Losing Weight When Near Lean / Goal Weight

Cortelli
Cortelli Posts: 1,369 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Will someone please explain to me the basis for the often heard advice / observation here on MFP that shows up in two forms:

1. As one nears a lean weight, one should *try* and only lose slowly (say 0.5 lb per week), but not 2 lbs per week.

and it’s cousin

2. As one nears a lean weight, it is very hard to lose additional pounds – you *should not expect* to lose more than a half or so pound a week.

Think I have a decent handle why #1 is frequently offered up; not so sure on #2.

Thank you.

Replies

  • Phoenix_Warrior
    Phoenix_Warrior Posts: 1,633 Member
    1. Is to reduce the chance of losing lean body mass. The higher the deficit, the more likely it be.

    2. I don't get either but I think it's under the same assumption that you should lessen the deficit, so you'll go slower. As, if you were eating the same amount to lose the whole way, you'll lose less quickly as you near goal, as the body requires less energy than at heavier weights.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    As far as I understand it our bodies do not lie to be "lean", it's a somewhat unnatural state. Often the body will burn muscle in order to preserve fat, which it sees as more important in case of famine. Additionally hormones can get all messed up, etc. Also we often subconsciously move less when at large deficits and already lean, effectively lowering our TDEE, and decreasing that deficit making it appear like we aren't losing like we should be.
  • oiseau17
    oiseau17 Posts: 142 Member
    #2 is because as you weigh less and less, it becomes harder to create a sizable calorie deficit without undereating. So if you're eating the amount you need to be to keep you healthy and energetic, your deficit will likely be small once you don't have much left to lose.
  • Cortelli
    Cortelli Posts: 1,369 Member
    Thank you for the helpful replies. I thought I might get more form the boards given how often I see these statements in other threads.

    So I believed that #1 (should only try) is based on two primary reasons: (1) the desire to avoid losing lean mass; and (2) concern about adjusting / moving towards a maintenance calorie goal at a slower pace.

    And as for #2 (should only expect / very hard to lose) -- I believed that for slight men and women with pretty low BMRs - where the ability to develop a significant deficit while still being reasonably healthy intake level could be a challenge. But for larger frames / folks with a higher BMR / TDEE, so long as the risk of losing LBM wasn't a motivating factor, that there was no reason weight loss couldn't continue at a faster clip.

    Am I wrong about this (harder to lose) and missing something, or am I right to chalk up the "should only expect" mantra to old wives' tale / outright BS that just sounds like it makes sense?

    BTW: this is a curiosity for me, not anything that is impacting my diet approach.

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