I am new to this site. My question is this can I realistically lose 52lbs in 4 months? Here is what I plan to do: Cut all bread(my weakness); Dessert; sugar; caffine; Junk food etc. Replace with water; veggie burgers, tuna, turkey, veggie sausage for breakfast and salads. Also, incorporate cardio 3x a week (ie bike riding, brisk walking, and running) and strenghtn training the other 3 days. Sounds doable, but I just want to remain consistent. So, if anyone wants to follow this plan with me, I would welcome it. I find that having a buddy helps keep me motivated and on track. Thanks, for reading.
PS Together we will all reach and surpass our fitness goals and be healthier and fabulous!
My advice would be not to eliminate bread, dessert, sugar, etc completely. Treat yourself once a week with something you love, but that might not be the healthiest. It's easier to stick with a plan when you don't feel like you're giving up everything you love. It's must easier to say no to sweets most days of the week when you know you get to indulge in a special favorite on Saturday!
52 pounds in 4 months is ambitious, but not totally out of the question. That winds up being a little over 3 pounds a week, while most experts recommend losing no more than 1-2 pounds a week. Of course, weight loss isn't steady like that (some weeks you'll lose more, other weeks you'll lose less), but keep in mind that weight taken off slowly is more likely to stay off!
That said, I'd definitely recommend that you look into calorie counting, rather than just replacing particular foods with others. Even healthy foods, when eaten in portions that are too large, can lead to weight gain. By counting calories, you know exactly what you're taking in, how much your body needs and where you can cut foods or splurge, depending on how your weight loss is going.
It's a very lofty goal. But I don't think it's entirely undoable. You need to realise that it will be a little tougher when you transistion to maintenence stage. People usually keep weight off better if they lose it more slowly, but you can be one of those who can lose it fast and keep it off. It's going to be a huge lifestyle change and everyday counts! I'm excited to follow your progress, and you have found a great place for support. Do you have a bug event in four months? This is doable. People have lost weight that fast and even faster. I think cuttingout the foods that are your triggers is a good idea. Personally for some things, I need an all or nothing mentality to stay on track. Maybe try to eliminate for a week, and then really sit and assess. Do you feel like you could indulge and make it a small treat once a week? Then you should definately do it. I think alot of people need to not feel totally deprived or they can just fall totally off. Others are better really leaving certain foods alone.
I wonder why you have set this particular goal. What is happening in 4 months? What if you "only" lose 32 pounds by then, or "only" lose 5 pounds by the halfway mark, will you feel like a failure? And will feeling like a failure cause to quickly give up and gain it back?
I've done that so many times. In fact I have a trip to Disney in a month and a half and I decided that I wanted to lose a certain amount of weight by that time. I've lost some and I feel good about it, but definitely not what I wanted by now. I'm on Weight Watchers though, and I'm learning that heck, I'm less than I was a month ago and that's just gotta be good enough. At this point I can realistically lose about 12 more pounds before I go, although I'd love it to be more than that (who wouldn't?)
One of the things that I am really learning in Weight Watchers is that expectations can be very self-defeating. If you expect to lose xx pounds by xx date, and don't, what does that do to you? Are you really just setting yourself up for failure?
So why not give yourself a break? Just say "I am going to make some changes, I am going to be more active, I am going to monitor what I put in my mouth. And 4 months from now I will hopefully be thinner and definitely more healthy" That may help take the pressure off.
There is no rush to lose the weight. This journey is about YOU, so take the time to get immersed in the fitness/weight loss process.
I'm in the process of losing 50 pounds also and I think in the end it will take me about 2.5 years to do it. It took me a long time to lose weight because I had to incorporate a lot of lifestyle changes. And I had many set backs such as depression, binge eating, lack of motivation, and a little laziness too.
Theoretically, you can in a healthy way lose 1 to 2 pounds per week, which means that you could lose about 16-32 pounds in 16 weeks. But that will take an enormous amount of daily commitment. That commitment takes time to cultivate. For me, it took me years and years to give up foods that I binge on like sugar, fast food, chips, peanut butter, etc, etc.
I suggest you change your weight loss goal in half to 26 pounds in 4-6 months or try to lose 52 pounds in 8-12 months. That goal is more doable, but still very ambitious. Or better yet, simply lose the first 5-10 pounds and not worry about establishing a timeline.
I think it's great that you are motivated, but it takes longer than 4 months to change your life in a dramatic way. Fast weight loss sounds great sometimes, but usually it means you pile the pounds back on in a year.
I welcome you to 3FC and hope you keep posting. Read the different subforums for ideas and encouragement. This site has been so great to me, even when I would relapse into overeating and gained weight back.
I will take heed to all the advice. No rush to lose it in 4 months. I just want to challenge myself. If I say a year, I will be slow and fall off the wagon and end gaining more.I am also insipired by the biggest loser contestents. Again, thanks ladies
I'd say that sounds like a lot to lose in 4 months but you may very well be able to do that. My body, unfortunately, isn't that consistent. Some weeks I lose half a pound and some weeks 3 pounds... some months 5 lbs... some months 10 lbs...
I will say that it will probably get harder and slower when you get closer to goal. I expect it will take a few months when I get down to the last 20 lbs or so. ...?
No matter what, just remember you are doing something healthy for you. Even if you don't hit a certain number by a certain date you will still be healthier than you were yesterday.
I would say that is a lot to lose in 4 months however, I am one of those people that think that if you put your mind to it anything is possible. I also understand your point about setting your goal high so that you can challenge yourself. I think that when I set a goal that seems harder it makes me work harder to reach it. I only hope that you will be happy with your weightloss at the 4 month mark if you do not reach your goal. I wish you the best of luck with your goal and would love to join with you and work hard for that goal
52 lbs to lose in four months!
