5 weeks before photos

zootiesgroove

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I have exactly 5 weeks until my wedding. I am completely out of shape and have a very painful lower back problem that I cannot afford to get looked at because I don't have insurance that will pay for it. I am 36 years old and sitting at about 250lbs when my ideal weight is between 185-200. I know I wont be able to drop 50 in 5 weeks but I'd like to try to crack off at least 20-30lbs if possible.

I am looking for advice on workouts, diet and possible supplements that would help me achieve this goal. Note: Because of heart issues, I cant handle the stimulants that make me jittery or nervous.

Starting today I am cutting my calories and dropping carbs (basically cutting out bread, pasta and rice and limiting to just veggies) and starting a cardio program of about 1-2 hours/day (split into 2 sessions). I'd like to use meal replacements if possible just so i dont have to worry about preparing foods, but whatever.

Of course I know this isnt teh right way to do this and I plan on getting onto a more normal plan after the wedding but I want to look good for my photos. I'm open to fasting, detox, or any other proven method. Any help and advice would be great.
 
nattydisaster

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You need to get on a diet for sure. Since you cant use stimulants I would look into green tea extract and ALCAR. Sucks about the back and heart man
 

zootiesgroove

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I wasnt posting "before pictures" - I was asking for advice to lose weight 5 weeks BEFORE I will be taking my wedding pictures.
 
fitnessbyalex

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I have exactly 5 weeks until my wedding. I am completely out of shape and have a very painful lower back problem that I cannot afford to get looked at because I don't have insurance that will pay for it. I am 36 years old and sitting at about 250lbs when my ideal weight is between 185-200. I know I wont be able to drop 50 in 5 weeks but I'd like to try to crack off at least 20-30lbs if possible.

I am looking for advice on workouts, diet and possible supplements that would help me achieve this goal. Note: Because of heart issues, I cant handle the stimulants that make me jittery or nervous.

Starting today I am cutting my calories and dropping carbs (basically cutting out bread, pasta and rice and limiting to just veggies) and starting a cardio program of about 1-2 hours/day (split into 2 sessions). I'd like to use meal replacements if possible just so i dont have to worry about preparing foods, but whatever.

Of course I know this isnt teh right way to do this and I plan on getting onto a more normal plan after the wedding but I want to look good for my photos. I'm open to fasting, detox, or any other proven method. Any help and advice would be great.
can you provide a meal by meal breakdown of your current diet. Also your height, weight, body-fat % and body-type? You will not drop 20-30lbs in 5 weeks. Assuming we can get you to loose say 5lbs of water and really push hard to get your fat loss to 2lbs per week, you are looking at a net weight loss of 15lbs which would require 100% consistency. I don't want to clutter up your thread but if you want - PM me brother

-Alex
 

zootiesgroove

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Yo fitnessbyalex:

Here's whats up...
height: 5' 9"
weight: 250lbs
body-fat %: dunno - guessing upper 30s
body-type: fat ass. I've never had a six-pack and carry most of my weight around my midsection.

meal by meal breakdown:
AM 6 egg whites, 1 yolk, 2 pieces of whole grain toast and 2 tsp of almond butter
AM snack: ON hydro whey and 20 almonds
Lunch: salad greens and 6 oz of lean meat (tuna fish)
Pre workout: ON hydro whey & half an apple
Post workout : ON hydro whey, ON casein and Shaklee physique shake
Dinner: broccoli and 6-8 oz of lean meat
PM: ON casein protein.

I'm also drinking at least 15 cups or more of water/day.

My breakdown is about 2400 calories with 100g of carbs, 100g of fat and 275g of protein

I'm supplementing with Shaklee multi vitamin, Fish Oil, GTE, ALC, CEE and ReCreate

I'm doing 45 minutes of cardio on the elliptical mixed with about 10-15 minutes of strength training (circuit: push ups, lat pull down, seated bench, cable rows, curls and tri-press and leg ext)

So far, I've dropped 3.5 lbs since Monday knowing it's mostly water, but I feel better already getting exercise and can notice a difference in my waist (can pull belt tighter). I also feel surprisingly well with reduced carbs.

Feel free to post here - I dont mind or you can PM me.
 

zootiesgroove

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Guess I dont have enough posts to PM :(
 
triton185

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You getting married on May 8th? If so, Me too! Congrats....and yeah I am trying to cut 5lbs of fat before then.
 

zootiesgroove

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You getting married on May 8th? If so, Me too! Congrats....and yeah I am trying to cut 5lbs of fat before then.
yeah! Right on. I'm trying to shed 10x that amount but it's my own damn fault for waiting so long. I could have started before January and had a solid 6 months, but nothing like waiting till the last minute.

Congrats - where are you doing it?
 

EctoMeso

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gettin married 24th of april here lol. its a wedding fest. but i was trying to gain 10kg for my wedding did that now need to drop around 2-4kg :D
 
wearedbleedblue

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I say do a 5 week PSMF. You'll lose about 10-20lbs in the first two weeks and should lose 5 or so each week after that. Should put you close to where you want to be but its tough.
 

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I say do a 5 week PSMF. You'll lose about 10-20lbs in the first two weeks and should lose 5 or so each week after that. Should put you close to where you want to be but its tough.
Any good reference material? - otherwise I'll just take a shot in the dark with google.
 

zootiesgroove

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i was trying to gain 10kg for my wedding
Man, I WISH I had that problem - I can gain weight/size like nobody's business. Whenever I had a friend that would say that - I would say: let me borrow your body for a week.. I'll pack on the pounds for you ;)

Damn Metabolism!
 
wearedbleedblue

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There are a few places out there if you look where you can find the Rapid Fat Loss Handbook by Lyle McDonald or you can go to www.bodyrecomposition.com and buy it. Let me know if you have any other questions.
 

zootiesgroove

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There are a few places out there if you look where you can find the Rapid Fat Loss Handbook by Lyle McDonald or you can go to [website] and buy it. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Thanks. I'll have to check it out. Unfortunately I'm a very slow reader so it may take me a week or two to read through it, by then I've only got a couple weeks left to make anything happen.

Any chances I could get the "cliff note version" from someone here who's tried it?
 
wearedbleedblue

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You have to eat nothing but lean meat for 5 weeks with a cheat meal 2x a week. Once a week you eat for your size 400-600 carbs in 5 hours with very little fat. You will gain a lot of water weight back with this but it will disappear a day or two later. Do two full body weight workouts a week. No cardio is needed but you can do 30-45 min walks if you want to. Don't overdo it or you'll hurt your progress or fall off the wagon.

At 5'9 lets assume you have 30% bodyfat. This means you have roughly 175lbs of LBM. For days you workout you need 215g of protein and nothing else. On days you don't workout you need 160g of protein and nothing else. Make sure its lean with as little fat as possible. Be moderate on your cheat meals. No binging on whatever you can fit in your stomach. Have a normal balanced meal, not an entire pizza. You could do maybe half of one though, but not every cheat.

Keep your carb ups to milk, pasta, bread, and grains. Stay away from sugars as much as possible. Always drink lots of water and take 3-5g of fish oil a day.

Does that help explain things better?
 
mixedup

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BIG question are you only concerned with that ONE DAY for now because if you are you could probablly drop the 20-30lbs you want at your weight 250lbs I know your holding more than 5lbs of water. I can drop 5lbs of water in two hours for weighs ins. IF this is a new diet you could probablly lose 2-3lbs a week and then you'd need to drop the water but once again this is only for ONE day it will be back on the next. If that's what your looking for you can PM me too
 

wedlund6

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i like l-carnitine i have always had good luck with it
500-750 mg liquid
1 in the morning
1 after noon
2 before workout
i run it for 4 to 6 weeks then off it for 2-4 weeks
 

zootiesgroove

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You have to eat nothing but lean meat for 5 weeks with a cheat meal 2x a week. Once a week you eat for your size 400-600 carbs in 5 hours with very little fat. You will gain a lot of water weight back with this but it will disappear a day or two later. Do two full body weight workouts a week. No cardio is needed but you can do 30-45 min walks if you want to. Don't overdo it or you'll hurt your progress or fall off the wagon.

At 5'9 lets assume you have 30% bodyfat. This means you have roughly 175lbs of LBM. For days you workout you need 215g of protein and nothing else. On days you don't workout you need 160g of protein and nothing else. Make sure its lean with as little fat as possible. Be moderate on your cheat meals. No binging on whatever you can fit in your stomach. Have a normal balanced meal, not an entire pizza. You could do maybe half of one though, but not every cheat.

Keep your carb ups to milk, pasta, bread, and grains. Stay away from sugars as much as possible. Always drink lots of water and take 3-5g of fish oil a day.

Does that help explain things better?
Thanks. I bought the ebook today.. hoping to start reading it any minute. Sounds like it's a b!tch to follow, but really not much more than I'm doing right now for the most part. At least on this plan it looks like there' a "cheat" day - whereas I wasnt planning on cheating until the wedding day.
 

zootiesgroove

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BIG question are you only concerned with that ONE DAY for now because if you are you could probablly drop the 20-30lbs you want at your weight 250lbs I know your holding more than 5lbs of water. I can drop 5lbs of water in two hours for weighs ins. IF this is a new diet you could probablly lose 2-3lbs a week and then you'd need to drop the water but once again this is only for ONE day it will be back on the next. If that's what your looking for you can PM me too
I'm looking to drop as much as possible as quickly as possible over the next 5 weeks - then use it to start a good healthy meal/exercise plan and get back down to the 180-190 range.
 

zootiesgroove

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i like l-carnitine i have always had good luck with it
500-750 mg liquid
1 in the morning
1 after noon
2 before workout
i run it for 4 to 6 weeks then off it for 2-4 weeks
I'm taking pill form of ALC, 500mg at breakfast, Lunch, Pre-workout and Post-workout. I'm also taking ReCreate at breakfast and before workout.
 

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Well, it took about 6 hours, but I finished the ebook. I have to go back and re-read a few chapters, but I think I'll give it a shot starting tomorrow. Interesting that I could be sabotaging my diet by high intensity cardio - so it will be nice to drop back to just 2-3 days of just strength training.
 
wearedbleedblue

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Glad it sounds like something you can do. Tough it out for the 5 weeks and you'll be happy. Don't stray, you can do it!
 

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Well, here's my plan for the next 5 weeks (with the exception of my 2 cheat meals/week):

6 a.m. AM ReCreate

6:30 a.m. Breakfast (30g) 6 Egg Whites, Fat Free Cheese, Turkey Breast, Veggies, Salsa (Multi, ALC, Fish Oil, GTE, Potassium, Calcium)

10:00a.m. AM Snack (30g) 1 Serving of Hydro Whey, Celery (Milk Thistle)

12:30 p.m. Lunch (40g) 5 oz. of Lean meat, salad with fat-free, sugar-free dressing (Magnesium, Fish Oil, GTE, ALC, Potassium, Calcium)

3 p.m. Pre Workout ReCreate, ALC

3:30-4:30 p.m. Work Out (5g carb) WeightsTraining (M/W/Sat) & Cardio (Tue/Thur): add 1-2 tbsp Shaklee Performance Drink (as needed)

6 p.m. Dinner (30g) 5oz. Lean meat, veggies (Potassium, Fish Oil, Calcium, ALC)

9 p.m. Bedtime (24g) 1 Serving Casein Protein

This puts me right around 170g of protein.

Curious what everyone thinks about supplementing with CEE before/after workouts on this plan?
 
fitnessbyalex

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Well, here's my plan for the next 5 weeks (with the exception of my 2 cheat meals/week):

6 a.m. AM ReCreate

6:30 a.m. Breakfast (30g) 6 Egg Whites, Fat Free Cheese, Turkey Breast, Veggies, Salsa (Multi, ALC, Fish Oil, GTE, Potassium, Calcium)

10:00a.m. AM Snack (30g) 1 Serving of Hydro Whey, Celery (Milk Thistle)

12:30 p.m. Lunch (40g) 5 oz. of Lean meat, salad with fat-free, sugar-free dressing (Magnesium, Fish Oil, GTE, ALC, Potassium, Calcium)

3 p.m. Pre Workout ReCreate, ALC

3:30-4:30 p.m. Work Out (5g carb) WeightsTraining (M/W/Sat) & Cardio (Tue/Thur): add 1-2 tbsp Shaklee Performance Drink (as needed)

6 p.m. Dinner (30g) 5oz. Lean meat, veggies (Potassium, Fish Oil, Calcium, ALC)

9 p.m. Bedtime (24g) 1 Serving Casein Protein

This puts me right around 170g of protein.

Curious what everyone thinks about supplementing with CEE before/after workouts on this plan?
at 250lbs x 30% bf = 175lbs LBM. If you are eating 170~g protein (1g/lb LBM) that is fine, however in the absence of carbs and fat (which I do not see much of in your diet) you are going to be consume far too few calories. I would keep added fat to nothing but EFA's, put protein up to about 1.5g/lb LBM and carbs rotating between 1g/lb on training days and .5g/lb LBM on non training days. Lots of greens

-Alex
 

zootiesgroove

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at 250lbs x 30% bf = 175lbs LBM. If you are eating 170~g protein (1g/lb LBM) that is fine, however in the absence of carbs and fat (which I do not see much of in your diet) you are going to be consume far too few calories. I would keep added fat to nothing but EFA's, put protein up to about 1.5g/lb LBM and carbs rotating between 1g/lb on training days and .5g/lb LBM on non training days. Lots of greens

-Alex
Thanks for the feedback. This is based on "The Rapid Fat Loss Handbook". I've been following it for 2 days now and have been eating a bunch of greens, but have found that I am not very hungry throughout the day and have been forcing myself to eat at times. I am eating 4 meals a day with about 30-40g of protein in each. The veggies have added around 50g of carbs/day. I am avoiding fats except for some olive oil in cooking, fish oil pills and whatever is in the meat sources which is coming to about 50g or so. I'm not planning on eating any bread, pasta, rice or starchy veggies, except a small amount on my 2 cheat meals/week which may bring my carbs up to around 75-100g. I work out daily (light cardio), but only plan to lift 2-3x/week and on those days. I plan to take in 5-15g of a gatoraid type drink during the workout to keep me going. I am also adding back in the CEE before and after on lifting days.

I'm feeling pretty good although I havent had a BM in two days. I may want to get a fiber supplement - but in just 7 days (first following my initial reduced-carb plan and now this PSMF plan) I've shed ~7lbs. I leave for the beach in 4 weeks so the hardest thing will be sticking with the plan for the 1st week at the beach before the wedding day.
 
CrazyChemist

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BIG question are you only concerned with that ONE DAY for now because if you are you could probablly drop the 20-30lbs you want at your weight 250lbs I know your holding more than 5lbs of water. I can drop 5lbs of water in two hours for weighs ins. IF this is a new diet you could probablly lose 2-3lbs a week and then you'd need to drop the water but once again this is only for ONE day it will be back on the next. If that's what your looking for you can PM me too
hey ive lost even more for weigh-ins but i dont recommend this. I got married almost one year ago on May 24 and it was exhausting!!! Photos and dancing and relatives all in a tux - I was light-headed and dehydrated the whole time - I don't recommend going into it dehydrated to start.

Plus at that weight 5-10 lbs. water weight won't make much of a difference to physique. Even at low bf % - when ur wearing a tuxedo the hardness from dropping water weight isnt visible.
 

zootiesgroove

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hey ive lost even more for weigh-ins but i dont recommend this. I got married almost one year ago on May 24 and it was exhausting!!! Photos and dancing and relatives all in a tux - I was light-headed and dehydrated the whole time - I don't recommend going into it dehydrated to start.
Plus at that weight 5-10 lbs. water weight won't make much of a difference to physique. Even at low bf % - when ur wearing a tuxedo the hardness from dropping water weight isnt visible.
Yeah - I mean if I had less than 10%BF and wanted to show off my definition, I could see that being an issue - but I'm not. I'm 50lbs overweight, have never been "ripped" and I am not about to dehydrate myself for the sake of weight loss. I am looking at trying to drop the weight initially for my wedding, but then use that to continue getting to my ideal weight over the next 6 months to a year. Perhaps I'm not in the same category of the majority here on this site because I'm in my late 30s and have some health issues that have affected my weight gain and lack of exercise. But I'm trying to change that around. This is just the first step.
 

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Week 1 is complete. 5 days of my modified reduced carb/high protein and 2 days of PSMF resulted in a 7lb loss on the scale.
 

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Awesome, how do you feel?
So far so good. Honestly I'm better at being super strict than I am at being moderate. I need to tweak my meal timings a bit for work because I am STARVING and I didint bring any extra protein/veggies to get me through the day. I have an AM snack coming up at 10am, but after lunch (12:30), I have nothing until dinner at 6pm. That's gonna be a long stretch, especially after working out.

I mean I miss chinese food, pizza and beer - but I leave in 4 weeks, so I should be okay. I mean I'm more focused on looking my best than I am eating crap. It's not easy but it's not really hard yet either.
 
CrazyChemist

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So far so good. Honestly I'm better at being super strict than I am at being moderate. I need to tweak my meal timings a bit for work because I am STARVING and I didint bring any extra protein/veggies to get me through the day. I have an AM snack coming up at 10am, but after lunch (12:30), I have nothing until dinner at 6pm. That's gonna be a long stretch, especially after working out.

I mean I miss chinese food, pizza and beer - but I leave in 4 weeks, so I should be okay. I mean I'm more focused on looking my best than I am eating crap. It's not easy but it's not really hard yet either.
Yeah your cravings for those things fade with time. Ideally you'll be able to bring them back as a once every week or every 2 weeks sort of cheat meal. For now, stick to strict.

Definitely you need to eat another one or two times at least from 1230-6pm. I eat every 2 hours from 8am-6pm for a total of 6 meals. The 1pm-5pm stretch is the worst for me in terms of lethargy and just being stuck at work and wanting to go to the gym or be outside, lol.
 

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Yeah your cravings for those things fade with time. Ideally you'll be able to bring them back as a once every week or every 2 weeks sort of cheat meal. For now, stick to strict.
Definitely you need to eat another one or two times at least from 1230-6pm. I eat every 2 hours from 8am-6pm for a total of 6 meals. The 1pm-5pm stretch is the worst for me in terms of lethargy and just being stuck at work and wanting to go to the gym or be outside, lol.
I hear ya - I didnt plan well today and may look to scoot my bedtime protein shake to an afternoon snack.

Dude, I'm strict as hell right now. I'm super focused. When I put my mind to something, NOTHING gets in the way. I want to look as good as possible on May 8th and I'll do whatever I need to do between now and then to get there.
 
wearedbleedblue

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With the RFL handbook, you can't realistically eat more than 4x a day. You end up having meals so small that you're never satisfied and always hungry. I liked 3 big meals when I played with it.
 

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With the RFL handbook, you can't realistically eat more than 4x a day. You end up having meals so small that you're never satisfied and always hungry. I liked 3 big meals when I played with it.
Yeah - I'm trying 5 today, two of which are 30g protein shakes. I may go a bit above my protein numbers but i've cut out my bedtime shake to make room for the afternoon snack.
 
CrazyChemist

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With the RFL handbook, you can't realistically eat more than 4x a day. You end up having meals so small that you're never satisfied and always hungry. I liked 3 big meals when I played with it.
I kind of like being a little hungry thru out the day. Feeling "full" sometimes makes me feel bloated and uncomfortable. I don't want to be starving but always feeling like I could eat is okay with me.
 

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I woke up 3 lbs lighter this morning with a total of 11lbs lost in 11 days.
 
wearedbleedblue

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Keep going, you're doing great. 1lb a day is awesome especially for your goal.
 

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Keep going, you're doing great. 1lb a day is awesome especially for your goal.
Thanks. I didnt lose any weight from last night but did show a 1% drop in BF. I am struggling with my cheat meals tho. I havent done one yet and I'm a bit nervous to because I dont want to pick up any weight.
 
wearedbleedblue

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Follow his guidelines for cheats and you'll accelerate your losses
 
JoHNnyNuTZ

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Man check this out....When I first wanted to lose weight(320lbs.) i was the same as you...Cheat meal...you want me to get fat. But what im saying is, after you start cutting down the way you are...thers a time when your body starts feeling really depleted..Thesae cheat meals kinda give like extra energy, and kinda re-balances the body. Thats the way I feel from it. Its a positive thing, you know. I had my cheat meal, next day, stalking the weights like an animal.
 

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only 4lbs down this week :(
That makes 12 lbs in 2 weeks
 
triton185

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Dude, that's a lot of weight! Don't get frustrated....just keep going because honestly, when you get to May 8th you will be happy as hell that you kept going. I promise you that if you lose 25lbs rather that 50lbs...you will still be happy as hell that you did that! Putting time limits on weight loss goals are difficult and personally, I think that they can be counterproductive.....because when you start to see that you might not reach your ultimate goal by such and such date, then a lot of people quit......BUT your situation is a little different, so just keep going because you will get there! Cheat meals? Yes.
 
CrazyChemist

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Dude, that's a lot of weight! Don't get frustrated....just keep going because honestly, when you get to May 8th you will be happy as hell that you kept going. I promise you that if you lose 25lbs rather that 50lbs...you will still be happy as hell that you did that! Putting time limits on weight loss goals are difficult and personally, I think that they can be counterproductive.....because when you start to see that you might not reach your ultimate goal by such and such date, then a lot of people quit......BUT your situation is a little different, so just keep going because you will get there! Cheat meals? Yes.
Any also make sure you dont binge eat on your honeymoon and come back 20lbs. heavier than when you left. I mean, you can eat maintainence - i wouldnt necessarily diet but i wld watch out for binge eating.
 
gamer2be08

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Great log! Keep up the good work, you'll make your goals!
 
gwls

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subbed, good luck bro, keep the faith and you'll reap the rewards!
 

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