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Did what mfp said and lost 4lb in one week...
gabbyo23
Posts: 100 Member
Basics: female, 26, 5ft 4. I weigh 12 st 3. I started at 14 st 1 so have lost 26lb so far. I've been going for 9 weeks. I usually eat between 1500-1600 Cals per day - this is more than mfp recommends (1200 to lose 2lb per week or 1400 to lose 1lb per week) but I've till averaged 1-2 lb per week so I stick to my own plan.
I know this is a lot of loss in 9 weeks but the first 14lb fell off in first 2 weeks. Then around 2 weeks ago I realised sticking to around 1200 a day wasn't so bad if I was clever with what food I chose. I managed a day.... then 2 days.... and I just kept going. I usually go over a little. No more than 100 Cals over.
So since last week I've dropped 4 pounds and kept it off. This is too much right?
I feel partly happy I've lost a lot but also a bit confused. I seem to be losing quicker than I should be.
Also, I don't exercise I just do a bit of walking here and there.... look after my kids.... housework... nothing I'd class as eexercise.
I guess my question is - Is this OK? Am I setting myself up.. to fail? And why is mfp getting it wrong for me?
Thanks!
I know this is a lot of loss in 9 weeks but the first 14lb fell off in first 2 weeks. Then around 2 weeks ago I realised sticking to around 1200 a day wasn't so bad if I was clever with what food I chose. I managed a day.... then 2 days.... and I just kept going. I usually go over a little. No more than 100 Cals over.
So since last week I've dropped 4 pounds and kept it off. This is too much right?
I feel partly happy I've lost a lot but also a bit confused. I seem to be losing quicker than I should be.
Also, I don't exercise I just do a bit of walking here and there.... look after my kids.... housework... nothing I'd class as eexercise.
I guess my question is - Is this OK? Am I setting myself up.. to fail? And why is mfp getting it wrong for me?
Thanks!
1
Replies
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sounds like a very steep deficit, for no other reason than you can...
i personally go for eating as much as possible and still losing weight.
plus the larger the deficit the more likely you're burning muscle as well as fat, especially as you don't exercise4 -
Rate of loss between 1200 - 1400 calories is not an additional 1 pound loss.. What am i missing?
OP did you lose a significant amount in the first weeks?
Somethings seems off in the numbers, cause MFP is giving you 1200 calorie min, so the 1200 calories is not really giving you a full 2 pound rate of loss, if what you conveyed is true the the weekly deficit is 4900 calories per week which about 1.25 (I am rounding) pound rate of loss.
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Rate of loss between 1200 - 1400 calories is not an additional 1 pound loss.. What am i missing?
Probably it would recommend less for an actual two pounds per week, but MFP has a 1200 minimum limit for females. If 1400 was for one pound, it would probably recommend 900 for two if it weren't for the 1200 minimum.1 -
Susieq_1994 wrote: »Rate of loss between 1200 - 1400 calories is not an additional 1 pound loss.. What am i missing?
Probably it would recommend less for an actual two pounds per week, but MFP has a 1200 minimum limit for females. If 1400 was for one pound, it would probably recommend 900 for two if it weren't for the 1200 minimum.
the 1200 min is not allowing 2 pounds loss..
I am trying to figure this out ..I might need help with math.. LOL
TDEE at 197 lbs was 1966 (approx) and TDEE at 171 1824 (approx).0 -
Water weight?2
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trigden1991 wrote: »Water weight?
I will go with that, if there was a significant loss in the first weeks which would be mostly water, and then perhaps like this other loss of 4 pounds it cannot possibly be all fat loss.0 -
For me i lose in dabs and spurts... 0.5, 0.9, 0.4, 6.9, 0.6, 2.4, 0.4, 0.3, 7.9... so a few weeks of low loss than the a big week, sometimes 2 or 3 big weeks in a row, sometime 3 or 4 smaller weeks in a row... for me the trend has remained downward, while the calories and exercise has remained largely the same.
weight comes off how it wants to.1 -
Yes, the large loss in one week is nothing to worry about, water weight changes can easily make it look like you have lost more than you really have.
if you keep up an average 4lb loss over several weeks, you need to adjust your approach and either eat more or move less, because yes, that's too fast to be healthy unless you are very obeser - which you are not, you're the same height as me so 12st 3 puts you towards the upper end of the "overweight" category - you should be aiming to lose half a pound to one pound per week.1 -
So, after the initial big drop in the first two weeks, you've still lost 12 pounds in seven weeks, or about 1.7 pounds a week -- that's plenty fast enough for someone at 12 st 3 (171 pounds). It's right at 1% a week. No need to cut your calories down to 1200 to try to speed up your loss, and likely increase the amount of lean mass you're losing with the fat. (I agree with those who are saying that a 300 to 400 calorie additional daily cut should not account for an additional 2 lbs a week, so that's likely water weight, decreased weight of food in your gut, etc.)1
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Could it still be water Wright when I'm drinking a lot of water though? Doesn't make any sense to me either!! Math doesn't work out bbut still, will continue to just eat how I feel so long as I'm. Not going below a safe level.0
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OP how much weight are you trying to lose total? Likely not more than 20 lbs, if my my math is right? With that goal you should be aiming to lose 0.5 lb/week, not 2 lbs/week. While losing weight quickly sounds good initially, it can lead to loss of lean body mass and leave you at a lighter scale weight but not a desirable body composition (the dreaded skinny fat).
How are you estimating exercise burns? Are you logging everything you eat, ideally using a food scale?0 -
I have my loss set at 2 pounds per week and I lost 20 pounds in the first 5 weeks, this time (after gaining this year). Last year I lost 160 pounds in 9 months, but I did set my calories at 1300, and for reference I am a 36, Male, 6'5". I had a huge deficit but felt satisfied with the amount of food I ate. I chose to eat a lot of low calorie vegetables, lean meats, and the occasional treat. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, but I was 340 pounds and my doctor told me to lose it, or die an early death. So he put me on the 1300 calorie, supervised diet, which is why I lost so fast.-1
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WinoGelato wrote: »OP how much weight are you trying to lose total? Likely not more than 20 lbs, if my my math is right? With that goal you should be aiming to lose 0.5 lb/week, not 2 lbs/week. While losing weight quickly sounds good initially, it can lead to loss of lean body mass and leave you at a lighter scale weight but not a desirable body composition (the dreaded skinny fat).
How are you estimating exercise burns? Are you logging everything you eat, ideally using a food scale?
Yes I log accurately using a food scale. I am aiming to lose a further 31lb which would bring me to 10 stone which is healthy for my height.0 -
I just want to make it clear I am not aiming to lose 2 pounds per week neccersarily, although I wouldn't mind. I'd be happy with 1lb a week but I have always felt that by eating more than mfp recommends I was not achieving my best results. So I did what was recommended on this app and I lost more than intended.
What is wrong with losing 2 lb a week? Seems everything I eat says this is perfectly reasonable...1 -
WinoGelato wrote: »OP how much weight are you trying to lose total? Likely not more than 20 lbs, if my my math is right? With that goal you should be aiming to lose 0.5 lb/week, not 2 lbs/week. While losing weight quickly sounds good initially, it can lead to loss of lean body mass and leave you at a lighter scale weight but not a desirable body composition (the dreaded skinny fat).
How are you estimating exercise burns? Are you logging everything you eat, ideally using a food scale?
Yes I log accurately using a food scale. I am aiming to lose a further 31lb which would bring me to 10 stone which is healthy for my height.
Still though, 1 lb/week is an appropriate rate of loss for someone with 30 lbs to lose and then scaling it back to 0.5 lb/week after you've lost 10 or so.
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WinoGelato wrote: »OP how much weight are you trying to lose total? Likely not more than 20 lbs, if my my math is right? With that goal you should be aiming to lose 0.5 lb/week, not 2 lbs/week. While losing weight quickly sounds good initially, it can lead to loss of lean body mass and leave you at a lighter scale weight but not a desirable body composition (the dreaded skinny fat).
How are you estimating exercise burns? Are you logging everything you eat, ideally using a food scale?
I don't exercise0 -
Basics: female, 26, 5ft 4. I weigh 12 st 3. I started at 14 st 1 so have lost 26lb so far. I've been going for 9 weeks. I usually eat between 1500-1600 Cals per day - this is more than mfp recommends (1200 to lose 2lb per week or 1400 to lose 1lb per week) but I've till averaged 1-2 lb per week so I stick to my own plan.
I know this is a lot of loss in 9 weeks but the first 14lb fell off in first 2 weeks. Then around 2 weeks ago I realised sticking to around 1200 a day wasn't so bad if I was clever with what food I chose. I managed a day.... then 2 days.... and I just kept going. I usually go over a little. No more than 100 Cals over.
So since last week I've dropped 4 pounds and kept it off. This is too much right?
So ...
In 9 weeks you've lost 26 lbs ... is that correct?
And you lost 14 lbs in the first 2 weeks, meaning that you lost 12 lbs in the remaining 7 weeks ... is that correct?
However, in the last week, you lost 4 of those pounds, rather than the usual 1-2 lbs ... is that correct?
And you have kept it off ... since when? Yesterday?
My advice would be to just keep doing what you're doing for another week. There's a chance you won't lose anything at all next week. Weight loss isn't linear. Some weeks there is a larger loss ... and other weeks there's no loss at all. Occasionally there's even a little bit of a gain if the larger loss in the previous week was due to a bit of dehydration. There are a lot of ups and downs along the way.
However, if you've lost another 4 lbs by the end of next week, then you might want to reassess your diet and exercise.
Halfway through my process, I manually upped my calories from 1250/day to 1350/day because I felt like I was losing just a bit too fast for my liking. You can make adjustments like that if you want.
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I just want to make it clear I am not aiming to lose 2 pounds per week neccersarily, although I wouldn't mind. I'd be happy with 1lb a week but I have always felt that by eating more than mfp recommends I was not achieving my best results. So I did what was recommended on this app and I lost more than intended.
What is wrong with losing 2 lb a week? Seems everything I eat says this is perfectly reasonable...
what is 'wrong' is that with only 31lbs to lose, you are at risk of losing more muscle as you lose weight, particularly as you dont exercise.2 -
WinoGelato wrote: »OP how much weight are you trying to lose total? Likely not more than 20 lbs, if my my math is right? With that goal you should be aiming to lose 0.5 lb/week, not 2 lbs/week. While losing weight quickly sounds good initially, it can lead to loss of lean body mass and leave you at a lighter scale weight but not a desirable body composition (the dreaded skinny fat).
How are you estimating exercise burns? Are you logging everything you eat, ideally using a food scale?
I don't exercise
Can I ask why not?0 -
Could it still be water Wright when I'm drinking a lot of water though? Doesn't make any sense to me either!! Math doesn't work out bbut still, will continue to just eat how I feel so long as I'm. Not going below a safe level.
When you drink a lot of water you flush out sodium so sometimes there can be a water woosh down by a few pounds. In the same way if you eat a sodium rich meal like Chinese you can easily woosh up by 4 pounds. Honestly water weighs a lot!
Sometimes when you work out water goes into muscles to help heal them. Plus glycogen binds to water so you can get a woosh up when you go off plan and have a meal with extra sweets or carbs sometimes.
Try to ignore the 4 pound fluctuation. Don't go too low deficit for a long time or you can get tired and burned out. You are trying to train yourself to eat at goal maintenance eventually.
As you get closer to goal recalculate every so many pounds lost and aim for 1 pound loss a week with less than 50 pounds and maybe 1/2 pound loss a week for 10-20 pounds to go. It is common to lose quite a bit with a new diet, but your body will stabilize and start slowing it down. Don't be alarmed if you stall a bit. Just keep going.1 -
TavistockToad wrote: »I just want to make it clear I am not aiming to lose 2 pounds per week neccersarily, although I wouldn't mind. I'd be happy with 1lb a week but I have always felt that by eating more than mfp recommends I was not achieving my best results. So I did what was recommended on this app and I lost more than intended.
What is wrong with losing 2 lb a week? Seems everything I eat says this is perfectly reasonable...
what is 'wrong' is that with only 31lbs to lose, you are at risk of losing more muscle as you lose weight, particularly as you dont exercise.
Yes this. It sounds OP that while you aren't currently exercising, you described running around after kids so you may have yourself set as sedentary when I can attest that many busy moms are far from that! Upping your activity level to lightly active, if you feel you do spend a lot of time on your feet in daily activity, and then setting your goal to 1 lb/week would likely give you a higher calorie goal to begin with and slow down the rate of loss to a more appropriate level to help preserve lean body mass.
Have you considered incorporating some purposeful exercise, especially strength training, to help with your long term health and fitness goals?1 -
I just want to make it clear I am not aiming to lose 2 pounds per week neccersarily, although I wouldn't mind. I'd be happy with 1lb a week but I have always felt that by eating more than mfp recommends I was not achieving my best results. So I did what was recommended on this app and I lost more than intended.
What is wrong with losing 2 lb a week? Seems everything I eat says this is perfectly reasonable...
You might be more active and therefore need more calories than you reported to MFP. Plus MFP gives you NEAT numbers and you are supposed to eat back exercise calories. If you don't eat back you might want to calculate TDEE which will give you a higher number to start with but you don't eat back on that. Subtract 500 from TDEE to lose 1 pound a week or 250 calories to lose 1/2 pound.0 -
I have my loss set at 2 pounds per week and I lost 20 pounds in the first 5 weeks, this time (after gaining this year). Last year I lost 160 pounds in 9 months, but I did set my calories at 1300, and for reference I am a 36, Male, 6'5". I had a huge deficit but felt satisfied with the amount of food I ate. I chose to eat a lot of low calorie vegetables, lean meats, and the occasional treat. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, but I was 340 pounds and my doctor told me to lose it, or die an early death. So he put me on the 1300 calorie, supervised diet, which is why I lost so fast.
I don't know why someone flagged this? If you are doctor supervised then this is what he asked you to do. You can ask to get this unflagged, BTW.0 -
Could it possibly be related to your cycle?0
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I would think if your eating the calories MFP recommends your fine ,, weight will vary ,, important thing to do is eat ....
Good luck0 -
You are fine. Likely normal fluctuations. Give it a few weeks and see if it's a pattern. If you're feeling sated with 1200 it's ok. More hungry some days? Eat a bit more. It is NOT the same for everyone, some weeks are more some are less, my loss has been anything but linear, past the first few weeks. You sound reasonable - continue your logical thoughts and you'll make progress at the right pace. Don't buy into the alarmist comments that you can't go over 0.5/week. There are many normal scenarios that are not exactly that and are perfectly healthy. Variation in loss is quite normal. Good luck!!1
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NewGemini130 wrote: »You are fine. Likely normal fluctuations. Give it a few weeks and see if it's a pattern. If you're feeling sated with 1200 it's ok. More hungry some days? Eat a bit more. It is NOT the same for everyone, some weeks are more some are less, my loss has been anything but linear, past the first few weeks. You sound reasonable - continue your logical thoughts and you'll make progress at the right pace. Don't buy into the alarmist comments that you can't go over 0.5/week. There are many normal scenarios that are not exactly that and are perfectly healthy. Variation in loss is quite normal. Good luck!!
I fail to see how suggesting an appropriate rate of loss goal based on the total amount that an individual has to lose, in order to preserve lean body mass as well as additional calories for nourishment - translates to "alarmist comments".1 -
Basics: female, 26, 5ft 4. I weigh 12 st 3. I started at 14 st 1 so have lost 26lb so far. I've been going for 9 weeks. I usually eat between 1500-1600 Cals per day - this is more than mfp recommends (1200 to lose 2lb per week or 1400 to lose 1lb per week) but I've till averaged 1-2 lb per week so I stick to my own plan.
I know this is a lot of loss in 9 weeks but the first 14lb fell off in first 2 weeks. Then around 2 weeks ago I realised sticking to around 1200 a day wasn't so bad if I was clever with what food I chose. I managed a day.... then 2 days.... and I just kept going. I usually go over a little. No more than 100 Cals over.
So since last week I've dropped 4 pounds and kept it off. This is too much right?
I feel partly happy I've lost a lot but also a bit confused. I seem to be losing quicker than I should be.
Also, I don't exercise I just do a bit of walking here and there.... look after my kids.... housework... nothing I'd class as eexercise.
I guess my question is - Is this OK? Am I setting myself up.. to fail? And why is mfp getting it wrong for me?
Let's see...
Weeks 1-2: Lost 14 pounds (7 pounds/week) - likely includes a lot of water weight; don't worry about it
Weeks 3-9: Lost 12 pounds (2 pounds/week) - don't worry about the fact that the loss wasn't linear
You're eating 1500-1600 cals/day and losing 2 pounds/week. That means you're burning 2500-2600 cals/day.
You should increase your calorie intake. You may not be "exercising" but walking can add up, and your loss shows that your walking *is* adding up. Try eating 2000 cals/day to lose 1 pound/week. Also, consider getting a pedometer as they can be picked up cheaply and will let you know when you're having a normal (for you) "lots of steps" day and when you're having a less active day and might want to eat less.
I was in a similar situation. That's what I did. I'm still losing weight just fine.1 -
SusanMFindlay wrote: »Basics: female, 26, 5ft 4. I weigh 12 st 3. I started at 14 st 1 so have lost 26lb so far. I've been going for 9 weeks. I usually eat between 1500-1600 Cals per day - this is more than mfp recommends (1200 to lose 2lb per week or 1400 to lose 1lb per week) but I've till averaged 1-2 lb per week so I stick to my own plan.
I know this is a lot of loss in 9 weeks but the first 14lb fell off in first 2 weeks. Then around 2 weeks ago I realised sticking to around 1200 a day wasn't so bad if I was clever with what food I chose. I managed a day.... then 2 days.... and I just kept going. I usually go over a little. No more than 100 Cals over.
So since last week I've dropped 4 pounds and kept it off. This is too much right?
I feel partly happy I've lost a lot but also a bit confused. I seem to be losing quicker than I should be.
Also, I don't exercise I just do a bit of walking here and there.... look after my kids.... housework... nothing I'd class as eexercise.
I guess my question is - Is this OK? Am I setting myself up.. to fail? And why is mfp getting it wrong for me?
Let's see...
Weeks 1-2: Lost 14 pounds (7 pounds/week) - likely includes a lot of water weight; don't worry about it
Weeks 3-9: Lost 12 pounds (2 pounds/week) - don't worry about the fact that the loss wasn't linear
You're eating 1500-1600 cals/day and losing 2 pounds/week. That means you're burning 2500-2600 cals/day.
You should increase your calorie intake. You may not be "exercising" but walking can add up, and your loss shows that your walking *is* adding up. Try eating 2000 cals/day to lose 1 pound/week. Also, consider getting a pedometer as they can be picked up cheaply and will let you know when you're having a normal (for you) "lots of steps" day and when you're having a less active day and might want to eat less.
I was in a similar situation. That's what I did. I'm still losing weight just fine.
Thank you, your comment made sense to me
1
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