Half a pound a week- is this ideal for me?

gabrielleelliott90

Heya, not sure if this is the right board but I believe so. Please don't shoot me down if it isn't.

Anyway, so I recently got a fitbit flex. I've heard that I should make my setting on here to 'sedentary'. So that is what I did. I'm a 5'3 160lb girl, my goal weight is 143lb, when I'm thin I'm quite bony looking already so I don't want to go any lower than that. I was used to eating in the 1400- 1500 range on here so when I changed to sedentary instead of lightly active, it gave me 1330. I have tried with that amount of calories and it just isn't enough for me. 1330 was for me to lose a pound a week, so now I've changed to half a pound and I'm at 1580 which is good enough for me. I have 20 pounds give or take to lose. I have trouble losing weight anyway. Do you think half a pound a week is an alright weight loss for me? That is 2 pounds per month. I know it's meant to gradual but will this be 'too gradual' if you know what I mean?

KateK8LoseW8

I don't know, IS half a pound a week ideal for you? You need to make that decision for yourself. Are you okay with losing slowly? Are you okay with not seeing large losses from week to week? Are you able to stay motivated with a slow weight loss? That's up to you. I will always advocate slower over faster, but it's a personal decision you have to make, whether you want to eat less and lose faster or eat more and lose more slowly.

jkwolly

The calculations from MFP are very generic. I'd consider finding out your TDEE, and from there taking off whatever percentage you're comfortable with.

A good rule of thumb is 500 calories under your TDEE and you'll loose around 1lbs a week.

Here is a good site to use if you're interested:
http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

lmd_1979

What is ideal for you or anyone trying to lose weight is to lose weight without starving yourself or being hungry all the time.

animatorswearbras

According to those figures 1455 cals will lose you on average 3/4 pound a week if you want a compromise?

But as others have said just hit a calorie goal that you can maintain without wanting to throw in the towel, it's better to do half a pound a week (my target too) then do something that will make you crack in a fortnight.

Option B though if you want to lose a pound would be to set it at a pound loss and earn some exercise calories to eat back 20-30 mins a day of aerobic level exercise should get you a couple of hundred extra cals to eat

liloldDee

Have you set your fitbit to sedentary and linked the accounts? If so as you are active throughout the day you will earn calories which will be transferred over from fitbit to mfp when they sync. I aim to lose 1 pound per week, I am allowed 1630 cals ( heavier than you) at sedentary, every day I earn between 500/750 cals from been active, it's up to me if I eat the calories. If I don't I lose more weight, if I do I should lose 1 pound weekly. I choose to eat some of my exercise calories, this way I have a buffer in case the extra calories are over estimated or I estimate a food calorie content incorrectly.

BusyRaeNOTBusty

"Too gradual" doesn't really exist. If you are losing and you are okay with the rate, then it's fine. I've lost like 5lbs in 13 weeks. It kind of sucks but I'm not really willing to eat less.

Springfield1970

Having been at maintenance for a while and finding it every bit as challenging as cutting, I'd make any fat loss as slow as possible so you can eat in a way that doesn't make you feel deprived.

Then when it comes time to maintain, you've trained yourself over a long period of time to just 'walk away from the cookies'.

Saying that, it's very hard to track results at a very slow loss, so I'd find something in the middle, weigh myself every day and average out the weekly number, plot it on a graph.

gabrielleelliott90

@LilOldDee
Oh yeah I have linked my mfp account and my fitbit , forgot to say that. I do get a few exxtra hundred calories from it (200-300) You must be really active to get so much from your fitbit, do you do over 10,000 steps? I only just get over 10,000 steps so I guess that explains why lol.

@KateK8LoseW8
I'm okay with losing slowly, I know it's a good way to lose weight, Prior to MFP I was doing a group similar to weight watchers called slimming world, I lost 20 pounds with that. It wasn't really working for me though so I don't follow that plan anymore, I still go to the group to weigh in, but I follow mfp instead if that makes sense. I have had a lot of highs and lows with my weight so I could never give up especially not now, I'm used to being disappointed but when I get a loss everything is worth it.

@Jkwolly
I will use that link to find my TDEE.

@Lmd_1979 I completely agree, I could never starve myself nor or be hungry all the time. I'd hate that.

@AnimatorSwear Thanks so much, I will keep 1455 in mind ^^ Thanks for the exercise advice too. I do 30 day shred which helps give me around 300 and try and walk 10,000 steps a day but when I'm done with shred I will be sure to do some aerobic level exercise.

@BusyRaeNOTBus
I know it doesn't really exist, well it does in some contexts, but not with weight loss, I know. I put that to really put an emphasis on whether it would just be ridiculous for me to lose a little over quite a long time, I should of worded it better. I am the same as you, I don't want to eat less either.

@Springfield19
Thanks for your advice, I don't weigh myself everyday or it would become an obsession (been diagnosed with ocd for 11 years now) that would not be good lol, but I weigh myself most days. I will find the average number and write it down, I think I already know it because I've seen 10 billion times now :L To be honest, I used to eat really healthy but nowadays it's just gone. I was deprived and when I got some flexibility it went out the window, but I always try to add some healthy things in each day so I'm getting there.

Thanks for all your advice everyone ^^