Weight loss rate in the real world

pink_mint

So I'm keeping at my effort to lose weight in the middle of all the upheaval in the world, and some challenges in my own life. It gives me something to work on and hopefully reap the positive benefits of.

For those who lost weight and feel that you did it in a realistic, sustainable way - what is a rate of weight loss that is normal? Especially given female cycle related things. I guess the 'real world' also includes detoxes, cleanses, The Biggest Loser, crash dieting, highly restrictive diets etc. I guess by 'real world' I mean methods of weight loss that are not drastic and unsustainable for long periods of time.

I am 4 weeks into my weight loss effort (5'5" starting weight 205, current weight 201). I've stayed at my calorie goal every day. The first 2 weeks I bounced between a 0-2 lb weight loss. 2 weeks in I was up to my starting weight, was really frustrated, then I dropped 4 lbs all at once over 2 days and have stayed at that weight for 2 weeks now. I know this is within the range of normal, but I am just impatient.

RunsWithBees

It took me 300 days to lose 43 lbs. That averages out to almost exactly a pound a week although it sure didn’t go that way IRL. Some weeks I lost nothing, some weeks I lost 1 lb, sometimes after a really long challenging hike I’d retain water for a few days, appear to weigh more, then get a “whoosh” and lose 2-4 lbs. The important thing is to stay consistent, trust the processs and patience certainly is key! I’ve been in maintenance over 6 years now so I guess it can be considered sustainable. I feel like the key to my maintenance now is staying active and not going back to my sedentary ways. Good luck on your journey!

Lillymoo01

I suspect that the 'weight gain' was actually just fluid retention because it was that time in your cycle. What whoosh happens once the additional water leaves your system.

Using a weight trending app like Libra (Android), Happyscale (IOS) or Trendweight (web synced with Fitbit) can help you see the trend of weight loss, regardless of those blimps in day to day weight. This can really help ease your mind.

Aiming for around 1 pound a week is a great target for you as this slow and steady approach is more sustainable and less likely to cause long term health results (including muscle loss). When you get closer to goal easing off to 1/2 pound a week is even better.

You can do it! Just keep going and get up if you fall down.

Danp

There is no normal because life isn't normal. Normal could be a lot, a little, or none at all.

The biggest fallacy with weight loss is that anything below a certain threshold constitutes a failure. I can't count the number of posts I've seen on this board with the title reading something along the lines of "Can't lose weight" or "Why am I failing" only for the first line of the post saying something like "I've been at this for 3 months and only lost 2lbs"

The key to successfully losing weight has nothing to do with how much is lost and even less to do with how quickly it's lost. The key is how little effort it took to achieve a loss, any loss. Losing 1lbs per month that you barely have to think about is a million times better than 2lbs a week that's a struggle.

amusedmonkey

Normal depends on your stats, activity level, and your mental readiness. Anything between 2.5 pounds a week when I was super morbidly obese, to 1 pound every 3 weeks when I was close to goal and inactive was normal. I also had times when I chose to maintain for months, even close to a year once. I also maintained most of this last year intermittently, and that was normal too. It's also normal for me to only see any real progress on the scale 10 days a month due to female hormones, and consistent gain at certain times of my cycle.

What's normal is what you find sustainable, even if that means putting weight loss on hold for a while. Admittedly, I took my time more than the average person (took me 6 years to lose 140 lbs), but that was my normal. Anyone else's normal is not mine.

lgfrie

I started with 2 lbs per week and kept that up for six months, but it got hard. I eventually down shifted to 1.5 lbs/wk and more recently 1 lb. My experience is that one pound per week isn't very hard but every little increment beyond that gets exponentially harder.

neugebauer52

Over the years I have gained 10 to 12 kg a year - so it would be reasonable that I am able to lose about the same amount with a much healthier meal plan, a bit of exercise and the support of MFP and all those amazing members.

threewins

It took me 3 years to reach my goal weight, losing 28 kg.

threewins

Back when weight loss blogs were popular I tracked numerous blogs and all but one had a rebound. We're talking at least 40. Some made it to goal weight though. I always wondered what made her so special. She was losing weight for her wedding. I graphed her weight and it was steep at the start and tapered off gently towards the end. My blog graph was all jaggered.

Lietchi

It sounds like you're doing just fine.

Look at the trend over 4 to 6 weeks. And learn to accept the weird wondrous world of normal weight fluctuations and temporary 'plateaus'

cupcakesandproteinshakes

I did my weight loss in phases. Lost 40 over 2 years. Maintained. Put on 10 pounds then lost them over a few months. Maintained for 3 years. Dropped another 10. So my progress has been anything other than linear. Aside from those pesky daily fluctuations.

Lietchi

This link is interesting by the way:
http://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations/

And this is my weight loss over the past 90 days (in kg):



So weight loss isn't linear for me at all, but I'm still losing just under a lb per week on average.