Thoughts on losing weight at a slower rate.

albloomfield60

I started this diet around the first week of October. I went a few weeks before I discovered this site. Once I found this site I put in my data and I basically said I wanted to lose 1 lbs. a week as a goal. It gave me the calorie goal which was around 3,300 calories. I have basically stayed around 1,500 calories and have been losing about 15 lbs. a month.

I've lost 66 lbs. so far and I feel pretty good. I've been thinking about upping my calories and losing at a slower rate. I'm starting to worry about loose skin, getting burnt out etc. I went in and re set my goal for around a 2 lbs. a week loss and it's giving me 2,400 calories. It seems like I should have no problem with that.

What I've been wondering though, Since I've started this diet I haven't been hungry and I've really had no problems staying around 1,500 calories. I've been thinking about just eating a snack, or something after dinner to get me around the calories I need. This kind of seems foreign to me. I've been in losing weight mode for almost 4 month, eating more calories, even if I'm not hungry just kind of seems to go against losing weight. It kind of goes against my mind set.

Like, if I'm at 1,800 calories but would like to get around 2,300, eating a small bag of doritos that has 500 calories in it. My mind is telling me, don't eat it, you don't need it, just think about how much more weight you can lose by not eating that bag of doritos, you're not even hungry.

I was just wondering if anybody else has dealt with this, and what are your thoughts on it. I'm really at a place right now where I'd be fine with losing 2 lbs. a week, but getting in the mindset of it's OK to eat more just seems foreign right now.

kgeyser

I think you need to eat more, and that when you do you're probably going to see a gain because you messed up your metabolism eating so far under your BMR for months on end. You basically lost twice the healthy amount of weight to lose per month for four months straight, and probably took a good chunk of muscle along with it.

Many people have trouble with the idea that you can eat so much and still lose weight, mostly because we have a distorted perception of exactly how much we really ate before to gain weight and cling to the idea that losing weight has to be restriction and agony. If you really want to do this the healthy way, you've got to eat enough to fuel your body. It's not about being ok with losing a little less each week, it's acknowledging that the large deficits have very negative consequences when it comes to your health and that continuing to do it, even though you make like seeing the progress, is doing more harm than good.

SezxyStef

As a man the min is 1800 and if MFP said 3300 for 1lb a week why not eat 3000 for 1 1/2 a week...or even 2500 for 2lb but 66lbs in 16 weeks...that is like 4lbs a week...wow

Because with that 66lbs of weight was a lot of muscle mass...because you aren't getting enough food let alone enough protien.

You didn't put this weight on in a 6months or even a year...

If I were you I would increase my calories by 100-200 a week over the next little while as you will see some weight gain...mainly water retention etc.

Hunger...not the best indicator of what your body needs...kids starving in africa get to the point too where they just don't feel the hunger...they are too weak....

jhellwig828

Many people have trouble with the idea that you can eat so much and still lose weight, mostly because we have a distorted perception of exactly how much we really ate before to gain weight and cling to the idea that losing weight has to be restriction and agony. If you really want to do this the healthy way, you've got to eat enough to fuel your body.

This is totally how I felt going in to all this! I am completely amazed at the amount of food I can eat, stay on a low calorie diet and still lose weight!

Edited because my spelling was awful

akaMrsmojo

Losing at a slower rate will help you be more successful and is realistic. I know too many people who want two pounds a week, the goals are hard to manage and they never last.

I did it slowly, 1/2 pound a week.

Duck_Puddle

Based on your ticker, you have a considerable amount to lose. I'm guessing your loss rate is roughly 1% of your total body weight per week? That's a healthy rate (according to the interwebz .5-1% of your bodyweight per week, the higher end when you have much more to lose).

As for eating more/feeling hungry. What is your activity/exercise level now? As that increases, I'm guessing your hunger will naturally increase along with it. I would work on increasing your intake up to 2000 or so (at least). A PB sandwich can easily come in at 500 calories. Or a handful of nuts. Or treat yourself to the Doritos. You don't "need" them, but learning to fit things like Doritos into your diet is a good practice.

Great job on the loss so far. Keep up the good work!

tfleischer

1,500 or 1800 calories per day for someone your size puts you in danger of harming yourself while losing weight.
Look under groups and look for "More than 100 pounds to lose" and make some connections there to find out how others have done it.
You may want to be under doctor's contact while losing this amount of weight, as well.
As you change, dramatically, your body will change.
Every 20 lbs. (at this point) you should recalculate your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) and you calories. As you shrink, so will the amount of calories required to keep you alive and healthy, and so will the amount of energy you expend in a day during normal stuff.

As said earlier, nuts, avocado and healthy oils like olive oil will help you with meeting a higher calorie goal.

run_way

My comment is focused mainly on what you would be eating to increase your calories. If you want to increase your calorie intake, don't do it with Doritos, stick with quality food that is actually going to fuel your body. Doritos have calories, but essentially no nutritional value so they don't do you any good one way or another. Add a snack here and there like an avocado that has vitamins and healthy fats, or some yogurt or whole wheat toast with peanut or almond butter.