Is 2lbs a week realistic/ achievable? And how?

[FittyForForty]

If I lose 2lbs a week I could be 140lbs for my 40th birthday.

And how would you go about it? I just want to be healthier.

The answer is simple - you have to eat a lot less. In order to lose weight I have to eat under 1000 calls a day. for example, (and I’ve done it) fruit for breakfast, a small green salad for lunch and then a small portion of a Weightwatchers meal for dinner. alternatively, when we were young DH and I did the Mayo clinic diet which was half a grapefruit and dry toast for breakfast, a hard boiled egg and a tomato for lunch and then something like lunch plus a bit of salad and a slice of ham for dinner. We got very grouchy (it lasts for two weeks) but the weight fell off.

Absolutely achievable.
Take a good look at what you are eating/portion sizes and make some changes. You can do it!

Maybe log on to My Fitness Pal or something. Once you start weighing and logging accurately what you eat it gives you a clear picture of where excess calories come from and helps you make better choices. Don’t log exercise or it gives you calories back to eat and fools you into think you have more than you do.

Work out your tdee here (calories to stay as you are now) and reduce the calorie total by 20% to get a weight loss target.

tdeecalculator.net

Fill up on protein and fibre so you feel full and aren’t tempted to Jack it all in, if you do slip up just get back on track the next day. All this has helped me lose over 4 stone. No food is off limits but, if you high calorie foods /drink alcohol, you have to eat less to stick to your target so it’s harder to not be always hungry.

I suspect it depends how long till your birthday

2lbs a week is quite a lot under so keeping the pace up for more than a few weeks is really tough. If you birthday is in the next few months - get a tddr calculator, work out the calories needed to maintain when you get to your target weight and work from there

Try to exercise ideally weights but don't overestimate what that gives you - weights helps you look slimmer

I’m intermittent fasting (16:8 so basically skipping breakfast!) then low carbing for the other 2 meals. I’m not hungry and I feel great - losing 2-3lbs a week (but I’m overweight so have some to lose)

It's 4 months away

Thanks. This is what I'm looking at.

It’s achievable to a point. Let’s be realistic. You might lose 2lbs a week to start as your deficit may initially be quite big. I was 200lbs. It was easy to lose weight until I got to about 165lbs and then it just completely slowed down and has been really tough to get to 149lbs (I’m not there yet, been going for 15 months). This is normal because my deficit gets smaller as I shrink. So you need to allow more time for the last 10-15lbs. There is a thread here with loads of us stuck on the last 10lbs.

To keep your deficit really big and constantly lose 2lbs a week over 4 months you will have to under eat and over work out, which can be miserable and not sustainable and counter intuitive. It can also be very restrictive. I would get going but not set an unrealistic goal and be mindful these things are not always linear

I've lost 6 stone and am 165 now. I've just stayed the same for the last year as I've stopped trying.

@FittyForForty have you tried going down the route of resistance and weights? This doesn’t reduce my weight but it changes the shape of my body. I’m stuck too just going up and down the same few lbs. You are on the last stretch of 15lbs so it’s really tough.

Can I just say, that is amazing, really well done! And even to stay the same for the last year and not be putting back on is an achievement!

I still have 25lbs to lose, maybe more if I get to 9.7st which was my original goal.

I lost 5lbs in a week a few months ago when I tried but just fell off the wagon again. I just need to get my arse in gear.

I do want to start working out but am clueless and can't go to the gym or classes.

I do YouTube at home! Caroline Girvan. It’s only cost me £30 for some weights but I started with none

if you go to the exercise forum here there are loads of supportive threads about home work outs

I've lost an average of 2lbs a week for several months now. I'm down from 16st 5lbs to 12st 4.5lbs and still going. I'd like to lose about 2 more stone and expect to manage that by end of October this year. I am in my 40s. I've used My Fitness Pal and Mumsnet weight loss threads to keep me accountable and that's helped lots. I cut out all bread, alcohol, pasta, pizza and cheese. I've reduced my sugar intake a lot and switched to almond milk instead of dairy. All of this has been a big help and I feel so much healthier overall because of these changes. I've found it quite easy but everyone is different. I also reduced my calorie intake significantly. Do not go under 1000 a day though as that's roughly what your body needs to just keep itself going day to day. Good luck you can do it and just try to be realistic with yourself. Remember it'll be an average so some weeks you'll lose nothing, some 1lb, some 2lbs. It will average out over the time.

Thanks. I will check her out. My son has loads of wright's so I will nick some from him!

Thankyou that is very sound advice

I think I may limit myself to a once a month weigh in.

I get very disheartened if I don't see weekly progress and as you say it evens itself out Iver the month. Especially with periods etc