What is a healthy goal for me to set. and any other suggestions

hi my name is elisa,

i'm 21, 5'2 and weight at about 190-188 lbs. i want to (in the long run) weigh around 120. i'm a medium build.

i was just wondering what i should do to get the best results for june (my birthday). what should i set as a goal so that i won't  try for something to hard the first time.

i dont know what you would consider my activity level to be. i work overnight at a childrens home. and i do nothing all night. i lay there and read (i'm only there to make sure that the kids are ok). and when i say i do nothing at work i really mean nothing. after work i go to the gym for 2 hours every day except sunday, i routate between using the bike, tredmill, stairs, and eliptical. after that i go to school until 3pm. then i go to sleep until 9pm and go back to work.

and that is my week from Monday-Saturday (sunday is my day off from everything)

please anyone with suggestions, let me know what you think is best.

*warning ahead of time. i have HORRIBLE eating habit

Set your activity level to sedetary, because this isn't supposed to include workouts. That way you'll make sure you're not over estimating. Then take your burn meter number and subtract 500 calories. Thats what you should be eating to lose 1lb per week. On the days you exercise, you can eat more if you want. If you combine eating less and exercising you can lose up to 2lbs a week, but you shouldn't try to shoot for anything higher than that. Also, you should never eat less than 1200 calories a day.

If you lose 1lb a week starting tomorrow you could lose 24lbs by June 1st. If you loose 2lbs a week it could be 48. I'd shoot for 25lbs, making your goal for June 165lbs.

I hope this helped. :]

Also, if you need more support- you should join the group *College Students Trying to Lose Weight* there are alot of people your age in the group. We share recipes, workout tips, and do weekly weigh-ins.

-Adrea

If you're doing 2 hours gym work every day you should set your activity level to 'light' or possibly 'moderate'.... Sedentary plus exercise can underestimate the calories and it'll leave you feeling hungry - which isn't the best way to retrain your eating habits.  You'll need more calories at 190lbs than you will at 125lbs so recalculate your energy needs periodically as you go along.  It's better to start a little too high and adjust downwards than start too low and get into difficulties

At the moment you need about 2300-2600 cals a day to maintain your weight.  Reduce to about 1800 and you should start losing weight at the rate of 1 - 2lbs a week.  Try to eat regularly (light meals and small snacks), choosing good quality wholesome foods and drinking plenty of fluids.  Best of luck

Elisa,

Sounds like you already have a pretty good game plan going. How long have you been doing this and how has your weight been effected by this schedule? Also how tired are you? 6 hours of sleep isn't very solid and coming from experience you will eventually need more (I have read many articles about sleep and recovery... if you work out 6 days a week you need about 7-8 hours, and much needed melatonin levels in order to recover good). Why are you so overweight? Is it eating, has it always been there, did you have a baby?? These are all factors.

I was pretty much were you are now a couple years ago. 5ft4.5in and 210. I lost it gradually through diet. The last year I have been in the gym just toning and refining. It's worked wonders. My best advice: Try to keep your cardio to 60-90 minutes at 80% of your max heart rate; throw in some weight training 1/2 the days you are there at the gym. Have someone show you proper form and lift heavy. Go on you-tube and find some good workout regimes for lifting...  trust it will help and educate you on form, posture, and spot training. (I know they say you can't spot train but I know from experience that within reason you totally can).

I understand your diet is crap? Well remember that if you want to lose 68lbs you will need to lose 80% of that from diet alone. That means that 54.4 of those pounds won't leave until you create a healthy and active approach to your diet. The remaining 13.6lbs you can work off in the gym :). What I did was make small goals that I knew I could reach without letting myself down or setting myself up for failure. 1st I cut out soda... you'd be surprised how easy it is after a while!! Then fast food, then alcohol, then pasta/white rice, then red meats, etc, etc. Just refine, and try things out and see how your body reacts. Remember to give something a shot for at least 4-6 weeks for accurate results.

G'luck and I hope you get your goals.