A loss of how many pounds per week is considered good?

pattilindley
pattilindley Posts: 47 Member
edited November 17 in Health and Weight Loss
I started my lifechange journey at the end of December and I have lost 24 pounds. That seems really slow to me. Right now I'm losing about one pound a week, but at the beginning it was about two pounds per week. My goal is another 46 pounds, maybe more. What is a reasonable expectation for when that might happen? I already got stuck on a plateau at 20 pounds for about 3-4 weeks. My understanding is as I get closer to goal it will go even slower. I am still allowing the scale to influence my measure of my success. I also know that this is not a short term weight loss goal, it is a lifestyle change, but I'm struggling with old habits. Advice would be welcome.

Replies

  • LessCookiess
    LessCookiess Posts: 538 Member
    Your current 1 pound a weight sounds pretty reasonable good job on your weight loss so far!

    Also what's your current height/ weight/ calorie intake/ are you eating back your workout burn?this will give us more information to work with.

    Also the 2 pound a week you lost before is pretty normal often at first people tend to lose water weight, and the more you weigh the more pounds one could lose faster.
    One pound sounds like a good amount keep up with what you're doing!
  • menotyou56
    menotyou56 Posts: 178 Member
    Sounds great to me! 52 pounds a year lighter? I'll take that anytime! :)
  • sheermomentum
    sheermomentum Posts: 827 Member
    It's sooooo much faster and easier to gain it, isn't it. 1 pound a week sounds about right for your goal. If you're satisfied with your current menu, I wouldn't change much.
  • pattilindley
    pattilindley Posts: 47 Member
    Thanks for the encouragement. I'm eating about 1200 calories, sometimes less, sometimes more. I would rather see 2-3 pounds per week, but I have lost and gained many times in the past. I have asthma so it is hard to work out because I get out of breath. I'm not drinking much water, mostly tea and coffee. How much of a difference does that make?
  • LessCookiess
    LessCookiess Posts: 538 Member
    pattilindley wrote: »
    Thanks for the encouragement. I'm eating about 1200 calories, sometimes less, sometimes more. I would rather see 2-3 pounds per week, but I have lost and gained many times in the past. I have asthma so it is hard to work out because I get out of breath. I'm not drinking much water, mostly tea and coffee. How much of a difference does that make?

    What's your current height and weight? You may be able to eat more and continue to lose weight in a healthy manner.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    sheermomentum wrote: »
    It's sooooo much faster and easier to gain it, isn't it. 1 pound a week sounds about right for your goal. If you're satisfied with your current menu, I wouldn't change much.

    IDK...I lost my 40 Lbs in about 9 months...it took me 8 years to put it on.

    OP...one pound per week is excellent. Manage expectations.
  • pattilindley
    pattilindley Posts: 47 Member
    I am only five foot 2 inches and I'm currently 186 pounds. I started at 210 pounds which is hard to admit. I am 64 years old so my metabolism has slowed considerably.
  • quintessential1
    quintessential1 Posts: 54 Member
    My body will not allow me to loose anymore then 2lbs a week. If I were in charge of how much weight dropped per week- I would drop these last 14 this week. Thus far I have lost 36. Good luck and stay focused.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    I have lost over 50+ lbs...

    I started out losing about 1lb a week then upped my calories so I was losing 1/2lb a week when I got to about 20lbs...

    the less you have to lose the less you should lose a week...

    I used this as a guide

    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    pattilindley wrote: »
    I am only five foot 2 inches and I'm currently 186 pounds. I started at 210 pounds which is hard to admit. I am 64 years old so my metabolism has slowed considerably.

    From here http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/#result you have a BMR of about 1450. Add 25% for normal activity and you are around 1800 calories burned a day. Give or take. At 1200 calories, given rounding and errors in tracking, 1 lb a week sounds pretty damn close to what you should be losing.

    Sounds like you are on track and just need to realize this will take longer than you like. Also as you get closer to your goal, the loss rate will slow down further.

    AS A GUESS, you will lose 1/2 the remaining weigh at 1 lb per week and the other 1/2 at .5lb per week so you are looking at ~ 70 weeks to get rid of 46 lbs.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    We'd all love to lose a ton of fat quickly, but the body only can oxidize so much in a given period and the more aggressive we are, the more likely people will provide their body inadequate nutrients and cause poor nutrition. Aggressive weight loss can lead to a plethora of problems such as; gallstones, hair falling out, brittle nails, skin issues, etc...

    But at 1 lb a week, you are doing fine. If you want it a little faster, than increase exercise a bit. Because at 1200 calories + 1 lb a week loss, it means your maintenance is around 1700. I'd also recommend making sure you are eating higher protein levels (around 100-120g) to help support muscle retention and maintenance of your metabolism.
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