Losing Weight...Slowly.

Halleeon

I've been successful with my goals thus far with making slow changes to my lifestyle over the last 2 years; last year I stopped gaining weight and was able to successfully keep off 10lbs the entire year. This was quite a success for me as I've spent many years trying to stop overeating and dealing with cravings and poor eating habits.

At any rate, this year the way I eat and approach food is completely different than it's ever been...as is my mentality on how MUCH weight I should realistically look at losing. For me, that is about 0.5-1lbs (or 2-4lbs a month.) It fluctuates...

Let me just say this now...I'm not expecting anyone else follow this method or saying my approach works for everyone.

I'm really just curious about your thoughts on the article below that says that losing half a pound is being realistic. I took the simulator test the article talks about and it's pretty in line with the BMR/TDEE I'm used to seeing...which to me, was a good sign.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2103931/Why-losing-weight-twice-hard-think--slows-metabolism.html

So let's hear from you...what are your thoughts? What is your experience? I haven't read that many stories of people taking multiple years to lose the weight and change their lifestyle (perhaps I should missed them!) But, I would love to hear about it as I'm sure it would be inspirational for me.

Thanks everyone in advance for reading and taking the time to respond.

jenilla1

Take as much time as you need. This weight loss is forever, right? No need to rush it. I lost about .5 pounds a week. Sure took forever, but it was worth it. I've been maintaining now for almost 3 years. I like your plan. Good luck! :drinker:

melr01

I started my journey in November 2012. Since then I have lost 45lbs. After that it came off very slowly but it is still coming off. More quickly now that I have started to figure things out but in my opinion slowly is the way to go. I also don't look at the scale as much because I'm down 5 dress sizes so to me I'm losing more inches than lbs which is fine. I'm half way to my goal and though I hope it doesn't take another 2 years to get me there, I'm okay as long as I'm getting healthy. I think it is great for those who lost 100lbs or more in a year I'm not one of them. I'm doing what is right for me and what will work for me long term. It is hard not to compare myself but I'm happy with my results.

iceeleven

For reference, I'm 5'3" with a tiny frame - my wrist is under 6 inches around and friends have constantly amused themselves with how easy it is to hold both my wrists in one hand. I'm 20-25 pounds overweight and wear between a size 10 and 14, depending on the brand, and a large shirt is *almost* too small for me.

Years ago, I lost about 15 pounds really quickly - just a couple months. I was strict with everything. The meals I was allowed to eat, how I had to go to the gym a minimum of five days a week (with the goal of six days). It honestly wasn't healthy, and it wasn't something I could maintain because I loooove junk food. I ended up gaining even more weight.

So I'm trying to do it slowly this time - I want to still be able to eat a candy bar every week without feeling guilty. If that means it takes me longer to lose weight, I'm totally fine with that. How I'm eating right now, I don't feel deprived or hungry. I'm losing more than half a pound a week. And while I'm working on being healthier - veggies every day! less restaurant meals! - I'm thinking about getting a donut for breakfast tomorrow. I will enjoy every bite because it's not going to ruin my calorie goals for the week.