Advice about 2lb a week weight loss

hoops1888

Hi guys,

I want to embark on a healthy eating and exercise weight loss goal. I want to lose 4 stone by my graduation in Novemeber and I can only do this by losing 2lb's a week until then.

I lost 2 stones before but was losing 1lb a week then I went off on a tangent and did a shake diet which did not work for me at all.

Has anyone out there been successful in losing 2lb a week consistently? I'd love some advice from anyone who has. I understand if need to cut calories and burn a lot more to make the 2lb loss weekly.

Thanks in advance

Liftng4Lis

What are your stats?

hoops1888

I'm 23 years old and 5'5 and would like to lose 4 stone to get me within normal range. Most of that gain has been through doing and failing at a shake diet for the past three years

amusedmonkey

You may likely do better at 1-1.5 lb. Keep in mind if you set MFP to lose 2 lb and it puts you at 1200 calories the chances are you are going to lose less than that because MFP doesn't go lower than 1200. Try changing it to 1.5 pounds, if it's still 1200 change it to 1 pound. As soon as they give you a number larger than 1200, even by 1 calorie, you will know your predicted weight loss is accurate (as accurate as formulas go at least, your mileage may vary).

Sued0nim

hoops1888 wrote: »

I'm 23 years old and 5'5 and would like to lose 4 stone to get me within normal range. Most of that gain has been through doing and failing at a shake diet for the past three years

Sigh

I'm sorry you got caught up in the shake scam - but good luck now

Eat at a calorie defecit - but with only 58lbs to lose you may not want to try for 2lbs a week for very long - in fact 1-1.5lb might be more appropriate

Weigh your food, log carefully - check out the stickies re logging appropriately

Move more

it actually is that simple if you commit, and re-commit and re-commit again .. every day

Liftng4Lis

Remember, the winner gets to eat the most and still lose. Over restricting yourself, sets you up for failure. Caloric deficit is all that's necessary for weight loss.

callsitlikeiseeit

Liftng4Lis wrote: »

Remember, the winner gets to eat the most and still lose. Over restricting yourself, sets you up for failure. Caloric deficit is all that's necessary for weight loss.

yup yup. i lose 2 pounds a week consistently, and i eat what i want WITHIN my calorie goals. I get 1500/day. but i have a lot more to lose than you, too, and that does make a difference. I also work out pretty much every day.

TimothyFish

My average has been about 2 lbs per week, but I haven't tried very hard to keep it at that rate. Essentially, all you need to do is have a 1000 calorie per day deficit. You can weigh your food if you want to, but I don't. Part of the reason my average has been 2 lbs per week is because MFP gave me a deficit that is more than 1000 calories per day. That has kept me at 2 lbs when I've cheated. I wouldn't be able to tell you how much over 1000 I am. I can use TDEE calculators to give you a guess, but those are just estimates. You might shoot for a 1250 calorie deficit, just to make sure you stay at your 2 lb. average. If you find you are losing weight too quickly, you can always adjust it.

hoops1888

Thanks for your inputs. Okay, perhaps 2lb a week is going to be problematic for me

snowflakesav

I think that 2 pounds a week is in the realm of possibility. I don't think you will win the battle in the kitchen with shakes. This is going to happen in the gym, on long walks and in increased activity for you. Running, cycling, walking.

deniztuzu2

I have lost exactly that much in 4 months. All I did was calculate my TDEE and eat reduced calories accordingly. I weigh myself everyday so I have info to make adjustments on the way(which I have done- started eating 1550- upped to 1700-upped to 1800) I'm now losing 1.5 lbs per week as of March. I'm 5'11" male.

StaciMarie1974

Mathematically its probably not possible for a woman. Assuming you're now in the 175-200 range, you can probably start out aiming for 1.5-2 pounds per week and will likely hit it some weeks. But as you lose weight, your body burns less calories and the loss will slow down.

I lost ~55 pounds in 9.5 months and that might be considered fast by some. (5 months into maintenance now.)

Women burn less than men - due to body composition. It would be almost impossible for a woman to steadily lose 2 pounds per week during the entire weight loss process.

hoops1888 wrote: »

I'm 23 years old and 5'5 and would like to lose 4 stone to get me within normal range. Most of that gain has been through doing and failing at a shake diet for the past three years

hoops1888

Thank you very much for your inputs Interesting reading

DaniCanadian

I agree that 2 per week is probably not likely but maybe try adding in some strength training in with cardio work outs? You might notice results a bit quicker even with slower weight loss. I jog 5 days a week from spring through fall and do 30 day shred (by Jillian moachels free video on YouTube) twice a week. I sill have about 25 lbs to lose to be where I want but I can see the line down the leg of my quads and some abs and arm toning going on.

emmaleewade2013

Personally for me, I am also trying to lose 2lb a week, and I am at 1450 cals a day. (I am 5' 6", 21 yrs, have 30 lbs to lose, perhaps the last bit is why I get that amount of cals) But anyway, I've been here for 2 weeks and lost 9 lbs, I exercise most days, but not a ridiculous amount. I try to keep everything in moderation. Whether it be my food (as in I'm not restricting sweets or anything) or exercise. A little bit of everything just seems to be working. And I do not have a fast metabolism FYI, I actually suffer from hypothyroidism which slows the metabolism, so I guess just balance is working.

ncboiler89

My best advice to anyone with a goal of losing 2lbs per week is to change it to 1lb per week.

ogmomma2012

It's not advised unless you have a lot of weight to lose. Incorporating strength training will also recomp your body so you may be happier at a higher weight.

SergeantSausage

Prepare to be hungry, and you'll do fine.

Can you handle being uncomfortable? You probably will be, right?

hoops1888

I can handle discomfort quite well. Im good at pushing myself where exercise is concerned because I enjoy it. I've been successful on losing 1lb a week before through diet and exercise. I can also handle hunger as I've been through the pain of a shake diet haha.

I have a lot of work to do for uni as I'm studying for a masters degree so maybe the 2lb a week is a bit of a long shot. I might go for the 1.5lb a week.

kelly802014

1.5lb sounds more realistic hoops, change up your exercise regime regularly for consistent weight loss

galgenstrick

It's reasonable to set your goal to about 1% of your body weight lost per week initially. It's easier to lose fat when you're extremely over weight. So if you're 300 pounds it's not too difficult to lose 3 pounds per week. But once you get down to the last 10-20 pounds it becomes quite difficult to lose at that rate. 0.5-1 pound per week is pretty reasonable when you only have 10-20 pounds to lose. It might even be slower than that, those last 10 pounds are basically a bunch of jerks that don't ever want to leave you alone. You need to get strict about your diet and exercise, track your results and constantly tweak your routine to see steady progress.

HeySwoleSister

hoops1888 wrote: »

I can handle discomfort quite well. Im good at pushing myself where exercise is concerned because I enjoy it. I've been successful on losing 1lb a week before through diet and exercise. I can also handle hunger as I've been through the pain of a shake diet haha.

I have a lot of work to do for uni as I'm studying for a masters degree so maybe the 2lb a week is a bit of a long shot. I might go for the 1.5lb a week.

Maybe set a less hard-and-fast goal for graduation...maybe say you want to feel healthy and fit as you receive your degree? Don't put a "finish line" number out there...remember your goal isn't just to hit a certain weight, but to maintain a healthy weight and fitness level for the rest of your life...so eat NOW in a way that you can easily transition to your maintenance diet for the rest of your life. So, in other words, there is no huge switch between "on a diet" and "off a diet"....you are just eating now the way you plan to from now on, just at a slight deficit to lose some extra weight...the deficit will shrink as you get closer to where you want to be. Ideally, you won't even notice the shift when you get there, you'll just keep on trucking, enjoying your life, your body, and all the fun things you have the energy to do!

anniuen

Make sure that you are logging everything accurately and that you are logging everything. Like for instance 1 tablespoon of olive oil is 120 calories.
I log mustard, Parmesan cheese, balsamic vinegar, butter, pretty much any sauce or condiment. To lose 2 pounds a week you must be diligent in knowing exactly how many calories your taking in.
Drink lots of water. Make sure your nutrition is balanced. Embrace salads but watch the oil.