to modify your eating and figure out what you have to do to lose the last few pounds.

I could lose that much per week until I got under 170, at which point things slowed down. Personally, South Beach works for me and has kept everything moving.

The goal thing is... difficult. I made a graph with lots of different colors because I love Crayola too much. I split it into three levels : obese, overweight and normal. Highest weight at top of graph, goal weight at bottom. Then I drew the "idealistic line" (2 pounds a week) and the "realistic line" (1 pound a week.) Every week I update the "actual weight loss" line. If I go over "idealistic" I feel great, if I dip under "realistic" I can kick myself in the butt before slipping too far. Something about that graph keeps me motivated, but if you don't have major worries before entering a stationery or craft store, it may not be for you.

However you look, as long as you're making an effort to be healthier, you are going to look way different in March. And he's GONNA notice, k?

Paperclippy and Winterwonder: Thanks for teaching me something new. It makes complete sense..I just never knew that.

Fae - You are doing great. Why not focus on just to continue to do what you are doing. Don't stress yourself out to make 'THAT' number by March. If you continue to do as you are, you will keep losing.........I say there is no reason to make yourself sick before your DBF gets back home...........IMHO ofcourse.