What's your WEEKLY weight loss goal, and why?

lessjess2

Everyone I've ever talked to has been in a real hurry to lose weight. Just curious to see if there's anybody out there who chose a loss of less than 2 lbs per week?

Why did you chose the goal that you set here on MFP?

Is the goal realistic? Do you meet it consistently when you stay within your allowed calories?

fitniknik

I chose 1 lb a week... and i loose about that... Its sustainable I dont think I could live on less food a day!

yellowfairy

My goal is 1 pound a week-and I am basically doing that. I have lost 6 pounds in five weeks. I need something smaller and more attainable to me, or I will get discouraged and give up.

jamaka1

hi jess, i never my goal of 2lbs per/wk. i,m on a 1200 cal, most days i make it due to my exercise. i guess i like setting goalsand the important thing is that i dont gain. there is a saying that the problem with ppl is that we aim low & we meet it, so why not challenge ourselves.

BriannaSkye

I joined hoping to lose 1-2 pounds a week. I have lost more but will try and cut it back. I lost 75 pounds a few years back in just over 7 months and it was too much for my body to handle, my cycle was thrown way off and I had trouble getting pregnant which the doctors think had something to do with my weightloss. I have found when you lose it slowly you are more likely to keep it off. I used weight watchers last time and Im trying this to lose my preganancy weight!

andreahanlon

I choose the 1 pound a week option because I want to live a healthy lifestyle for my whole life -- not just loose weight and gain it back 2 months after I stop trying. Instead of forcing myself to work out hard and as a result, giving up, I decided to only make changes that I could foreseeably keep for the rest of my life. I have been on MFP for around 15 weeks and have lost 18 pounds. I consistently eat within my calorie limits with occasional binges (due to stress/etc), but I realize that as long as I eat healthy the rest of the week, I can keep the damage of overeating occassionally to a minimum. I don't exercise much but try to move around, stretch, etc. for at least 10 or 15 minutes in the morning. And I walk outside when the weather is nice.

I think the other reason I decided on one pound a week is because I started dieting when I was 10, and since then have gained then lost, gained then lost, gained then lost... I don't want to do that anymore. I want to be healthy for my whole life.

One pound a week works for me!

Mollydolly10

I chose to lose half a pound a week. I don't have much weight to lose. I was 5'4" 128 lbs when I started, currently 118. Because I didn't have much to lose, I decided a) I didn't have to do it super fast, and b) losing half a pound as opposed to 1 or 2 will be much more realistic when I switch to maintenance soon. Not to mention, I had mine set to lose a pound a week for a little while, but it was tough, I was only allowed 1200 calories, so days when I didn't exercise, I was screwed, which was a lame feeling!

I think some people can get overeager to lose it all really fast, but honestly, if you are going from a sedentary, food-lover lifestyle, it would be impossible to sustain a 1200 cal/day diet with exercise 5 times a week. even if you did, once you reach your "goal" you would probably breathe a sigh of relief and start going back to the old ways. So to me, it's about making a REALISTIC lifestyle change - and that change is different for everyone!

When I was set for losing a pound a week, I would always be over in calories (over 1200) and end up losing about a pound or half a pound a week. Now that I've reset my goals to losing half a pound of week, I feel more intrinsically motivated to exercise because I WANT to, and not because I "HAVE" to because I'll be in the red! Before, exercise would be more of a punishment and a feeling of guilt, but now I love it, and I love running and training for races!

It's really done wonders for me mentally, and I have been losing half a pound or a pound a week, so just the same, but I am allowing myself more "relaxation" and less pressure!

abyt42

I set my goal at 2 pounds a week...because, as you've said, I was impatient to be smaller. However, I've slowed way down (and anticipate losing less than a pound a week at my current activity level and 1200 calories a day.) I'm still impatient, I've just accepted that it's a marathon, and not a sprint......

caitlinclock

I set mine at 2 pounds because I really want to lose weight and I think I still have a decent amount to lose. Sometimes I lose more and sometimes I lose less.

ashlee954

When I first started I did 1200 cals/day which was the lowest MFP can recommend. That put me at a 1.4 lbs/wk loss. I would have done less cals if it were healthy for a sustained period of time. I LOVE food so it was difficult, but manageable. The others are right in that this is a lifestyle change so you want to be realistic, but as soon as I hit my goal I was allowed so many (it seemed) more cals per day. So that was GREAT! If and when I gain a pound (or 4, as is with current holiday fiascos) I know exactly what to do to lose it.

SKelley1218

I set mine to 1lb a week because I figured I could do that even in stressful or busy weeks such as finals and the holidays. So far I have lost about 6lbs in 4 weeks so I have been losing a little more than my goal each week.

modernfemme

My goal is 1 pound a week-and I am basically doing that. I have lost 6 pounds in five weeks. I need something smaller and more attainable to me, or I will get discouraged and give up.

I echo this sentiment. I can still enjoy food and live life while losing weight.

HRgoldenlife

I chose a pound a week. I set a realistic, healthy, and attainable goal for me (with committment and effort). When I lost weight before, I did 1-2 pounds a week. I am just starting and lost 1.5 in a week.

Healthyby30

I chose two lbs a week because I have a lot to lose. When I get my closer to my goal, I will probably aim for .5 to 1lb/week, we'll see how it goes.

Ashley_Panda

Mine is set at 2 a week. I like a challenge but I'm not going to beat myself up if I don't reach that goal. A loss is a loss for me and I'm doing more now to lose it than ever. I eat healthier, I exercise and that was something I was definitely not doing before.

Maidei

I started out trying to do 2lbs a week. But being a nutrition major in University I knew there was no way I could lose that much weight every week without doing it the unhealthy way (going below 1200 net cals/day) given my height and current weight. So I decided to consult a nutritionist. So I made an appoint, and she pretty much told me the safest way for me to lose weight and for it to be PERMANENT was to lose .5 - 1lbs a week. She put me on a 1800calorie diet because I usually burn off about 500calories from working out 4-6 days a week. This way my net is alway at least 1,300 and I don't have hunger pangs or anything because I now eat 5 times a day. 3 main meals (400-500calories each) and 2 snacks (200-250calories each). With about 2/3hrs in-between each feeding.
And it's been working great! I have so much more energy, I never feel hungry, I choose healthier foods (she gave me a guide to follow where I can pick my own foods but it tells me which food groups and how much to eat at each meal) and the weight is coming off! Losing weight really can be fun, easy and permanent if done the proper way. Slow and steady always wins the race.

HeatherShrinking

I started with losing 1.5 pounds as my goal, but then I alway found myself trying to figure out what to eat at the end of the night to reach the calories. I've switched it to 2 pounds a week now.

JulieBoBoo

My goal is 2lbs a week because I have 155 pounds to lose. I am diabetic, have high blood pressure and am on cholesterol meds. I want to try to undo the damage I'd done to my body as quickly as is healthy.
Also I know from the past that this is not an unrealistic schedule for me.

I suspect that once I get under 200lbs I'll be happy to slow down to 1lb a week. It's really not like I'm starving myself or having to work out to extremes since my SW is already so very high.

mariagrant

Please Help I am a mother of 2. My goal is 2 lbs per week and 1200 calories per day. I Just had a baby 4 months ago and would like to lose the weight. I havent been able to lose the weight or to met my goal. I excerise everyday for 20-30 min. I watch want I eat and small portion. I need some help.

molina76853

My goal is 1.5 lbs a week.

Evermyre

My goal is a pound a week. I just can't handle the calorie restrictions necessary to lose more than that on a daily basis. If I lose more, great! If not, that's okay too. It just seems way more atainable and far less likely that I'll give up then.