How quickly should I lose weight?

drshona

Go on, I know you all have opinions, so let's hear them - preferably with explanations.

Starting weight 211 lb. Height 5ft5. I've lost 5lb so far in 3 weeks.

I want to be 140lb. I think. 150lb would have me at a BMI of 25, so I definitely want to get there and then have a little margin for error.

I get that I shouldn't be losing too quickly and I've heard that the last 10lb should be at 0.5lb/week (although is that the last 10lb to where I want to be or the last 10lb to no longer be 'overweight' by BMI?). But how quickly should I be losing now? And for how long? When do I slow it down and by how much (assuming that that decision is within my control!).

And if I am aiming to lose 1.5lb a week (which is what MFP is set to) but I'm losing more, do I need to slow it down or just go ŵith the flow...?

lynn_glenmont

In for answers, since I've been wondering similar things myself, and I had roughly the same starting stats.
I set a one-pound a week lost goal initially, but averaged 2 lbs a week over the first two weeks, did the math and figured my TDEE (before exercise) is a good bit higher than MFP calculated. I've raised my daily net goal slightly, but since I don't feel deprived or lethargic, and have a lot to lose, I thought I'd stay at a calorie target that's currently about a 1.5 lb or so weekly deficit for a while, on the theory that same calorie target will be a smaller deficit as I get closer to goal weight. Also, I might make an adjustment to slow the weight loss after getting blood work done at my next doctor's visit in late winter, if lipid panel and blood sugar numbers have moved in the right direction. I'd like to maximize any benefits from weight loss in changing those numbers by the time I get tested again.

As long as I'm feeling good and have energy, I figure 1.5 to 2 lbs is OK, but I do wonder whether this is enough weight to lose that I should be worried about trying to lose more slowly to give my skin more time to adjust.

Malachai76

Depends on what your doing if your eating a calorie deficit you'll lose weight steadily, the best way to lose weight is to do exercise as well, cardio is good for weight loss but you'll lose muscle as well, for the best results you need to lift weights, for me weight lifting is the best form of weight loss.
The best piece of advice i can give is don't get caught up in the numbers as you'll hit plateau's, have weeks where you lose more than others so take progress pictures and record measurements as you might not lose anything on the scale one week but lose an inch of your waist which means what your doing is working. Good luck

drshona

I am a bit worried about loose skin. Only because I've got a lot of stretch marks on my tummy from pregnancies so I can see that skin getting really saggy...

drshona

Depends on what your doing if your eating a calorie deficit you'll lose weight steadily, the best way to lose weight is to do exercise as well, cardio is good for weight loss but you'll lose muscle as well, for the best results you need to lift weights, for me weight lifting is the best form of weight loss.
The best piece of advice i can give is don't get caught up in the numbers as you'll hit plateau's, have weeks where you lose more than others so take progress pictures and record measurements as you might not lose anything on the scale one week but lose an inch of your waist which means what your doing is working. Good luck

Hhhmm, this might be a whole new thread really, but as I'm here now....lifting weights. Not something I've ever really done. I do have a set of hand weights, but I think they're really low weights. And I don't really know what to do with them. How heavy? What do you do? How long for and how often?

cmriverside

Well, it's much easier and safer to have a large calorie deficit when you are significantly overweigh. Your body will use that body fat as fuel.

It's important to lower that deficit as you lose weight.

Myfitnesspal's goal wizard will do a good job if you use it as intended. When you get to 30ish pounds to lose, set it to "Lose 1 pound per week" - when you get to 15-20ish pounds to lose, set it to "Lose 1/2 pound per week." Add back in and EAT those exercise calories.

If you get stuck at the same weight for over a month, come back and ask more questions.

WalkingAlong

How deep a deficit is kind of a personal choice thing. I used to think 2 lbs/week was ALWAYS fine, but I've revised my thinking after reading some journal articles that reported LBM sparing from 500 calorie/day deficits vs. 1000. So now I'm on the 'aim for 1 lb/week' train (unless you have a lot to lose and LBM protection isn't a big issue yet, heavier people should lose LBM as well as fat).

I'm not a big fan of that table of SHOULDS that gets posted here. "If you have <10 lbs. to lose, you should aim for .0125 lbs/week..." We're all different and we can select our goals without that chart that someone whipped off the top of their head that just keeps getting reposted.

As for weights, I think one heavy kettlebell is a pretty good investment for a home exerciser. See livefitrevolution.org for some instruction and advice and free workouts.

Malachai76

I done 8 months of cardio I done Insanity twice and focus t25 lost a total of 34lbs but i also lost muscle, thats why my current program i started to lift, I'm 4 weeks into a program called body beast and i can see the difference already. The equipment i have is pretty basic an ez bar, bench and power blocks dumbbells that go from 10lbs to 50lbs.
I write the weight down lifting is trail and error to you get used to it, and the weight varies depending on what exercise your doing as some of your muscles will be stronger than others, the sets in body beast are normally 15/12/8-8 so you do the same exercise 4 times increasing weight and dropping reps. Pick a weight and change to suit if to heavy reduce weight if not heavy enough increase thats why you write it down so next time you do it you know where your at.
I'm no expert there are plenty of folk on here that will have far more knowledge than me i just follow the program write it done so i can lift more next time.
If you what to find out about the programs i mentioned you tube them there are tons of vids on line

Malachai76

forgot to say how often i work out 6 times a week, varying from 30-50 mins at the moment with body beast, but can workout upto 90mins if i throw in a cardio abs workout

cathylopez1975

I don't actually have an opinion, just a weight loss journey of my own. I am 56 years old and have been obese for 30+ years. I started at 234 lbs almost 15 months ago. I lost 47 lbs the first 4 months and 37 lbs. more since then for a total of 84 lbs. I am at 150 lbs with 6 more to go to get to goal. The last 11 lbs have taken 4 months.

I know that some people would want to see more consistent or faster loss, but I'm fine with the journey I've been taking. During the plateaus, my body has continued to shrink. I've learned to look for signs instead of a number on the scale (even though I LOVE seeing the number getting lower!) like smaller sized pants and bras, ability to do physical activities without breathlessness, etc. I had to quit focusing on the number of lbs lost per week because I would get frustrated. Now, I look at other markers and know I'm doing what I need to do. The lbs. will get there pretty soon. I'm just living my life, eating clean (and loving it), and working on my fitness level. The journey continues - it never ends.

meshashesha2012

OP, I'm similar size as you and have similar goals although i think that at 140 pounds i might be 18% bodyfat.

anyway, at the moment i have my plan set up to lose 2 pounds per week but i think that might be a bit too aggressive with my workouts since i'm doing a fair bit of running (compared to what i was doing 6 months ago) and weightlifting.

i think you'll have to give it a few weeks to see how your calorie deficit is effecting your performance in other areas. you might be fine with 2 pounds a week or you might find that you'll have to scale back to 1 pound