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Is a weight loss goal of 50 lbs in one year unrealistic?
I’m a 20 year old 5’1″ female weighing about 180 lbs which would put my BMI at 34.
My 1 year goal is to lose 50 lbs which would put me at 130 and a BMI of about 25 (which is still slightly overweight, I know). My ULTIMATE goal is actually 113.
I’m planning on doing this with exercise (crunches, leg lifts, power yoga, walking) and diet. I’m cutting calories to about 1300 now, and after the holidays, I’m going to start a vegetarian diet because it’s harder to find foods with a lot of fat that are vegetarian. My major reason is that my family is always wanting to eat at McDonald’s and similar places, and the only thing that I will get there as a vegetarian will be the fruit & walnut salad.
So; is 50 lbs in one year an unrealistic goal? Do you think I should be able to be successful with my diet & exercise? Any tips or advice?
Fifty pounds is totally doable in a year. The first 20 should come off fairly quickly, but it will slow down from there, so do not get discouraged. Make sure you keep your cardio workout going, 30-60 minutes per day. Then add your other exercises to that. It is not necessary to go vegetarian unless you really want to. You just need to pay attention to what you are eating and the calorie intake. For example, you can still go to McDonald’s and get a burger to be sociable with the family, but instead of a BigMac or double cheeseburger, get a double hamburger, no cheese, no mayo; and eat it “open face” (only half the bun.) When you do that, you get all the taste but immediately cut out 1/3 or more of the calories. If you get pizza, eat two slices instead of four (or whatever) and have some salad with it to fill up. Try to keep your straight-up carb intake (bread, pasta) low, unless you are going to be exercising very soon after. You have to be careful relying on salad and things when dieting – with dressing and add-ons, it often has more calories than what you would usually get.
Also, stick with water and diet sodas (if you need carbonation.) A large rootbeer or orange soda at a fast food place has around 900 calories all by itself. If you drink it and get a refill to go, you’ve just used all your calories for the day….and havn’t even eaten anything!
Last, when you hit your plateau in weight loss, switch up the exercies you do. Your muscles get used to what you make them do and do less “work” as they adapt. Work new muscle groups and vary the way you work them, and your body should keep working for you.
Good luck!
Vegetarian Diet Plan