Is it possible to lose 50 lbs. in less than 5 months???

[rpl]

I would like to lose around 50 lbs. by the beginning of May. I am about 290 right now and would like to get down to between 240-250. What do you think??? Is it possible? If so, what sort of diet and exercise regimen should I be on?

Thanks!

[Tofer]

You can gain 50 lbs in 5 months so I don't see why you couldn't lose it. Especially if you're starting at 290.

[8.8]

possible yes a good idea im not so sure

[Ruffian]

Wow.... Of course it is possible, but I dont think it is at all safe nor healthy to do so. Ideally, 1 pound per week is reasonable. That would put you at around half of the weight you plan to loose within the 5 months. You will be much better off if you take your time dieting down.

Do searches on this forum for threads on "cutting" they will be able to outline some healthy techniques that will have you looking good!

Also, Why do you plan on loosing so much weight? And why the deadline?

[McIrish]

Wow.... Of course it is possible, but I dont think it is at all safe nor healthy to do so. Ideally, 1 pound per week is reasonable. That would put you at around half of the weight you plan to loose within the 5 months. You will be much better off if you take your time dieting down.

Do searches on this forum for threads on "cutting" they will be able to outline some healthy techniques that will have you looking good!

Also, Why do you plan on loosing so much weight? And why the deadline?

Yeah, Ruffian, a loss of 1lb of *fat* per week is reasonable... To the OP, I would say getting down to 250 is very feasible by May. Lift heavy, eat in a caloric deficit, and throw in some HIIT if your weight loss ever plateaus. You will lose a considerable amount of fat and water weight, too, which makes 40-50 lbs eminently reasonable.

[shootermcgavin7]

I agree - at 290 I think it is very possible.

For diet, I would simply switch the TYPES of food you're eating (see the "what a bodybuilder eats" thread), and track calories.

You'll likely shed some weight from this alone. When you get to where you begin to stall, reduce calorie intake to 90% (you should have been tracking your calories to this point).

At 290, assuming you're of average height, you'll have two periods -- you'll probably shed weight very quickly initially by just eating clean and newbie gains; you'll stall, then you'll have to actually structure your diet to continue the weight loss.

[McIrish]

I agree - at 290 I think it is very possible.

For diet, I would simply switch the TYPES of food you're eating (see the "what a bodybuilder eats" thread), and track calories.

You'll likely shed some weight from this alone. When you get to where you begin to stall, reduce calorie intake by 90% (you should have been tracking your calories to this point).

At 290, assuming you're of average height, you'll have two periods -- you'll probably shed weight very quickly initially by just eating clean and newbie gains; you'll stall, then you'll have to actually structure your diet to continue the weight loss.

I'm sure this was a typo, but you meant "reduce to 90%", right? Otherwise, ack! :)

[deeder]

If you lose 50lbs in 5 months my guess is that half that will be muscle and you will be no more pleased with your appearance than before. Diet sensibly.

[WBBIRL]

Not to play devils advocate here, but losing 50 pounds in 5 months can be mostly fat (and water) if you go about it in the right manner. He will drop a big amount right off the bat just due to water loss, 5 to 10 or even as high as 20 pounds if he carb depletes/cycles.

Calories are the key here, you have to expend more then you consume. Where "what" you eat comes into play is basically calorie/nutrient density and hitting your macro nutrient breakdowns. You could eat 2 crunchwrap supremes from taco bell or 4 entire chicken breasts (which would have roughly the same calories but ALOT more protein and be more filling).

Drink alot of water, about a gallon per day. Get 1g of protein per pound of bodymass. Then between the rest of your calories you should get your EFA's (6 fish oils a day) and the rest can be carbs/other fats.

Lift heavy, sprinkle in some cardio but at 290 pounds your body might not like you for it. Get it done in the kitchen first.

[Unreal]

I did it more then once. I don't see an issue but it isn't fun.

[ArchAngel777]

If you lose 50lbs in 5 months my guess is that half that will be muscle and you will be no more pleased with your appearance than before. Diet sensibly.

No, that isn't true. Most former fatties that lift weights, train hard can tell you that pretty much every ounce of fat they lost was indeed fat. If they did lose muscle, it was negligable.

I started at 260 on November 7th, 2005 and by March 7th I was 207. That is 53 pounds in four months. By June 7th I made it down to 187 which was 73 pounds in 7 months. Was it difficult? Yes... Would I do it if I had known how much effort it was going to take? No... LOL, I told my wife the other day that if I had known how much work this was going to take, there is no way I would have put in the effort. I would still be a fat ass. It was only the belief that just next month I would be ripped... Of course, it never happened and is only now becoming true... Bodyfat can be very deceiving, especially when one holds a lot of visceral fat. You lose that first, the gut shrinks and then it starts to work on the subcutinaeus (in my case, it did at least).

So anyway, 50 pounds in 5 months is totally attainable, but that is because the first 10 - 15 is pure water weight. So in reality, I probably lost 53 - 15 = 38 pounds of fat in 4 months, which works out to around 9.5 pounds of fat per month. You won't be able to sustain that though. As I became leaner (after the 207 mark) the weight went down slower, it slowed to around 6 pounds a month (1.5 lbs/week). I am currently losing about 1 pound per week right now.

Edit ** I do not recomend running at your weight. I would work on walking first, until you get into an acceptable range. 290 pounds running is very hard on the body and you might develop a knee problem. When I ran at 240 lbs, my knee almost gave out after a few minutes. I didn't resume running until I hit the 205 pound range, which made it a hell of a lot easier. I just did incline walks. Believe me, doing an incline walk at 6.0 @ 3.5 mph is more than enough to break a sweat.

[rpl]

Thanks a lot for all of the advice. I should have mentioned this before, I am 6'2" with a very large frame. I do have a lot of muscle and was working out regularly until about 2 months ago. I had surgery for 2 bilateral inguenal hernias and am still recovering from it. So heavy lifting is out of the question for a while, but the walking I will do.

The reason for the big weight loss goal and deadling is that I am getting married on May 5th. I want to look good in the tux and be comfortable in my skin. I think if I lose 40-50 lbs. I will be happy.

Thanks again!

[ArchAngel777]

Thanks a lot for all of the advice. I should have mentioned this before, I am 6'2" with a very large frame. I do have a lot of muscle and was working out regularly until about 2 months ago. I had surgery for 2 bilateral inguenal hernias and am still recovering from it. So heavy lifting is out of the question for a while, but the walking I will do.

The reason for the big weight loss goal and deadling is that I am getting married on May 5th. I want to look good in the tux and be comfortable in my skin. I think if I lose 40-50 lbs. I will be happy.

Thanks again!

You have a noble goal. To look your best for your bride to be. Unfortuntely, I didn't decide to lose my weight until AFTER my wedding. My wife never told me I was getting fat and even now she won't admit that I was. LOL, whatever... Anyway, I commend you! Stick to it! You will not be dissapointed if you stay focused, eat right, exercise and get your rest and relaxation in.

Best of you luck to you!

[shootermcgavin7]

I'm sure this was a typo, but you meant "reduce to 90%", right? Otherwise, ack! :)



What, you don't cut on 300 calories/day? :burger:

Fixed.

[Vapour Trails]

If you lose 50lbs in 5 months my guess is that half that will be muscle and you will be no more pleased with your appearance than before. Diet sensibly.

Where does this belief come from?
You think a body with massive fat stores dips into muscle for energy to a large extent?
In fact, some with lots of fat tissue can sustain very large daily caloric deficits without ever burning muscle.
What tissue provides the energy when food doesn't depends largely on the starting bodyfat of the individual. You are giving bodybuilding advice to someone to which it does not apply.

For those interested
http://www.mindandmuscle.net/mindandmuscle/magpage.php?artID=35&pageNum=1

"Now, empirically and based on research, it’s well established that…

a. fatter individuals lose more fat and less lean body mass (LBM) than leaner individuals; and
b. bigger individuals lose weight more quickly

By corollary, smaller/leaner individuals not only lose total weight/fat at a slower rate, they lose a greater proportion of LBM. The whole issue of calorie partitioning has been discussed to death in my various books, especially The Ultimate Diet 2.0.

It’s why those fat asses on “The Biggest Loser” can drop 8-10 lbs. a week, well at least for the first week (and some of that is certainly water, glycogen and clearing the **** out of their bowels), and someone at 12% bodyfat may struggle to drop one pound per week without sacrificing muscle."

[anelka]

I lost around forty pounds in about four months once. It's definitely doable, works out to be around 2-2.5 pounds a week. Easy to do on 1800 calories a day. Of course I've put all the weight back on since...

[sCaRz*Of*PaiN]

Wouldn't that cause some loose skin? :scratch:

I'm sure it can be done, but 10+ pounds a month doesn't seem healthy.

[Sidior]

I think this was already covered but the fatter you are the easier it is to lose significant amounts of fat without muscle loss. Lyle has covered this before.

[Jinkies]

Its possible but your going to be left with excess skin losing it that fast

[anelka]

Better excess skin than the same skin filled with fat no?

[sCaRz*Of*PaiN]

If I was considerably overweight, I'd rather take it a bit slower and give my skin time to adjust to the changes. But to each their own.

[anelka]

I'd rather get the weight off as quickly as possible. You can't see loose skin under clothes, but you can see fat.

[sCaRz*Of*PaiN]

But I'd see the loose skin every day of my life. Loose skin would be a pain to deal with. The fat would go. Having the fat go and then having loose skin would bug me. But that's just me. I'm not telling you to feel the same as I do. The OP has options and he'll choose what feels best for his situation.

[Fuzzy]

^^^ SO just fill it up. :)

Heck, I intend to drop another 20lbs in the next 4-6 weeks, am I gonna be left with skin? Yes. Do i have a choice? No.

Ill just fill it out again when I bulk

[sCaRz*Of*PaiN]

SO just fill it up.That's what I mean. I wouldn't want to have to worry about filling out in hopes that maybe it will get rid of the excess skin. I guess it just depends on much loose skin there is. I'll never let myself get to that point, though.

[Jinkies]

Slow and steady wins the race, maybe skin would look better then fat but having it all fixed with a little more time is better. Once the skin is there the only cure for it is surgery and your left with a big scar.

[Fuzzy]

How do BBers look so ripped after they gain some serious weight in the off season?

Their skin looks tight and the muscles bulge.

[Jinkies]

They get bulky, never really fat with saggyness and all.

Bodybuilders have years and years of experience and know there bodies mechanics so well they know how to manipulate it to get exactly the way they want too,they know themselves inside and out

[Slim Schaedle]

How do BBers look so ripped after they gain some serious weight in the off season?

Their skin looks tight and the muscles bulge.

Good drugs, good diet, good training, good sleep.

[Fuzzy]

Good skin lotion?

[ArchAngel777]

Loose skin is pretty much a myth in most cases. It depends on just how fat you are and your age.

I was pretty fat, I had over a 42" waist. I don't have any of this 'loose' skin that people always talk about. I have stretch marks, plenty of them, but they turned white and faded away. Now I have a 33" waist and the only thing I still see is a bit of fat, not extra skin. Besides, do you have any idea how elastic your skin is anyway? Take a pinch at the back of your hand... Pull it back and let it snap. Goes right back into place, doesn't it? I am not saying loose skin doesn't exist, but I am saying that it is blown out of proportion like Gyno is. Ever noticed how on this forum (and any forum) that people will yell out Gyno at ANY Chest that isn't ripped out perfectly? It's just fat, not gyno in most cases.

[Fuzzy]

Yup.

And even though I do have strech marks, because I got room left to grow itll all even out. Hopefully.

[anelka]

Skin isn't going to tighten up quicker if you lose the weight more slowly. That's counterintuitive.

[rpl]

Wow, thanks for all the replies. I thought I would give you an update on my weightloss. Since I first posted this thread (12/19) I've lost 15 lbs. I haven't been to the gym but I guess you can say I get a fair amount of cardio in at work everyday. I'm a manager at a Home Depot and I am constantly running around the store. But I do need to get into the gym. As far as my diet, I have been eating cottage cheese, bananas, flax seed bread, salads, and meat. I've been drinking around a gallon of water a day.

So changing my eating habits have been working great on it's own and I can't wait to get into the gym. I'm gonna do what ArchAngel said and walk inclines. That's seems safe enough for my weight and for my recovery from the surgery I had.

Thanks again for all the advice.

[PoutineEh]

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/forums/
look at the rapid fat loss handbook section
This diet is called Protein Sparring Modified Fast (PSMF). Its not fun, but you will drop a ton of weight fast, and you said thats your goal.
Just thought id throw it out there, it isnt the healthiest option though.