When should i slow down?

quackers82

I have dropped from 15st down to 12st 4lbs since January, I'm 6ft 3in tall, male. I have had MFP set to 2lb loss a week since then and i lose about half a stone a month. I keep seeing on the forums people saying when you have less than 20lbs to go before goal you should slow the weight loss down, but never why you should.

Since i have a few friends who are about 11 stone and not as tall as me and are like twigs im guessing i should not be going much below 11 and a half stone, which at this rate is only 1 to 2 months away.

Should i slow it down, if so why? or should i just carry on at this speed.

I am netting about 1350 calories a day but i normally consume about around 2500 a day and walk between 16 and 20 miles every day.

TavistockToad

i would say change your cals to lose 1lb per week now, as you only have 10ish pounds more to lose.

do you do any strength training?

ctinawilson

Do they say you should slow down the weight loss, or that you probably will experience a slower loss?

I know it is harder to lose the last 20lbs, so maybe setting your expectations of loss to a lower amount is a good idea? I also imagine it has a better all round effect on loose skin and saggy bits? The slower the loss and more frequent the exercise during this period, the more time these areas have to firm up? Also is it to do with getting yourself used to your maintenance weight and lifestyle? If suddenly you go from a 20% defecit to maintenance TDEE, maybe it could prove tough on your body and for some people on their control? Easy does it seems to be the best way to get lasting results with weight loss and maintenance, so maybe this is why?

I'm putting question marks on everything I say, not because I want to sound like I have an Aussie style inflection, but because I don't want you to think I have read any studies / articles by doctors etc - I'm just guessing as these reasons seem logical...

If you do find out why, I'd be interested to know!

thisismeraw

When you are closer to your goal, within 20lbs you should be aiming for no more than 0.5lbs per week. Unless you have a lot to lose (more than 75lbs) you should not be aiming for 2lbs per week. The reason being is that you will always lose some muscle along the way as you diet and try to lose weight (you can lessen that with heavy lifting) however you increase the muscle loss when you have a higher deficit (trying to lose too much). The closer you are to your goal the smaller your deficit needs to be to ensure most of the losses you see are coming from fat and not muscle. Unfortunately, if you have been aiming for 2lbs per week all along and have only been walking you will of lost muscle along the way.