Wife not confident with MFP. She only lost 2lbs in 2 weeks

jofjltncb6

So my wife is now using MFP to lose weight. She wants to lose 20lbs. She has set her calorie intake to be 1250 cal per day. She is looking to lose 2 lbs a week.

She has been following it to a T but something is keeping her back. Im not sure what it is but she needs some encouragement or advice. She has begun going to the gym 3 times a week but just going to classes.

I dont think she is drinking enough water but not sure if thats the only thing. I also think since she isnt so fat, she isnt losing as much weight as other overweight people. But im not sure.


any advice you can give to her.

Perhaps she just hasn't reached a sufficient level of commitment to making it happen (to the degree you think it should)?

You know, somewhere around the level of commitment one would need to make their own posts in the forums instead of having them done by proxy?

(Just a thought. My wife hasn't reached that level of commitment yet either...but I don't think it has anything to do with her water consumption.

Also, two weeks is a little early to make a decision about the effectiveness of her commitment.

ninerbuff

At only 20lbs to lose, 1lb a week is fine. People shouldn't try to lose more than 1% of their body weight a week, unless they are very overweight or obese.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Mischievous_Rascal

One pound a week is great. Big pounds/week losses are for people who have more to lose than her. A little bit like 20 pounds should be slow and steady, or it will all rebound right back on once she starts trying to maintain. Get her to read this:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

SonicDeathMonkey80

Man, once she sees this, you're in deep sh**.

sjohnny

Man, once she sees this, you're in deep sh**.

IKR?

raven56706

ok i got more info because i was wrong...


she has it set to 1 lb a week. So she is getting her goal. I find it odd that 1lb a week is 1250 but i think its because of her body type. She isnt overweight.


and SonicDeathMon... you should have seen her when she stepped on the scale. super angry.

Fujiberry

Your wife's expectations are unrealistic for her body.

THIS.

1) 1 pound a week is FANTASTIC. She's setting unrealistic expectations. It takes months for people to see noticeable difference.
2) If she's exercising or not being a complete couch potato 24/7, then her calories are waaaay too low. Her body will most likely want to hold onto the fat because she's depriving herself. She's probably netting at around 600-800 cals per day. That's starvation.
3) The smaller she is, the harder it is for fat loss to happen. It took me 4+ months to lose 10 lbs. I went from 110 to 100 lbs.

SonicDeathMonkey80

ok i got more info because i was wrong...


she has it set to 1 lb a week. So she is getting her goal. I find it odd that 1lb a week is 1250 but i think its because of her body type. She isnt overweight.


and SonicDeathMon... you should have seen her when she stepped on the scale. super angry.

I'd just ask a mod to wipe this thread. Start posting offensive stuff or something bc seriously, she's gonna post about you posting this and get 100 recommendations from unhappy MFP wives for divorce.

AllOutof_Bubblegum

One pound a week is more than sufficient. Did she gain more than a pound a week? I'm betting no. So she should keep expectations reasonable and not hope for more than the gained per week.

ZombieEarhart

Yep, a pound a week is great progress. In fact, she should probably be aiming for .5 pounds a week, with only 20 pounds to lose.

ETA: pretty excited for the wife to show up!

lavaughan69

I've lost 52lbs and it took me a year...that's a pound a week. She probably figures that with working out and eating right she should see faster results but sometimes working out creates muscle repair and you tend to hold on some water weight when that happens. Slow and steady wins the race so just encourage her to stay focused on her food intake, that's going to be the key to her success.

neandermagnon

my advice to your wife is that 2lb in 2 weeks is excellent progress, in fact I'd say it's optimal progress for someone who wants to lose just 20lb. 2lb/week is too fast a rate of weight loss if you only have 20lb to lose... the less you have to lose the greater the risk of loss of lean mass, which in turn leads to the metabolism slowing, and increases the likelihood of regaining the weight again (only what you regain is 100% fat while what you lost was a combination of fat and muscle, so you end up with worse body composition than you started with).......... taking things slow and steady has other benefits as well, including the fact that if you're not torturing or depriving yourself, it's a lot easier to stick with the new habits for life. Reverting back to old habits = rebound fat gain.... so for both these reasons, if you try to lose the weight too quickly you're setting yourself up for rebound fat gain. If you go more slowly it's a lot more likely that the weight you're losing is 100% fat (you also need strength training and an adequate protein intake to protect against lean body mass loss) and more likely that you'll stick to it for life and quite a lot less likely that you'll regain the weight back again.

tell her that this is not a race, the winner isn't the one who loses weight the quickest - the winner is everyone who stays at a healthy goal weight/body composition for life. She needs to focus on the long term, it doesn't matter that she's going to take longer to get there, what matters is that she has a better chance of staying at her goal weight for life if she loses the weight the slow, steady and sustainable way. And this way is the healthiest way too. So it's win win win all round - it just takes a little bit of patience as the rate of loss is slower.

ETA: when she has only 10lb to lose she should change her goal for 0.5lb/week fat loss.

MityMax96

have to agree w/ the others.

NEVER POST ANYTHING ABOUT YOUR WIFE AND HER WEIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just don't

PinkyFett

1 lb a week is good. Maybe she's not eating enough. I'd be insanely grateful for a steady 1 lb a week loss. Some of us don't have it that good.

raven56706

She has been following it to a T but something is keeping her back. Im not sure what it is but she needs some encouragement or advice. She has begun going to the gym 3 times a week but just going to classes.

I dont think she is drinking enough water but not sure if thats the only thing. I also think since she isnt so fat, she isnt losing as much weight as other overweight people. But im not sure.

If she's concerned with her progress, why isn't she posting to the forums? I know you probably think you're helping, but it's coming off as a little controlling. You are implying that 'just' going to classes at the gym isn't enough. You're guessing her water intake is to blame.

You are right about one thing: she has less to lose, so she will lose it more slowly. I don't think it would be wise to try to figure out what she is doing "wrong." Even if you are trying to help alleviate her frustration, even if your heart is in the right place, it won't be as helpful as simply encouraging her to keep with her plan. She can hunt for answers on the forums for herself if she feels that she's not getting to where she wants to be.

she is a teacher and never tries to check. You would think me being the success story would be enough confidence for her but i dont want her to get discouraged. I dont think she needs to force it but then again she wants to lose the weight not me. IM only asking for advice for her to not get her discouraged with her great progress. Im only helping her reach her goals. i dont think that means im controlling her which is crazy to say with just asking for advice for her.

Cranquistador

where is your wife? is going to come in here and post or what?

sjohnny

She has been following it to a T but something is keeping her back. Im not sure what it is but she needs some encouragement or advice. She has begun going to the gym 3 times a week but just going to classes.

I dont think she is drinking enough water but not sure if thats the only thing. I also think since she isnt so fat, she isnt losing as much weight as other overweight people. But im not sure.

If she's concerned with her progress, why isn't she posting to the forums? I know you probably think you're helping, but it's coming off as a little controlling. You are implying that 'just' going to classes at the gym isn't enough. You're guessing her water intake is to blame.

You are right about one thing: she has less to lose, so she will lose it more slowly. I don't think it would be wise to try to figure out what she is doing "wrong." Even if you are trying to help alleviate her frustration, even if your heart is in the right place, it won't be as helpful as simply encouraging her to keep with her plan. She can hunt for answers on the forums for herself if she feels that she's not getting to where she wants to be.

she is a teacher and never tries to check. You would think me being the success story would be enough confidence for her but i dont want her to get discouraged. I dont think she needs to force it but then again she wants to lose the weight not me. IM only asking for advice for her to not get her discouraged with her great progress. Im only helping her reach her goals. i dont think that means im controlling her which is crazy to say with just asking for advice for her.

If by this you mean she never comes on the forums or looks at your profile to see what topics you've posted then you may be safe..... may.

Hendrix7

op's next thread

"hey any single ladies in here?"

sjohnny

I don't see the problem.

Some women aren't big fans of being referred to as "not so fat". Especially to the whole world publicly.