How long do you think it will take me to lose 30lbs?

Question

I am 15 and a half and would like to lose at least 30lbs by february. I am 5'7 and weigh 165 (I previously weighed 172 two months ago) I have been cutting calories and going to the gym. I eat 1300 to 1500 calories a day and i work out for 3 hours a day at least 3 times a week. I want to know how long it will take to reach my goal. I am trying to lose weight in a safe healthy way and i am seeing results also, if you have any tips for me that would be awesome! And what do you think i should do to keep the weight off because obviously i can't work out 3 hours a day for ever so im scared that once i stop working out vigorously i will put it all back on. Thanks for your help.

Answer 1

You ask some good, serious mature questions.  The key to weight loss is not losing the weight it is how to keep the weight off for the rest of your life.  Below is an interesting article.

GOOD LUCK!!!

Answer 2

I think you'll likely reach your goal.

Whatever you do, DON'T cut down to under 1200 calories! You're still growing, so you NEED the nutrition. Also, anything under that can put you into starvation mode. You'll lose WEIGHT, but it'll start being muscle and not fat. In the long run, that's bad, and you'll just gain it back. Trust me--been there, done that.

That said, there are some kind of cool calculators based on BMI at http://www.caloriesperhour.com/. These have been terribly helpful with my weight loss goals, and I have lost quite a lot (~100 lbs) through diet and exercise and have kept it off for over 6 years now.

That said, do realize that BMI is a quite flawed scale as it doesn't take muscle mass and bone size into account. It IS just a guideline, and everyone is different.

Also realize that muscle weighs more than fat. You could NOT meet your WEIGHT goal, but still be smaller than you thought you would be if you develop more muscle than you expect. So don't worry so much about weight. Base it on more measurable goals like body measurements and endurance and heart rate. Then even when you plateau weight-wise, you'll see those continue to improve and know you're advancing.

As far as keeping weight off--it's all about math. You won't have to continue to work out for 3 hours a day as long as you don't suddenly start eating a lot more, too. Just always make sure you use up as many calories as you consume. It's all about your metabolic rate.

According to caloriesperhour.com, a 15-year-old male (I assume from the avatar) who is 5'7" and weighs 130 lbs has a resting metabolic rate of approximately 1900 calories (for a female, this would be lower). So, essentially, at 130 lbs, your body uses 1900 calories per day just to breathe, etc. At 165 lbs., you use a little more, which is why the rate of weight loss slows down the closer you get to your goal.

So, to maintain a weight of 130 lbs at 15, you could probably eat as many as 1900 calories per day without working out and not gain weight. What this doesn't take into account, however, is body makeup. If you have more muscle, you can eat more, but you need to work out the proper amount to maintain the muscle mass. Just working out alone will let you eat more to maintain weight since you're burning some extra calories while working out.

Just remember that your metabolic rate usually declines as you get older, so you do need to re-evaluate periodically. And remember that even if the number of calories works out, you still need to pay attention to where those calories are coming from--make sure you get them from nutritious sources!

Answer 3

I was 165 too but now I'm 143 it took me like 2 months too lose the weight but it might take u a little less cause I cheated sometimes lol n I sometimes forgot to excercise but I'm sure u can do it

Answer 4

cut your calorie intake, my dad went down to about an 1000 per day (basically nothing but salad and chicken) and he has dropped from 264 to 216 in less than 2 months. pretty good seeing how hes 46 and hasn't weighed that little since he was 12.

Answer 5

Good job first off!  

Doctors say that healthy weight loss will be one to two pounds per week.  Sometimes you may drop five or more, sometimes none, but one to two a week is ideal, so give yourself a few months to drop 30.  You can cut your calories down to 1100 - 1200 or so, and I don't know what you do for your workouts, but make sure that you get about an hour or more of cardio (if you're sticking with your three hours).  Running (jogging), eliptical machines, spinning, biking, aerobics, anything like that will help speed up the weight loss.  Do a little weight lifting to tone up too.  You don't have to lift hundreds of pounds, start small and do lots of repetitions.  Congrats again, and keep it up!