Realistic goals

[Nicole0892]

Hi everyone.

I'm hoping to get some guidance on some realistic goals to set for weight loss.

I currently sit at 95kg (little weight gain over c-mas period) and am 5ft 6. At the moment I'm in size 16 clothes, which I am getting very unhappy about and my weight in general. I have a holiday booked for Sept this year and I'd really, really like to actually drop at least 1 dress size for it.

I'm not entirely sure what my ideal weight/size is to be honest - I've been the same size for so long, I can't even picture myself any smaller. So I'm just going to start and stop when I feel happier.

I've found some motivations - I recently bought a pair of jeans in Jan sales, which to my horror must be a very small 16, as they are too small, so that is my first goal - to first be able to wear those.

I do have a size 14 outfit in my wardrobe (which I was supposed to lose weight for a holiday last year, but never did), so my ultimate goal before Sept is to fit into that.

I've targeted my weight loss for about 8lbs (4kg) a month, so on average 2lbs a week, over an 8 month period. Which, if all goes to plan, would leave me at 63kg (total loss of 32kg) - is this really realistic, written down it seems like a hell of a lot to try and lose in 8 months...

Using the BMI calculator calorie thing, I should be eating about 1800 - 2300 a day.. But I can't help but think that's a little too much? I've dropped it down to 1600 a day - is that realistic? I'm one of these people that is like hungry all the time, so I'm hoping to avoid snacking altogether if possible.

Also planning on using my bike for 30 mins a day 5 days a week - more if able.

When it comes to weighing frequency - what are people's recommendations and experience. Ideally I'd only like to weigh myself monthly - but I feel that perhaps weekly or fortnightly might be better in terms of keeping me on track with things? Not sure.

I use my s health app on my phone to record all my food etc.

Apologies for the long post!

[Sd33]

Hi Nicole!

Well done on getting started, I'm just getting back to health unlocked but when I began I was a similar weight to yourself and the same height but have lost over a stone since then. I think your weight loss goals sound really achievable and excellent to work towards, I would say don't get discouraged if you don't hit your target every week though and plan for unforseen events that might result in a weight gain. I found that some weeks I lost nothing and then 3 or 4lb the next week even though nothing had changed, It was like it was catching up with me.... 2lbs a week is great to aim for and you can keep track of this if you weigh weekly or fortnightly. I find this is best because you can keep track of what you might have done right or wrong during the week and press forward with it.

I would also agree with you on the BMI calculator suggested calorie intake. I only seemed to loose weight if I ate 1600 calories or less on a daily basis as a minimum - if I threw a couple of starvation days in it would result in a greater weight loss than the minimum 1 or 2 pounds. So yeah stick with 1600 and see how you go, it might be that your body responds really well to it in which case you might loose more than your 2lbs. It is is true you will feel hungry - you're eating less calories than you need so unfortunately it doesn't come without hunger pangs. But if you fit in as much fibrous foods as possible into your calorie allowance like beans, lentils, pulses and veg full of fiber I do find this keeps hunger at bay for quite a while.

Looking forward to hearing how you do! I'm right there with you!

[Gonti 10 kg]

Hi - there isn't an easy answer as the rate of weight loss depends on your metabolism. Best thing is to do all the things you are suggesting and see what changes occurr to your body!!. You will surely lose weight and you will also feel great.

Definitely record your hip, waist, wrist, neck and thigh measurements straight away and then every month as you may lose significant inches before you lose weight.

Definitely weigh yourself weekly in my experience.

Best of luck