When to change my loss rate

karenrich77

Hi all,

I started my journey on 4th Feb 2014 at 370 pounds, now on 4th Dec I weigh 291, so a loss of 79 pounds! Yay, I still have around 137 pounds to go to reach where I want to be.

I still have my settings set to lose 2 pounds (1kg) a week.

Obviously at some stage I will move this lower to make it a steady loss rate.

At what point did everyone out there with a lot of weight to lose, change your loss rate?

I do about 100 mins walking a day, so I am burning about 450+ calories a day and am eating at 1380 calories a day not including the exercise but I find as I do more exercise I am getting a little hungrier.

Just sort of feeling around to see what worked for people or even if I need to move it at all at the moment.

Thanks

K

mymodernbabylon

Why aren't you eating back some of your exercise calories? Your deficit is already built into MFP and so you should eat back at least 1/2 of the exercise calories - the reason you are hungry is that your netting far too few calories for your body's needs.

xsmilexforxmex

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

This^ recommends .5-1% of body weight... I suck at math but I think for you that means 1.4-2.9 pounds a week.

I've also *heard* 2lbs for 100+lbs to lose and down .5lb every 25lbs below 100 - so at 25lbs left, your goal is .5lbs - not sure if that's really a "rule" or not but seems reasonable to me..


Oh! And congrats on your loss so far! Very well done!

karenrich77

mymodernbabylon wrote: »

Why aren't you eating back some of your exercise calories? Your deficit is already built into MFP and so you should eat back at least 1/2 of the exercise calories - the reason you are hungry is that your netting far too few calories for your body's needs.

I didn't say I wasn't eating them, my base rate is 1380 and I get 450+ from exercise is all I said.... I eat some of them back. I am aware that it's built in. Earned a few calories from jumping to conclusions there buddy lol

karenrich77

xsmilexforxmex wrote: »

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

This^ recommends .5-1% of body weight... I suck at math but I think for you that means 1.4-2.9 pounds a week.

I've also *heard* 2lbs for 100+lbs to lose and down .5lb every 25lbs below 100 - so at 25lbs left, your goal is .5lbs - not sure if that's really a "rule" or not but seems reasonable to me..


Oh! And congrats on your loss so far! Very well done!

Ahhh thanks heaps for this info hun, that's just what I needed to know. I was thinking of changing it at my 1 year anniversary so I am on track to only have 100 pounds left to lose then. Thanks heaps xxx

mylosingtool

How on Earth do you survive eating so little? :O

karenrich77

mylosingtool wrote: »

How on Earth do you survive eating so little? :O

Ummm I don't think 1380 + 250 a day is a little amount. That is 1630 a day! That's more than most get and I didn't make the figures up, it's what MFP tells me when I enter all my data and tell it I want to lose 1kg a week. When you have 100kg to lose it's not unreasonable...

Suggestions on what I should be eating would be???

brightresolve

Just want to say congrats on your terrific loss so far, great work!!

karenrich77

brightresolve wrote: »

Just want to say congrats on your terrific loss so far, great work!!

Awww thank you xxx

RodaRose

You are doing great. Congrats!

Liftng4Lis

I would keep doing what you're doing as obviously its working, until you get down to where you have less than 100 pounds to go. At that point, I would then reevaluate my goals.

999tigger

What Lifting 4 said.

You are doing an amazing job and I really respect the amount of focus and dedication it takes for losing sych a large amount. You are doing great and as its working just keep going.

The guidelines are

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

For diet then you may need to think about foods that will keep you fuller for longer, complex carbs, lean protein and some people like fat.

I just go for 5+ fruit and veg a day, lean protein mostyly and what calories I have left after meeting my basic needs I spend how I like.

At some stage you may want to join a gym or get some weights and start thinking about some resistance exercises for health and also to combat the loose skin, which sometimes hits people.

karenrich77

999tigger wrote: »

What Lifting 4 said.

You are doing an amazing job and I really respect the amount of focus and dedication it takes for losing sych a large amount. You are doing great and as its working just keep going.

The guidelines are

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

For diet then you may need to think about foods that will keep you fuller for longer, complex carbs, lean protein and some people like fat.

I just go for 5+ fruit and veg a day, lean protein mostyly and what calories I have left after meeting my basic needs I spend how I like.

At some stage you may want to join a gym or get some weights and start thinking about some resistance exercises for health and also to combat the loose skin, which sometimes hits people.

I have a shoulder problem and it causes vertigo everytime I use it for any weight bearing exercises. I do 20 mins of hand weight exercises each day but even that sends me into a spin (literally) any suggestions on how to incorporate more strength training with this injury?

karenrich77

Liftng4Lis wrote: »

I would keep doing what you're doing as obviously its working, until you get down to where you have less than 100 pounds to go. At that point, I would then reevaluate my goals.

Thanks heaps I will do that

karenrich77

RodaRose wrote: »

You are doing great. Congrats!

Awww thank you doll xxx

Wondertje

karenrich77 wrote: »

I have a shoulder problem and it causes vertigo everytime I use it for any weight bearing exercises. I do 20 mins of hand weight exercises each day but even that sends me into a spin (literally) any suggestions on how to incorporate more strength training with this injury?

Go see a doctor/physiotherapist and get a specific workout routine for you. No one here can help you with that since we
a) are not doctors/experts
b) don't know everything about your condition in detail.

Really, I never understood why people come here with medical conditions and ask us what to do with them. Not trying to be rude or anything, I just find it odd.

As for the rest, you seem to be doing great with your current setup, and you've made amazing progress! Congratulations

blossomingbutterfly

Sounds like it's working. I'd say continue then re-evaluate if you hit a plateau. But, this is just my personal inclining on how to do this.

fluffyasacat

karenrich77 wrote: »

999tigger wrote: »

What Lifting 4 said.

You are doing an amazing job and I really respect the amount of focus and dedication it takes for losing sych a large amount. You are doing great and as its working just keep going.

The guidelines are

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

For diet then you may need to think about foods that will keep you fuller for longer, complex carbs, lean protein and some people like fat.

I just go for 5+ fruit and veg a day, lean protein mostyly and what calories I have left after meeting my basic needs I spend how I like.

At some stage you may want to join a gym or get some weights and start thinking about some resistance exercises for health and also to combat the loose skin, which sometimes hits people.

I have a shoulder problem and it causes vertigo everytime I use it for any weight bearing exercises. I do 20 mins of hand weight exercises each day but even that sends me into a spin (literally) any suggestions on how to incorporate more strength training with this injury?

How do you go with lower body weight bearing? Lifting with the feet could work your lower body and core, and this can be done sitting or lying down. The quads, glutes and core are the biggest muscle groups in the body so any work done on these is super valuable. You don't have to "lift" to lift!

turtlez23

999tigger wrote: »

What Lifting 4 said.

You are doing an amazing job and I really respect the amount of focus and dedication it takes for losing sych a large amount. You are doing great and as its working just keep going.

The guidelines are

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

For diet then you may need to think about foods that will keep you fuller for longer, complex carbs, lean protein and some people like fat.

I just go for 5+ fruit and veg a day, lean protein mostyly and what calories I have left after meeting my basic needs I spend how I like.

At some stage you may want to join a gym or get some weights and start thinking about some resistance exercises for health and also to combat the loose skin, which sometimes hits people.

This is good to know!!

galprincess

Firstly wow and congrats I agree on keep doing what you are doing, after 10lbs loss I would go into goals and see if MFP adjusts them I did this on advice from someone on the forums.
As for injury I would deffo see a physio I was a gymnast at highschool and had accident and I get rib pain still but a lot less I did a rehab course with physio was best thing I ever did as they work around the injury to build strength while not damaging the problem area further.

Mzklutch

karenrich77 wrote: »

Hi all,

I started my journey on 4th Feb 2014 at 370 pounds, now on 4th Dec I weigh 291, so a loss of 79 pounds! Yay, I still have around 137 pounds to go to reach where I want to be.

I still have my settings set to lose 2 pounds (1kg) a week.

Obviously at some stage I will move this lower to make it a steady loss rate.

At what point did everyone out there with a lot of weight to lose, change your loss rate?

I do about 100 mins walking a day, so I am burning about 450+ calories a day and am eating at 1380 calories a day not including the exercise but I find as I do more exercise I am getting a little hungrier.

Just sort of feeling around to see what worked for people or even if I need to move it at all at the moment.

Thanks

K

This is awesome. I am looking forward to celebrating some of these milestones. Keep up the good work.
As a nurse though, I would say see a physical therapist and they may be able to help with a lifting routine. I had to learn that the hard way when I was having difficulty running, I went to a sports clinic which their job is help people get active or return to optimal physical health. That way you would avoid unnecessary injuries and set backs. With all of the had work that you have done, you don't want to thwart it. Keep going!

williams969

Sounds like it's working great for you so far. I guess my advice is less dependent in a chart like above (although, that's a great guideline, too). If you do find yourself increasingly hungrier (uncomfortably so) at the 1kg/2lb rate, there's nothing wrong with bumping your weekly goal to .75kg/1.5lb if you want when you're ready/willing/needing more.

karenrich77

Wondertje wrote: »

karenrich77 wrote: »

I have a shoulder problem and it causes vertigo everytime I use it for any weight bearing exercises. I do 20 mins of hand weight exercises each day but even that sends me into a spin (literally) any suggestions on how to incorporate more strength training with this injury?

Go see a doctor/physiotherapist and get a specific workout routine for you. No one here can help you with that since we
a) are not doctors/experts
b) don't know everything about your condition in detail.

Really, I never understood why people come here with medical conditions and ask us what to do with them. Not trying to be rude or anything, I just find it odd.

As for the rest, you seem to be doing great with your current setup, and you've made amazing progress! Congratulations

Wow how about keeping the negative to yourself. Man..... it was a side question to the original question and if you really can't be bothered ignoring things that p*ss you off, go away, seriously.... sick of negative people on this board. This will be the last time I post anything on it. Negative Nellies!

karenrich77

Mzklutch wrote: »

karenrich77 wrote: »

Hi all,

I started my journey on 4th Feb 2014 at 370 pounds, now on 4th Dec I weigh 291, so a loss of 79 pounds! Yay, I still have around 137 pounds to go to reach where I want to be.

I still have my settings set to lose 2 pounds (1kg) a week.

Obviously at some stage I will move this lower to make it a steady loss rate.

At what point did everyone out there with a lot of weight to lose, change your loss rate?

I do about 100 mins walking a day, so I am burning about 450+ calories a day and am eating at 1380 calories a day not including the exercise but I find as I do more exercise I am getting a little hungrier.

Just sort of feeling around to see what worked for people or even if I need to move it at all at the moment.

Thanks

K

This is awesome. I am looking forward to celebrating some of these milestones. Keep up the good work.
As a nurse though, I would say see a physical therapist and they may be able to help with a lifting routine. I had to learn that the hard way when I was having difficulty running, I went to a sports clinic which their job is help people get active or return to optimal physical health. That way you would avoid unnecessary injuries and set backs. With all of the had work that you have done, you don't want to thwart it. Keep going!

Thanks everyone, I am waiting on an MRI on 15th of Dec and already waiting on appt with a physio so that is all taken care of, I will just wait.

The weights question really was just a side product of the original question, not the real question I was interested in knowing the answer to, but thanks for the info

Wondertje

karenrich77 wrote: »

Wondertje wrote: »

karenrich77 wrote: »

I have a shoulder problem and it causes vertigo everytime I use it for any weight bearing exercises. I do 20 mins of hand weight exercises each day but even that sends me into a spin (literally) any suggestions on how to incorporate more strength training with this injury?

Go see a doctor/physiotherapist and get a specific workout routine for you. No one here can help you with that since we
a) are not doctors/experts
b) don't know everything about your condition in detail.

Really, I never understood why people come here with medical conditions and ask us what to do with them. Not trying to be rude or anything, I just find it odd.

As for the rest, you seem to be doing great with your current setup, and you've made amazing progress! Congratulations

Wow how about keeping the negative to yourself. Man..... it was a side question to the original question and if you really can't be bothered ignoring things that p*ss you off, go away, seriously.... sick of negative people on this board. This will be the last time I post anything on it. Negative Nellies!

I'm not really pissed off at all, merely think that people with medical conditions should see a doctor and not an online forum. I doubt that's outside of average opinion

segacs

Getting back to the original post: Another option is to use the TDEE-20% method.

To find your current estimated TDEE, there are lots of online calculators, or after 70+lbs weight loss you should have a pretty good idea just from observed weight loss. Then go into MFP's "custom goals" section and custom-set your calorie goal to whatever that is less 20%.

Every time you lose another 10lbs, recalculate your TDEE and reset your goals.

That way, you're not jumping from fixed values like 2lbs, 1.5lbs, 1lb and you don't have to worry about the magic time to set those. Instead, your rate of loss will slow as you get closer and closer to your goal, but more gradually.

Zedeff

999tigger wrote: »

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

This is just something that somebody made up; there's no reason to believe that these are the "ideal" rates.

fatcity66

karenrich77 wrote: »

mylosingtool wrote: »

How on Earth do you survive eating so little? :O

Ummm I don't think 1380 + 250 a day is a little amount. That is 1630 a day! That's more than most get and I didn't make the figures up, it's what MFP tells me when I enter all my data and tell it I want to lose 1kg a week. When you have 100kg to lose it's not unreasonable...

Suggestions on what I should be eating would be???

I guess it's all relative. I eat 1600 calories a day, plus most of my exercise calories. I'm 35 yrs old, 5'9", and just under 200 lbs. I have been losing 1.5-2 lbs/week. I have about 45 lbs more to reach my ultimate goal.

I can't say for sure, but I bet you could eat more and still lose at a good rate.

brdnw

I went from 285 to 195. I didn't care how fast i lost weight, just the faster the better. I didn't eat back my calories. When i went from 235 to 195 i did it in 12 weeks.

The person with that "if you have.. to lose" chart is bogus.

seltzermint555

I started MFP at 262 lb (as a 36 year old 5'8" woman) and set to lose 1.5 lb per week. That was great for over a year.

When I got to (I think) 185 or 190 lb, the calories recommended for me daily (before exercise) were like 1300 or so and I felt that was a bit too low for me, because during periods of eating around 1300 I had some bad symptoms like losing hair in the shower and dark spots on my cuticles...none of that when eating 1400+. So I stepped down to a loss of 1 lb per week.

Today I actually decided to step it down again to 0.5 lb per week. I weigh 169 lb and to keep losing 1 lb per week does not feel necessary for me right now because I want to be in the 150-170 range permanently.

So basically it felt like the decision was made for me, in a way. When I see 1310 or 1330 or whatever as the "new recommended amount" by MFP, it's not what I want so I choose a different option.

ETA: When I was losing 1.5/week it was almost EXACTLY that. When I went to 1 lb per week I lost more like 2 lb/month. I expect to lose even more slowly now and I actually welcome that as a way to (hopefully) ease into maintenance. But just something else to consider, maybe. Others might have a different experience, but generally speaking weight is slower to come off the lighter you have become.

segacs

The chart is "bogus" mostly, but it's also a decent guideline for many people who are just starting out and don't want to pick a number out of thin air. It is reasonably okay as a guideline for people at the median, though doesn't work much for people on either side of the curve though.

For instance, I started with 40lbs to lose, but 1 or 1.5 lbs/week as a goal would've been WAY too high, since I'm only 5'1" and a calorie deficit of 500-750 calories per day would've put me way below 1200. I went with a starting goal of TDEE-20%, which is currently about 0.7lbs/week.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, a 6'5" man who weighs 300lbs and is trying to get down to 260 could probably easily target 2lbs/week without any issues, since an 1000-calorie deficit for him would still be a smaller proportion of his daily calories.