Max anticipated weight loss per week or month
 

200#, 5'5", perimenopausal, goal 150#.

Hoping to wear a bathing suit for the first time in years at the end of Aug (ie. in 4 months).

Should I anticipate about 32# total lost by that time if I follow Atkins strictly?

Thanks.

This is such a difficult question to answer. There's "typical" and then there's each individual. As a generalization, I'd say 8 lbs./month is very ambitious, but not unheard of.

As a perimenopausal women, you might more realistically expect less. People on this board could tell you about themselves and women similar to you are most likely losing anything from 1 lb./month to 2 lbs./week. And that loss could happen steadily, or you could very quickly drop 10 lbs. and then plateau for six weeks until you start gradually losing again, or it could happen in fits and starts.

Add a good, challenging exercise routine (starting slowly of course), and you will make great progress by August.

I suggest put all expectations aside, do it for a year then see where you're at.

It is my opinion that chasing weight loss goals in a timed manner is the recipe for disappointment and abandonment of detached consistency - Generally initially one will be ahead of the game then, slowly catch up to the MAGIC NUMBER (lb/week) then fall behind, become anxious, start changing things and TRY HARDER.

When you realized that you have very little input into this situation aside from following some basic guidelines of eating (in this case low carb ala Dr. Westman I guess or Dr. Diet or whatever) you may find relief from stress of the future that you don't control and, if you're lucky, a new appreciation of where you're at right now, right this minute...

...the only time you can do anything about your uncertain future.

Hopfully this is not depression but what you probably don't need are a bunch of people saying, "You got this!" - cause, really, you don't - as there is nothing to "get".

Be calm; do the work - let it happen :)

I am with Thud. Also, nothing will fix the fact that you have not worn a bathing suit in years except TADA! putting on a bathing suit. I work at a pool and wear a bathing suit all. the. time. and I weigh much more than you. As adults, it's easy to get out of the habit of wearing something so revealing but I promise you no one is noticing. The only thing that happens when you don't wear a bathing suit is you don't get to have any fun. Just go have fun. If you are perimenopausal, you are too old to worry about anything but living your best life. Now. With the body you have. And getting in the water is one of the best ways to get in shape and help lose weight. Don't wait!

I should have thought of putting it like this. Go Now, the water's fine :)

LOL, I am a swim instructor and lifeguard so I'm biased. But it also means I can guarantee you that every body looks good in a bathing suit unless your privates are hanging out. I am around people in tiny swimsuits all day long.

I was going to say what Thud and jschwab said.
I can't guess whether you can lose 32 lbs by the end of August with any way of eating (WOE), but I can predict that if you cut out sugar, grains, potatoes and beans, and don't cheat, you'll be in better shape by the end of August.

Live well and have fun.

You are all very realistic and wise. Exactly what I needed to hear. Yes, I will stick with this & just put on the dang bathing suit (despite all of the ugly cellulite) so I can swim with my kids. Thank you!

I would also like to add that I’ve always been self conscious in a bathing suit, regardless of my size. The last time I remember not cringing about swimsuit season was when I was in the third grade.

I live in Japan, where I weighed at least double the size of an average women. Just a few years ago I was 260 pounds and I made a choice and decided that I didn’t want my kids to remember their mom as someone who watched from the sidelines. I forced myself to focus on them and not on my discomfort. It worked and I’ve enjoyed making tons of memories. We are at the pool or beach all the time! Now I’ve made it halfway to my goal and guess what. I feel just as uncomfortable in my skin as I did before. Maybe worse because I’m 38 and have tons of lose skin. I’m 60 pounds down and sometimes I don’t see any differences when I look in the mirror. But I keep putting on my bathing suit and focusing on making good memories. My mind hasn’t caught up with my body but that’s okay. The more you put on your bathing suit, the easier it gets and the more memories you can make!!

Hello eggsnsteak! Of course, I agree with what everyone has said, but if I'm being truthful, last summer is the first time I put a bathing suit on in more than a dozen years. But since then, a transformation in my thinking has happened and I low carb now not so much for weight loss but for my health. Weight loss will happen. Or it won't. I'm just not invested in it anymore. Having said that, I may be the most shallow person on this board, but I needed to be smaller before my thinking on eating would change from weight loss to health.

So, here's my experience. I began low carbing when I was 49 years old. I wasn't following any strict plan. Just cut way back on grains and eliminated anything that tasted sweet (including diet coke and fruit). I lost 25 pounds in six weeks. Easy peasy. After that, I began to get more serious and eliminated grains too. And that caused me to lose ~10 more pounds at a rate of 1 or 2 pounds per week. And then I sort of drifted in and out of maintenance mode for the next four years, very gradually trending downwards.

What I have noticed is that when I jump back into serious low carbing, I might lose some weight initially and then won't lose anything for 3 or 4 weeks. I don't really weigh myself much anymore, but I suspect I am now back in a fairly steady 1 to 2 pounds loss per week. At some point, when the weight loss stops, this way of eating becomes maintenance. Going off plan causes me too much joint pain - it's simply not worth it.

p.s. cellulite? Mine looks much worse now than it did 30 pounds ago. I think I was more firmly packed with fat back then. :lol:

I agree with Thud, although I don't always have the discipline to just follow a plan and let things settle where they will. Sometimes, within my plan, I'll end up calorie restricting. And I'll get leaner. But when I lose weight just eating to appetite, and depending on types of food eaten/restricting carbs and pre-made foods (I actually find I'm hungrier with a fridge full of cheese and pepperoni, than full of raw meat and eggs that need cooking) etc., it stays lost. I suspect much of the problem with processed food is just that it's easy-access, low effort versus reward. Similar problem with nuts, perfectly good low carb food, just too easy to snack on.

Weight staying off when I eat to appetite, but change food types makes sense, since I just ate to appetite, and that's where my weight went. When I calorie restrict, I'll lose weight, but by definition I'm eating less than my appetite, and as I get leaner, that becomes harder, not easier, to do.

Everyone is different about what motivates them, too.

I like having tons of mini-goals, collecting lots of data, etc. I made a commitment to myself when I re-focused in January to keep tweaking what I was doing until I was steadily losing 1–2 lbs./week. I've played around with how many carbs I eat every day, calories, fasting, and exercise. It's taken all of those things to keep me on track with the 1–2 lbs. per week.

It's important to keep repeating to yourself that weight loss isn't linear. I remind myself that at some point I could hit a bit flat stall. It's common. Overall, I've averaged about 1-1/2 lbs. per week since January. Some weeks I've gone up. Some weeks my weight has stayed the same and my measurements have dropped. Some weeks my measurements go up. But there's usually some small victory every week (weight, measurements, BF%, clothes fit, physical fitness) and I celebrate that. I also reward myself with something nice every time I hit a mini-goal, take pictures and add to a little pennant banner I'm making.

Obviously, I'm the kind of person that needs lots of motivation and constant reminders to stay on track and meet my goals. There's no way I would be successful if I followed Thud's advice to "put all expectations aside, do it for a year then see where you're at." For some people, all this focus would make them crazy and what makes them be able to stick to low-carb is to just let what happens happen. Knowing yourself and what will help you stick to plan is the most important thing.

I think this is true for almost all adults unless they regularly swim laps. It's just unusual for adults to get into a suit and it's so exposing and makes anyone feel vulnerable.

I don't have cellulite but I do wear a triathlon style unitard suit. Since it covers the legs it can make you feel more covered up but, at the same time, gives you maximum freedom of movement.

I think you gave hit on an important aspect for those if us that struggle with control. Easy to eat foods are too easy to eat too much. For me, that means nuts, peanut butter, gard cheeses, ricotta and cottage cheese.I like your management style of only preparing one meal at a time. That us biult in control. I hadnt realized much if my recent control is simple by limiting access to nuts(no opened bags), eating ricotta like yougurt because its in the house.

When I fill up on salad, which never makes the binge list, lol, and a couple eggs and a few ounces grd beef, the cruising for immediate munching goes away.

L-tyrosine and green tea may be aiding in this control as well.