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I'm a 56 yo Male weighing about 210 lbs. I need/want to lose 20 lbs to get to 190 lbs. I recently(End of September and start of November) had eye surgery and the surgeon put me on restrictions afterward of no lifting and no strenuous physical exercise. I should be released of these restrictions by the end of the month or early next month.
For now my physical exercising has been walking, up to an hour a day or so. I've gained some weight in that time frame (I used to be between 200 and 205 lbs.)
As I set my goal and plan for exercise/diet for weight loss I need to figure what is an appropriate/healthy time frame to lose 20 pounds in a way to keep it off. I'm thinking of either three or six months to accomplish this. Which would be better or would a different time frame be appropriate?
In my opinion it's better not to think about it. Do not concentrate on x time frame for y pounds lost. Just do your best and enjoy the results. Think about health.
Either is fine. It's not about how fast you lose weight, but about having a lifestyle you will stick to long-term. Don't create a roadmap for the next 3-6 months. Create a roadmap for the next 5-10 years.
Exercise is only one part of the equation. The most important factor is how much you eat. You gained weight because you ate like you did when you were physically active but without the physical activity. However, you can lose weight without exercising just by eating less.
Track your calories everyday. Get a food scale or a measuring cup to measure your nuts, cereals, grains/pastas, oils, etc.
To stick to a routine, you need to genuinely enjoy it. If you don't enjoy doing something, you won't stick to it. Eat a variety of foods that you genuinely enjoy eating (at proper portion sizes). Do exercises that you genuinely enjoy doing.
Changing the way you eat just until you lose 20 lbs is the road to yoyo dieting. Make permanent changes to the way you eat for the rest of your life, and let the weight come off as it will.
The last 5 pounds are much harder than the first, anyway...
Everyone is different, but Keto worked for me. I lost 20 pounds in a couple of months. I migrated to a normal diet of just eating less, but Keto is a good place to start. Of course, discuss it with your Doctor in case you have any underlying issues. Good luck.
Informed it takes 20 minutes to digest. Set a timer, when eating, after a bite, set the utensil down, ie fork, spoon, Before you take another bite. Check yourself, are you sated, if so. Stop eating, even if there's more on the plate/dish.
Started a Thread for Encouragement. Lost 46 pounds over time, started to gain. After the Thread, knowing it was viewed, think of those viewing, keeps me accountable. Losing again !
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As I set my goal and plan for exercise/diet for weight loss I need to figure what is an appropriate/healthy time frame to lose 20 pounds in a way to keep it off. I'm thinking of either three or six months to accomplish this. Which would be better or would a different time frame be appropriate?
Goal is fine.
Plan is fine.
Time frame?..... Maybe not. A permanent weight loss calls for a permanent change. So why diet? Make the change deliberate and permanent. If what you do at first does not work for you, make changes until you find a lifestyle that works and keeps you down to around 190.
In my opinion it's better not to think about it. Do not concentrate on x time frame for y pounds lost. Just do your best and enjoy the results. Think about health.
Take care.
I would argue this is a male/female difference, putting anumber on it just makes stress/anxiety for many (not all) women, while many (not all) men NEED those numbers to keep the eyes on the prize.
I would say 20 lbs in 3 months is ambitious, but not impossible.
Think of it in terms of weeks, 3 months is 12 weeks. 20 lbs in that time is almost 2 lbs/week.
With the recent eye surgery, I would prioritize keeping on the less strenous side in terms of working out. Dieting can still be done, but the calorie deficit for losing almost 2 lbs weekly and sustaining it is no joke.
I would recommend aiming for 1 lb per week as a start, and after 3 months ramp things up if the OP has the fortitude. Also OP; don't get blinded of success if you lose 5 lbs over night in the beginning. That doesn't continue.
I lost 49~ lbs in 1 year before, (270~to 220~) then a series of events including a long issue with a back injury messed things up quite a bit along with covid restrictions + getting covid etc.
However during that year when I lost almost 1 lb/week on average, it wasn't even. Some of the time I was losing more than 3 lbs in a week, some of the time I was standing still. Not because of bad effort or diet, it just sheds periodically. Patience and sticking to whatever system you chose is the key.
Don't try to sprint it.
Do what feels good in the end. It has to be something you can , at least to a large degree, more or less adopt long term after having reached your goals, otherwise the first thing you do after reaching them is to start losing your progress.
I want to lose about 45 pounds and decided to try intermittent fasting for a change. I will be working out three days a week, fasting on Tues, Thurs, and Saturday and eating healthy meals the other days. According to a tracker app I have, I should lose about 4 pounds a week and will reach my goal in May, well see.
I have always been very successful at losing weight but have found it is much more difficult as I get older. In my 20's and 30's I would workout 5 days a week, live on chicken and broccoli and I would drop weight drastically. Now that I am 46, that method no longer seems to work for me
Now that I am 46, that method no longer seems to work for me
How many calories do you eat per day? How many grams of protein do you get in per day?
Quote:
live on chicken and broccoli and I would drop weight drastically
While this is a viable, and maybe even "optimal" diet, the problem that many people run into is that they feel deprived and restricted, and then they end up quitting that diet and going back to their bad eating habits. The 7/10 diet you can stick is better than a 10/10 diet that you don't stick to.
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