How long does it take you to lose 1 pound?
kittyraj
Posts: 129 Member
Hi All,
Just wondered, how long does it take you to lose 1 pound?
I know the recommended weight loss is 1 - 2 pound per week.
I am only losing 1 pound every fortnight. What can I do to increase my weight loss?
I'm on 1480kCals per day and 6 out of 7 days a week I am within that limit.
My job is a sedentary job but I work out 3-4 times a week and at least one of those would be a HIIT.
I go walking in hilly parks / field at the weekend if the weather is good or even shopping, just to keep me moving.
Am I doing anything wrong?
Just wondered, how long does it take you to lose 1 pound?
I know the recommended weight loss is 1 - 2 pound per week.
I am only losing 1 pound every fortnight. What can I do to increase my weight loss?
I'm on 1480kCals per day and 6 out of 7 days a week I am within that limit.
My job is a sedentary job but I work out 3-4 times a week and at least one of those would be a HIIT.
I go walking in hilly parks / field at the weekend if the weather is good or even shopping, just to keep me moving.
Am I doing anything wrong?
0
Replies
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Nope you're doing everything right. I too have a sedentary job, my cals are set to NET about 1300 - 1400 each day.
I lose about 0.5 - 1lb per week too. I figure its better than a gain :-) you dont want to go too fast and end up on a plateau for months (trust me I tried it!!!)
Keep up the great work and you'll get there. xx0 -
I lost 4 kilos (8 pounds) in my first 2 months, but this 3rd month I've lost 1 kilo (2 pounds), on 1200 calories average per day and going to the gym about twice a week. I'm guessing our bodies just fluctuate sometimes, but I think 1 pound a fortnight is absolutely fine. if u post public your food diary that may help - good nutrients over processed food helps our bodies.0
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How far over do you go on your over day?
How hard do you exercise?0 -
How are you intaking your calories? I hear a lot of the talk about the small 6 meals/snacks a day to keep your metabolism up instead of three meals.. Making sure you eat breakfast to start the metabolism, etc, etc.. Anything you can do to boost that will help. It took mine awhile to even kick in, but once it does, the weight is a bit easier to drop.0
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I hear you on wanting to lose the weight fast, but I think you are doing great on averaging 1/2 a pound a week. I would say maintain your calories where they are and try to add a bit more activity or habits in your day that burn more calories. Walk more, stand up for 5 minutes every hour, etc.
The "move more" is my biggest challenge. I am good with the food plan. Work on finding/trying how to get that activity level up.
Are you sleeping enough?0 -
Try adding 2-3 cups of green tea to your day. It helps speed up your metabolism using thermogenics. I have tried a lot of them and I like the Twinings green tea with lemon the best.0
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The simplest answer is: just lower your calories
However! lowering your calories too much will probably be bad for your health. Also, every person is different, the metabolism is different and therefore the rate at which you lose the weight is different.
A few things you could check though:
1) the calories you actually spend during workouts - the MFP data is not always accurate, so if your're using the MFP estimates, consider lowering them just to be sure. I'm over-exaggerating now but there's no way anyone could spend 800 kcal in 20 min of Zumba. Really.
2) look for hidden calories. For instance coffee drinks can be as much as 600 kcal per serving. And sports drinks aren't as good for you as you'd think...
3) how much weight training are you doing? I noticed that when I switched to mostly weight-training and kept my net calories the same then the weightloss became faster, AND more visible. I have a sixpack now! (my calorie goal is at 1200 but I'm 5'1 with a BMR at 1250... not much room to up it, really)0 -
It depends, sometimes I lose 1 pound a week and other times it takes me all month to lose a pound. Sooo just regulate your calories the best you can and get in some exercise and in the end, all will be well. Even those little half pounds add up towards the end result. Good luck!
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You eat 500 cals less a day you loose a pound a week. Simple as that
So mathematically eat 980 a day and you will loose 1lb more a week
Thats the math, however the reality is 980 a day isnt good or enough. If you aren't working out your calories right and are eating much more then thats fine because you are still changing by 500 cals and will loose
If you are actually eating 980 ish calories it is not good and not enough, arguably neither is 1480 but if you are slowly losing weight as is, stick at what you are doing. Sucesfull weight loss is a long term lengthy business0 -
I have been doing this for 52 months Patience is the thing I had to learn last 5 or 6 weeks I lost one pound this week I have lost almost 5 pounds just on the brink of going below 200 will probably stall now for a month just to make me crazy Patience
PS I dont discuss calories or work outs as we are all different and what works for me may not be right for anyone else alot of experts want to tell you how what and why do whats right for you0 -
I know you want it to come off faster! Believe me! Faster isn't always better. Right now I've been averaging about .8 lbs so not even a whole pound but I'm getting close to my goal weight. The one week where I lost 3 lbs ended up being bad b/c I wasn't eating enough calories and I started to feel sick and then gained a bit the next week. Just keep up the work that you are doing!0
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I've been doing this plan for about 3 weeks and I've lost 1 lb. The last time I lost weight (15 lbs.) on a 1200 calorie a day or so diet it took at least that long to lose one pound. Frustrating, but I'm going to keep going and see what happens. Perserverence is the key word for me at this time. Good to hear I'm not the only one struggling with slow weight loss :-)0
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Right now once about every 7-10 days0
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How far over do you go on your over day?
How hard do you exercise?
I normally go over about 300 - 500kCals.
Twice a week I stay in my 'fat burning zone'.
Once a week, I do a high intensity cardio (often out of breath)
Once a week, at home doing sit ups, dips, plank, push ups and working on the floor with my body as resistance.0 -
Am I doing anything wrong?
Yes. Your expectations are too high.
You have 14 pounds to go. A half pound a week is ideal for you.
Track your progress through how clothes fit, measurement and progress photos, not just on the scale.0 -
Slow and steady like my tortoise. He doesn't get anywhere very fast, but when I take my eyes off him, he disappears. My dog bounds around like crazy, but she never disappears. I want my weight to disappear, like the tortoise.0
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How are you intaking your calories? I hear a lot of the talk about the small 6 meals/snacks a day to keep your metabolism up instead of three meals.. Making sure you eat breakfast to start the metabolism, etc, etc.. Anything you can do to boost that will help. It took mine awhile to even kick in, but once it does, the weight is a bit easier to drop.
Well, I don't like breakfast so I have a shake in the morning (about 200kCals)
Then I have a mid morning snack. 2 crumpets or toast with dairy lea cheese or sometimes I don't even have a snack.
I always have lunch, often a pre-prepared cooked meal. About 300 - 500kcals
Then I would have a snack at about 3-4pm about 200Kcals
I'll have a shake after my workout at about 7pm about 200kCals
If I'm hungry I'll have another shake about 10pm and then off to bed at about 12am. 200kcals. This is rare as I don't enjoy eating dinner and especially after a workout, I find it suppresses my appetite so I have a shake instead. It could be a protein shake, a meal replacement shake, any shake but they are all about 200calories.0 -
I hear you on wanting to lose the weight fast, but I think you are doing great on averaging 1/2 a pound a week. I would say maintain your calories where they are and try to add a bit more activity or habits in your day that burn more calories. Walk more, stand up for 5 minutes every hour, etc.
The "move more" is my biggest challenge. I am good with the food plan. Work on finding/trying how to get that activity level up.
Are you sleeping enough?
I get about 6 hours sleep per night. This is my 'normal' sleep. Even at weekends I tend to naturally wake up after 6 hours.0 -
Try adding 2-3 cups of green tea to your day. It helps speed up your metabolism using thermogenics. I have tried a lot of them and I like the Twinings green tea with lemon the best.
Green tea is my favourite drink. I have about 5 per day. I love Clipper or Japanese sencha or Chinese Prince of Peace Kuan Yin tea.0 -
The simplest answer is: just lower your calories
However! lowering your calories too much will probably be bad for your health. Also, every person is different, the metabolism is different and therefore the rate at which you lose the weight is different.
A few things you could check though:
1) the calories you actually spend during workouts - the MFP data is not always accurate, so if your're using the MFP estimates, consider lowering them just to be sure. I'm over-exaggerating now but there's no way anyone could spend 800 kcal in 20 min of Zumba. Really.
2) look for hidden calories. For instance coffee drinks can be as much as 600 kcal per serving. And sports drinks aren't as good for you as you'd think...
3) how much weight training are you doing? I noticed that when I switched to mostly weight-training and kept my net calories the same then the weightloss became faster, AND more visible. I have a sixpack now! (my calorie goal is at 1200 but I'm 5'1 with a BMR at 1250... not much room to up it, really)
Thank you. I will try to do more weights. Perhaps that is my answer. x0 -
1lb of fat is 3500 calories.
So a defect of 3500 caloies per week means a loss of 1lb per week.0 -
Am I doing anything wrong?
Yes. Your expectations are too high. You have 14 pounds to go. A half pound a week is ideal for you.
Track your progress through how clothes fit, measurement and progress photos, not just on the scale.
And we have a winner!!
Since you are already in a good range of weight it will take longer. In fact its not uncommon to take 3-6 months for the last ten lbs. The bigger thing is ensuring its 14 lbs of fat you lose, not fat and muscle. Depending how long you workout and your stats, 1480 calories might be too little. Are you eating some if your exercise calories back? Also, what type of exercise are you doing?0 -
When I'm behaving myself and working out properly, my average weekly weight loss is around .6-.8 lbs. Sadly I'm thinking I've hit a bit of a plateau so I'm trying to shake things up!
Sounds like you're doing everything right though, we're all just a little bit different though. Good luck!0 -
Different body types, different levels of activity, and different workout routines all line up to make each person lose weight at a very personalised speed. I lose .6lbs a night, when I was much heavier the amount was higher- I suspect when I get nearer my goal weight I will be losing a LOT slower (sort of hope so.) It's recommended to lose 1lb a week, to give your body a chance to adapt to the weight loss - I mean think about it, that's 50 lbs in a year's time. Just let it ride and enjoy the numbers going down.
Take your body measurements as well as get a reading on your body fat and muscle %ages and watch THOSE numbers moving - that's a lot of fun!!
Have a great morning, and enjoy yourself losing weight
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Am I doing anything wrong?
Yes. Your expectations are too high. You have 14 pounds to go. A half pound a week is ideal for you.
Track your progress through how clothes fit, measurement and progress photos, not just on the scale.
[/quote
Thank you.
So far I've not noticed much with my clothes.
But I am persevering. Looks like the only answer is patience. :-)0 -
Hi All,
Just wondered, how long does it take you to lose 1 pound?
I know the recommended weight loss is 1 - 2 pound per week.
I am only losing 1 pound every fortnight. What can I do to increase my weight loss?
I'm on 1480kCals per day and 6 out of 7 days a week I am within that limit.
My job is a sedentary job but I work out 3-4 times a week and at least one of those would be a HIIT.
I go walking in hilly parks / field at the weekend if the weather is good or even shopping, just to keep me moving.
Am I doing anything wrong?
Your body loses weight in chunks, not linear. I have found that you can do everything right and your weight loss seems to plateau but if you are patient and keep exercising and eating at a deficit (however slight) you will lose it, it will suddenly "whoosh". There are so many variables for the scale; water retention, digestion, hormones, allergies, sodium, carbs, water intake, DOMS, inflammation, the list goes on. People mistakenly think they lose or gain weight when they eat more or less because of these fluctuations.
Losing weight requires tremendous patience. You will not lose it when you want it or where you want it. The body does its thing. Some apparent plateaus can last a month or so. You cannot make it happen faster. You must focus on two things; calories and exercise. Nothing else matters. Scales and metrics don't matter. The day in and day out grind of exercise and calories are all that matters. It is not very exciting until things fall into place. You get your victories and you ride one victory to the next.
The scale is a trend tool. The scale is good but put it away and only check once a week and only use it as a trend tool. It will fluctuate, it does not matter. Take front side and back progress pictures at least once a month. You will see differences that the metrics won't tell you and it's that little bit of NSV that will keep you going until the next victory.
Taller people have more room in their calorie budget to go up or down. Shorter people like me have less room and get frustrated with "eat more" because that typically does not work for us. If you are confused about it don't just listen to any of us, do some research and get approval from your doctor, then just do what you need to do and tune the rest of us out.
It really depends on your RMR. If you are short like I am then your RMR is really just above the 1200 limit so you really don't have much room for a calorie deficit and going up is less likely to work. If you are taller you will have a higher RMR and can go up or down and still be in a deficit so you can lose no matter what. All that matters is a calorie deficit. If you are short it can be hard to have a deficit at 1200 or above so your only option is to check with your doctor. I did and he agreed and had me go down.
Once I got leaner I had to taper UP my calories. The leaner you get the less of a calorie deficit your body can handle. It needs to be a long slow shallow deficit. For me still under a doctor’s care, this is lower than others because I am so short, petite, and am under 12% body fat where I truly can go into starvation mode if I ate too low. I've worked with my doctor and for me it's much lower than MFP would have me eat even while I'm maintaining.
Seek advice from your doctor. Myself or anyone else on here can’t tell you how much to eat, or to go up or down. If you have a lot of body fat reserves you would be surprised at how little you can eat (unless you have emotional eating issues or disorders). The leaner you get the less your body has to draw from and then you have to taper up your calories. There is no such thing as starvation mode for woman over 12% body fat or men over 6% body fat. I pretty much proved that for myself by staying strong and building muscle and doing what I did. I'm the leanest, most muscular, and most fit that I have ever been in my life at almost 52 years old. My doctor looked at my blood work throughout my journey and it remained fine even with “taking breaks from eating” for periods of time and eating less. Even now at less than 12% body fat everything is A-OKAY. I am healthy, active, and vibrant, muscular not skinny. I have never had eating disorders nor do I now. If you have eating disorders you should not be on a diet unless you are under a doctor’s care and/or get those issues resolved first. I do not advocate unhealthy eating or promote eating disorders.
While there is no one size fits all I listed the things that worked for me here --> http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/740340-i-lost-60-lbs-at-age-51-anyone-can-any-workout
I found the following quotes helpful for sorting through all the myths plastered all over the placeWhat is the exact number of calories for you?
We’ve been trying to figure out an exact NUMBER of calories that everyone should be eating, without recognizing that everyone is slightly different. In truth, the calories aren’t the end game. Your body is. So the EXACT amount of Calories that are right for you is the EXACT amount that will allow you to maintain your ideal bodyweight no matter what some calculator or chart says.
In other words, an online calculator might tell you that you need to eat 2,500 calories
per day to maintain your ideal bodyweight. But the only way to know for sure if this is
the right amount for you is to test it out. If you gain weight or can’t lose weight eating
that much, then you know you need to eat less to lose weight no matter how many
calculators and text books say otherwise.
This doesn’t mean your metabolism is broken, it just means the estimate of your needs
was just a bit off.
-John Barban (The Body Centric Calorie Guide from the Venus Index and Adonis Index Manuals)The Theory of Fat Availability:
•There is a set amount of fat that can be released from a fat cell.
•The more fat you have, the more fat can be used as a fuel when dieting.
•The less fat you have, the less fat can be used as a fuel when dieting.
•Towards the end of a transformation, when body fat is extremely low you
may not have enough fat to handle a large caloric deficit anymore.
At the extreme low end, when your body fat cannot ‘keep up’ with the energy deficit
you've imposed on your body, the energy MUST come from SOMEWHERE. This is
when you are at risk of losing lean body mass during dieting (commonly referred to
as ‘starvation mode’). This happens at extremely low levels of body fat, under 6% in
men and 12% in women [Friedl K.E. J Appl Phsiol, 1994].
-Brad Pilon and John Barban (from The Reverse Taper Diet in The Adonis Index and Venus Index manuals)0 -
I lose a half lb. per week best case scenario. I usually eat about 1400-1500 cals per day and have a sedentary job too. I don't work out that much.0
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I am so glad to read about people whose weight loss is not linear. I've lost about 30 pounds since Easter (27 while logging everything on MFP). Some weeks I lose two or even three pounds. Most weeks I seem to lose about one, but I was totally stuck for the month of September, and then lost 3-4 pounds last week. September was difficult. It was a grind, without the positive reinforcement of the scale. I did FEEL thinner, however. So, thank you to those with wisdom and experience for the words of encouragement, and thank you to the person who asked this question.0
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1lb of fat is 3500 calories.
So a defect of 3500 caloies per week means a loss of 1lb per week.
Perhaps in theory but nobody loses a whole pound of fat, some of it is water and some muscle too.0 -
Am I doing anything wrong?
Yes. Your expectations are too high. You have 14 pounds to go. A half pound a week is ideal for you.
Track your progress through how clothes fit, measurement and progress photos, not just on the scale.
And we have a winner!!
Since you are already in a good range of weight it will take longer. In fact its not uncommon to take 3-6 months for the last ten lbs. The bigger thing is ensuring its 14 lbs of fat you lose, not fat and muscle. Depending how long you workout and your stats, 1480 calories might be too little. Are you eating some if your exercise calories back? Also, what type of exercise are you doing?
Hi there,
It seems 1480 calories is what MFP calculates I need to lose 1pound per week.
I work at a desk job and hardly move, perhaps that is why.
Also it used to be 1600 calories and as I lost weight it became 1550 and not 1480... so I'm guessing it's related to my current weight.
I do the Curves Circuit Training. I do the Advanced workout on Mondays which essentially is a HIIT.
Then another 2 times per week the regular circuit training.
I also have a minimum of one day of strength using my body as resistance, push ups, sit ups, dips etc.0
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