Same calories for 1 lb or 2 a week?

Options
Libby283
Libby283 Posts: 288 Member
in Getting Started
How does it make sense to have a 1200 calorie limit the same, with the settings set to lose 1 lb per week, as 2 lbs per week?

What am I missing?
«1

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Options
    You don't have enough weight to lose to go for 2lbs per week.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    Options
    You must be a shorter person? Right? MFP will only allow a minimum of 1200 calories.. You do not get the same, for me it is actually 1200 to loose .5 a week no matter if I put 1, 1.5 or 2.
  • Libby283
    Libby283 Posts: 288 Member
    Options
    I am 5'3" and weigh 138. My goal is to lose 15 lbs. I got down to 125 but I was a little thin, so 128-130 might even end up being my goal weight.
  • Libby283
    Libby283 Posts: 288 Member
    Options
    So to lose 2 lbs a week, I really should be less than 1200 calories?
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
    Options
    If you only have 15 lbs to lose, what's the hurry?
  • Libby283
    Libby283 Posts: 288 Member
    Options
    My clothes have gotten snug and I do not like shopping... lol
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Options
    Libby283 wrote: »
    So to lose 2 lbs a week, I really should be less than 1200 calories?

    You'd need a deficit of 1,000 calories a day in order to lose 2 pounds a week. Given your current size, I'm not sure how you could safely do this.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Options
    Libby283 wrote: »
    So to lose 2 lbs a week, I really should be less than 1200 calories?

    No, you really shouldn't be expecting 2 pounds a week.

    There's fast weight loss & then there's healthy weight loss.

    Healthy weight loss helps you reduce your body fat % (because all weight lost isn't just fat). A very high deficit means your body won't support existing lean muscle mass very well. You'll end up with a dream scale weight....but a look in the mirror will be very different. Lean muscle mass is taut and firm.....you want to hang onto that. You just want to get rid of the soft jiggly stuff.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,988 Member
    Options
    With only 15 lbs to lose, and already at a healthy weight, you really shouldn't be trying to lose 2 lbs a week. If your body can't recover energy quickly enough from your fat stores to keep up with your calorie deficit, it will get its energy from lean mass (muscle and eventually organs) and cut down on the energy it "spends" on lower priority things like healthy hair and skin, strong immune system, your reproductive cycle, etc.

    But yes, the reason you're getting the same number for losing 1 lb and losing 2 lbs is that MFP has a floor it won't go below (unless you happen to catch it in a glitchy mood), so 1200 calories would not be expected to result in a 2 lb a week loss for you.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited June 2016
    Options
    Libby283 wrote: »
    So to lose 2 lbs a week, I really should be less than 1200 calories?

    NO.. you cannot really safely loose 2 pounds a week.. You must stick to the MFP guidelines. It will be slower but why the hurry?

    I was only allowed to safely loose .5 a week sticking to 1200 calories and I do exercise so I need all the calories I can get.. I still love to eat even when I am loosing weight.

    I really hate seeing posts where newbies are not patient enough and want rapid weight loss.. and even if dipping into 1000 calories the body is going to struggle to loose.. sigh ;)
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    edited June 2016
    Options
    Libby283 wrote: »
    So to lose 2 lbs a week, I really should be less than 1200 calories?

    It isn't possible for you to achieve 2 lbs per week in a healthy way. Trying to do it will lead to fatigue, lean body mass loss, malnutrition (hair loss, brittle nails, etc are just the tip of the iceberg), and you could even end up binge eating. It's just not realistic at your current weight.
  • MissusMoon
    MissusMoon Posts: 1,900 Member
    Options
    Libby283 wrote: »
    So to lose 2 lbs a week, I really should be less than 1200 calories?

    No. You should accept that you'll probably lose a half pound per week.
  • MissusMoon
    MissusMoon Posts: 1,900 Member
    edited June 2016
    Options
    Libby283 wrote: »
    My clothes have gotten snug and I do not like shopping... lol

    Well, the good news is your clothes won't get any tighter if you start now. But you need to be patient.
  • Libby283
    Libby283 Posts: 288 Member
    edited June 2016
    Options
    RoxieDawn wrote: »
    Libby283 wrote: »
    So to lose 2 lbs a week, I really should be less than 1200 calories?

    NO.. you cannot really safely loose 2 pounds a week.. You must stick to the MFP guidelines. It will be slower but why the hurry?

    I was only allowed to safely loose .5 a week sticking to 1200 calories and I do exercise so I need all the calories I can get.. I still love to eat even when I am loosing weight.

    I really hate seeing posts where newbies are not patient enough and want rapid weight loss.. and even if dipping into 1000 calories the body is going to struggle to loose.. sigh ;)

    I am not really new at this. I lost 40 lbs in 2014. I did this in 6 months. I stopped logging when I was in a size 2 and did great keeping it off until last summer when I started drinking again. My clothes were getting snug, and I said that is it, back to logging. I have been logging and watching what I eat for about 2 weeks. I brought the fitbit out of retirement this week.

    All the weight is in my stomach area and thighs. My stomach is uncomfortable. It hurts to sit with extra fluff there. It also hurts to eat. I just had coffee so far today and my stomach is hurting. It is an awful feeling. I am also having to go to the urinate every 20 minutes. Plus I wake up in the middle of the night needing to go. When I am thinner, I have a normal bathroom usage. So this weight needs to go.

    I weighed this morning and I am up to 141. That is a bit discouraging. I was 137 on May 19. June 2 I was still 139, and been climbing since.

    I know I do not under log. Last night we ate at Panera after my daughters baseball game. I ordered a 1/2 sandwich and cup of soup. I took 4 bites of soup and my dad finished that. He ate my bread. I logged what I purchased, not what I consumed to make sure I have cushion built in. I picked the stuff off the salad and left most of the bread behind. I almost never finish a meal. I never have had an issue with portion control. I was the teenager that you needed to remind to eat.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    Options
    With 15 lbs to lose, 0.5 lb/week is the recommended rate of loss. We all understand the sense of urgency, when you've had enough and are ready to get the weight off, you want it gone as quickly as possible. However, as others have said, you can't safely lose 2 lbs/week as you aren't large enough with high enough TDEE to sustain a 1000 cal deficit.

    Rather than focusing on losing it fast, maybe focus on losing it right. You said you got your Fitbit out, that's a good start. Have you started logging your food? Are you using a food scale for optimal accuracy? Have you read the stickied "Most Helpful Posts" at the top of the Getting Started and other forum sections? They will have lots of good info about how to best use this tool to achieve your goals.
  • Libby283
    Libby283 Posts: 288 Member
    Options
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    With 15 lbs to lose, 0.5 lb/week is the recommended rate of loss. We all understand the sense of urgency, when you've had enough and are ready to get the weight off, you want it gone as quickly as possible. However, as others have said, you can't safely lose 2 lbs/week as you aren't large enough with high enough TDEE to sustain a 1000 cal deficit.

    Rather than focusing on losing it fast, maybe focus on losing it right. You said you got your Fitbit out, that's a good start. Have you started logging your food? Are you using a food scale for optimal accuracy? Have you read the stickied "Most Helpful Posts" at the top of the Getting Started and other forum sections? They will have lots of good info about how to best use this tool to achieve your goals.

    Yes I started logging food a few weeks ago. I do not weigh but I do not have an issue with portions. I order lots of kids meals. I log what I purchase and not what I eat, to allow a cushion for error. I almost never finish a meal.

    I have not even been drinking this week. The scale should go down, but it seems like my stomach is getting bigger and more uncomfortable. I hate that uncomfortable feeling.
  • DeficitDuchess
    DeficitDuchess Posts: 3,099 Member
    Options
    You don't have enough room for error, to not weigh everything you eat; regardless of whether or not you eat an entire portion.
  • Libby283
    Libby283 Posts: 288 Member
    Options
    I eat most things that are prepackaged. Breakfast was a Greek yogurt at 150. I always log my coffee as a dunkin donuts cream & sugar, even if I use 1% milk and no sugar. Lunch today is a packet of oatmeal with 2 tablespoons of milk, logged as a 1/2 cup. I brought about 10 blueberries that I logged as a cup of blueberries. I over estimate all day long. I eat salads with no dressing.

    If need be, next week I might do a few days of fasting, or just yogurt days to see what happens. I also go tomorrow to the doctor for testing. I recently had an respiratory infection that needed steroids to clear up. She is testing me to see why my immune system is deficient. Like i can have a scratch and it takes weeks for it to heal. She has been monitoring me for thyroid and diabetes for years so I might have just hit the point where those are now causing issues in my weight.

    My stomach literally feels swollen and full like when I was pregnant. That feeling definitely curbs the urge to eat because I already feel like a stuffed cow.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    edited June 2016
    Options
    From what you are describing it sounds like your not eating enough nutrient dense foods and could possibly be malnourished. Weak immune system and poor healing are signs of being malnourished. Fasting or an all yogurt diet would be extremely horrible ideas if this is the case and would make things worse (honestly they sound like horrible ideas for even an otherwise healthy person to attempt).

    http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Malnutrition/Pages/Symptoms.aspx

Categories