more than 2lbs a week?

jamesdelong

I'll be honest, I know I could lose more than 1-2 lbs a week if I went hard with my nutrition but everyone tells me this is a safe and healthy pace. I'm exercising 4-5 times a week and was thinking about bumping that up more or cutting back on my adult beverage intake.

If I do either one of those then I will shed weight much faster but I remember when I "dieted" before that I gained everything back and then some.

Do you think it's going to be unhealthy for me to lose 4-5 lbs a week?

voluptas63

Cut... back... on... alcohol?


.... I'm getting the shakes.


It's very difficult to maintain that sort of weight loss for a long period of time and usually, comes back faster than it went off. Assuming you're getting in your vegetables, fruits, minerals, vitamins etc and not malnourishing yourself then I'd assume it would be okay.

ChantalD75

Slow wins the race...

joejccva71

You might be able to get away with it for short term and then go back to 1-2 lbs a week. Don't recommend it but you could probably do it. You need to becareful of going too fast though bro. Are you trying to lose the weight, and then rebuild some muscle? Or no.

cjstrong

Very possible, ive done it haha.

I was losing 10-12 lbs a month for about 4 months at the beginning.

Ketogenic Diet.

Purple_Orchid_87

if this is a diet where you are healthy for a period of time, lose the weight and then go back to an unhealthy lifestyle then it doesnt matter how quickly u lose, you will put it back on

if you are on a journey, a new lifestyle, and intend to continue being healthy when you reach your goal weight, then its best to try and tick around 2-3lbs a week - if you go for 5lbs a week, as i did, and then not lose it for 4 or 5 weeks in a row, as your body adjusts to your workouts it slows down, then u run the risk of getting disheartened and giving up

so, are you on a diet whereby it ends when you reach your ideal weight and you go back to where you were pre-diet, or are you on a lifestyle change?

Kimmy546

Go for it, I did it my first 3 weeks on here lost 5 lbs each week or so then stalled, the next 5lbs after came off alot slower. You will just have to change it up when that happens.

joejccva71

Very possible, ive done it haha.

I was losing 10-12 lbs a month for about 4 months at the beginning.

Ketogenic Diet.

^This.

OP- If you were hell bent on doing it fast, Keto would be the optimal way. Make sure you read the keto diet and understand it. It's not for everyone. Very effective though.

HayleeWho

do what ever is best for you but it may put your body into some sort of shock!

Hodar

Yup; been there - done that.

Let me tell you how the story ends. You drop your weight fast - you celebrate. Af first a couple beers and pizza; then you start reverting back to your old eatting style. "I'll grab a Big Mac Combo, 2 of the 99 cent McDoubles, large fries and a Dt. Coke". Or, the pizza you ordered, which should have lasted you 3 or 4 meals - is half gone or completely gone before morning.

In a couple months - you are back where you started; plus an additional 5-10 for good measure. I know, I did the Phen-Fen diet, the Atkins diet, the West Coast diet - these work great in the 'short term'; but are simply unsustainable in the long term. Take Atkins for example. Eat all the protein you want - eat a Caribou. You will lose weight. But, as SOON as you add carbs back - you gain it back again. Why? Because many of these diets have no concept of PORTION CONTROL or counting Calories. At the end of the day - it's the calories you consumed minus the calories you burned that determine whether you maintain, gain or lose weight.

Do it slow - you only have 20lbs to go. Drop it by Christmas - you'll have established a healthy eatting style, you will have made portion control a part of your lifestyle. You will have an idea how many calories you need, and how many calories you are consuming.

Or don't - and then wonder why you are suddenly 40-50 yrs old and weigh 280-330 - like me.

cjstrong

Yea you really have to read up and understand the diet. Works great. Lost 70lbs in a year on it and kept it off. Just been stuck around the same for a while so here I am counting calories.

Very possible, ive done it haha.

I was losing 10-12 lbs a month for about 4 months at the beginning.

Ketogenic Diet.

^This.

OP- If you were hell bent on doing it fast, Keto would be the optimal way. Make sure you read the keto diet and understand it. It's not for everyone. Very effective though.

Qarol

For very overweight people, it may be possible to lose that much in the beginning. But after a while, that's just not a good, healthy rate of weight loss. If you lost that quickly, it may not just be fat you're losing. And you could be harming your body internally without even realizing it. Trust me. No one is more obsessed with her average weekly weight loss than I. (I keep an excel spreadsheet to track the average per week weight loss. And it keeps getting lower.) Sometimes, even losing 1 lb a week is not sustainable. Patience is key. And that's coming from someone who doesn't know the meaning of the word.

cjstrong

Sorry Hodar I dont agree with you because its all about how bad you really want it. I kept my 70lbs off by eating sensible and never visiting fast food again. I cook for myself. Of course if you add carbs back you will gain your weight back. You have to taper off of atkins. Not just diving back into your regular bad routine.

Dont read the atkins diet. Read into ketogenic diets. Its more specific. (yes atkins is a ketogenic diet but its not very structured the way its posted online)

Read up at bodybuilding.com

bigredhearts

you could do that... or you could make sure that you chose a lifestyle that your willing to stick to. otherwise the weight could come back on and then some... for instance i refuse to cut carbs, because i know that im not going to cut them out forever...

SusanMcAvoy

I still drink but I am accountable for the calories. It slows down my progress however drinking is something I'll continue to do after I lose all my weight so why not be honest with myself? I don't drink every day but do so on the weekends. If you can lose the weight fast good for you but I agree, it has to be a lifestyle change or you'll gain it right back. Find out how many calories you burn naturally every day and stick with that number once you reach your goal weight. Check out this site and it will calculate for you how many calories you can eat while you are losing and will also tell you how to maintain once you hit your goal weight. I wish you the best of luck! http://www.everydayhealth.com/toolkit/bmr-calculator.aspx

cjstrong

If you wanna lose 10lbs a month do a ketogenic diet. A lot of naysayers but its perfectly healthy and fine. Do your research. You can safely come off the keto diet if you RESEARCH and you wont gain weight. Read read read

cjjones007

Cut... back... on... alcohol?


.... I'm getting the shakes.


It's very difficult to maintain that sort of weight loss for a long period of time and usually, comes back faster than it went off. Assuming you're getting in your vegetables, fruits, minerals, vitamins etc and not malnourishing yourself then I'd assume it would be okay.

Think about how much I cut back Rachel

Seriously though she's right - I dropped 90 pounds in just over 4 months... 90 pounds... I yo-yo'd the next 20 pounds for the better part of 7 months before finally getting it off and feeling like it is gone for good...

which I would have JUST done 2 pounds a week - I'd still be further along than I am now...

LorinaLynn

Well, I can give you my personal experience.

The math doesn't always work out the way we think it will.

The past month, I've aimed for 1500 calories a day, or a half pound a week loss. I ate back my exercise calories, so my average intake was around 1800 calories a day. I only logged my food Monday through Friday, and played it by ear on weekends. Some of those weekends included going out to eat - a LOT - and a big alcohol infused luau at my brother's. And I lost 4.5 lbs this past month.

When I first started on here, like everyone else on the planet, I wanted to lose weight as quickly as possible and had my calories at 1200, for theoretically a 2 pound a week loss. The only time I lost more than one pound a week was when I had a stomach flu. I lost about five pounds that month.

Then I upped my calories to 1350, then 1400, and STILL lost about 5 pounds a month.

On the other hand, years ago, when I didn't know better, I ate around 700-800 calories a day, with a little more on weekends, but really strict during the week, felt like poop all the time, was tired and cranky, and lost at most a half pound a week. Needless to say, I couldn't keep that up very long. I was frustrated as hell because I thought there was something wrong with me that I couldn't lose weight, and knew it would be crazy to try to eat even less. I really believed it was a simple matter of calories in vs calories out.

It's not. Just because you physically CAN eat less or CAN workout harder, doesn't mean that you'll get any added benefit from it.

I'd rather eat more and feel wonderful while losing weight than eat less and feel deprived. Especially if I'm going to get the same results!!!

arlingtonangel

I had the same question. I just started counting calories and exercising 5 times a week. I have lost 6 lbs in the week I have been on MFP. I am eating 3 meals a day and snacks. I try to eat back some of my exercise calories. Dr. said as long as I am eating healthy and not over doing it exercise wise, i should be fine. I know eventually, the weight loss will slow but for now it is motivation

joejccva71

I had the same question. I just started counting calories and exercising 5 times a week. I have lost 6 lbs in the week I have been on MFP. I am eating 3 meals a day and snacks. I try to eat back some of my exercise calories. Dr. said as long as I am eating healthy and not over doing it exercise wise, i should be fine. I know eventually, the weight loss will slow but for now it is motivation

Keep doing what you're doing, monitor your cal intake and keep at a deficit and the weight will come off. The doctor is half right and half wrong though. If you are eating healthy, but eating a surplus you'll gain. *Just saying*

jamesdelong

Thank you everyone for the advice and encouragement! I'm going to be okay with the 1-2lbs a week loss. I see that patience is a virtue.

I will continue to exercise a few times a week and make better choices while dining out and also stay on route to a healthier lifestyle.

Also, I will keep my friends but will make new ones who are living the new lifestyle I want to live. (This way I can do other things instead of just the club and bar scene) I know there is a balance and will find it.