In my opinion, it depends on how much reaching this goal at a specific date
means to you.  Sometimes date goals are very motivating - not so open-ended.
It may give you a boost to see that date circled on the calendar.  On the
other hand, you have come so far, and have made terrific progress, why rush
it now?  You know that it will be a big change, eating-wise, and might be a
miserable experience for everyone in the household!  But I have no doubt,
that if you set your mind to it, you will make it!

det

As I see it the pros are that with the spring/summer months it's easier to
increase and keep up a higher level of activity, thus it may be easier to
increase your rate of weight loss in diet mode.
The cons are that faster weight loss will probably result in more LBM loss
than you desire and you would be altering a plan that has been very
successful for you so far.  You'd still be using BFL, correct?

Jenn

Well, no one can really tell you whether you **should** do it, but I
think you **can** do it if you want to.  I agree that it would take a
bit more "diet mode" thinking than you've been having to do up to this
point, but I don't think hunger has to be a component.  I expect you
could largely combat hunger through good food selection and meal
timing.  How about trying just for a month and seeing if you can lose
3-4 lbs. that first month?  If it doesn't happen, then I'd probably
just keep going at a slower pace and not worry about August
particularly.  But if it does, you'll only be 7-8 lbs. from your goal
and will have that much more incentive to continue.

Just as a data point, one week in February -- when I was wanting to
ensure I made weight for the first lifting meet -- I lost 7 lbs. in
one week (from 165 to 158).  I'd not have thought this was possible,
but I did it through cutting another 200 or so calories a day from my
usual eating, really seriously watching sodium level in my food,
drinking lots of water, and doing steam room daily.  Sure, it was
partly dehydration, but I only went up 3 lbs. afterward.  I'm not
recommending this, but it was an interesting experiment.  It wasn't
all that unpleasant, since I knew it was for just a week, and since I
was anticipating a big splurge meal after the meet.  But the day after
the splurge meal I was at 161, and that was the last time my weight
has been in the 160s.

Chris
262/152/ (145-150)

After crunching some numbers, I think that your goal is not unreasonable.

i

coincidence -- they regimen I started in February is scheduled to end
July 31...

I originally scheduled a more moderate weight loss (875 kcal/day), but
soon found I was losing at a 1000 kcal/day rate so I went with it. I
haven't been hungry AT ALL these past 3 months. It's really weird. I
only eat 3-5 times a day, which break out to 200 kcal or so + a larger
dinner. My apetite is just way down... I credit the cycling and low-GI
WOE I do. Plus maybe it helps this is my first real diet, I'm a guy,
have a relatively high metabolism, and put on most of the fat over
just 2+ years (2000-2002).

go for it! A pound a week is just a 500 kcal/day deficit. Eat smart,
and use exercise as an appetite suppressant tool (before dieting I
thought cycling made me hungier, but now I guess it's basically SUGAR
that makes me hungrier).

Heywood

232/208/182