Losing 2lbs a week at 185?

jennahaines108

Even though MFP allows you to set your calories for weight loss of up to 2lbs per week, I've noticed on a lot of forums where people say 2lbs per week is unrealistic. At 185 lbs, is it safe/possible to consistently lose 2lbs a week. And at what weight does that start becoming a problem?

Zhost

It is not unrealistic and can be done (n=1, me). It'd only be a problem if you were underweight or close to being underweight.

jennahaines108

Like the stats terminology

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Maries_wine_calories

I lost 2+ lbs a week at that weight! Once I got within 5 lbs of my goal I adjusted my settings, it made sense to "step up" my calories to begin getting ready for maintenance life Good luck!

arditarose

2 pounds is fine. There is a list around here somewhere with suggested weight loss per week depending on your current weight. Once you get down to 10-15 pounds above where you want to maintain, you'll want to drop to .5 or so a week. At 185, do the 2 pounds for awhile. You'll lose and if you listen to your body you'll be able to tell when to reassess.

malibu927

I agree with what MrM said (that was three posts ago). Plus, as MFP will not set you below 1200 calories, it's probable that you won't lose 2 pounds a week anyway eating to your goal (which you are expected to do).

cwolfman13

It depends on how much weight you have to lose. Just saying 185 Lbs is pretty arbitrary...185 Lbs on a 5'9" female isn't that heavy...185 Lbs on a 5' nothing female is a different story...

Basically, the less overall weight you have to lose, the slower you should go. With less weight to lose you don't have the fat stores to sustain a 1000 calorie per day deficit from maintenance to lose 2 Lbs per week...so you end up burning muscle and other lean mass at a greater rate than necessary to compensate for the lack of energy (calories).

I would also add that a great many people have better dietary adherence with smaller deficits...they lose weight at a slower rate, but it tends to be steadier and more sustainable with a smaller deficit...because you can actually still eat food and enjoy yourself with a smaller deficit...and still lose weight.

2 Lbs per week is generally reserved for those individuals who are obese, not those needing to lose a handful of vanity pounds.

dopeysmelly

Zhost wrote: »

It is not unrealistic and can be done (n=1, me). It'd only be a problem if you were underweight or close to being underweight.

Actually, n=2, you and me.

I lost at 2 lbs a week. I deliberately slowed it down as I approached my target weight by increasing calories gradually.

jennahaines108

I'm 185 at 5'4". I am fairly muscular, so I'm not HUGE, but I definitely am starting to look round. And thanks for the advice. And for those of you who have lost 2lbs per week, were you 100% strict on dieting and exercise?

Ishtancon

Yes, 2bls/ week is realistic and generally considered safe

A solid workout routine, if you have not already implemented it, will make your goal easier as well.

As far as when you should stop kind of depends on several factors. You should consult a doctor to *kitten* what is good for you.

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Branstin

As a rule of thumb, the following weekly targets would give a balance between minimizing negative side effects and seeing a reasonable weekly weight loss:

More than 75 lbs. 2 lbs./week
40-75 lbs. 1.5 lbs./week
10-40 lbs. 1 lb./week
Less than 10 lbs. 0.5 lb./week

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

jennahaines108

MrM27 wrote: »

jennahaines108 wrote: »

I'm 185 at 5'4". I am fairly muscular, so I'm not HUGE, but I definitely am starting to look round. And thanks for the advice. And for those of you who have lost 2lbs per week, were you 100% strict on dieting and exercise?

Just keep in mind that when we are overweight we generally do 2 things:

Overestimate how much muscle we have
Underestimate how much fat we have

Understandable. But to put it in perspective, I had very little fat and a 6-pack at about 135lbs.

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cwolfman13

jennahaines108 wrote: »

I'm 185 at 5'4". I am fairly muscular, so I'm not HUGE, but I definitely am starting to look round. And thanks for the advice. And for those of you who have lost 2lbs per week, were you 100% strict on dieting and exercise?

Whether you're trying to lose 1/2 Lb or 2 Lbs or maintain, it's about consistency...consistently hitting your targets. It's not about having some super restrictive diet or doing a gazillion hours of cardio every day...it's all about consistently hitting your calorie targets.

arditarose

Branstin wrote: »

As a rule of thumb, the following weekly targets would give a balance between minimizing negative side effects and seeing a reasonable weekly weight loss:

More than 75 lbs. 2 lbs./week
40-75 lbs. 1.5 lbs./week
10-40 lbs. 1 lb./week
Less than 10 lbs. 0.5 lb./week

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

I remember seeing a different list for suggest weight loss around here too.

Anyway OP, I'm no professional, so I can only tell you from experience that I am also 5'4" and started losing 2 pounds a week at 163. It felt fine until I got down to about 150 and had to drop to 1 pound a week, and eventually .5 a week. Listen to your body, continue to research, good luck.

Blueseraphchaos

Personal experience here...I'm 5'3, 180 lbs, and to lose 2 lbs a week right now at a light activity level, i could only net 1,100 calories. I'd be miserable. I did start out losing 2 lbs a week, but i dropped it down once i hit 190 or so. I had quite a bit of weight to lose, though. I still do and my goal is to make it to my first major goal weight without being miserable and hungry all the time.

But that's just me personally. I'd hate to be eating 1,100 calories net per day. It is definitely possible to lose 2 lbs per week at that weight and height. But will the resulting loss in lean muscle mass as well be worth it?

katherine_startrek_fan

At 5'10", I dropped down to a 1 1/2 pound weekly goal when I got to around 250 pounds since I could not manage on lower than 1,300 calories a day, even with exercise calories. Even then, I am only getting 1,510 base calories per day now at 237 pounds.

Not sure how many calories you're getting, nor what your goal is, but it's more important to choose a weekly amount that you can maintain long term than to lose a little quickly and give up because you feel too restricted.

dixiewhiskey

2lbs is safe but not something I would personally aim for at 5'6" / 179lbs let alone someone of your stats. Set something that is more realistic and attainable. You will most likely be miserable and bummed out when you are cutting cals so low to try to achieve 2 lbs a week and it doesn't end up happening.

WalkingAlong

You'd be hard pressed to find an authority who said 2 lbs./week as a goal was too aggressive. Most people who aim for 2 lbs. will only achieve 1 or less due to measurement error, anyway.

shadow2soul

My average weight loss per week fluctuates between 1.3lbs per week & 2lbs per week. (currently the average is about 1.5lbs per week) I'm 5'4.5" and this morning was 157.8lbs. I'm only aiming for 1lb per week with my MFP settings.
My diary is a mess and I tend to keep my total calorie intake between 1600 - 2000.

Kalikel

If you get dizzy or you're generally weak or tired, you're probably eating too little.

If you feel healthy and strong, you're probably doing very well.

The "safe" thing for you isn't something I'd know, though. You need an expert for that.

LAWoman72

jennahaines108 wrote: »

I'm 185 at 5'4". I am fairly muscular, so I'm not HUGE, but I definitely am starting to look round. And thanks for the advice. And for those of you who have lost 2lbs per week, were you 100% strict on dieting and exercise?

I am 15 lbs. heavier than you, but yes, when I am strict on my dieting (and very very accurate), I generally lose about 2 lbs. per week.

BWBTrish

jennahaines108 wrote: »

I'm 185 at 5'4". I am fairly muscular, so I'm not HUGE, but I definitely am starting to look round. And thanks for the advice. And for those of you who have lost 2lbs per week, were you 100% strict on dieting and exercise?

yes i am pretty strict with myself. I decided that the weight comes off. So no excuses.
I eat everything in my calorie allowance.
Only i dont add salt or sugar ( for health reasons)

i started at 260 and currently 204 Still almost 60 pounds to go.

kyta32

dixiewhiskey wrote: »

2lbs is safe but not something I would personally aim for at 5'6" / 179lbs let alone someone of your stats. Set something that is more realistic and attainable. You will most likely be miserable and bummed out when you are cutting cals so low to try to achieve 2 lbs a week and it doesn't end up happening.

I've been losing 3-4 pounds a week since July. I'm at 191 now (and just stopped being obese) so I expect it to slow down. MFP says that at 1200 calories I'll lose 1.6 lbs/wk. I'm able to stay under 1200 calories a day most week days without feeling miserable and bummed about it, even in weeks when I lose less (like right before my period).

I'm also running faster and further than I was when I started, having strength gains, and seeing muscles at the tops of my arms that weren't there before (there's a lot to be said for working out).

According to the online fat calculators, I've lost about 2 pounds of muscle for my 105 pound weight loss (20 lbs before joining MFP. Weighing less means I need/use less muscle just to get around, and I think some muscle loss is inevitable, but I'm making sure to get plenty of protein (more than .8g/kg of body weight) and am doing some strength and body weight training to try to preserve my lean mass.

There is some evidence that people do better with weight loss if they lose faster to begin with, but chosing rate of weight loss is up to the individual.

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WalkingAlong

A forum is!

leggup

Your profile says that you want to get to 135 lbs, which is within the healthy weight range for your height and a great goal. That means your goal is to lose 50 lbs. Here's the guideline:

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 lb/week is ideal
If you have 15-25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lb/week is ideal
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lb/week is ideal

After you lose the first 10 lbs, based on the guidelines, you would want to consider dropping from 1.5 lbs/week to 1 lb/week. And so on. The way it works is that you would slowly transition into maintenance. Otherwise, you would have to eat fewer and fewer calories.

For example, when I started, I was set to lose 2 lbs/week. I was set to eat 1,750. This was very aggressive for my weight. So I dropped to 1.5 lbs/week. It gave me 1850 calories per day, which was sustainable. As I lost more and more weight, it kept dropping. I needed to eat less to keep at the 1.5 lb/week level. When it dropped me down to 1400 calories I wised up and dropped my goal to 1 lb/week. That is why the range exists.