losing 3-5 lbs a week

Lib_B

i'm interested in trying to lose 5 lbs a week (give or take a pound or two). i have 110 to lose. if you've had any luck hitting this benchmark, i'd be curious what you are doing. i know, i didn't put it on over night (in fact, it took 6 years). but, i've been reading about rapid weight loss and it doesn't sound like it's the big deal they used to think it was. i find myself getting discouraged and then emotionally eating when the scale doesn't move like i think it should. i want to get rapid results.

i know there are no magic bullets. i'm looking for targets for calories in and time spent on exercise...and what kind you are doing.

my diet is pretty healthy right now. and i am exercising 5 days a week. doing 30 day shred for 20 minutes every day and not getting the results i want. better overall fitness level, but the scale and tape measure aren't moving to my liking. i really need to invest in an HRM so i have a better idea on the cals. I know my BMR right now is about 1800. i think i figured to be on target, i'd need to find a way to eliminate another 7000 - 10,500 a week. I eat 1,000 - 1,200 cals a day. I give myself a little wiggle room, but try to be on the low end.

If you had advice on workouts (that i can do at home) it would be really appreciated!! I am able to get to the gym on the weekends, just not during the week.

mallory3411

I'm sorry but you'd be doing yourslf more harm than good to lose quickly. Quick weight loss is not sustainable. It will contribute to lose, saggy skin. It is generally not healthy. You didn't put it all on quickly so you can't expect to lose it quickly.

Healthy weight loss is 0.5 to 2lbs per week. Stick with that. You won't have a loss every week but you've gotta keep plugging away.

mallory3411

Sorry just read the post a little more... 1000 calories is NOT nearly enough. I eat 1700 a day and lose about a pound a week.

Less doesn't always mean more loss. You will screw up your body and metabolism doing that

Biggest Loser isn't real life.

sizzle92

Just keep burning more calories than you eat and exercising! If you lose it slow and steady, there is a better chance you will keep it off. IMO if you lose 4-5 lbs a week, you will not keep it off.

psuLemon

Doing that method will also lead to a slower metabolism (which will kill long term results and lead to plateau's) and a big loss of muscle. I would aim for 2 lbs a week and really push to get strength training to maintain lean muscle mass. This way you can lose inches and body fat faster even though it may impede weight loss.

WanderingMe

Unfortunately it is still the big deal it used to be in my opinion. Loss of lean muscle mass alone is what keeps me away from going the rapid route. Also, and I know EVERYONE says this, but its a lifestyle change, so even if you get to your goal, I doubt you will have learned how to eat healthy and what not.

newmein2013

I agree with Mallory. You mentioned you get frustrated and eat. That's a hard habit to change and it won't change over night, even if you do reach your goal weight quickly. You need to train your brain on portion control and much more to be successful in long term weight loss and keeping it off. Hang in there. Just keep exercising, drink your water, and never go below 1200 calories a day. You'd be doing yourself a huge injustice otherwise. I know someone who lost over 100lbs with gastric bypass but she eats so unhealthy it's rather sad. She was instructed to go to therapy for a year and never did so she was never able to properly deal with her old heating habits after the rapid weight loss. Hope this helps. Best of luck!

melsinct

Doing that method will also lead to a slower metabolism (which will kill long term results and lead to plateau's) and a big loss of muscle.

Agreed. You may think you are losing fat quickly when in reality it will be muscle. That's why you shouldn't attempt to drop 6 years worth of weight gain in a few months. Why starve yourself when you'll still be unhealthy at the end and you will have lost muscle along the way? It makes no sense.

lmalaschak

I wouldn't think it's a crime to try for 2-3 a week for a while. 3-5 will probably discourage you because I don't think it's doable, especially for women with hormones in the mix and all. I'm on 1220 a day right now but I'm fairly close to my goal weight and only exercise 2-3 times a week. I think you might do well to be a bit kinder to your body and you'll still see some results fairly quickly! As for exercise, I think walking/jogging is probably your best friend!

Lib_B

i do have the diet down and i eat healthy most of the time. i NEVER eat fast food. and i NEVER eat processed food. didn't do that even before i started this journey. i have read too much about food and where it comes from. i am also fortunate to live in a state where i can meet farmers and buy what little meat i do eat directly from them. only organic for my family. none of that factory farm crap. so diet wise - even though i emotionally eat, it's not like it's the drive thru at McD's. it's more like a homemade quesadilla with organic cheese and going overboard on the cheese.

the mental stuff isn't going to go away over night. i know that. i've heard all of these arguments before. but when i started to put on the freshman 15 when i was 19 or so, i started eating 1,000 cals a day and exercised 6 days a week. it worked for me and i had a rockin' body - and not ana-mia type either. just solid size 6 with great curves, etc. so say what you will about the cals, but i've done fine on that before and not had a problem. you'd be surprised how much food you can eat with a mostly plant based diet on 1,000 cals. i definitely don't feel hungry.

besides, there are people who practice CR as a lifestyle and has been shown to increase longevity. i'm mostly looking for people who have had success attempting this rather than all the arguments against it. i've done research too. i know the pros and cons. i just am curious what methods people have used to achieve these benchmarks.

mallory3411

Eating only 1000 calories a day long term is not healthy. You may be eating all organic things, lean meats, plant based foods however too much of a calorie restriction isn't healthy.

Just because it worked for you when you were 19 doesn't mean it will work for you now. Your body doesn't function the same now than it did years ago.

You can't gain proper muscle on 1000 calories a day... you can't build proper muscle on a calorie deficit.

You asked a question and got responses. Yes, most are maybe nto what you wanted to hear but they were people's ideas and opinions and answers that were to try and help you out.

Losing 3-5lbs per week is not healthy. Speak with a proper doctor or nutrionist and they will tell you that. We all would LOVE fast weight loss (I'd LOVE to lose 3-5lbs per week) but we know it's not healthy unless you want to be skinny fat with lose skin.

I had an appointment with my doctor last week who confirmed that fast weight loss is not healthy. When I was discussing my new weight loss journey with my doctor he had informed me all the information around it and that going far too low calorie intake wise will eventually slow metabolism, lean to muscle loss, and lots of lose skin.

Slow weight loss is even though we all want to lose quickly.

These comments may not of been what you want to hear but it's the information that can help if it's listened to. Speak with your doctor, than maybe you'll be more willing to do it the slow and healthy way.

Good luck

Wilson336

Quickly losing 15 pounds (that you also put on quickly) at age 19 is a LOT different than losing 110 pounds later in life. Think of how long it took you to put on all that weight. You can't magically take it all off again quickly, without making yourself ill. Aim your caloric intake for 1.5 to 2 pound of loss a week, and keep up the exercising, alternating cardio with moderate weight lifting routines(cardio burns calories quick, but muscles use more calories over the long term, simply being there). Limiting yourself to 1,000 calories will not only slow your metabolism, but will eventually lead to some serious deficiencies in vitamins and nutrients your body needs to maintain your health.

psuLemon

i do have the diet down and i eat healthy most of the time. i NEVER eat fast food. and i NEVER eat processed food. didn't do that even before i started this journey. i have read too much about food and where it comes from. i am also fortunate to live in a state where i can meet farmers and buy what little meat i do eat directly from them. only organic for my family. none of that factory farm crap. so diet wise - even though i emotionally eat, it's not like it's the drive thru at McD's. it's more like a homemade quesadilla with organic cheese and going overboard on the cheese.

the mental stuff isn't going to go away over night. i know that. i've heard all of these arguments before. but when i started to put on the freshman 15 when i was 19 or so, i started eating 1,000 cals a day and exercised 6 days a week. it worked for me and i had a rockin' body - and not ana-mia type either. just solid size 6 with great curves, etc. so say what you will about the cals, but i've done fine on that before and not had a problem. you'd be surprised how much food you can eat with a mostly plant based diet on 1,000 cals. i definitely don't feel hungry.

besides, there are people who practice CR as a lifestyle and has been shown to increase longevity. i'm mostly looking for people who have had success attempting this rather than all the arguments against it. i've done research too. i know the pros and cons. i just am curious what methods people have used to achieve these benchmarks.

What is CR?

Also, I am not trying to be a d!ck, but if something worked, then why would you be asking the question? I can tell you with all the people that I have worked with on this board (men, women, young and old), they all ran into issues with under eating. Every single one of them has needed additional calories to support weight loss. Several of them has killed their metabolism over the years (some even recovering from ED's).

In the end, it all comes down to lean muscle mass and metabolism. The more LBM you have, the better your immune system is, the better your insulin control is, the more effective your body works and the longer you live.

MenaMena

CR = Calorie Restriction

melsinct

i do have the diet down and i eat healthy most of the time. i NEVER eat fast food. and i NEVER eat processed food. didn't do that even before i started this journey. i have read too much about food and where it comes from. i am also fortunate to live in a state where i can meet farmers and buy what little meat i do eat directly from them. only organic for my family. none of that factory farm crap. so diet wise - even though i emotionally eat, it's not like it's the drive thru at McD's. it's more like a homemade quesadilla with organic cheese and going overboard on the cheese.

the mental stuff isn't going to go away over night. i know that. i've heard all of these arguments before. but when i started to put on the freshman 15 when i was 19 or so, i started eating under 1,000 cals a day and exercised 6 days a week. it worked for me and i had a rockin' body - and not ana-mia type either. just solid size 6 with great curves, etc. so say what you will about the cals, but i've done fine on that before and not had a problem. you'd be surprised how much food you can eat with a mostly plant based diet on 1,000 cals. i definitely don't feel hungry.

besides, there are people who practice CR as a lifestyle and has been shown to increase longevity. i'm mostly looking for people who have had success attempting this rather than all the arguments against it. i've done research too. i know the pros and cons. i just am curious what methods people have used to achieve these benchmarks.

Also, I am not trying to be a d!ck, but if something worked, then why would you be asking the question?

I have to agree. If you think what you are doing is healthy, then just do it and don't bother soliciting advice from the boards if you don't want opinions from other people. You would be hard pressed to find a doctor, nutritionist, or dietitian to agree with you that eating 1000 calories a day is healthy to do without medical supervision. However, if you have all of the answers and believe what you are doing is right, then you don't need to try and justify your actions here. Just go about your business.

mallory3411

i do have the diet down and i eat healthy most of the time. i NEVER eat fast food. and i NEVER eat processed food. didn't do that even before i started this journey. i have read too much about food and where it comes from. i am also fortunate to live in a state where i can meet farmers and buy what little meat i do eat directly from them. only organic for my family. none of that factory farm crap. so diet wise - even though i emotionally eat, it's not like it's the drive thru at McD's. it's more like a homemade quesadilla with organic cheese and going overboard on the cheese.

the mental stuff isn't going to go away over night. i know that. i've heard all of these arguments before. but when i started to put on the freshman 15 when i was 19 or so, i started eating under 1,000 cals a day and exercised 6 days a week. it worked for me and i had a rockin' body - and not ana-mia type either. just solid size 6 with great curves, etc. so say what you will about the cals, but i've done fine on that before and not had a problem. you'd be surprised how much food you can eat with a mostly plant based diet on 1,000 cals. i definitely don't feel hungry.

besides, there are people who practice CR as a lifestyle and has been shown to increase longevity. i'm mostly looking for people who have had success attempting this rather than all the arguments against it. i've done research too. i know the pros and cons. i just am curious what methods people have used to achieve these benchmarks.

Also, I am not trying to be a d!ck, but if something worked, then why would you be asking the question?

I have to agree. If you think what you are doing is healthy, then just do it and don't bother soliciting advice from the boards if you don't want opinions from other people. You would be hard pressed to find a doctor, nutritionist, or dietitian to agree with you that eating 1000 calories a day is healthy to do without medical supervision. However, if you have all of the answers and believe what you are doing is right, then you don't need to try and justify your actions here. Just go about your business.

^^ Agreed

almc170

Just because people claim to see benefits from a CR lifestyle (my already-skinny brother tried it when he was in college), does not mean it is a healthy or desirable weightloss strategy for a 36 year old woman. As we age, our nutritional needs change quite a bit, and you are risking long-term damage to your health. If you insist on undertaking such a venture, please make sure you have adequate medical supervision.

purpleipod

You didn't put the weight on overnight and you shouldn't expect to take it off that quickly either. 5 pounds/week is an extremely aggressive goal and not a very reasonable one either. Most people aim for 2 pounds/week max. Do you really want to eat only 1000 calories for the rest of your life? There's no point in doing something to lose the weight that you aren't willing to do to maintain it.

seanwebster

Slow and steady wins the race. It's fun to see the weight melt off, and my first few weeks it was like that for me. But then they say your body adjusts. Personally, I wasn't overly restricting my calories, but was working out pretty hard (for me). Dropped about 4 pounds a week for a month, maybe a month and a half. Then it leveled off to around 1-2 a week. My guess (I'm obviously not a dietician or nutritionist, YMMV) is the 2 pounds/week target is set there because that's an equilibrium point for most people. More than that, there could be something wrong, and your body's smart enough to adjust.

But nobody here knows you better than you do. If that's what you need to do, then go for it. Just be safe and smart about it for your own sake.

Lib_B

if you read my initial question it was asking for anyone who had had any luck hitting that benchmark. i didn't ask anything but that. that is all. and yes, 1000 cals is working for me plus exercise, but i'm not hitting the 3-5 lbs per week. my question is more of a mathematical one - what is the formula for calculating deficit taking into account bmr so i can figure out how much exercise i need a week to hit this goal.

i certainly don't claim to have all the answers, but several responses were about eating healthy, no processed foods, etc. And no, I don't see anything wrong with calorie restriction because I more than exceed all my dietary needs with regard to macros because i choose the right foods. i have worked with a nutritionist in the past and i know how to make the 1,000 cals work.

i'm trying to figure out how much exercise i need to get the deficit i'm aiming for. perhaps my question wasn't clear enough that i was looking for people who have had success doing that - not just opinions from random "experts".

Lib_B

and i should note, that i do increase my calories as i get closer to my goal. i am aware of that and plan to adjust my calorie intake by 20-50 calories for every 20 lbs lost.