Is losing weight slowly really worth it

Blondieeee26
Blondieeee26 Posts: 12 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey everyone! I know a lot of people say slower weight loss is better because then it is permanent and not just water. I agree which is why I set my weight loss to only 1lb a week and I am good with it. I just wanted to hear your opinions ? :)
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Replies

  • Blondieeee26
    Blondieeee26 Posts: 12 Member
    Also looking for motivation from people who have lost slowly and kept it off.
  • sammyliftsandeats
    sammyliftsandeats Posts: 2,421 Member
    Slower weight loss is key because you are less likely to develop problems such as hair and muscle loss, fatigue, etc that sometimes can come from more rapid weight loss.

    When you lose weight, you lose fat, water, and muscle. You don't want to lose muscle as it is hard to get back and can lower your Basal Metabolic Rate.
  • socioseguro
    socioseguro Posts: 1,679 Member
    @Blondieeee26
    Losing weight slowly is helpful with excess skin. My body was able to absorb the extra skin without unsightly bulges.
    I started with 0.5 pound per week and the last 10 pounds decreasing rate was 1 pound per month in average (0.25 lbs per week). There were weeks without any weight decrease and then a whoosh.
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    When cutting, I want to rip through it as fast as possible. The sooner I get fat off and can increase calories again, the sooner I can get back to acceptable training volumes and frequencies.

    That said, the protocols that I use are not meant to be sustainable, and wouldn't be a good idea for someone looking to make a "lifestyle change" out of it. It's a short term fat blast before going back into a passable surplus. As for the water weight thing: even my surplus is a CKD, so that doesn't apply as much to how I do things.
  • janekana
    janekana Posts: 151 Member
    Yes, because I've seen so many people who use fad diets (detox juices only for a week, water only, etc.) and they have lost 15kgs in a single week. However, they also bounce back just as fast, and sometimes they go further than their starting weight. I also want to achieve this in a way that will not make me miserable for myself and the people around me.

    I have found that weighing myself only once a week or once per two weeks kept me motivated a lot, because even though it's a slow loss of probably 1 lbs/week, I see that I've lost 2 kgs since the last time I've weighted myself because 2 weeks would have passed. Last time around, I used to weigh myself every day and it dampened my spirits because I didn't see a loss, or I would see a small gain instead. I knew that they were fluctuations, but it still got me down so I changed it up, I'm much happier now! :)
  • zharptichka
    zharptichka Posts: 127 Member
    There was a really interesting article in the NYTimes following up with the biggest loser contestants. Many of them had gained weight back and all of them had greatly reduced metabolisms for example one contestant's body burns 800 calories fewer a day than a person at the same weight who had never been fat. One of the speculations was that losing so much weight so quickly was the problem and that there's less of a metabolic impact if you lose at a slower rate (1% of body weight a week). Regardless I would think going at a slower rate would make it easier to figure out how much you can eat and how much you need to exercise to maintain since most people with a lot to lose start at 2ish lbs a week then as they lose switch to 1lb then to .5 lbs etc.

    If you have a lot to lose it also helps with skin because your skin has more time to tighten up as your losing.

    If you only have a very small weight to lose I'm not sure how much difference fast versus slow would make beyond being more likely to put it right back on.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    Losing slower is more about making this a lifestyle change than trying to drop X amount of pounds as fast as possible so you can go back to the way you used to eat (and eventually return to your original weight). Theoretically, you could figure out how many calories it would take you to maintain your goal weight and then just start eating that many calories per day, plus exercise calories, until you reached it and then continue on. It could take awhile that way but you'd certainly learn how to eat to successfully maintain your desired weight.
  • DebSozo
    DebSozo Posts: 2,578 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    I've been losing weight slowly and steadily. I'm only hungry right before meals, don't feel deprived, don't even feel like I'm dieting.

    That is terrific.
  • Cbestinme
    Cbestinme Posts: 397 Member
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    I think weight loss rate should reflect the urgency of your situation. If you have a lot to lose, you can and should lose faster. 1% of your body weight per week is a good rule of thumb as long as there is too much of you.

    Excellent advice!
  • Cbestinme
    Cbestinme Posts: 397 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »

    I lost 40 Lbs at a rate of about 1 Lb per week...a bit faster initially because you do drop water and waste weight initially. I have kept it off for over 3.5 years but that doesn't really have anything to do with my rate of loss...I determined to change the way I was living my life and that is what has resulted in keeping the weight off. I went from doing the things that kept me lazy and fat to doing the things the lean, healthy, and fit people do.

    Yay for you, this is so inspiring thanks for sharing! !
  • workinonit1956
    workinonit1956 Posts: 1,043 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    I've been losing weight slowly and steadily. I'm only hungry right before meals, don't feel deprived, don't even feel like I'm dieting.
    Me too! Exactly!

  • Chadxx
    Chadxx Posts: 1,199 Member
    Hornsby wrote: »
    I think it depends. Higher TDEEs can tend to lose a bit faster in my opinion. If someone can eat 2500 calories and still create a large enough deficit to lose more I don't think it's nearly as detrimental as the person eating ultra low numbers which makes it basically impossible to get enough macros/vitamins and minerals.

    I tend to agree with this, especially if you are eating a nutrient rich diet. I am currently losing weight at a rate many on here would scold me for but I also eat extremely well, take vitamins as extra insurance, and eat enough calories that many on here would actually gain weight. Having a really high TDEE is a huge advantage as is strength training to prevent muscle loss. My wife, on the other hand, eats like a bird just to maintain.
  • Dano74
    Dano74 Posts: 503 Member
    Yes.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    I think weight loss rate should reflect the urgency of your situation. If you have a lot to lose, you can and should lose faster. 1% of your body weight per week is a good rule of thumb as long as there is too much of you.

    This applies only when you have more than 50 pounds to lose. Otherwise it would mean that a 100 pound person seeking to lose 5 pounds should lost 1 lb per week, but MFP recommend .5 lb per week or less for someone like this.
  • ummijaaz560
    ummijaaz560 Posts: 228 Member
    I think it depends on where your mind is at the moment. People go through days of ups and downs during weight loss.

    Some days there is nothing remotely easy about dieting.
    I've said to myself "self we aint never, ever, ever ever doing this again".
    Then, I have a all time low weigh in as an adult and say I knew we could do it :) .

    I'll say that I'm more aware of the obese/overweight struggle than ever.
    I have never been overweight except postpartum.
    I never knew what people went through to lose weight.
    I learned it aint for the faint of heart.
    I understand why some just want to remain fat and free.
    I would not know these things if I lost the weight in a day.

  • Cahgetsfit
    Cahgetsfit Posts: 1,912 Member
    slow and steady all the way. I tried the fast thing and gained back just as fast.

    Slow can be really aggravating because it's like GAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH NOTHING IS HAPPENING!!!! UUURRGHHHHHHHH!!! Especially when you lift and the stupid scales don't move.

    But when it's gone it gone. PHEW!

    And you teach yourself to be more sustainable due to not being hungry/depleted/crazy.

    Like a poster above said re shredding - I've done that too and it's not sustainable and it sucks big hairy ones. I"m still traumatized from the experience lol :)

    Dont give up - it will happen and have greater chance of staying off.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,324 Member
    I think if we all could lose fast and get it done we would. But that isn't what happens for most..so we justify why it is so great it takes so long.

    The attitude I take ..is how I lose the weight is what I will have to do to maintain the loss. So. if it takes more time.. it will be worth it for that.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,616 Member
    edited October 2016
    My husband was fine with losing weight slowly ... maybe about half a pound a week. He has kept it off for about 2 years now.


    I couldn't do that. If I hadn't been able to lose at 2 lbs/week at first, I would have lost motivation.

    So I lost 15 kg in 16 weeks (that's about 2 lbs/week), took a break, and the lost 11 kg in the next 16 weeks (that's about 1.4 lbs/week).

    I'm into the lower half of my normal BMI range, and I've kept it off for a year now.


    That's not really fast ... it's at the faster end of the recommended range ... but I just did not want to drag it out.

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