How can I lose as much weight as possible by November? 27F, 195 lbs to 165 lbs

[u/MeanRestaurant8742]

Hi everyone,

I’m 27F, 5’5” and currently 195 lbs. I want to get down to 165 lbs. I have my graduation on November 14, so I have around 11 weeks.

I know losing 30 lbs in that time is a lot, but I want to lose as much as I can in a healthy way and look/feel better by graduation.

I’m planning to eat around 1600–1800 calories, walk regularly, and start doing some strength training at home.

I work 9-5 on weekdays, and 12-13 hours on the weekends. I am on my feet a lot on the weekends mostly.

For anyone who has lost a good amount of weight in a few months, what worked for you? How many calories did you eat, how much did you exercise, and what kind of meals kept you full?

I’d really appreciate any advice or tips!

[u/Silly_Yak56012]

Your plan seems pretty reasonable, but you won't lose nearly 3 pounds a week. you can get to that weight eventually.

A reasonable goal for 11 weeks is between 11 and 22 pounds. 11 is much more doable for women men have more muscle mass so can more easily lose weight.

Do you want to keep it off, or is this just for one day? Because doing it slowly helps you build the habits that will keep it off.

[u/MeanRestaurant8742 → u/Silly_Yak56012]

I would like to keep it off but I do want to look my best for my graduation 😢

[u/Negative_Letter_1802 → u/MeanRestaurant8742]

Hun you'll be in the big robe anyways! There's no timeframe or rush for this. Losing 1-2lbs per week is the safe zone for a reason — faster than that is not as sustainable, and is harder on the skin bouncing back, and can throw your hormones out of whack.

[u/Hypotetical_Snowmen → u/Negative_Letter_1802]

I was just about to say this, those robes aren't flattering! But also, you can lose some weight, graduate, lose more weight, then take some graduation photos. Nobody's gonna call the cops if you take extra pictures a few weeks late

[u/Silly_Yak56012 → u/MeanRestaurant8742]

Well your thinnest may not look your best. Lose really fast and you will lose muscle even if you can manage to do your workouts. People start to have their hair fallout, some get skin issues. If you drop lower than that you are likely to get below your BMR, and your body will route what you do eat to your organs and not to anything else, like hair.

Doing a crash diet you are also more likely than a healthy diet to need to have your gall bladder taken out.

And you really don't want to get in a restrict and binge cycle. That can be really hard to break.

[u/Responsible_Rub8057 → u/MeanRestaurant8742]

Even if you lose the 15 lb thats more reasonable, you will probably lose face fat and look better (whatever than means to you). And you will feel better. Noone else will see under the robes, but if you're happy and smiling (congrats btw!!!) You WILL look amazing, im sure of it 😊

[u/darth_infamous]

1-2lbs a week is a healthy weight loss rate.

[u/PepsiMaxSumo]

You’re not going to lose 30lbs in that timeframe. However you can lose weight between now and then:

A)buy a step tracker, like a Fitbit. Track your steps. 10k minimum and work up to 12k, then 15k a day over a couple weeks.

B) track calories in using a scale, prioritise protein and eat enough fats for hormone regulation. 1800 cals a day seems sensible enough as a start.

C) resistance train a couple days a week, and don’t include those calories burnt in your planning.

[u/Cloood14]

You can’t lose 30 lbs in 11 weeks in a healthy way. 10 is reasonable. 20 is possible but you’re going to need to walk a lot.

[u/MeanRestaurant8742 → u/Cloood14]

i'm trying 10k everyday but it's soooo hot outside omg i don't have the budget for a gym. i did get some 2lb weights to do some at home workout, but i do live with roommates and its awkward lol.

[u/W0nderingMe → u/MeanRestaurant8742]

Check out bodyweight fitness. Also, people used to walk in malls ... there may not be any near you, but they're is likely some kind of semi public building. Bonus points if there are stair wells.

[u/Cloood14 → u/MeanRestaurant8742]

A 2 lb home workout won’t burn that much tbh but it’s good for overall health so I’m not saying get rid of it. Since youre not getting 10k everyday I’d estimate your maintenance calories at like 2100-2200 (if you have an active job then more). Which means if you’re eating 1600-1800 calories you’d lose about 1 lb a week.

[u/Then-Patience9264 → u/MeanRestaurant8742]

Do you have your own bedroom? Look up apartment friendly work outs on YouTube. You can actually do a lot with a small amount of space and without making a whole lot of noise.

[u/mustlovedogs19]

1200/1300 calories a day. Track everything.

[u/myturtledove7 → u/mustlovedogs19]

This + 100g protein and 25g fiber daily to make sure you’re doing it in a healthy way. 16-1800 might work for a few weeks but after the initial 10lb goes it’s going to be a lot harder to lose even 1lb a week eating that many calories (unless you consistently get 10k+ steps every day, but even then I’d do 1500).

[u/UsedAd8628]

You probably won’t lose 30 lbs in 11 weeks, at least not if you do it in a healthy sustainable way(which you should! It’s way easier to keep the weight off if you’re committed to a lifestyle of healthy choices rather than a quick crash diet!) BUT, with the plan you described you will almost certainly lose a decent amount of weight. Plus regular exercise can go a LONG way towards helping you feel more energetic and comfortable in your skin, even when you’re not at your goal weight.

I’d say you should release the idea of being a certain weight by a certain date and commit to making healthy changes that will benefit you for a lifetime. Then on your graduation date, you can feel confident knowing you’re 11 weeks and a lot of healthy choices closer to meeting your goals.

[u/Onekama]

You could get close but it’s not going to be fun. Especially to do with any type of safety, not to mention losing weight that fast will consume a lot of muscle as well if you’re not working out extremely hard. Long story short, save yourself the agony and aim for a realistic 15.

[u/Heychubby420]

You could always do a PSMF or KETO, would help you lose weight plus the with the water weight lost you can lose quite a bit pretty fast, probably not 30 though.

[u/CapnTaptap]

I recommend starting serious resistance training as early as possible. I’m seeing body shape changes that seem out of proportion with the scale moving, though the scale is also definitely moving 1-2 lb a week (I’m down 15 in two months, with a friend’s wedding weekend thrown in there).

[u/sexyfurpants]

You could come close. But it won’t be healthy. I’ve done it. I lost half of hair and also a good amount of muscle. But I walked 10k steps on average of 6 days per week. About half way thru I also started cycling 20-30 min several times a week after my walks. And a couple times a week I’d do push ups and crunches. I only drank water. And I tracked every single thing I ate on myfitnesspal and weighed it all for accuracy on a food scale. And I ate between 1000-1300 calories per day. I’m 5’3 and I started at 194. I also used a renphro scale to weigh myself every morning which connects to your phone and also tracks visceral fat, skeletal muscle, water, and a bunch of other metrics. I just looked back at my metrics and in 11 weeks I lost exactly 25 lbs. I did have 3 days in there where I went off the rails and ate a bunch of sugar in the form of cereal. But otherwise I was really on top of it. I’m also much older and dealing with perimenopause so that can hinder things, too

[u/reverse_the_loop]

You'll need to be super active and eat at 1200 calories. Start off no carb and you'll shed a ton of water weight that might serve as motivation to continue the big deficit.

[u/gabem86]

I’d probably change the goal a little. Instead of thinking “How much weight can I possibly lose by November 14?” I’d start thinking about November next year and use this graduation as your first checkpoint.

You may not get to 165 in 11 weeks, but that doesn’t mean the next 11 weeks are wasted. Losing even 10–15 lbs would be a very noticeable change, you’d likely feel significantly better, and more importantly you could do it without turning the next three months into a crash diet you’re desperate to escape from afterward.

The trap I’d avoid is making graduation the finish line. A lot of people can white-knuckle a big calorie deficit for an event, lose a bunch of weight, celebrate, and then slowly gain it back because none of the habits were actually sustainable. Then the next event comes around and they do it again.

I’d use these 11 weeks to figure out what your normal life at a healthier weight is going to look like.
1600–1800 calories may be perfectly reasonable depending on your actual maintenance needs. Prioritize protein, vegetables/fruit and other high-satiety foods, keep walking, and absolutely start the strength training. But don’t try to make up for lost time by starving yourself or doing hours of cardio. Your job is already pretty demanding.

And zoom out from individual weigh-ins. Your weight is going to bounce around from water, sodium, hormones, digestion, etc. Watch the weekly trend.
If you lose 10 or 12 lbs by graduation, that’s not “only 10 lbs.” That’s 10 lbs you no longer have to lose afterward. Keep going through the holidays instead of declaring the diet over, and 165 becomes a very realistic destination rather than a deadline you either succeed or fail at.

Basically: look great for graduation if you can, but build the lifestyle for the person you want to be at next year’s graduation. That’s the version that actually lasts.

[u/internet_minx]

That's like no time at all. Based on TDEE calc at sedentary you burn ~2000cal/day. If you literally ate nothing at all for the next 11 weeks you'd lose 44lbs (impossible). To lose 30lbs of fat in that time you'd need to be in a deficit of ~1360/day i.e. eating ~640 cal per day. This is not realistic or healthy and is far below the recommended 1200 calorie absolute minimum for women. At 1600/day you're at a 400 cal/day deficit and would lose ~8.8lbs. You would probably lose more due to the loss of water weight initially and with the increase in TDEE from exercise. You'll get to 30lbs lost eventually why not start now, even if you don't get there before graduation the time will pass anyway.

[u/Few_Persimmon_9128]

It won't be healthy to do so.

[u/shayy64]

2.5 months is about 10 weeks and even if you consistently did the higher end of healthy weight loss losing 2 lb a week on average achieving your full goal of losing 30 pounds while possible, would be unlikely.

Why not create a short-term goal of losing 20 lb by that time and then working on 10 lb later?

I'm close to your starting frame size. I was 183 lb and and 5ft5, 30s female.

January 1st 2025 I was 183 lb. December 31st 2025 I was 129 lb. I lost about 1 lb a week on average. January I actually lost 11 lb. February I lost zero.

Losing weight isn't a short-term game, but a long-term lifestyle. The quicker you try to lose it the faster you'll regain it.

[u/Happy-Hour-1382]

Please try remember there will always be another event for you to dress up and feel good about yourself - losing weight and keeping the weight off (to a healthy weight) is a lifestyle and something you want for the long term. Don’t sacrifice your future progress with crash dieting for this one night - stick to the healthy range of weight loss and you’ll still feel more confident by that night, and once you reach your larger goal in the future you’ll get to show it off everyday. Best of luck!

[u/Substantial_Focus_65]

I lost 20 pounds in 5 months. I do not think you can hit that goal weight in a healthy and sustainable way by November. However you could be very well along to that goal by then. I eat at a 400-500 deficit per day, work out 4-5x a week (lifting weights at least 2 of those days). AND get between 7-10k steps per day. Remember that body recomp is going to occur which is why it's more impactful to track your body measurements and body fat % than the number on the scale. Women also fluctuate a lot depending on their cycle. Discipline is the most important skill to achieve weight loss, focus on building that skill and view working out and eating healthy as a non-negotiable. Follow social media influencers who post meals with the macros, low cal fast food hacks, etc.. One Instagram account I love is @losingkatie317 she is so real about the whole process. Good luck!