[meluvbags31]

hi, i really want to lose weight before my birthday...ideally i would like to lose 35-40 lbs...by the end of july. but 25 lbs would be good enough too, i'm trying to be somewhat realistic. any suggestions on what i can do besides working out and cutting caloric intake? HELP ME PLEASE!!!

[shushopn]

Nope, shouldn't lose that much weight in a month. Very unhealthy. A healthy real weight loss (of fat not water weight) is max 2 lbs a week. There are no real quick fixes just like everything in life.

[~*Sassy*~]

You will not lose that much weight in a month unless A) You are EXTREMELY overweight to start with or B) You give birth. Seriously, 2 lbs/week is the most you can healthily lose per week, and that's if you're being super strict with diet/exercise. If you're really in a pinch, I suggest doing Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet and exercising as much as you can, at least 45 min of cardio 5x/week + 2 days of light weights if you are a newbie.

[Blue824]

Agreed with the other two posters. It isnt healthy to lose that much that quickly! Plus, those who crash diet and losing more weight in an unhealthy way quickly seem to gain it all or more back... best to start and expect it to be a slower process and don't be discouraged. If there was a quick fix to weight loss, we'd all have done it by now!

[ProfNot]

I read somewhere that Hallie Berry does 4 hours a day on a treadmill when she is shaping up for a movie or event.

[Cristina]

Originally Posted by ProfNot

I read somewhere that Hallie Berry does 4 hours a day on a treadmill when she is shaping up for a movie or event.

That's sad Exercise shouldn't control one's life like that.

Like the other members said, 25 pounds in a month is not healthy. Average weight loss is 1-2 pounds per week. Focus on making healthy changes, such as cutting out soda and processed foods, eating more fruits, vegetables, lean meats and protein, low fat dairy, etc., and exercising more often.

[Blair Waldorf]

Reiterating what other posters have said, but 25 pounds is a significant percentage of your body weight unless you are very overweight (in which case, talk to a doctor about a good diet that won't hurt you). If that's not the case, then 25 pounds in a month is very unhealthy.

[mh21]

I'm just going to say is it even possible to lose 25 lbs in a month unless a person is very overweight? The only other thing I can think of (since I can't see how a person can loose that much) is surgery.

[izumii]

from my understanding, the OP said 'end of july', which is more like 2 months. 25 lbs is still a high number to aim for, but even if you lose 2 lbs a week, that'd put you 16 lbs lighter, which would be great. :] I'm working on losing some weight throughout the summer. It's a slow and steady battle.

[Kimm992]

Absolutely not.

[BQueenGirl]

no that is not a reasonable goal. even on a moderate diet with exercise the best you can expect is 10-15lbs a month if you have a good metabolism.

[sea4e]

Sorry but there are no quick fixes. Basically you have to eat less and exercise more. Did anyone see the People with all those ladies who lose 100 pounds or more? I read it and everyone of those ladies did it by eating less and exercising more.

I keep battling the same 40 pounds. I lost 25 in 2004/2005 but stopped exercising and controlling what I ate. I gained it all back. Now its back to the hard work of losing it again.

You might want to try www.sparkpeople.com It lets you monitor all your food intake, exercise and weight. It's free too!

[Angelfish]

(warning - this is a slightly graphic post)

Ok, the girls here are all right. But lets examine a couple things that might happen to you if you actually TRIED to do this by crash dieting:

1. Seriously impared mental clarity: and I don't mean forgetting stuff, I mean talking nonsense or losing whole minutes to a fog! I am IN the fitness field and I have seen it. It's SCARY. I know a dieter (not MY client) who wrecked her car when she blacked out behind the wheel!

2. Loss of motor skills: you lose severe muscle quality when you crash diet. That means everything from tripping on stairs, to dropping things ( I get tipped off in the gym when people do this a lot with weights) to typing screwy.

3. Loss of muscle tone and loose skin: EW! Anorexics sometimes wear the biggest t-shirts in the gym so people don't see skin flapping around. Excessive weight loss often is quicker than skin elasticity, especially as we age. This is the reason people need tummy tucks after Lipo. And muscle goes quick when people crash diet too - the body starts digesting it's own muscles for the sugar in them. Years of yo-yo dieting will eventually rob the body of muscle tone as it replaces the form with fat after each consecutive diet.

I'm not trying to be overly graphic here, but I am mortified when I see girls with these symptoms and always wish I could have said something before they happened, so here's my first shot actually getting to someone BEFORE they do the damage.

Looking good for your birthday is nice, but not at the risk of hurting yourself. Eat sensibly, work out, get a trainer and/or a nutritionist to do it the RIGHT way so you'll look and feel great for your next birthday, too!

Good luck girl, it's in you.

[meluvbags31]

thanks for the comments...i'll try to just lose as much as i can...i go for 10lbs for now. based on what is said at the doctor's office...i'm close to being overweight. so i'm not sure what to think. i'm trying to cut calories...eat smaller portions...more water, less juice and soda...less carbs...i'm asian...so i luv my rice and noodles so that is really hard. thanks again...so let's see what happens.

[sea4e]

I'm Asian too. The best thing is NOT to say you won't have this or that. Just control the portion of something you are having. Use measuring cups/teaspoons and measure everything. Make sure you are only have 1 cup of rice.

It does get easier with some time. Your stomach will get use to eating less and you will get full sooner.