Think I can lose 15-20 lbs. in 3.5 months?

Ordinarily I would say yes, 15-20 lbs is reasonable for ~3.5 months. That would be losing a bit over 1 lb a week, which is perfectly normal.

However, it sounds like you should meet with a nutritionist and a therapist. A nutritionist is going to give you an idea of what to eat to help you lose the weight, given your medical history. A therapist is going to be able to help with your deeper issues that lead to overeating/boredom eating.

If you were starting at a heavier weight, I would say yes, but you are at a healthy weight for your height, so I think losing 15 pounds before March might be a bit drastic. I would say focus on living a healthy lifestyle in general and not get too obsessed with the scale. If you set too aggressive a goal for weight loss and don't achieve it, you will only feel worse. Good luck!

I have a severe autoimmune disease, too, that's flaring right now so I know it can bring you down, and I also know how Prednisone (which I hate) can effect your weight.

As someone else said, it would be reasonable to loose that much weight in 3 months if you follow a good low carb diet. I lost 35 lbs in 4 months on a low carb diet. But, Prednisone might make it difficult. I would talk to your specialist that handles your Lupus about it, because a nutritionist most likely doesn't specialize in your disease and Prednisone.

I'm trying to lose 15-20 in 4 months, so I certainly hope so! But I agree with the others... with your medical situation, you definitely want to consult a doc before drastically changing anything

Hi Gorgeous!

In terms of a goal it might help to-instead of a number goal in terms of weight, set other sexy fitness transformation goals - for example, becoming the sexiest and healthiest version of you by your fitting and using measuring inches and taking pictures as a better assessment over how much you weigh on a scale. Muscle is more dense than fat so as your body slims down you may notice that it is "tightening up" before you see the results translate on a scale.

After all-there is no such thing as an ugly before picture just one sexy fitness transformation to the next. Your wedding dress fitting is a great goal, but not an endpoint-things will just get even more beautiful from there!

I agree with the others though about meeting with a therapist and a nutritionist. It's about enjoying life-not just up to your wedding day but beyond. And the stronger, healthier, and happier you will be able to give even more to your marriage than the version of you that is stressed out.

I understand how disheartening it can be searching for a job, it's almost like a job in itself! Kudos to you for having the strength and the honesty to post in here. By doing that you are inspiring someone else!

Stay strong Gorgeous and always stay true to you!

That seems like a really quick weight loss for someone who isn't overweight IMO.

I think it is reasonable if you try hard and stick with it. I also have Lupus and being stressed out can make it 10x worse. My Lupus actually calms down A LOT when I eat healthier. My doctor never told me to eat specific foods or not to eat specific foods, but I have noticed that more sugary foods make it flare up. Talk to your doctor first to make sure it is healthy to do this. I know Lupus is different for every person so I don't want you to just go ahead and do it and end up having bad side effects. Also stressing out can cause you to gain weight

I lost a ton and feel really healthy on the akins diet!!!!

Hello! Sorry this is the dietitian in me, but this question depends on you height and current wt. Reading this, I would have to say no. Based on your height, you ideal body wt is 120#. Since you are fairly close to that wt and you have chronic health issues, it is not likely to lose that wt in a healthy way. If you are more than 140-145# you may be able to lose this wt. I noticed you mentioned that you have been emotionally eating lately, which makes me wonder if the ~138# is accurate. Your prednisone also causes your blood sugar to be higher, which in turn causes you to produce more insulin to combat that. Higher amounts of insulin = harder to lose wt. I would consider seeking a therapist or figuring out a way to become mentally healthy if you do not have the funds to seek a therapist. (yoga, journaling, walking, hobbies). Also congrats on the positive results!

@Jacky You are correct in saying a nutritionist will not be able to help in this case. However, a dietitian most likely will be able to help in some form.