Is losing 2 pounds a week possible?

Hi, I am a 22 year old mom of two. I currently weigh 136 (just lost 4 pounds) Ive always been very small some people even said I was too skinny barely fitting in a size 0 and sometimes that was too big even after my first kid. After my second kid wow I blew up mostly in my mid section.

I feel embarrassed and ashamed. I use to be in perfect shape and now I just feel like a fat cow =( It really hit me when not only my ex told me I got fat but my daughter told me "um mommy im sorry but your fat now" I feel almost like hiding in a cave in fact ive missed a lot of important events because I didnt want people to know I gained this much weight.

Currently I am a size 5 and id like to be a 1 or 3 atleast. My measurements are the gross part: 32 32 35 Yuck! I am a small frame with small bones my ankles and wrist are super tiny and it looks very funny at the moment. My goal weight is 105-110 as soon as possible so I can go back to seeing my friends and family without having to make up excuses why I cant see them or wearing huge sweaters when I already hot! I have a family reunion the week before christmas and Id love to lose 20 pounds by then or sadly I will not be going...

I am on a very good diet. I eat healthy food, small portions, High Protein and no carbs or sugars. What I need is an exercise plan to lose 2 pounds a week. I know it sounds like a lot but I really think I have the determination to push myself to do it. 

Does anyone know of a really good exercise plan to obtain this goal or at least something close to it? I tried to google weight loss but basically all I get is sites trying to get me to buy stuff that I have already tried. Please anyone with positive answers I would really appreciate your help =) 

I am willing to exercise for hours every day but I am not in super good shape so obviously I wont be able to run 10 miles a day or do 100 pushups and 500 sit ups at once! 

Tried so many acai berry drinks and pills that I cant even begin to count! Didnt work for me or anyone that I know. Im done praying and wishing and hoping for some magic pill, Ive probably tried every type of weight loss pill shot and drink out there over the past year from Clenbuterol, Xenical, Acai, Phetemine, HCG, Cleanse diets, Special K, Slimfast ect ect ect! None of which helped me lose even a pound =( Now I want to try the natural way, exercise and food control. 

Anyone have any exercise ideas? 

Please help I would appreciate your positive advice or input or stories =)

Also I'd love to hear some success stories or plans if you guys have any. I love hearing other peoples stories, especially if they relate to mine! Or inspiration.

<3 Lilli 

My advice is no more fad diets!! 

For you 2 pounds a week is too much. 1% is recommended...so that's about 1.5 pounds which means you need a deficit of 750 calories a day. moderately active you burn 2094 calories a day...so 2100-750 is about 1350 calories a day.

You should do cardio for about 4-5 days a week for 30 minutes a session and get 2-3 strength training workouts in for about 30 minutes each. 

Slow and steady weight loss is going to be the most promising and lasting so try not to restrict too much or do too much too soon since this approach will likely backfire.

I hope this helps!! 

I think 2 pounds per week is likely unreasonable considering your size.  Typically, you'd be doing good to lose 1% of your body weight. 

So not meaning to dishearten you, but I'd advise doing things patiently.  Set up habits that will lead to a steady weight loss, not a "quick fix".  The first thing do do is make sure you know how many calories you're taking in, and how many you burn every day.  Saying you're eating healthy doesn't help if you don't know how much healthy food you're eating.

As far as exercise goes, what kind of things do you like?  You can start with walking.  You burn just about as many calories walking a mile as you do running a mile; it just takes you longer.  Are you willing to go to a gym and lift weights, use the elliptical trainer, etc?  Do you enjoy swimming?  The best exercise program is the one that you'll actually do, and only you can tell what activities will interest you enough to keep you doing them.

For me, I used to be active when I was in high school and university.  Since then, not at all.  Sedentary computer geek type.  In the spring, I started with swimming 3 times a week, for 20 minutes per session (used to be a competitive swimmer).  Every week, I'd bump it up another 5 or 10 minutes per session.  By the end of the month, I was at 45 minutes of hard swimming.  Combine that with learning to control my portions, eating healthy, 5 or 6 meals a day, giving up alcohol and double/double coffees, and I dropped weight fairly quickly.  Unfortunately (for you), I was a relatively big guy, so your experience will likely be different, but the ideas are the same.

Good luck, and post back! 

Clint

Congratulations on losing weight =)

I just got a gym membership with free daycare! So I am excited to start using it but basically all I know how to do is ride that bike and walk/jog on the treadmill! I want to lift weights that sounds great but I dont know anything about lifting weights! I can walk or jog and I just got a bike but it is storming here so obviously I dont want to be out in the rain but I will if I have too! I really wanna lose this weight Im sick of feeling ashamed. Thanks for wishing me luck and the advice! I was hding that I gained weight from everyone I mean I didnt even let me mom know or see. Wearing baggy sweaters and pants but now ive noticed it feels better talking about it, i dont know how but it just does. Though I still dont want my friends to know lol

<3 Lilli

Does your gym offer any options for an orientation, or even a personal trainer?  It might cost more money, but even if you just get a few sessions to start with, they can train you on your basic routine.  Then you can work out on your own until you decide you need a change.  That's great that you get free daycare!

A good reference for women seems to be the New Rules of Lifting For Women (NROLFW, website is here: http://www.thenewrulesoflifting.com/).  You'll see it referenced in the Fitness section repeatedly.  I haven't checked it out much myself, as it doesn't really apply.  But maybe see if that works as a starting point.

Clint

Does your gym offer any fitness classes?  Most do.  My gym offers a lot of different classes for weight lifting, spinning, yoga, zumba, swimming, and others.  Those work well for me, because I tend to want to give up when things get hard, but I won't do so in a room full of people.

I personally like spin and circuit training and take those classes along with yoga.  I get better results and feel like I work harder than if I am by myself on a treadmill.

Good luck!

The first thing I'd say, and I'm surprised no one else has said it, is don't be so hard on yourself!  20-30 lbs of weight is totally fixable, and you're taking the right steps.  I see your picture there, and you are a beautiful young woman.  If you're not happy with your body shape and your goals are realistic for you, then by all means change it, but don't hate yourself or feel ashamed because you aren't living up to some standard of 'perfect'.   I guarantee you that every single person you've met in your life has something they hate about their body.  Maybe it's weight, maybe it's their nose, or teeth, or feet, or skin.  No one's perfect.

Be glad you caught the weight gain before it got out of hand and you're trying to make a change.  That's already a huge hurdle you've jumped, so way to go!  Some of us weren't paying attention, or thought it wasn't that bad and didn't consider that it would get worse.  Others started a chain of yo-yo dieting that caused us to lose, but then to gain back more than we lost after we went off each diet.   Which is why my second reaction is to agree with the poster who told you to stay off the fad diets.  You don't want to end up with the same problem.  Eat healthy foods and count calories, and don't restrict yourself to the point where you want to binge.  Whatever your doing to lose weight should be something you can live with for the rest of your life, because you should continue eating the same way, with a few hundred more calories of the same healthy foods, to maintain the weight loss.

For exercise, the one that works for you will be the one you enjoy and can see yourself doing for a long time.  If you hate it, you'll start finding excuses not to do it.  I'd recommend weight training 2-3 times a week, too.  I'd heard that it really boosts your metabolism, and after trying (this is my third week) I have to agree that it really boosts weight loss.  I'm seeing more progress the last week or so, more consistent progress over the last 2 weeks, and I can already see a difference in my upper body strength.  Here's a link to the forum post where I asked for advice on the topic:  Arm/Upper body strength advice.  I got some really good answers and suggestions.

Good luck!

A diet with "no carbs" is very bad, not good. The brain and red blood cells need fuel from carbs.

Do restrict yourself to a loss, as suggested above, of no more than 1% of body weight per week.

You say you can devote hours per day to exercise. In that case, there is no doubt that the best exercise for you (barring the weekly 2x30 mins of resistance workout recommended by the ACSM) is walking.

To walk requires no special expertise, no high level of fitness, is load-bearing and aerobic, so you won't just lose weight (which is pointless), you will lose fat (which is the whole point, is it not?).

To lose 1.36 lbs in a week, you need to burn an extra 4760 kcal (approx). If you live in town or city then (given your current weight) walking at a moderate pace (3mph) will burn about 212 kcal/hour, so three hours a day would get you there. If you live in or near the country, then you can go hiking instead (worth about 388/hour) and 1hr45min/day should do.

Original Post by foiegras:

A diet with "no carbs" is very bad, not good. The brain and red blood cells need fuel from carbs.

Do restrict yourself to a loss, as suggested above, of no more than 1% of body weight per week.

You say you can devote hours per day to exercise. In that case, there is no doubt that the best exercise for you (barring the weekly 2x30 mins of resistance workout recommended by the ACSM) is walking.

To walk requires no special expertise, no high level of fitness, is load-bearing and aerobic, so you won't just lose weight (which is pointless), you will lose fat (which is the whole point, is it not?).

To lose 1.36 lbs in a week, you need to burn an extra 4760 kcal (approx). If you live in town or city then (given your current weight) walking at a moderate pace (3mph) will burn about 212 kcal/hour, so three hours a day would get you there. If you live in or near the country, then you can go hiking instead (worth about 388/hour) and 1hr45min/day should do.

 I'm glad someone finally said this. As soon as I read NO carbs I started shaking my head. Don't get me wrong, I'm do endore low carbing it sometimes but NEVER NO carbs our bodies need them.

Weehh! Dieting is so confusing OMG lol I never had to worry about it before so now im just like ahh! and with all the different facts and information I am getting it is so confusing. So I know that most food has carbs but I suppose the diet he put me on sounded really good and I even read a lot about carbs being bad. Exactly what foods should I be staying away from? I am so confused! But it seems to be working guees what I am 134! Im just hoping its not like the other usual diets lose 5 pounds gain 10! Thanks for the advice about the fad diet jeeezzz if I would have known that before I would have saved a lot of money and wasted time, we all want that magic something but the real magic is working hard. My gym offers 2 personal training sessions, im going to do the weight lifting plus I wanna get one of those things that attach to your bike so my kids can sit in them while I bike ride arround...wait do they make those for two kids? lol You guys are awesome thank you so much =) I dont feel so alone in this now 

<3 Lilli

Lilli, first off, congratulations for seeking help from people who give a damn. One thing that really makes the difference is finding people who will encourage you, not the ones who say mean things like "OMG you're sooooo fat!!!"

That helps no one (except maybe their own ego -- they feel better about themselves by knocking other people down).

Weight loss and fitness is a mind set, not a temporary solution.  First there's loss, then there's maintenance.  While it's a lot of information to take in, all of it can be achieved with just a little bit of research, reading the labels at the grocery store, and even weighing food out.

It is a lot of work at first, but once you get used to it, it becomes second nature.  I'm sure that when you had your babies, you had to feel overwhelmed and wondering whether you could do it.

Well, there you are!  You're doing it!  You're a mom, and you're probably learning new things every day about your kids and yourself.  Same thing with sensible nutrition -- it's tough at first, but with the right attitude and especially the right support network, YOU CAN DO IT!

Thank you so much!!!!! Im noticing now that I am looking at every label, wow some of the things I use to eat were unbelievably fattening. Its all about knowledge. Im checking all my calories and Im feeling better, I think the fat is melting off lol I weigh 132.1 now! But my shape is still seems the same so Im waiting to see that change. 31/29/34 are my new measurements I guess it is a difference from my previous 32/32/35 but my clothes seem to fit the same! My family (the ones that know) arent supportive at all. They say "lilli gaining weight is part of getting older just deal with it) Which really upsets me because I know lots of older people who are in good shape and I guess its not really your shape/weight that matters but how you feel about it. And I do NOT feel good about my weight. Your encouragement is more helpful then you know, thanks again

Lilliana

"31/29/34 are my new measurements I guess it is a difference from my previous 32/32/35"

That's great! You've gone from 'tree' shape to 'curvy female' shape, and astonishingly quickly.

Original Post by lillianalee:

They say "lilli gaining weight is part of getting older just deal with it) Which really upsets me because I know lots of older people who are in good shape and I guess its not really your shape/weight that matters but how you feel about it.

And the fact that you're only 22 means that this is just a sign of these folks not knowing good information, or just not caring.  At 22, you're still young, vibrant, and beautiful, so you deserve to feel that way.

Hell, I'm 36 and I feel great! :)

While it's true that metabolism slows down as you get older, it doesn't really seem to hit until the early/mid 30s.  By then, it's not so much a matter of metabolism by itself but that most of us at that age are settled into our careers, homes, families, etc. and health/nutrition/fitness take a backseat.  I was about 27 when I hit my heaviest at 195, and by then, I was just about to get married to my long-time girlfriend, had settled into my career, and so on.

You're young enough now so that when you get used to eating right and balancing exercise (remember: that's You Time ) into your daily activities, by the time you hit your 30s, you'll be in fantastic shape, your self-confidence can skyrocket, and you'll already know what to do.

And the benefit to that is that your kids will also learn your good habits.