Is this possible?

Mandi2

Mandi2

New member
Hi all, I'm Mandi, I'm 21, female from Maryland. I'm starting my "lifestyle change" June 1st.
I have a question also, if someone doesn't mind answering.

I'm 5'0 and 160 pounds. My current diet has been nothing but pizza and fast food - and lots of soda... in the past ive been too busy to cook anything.

I know this IS considered unhealthy, but I'm wondering if I work out 4 hours a day 5 days a week, doing cardio combined with strength training, and diet - drinking only water and 4 small healthy portions a day. is it possible to lose 20 pounds in a month?
 
The short answer is: Not really.

Most healthy weight loss programs don't recommend a loss of more than 2 lbs. per week , and will suggest that you speak to a physician before attempting a program which exceeds that limit. However, it is possible - if you eat healthy foods frequently and exercise effectively - to lose something like 10-12 lbs. in 4 weeks, with minimal muscle loss if you are eating enough protein.

I would aim for 5-6 small meals per day, 1 good carb 1 good protein, and vegetables if you're hungry, as snacks, and only for this limited time of 4 weeks. If pizza, fast food, and soda are your usual nutrient sources, this will be a huge change and you will probably lose a lot of weight quickly just from that. Exercise will help a lot, and I'm sure there are a lot of people here that could help you formulate a good work-out plan, too. You probably won't lose the 20 lbs. you want to lose, but you will lose weight and you will feel better than you have felt in awhile. It's a good starting place to make some good lifestyle habits. Good luck.
 
It's massively unhealthy as well as a really great way to stall out your metabolism so that your weight loss stops. Aside from that, you simply cannot maintain a schedule of 4 hours a day of working out on 4 small meals. Your body will rebel.

Why so anxious to lose 20 lbs in a month? If you go to extremes, it'll all just come back when you quit being extreme.

Be healthy and REASONABLE and the weight will come off.
 
the people on "the biggest loser" did it, and they're not dead, or back overweight... >.>

I just need to lose the 20 pounds before July 4th. Its a long story, but I dont intend to stop eating healthy or working out after i lose the 20 pounds, i just need to lose that bare minimal to start with.
 
the people on "the biggest loser" did it, and they're not dead, or back overweight... >.>
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Stuff like this is why I hate that show so much.

The people on the Biggest Loser did nothing else but work on losing weight. They worked out INTENSELY under the GUIDANCE OF TRAINERS for 6+ hours a day. They ate food that was strictly portioned out and prepared by nutritionists. They focused their entire energies on losing weight ... nothing else. They didn't go to work, talk to their families, go shopping, do anything other than be a contestant.

And if you read interviews with former contestants you'll find that many of them did dreadfully dangerous things to "meet" their weighins. They dehydrated themselves, stopped eating for the day before, etc., just so they could weigh less on the weigh in day.

Finally, if you go back and look at the records of the contestants, over 3/4 of them have gained back weight and several of them have gained back weight to the point that they weigh MORE now than when they started the show.

The show does not teach anyone how to be healthy while dealing with the stresses of real life and it doesn't teach you any kind of moderation.

It's NOT a healthy way to lose weight and for 90% of people out there, this kind of weight loss doesn't last.
 
Mandi said:
I just need to lose the 20 pounds before July 4th. Its a long story, but I dont intend to stop eating healthy or working out after i lose the 20 pounds, i just need to lose that bare minimal to start with.
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You needed to be thinking about that at least 5 months ago if you needed to achieve it by July 4th. If you cut 500 calories per day through diet or exercise you should lose 1 lbs. per week. That is considered maintainable, and healthy.

160 lbs. is a bit of weight on a 5' tall person, but not a ton. If you change your eating and are exercising every day you will lose weight. Probably at least 10 lbs. in the month. You would be surprised by how quickly and easily that kind of weight can come off, and how much better it will make you feel and look. Maybe focus on a new lifestyle and see what happens in the month. If you are fixated on 20 lbs. you can achieve it, but not in 1 month... not in a meaningful and lasting way.
 
it's possible, but ONLY if you do it in a completely unhealthy manner, losing more muscle mass than fat, completely destroying your metabolism, along with the expectation that after you start eating remotely normal again, you're going to gain it all back and then some.

There is no possible way for you to lose that much weight in a healthy way in that timeframe..
 
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Each body is different (sex, age, frame size, daily tasks, genetics, etc. etc.) - regardless of what they put their body through (to drop extra body weight). Some folks can drop 20 lbs in 2 weeks and for others, they cannot even drop 2 lbs in 2 weeks. Each body if different. If needing a baseline (of average folks), I'd target to drop 1 lbs per week. Yes, only 1 lbs per week. If you drop more then that, great. If your body plateaus over 8 weeks and drops nothing, then look at the 3 month average. re: On average, did your body drop 1 lbs per week (of the xx time line)? And do take a women's "monthly cycle" changes into consideration as well. For my wife, she gains 5 lbs in 1 week, then drops it 1 week later. It isn't her. It's her body that does it. Thus, she cannot change this "difference" within her body. Your body might be the same - for cycle changes.

Hope this helps as well...

.
 
What spike99 says it true. Every body is different. It MAY be possible to lose 20 pounds in a month but it is surely unhealthy.

Now, you want to lose that much weight by July 4th right? Is it to prove to someone how much weight you lost or is to look thinner for some event? If its to look thinner then you'll be amazed at how great you'll look when you just lose 10 pounds in a month the healthy way.

Each pound is a huge difference. 20 pounds of weight in 30 days is pure hard core. If you can do it, kudos to you. If you are able to maintain it after that, without stressing your body too much, it should be ok.

:D
 
cotton you are 100% correct, it is possible but previous posters are right it will not be good for your body and with that fat you will loose alot muscle mass. You are 21 so you are still fairly resilient and may not care but just know its going to knock your metabolism which will make the continued weight loss harder, it can affect other muscles--like say your HEART, and you are setting yourself up for a yo-yo pattern. This is not even to mention that a sedentary person going to 4 hours of excercise per day is puting themselves at risk for the best case to be extremely sore and the more realistic scenario is a stress/strain injury.

Honestly you can easily expect a 5lb loss the first week if your habits were atrocious and then a 3lbs loss after that would not be completely unreasonable with a healthy change where you are getting alot excercise and enough to eat but I would say that is really maxed out. This would get you a 14lb loss.

My ultimate advice would be to focus on eating a reasonable amount calories and getting in a good hour of excercise per day and wait to see what your body does. It might really surprise you.

Of course the choice is up to you and I have been 22 and in a spot where I just 'needed' to loose so I know you will do what you want but it is foolish to come here seeking advice to support an unhealthy decision and be disapointed when you dont get it.

Thank you for stopping by my diary.
 
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