You are An Inspiration to Me!

[08isgr8]

Hi everyone!

I have been reading your posts now for a couple of weeks and have been so inspired that I wanted join! So many of your posts have made me understand and comforted that I am NOT the only one going through tough times and it is very encouraging to see all of the positive results here.

A little about me. I turn 40 this year and I am determined to make it fabulous!! I left a seriously sabatoging relationship when it came to food and have been following Atkins to the T and I feel great! I got past the fatigue and have really seen a huge difference. I can actually chase after my little girl without feeling overwhelmed!

My question to everyone is this . . . My goal is to lose 10 lbs per month. Standard dieting says that you can safely lose 2 lbs per week - but what I would really like to know is . . . if you are coupling your WOE with a serious exercise regimen 5 to 6 days a week of Cardio and strength training, is it possible to lose more than the 8 lbs per month consistently?

Is it conceivable to lose 80 lbs in 8 months?? I would really like to know if anyone else has done this and what type of obstacles they might have had and how they overcame those plateaus?

I wanted to thank each and every one of you who have contributed to this board, because they do get read and they have indeed inspired me!

Thank you,

08isgr8!

[*Emma*]

Welcome to ADBB

As you get closer to goal, it slows right down, the last 10-15 pounds takes timeeeee, but if you do it all, no cheats, lots of exercise, you got the best chance!

Best of Luck!

[sillygirl]

08isgr8! What a Gr8 name! Welcome to the board.

You know, everyone loses weight a different pace. Naturally, if you exercise you will most likely lose quicker. I think a 10# per month goal is very doable. Best of luck to you

[kate58]

It's certainly possible to lose a lot of weight, but putting time limits on it will only lead to disappointment. Every bit you lose though will make you feel better and look better, so with that in mind look on each 5 pounds - each pound in fact - as a step towards your ultimate goal and a positive change in your life.

You have probably spent years, not months, gaining that 80lbs, the speed it goes at is less important than the fact that you are not only getting rid of it bit by bit, but that you are not on the way to the next 80.

That said, I have lost over 50 pounds since starting on September 5th - which is less than 4.5 months ago. I don't expect the rest to come off as fast and to be honest, though this may sound odd, I don't want it to. It's more important to me that by the time the rest of the weight has gone I will have learned a lot more about what and how I can eat, will have broken a LOT of bad habits and will be equipped to take control of my weight for the rest of my life.

[08isgr8]

Thank you very much for your kind words. I appreciate you giving the timeframe kate58 - that is really inspiring!! I know I can do this - I just wanted to ake sure that my object goal wasn't out of whack!

Thank you so much.

08isgr8

[SunnySmile501]

It's mostly relative to how much you have to lose to start with. If you need to lose 80 pounds, it's not likely that you will lose 10 pounds a month, straight to goal. I had 150 to lose and I lost 102 pounds in 10 months, but I have lost precious little since then. The last is sometimes really stubborn. One thing for sure, if you don't try at all, you will certainly be much heavier than if you give it your all. I believe you can do it!

Sunny!

[sallyseachange]

Welcome aboard and tks for your kind words!

Exercise certainly helps massively, as the others have said. But it's really hard to predict how any one person will lose. We're all so different and there are so many variables: Age, gender, mobility, medications....

I lost 44 lbs in 8 months... slow, but then I was perimenopausal. The last few lbs came off verrrrrry slowly.
I think the best thing is to delight in your losing direction rather than speed. Once you've hit goal, it'll seem to have gone in a flash however long it takes. Best not to set yourself up for disappointment even though your goal is do-able.

Happy losing!

[dreamof145]

Hi. Welcome to the family. We're glad to have you join us. As the others have said, if you follow the program and exercise...You will lose quite well. I lost 96 pounds in one year. I know another girl that lost 110 pounds in the first year. We are all unique and have different life-styles which attributes to how our bodies lose the weight. My advise is to MEASURE. You are going to see a huge difference in the inches that melt away as you lose the weight. Don't put a time limit on yourself, this is a learning process so that you can get comfortable with the foods, exercise and attitude. Make the most of it by joining challenges, making friends and getting active here with others who will continue to inspire you and keep you focused. You can do it and there's no better place to get motivation. WELCOME!!!

[ttdriver]

WELCOME TO ADBB!!! We're glad you're here! This is a tremendous place for support and encouragement!

Betty

[chase_white_rabbits]

I think I did. When I started Atkins, I vowed not to weigh myself for one year. Obviously, I could tell I was losing weight because I kept buying smaller and smaller clothes but never weighed myself. I didn't even know what my start weight was because for the past few years, when I had to weigh myself at the doctor, I wouldn't look.

At my one year mark, I went for my annual physical and saw how much I weighed (160). I asked what my weight had been the last year when they weighed me, and they had it at 237. So, I know that at least in a years time, I lost almost 80 pounds.

Sorry I can't tell you exactly how much I lost a month, and I'm sure it slowed down. I know a lot of people say it would be hard not to weigh yourself for so long, but that's what worked for me. I didn't feel any "pressure" to lose weight because I didn't see the numbers. When I started, I told myself I would at least try for a year, regardless of of I lost weight, and then I would re-evaluate and decide to keep doing it or not. After all, it was only one year.

Now, of course, it's a way of life, but I think largely because of my lack of constant weigh-ins, the lifestyle change was fairly easy for me.