Eating at TDEE, losing a lb a week...can I lose faster?

purplishblue

So like I said, I've been doing well, losing a pound a week eating at TDEE -20%. I'm 5'2, 127 aiming for 107. I'm feeling impatient however, do you think it'd be ok to lose 2lbs a week? Would it actually cause any kind of issue, as long as I go straight to maintainence once I'm done (as in, not long term)?

blankiefinder

How many calories do you eat per day to lose 1 pound per week?

middlehaitch

Taking your height, weight, and how little you wish to lose into consideration, I would think you could maybe lose 5 lb at 1.5 a week, 5-8 lb at 1 lb a week, and the rest at .5 a week.
You will have to readjust your TDEE every 5 lb to keep losing, and eventually your calorie allowance will drop to a 1400 TDEE level, which would convert to a 1200 net, and that is the lowest recommended intake for women.

I say this because I am 5'1 and went from 130- 105 and that is more or less how the numbers worked for me.

If your TDEE numbers are higher you may have a little more lee way, though 2lb a week is a bit of a stretch.

Cheers, h.

PinkPixiexox

I have the same sort of stats as you :]

I'm 5'2 and I got down to 125 lbs by eating at a smaller deficit to lose 0.5 per week (for the last 10 lbs or so). You have less to lose so your deficit doesn't need to be as big.

Having said that, my goal weight was originally 115 lbs but once I hit 125, I realized I was a healthy weight and no amount of extra pounds lost was going to get rid of my stubborn pouch and flabby arms, I switched to maintenance so I can focus on building muscle so I LOOK strong and healthy

My advice to you would be - perhaps think about a -15% deficit and give transitioning to maintenance some thought.

ohmscheeks

Sure

SideSteel

purplishblue wrote: »

So like I said, I've been doing well, losing a pound a week eating at TDEE -20%. I'm 5'2, 127 aiming for 107. I'm feeling impatient however, do you think it'd be ok to lose 2lbs a week? Would it actually cause any kind of issue, as long as I go straight to maintainence once I'm done (as in, not long term)?

The problem with this question is that we don't know what sorts of issues could arise on the back-end of things after being in a rather steep deficit for 10 weeks.

If I were you, I don't think I'd do it. Your TDEE isn't going to be all that high to begin with at 127lbs, so the intake you'll need to get at, or the activity you'll need to do in order to cause 2lbs/week of losses is going to get pretty demanding.

Those demands MIGHT be fine for some people but they probably won't for most people.

Additionally, at some point LBM retention comes into play as a legitimate concern. The leaner you get, the more challenging it becomes to maintain lean mass. Faster weight loss generally magnifies this -- the more weight you lose the less chance you have of that weight coming from fat.

So now you're in a situation where you do not have excess fat, and you're still trying to rapidly lose weight.

I think it's a bad idea generally speaking.

MarcyKirkton

I'm 5'2" and I think 107 is actually below recommended weight for our height. Might be the absolute bottom. Anyway, every reputable source I see says 1-2 lbs per week is within the healthy range. It just depends on you, really. I'm doing fine with 2 lbs a week weight loss, other than one night of scarfing down snickerdoodles. But a lot of people will finally cave and overeat and set off a yo-yo diet pattern.

You have to know yourself, basically.

ARC1603

You probably physically could do it. It's going to mean restricting your calories quite a lot though based on your weight and height. You have to decide if losing the weight quickly is worth the effort and restriction. Personally for me it's not. I'd always rather lose while being able to eat as many calories as physically possible! This means slower weight loss. But I know if my calories go too low, I'll feel deprived and hungry, binge and then undo all my hard work!