80 pounds in 4 months?

[DarkIntellect]

Hello Ef. DarkIntellect is here. Is it possible to loose at least 80 pounds within a 4 month period as well as get abs? For what it's worth I'm 5 feet tall and weigh close to 200 pounds. My diet is horrible to say the least, mostly fast food. Help would be appreciated. If you need anymore info, feel free to ask.

Off topic, but why can't I use an avatar?

EDIT: Not sure if this is in the right section. My apologies to the staff if the thread needs to be moved.

 

[Nathan]

My advice would be to not try to lose 80lbs in 4 months. That is a bad idea. Get yourself started on a good regimen and give yourself more time than that. In 4 months, you can make a ton of progress but giving yourself a specific number like the one you have is not how I would approach it. And if I did and were being realistic, I would have to concede that I have about a 95% chance of not even coming close.

 

[lookatme4001]

It took me a year to 12 months to lose 80 lbs. I didn't go on a diet though, I just changed my lifestyle and eating habits. If you need any advice/help let me know.

 

[poysyn]

My advice would be to not try to lose 80lbs in 4 months. That is a bad idea. Get yourself started on a good regimen and give yourself more time than that. In 4 months, you can make a ton of progress but giving yourself a specific number like the one you have is not how I would approach it. And if I did and were being realistic, I would have to concede that I have about a 95% chance of not even coming close.

Absolutely. If you lose 80lbs in 4 months, it would be a horrible thing. You would lose a TON of muscle mass, and if you did lose that much, chances are you would still be a high body fat without visible adds. It's very realistic to be able to lose between 24-30lbs with a great diet and workout regime, though.

 

[Kabeetz]

There is one guy with a thread near the top of the member pictures section, and he's posted here.. I believe he lost more weigth in even less time.. and doesn't even have any loose skin.

I've never seen anything like it. He works as a welder I believe so that might play a role.. he may burn a TON of calories daily just working... but this guy lost a ton of weight in 4 months and has a six pack now and no loose skin.

Don't try that at home.. a complete anomaly.

 

[pintoca]

one time I lost 10lbs/month over a 7 month period.

and I was really pushing it: Perfectly designed and balanced diet, cardio 6 times a week and lifting 5 times a week.

all in all, not a good idea. Your body is not used nor designed to whitstand such drastic changes in composition.

 

[DJLegacy2k1]

8-10lbs a month should be about the MAX for safe weight loss. This being most weight coming from fat and not muscle. Anyone can lose 50lbs in 3 months, by starvation and over training, but you will just be a smaller fat person, instead of a healthy well built person.

Take it slow, it also helps stop you from bouncing your weight right back up. You need a lifestyle change, not a quick fix.

-Legacy

 

[Y_lifter]

I have lost only 18 lbs on the scales in 3 months working very hard and with a moderatly clean diet. I'm hoping I had some amount of LBM gains making the fat loss even higher than 20lbs. 5' 11" 208lbs to 190..

 

[Kabeetz]

I have lost only 18 lbs on the scales in 3 months working very hard and with a moderatly clean diet. I'm hoping I had some amount of LBM gains making the fat loss even higher than 20lbs. 5' 11" 208lbs to 190..

If you've been lifting, it would be almost impossible not to be adding some lbm throughout the process. The scale means nothing

 

[wlmcrae]

And for places to go for the 'how to' of the great advice given so far, try the book Body for Life by Bill Phillips and/or the e-book by Tom Venuto called Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle.

To make your goals, you will need a balanced cardio, resistance (lifting) and nutrition program. You do not have to pay 500 million dollars to a gym/trainer for it - the above resources will give you everything you need to set up your own, start, tweak and get to your goals.

As mentioned, about 1-2 lbs of fat per week is reasonable as a goal, assuming you are a 'genetic normal'. Be aware that you could easily lose more than that in the first little bit, due to dumping water weight. Don't be discouraged if it doesn't continue at that rate. Also, measure progress by body composition, not scale weight. If you've lost 8lbs of fat and put on 4lbs of muscle in a month, don't be discouraged at a scale weight change of only 4lbs! At 2lbs fat per week, you'll lose your 80 in 40 weeks (less than a year), be healthy, solid and sassy and KNOW HOW TO MAINTAIN that for the rest of your life! Any old diet could GET you to the goal, but MAINTAINING is a lifestyle (which is why slow and steady wins the race - you're changing all your habits.)