[leahreadytochange]

I need to loose 120 pounds by august. I really need some ideas on how to do so. i have tried counting calories and exercising constantly but nothing seems to work for me.Keep in mind that i am a bit younger (as in 15 years old) but i really do need help. any advice you have will be greatly appreciated.

[Misti in Seattle]

Hello and

I just did some calculating and what you are wanting to do is lose 24 pounds per month. To be very honest I would not tell you how to do that even if I knew, because it sounds extremely unhealthy and dangerous. A healthy weight loss is considered to be 1-2 pounds per week... some weeks it could be more but then again there are often plateaus along the way where ... nothing!! That is very normal. If there was a healthy way to do it as fast as you want, we would all be doing it!

I do wish you all the best on your weight loss journey and would encourage you to get on a healthful eating and exercise program and go for it. But expecting it to happen so quickly is setting yourself up for disappointment and perceived failure when, in fact, you might be achieving huge successes!!

Please don't take this post as discouraging! It is not meant to be at ALL. You CAN do this, and I do realize you are still very young and have not experienced a lot of the ups and downs that a lot of us have.

And for wanting to catch this so early -- good for you!!!!

[penmage]

Welcome

120 pounds by August is a LOT of weight in a short time. Listen to Misti, she's a smart lady!

[Mozzy]

Welcome and good luck on your journey!!!

Misti offered great advice, I would think about what she said and take it to heart

[luckymommy]

I can understand the intense desire to shed the weight quickly. However, I don't think that's realistic. Rather than saying I want to lose x amount of lbs. by so-and-so-date, maybe you could set a goal of staying on your (healthy) plan for 90% of the time. If you do this the healthy way (nothing extreme), you'll be more likely to keep the weight off and you'll also not trash your metabolism. Starvation diets make you lose muscle mass and that kills your metabolism in the long run. You're still developing and you need good nutrition. Hugs to you!

[April Snow]

I have to agree that 120 lbs in less than 6 months is not realistic. But you can certainly make a lot of progress in that amount of time, so try to focus on that, rather than a final goal weight.

Can you ask your parents to make an appt for you with a nutritionist? That way you can figure out a good eating plan and a realistic goal for August.

[Misti in Seattle]

Great idea, April Snow, about having her parents and a nutritionist involved!!

[elvislover324]

I agree with April Snow. If you see a nutritonist, they can put you on a plan to lose weight in a healthy way. And when seeing a nutrionist, you may be able to go on a lower calorie diet (but still be full!) that is medically monitored so you can lose weight a little faster than if you did it on your own. By being medically monitored, they will insure that you are getting the proper nutrients in your food and help you choose foods to eat healthy.

I am proud of you for reaching out here for help. I hope you take the good advice here and meet your goals to get healthy.

Post as often as you need to for motivation, inspiration or any other help you might need. Good luck.

[Mommy42Angels]

Hello Leah and welcome!

I can understand the desire to lose a lot of weight really quickly. Is there a special reason why it must be August? The best thing for your body is steady weight loss with a nutritional diet. Maybe you should set a mini-goal for where you would like to be in August using a healthy weight loss curve? All of the above suggestions are very good too.

Even if you starve yourself (as in less than the recommended amount of calories needed for your body in order to lose weight) you could potentially lose nothing at all. Without nutrition your body goes into starvation mode and begins storing instead of using.

good luck!