Lowering Calories Beyond 2lbs/Week Allowance
Jrwalters
Posts: 1 Member
So I have over 100lbs to lose and right now to lose 2lbs per week I have like 2,600 calories. I know with something like Medifast, it drops your calories to around 1,200 to 1,500 calories. Is it better to leave it at the recommended amount or drastically lower it to something like 1,800?
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Replies
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Try the recommended calories for a week and see how you feel before you make changes...and don't use empty calories to get to the suggested number...plan healthy meals and snacks with weighed and measured portions and see how your body feels. 2 -
You could start lower for a couple weeks as a jump start then go up to the recommended amount and add in some heart pumping cardio and weight training!0
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I have over 100lbs to lose and eating that amount of calories with exercise didn't make the scale budge hardly at all it was mostly maintaining the weight I was. It wasn't until I plugged in my lifestyle to be sedentary that I got around 1500 cals. I do however work out 4-6 times a week and have found that the deficit 1500 cals gives you plus some aerobics makes me drop a pound every other day. I do not eat back the calories I burned and I'm very pleased with the results I'm getting! It's hard because I'm hungry but worth it when I step on the scale!4
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So I have over 100lbs to lose and right now to lose 2lbs per week I have like 2,600 calories. I know with something like Medifast, it drops your calories to around 1,200 to 1,500 calories. Is it better to leave it at the recommended amount or drastically lower it to something like 1,800?
I would say leave it at what MFP recommended for you to lose weight in a healthy sustainable way.
You will lower your calories as you lose weight.1 -
So I have over 100lbs to lose and right now to lose 2lbs per week I have like 2,600 calories. I know with something like Medifast, it drops your calories to around 1,200 to 1,500 calories. Is it better to leave it at the recommended amount or drastically lower it to something like 1,800?
It really does depend on the individual. Things to consider include whether you have been on a diet before. By that I mean have you tried eating at 2600 cals a day before for a long time. Diets work when there is a continued adherence to them. You want to avoid the situation of starting enthusiastically but then give up because the chosen way of weight loss is not sustainable. Sure you could drop your calories down to 1800, but would you be able to continue eating like that for a month? Two months? Winning at the diet means finding what works for you.
I would say begin with the 2600cal goal. Try it out for a month. If you are finding it easy and getting the expected weight loss and think you could manage with a greater calorie deficit, then reevaluate, but you may find you are happy with what you are doing already. Also, try to stick with eating the type of food you want to eat for life and not special 'diet' food.
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I would also say, eat at the number of calories you have been given to loose 2 pounds a week and try that for a month. I have a learned this saying.. "those that can eat more and still loose weight wins". This is always better than just dropping to an unnecessary and quite aggressive approach.
Dropping to aggressively only leaves a person with unwanted side effects, loosing muscle mass along with fat and that is never a good idea to me.1 -
I feel that dieting aggressively for those that need to lose 100+ pounds is the way to go. You'll see your pounds drop quicker, and that will give you motivation to continue.
If I'm dieting and restricting myself, and I'm hardly seeing any progress, like 1 pound a week, I'm not as motivated. After a month, I've lost 4 pounds, which isn't noticeable on someone 100+ pounds over their goal weight.
If you lose 2 1/2 pounds a week, or 10 pounds a month, this is noticeable. To me, this is motivation that what I'm doing is actually working, and the feeling of being hungry is more motivation. I'll avoid that chocolate cake if I know I'll see a loss on the scale in a few days.
If I'm on a diet only losing 1 pound a week, I'll be able to eat that chocolate cake, as it will fit into my calories, and I'm not as motivated, and might eat another slice, as it 'won't matter'. Then I'll gain pounds for the week.... anyways that's just me.
When you're closer to the goal, lose less pounds a week, as you're trying to make this a lifestyle change more than a diet and get yourself ready for maintenance mode.
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Agree more or less with the above poster. If you have to loose 100 lb, a 1lb a week just wont do. Even 2 lb will take you a year. Take off another 1000kcal a day and aim for 1600 kcal a day. With whole foods you get enough micronutrients. After a week you are use to the 1600 kcal and its actually going to be nice to see that scale move down many times a week. Do this as long as you can manage mentally and then go for a bit more 'relaxt' deficit. Remember this diet doesnt have to be sustainable forever, its just to get most of the fat of fast1
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I would also say, eat at the number of calories you have been given to loose 2 pounds a week and try that for a month. I have a learned this saying.. "those that can eat more and still loose weight wins". This is always better than just dropping to an unnecessary and quite aggressive approach.
Dropping to aggressively only leaves a person with unwanted side effects, loosing muscle mass along with fat and that is never a good idea to me.
Roxie,
I'm not sure what side of the fence I fall on; initially I was going to fall on your side.
But there's a part of me that says that--provided you keep your protein up--OP could try out an 1800-calorie diet to see if it's sustainable for him.
The critical understanding is, of course, if he struggles with it he returns to the neighborhood of 2600 cal right away, as opposed to resigning and giving up entirely.
I'm weighing in my head whether to give this a try myself. Outside the supposed wisdom that 2 pounds a week is the maximum healthy weight loss rate (which based on personal experience I do not believe), is there anything important I'm missing here?0 -
So I have over 100lbs to lose and right now to lose 2lbs per week I have like 2,600 calories. I know with something like Medifast, it drops your calories to around 1,200 to 1,500 calories. Is it better to leave it at the recommended amount or drastically lower it to something like 1,800?
How much over 100? If you're right around 100, I'd stick with the 2,600 calories. This will help you preserve muscle.
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http://www.menshealth.com/weight-loss/how-much-weight-can-you-lose-in-a-week
I think we should stop recommending 1-2 lbs a week and think in terms of bodyweight percentages. For most of us, 0.5% to 1% bodyweight lost per week is within that range, but those of us near our UGW are going to fall short of a full pound every week, and larger individuals can safely lose a little faster early on.0 -
So I have over 100lbs to lose and right now to lose 2lbs per week I have like 2,600 calories. I know with something like Medifast, it drops your calories to around 1,200 to 1,500 calories. Is it better to leave it at the recommended amount or drastically lower it to something like 1,800?
You're in this for the long haul. Unless you have way more than 100 pounds to lose 2,600 is a good number. You want to make changes that you can continue with even AFTER you get to goal. Medifast & plans like that teach you nothing about what your eating habits are VS. what your eating habits need to become.
Drastic plans/lowest possible calories cut out everything. Using MFP (and a fair number of calories) will allow you to have a treat or a snack now and again. That's a good thing because you will practicing portion control.
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Medifast is a medically supervised diet, isn't it? The MFP recommended levels are recommended for specific reasons. Read the sticky posts here on MFP at the top of the forums for lots of info and explanations. Before you worry about changing the recommended levels, you can try following them, including weighing all your food on a food scale and logging everything in MFP. Give it 4-6 weeks then report back. Be sure to adjust your calorie goal about every 10 lbs lost.
I've lost 147 pounds over 2 years and pretty much kept my calorie goal the same the whole time, increasing my exercise as I've been able to. Now I'm within a few pounds of maintenance. Just take it one step at a time.5 -
If you have a significant amount of weight to lose, you can go with more than two pounds per week. I wouldn't go drastic with it - you don't want to start something and then quit because it's too hard or you're too hungry.
I would, personally, go with 2100 if I were you. That's three pounds per week and is still well above the minimum threshold.0 -
It depends how you get there in my opinion. Someone eating 2200 calories and burning 1500 extra is better off than someone eating 1200 and burning 500 extra...0
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You can safely lose up to 1% per week of your body weight without compromising lean mass to any substantial extent. Of course, this is much easier for someone who has a lot to lose...If I tried to lose 1.8 Lbs per week I'd be pretty dang hungry and never be able to stick with it...being smaller and leaner, my TDEE is less so a big deficit like that wouldn't leave me much food.
I would definitely not recommend crashing your diet to 1200 - 1500 calories though...that's going to leave you with nowhere to go down the road when things get tougher. I'd stick with either the recommended or dropping the calories to 2000-2300 or something so long as you're not exceeding 1% of your body weight per week.1 -
Have alwayd heard 1 percent of body fat per week is the most one.should loose .. I use MFP goals and they work for me . I did cut back to 1.5 lbs from 2 lbs per week .. was always going over anyway .. so needed the extra cals I guess..
Good luck
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What I'd do is figure out how much you'll be able to eat at your goal weight... and to eat that. That way you'll really learn how to eat properly (and your activity will probably increase as you go, so you'll never have to eat less).
I mean, it's what worked for me, and I had 80/85 pounds to lose. I just couldn't imagine starting on 2000 and having to cut more and more as I lost weight. I basically ate 1700 the whole time.0 -
autumnblade75 wrote: »http://www.menshealth.com/weight-loss/how-much-weight-can-you-lose-in-a-week
I think we should stop recommending 1-2 lbs a week and think in terms of bodyweight percentages. For most of us, 0.5% to 1% bodyweight lost per week is within that range, but those of us near our UGW are going to fall short of a full pound every week, and larger individuals can safely lose a little faster early on.
Yeah, I like this.
Another thing is that the calculators that don't include body fat percentage (which is what MFP uses) tend to overestimate calories. That's often counteracted by the fact that many people move more than they realize (and the calorie burn from movement is more if you are heavier) -- it was for me, as I lost more than MFP predicted when I had LOTS to lose -- but is still something to keep in mind.
For a big man with 100+ to lose, I think 3 lb/week is probably fine and motivating (I actually lost 2-3 regularly when I was first losing, and I'm not so big, although I was very overweight). So I'd recommend an in-between position -- 1800 seems low for a big guy and a drastic change, but maybe try 2100 (if MFP is right, that would be about 3 lbs, and also protect against some logging/counting errors) and see how it goes. Eat back at least some of the exercise calories and don't be afraid to eat more if you feel like that's too low once you get started.2 -
I would also say, eat at the number of calories you have been given to loose 2 pounds a week and try that for a month. I have a learned this saying.. "those that can eat more and still loose weight wins". This is always better than just dropping to an unnecessary and quite aggressive approach.
Dropping to aggressively only leaves a person with unwanted side effects, loosing muscle mass along with fat and that is never a good idea to me.
Roxie,
I'm not sure what side of the fence I fall on; initially I was going to fall on your side.
But there's a part of me that says that--provided you keep your protein up--OP could try out an 1800-calorie diet to see if it's sustainable for him.
The critical understanding is, of course, if he struggles with it he returns to the neighborhood of 2600 cal right away, as opposed to resigning and giving up entirely.
I'm weighing in my head whether to give this a try myself. Outside the supposed wisdom that 2 pounds a week is the maximum healthy weight loss rate (which based on personal experience I do not believe), is there anything important I'm missing here?
I advised to do this for the first month. I should have added, monitor the rate of loss, take body measurements and readjust calories at the next 10 pounds as he looses and see how he feels about dieting in general. What information is not provided by OP, is exercise. I really thought 1800 calories sounded a bit too low for me (but that is just opinion)
If he is doing what makes him comfortable, he has not hungry, no side effects, no need to binge, and happy or not with the rate of loss, he can lower that to a more suitable rate of loss.
I guess we can advise 3 - 4 pounds loss, but emphasize exercise (perhaps strength training with some cardio sprinkled in) and advise an approximate protein to minimize muscle loss through out weight loss.
I knew someone that did this medifast diet in the past, the shakes and the food that he ate, was ole so not pleasing, so this diet already has this diet plan mapped out. So if he is gonna do this particular diet, some of this information we are providing is sort of mute. Because some of those days there is hardly any calories that are consumed at all.
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So I have over 100lbs to lose and right now to lose 2lbs per week I have like 2,600 calories. I know with something like Medifast, it drops your calories to around 1,200 to 1,500 calories. Is it better to leave it at the recommended amount or drastically lower it to something like 1,800?
It all depends on you and what your body dictates. I started at 308 pounds. I put myself on a 1200-1300 calorie a day diet. I started exercising as well..very little.. maybe 5 minutes in the morning on the stationary bike and the evening.
I did this for 2-3 months and you can initially drop weight quickly. (I would recommend you consult your Dr.)
I started on March 1st this year. September 1st will mark 6 months. I have dropped 76.6 pounds as of my last weigh-in on Monday.
I have since upped my calories to a more reasonable 1800-2100 a day and I exercise anywhere from 60 minutes to 120 minutes a day.
What works for one..may not for another. It all depends on your mind..willpower and motivation, and your body and what it will tolerate.
You'll learn as you go. My Dr. was fine with what I did. He said, your body will tell you when you need more calories. It did too. I could tell some days on the bike..I just didn't have enough fuel in the tank. I'd eat a bit more on those days.
I wish you success on your journey!
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Let me add my two cents. I have been on 1800, more or less, calories since April 2015 and I have lost 150lbs and counting. I was never hungry or starving or had the urge to binge because I eat regularly. I do exercise 6 times per week but I know it is mostly what I consume. I think you have to figure out what works for you and your body.0
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OP, just wanted to support what some others have said, you can aim for 1% of your body weight per week. If you go for more than this, you risk losing more muscle mass. You also don't want to push too hard and burn out - It's a long road. Good luck!0
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I couldn't deal with the hunger of 2 lbs/week loss. I dropped to 1 pretty quickly and found that quite sustainable. I didn't get 100+ pounds overweight overnight, I realized it's take some time to get it off safely as well.
At 1 year, 9 months later I'm down 100 pounds. I'm glad I didn't try to starve myself, I feel I would have given up long ago. In fact, memory of how awful 10 lbs/month weight loss was played a huge role in delaying found anything about my weight even though I knew it was getting way too high when I hit 220....that miserable dieing experience from years earlier was in my mind constantly as I piled on more weight. I really didn't want to go through that again.
Pick a rate of loss that works for you. Just remember, if you feel overwhelmed, losing weight does not have to make you miserable or consume your life. It just requires steady perseverance over a long period of time.0 -
I wouldn't recommend it. The more extreme you make your deficit the more likely you are to have substantial lean mass (muscle) loss in addition to fat loss. The more lean muscle you lose, the lower your BMR will be and the more difficult it will be to lose in the future. Also it will end up decreasing your general fitness to lose muscle.
Not only that but you will make the weight loss more difficult than it needs to be. You shouldn't make this a race, you should focus on learning eating habits that are sustainable and that will lead to a sustainable weightloss that can transition naturally into maintenance.
If you rush it you will lose muscle and quite likely you will end up quitting due to the strictness and unpleasantness of your diet. If you gain that weight back as fat you will be worse off after having lost that muscle.
2lb/wk is probably about as fast as you should push it, even with 100 pounds to lose. If you actually manage that you are talking about just 1 year to completely change your body. That is fast.0
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