Is it possible to lose 20 pounds in 2 months...?

[CapnHook]

Is it possible to lose 20 pounds in 2 months...?#1

Posted: 8/8/09 at 7:49pm

WITHOUT taking any sort of supplements?

My friend and I are going to the march on Washington Mall in October and we are in a weight-loss competition (October 9 is our deadline goal). We are only to lose weight by diet and exercise, so no weight-loss pills, no throwing up, no not-eating, no lypo, etc.

We began about a month ago and so far I've lost 5 pounds and I've lost but gained back another 5 (poor eating habits). I am modifying my diet and exercise plan to the following:

- 30 minutes cardio 5-6 times per week
- 30 minutes weight-lifting 4 times per week following cardio
- 100 crunches every morning
- no eating after 9pm
- water-only beverage consumption (and PLENTY of it!)
- no breads except limited pasta
- fruits/vegetables for dinner every night (breakfast/lunch can be open to other food groups)

What do you think? Is it possible to lose 20 pounds in 2 months?

"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle

[BwayTday]

re: Is it possible to lose 20 pounds in 2 months...?#2

Posted: 8/8/09 at 8:02pm

well, low carb is really your best bet... but you still need some grains (whole-wheat is best) for energy, along with cardio work. And if your going for losing wieght and not fat I'm not really sure that you want to do to much lifting because that could increase muscle-mass, therefore increase wieght.

But to anwser your question, it's possible. It depends on your eating and exercise, and also your natural metabolism.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

re: Is it possible to lose 20 pounds in 2 months...?#2

Posted: 8/8/09 at 8:57pm

Go vegan.

[DayDreamer]

re: Is it possible to lose 20 pounds in 2 months...?#3

Posted: 8/8/09 at 9:01pm

Healthy weight loss is 1 to 2 pounds per week, though the first week you might loose a lot more than that, mostly water weight.

The basics of loosing weight is to have a deficit between calories you eat vs. calories you burn. Burn more calories than you eat and you lose weight. If you want to lose the weight and keep it off, you should simply watch your portions of what you normally make, and whatever changes you make should be permanent changes. For me that has been no white/processed foods, no high fructose corn syrup, measuring portions and sticking to it, and keeping up with my exercise.

It helps to keep a food diary to notice how much you are actually eating - you'd be surprised. I personally like the site sparkpeople.com, you can keep track of your food/calorie intake as well as exercise.

Celebrate Life

Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. - Randy Pausch

[dramamama611]

re: Is it possible to lose 20 pounds in 2 months...?#4

Posted: 8/8/09 at 10:35pm

It's possible but unlikely...and not healthy.

Also: if you hope to keep the weight off (and who doesn't) you shouldn't do anything TO lose it that you aren't willing to do forever.

If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it? These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.

[Unknown User]

re: Is it possible to lose 20 pounds in 2 months...?#5

Posted: 8/8/09 at 10:58pm

You're kidding, right? I lost over 100 pounds in three months or so-counting calories: about 1200 calories a day. Controlled cheating (Never go off for more than a day) and I tried to walk at least a mile a day.

I ended up losing about 150 pounds and I've kept it off 7 1/2 years.
Updated On: 8/8/09 at 10:58 PM

[CATSNYrevival]

re: Is it possible to lose 20 pounds in 2 months...?#6

Posted: 8/8/09 at 11:12pm

Why do you want to lose weight before the march? Are you planning on marching naked???

[Parks]

re: Is it possible to lose 20 pounds in 2 months...?#7

Posted: 8/9/09 at 1:05am

I lost nearly 20 pounds in a month my freshman year of high school--eating about 1,000 calories a day and cutting EVERYTHING but water to drink (no juice, milk or anything). 3 meals a day, but in very small portions. To this day (almost 4 1/2 years later), I am still only drinking water--haven't had a SIP of anything else since then! Good luck!

"If it walks like a Parks, if it wobbles like a Parks, then it's definitely fat and nobody loves it." --MA

[blaxx]

re: Is it possible to lose 20 pounds in 2 months...?#9

Posted: 8/9/09 at 4:54am

Let me see...

- 30 minutes cardio 5-6 times per week

That's good, but make sure you change the intensity. If you stick to 30 minutes, your body will get used to it. Try 30 minutes for two weeks, then 35 the next two, 40 and so on. Change the level of intensity as you go along, too.

- 30 minutes weight-lifting 4 times per week following cardio.

After cardio. If you do your cardio after the weights your body will be already in a fat burning mode, making your cardio much more beneficial. If you start with cardio, it will take your body 15 to 20 minutes to begin burning fat.

- 100 crunches every morning

That's silly. The crunches will not make you lose weight, and your poor abs! Try three times a week, and divide them in sets of different exercises.

- no eating after 9pm

I don't understand your logic. I wish you could post your diet, but I sense that you're afraid you won't burn the calories after 9PM.

- water-only beverage consumption (and PLENTY of it!)

That is good, if not too strict.

- no breads except limited pasta
- fruits/vegetables for dinner every night (breakfast/lunch can be open to other food groups)

Again, it would be good to see your diet to determine if your plan is right.


I honestly would aim for a lower fat percentage, as opposed to losing 20 pounds. Remember that muscle weighs too. If you are doing weights, your muscles will grow, giving you the illusion that you are not losing weight, but you're actually losing fat.

PM if you have questions.

Listen, I don't take my clothes off for anyone, even if it is "artistic". - JANICE

[kec]

re: Is it possible to lose 20 pounds in 2 months...?#10

Posted: 8/9/09 at 7:38am

You need to be careful with the weight lifting -- it's recommended to do it no more than two-three times a week, and you need to have at least one day in between the workouts with weights to let your muscles recover.

Be sure to get plenty of sleep -- 6 -8 hours (yeah, I know that can be difficult, it sure is for me!) It does help.

[sweetestsiren]

re: Is it possible to lose 20 pounds in 2 months...?#11

Posted: 8/9/09 at 8:28am

As others have said, it's definitely doable, but I'm not sure whether it's wise. It partly depends on how much you weigh now...if you were significantly overweight, a few lifestyle changes will drop you 20 lbs. in no time, while if you weigh less, you'll have to work harder.

But the bottom line is, competition or no competition, don't make changes you won't be able to stick with long-term if you want to keep the weight off. As soon as you stop the routine, you'll gain back every bit you lost. I found success in gradually eliminating certain things (no beverages except water is definitely a good one), focusing on portion control, and generally getting more active. It's not an all-at-once thing, just small changes that you know you'll be able to live with. Having a stringent routine right off the bat seems like a recipe for yo-yoing. Updated On: 8/9/09 at 08:28 AM

[PalJoey]

re: Is it possible to lose 20 pounds in 2 months...?#12

Posted: 8/9/09 at 8:59am

I don't think the diet is sound, and I think the exercise regimen might be too hard for you to keep up.

Check out Bill Phillips's Body for Life regime--it's a 6-day-a-week program with a diet that's medically sound, and it has proven results with average people.

http://bodyforlife.com/exercise/index.asp

Updated On: 8/9/09 at 08:59 AM

[TulitaPepsi]

re: Is it possible to lose 20 pounds in 2 months...?#13

Posted: 8/9/09 at 9:24am

Sweetsiren, your rules sound exactly like Weight Watchers.

I've lost 30 pounds since late January and swear by the program.

"Hurry up and get into your conga clothes - we've got to do something to save this show!"

[StockardFan]

re: Is it possible to lose 20 pounds in 2 months...?#14

Posted: 8/9/09 at 9:25am

PJ, Body for Life is a great plan I agree.

KFTC!!!!!

[blaxx]

re: Is it possible to lose 20 pounds in 2 months...?#15

Posted: 8/9/09 at 2:28pm

You need to be careful with the weight lifting -- it's recommended to do it no more than two-three times a week, and you need to have at least one day in between the workouts with weights to let your muscles recover.

Recommended by who? That's just silly.

Listen, I don't take my clothes off for anyone, even if it is "artistic". - JANICE

[TheatreDiva90016]

re: Is it possible to lose 20 pounds in 2 months...?#16

Posted: 8/9/09 at 2:50pm

So, the march is turning into a skin parade?

Are people that worried about how they look while protesting?

"TheatreDiva90016 - another good reason to frequent these boards less."<<>> “I hesitate to give this line of discussion the validation it so desperately craves by perpetuating it, but the light from logic is getting further and further away with your every successive post.” <<>> -whatever2

[CapnHook]

re: Is it possible to lose 20 pounds in 2 months...?#17

Posted: 8/9/09 at 3:29pm

Thanks for the advice, everyone! :) I joined that SparkPeople website so we'll see how that goes.

"So, the march is turning into a skin parade?

Are people that worried about how they look while protesting?"

haha not at all. He lives in a different city so we rarely see each other. Last time we were in the same room we got on the topic of how hard it was to lose weight so we challenged each other. The next time we'll see each other is our roadtrip to the March. :)

"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle

[TulitaPepsi]

re: Is it possible to lose 20 pounds in 2 months...?#18

Posted: 8/9/09 at 4:10pm

You'd be safer - with more long-term satisfying results - if you aim for March, then.

"Hurry up and get into your conga clothes - we've got to do something to save this show!"

[kec]

re: Is it possible to lose 20 pounds in 2 months...?#19

Posted: 8/9/09 at 4:12pm

"Recommended by who? That's just silly."

This is something I've heard ever since I started exercising on a regular basis over 20 years ago. I've been using Beachbody.com videos for awhile, and they have said this as well. Of course it depends on how much weight you're lifting.
If you're using very light to light weights, it shouldn't be a problem to do it every day. Heavy to really heavy weights is another matter all together. Updated On: 8/9/09 at 04:12 PM

[blaxx]

re: Is it possible to lose 20 pounds in 2 months...?#20

Posted: 8/9/09 at 4:16pm

Sorry, love, but if you work a different muscle group everyday it's not only safe, but ideal.

I should know

Listen, I don't take my clothes off for anyone, even if it is "artistic". - JANICE

[kec]

re: Is it possible to lose 20 pounds in 2 months...?#21

Posted: 8/9/09 at 4:35pm

What may work for one may not work for another... I couldnt't work out with weights for months because I had a muscle tear (that happened when I picked up a suitcase and put it in my car, go figure), so I'm being extra careful.

I've actually been working out with resistance bands, which I like better than weights, although I am still doing the weights.- I must be doing something right, because I got a compliment from a colleague the other day on my arms. :) Updated On: 8/9/09 at 04:35 PM

[StockardFan]

re: Is it possible to lose 20 pounds in 2 months...?#22

Posted: 8/9/09 at 5:06pm

I do weights 4-5 days a week, but I alternate a "push day" (shoulders, chest, triceps) and a "pull day" (back and biceps).

It's true that as long as you give the muscle a day in between to rest you can do weights every day.

But yes, what works well for one person might not work well for the next person.

KFTC!!!!!

[PalJoey]

re: Is it possible to lose 20 pounds in 2 months...?#23

Posted: 8/9/09 at 5:18pm

Whatever you do, just be sure to start easy enough so that you can develop consistency. If you make it too strenuous, you may get discouraged and quit.

Keep a notebook or journal with every exercise you do (and everything you eat, if you can). Looking at those notebook pages at the end of a week will give you an enormous sense of accomplishment.

[kec]

re: Is it possible to lose 20 pounds in 2 months...?#24

Posted: 8/9/09 at 5:32pm

Thanks, Stockard Fan... what you say makes sense. The workouts I've been doing do all those muscles in one workout, which is why I do them every other day.

Off to do a workout with both weights AND resistance bands!

[morosco]

re: Is it possible to lose 20 pounds in 2 months...?#25

Posted: 8/9/09 at 6:00pm

The SparkPeople website you signed up for can be a fantastic resource. It worked for me and it's free. Good luck!