What is your weekly weight loss goal?

Autumnfilly2005

When I read posts on the forum, it seems like a lot of people have their weight loss set to 2lbs a week, which seems really high to me. I'm a big girl, 5'5" @240lbs, and I have mine set to .5 loss per week. By having the slower rate of loss, I get a lot more calories to work with, and I'm not quite so disappointed if I don't lose every week. To me, that just seems easier to maintain than a 2lbs loss. I also wear a fitbit and log my exercises, and I don't eat back my exercise calories. Most weeks my loss is greater than .5lbs, but some weeks I maintain or even gain. I'm okay with this, so long as there is a general downward trend. I figure weight loss is hard enough, why make it torturous by trying to restrict my eating so much I'm going to burn out and binge eat?

DemoraFairy

Some people might argue that having such a slow loss would be torturous because they're making themselves stick to this diet for such small results!

If half a pound a week works best for you, then that's great I'm also on 0.5lbs a week, but that's because I've got less than 20lbs to lose (and I don't think I could eat less calories if I tried!). When I started my diet at 167lbs (5'4) I lost at 2lbs/week, 1200 cals a day and didn't feel restricted at all.

yomikeya

When I was in weight loss mode I aimed for "lose two during the week, gain one back during the weekend."

Peanutmanak47

Whatever works for you is whats best for you.

I personally am happy just to see the scale less than what it was before. I have my calorie goal set to 2lbs but I also use a few different calorie calculators and calculate the average of them and use that number. To me as long as I'm losing I'm not disappointed. I've had weeks where it's just ounces lost and then I've had weeks where it's the 2lbs. I'm in this for the long run. If it takes me a year or 2 to hit my goal, then so be it.

Jolinia

10 pounds. Because then I'd be about where I want to be in a week. Sadly it doesn't work that way. 1-2 pounds will have to do, and even two is ambitious when you get down to the last 10-15 to lose.

rjrobert

I have it set for 2# a week but I'm 6'8" tall so it's relative. Also I'm happy with just 1# if it is consistent since I will have a day or two a week where I'm less than perfect. I figure I spent many years getting fat so it won't come off overnight, nor should it.

Alyssa_Is_LosingIt

I am currently set to lose about a pound a week, and I have about 50 lbs left to lose.

I think most people start out with the higher loss per week the heavier they are and decrease that weekly goal as they lose, since caloric needs go down as fat is lost. It would be feasible for someone needing to lose 150 lbs total to set their goals to 2 lbs/week because it'd be easier for them to eat a 1,000 cal/week deficit. If you only have 20 lbs total to lose, a thousand calorie deficit would be too large and would not give you enough nutrition.

If I were you, I'd try to at least set mine to 1-1.5 lbs per week and see if you can sustain that. You can also eat back some of your exercise calories, so exercising would give you a way to eat a bit more. Just remember that MFP tends to overestimate calories burned through exercise.

*Edited to add that if you are comfortable losing .5 lbs a week, though, and it's more sustainable for you, there is nothing wrong with that.

astrampe

Stick to what works for you....

NikiChicken

Autumnfilly2005 wrote: »

When I read posts on the forum, it seems like a lot of people have their weight loss set to 2lbs a week, which seems really high to me. I'm a big girl, 5'5" @240lbs, and I have mine set to .5 loss per week. By having the slower rate of loss, I get a lot more calories to work with, and I'm not quite so disappointed if I don't lose every week. To me, that just seems easier to maintain than a 2lbs loss. I also wear a fitbit and log my exercises, and I don't eat back my exercise calories. Most weeks my loss is greater than .5lbs, but some weeks I maintain or even gain. I'm okay with this, so long as there is a general downward trend. I figure weight loss is hard enough, why make it torturous by trying to restrict my eating so much I'm going to burn out and binge eat?

I think your outlook is FANTASTIC and I wish more people shared your views and the speed of weight loss. Your goal is so much more realistic and attainable. I see so many people who have a goal of 2 lbs/week and then are devastated when they can't achieve that or it takes more than a week to lose the weight they want to lose. Everyone seems to have this Biggest Loser mentality and they feel like they have failed when they "only" lose half a pound.

I'm with you. I have my weight loss goals set low and realistic and with those goals, I have lost over 90 pounds (I still have 30 to go). It's taken 3 years to do it, but I enjoy my life and I'm learning a whole lot of skills to hopefully KEEP the weight off for the rest of my life instead of yo-yoing like I always did in the past.

hortensehildegarde

I think mine is set to 2/week now but I eat over it all the time. It was set at .5 for the longest time. I too found the higher calories/slower rate made it pretty painless and easy, I guess the plan worked because I have been on and off tracking since September.

I don't have to do it all at once, little by little is fine I get to the same result! When it doesn't feel like much trouble I don't think you get the sense of "why am I bothering to do this?!?"

cfischer81

I first started at 1lb a week so, like you, I had a little more calories to work with and didn't feel like I was super hungry. So, I got 1800-1900 calories a day (I've got a lot to lose). I've now gone gluten and dairy free though (99% anyway, it's hard to be perfect!) and now I find it really hard to eat that many calories! I went down to 1500, which is 2-2/12 lbs a week. I'm usually pretty satisfied at the end of the day. It's only been a few weeks and I feel good so far. Whatever works, right? I would say though, that if you have a lot to lose and weren't eating right or exercising before, 2lbs a week doesn't seem like THAT much (to me anyway) for the 1st month or 2. I've lost 10lbs in the last 3 weeks. I don't expect it to stay like that forever though, obviously!

Autumnfilly2005

NikiChicken wrote: »

I'm with you. I have my weight loss goals set low and realistic and with those goals, I have lost over 90 pounds (I still have 30 to go). It's taken 3 years to do it, but I enjoy my life and I'm learning a whole lot of skills to hopefully KEEP the weight off for the rest of my life instead of yo-yoing like I always did in the past.

Thank you! You make me feel less crazy. I've also yo-yoed in the past, and I know myself. I'm lazy. If it isn't easy for me to maintain, I'm not going to do it in the long run. Yes, I enjoy going out and walking or lifting weights on exercise days, but if it wasn't for my job, I'd probably spend the rest of my time hanging at home reading a book instead of moving around. I feel like I've learned a lot more this time around rather than cutting my diet so drastically and then ending up frustrated and hangry because I didn't eat enough.

MustLoveCats21

Mine is half a kilo.

ana3067

At your weight you can definitely easily pull off a 1lb/week goal, which I was doing for most of my time here (but I only started out at 188). So if psychologically it starts to become a problem then I would say that lowering to 1lb/week is worth it.

I switched to 0.5lb/week (10% below TDEE) in January. The benefits of a faster gain weren't enough to outweigh the benefits of slower fat loss. I'm thinking I'll have to start doing a diet break for a week though every few months until I reach my goal.

GreenValli

My MFP is set for a weight loss of 1.33 per week. For that I have a max of 1200 calories and work out 3 times a week. I am very faithful to stay at 1200-1300 calories and do make it to the gym at least 3 times a week where I "use up" over 350 calories on the treadmill and bike every time. It takes me over an hour.

But I do not lose anywhere near that much. I think everyone is different and guess my metabolism has slowed down. I have lost 15 pounds since July. Last month, January, I did lose 4 pounds, which was the most I have lost in one month for a long time.

I still have about 60 pounds to go. Seems like a big challenge some days, but 5 years ago I was 25 pounds heavier. At least I am going in the right direction.

Lounmoun

My goal is one pound a week. I'm rarely hungry with that amount of calories and it is a good steady rate of loss for me. I'm hoping to be at my ideal weight by next year.
I could comfortably eat this way the rest of my life.

JenniferInCt

Im also 5'5" sw on jan 20 was 242. Cw 224. I set mine to lose 2# a week, and it gives me ~1800 to work with. I actually think thats enough for me. But i am also super realistic that i may not even lose one lb, and if im hungry- esp after a workout- i eat! But i need to see some downward trend over time or changes in measurements to keep me motivated and to know im doing it right. We all have to do whatever works for each of us. I have to say ive been successful, almost losing wt a little too fast, but i also know reality is it will slow down and i can always cut calories in the future if needed, or just workout more. And 1800 seems like a lot to me.
Now that i eat healthier, i actually eat so much more than i used to. Before id go to work without bf or lunch, just a starbucks latte, then have a huge dinner and lotsa of junk at night. But who knows- your outlook seems much more longterm, so you may be the one with lifelong success. Although i plan on it too! Good luck! And i think the decision to eat better and live a healthier lifestyle is reward in itself. Any loss after that is just a bonus.

jemhh

Right now my deficit is 2300 calories per week, or .65 pounds. I have 8 or so pounds left to lose.

fallingtrees

Anything. Really. Move, scale, damn you.

dandayatra

1-2 lbs

from past 5 weeks nothing lost

IGotThis1992

Hi! I am 5'4 and my starting weight was 256. I am currently 183 and have mine set to 1lb a week. Up until now I have been losing around 1.5-2 a week.

llUndecidedll

Well, my current goal is to lose 3+ lbs a week.

Rashanti1

2 pounds a week is maintainable, safe, and effective. It's all about what works for the individual and what goals they have. I have my weekly weight loss goal set to 2 pounds a week. My overall goal is to get into the military. I want to be enlisted by May and I'm well on my way to doing that.

Yes, there are more calories to work with on a smaller weekly weight loss goal, but I don't think it would've made a difference for me as I've learned a lot about cleaning up my diet and my hunger is always left satisfied with the calorie deficit I currently have (and there are times where I have 150 to 200 calories left to spare even without exercise).

Different strokes for different folks!!

marissafit06

1lb per week, but I'm cool with .5lbs too.

Merkavar

I have mine set to 1 kg a week or 2 pounds. I don't find the amount of food too little. If anything I find it difficult to eat enough.

I eat 3 meals, I'm not starving and I look at my phone and it says I'm at 5000kj of 7000 and I'm like hmm what should I now force my self to eat?

If I was losing .5 a week on average I would find it torture. In stead of looking at months to get to a good weight I would be looking at years.

Mech9

I'm 5'10", and I started off losing 5 lbs a month several months ago. Now my goal is 2lbs per week. That will change the closer to my goal weight I get. Right now I'm at a weight where I have health problems from the weight itself that exacerbate my medical conditions. Keeping the weight on longer could actually cause more problems for me.

Right now I'm eating 1,600 cals a day, and that's not too far off from my maintenance calories after I've reached my goal weight (est. 1,750). This is a lifetime commitment for me, and the sooner I make the change to eating less and moving more, the easier it will be for me in the long run.

I want to be around for a long time, to sleep soundly, to be able to exist without chest pain. 2 lbs a week is a healthy, albeit aggressive, weight loss regimen that is necessary for my longevity.

fr3smyl

Aye Aye

Autumnfilly2005 wrote: »

NikiChicken wrote: »

I'm with you. I have my weight loss goals set low and realistic and with those goals, I have lost over 90 pounds (I still have 30 to go). It's taken 3 years to do it, but I enjoy my life and I'm learning a whole lot of skills to hopefully KEEP the weight off for the rest of my life instead of yo-yoing like I always did in the past.

Thank you! You make me feel less crazy. I've also yo-yoed in the past, and I know myself. I'm lazy. If it isn't easy for me to maintain, I'm not going to do it in the long run. Yes, I enjoy going out and walking or lifting weights on exercise days, but if it wasn't for my job, I'd probably spend the rest of my time hanging at home reading a book instead of moving around. I feel like I've learned a lot more this time around rather than cutting my diet so drastically and then ending up frustrated and hangry because I didn't eat enough.

I completely agree with this!

spatulamom

projectsix wrote: »

To put things in perspective, you could achieve your goal weight in 3 months at 2 lbs a week where it would take you a full year of dieting @ .5 lbs. This is obviously just a random time frame but when you really think about it, do you want to diet for 3-4 times as long? I prefer to get it done as quick as possible. Either way there's going to be sacrifices I personally just go all in!

Not the OP, but I have mine set to 1 lb a week (I'm averaging about 2 lb/week though), which is just about a year and a half to reach my goal. I find it easier to deal with a less strenuous long-term goal than a strenuous shorter-term goal. There are going to be sacrifices whether I'm eating to lose or eating at maintenance (because I'm not going to fit in everything I want to eat all the time at maintenance), so I'd rather make the sacrifices bearable.

rebeccaEsmith

0.5 if I can but a loss is a loss

AspenDan

yomikeya wrote: »

When I was in weight loss mode I aimed for "lose two during the week, gain one back during the weekend."

This is actually one of the most useful things I've read...

leahcollett1

mines just been changed to a 1lb a week- i found that i was forced to exercise to gain more calories on 1.5lbs so im now comfortable with my allowance moving it to 1lb a week