How to keep 1 lb a week weightloss rate going?

Seajolly

I have successfully lost 8 lbs in about 8.5 weeks! I've worked out a couple of days a week the last few weeks, but this was mostly achieved through logging calories. I'm currently at 190.4 after starting at 198.6 lbs. I'm hoping to keep the momentum going, so I'd like to continue losing at this rate for awhile longer.

What are your tips for 1 lb weight loss weekly? I'm currently working out about 2-3 times a week.

ds41980

Congrats! I have lost 25.5 pounds since July at the same rate about 1 pound per week average. I do meal prep on the weekends, I take my breakfast and lunch to work everyday. I haven't started exercising yet. I have been counting calories also. I guess the one thing I would like to say is that some weeks I don't see a change in the scale. I usually go for about 3 weeks before I see a dip in the scale and then one day 3 pounds will be gone. So if this happens to you, don't be discouraged, the loss is still happening. Oh also make sure you keep up with your TDEE. I check mine every 5 pounds lost. Best wishes!

Machka9

Seajolly wrote: »

I have successfully lost 8 lbs in about 8.5 weeks! I've worked out a couple of days a week the last few weeks, but this was mostly achieved through logging calories. I'm currently at 190.4 after starting at 198.6 lbs. I'm hoping to keep the momentum going, so I'd like to continue losing at this rate for awhile longer.

What are your tips for 1 lb weight loss weekly? I'm currently working out about 2-3 times a week.

Keep doing what you're doing.

But do realise that weigh loss isn't linear and sometimes there will weeks where things slow a bit. Just stick to it.

Seajolly

ds41980 wrote: »

Congrats! I have lost 25.5 pounds since July at the same rate about 1 pound per week average. I do meal prep on the weekends, I take my breakfast and lunch to work everyday. I haven't started exercising yet. I have been counting calories also. I guess the one thing I would like to say is that some weeks I don't see a change in the scale. I usually go for about 3 weeks before I see a dip in the scale and then one day 3 pounds will be gone. So if this happens to you, don't be discouraged, the loss is still happening. Oh also make sure you keep up with your TDEE. I check mine every 5 pounds lost. Best wishes!

Thank you. How do I adjust my TDEE...?

Seajolly

Machka9 wrote: »

Keep doing what you're doing.

But do realise that weigh loss isn't linear and sometimes there will weeks where things slow a bit. Just stick to it.

Thanks! Yes, that's what I'm afraid of. I'd like to keep the 1 lb weekly weight loss going as long as possible.

b3achy

Keep doing what you are doing. Eat at a 1 pound loss deficit each week (which would be 3500 calories less than maintenance/week or 500 calories/day less than maintenance). Keep it simple and you will reach your goal.

It gets more challenging, IMO, is as you get closer to your eventual goal and move into the normal BMI range (which is when it got a bit tougher to lose consistently for me - your mileage may vary). Then you have to be a bit stricter with your logging, and may need to bump up the times on your workouts to get the same level of calorie burn since you will be weighing less and therefore burning less. You also may need to drop your deficit to be more manageable for you because you will be having a lower calorie goal due to being lighter (remember to adjust your calorie goal as you get lighter...good to adjust at least at every 10 pounds, though as I got closer to my goal I was adjusting every 5 pounds). A smaller deficit will give you a smaller loss per week, so you will need to manage your personal expectations at that point.

b3achy

Seajolly wrote: »

Machka9 wrote: »

Keep doing what you're doing.

But do realise that weigh loss isn't linear and sometimes there will weeks where things slow a bit. Just stick to it.

Thanks! Yes, that's what I'm afraid of. I'd like to keep the 1 lb weekly weight loss going as long as possible.

Have faith in the system. As I got closer to goal (i.e., once I got into normal BMI range), I'd not always see any great loss for a couple of weeks, but then I'd drop a couple of pounds in a week, so it averaged out in the long run. But I didn't quit and just believed in the system. When I had the stalls, I did check to see if there was anything I was doing to sabotage my success. For example, a couple of weeks I had the same number of minutes of exercise, but lower impact, so lower calorie burn, which is probably what caused a mini-stall at that point. But remember to look at the losses over a period of time, not just weekly. Sometimes you have to depend on the averages because as @Machka9 said, weight loss isn't linear.

b3achy

Seajolly wrote: »

Thank you. How do I adjust my TDEE...?

Here's some TDEE calculators and a BMR calculator...(I have them all bookmarked and run my numbers in them periodically since they are all slightly different, but they all taught me something unique in my figuring out TDEE/NEAT/Macro Ratios journey):

https://tdeecalculator.net/ (my personal favorite TDEE calculator)

http://www.iifym.com/iifym-calculator/ (others swear by this TDEE calculator)

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ (and others like this TDEE/Calorie calculator best)

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/ (BMR calculator, which then you can figure out your TDEE with other information by using this equation - http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-benedict-equation/ )

For me, I wanted to understand the calculation process so I could make better educated decisions about what to adjust in my loss process (and what those adjustments meant to me). So I actually liked the last set of links because it helped me understand better some of the calculations being made auto-magically by the MFP calculator. I'm sure it's not for everyone, but you might find it useful too.

Seajolly

Thank you for the websites and inspiration b3achy!

b3achy

Seajolly wrote: »

Thank you for the websites and inspiration b3achy!

No problem. Hmm, a few more tips as I was thinking about it:

Don't worry too much about future things until you get to them. You sound like me, that you want to think through every situation, but you may never experience a stall, so don't fret over it at this point. Focus on getting the job done where you are and deal with what comes up as it does. Honestly, I never thought I'd see a stall, but when I did, I knew to research what to do, analyze my own numbers and make adjustments appropriate for me.

Should you make a major adjustment to your workouts (changing up the type of workout or adding significantly more minutes to your workouts), be patient. If you are using different muscles, you will likely retain water as your muscles adjust to the new workout. In the middle of my loss, I added strength training into my routine, and had a stall. But it wasn't really a fat loss stall because my muscles were just being feisty and retaining a bunch of water. After a couple of weeks, they finally released it and I saw a good sized loss on the scale. Also, during the process, I joined a challenge group where they were having us do lots of different exercises. Same thing happened. Again, trusting the process and not rage quitting is key in this situation.

If you aren't doing it already, find an alternate way to measure your loss, like tape measurements or taking pictures at regular intervals or having a set of clothes you want to fit into. The scale isn't always your friend. So, I tape myself regularly in addition to weighing on the scale. I take the following measurements (neck, shoulders, chest, waist, hips, biceps, thighs, calves - you can also do forearms, but I left them out this round). Every week I normally see at least a quarter inch loss somewhere...sometimes I can have multiple inches lost in total. (Some people only tape monthly so they see a bigger loss at a time.) And typically if the scale doesn't move, I'll see some loss in my measurements and vice versa. Since I'm seeing a loss somewhere, I get less discouraged. Honestly for me, pictures haven't shown that big of a loss/change to me, but I know for others they are key. This past week though, I saw a small increase on the scale and zero change in my measurements, which honestly sort of discouraged me. On a whim, I tried on my goal dress which had been hanging on my closet door for the past couple of months (since I fit into my last clothing goal of some cargo pants). The dress fit! Now, I'm considering moving into maintenance next month even though I'm still 7 pounds away from my original "arbitrary" goal number because I can fit back into the clothes I've not worn in years, which really is what I wanted. So, while the number on the scale is a good general goal/target, consider alternate ways to check your progress (and make adjustments accordingly).

kami3006

Seajolly wrote: »

Machka9 wrote: »

Keep doing what you're doing.

But do realise that weigh loss isn't linear and sometimes there will weeks where things slow a bit. Just stick to it.

Thanks! Yes, that's what I'm afraid of. I'd like to keep the 1 lb weekly weight loss going as long as possible.

It's more of an average of one pound a week. You may go a week without any loss and then go down two the next. I lost at a rate of a half pound a week but sometimes the scale wouldn't move for three weeks; then I was down 1 and 1/2 pounds. You have to look at it over time. Measurements and photos help tons.

Dalceridae

I've seen several people talk about making sure they adjust their daily calorie target. Does MFP not automatically adjust your calorie goal as you lose weight?

kami3006

Dalceridae wrote: »

I've seen several people talk about making sure they adjust their daily calorie target. Does MFP not automatically adjust your calorie goal as you lose weight?

If you use the numbers it gives you, as opposed to setting your own calorie goal, it will prompt you to change your calories every 10 pounds. I won't change them automatically.