Hello & Overall Question

napalm684

Hi everyone,

I have been using MFP for a little over a month and am down 21 lbs :-) . I have a long way to go, but I wanted to know what is the max you should set your weight loss per week at? I currently have it set at 2lbs figuring the less I take off per week the more likely it is to stay off? Is this an antiquated notion?

Thanks.

melsinct

It depends. How much do you weigh and how much do you want to lose? The heavier you are and the more you have to lose, the more you can safely lose in a week.

dls06

Slow and steady.

napalm684

I am currently around 230 looking to weigh around 190 (at least that's goal one).

melsinct

For 40 pounds I would keep the goal at 1 lb/week. It is much more sustainable and doable in the long run to take it slowly.

Shweedog

I believe the max you can set it at on this site IS 2 lbs. So slow and steady, according to the site, would not be 2 lbs, but rather 1lb (which is what is recommended). Good luck!

XXXMinnieXXX

I'm 246lbs. 2lbs is the max allowed. I sometimes loose 3 if I exercise. Its likely to stay off at 2lbs x

ShaSimone

You can set it to 2lbs to start. I would make sure that the calorie goal is high enough to sustain you through workouts, etc. If not then move it to 1lb so you get more calories to work with.

rinnismom

WOW!! i don't know how you do it. i mean... i've been with the site since aug 2 and i've lost 10. i've had to teach myself to eat more and healthier, but still only 10. i don't know how you people do it.

it seems i have thyroid issues and i have for some years, but still.... DANG!

1 lb a week for me. i am very active - outdoorsy, three kids, six animals, two jobs, yadda-yadda... but we always have time to get outdoors. everyone has a different opinion of what is "right". i think slow and steady because you're adjusting your frame of mind and your body's tolerance to eating better more consistently. some people can "cold turkey" on foods to start or stay on a regimen that sustains their food choices - and that's great - but for me, because of what i've experienced, i'd say slow and steady. don't forget that as you lose, you also need to adjust you caloric intake.

oh, and tone as you go - always a good thing.

keep up the fantastic work. your progress is inspiring!

moonsforeyes

It depends. If that is what is working for you, I'd continue that goal until you hit some sort of plateau. Then, I would mess with my goal and see if upping calories/decreasing them helps. It's all about figuring out your body. Congrats on the weight loss this far! best wishes to you.

napalm684

Thank you for congratulatory messages everyone. This is the first time I have been on a diet since I was around 13-14ish. I have my app set to 2 calories per week but sometimes I seem to loose more than that regardless of exercise or lack thereof. Some weeks I seem to loose 5 calories out of the blue but then others I lose 1, so I guess it depends on the non-exercise activity of the day that you kind of take for granted. I know at some point I am bound to hit a wall in terms of the ease of losing, but I do not seem to be there yet (hence 21 lbs in just slightly over a month). The plus side is that I will be starting an exercise regimen now that the weather is getting better. I plan on push mowing my .5 acre yard (weekly most likely) and walking my pup everyday. I have also been using elliptical, bike and treadmill when I am traveling for work and have access to the hotel's equipment.

It was a big step to just force yourself down this path, but it does seem to be getting easier. In around about way, MFP is like a game. See how you can meet/be under your caloric intake for each day. Drives my wife nuts because I am always saying stuff like "I only have xxx calories to spend on dinner, can we have something light?" etc etc.

Here is a question though, when I exercise it obviously subtracts calories from my daily total. So lets say I have 1400 required per day and I burn 200, that then tells me assuming I ate all 1400 for the day, that I am 200 calories under my daily requirement. It doesn't however warn me about the starvation thing as it does when you are just way under your calorie goal for the day without exercise. Is this good, or should I try to avoid this deficit and break even every day?